www.svmissalice.com

The Adventure

 February 3, 2012

AHOY!

I won’t apologize for not writing in two years.  We weren’t on the boat so I figured nobody cared.  Especially when there weren’t any pictures.  Most of you know this but for the two of you that don’t, we became CLOD’S in Nov. of 2010.  (cruisers living on dirt)  We got back from the Islands in July of 2010 and found the market and interest rates irresistible.  We found a nice little place on Wilmington Island in Savannah and Kathy immediately started nesting.  She told me to start on yard work so I told her I was going to buy a goat.  (no mowing and a bar-b-que in the fall)  After the swelling went down I got a lawn mower.  Is this a good time to mention…..I LOVE YACHTING!!!!!.  Anyway to make a short story long, we became …………domesticated.  Ugh!!! 

Unfortunately, MISS ALICE was neglected some during this period.  Don’t worry, she has spoken to us about this.  LOUD AND CLEAR.  Anyway I’ll spare the details.  My darling wife worked all year.  Which is a good thing based on all the nesting she did.  The really really really good news is we decided to go back to the Islands this year.  We were going to leave the first of Jan. but it didn’t work out.  (see above about Miss Alice’s speaking to us)  Anyway, we finally left Savannah on Wed., Feb 1 and set out.  After an exhausting day (three hours) we anchored for the night.  Hey, we were off dock okay?  It was at that time we realized we had no reverse capability.  (Talk to me MISS ALICE!!!!!!!)  The reverse matter was handled and a great night was spent on the hook with steaks and champagne.  After listening to MISS ALICE  talk to us we decided to spend another day in the ditch (ICW for you landlubbers).  Another great day and a beautiful anchorage off of St. Simons Island.  We decided at this point to go to St. Mary’s and visit Pat and Dori.  We met them cruising several years ago and became good friends.  They became CLODS two years ago for real.  (they sold their boat)  So, here we sit in St. Mary’s, Ga. visiting and waiting for a good weather window to hop outside and go to Ft. Lauderdale. 

(I think MISS ALICE is content now)  Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that we have new crew aboard.  This past year we met Coco.  Coco found a great place on Tybee Island that offered the best sunsets in Savannah, Ga. and decided it would be a great place for a restaurant.  It was, and it is a fabulous restaurant that celebrates the sunset every day in a special way.  Well, Coco has worked his butt off for the past year and when he heard we were going on a trip he asked if he could go.  Extra crew is always welcome, especially when they are so special to us.  So, when my beautiful wife gets around to posting some pictures you will see an added member to the MISS ALICE crew. Well, it’s late, (8 pm) and time for bed.  No it’s not because we’re old.  It’s called  ……Cruising Time!.    Take care and remember……..

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!

Sept. 17, 2007

Ahoy!  I am so sorry.  It has just come to my attention that none of my updates have been reaching you guys. If it makes you feel any better my attorney is currently in negotiations with the website.  We expect a huge check any day now.

Okay, now that I’ve got the BS out of the way, a quick update.  We got back to Ft. Lauderdale in July, 2006 and moved off of the boat Aug. 1, 2006.  We got her in shape and put her up for sale. WHOA!!!

No we didn’t give up the ship (so to speak), Kathy just needed more room for shoes.  After a couple of friends decided against buying her we decided to list her with a broker in Nov.  That’s not a real good time to sell a boat but what the hell.  In March the broker called us and said he had a couple that wanted to look at the boat.  On Friday March 16^th, 2007, the first couple to look at the boat came at 3pm. At 4:30 pm the broker had a check in his pocket.  And what a nice couple they are. It was such a comfort knowing that Miss Alice ( now Ashling) is in good hands. (Thank you Tommy, Colleen and Sadie).  So moving along, we started looking at boats in August of 06.  We finally found one. (I won’t bore you with all of the ones that didn’t work).  It was in Oxford, Md. and we bought it.  It is a Gulfstar 44.  We are currently on it having a little bit of work done on her but we intend to head south in a week or two.  It gets cold in a hurry up here and as you all know, WE DON’T DO COLD!!!!!!!

Anyway, Kathy has promised to have sex with me now that I’ve updated the site. (She could have said something earlier).  As Dori would say, "I’ll do better tomorrow!"

I know this has been a short update but I’m too busy enjoying our new boat.  Stay tuned for new pics!!!!  Take care and remember.........

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!!!!!

March 10, 2006

Okay, okay, I know. It’s been a couple of days since I updated. Geez. Gimme a break. I’ve been busy. Let’s see...............I’ll tell you what. I won’t bore you with all of the "busy" stuff. I’ll just go straight to the update. June 3^rd 2005 (damn, it has been a couple of days hasn’t it) we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale after leaving Nassau on June 2. Took us 30 hours on a straight run. Got to sail, (a little) but wound up motor sailing most of the way. Good trip. We stayed in Lauderdale a few days re-acquainting ourselves with cheese burgers and traffic jams. The burgers were good. Had a great sail on the outside from Lauderdale to Cape Canaveral. Finished the trip to Jekyll Island on the inside (that’s the ICW for you landlubbers). Spent a couple of days getting fed by Pete and Betty Jean. (There goes my bikini figure) Left Jekyll on June 28 with Little Randy. We call him Little Randy so as not to confuse him with Big Randy (referred to previously as the Great Randini) Little Randy works at Jekyll and is currently getting his boat ready to go South with us at some point in time. Had a good trip on the outside (that’s the ocean for you landlubbers) to Savannah. We pulled into Jack’s dock the next day after I had dropped Kathy off in Thunderbolt. Jack had told me I couldn’t dock at his place again with Kathy on board. (See docking incident related in Nov. 15, 2004 narrative) Docking went real smooth. We stayed in Savannah for a while then headed North. Vince had a few days off so he joined us for a while. Had to go to Charleston on the inside as the wind was coming out of the north (imagine that). Went outside at Charleston and overnighted to Beaufort N.C. I caught one Mahi and Vinnie caught.......er.....snagged something but decided to let it off the hook (so to speak). Vince said it was bigger than mine (even though we never SAW it). Made it to Oriental, pulled into a marina and hit the pool. We eased our way on to Norfolk and stayed a few days sightseeing. Vinnie left and flew back home. It was great having him on board with us. Finally got out into the Chesapeake and headed north. We made it over to the Eastern Shore and visited a couple of places we missed last year. Onancock was really neat. Got to Cambridge Maryland and hooked up with Randy and.......excuse me, The Great Randini and his beautiful wife, Diana. Actually it’s Captain Randini and Captain Diana now as they both got their Coast Guard Captains Licences over the winter. It was good to see them. Randy had been doing some work with TowBoat US and had some great stories. Our charger went out so we decided to go on to Annapolis so that we could send it back for repairs. We stayed in Annapolis through the Boat Show and got to see friends from the Bahamas. Great visit. Oh, someone decided they needed our bicycles more than we did. I hope they enjoy them. Okay, so we left Annapolis and went back to Cambridge and had some canvas work done. We had a dodger made and put on the boat. For you landlubbers, a dodger is a cover that goes over the hatchway that keeps water from coming into the cockpit. It’s the first one we’ve had on Miss Alice and I don’t know how we have survived without it over the years. We also had some plastic enclosures made. Remember the pictures we took last year heading south when we looked like Eskimos? Well we came down the Bay in 40 degree weather wearing shorts and t-shirts. LIFE IS GOOD!!!

We had to go all the way to Savannah on the inside as the weather just would not cooperate. It was pretty much an uneventful trip. Well.......we did have one little hiccup. We were about 15 miles south of Georgetown S.C. when the boat started making one hell of a racket and vibrating unbelievably. Kathy was at the helm and immediately put it in neutral. I quickly decided that we had picked up a crab pot (for you landlubbers, the prop doesn’t turn very well when line is wrapped around it) and we anchored. Well, it was 7:00am and the water was about 53degrees. For us Southerners that’s colder than a well digger’s ass! Kathy was so nice to get me a towel so that I could dry off when I got out of the water after I cut the line off of the prop. (Bless her heart) Well, I finally worked up enough courage to jump in. Folks, let me tell you something. I don’t think a well digger has ever had an ass as cold as mine was. After I stopped hyperventilating I dove down to see how much line was around the prop. In addition to the water being cold, it was also very dark. So dark in fact that I could only see half of the propeller. It was then that I realized that WE ONLY HAD HALF OF A PROP!!!! Now I know some of you are saying, "What’s the big deal, so you only go half as fast". No, not quite. To make a short story long, we were towed back to Georgetown (thank God for unlimited towing) and tied up at the dock. On the way in the tow boat operator called and arranged to have a diver come to the marina. The diver was on the dock when we came in and was in the water before we were tied up. (He had a wetsuit on, what a wuss!!!) He surfaced after a few seconds and said, "You only have half of a prop". Duh! Thanks! How much do I owe you? Not really. The guy was super nice (a police officer from South Myrtle Beach, what a coincidence) and he had the prop (what was left of it) off in a couple of minutes. Now I’m thinking, where in the hell jam I going to get another prop (oh, did I mention it was Sunday?). Well, the towboat owner (bless his heart) had a spare that he had taken off of a (gulp) sunken sailboat. The diver took it to a friend of his and the guy cut it down and re-pitched it to go with our engine and shaft. At four o’clock on Monday afternoon we were ready to leave. ( I’ve always said that clean living will pay off every time) By the way, you folks will be happy to know that my testicles reappeared two days later!!!!!!! (I told you the water was cold)

Anyway, we made it to Jack’s dock (Fitzgerald Yacht Club) without any more trouble (we had to sneak in because Kathy was on board) and tied up for what we anticipated would be a 30 day stay. Well, that went out the window real quick. Kathy had some surgery the first part of January (female stuff, don’t ask) but did very well. She did everything the Dr. told her to do. (Maybe I should go to medical school). We then wound up staying later because of un-anticipated Dr. Appts. (Mine, don’t ask) We did get some boat projects done. We put a solar panel on and ordered another one. Hopefully, this will allow us to go 4 or 5 days before we have to run the engine and charge the batteries. I also took the opportunity to go the Sea School and get my Coast Guard Captains Licence.

We made it to Jekyll on March 3. We visited a few days and got fed by Pete and Betty Jean again (bless their hearts). Our anchor light quit working so I busted my ass getting Little Randy up the mast to change the light. Well, the salt air had disintegrated the light and we had to rig up another one delaying us another day. During all of this time the wind was coming out of the north. The day we left Jekyll it was coming out of the south. (Imagine that) We made it to Jacksonville, FL on March 9 and St. Augustine on the 10^th. We are currently anchored just off of the old Fort and it is as neat as ever.

Okay, so now we’re caught up. I know it was brief but hey, you get what you pay for. I promise I will update more often. Yes I will, I’m tired of hearing "When are you going to update the website, When are you going to update the website". Santa brought Kathy a new camera for Christmas so maybe the pictures will be a little better. We hope to be in Ft. Lauderdale by Mon. or Tues. getting ready to head across to the Exumas again.

We have loved getting all the jokes from everyone since we got back to the States but we will be in the Bahamas for four months we kindly ask that you guys hold the funny stuff till we get back. We still want to hear from you. Just make sure your emails are about you and yours.

and remember "NO RAIN NO RAINBOWS"

March 20, 2006

Ahoy! I told you I was going to update more often!!!! We are sitting in Nassau as I write this. Warm breezes, clear water, beautiful skies......oh well, enough about that stuff. We left St. Augustine and headed south. Made it to Daytona on Saturday and tied up at Caribbean Jack’s. We had to listen to the most obnoxious noise all night long. For some strange reason a few thousand bikers decided to come to Daytona the same day and ride around and rev up their motors. It was awful. (For those of you that remember that we used to own a bike, please hold it down) After enjoying a delightful evening in the hot tub, we headed out the next day. Saw our first nudie of the year. A sailboat (imagine that!) came by headed north with a young lady sunning her altogether in the cockpit. Bless her heart!!!! ( Sorry fellas, we didn’t have the camera out.) Made it to Vero Beach and tied up after dark. The next morning we attempted to re-fuel but stopped when I couldn’t get but a gallon in the tank. To make a short story long, the vent hose was clogged. (Or so I thought) After unloading the lazzerette and pulling a contortionist act to get the hose off, I discovered that the hose was not clogged. The Admiral examined the vent on the stern and discovered that IT was clogged. Apparently a dirt dobber had discovered the vent and decided to make a home. The Admiral evicted the little bugger and we finished re-fueling. As I was paying, I heard SAILOR on the radio. We had met Bettye and Dennis in Nassau last year and got to be good friends. They were headed to the Okeechobee Waterway to go over to the West coast of Fla. for a month long cruise. We anchored at just south of St. Lucie inlet and had them over for dinner. It was a good visit. They have been doing a lot of boat projects and hope to meet up with us in the Chesapeake this summer. We parted the next day and continued south. For the first time since we left Savannah we were going with the wind and not against it. We got into Ft. Ladeda ( that’s Lauderdale for you non-boaters) on Thursday morning and tied up at the city marina. We met Rob and Pam on MOON SHADOW who are friends of Pat and Dori on SOL Y MAR. They were kind enough to ferry us around for some errands. They were also planning to go to the Exumas and we decided to buddy-boat for the crossing. Apparently the good Lord decided that we had had enough delays because he gave us a weather window the next day. We left the marina at 0600 (yes, that’s 6 am) and headed down the coast for a while. Just north of Miami at a little before 10:00 we turned and headed for Bimini. The gulf stream was like a pond. Rob and Pam who have crossed the stream many times said it was the smoothest they had ever seen it. We came around North Rock at Bimini around 5:30 in the afternoon and continued across the banks. The moon came up and it was a beautiful trip. We arrived at NW Shoal about 5:30 am the next morning and discover that the light marking the shoal was missing. That’s not unusual here in the Bahamas. Anyway, we continued on and arrived in Nassau about 3 pm. We tied up at Nassau Harbour Club marina and awaited immigration and customs. They arrived within 30 minutes of each other and our clearance was completed by 4:30. Rob and Pam had to anchor as there was no more room at the inn. They came in to the marina yesterday and had dinner with us last night.

Da Boyz (see last year’s crossing narrative) had planned to fly into Georgetown today and spend a few days with us. Well, we’re not in Georgetown. So being the flexible and able young State Troopers that they are, made a command decision and are flying in to Nassau today to join us. We had a great time with them last year (the snorkeling 101 picture is still one of our favorites) and expect to have an even better time this year. We plan to be in Gtown by the end of the month so it may be a couple of weeks before we get to update again, so be patient.

Hope all of you are doing well. Take care and remember........

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!!!!

April 5, 2006

Ahoy! Well, we didn’t make it out of Nassau when we expected. We discovered a leak in the exhaust muffler and ordered another one from Ft. Lauderdale. While waiting for the part I repaired the old one and re-installed it. Oh well, if one is good two must be better. Da Boyz made it in on the 20^th. It was good to see them. We finally left Nassau on the 23^rd and made it to Highbourne Cay. That was our first trip there and the anchorage was not the best in the world. A storm blew through about 3am so we started anchor watches just to make sure we didn’t drag.

Oh, I forgot to mention an incident that happened in Nassau. If it had happened to anyone else it would have been funny. As it happened to me it is only mildly amusing. However, in keeping with the spirit of "The Adventure" I will relate it. The day before we left Nassau I was up in the shower at the marina. I had just finished and was drying off. A young Bahamian (who I later found out worked there) came in and appeared to be waiting on me to finish so he could shower. We exchanged pleasantries and I started to dress. As I was starting to put my shirt on the young man said "You gotta big bellymon!" I had already put my bathing suit on so I wasn’t quite sure what he was referring to. I quickly went through all of the Bahamian slang terms I had learned last year but bellymon escaped me. As I KNEW he didn’t say what was fast becoming apparent I asked him to repeat what he said and he said, "You gotta big bellymon!" He must have seen the confusion on my face because as he said that he rubbed his stomach. Well, I wasn’t quite sure how to respond as he was smiling and seemed to just be making conversation. Well, the only thing that came out of my mouth was, "Yeah, I’ve got a big bellymon!" He apparently took that as a sign to continue the conversation. "You eat a lot?" he asked. "Yeah, but I’m trying to cut back a little" I responded. "You sleep okay?" (What a big bellymon has to do with sleeping escapes me but the direction of the conversation seemed to be turning so I didn’t complain) "Yeah, I sleep just fine, thank you" Apparently he didn’t like that response so he then asked, "Hey mon, when you walk around on your boat do you get around okay?" To be perfectly honest, I just couldn’t believe I was having this conversation in a shower in the Bahamas. Even though I try to keep an open mind about most things, I admit, I had ...had.....enough. I was polite however and responded to his inquiry. (Maybe a little more forceful than I intended) "YES, I GET AROUND MY BOAT JUST FINE, THANK YOU!" If his intention was to hurry me out of the shower, he succeeded. I’ll have to admit, the more I thought about it the madder I got. I had to do something so (what a mistake) when I got back to the boat I told Kathy and the boys. That is the reason you are reading this. It was either admit it here or have Kathy put out a special e-mail about it. (Hey, if you thought beer was expensive at $40 a case you ought to see what slim fast costs)

Anyway, we left Highbourne the next day after a sleepless night and went to Norman’s Cay as there was a front coming through and we needed a little protection. The wind was coming out of the South (the same direction we were heading) at about 20-25 knots. It was not a good trip. We got in to Norman’s just as the rain started and just before we were able to get the anchor to dig in. We just motored around till the storm blew through. Hey, they come on you fast, and they leave you fast! (See Captain Ron) We stayed in Norman’s for a couple of days and then went to Staniel Cay and anchored with about 50 other boats. Toby and Donna on CARIBA were headed north from Gtown and stopped just north of us. They dinghied down the next day and we had lunch and a short but great visit at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

Now before you folks start thinking that everything is palm trees and umbrella drinks out here, let me just throw in that the dinghy motor quit on us. That may not seem like much but down here where the dinghy is basically your car, it means a lot. (Actually the pull cord broke first, we fixed that, and THEN the motor quit) Kathy reminded me that the pull cord broke here in Staniel last year. Hmmmmmm. As usual the news traveled fast and offers of loaners poured in. Rob on MOON SHADOW who we have been traveling with had a spare 3 ½ hp that we borrowed so we were back in business in no time. We made it to Black Point the next day and did a little walkabout. This is one of our favorite places as it is beautiful and the people are extremely friendly. Not one single bellymon remark!!!! After a wonderful dinner at Lorraine’s (the best cracked conch in the Bahamas) we headed out the next day bound for Georgetown. The weather called for winds out of the NE. This was perfect as we would be headed SE and we envisioned a great sail. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. It was more ESE ( Yeah, pretty close to the direction we were headed). Actually it wasn’t a really bad ride and we got into Gtown about 4pm. It was good to see some old faces......old friends I mean. A couple of hundred boats have already left so it’s not quite as crowded as it was.

Now before you folks start thinking that everything is palm trees and umbrella drinks, just stand by. We were headed into town the next day on MISS ALICE so that we could drop the dinghy motor off to have repaired. About ten minutes into the trip I happened to look down and notice that the temperature gauge was about 220 degrees. That ain’t good! We anchored immediately and turned the engine off. We then discovered that we were missing a good bit of coolant which wasn’t good because Kathy had just topped it off. After some experimenting we found that we were losing coolant at an alarming rate but we couldn’t find where it was going. We had been losing a little bit before but I though it was a loose clamp or something as we had found a couple of small leaks before. Well, after consulting Nigel (he wrote a book on diesel engines) and a couple of folks on the VHF we determined that we either have a bad heat exchanger or a blown head gasket. Well, thanks to Sideline Bob in Ft. Lauderdale, we expect to have both by tomorrow. The solar panels we installed are wonderful and are keeping the batteries charged just fine. What then, (some of you may ask) is the problem. Plenty of power, clear water, beautiful weather......well, the water heater on the boat works off of electricity or engine power. We ain’t at a dock and we ain’t got an engine. Therefore........no hot water. It’s amazing how cold the water can get when the weather is 85 degrees. Yes we have sun showers but when the wind is blowing 15 knots, ...well, you get the idea. I finally rigged the sunshower out of the wind on the stern of the boat yesterday and it was wonderful. Until a dinghy full of cruisers snuck up on me. I never realized the sight of a naked man taking a shower on a swim platform was that funny. Anyway, the boys left yesterday. It was a great visit once again. Oh, by the way my big Johnson is working again. Life is good!!!

As we got in to Gtown the first radio contact with Pat on SOL Y MAR included news about a little get together on April Fools Day. Actually it was billed as a full blown party. It was a birthday party for Bob. Bob is a friend of Terry and Miguel’s on BODETT and was coming to town to celebrate his sixtieth. The theme of the party was "Pirates of the Kareoke" and everyone had to come dressed as a pirate. Oh, and everyone had to be named Bob. I can’t go into all of the details here because it would take up entirely too much space but suffice it to say that it will go down in Georgetown history. Just to name a few of the people there, let’s see.....there was the Bahamian "Bob"-sled team, Sponge "Bob" the "Bob"-Sea Twins (Da Boyz) and the scariest of all, Lorena "Bob"-bit. We will include as many pictures as we can (we took 240 that night) but I just don’t think we can do it justice. After a great food spread the entertainment began. The show opened with the Blues Brothers and took off from there. Apparently the news had spread far and wide because there were performances by The Supremes, Wynona "Bob"Judd, Patsy Cline (Bob-Kat,....Bob–Kathy.....get it?) Willie "Bob" Nelson, Sonny and Cher and last but not least, The King! There were rumors that he might be there because someone allegedly spotted him earlier in the day in one of the anchorages. It was un-believable!!! Sometime during the night there was a coconut bra contest. Believe it or not my lovely bride entered. She pretty much had to as Chad and Chris (Da Boyz) designed the bra for her. All I can say is "God Bless America!" Kathy received the most applause but the judge Bob, didn’t have the heart to declare a single winner so he gave all the girls first place. (No guts) "Splitting the Booty with Bob" came next. Actually it was a variation of butt darts. (See last year’s St. Pat’s Party pictures) After that it turned to Kareoke and went on till about 1am. That’s pretty impressive since cruisers go to bed about 8pm every night. It was one hell of a party!!!!!

I’ve just been informed that party pictures will not be posted with this update, but will follow in a couple of days. We are expecting Vince and Ellen in tomorrow as they will be getting married this weekend. It will be good to see them.

I have to go now. We have to get water.

Take care and remember............

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!

I’ve just been informed that none of the party pictures will be included with this update but will follow in a couple of days.

April 18, 2006

Ahoy!!!! Well, where should I begin. We got our heat exchanger and head gasket in the same day Vince and Ellen got here. They were kind enough to bring it from the airport. It was good to see them. We met them in town and visited for a while. We then went to the Flip-Flop Shop with BODETT and SOL Y MAR. John on AGENDA whom we met last year and had started the SHOP had passed away just before we got here. We just kind of reminisced and told John stories for a while and then saluted him the best way we knew how. He was a good man and he will be missed!!!!!

We had lunch with the almost newly weds the next day and then attended a pizza-Kareoke party at St. Francis which is a newly opened place. Believe it or not there was a crowd there and everyone had a great time singing. (Will wonders never cease) The next day Vince and his brother Russ came to the boat to help with the heat exchanger. I swear I never asked for his help. I didn’t have the guts to ask him for help right before his wedding but it was his and Ellen’s decision. I SWEAR!!!!!!! Anyway, we had the exchanger on and the boat running in about an hour. We now have hot water again. LIFE IS GOOD!! (Thanks Vinnie!!)

April 8, 2006, a day which will live in infamy!!! (Vince and Ellen got married) They came over to Stocking Island and we walked over to the ocean side. It was probably the most beautiful wedding, (well, maybe the second most beautiful beach wedding I’ve been to) with a breath- taking backdrop. The bride was beautiful, the mother of the bride was beautiful, the witnesses were beautiful.....well, you get the idea. It was just beautiful. We’ve included a few pics of the happy occasion. (8X10's will be available for those of you wanting them) We toasted the wedding party at the Peace and Plenty later and just kind of hung out for a while. After the bridal party had departed we attended a little get-together at hamburger beach celebrating Kay and Scott’s (on GOLDIE) wedding anniversary. On Sunday we had a little brunch on the beach and Mr. and Mrs. Vince DeSimone attended. They looked wonderful. (I had instructed Vince to be gentle with her on their wedding night). On the 11^th we cooked some hot dogs on the beach and once again the newlyweds graced us with their presence. This was our last visit as they left the next day, with Vince busily making plans on getting BAGATELLE (his and Ellen’s boat) down here next year. Well, they left and the winds arrived. For the next three days the wind blew steadily at 15 to 20 knots with gusts reaching 40. We were able to get off the boat briefly on Thursday the 13 for a full moon party on the beach. The idea was to walk up to the monument and watch the sun set and the moon rise. Well, the setting part went okay. The moon rose too but we couldn’t see it for the first hour because of the clouds. Oh well, we’ll get the next one. The next day, we’re sitting on the boat drinking coffee and we hear someone hailing us. We look up and there is a Boston Whaler with a man, woman, and two young ladies in it. He hails us again and tells us he is from Savannah. After a moment we recognized them as the Clarks who we met at Fitzgerald Yacht Club in Savannah at Maggie’s graduation party. Maggie is the daughter of Jack Fitzgerald, friend and dockmaster at Fitzgerald Yacht Club. They had flown in to George Town a few days earlier and were enjoying a day on the water. Small world ain’t it!!!!!

We spent Easter Sunday with some friends on XANADU and SOL Y MAR and had a great day snorkeling. We ended the day with a pot-luck dinner on the beach which was a really nice event. Yesterday we went to Williamstown for lunch as the church there was having a fund-raising event. Talk about a small world, transportation to Williamstown was in the form of a Fulton County school bus. I know you don’t believe that so we included pics of it. Anyway, we had a great time talking with the locals and playing with the kids. And the food was to die for.

Well, I guess that’s about it. Oh I almost forgot. Happy Birthday Marshall!!! (he was one year old on April 7. He’s our "adopted" grandson) Hopefully the next few days will be boring. The Family Island Regatta is the last week in the month and we need to rest up for it. Hope everyone is doing okay. Take care and remember.........

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!!!!!

June 12, 2006

AHOY! Hey, I’m only two months late and I’ve got a good excuse, I’ve been busy. That and the fact that there hasn’t been a lot of internet access lately. So there! Well, we did in fact rest up for a few days and it certainly came in handy for the Regatta. As you may or may not remember I almost got a ride on a C class boat last year but due to technical difficulties (I couldn’t get my big ass under the boom) I was replaced at the last minute. We went into town on Sunday before the races started on Wed. to look for a ride. We saw David (owner of last year’s "almost ride") and had a good visit. He was planning on racing again and informed me he had a new mast and sail. Apparently he envisioned the same technical difficulties as last year because an invitation to crew for him never materialized. Oh well, such is life. However, clean living and always telling the truth will be rewarded in the end. I was able to snag a ride on LADY SONIA. She was a B class boat, 23 feet long with a 50 foot mast. The first race was on Wed., the Prime Minister’s Cup. It was a one day race and did not figure into the points for the championship. Well, the owner told us to be ready to go at 1 pm. We were. Unfortunately the race started at 12:30. No problem, we decided to just practice. What a ride! In addition to putting lead weight in the bottom of the boat for ballast it is necessary to carry additional weight on the windward side of the boat to keep it from turning over. That’s where I came in. I was one of 4-6 people who sat on a 2x10 board called a prye (non-padded I might add) which extended out over the water. And yes the board was wide enough for me thank you. And no, the board wasn’t 2 feet wide. Kathy was able to get on a chase boat and got some good pictures. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard the words, "On the prye boys, on the prye". It was exhilarating to say the least. The next day was the first of three races that would determine the Family Island Regatta champion and establish bragging rights during the next year. We were at the starting line on time this time. All the boats start with sails down and anchored. At the gun, the anchor is pulled in and the sail is raised. Randy (the owner and by the way a very well built man) was on the bow and as the gun went off starting the race literally snatch the anchor in the boat and the main sail was raised. About halfway up the boat began to heel and we headed out onto the prye. All of a sudden there was a loud snap and the main dropped to the deck. As the boat was not heeling anymore there was no need to be out on the prye. Unfortunately, I am not a fortune teller and had no way of knowing the main halyard was going to break. Therefore I was still on the prye out over the water and then IN the water. It’s amazing how fast a big bellymon can move when he thinks a boat is going to turn over on him. I was able to scramble/swim/claw my way back up the prye and onto the boat in a matter of seconds. We all sat there stunned trying to figure out what had happened. It was very simple, the main halyard and come undone from the sail and had gone to the top of the mast. As the mast is 50 ft. tall it was not feasible for anyone to climb up and retrieve it. Therefore we were not able to race. We were towed back in and finally got the halyard down and back onto the sail. Not to be totally denied we went back out and practiced some more. What spirit...... what determination.......arrrrrrgghhhh!!!!! With all of the practice I just knew we could kick some serious butt............if we could just get in a race. Oh well, the practice was once again a real hoot! On Friday we were out early for a little more practice (and to make sure the halyard was connected to the main) before the race. We were smoking right along headed to the starting line when the wind disappeared. I don’t mean it went light, I mean it just stopped. The captain decided to unload some weight so we transferred some of the lead bars to the chase boat. The captain decided to unload some more weight. Two of the Bahamian crew got into the chase boat. We sat there. The captain decided to unload some more weight. No, he didn’t look at me thank you. He just asked for volunteers. We were down to the owner, the helmsman, the main sail handler and 4 white guys. So, I volunteered. (I wasn’t being noble, I just didn’t want to go through the humiliation of being thrown off of TWO boats) So I exited LADY SONIA with my head held high. It was fun watching the race because I got to drink a couple of beers. There’s not a whole lot of that going on when you’re on a race boat. Anyway the wind picked up the next day for the final race I was back aboard. We got off to a terrible start and at the windward mark we were third from last. But we rallied and finished second. I knew all that practice would pay off. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to do that again but it was a super experience. When we got back to the dock Kathy was there with the Bodie family. We met them last year through one of the sons, Ivan. He was running a little bar and dejay booth. We met his Mom and Dad and several of his sisters. Ivan was not at the Regatta this year as there had been an escape attempt at the prison where he works in Nassau and a guard was killed. We did meet his brother this year. They have got one beautiful family as you can see in the photos.

January 23, 2005

AHOY!!! After a wonderful 11 week stay in Savannah at Jack’s dock we are southbound once again. We had a great visit with friends and family while in Savannah during the holiday season. While we were there John celebrated his 50th birthday on November 9 (like fine wine, just gettin better) and after a 6 week time period of my fractured arm healing and then 5 weeks of physical therapy, my arm was finally strong enough for us to leave. Sunday, January 16, 2005 we headed out (the coldest day of the year). Yes, it was the coldest day of my life, so far. Why did we leave when it was so cold you might ask. Well, it just seemed like the thing to do at the time. We left the Wilmington River and headed down the ditch with a send off from Vince on BAGATELLE. He had Andrew and Chris a.k.a. "The Pirate" on board with him getting ready for the Sunday race. Can you imagine racing a sailboat in 40 degree weather. Some people are crazy. Anyway, we made it to the Kilkenny Creek where we anchored for the night. We slept very warmly under our sleeping bag but didn’t take long to wake up when we saw our breath and the temp gauge at 42 the next morning. We were just commenting on just how cold it was when we heard on the radio that it was going to get REAL cold that night. Now, we may be adventurous but we’re not entirely stupid. We motored very quickly to the Two Way Fish Camp in Darien Ga. where we tied up to the dock and more importantly into electricity whereby we immediately turned on the heater. Yes, I’m a wuss and I freely admit it. (Actually it was all a ploy on my part as the restaurant at the marina, Mudcat Charlies is absolutely wonderful and I wanted by darlin (Kathy) to have a wonderful birthday dinner.) She is now officially in her mid to late 40's. She obviously doesn’t want to admit it, being a woman, but I think she looks terrific for a woman her age!!!

Anyway, we made it to Jekyll Island the next day and it seemed as if we had gone back in time. Nothing had changed. Well, the swing on the porch was broke and I didn’t get to sit in it while I did the crosswords. Oh well, such is life. We left Thursday morning and had a great run down to just below Fernandina. As we came around the south side of Jekyll we took a picture of what’s left of a shrimp boat. By what’s left I mean the mast and other things sticking up. (See photo) From very reputable sources (one being retired GSP Pilot and Super Griller Pete West. Trust me, the man knows how to cook meat on the grill!!!) the shrimper one day got a little too close to Jekyll Island. After he realized that the boat was not going to re-float, he merely got off of it and said "Well, I’m through with that". He then walked to shore (which was not too far off) and bought a truck and started hauling logs. You learn the darndest things from just ridin around with some folks.

As we entered Florida at Fernandina we passed Ft. Clinch. This is another on of those "history" things that I didn’t know about. It is located on the entrance of Cumberland Sound and it had cannons and stuff pointing at us as we went by. Way cool!!!!!

We then headed down to St. Augustine and along the way got to witness another wonderful miracle of nature. I just happened to look up at a group of trees as we were passing and caught a glimpse of a huge nest. I got the glasses out and sure enough there was a Bald Eagle in it. I just can’t help getting goose bumps when I see one of those creatures. We made it to St. Augustine Friday afternoon and finally got to anchor in the lee of the old fort. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for about ten years. We sat in the cockpit and just looked. We took a dinghy ride to get closer to the fort and just sat and stared at it. I guess I was just a little overwhelmed at staring at a location that had people living in it 400 years ago. In fact, I went back that night and just tried to imagine what life was like back then. We have been to St. A several times and been on the tour of the fort but there’s just something about being anchored out and seeing it from the water. We wanted to stay longer but Willie the Weatherman said it was going to get cold, windy and wet on Sunday. We cranked up Sat. AM and headed south again. We made it to Daytona where we tied up at Carribean Jack’s. It rained just a little Sat night for about 15 minutes and I thought Willie had lied to us again. Then, about 2 am Sunday I was glad once again I had listened to Willie. It blew so hard that it woke me up. Now that’s something. Sunday was cold and the wind blew like Willie said it would. There are freeze warnings out for Daytona tonight. The wind is supposed to turn around , ease up, and come out of the North tomorrow so we will try to leave again and get to Eden. (That’s anywhere that I can put on a pair of shorts again) Hope all of you are doing okay. Stay warm and remember.......

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!!!!!!!

Feb. 2, 2005

Ahoy. I’M IN SHORTS!!!!!!!! We left Daytona on Jan. 24 and headed South once again. Freeze warnings were out again so we pulled into Titusville city marina and stayed warm one more night. We made it to the Melbourne area the next night and anchored finally. It was a beautiful night. Left next morning and went to Ft. Pierce where we jumped on the outside (that means in the ocean for you landlubbers) and had a wonderful overnight moonlight sail all the way to Ft. Lauderdale. It was one of our best nights out. Coming into Port Everglades in Lauderdale I finally pulled my thermal underwear off and put on a bathing suit. Warm at last, warm at last.....Thank God Almighty I’m warm at last!!!!!! We anchored for the night just off of the city marina and moved to a slip the next day as all of the mooring balls were taken. Broward County, like so many other places in Fla. has cracked down on boat anchoring. You are allowed one 24 anchoring in a 12 month period in all of Broward. Kind of makes it tough on folks just passing through but I guess all of the rich people down here want you to keep on going. We mostly just lazed around and did a few boat chores. The city marina is only two blocks from the beach here so there was plenty of scenery. As Jim Covington once told me after visiting this same beach, "Anyone can wear a thong, but not everyone should." We had two friends, Chris and Chad, from Ga fly in yesterday and are staying with us for a few days.

Now for the good news.

We are planning on leaving tonight and get over to Bimini. Hopefully we can get out of here by 10:00 pm and arrive in Bimini in the morning. We had planned on going to Miami and leaving from there but the weather in the Gulfstream is supposed to get rough on Friday so we will try to beat it. We know we will not have cell service over there but we hope to have email at least twice a week. Since we will probably be limited on air time we are asking our wonderful friends who love to send us jokes and funnies, to refrain from doing so till we get back to the States. We certainly want to continue to hear from all of you so please don’t stop emailing us, just tell us how you’re doing. We will also hopefully continue to update the web site with lots and lots of pictures of white beaches, clear water, fish, lobsters, and all of the other good stuff. (boy, that ought to generate some serious hate mail) Well, I hate to run but I’ve got a couple of more honey do’s before we leave tonight. Hope this finds everyone in good health and remember.......

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS

February 14, 2005

Ahoy! Well, we made it. Willie the Weatherman lied his butt off again. The Stream crossing was not as smooth as he said it was going to be. The wind picked up along with rain storms and it was a little rough. But Miss Alice took care of us once again. We made it into Bimini just before noon on Feb. 3 and tide up at Weech’s Dock to clear customs and immigration. Spent the night there and left the next day. We stayed at Bimini but dropped the hook just north of the Big Game Club with several other boats. For some strange reason I thought it was going to be warm in the Bahamas. Foolish me. We stayed in sweatshirts for most of the next three days. Chris caught a nice snapper on the 5th and it was great for dinner. We hung around Bimini waiting for a cold front to move through but had a great time at The End of the World Bar. Sarah Lee, owner and operator, was a hoot. She instructed me on the fine art of cleaning a conch and how to make salad and fritters. The photos don’t quite do the place justice. The floor is sand and the ceiling is covered with drawers. (That’s southern for underwear) I’m talking about a LOT of drawers. One woman posed next to hers that she had taken off the night before. As usual I was a day late and a dollar short. Kathy was going to take hers off too but she said it was too cold. (Yeah, right. Not guts, no glory) We left on the 7th and went down to Gun Cay to a nice little anchorage called Honeymoon Harbour. There was a nice beach there and Da Boyz (that’s Chad and Chris’s new name) caught a couple of barracuda which were in bad need of an orthodontist. The wind picked up and it got a little rolly so we moved on the south end of the island where it was a little better. We had wanted to do some snorkeling but the water has been to damn cold. We left the next morning and went back up just north of Bimini and headed to Chub Cay. We were finally able to raise both white flappy things and had one of the best sails I can ever remember. We averaged 5.5 kts all day. Da Boyz threw out a couple of hooks and started reeling in fish. They caught one good size snapper which we ate on for two or three nights. They also caught three other fish which I had no idea what they were. Being a little concerned about the ciguatera issue (that’s a disease that some reef fish have that will make you sick as a dog and requires medical attention) we threw them back. We couldn’t make it all the way so we anchored just South of Mackie Shoal for the night. The sky was incredible. It’s amazing how many stars you can see when there is no light pollution. We made it on in to Chub Cay the next day and anchored off of the little beach there. We were able to get to another little spit off of Chub and finally did some snorkeling. Da Boyz had never done it so we had some instruction time. I always like to start off easy. (See photos) They were great students and advanced quickly. We spent two nights there. The second night there the wind picked up to 20 to 25 and it got a little rough. We decided it couldn’t be any rougher in the ocean so we picked up the anchor on the 11th and headed for Nassau. It was a hell of a ride. We had just the jib up and averaged 6.5 the whole way. I saw 9.2 on the GPS coming down one wave. We made it to Nassau in a little over 5 hours. We tried to anchor just out of the channel but for some reason we couldn’t hook. After the 10th try I was beginning to get a little winded (Actually I was tired as hell) so we went in to a dock. We spent three nights there and did some sightseeing. One of the hotels on Paradise Island has a huge aquarium. It has just about any kind of fish you can find in the Carribean including huge rays and black tip sharks. Da Boyz flew out this morning and we are going to try to re-anchor. We had a wonderful time with them and the time just flew by. There is another front moving in so I’m not sure when we will be able to head out. We intend to island hop till we get to Georgetown Exumas so I’m not sure when we will be able to update the site again. Oh, by the way. You remember the fish we through back because I didn’t know what they were? Well, I bought a fish book and identified them as Spanish Mackerel. I know, I know. Believe me, it won’t happen again. Well, I reckon I’d better go and find some dinghy oars. One of them broke and I’m tired of going in circles. Take care and remember,

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!!!!!!!!!

February 25, 2005

Ahoy! Happy Birthday Buzzy! Happy Birthday Collette! (Before I forget, we saw the green flash at Chub Cay before we left)Well, we finally made it to Georgetown. And with style. We left Nassau on the 15th and went to Allens Cay. The place was beautiful and deserted. Well, almost deserted. It seems that Leaf Cay which is right next to Allens is inhabited by a colony of iguanas. Don’t ask me how they got there. I do know how they exist though. People feed them. The guidebooks say not to but you know how people are. It’s amazing how these little boogers have made it from the dinosaur age. Anyway, you dinghy to the beach and all of these iguanas come out of the bushes and run toward you. It was a little intimidating at first, at least is was to me. I was amazed at how quickly Kathy took to them. She was all over them. They bonded with her too. (See photo) The water here still amazes me. It’s possible to see your anchor chain at night. We stayed at Allens for two days and then went to Norman’s Cay. All of my former cohorts (well, at least the older ones) will know this place as it was the home and base of operations for a gentleman by the name of Carlos Ledher. We visited the plane in the bay that didn’t quite make it in or out. There’s not much left of it but enough to know it was a plane. It was interesting to stand on the airstrip and think about all of the dope that had passed through there. Norman’s was absolutely beautiful. We met some people that were headed north and went snorkeling with them. Carl was able to get one huge lobster. I managed to miss another big one twice. I’ll get better, I promise. We had a little get together on the beach one evening and met some more nice people. I finally got the opportunity to learn how to clean a conch. I think the same guy that was the first one to eat an oyster was the same guy who was the first one to look at a conch and say, "You know, I bet you can eat that thing". We were cleaning the conchs on SAILOR which is a marine trader trawler. That’s right, we don’t discriminate. We even had Bettye and Dennis over for dinner one night. They brought some of the conch over and I made fritters. These were even better than the first ones. The wind started blowing and we decided to stay put for a couple of days but finally left on the 21st. By the way, we dinghied around the end of the island to watch the sunset one evening and saw the green flash again. (I swear) We then went to Staniel Cay and anchored just off of the Yacht Club. (The yacht clubs here are just a little bit more subdued here in the islands) This island , other than being absolutely beautiful (I know, you’re getting tired of hearing that, but it’s true. I’ll make a deal with you. As soon as we see an ugly place, we’ll post some pictures of it) is known for Thunderball Grotto. This is a grotto that was used in the filming of two Bond.......James Bond films. We dinghied over and snorkeled the grotto. (Along with two thousand other people) It was pretty neat swimming in one side of a rock and coming out the other. Plenty of fishes. There is also a hole in the top of the rock. I had to sip on a martini (shaken not stirred of course) that evening in honor of one of my heroes. We did a little exploring and went by the airport. I had another flashback as we saw a group of men unloading a DC-3. (I’m sure it was just supplies for the island) All of my older cohorts will once again know what I’m talking about. We did a little grocery shopping and tried to share the wealth by buying something at the Pink Store and the Blue Store. ( I won’t go into how they got there names) We went in to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for munchies one evening and saw a group of men cleaning fish at the dock. They were throwing the remains in the water there and it attracted several rays and nurse sharks. As luck would have it we didn’t have the camera so I went back to the boat. As I was returning I came by a sailboat that had grounded. I stopped to help and along with several other folks in dinghies we were able to get them afloat again. (This story will have more meaning later) We decided to head on down to Georgetown the next day. It was a 50 mile trip (or so we thought at the time) so we left early. The wind was coming out of the ESE so we had to motorsail. We were doing great till the engine quit about 15 miles from Gtown. Well, we are sailors (watch it!) so we did what any true sailors (watch it!) would do, we sailed. If it hadn’t been for the tacking thing we could have made it by dark. We were hoping to get close enough to at least get through the cut (that’s the term for entrance) before dark and anchor. I changed the fuel filter but still couldn’t get the engine to fire up. We decided that if we couldn’t make it we would head out for a few miles and hove to (That’s where you adjust your sails to where you just sit and not move very far) and then just get in the next day. As we got closer we were able to get in touch with our friends Toby and Donna on CARIBA. We told them of our situation and our plans. They offered to come to the cut and help lead us in if it was dark. Well, the word spread like wildfire. By the way, did I mention that there are about 400 boats in Gtown. Well, everyone monitors the same channel on the VHF radio so everyone was in on the developing soap opera. We even heard from Benny and Marie on SILENT JOY. We first met this lovely couple (well, she’s lovely anyway) at Sail Harbor marina in Savannah several years ago. Anyway, we were just plugging along when Toby called back and said he was coming out to get us. (Remember the story about me helping a boat get afloat? ) I was a little confused and concerned about him coming out in the Sound (did I mention it was just a little on the rough side) in his dinghy. Well, he wasn’t in his dinghy. Another boat,(and I mean a big boat) had heard of our situation and volunteered to come get us. (I like to refer to this as a situation and not a predicament because as Bob Bitchin would say, "The difference between ordeal and adventure is ATTITUDE!!!!") We were about 3 miles from the cut when they got to us and threw us a line. They towed us in and we were able to drop the hook and get settled in. A major thanks to Dan and Ann on BORROWED HORSE! Also to everyone who monitored our "situation" and offered other assistance. Toby and Donna had us over to dinner that night for fresh lobster and fish which was a nice ending to an interesting day. Toby came over the next morning and he and I towed MISS ALICE (bless her heart, she’s been so good to us) to a better anchorage. It was after much tinkering, monkeying, and whatever else you want to call it that Toby came over and asked me if I had replaced the secondary fuel filter as well as the primary. As many of you know of my vast knowledge and expertise in the area of machinery, I’m sure you are as shocked as I am that I had neglected to do that. (That coupled with the fact that I didn’t have one) Well, what do you do when you need a fuel filter in the middle of nowhere. Obviously you get on the VHF and call the local NAPA store. They had one left. (Am I living right or what!!!) Toby and I dinghied over and got it. I put it on and five minutes later MISS ALICE was up and running. I was really concerned about getting the engine running because everything on our boat runs on 12 volt power and to charge the batteries, (you guessed it) you have to run the engine. There was no need to be concerned because the offers poured in for loans of generators to charge up. Thanks to everyone again!!!!!!!

When people ask me "What do you enjoy most about cruising?" I always respond, "The people". The sunsets, the beaches, the water, the moonlit nights, the beautiful islands are nothing compared to the kindness and closeness of the cruising community. Some people may think that the world is going to hell in a hand basket but I’m here to tell you that it’s not so out here on the water. Anyway, we’re here. Hope everyone is enjoying the pictures. We hopefully will be able to speak more often with everyone (via email) now that we’re here and have access to internet. Well, I guess I’d better go. We have to decide whether to go fishing, snorkeling, play volleyball, tennis, do yoga, (yes yoga) or just hang out. (Life can be so complicated at times. This cruising thing is not all roses you know) Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. Take care and remember,

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!

February 25, 2005

Ahoy! Happy Birthday Buzzy! Happy Birthday Collette! (Before I forget, we saw the green flash at Chub Cay before we left)Well, we finally made it to Georgetown. And with style. We left Nassau on the 15th and went to Allens Cay. The place was beautiful and deserted. Well, almost deserted. It seems that Leaf Cay which is right next to Allens is inhabited by a colony of iguanas. Don’t ask me how they got there. I do know how they exist though. People feed them. The guidebooks say not to but you know how people are. It’s amazing how these little boogers have made it from the dinosaur age. Anyway, you dinghy to the beach and all of these iguanas come out of the bushes and run toward you. It was a little intimidating at first, at least is was to me. I was amazed at how quickly Kathy took to them. She was all over them. They bonded with her too. (See photo) The water here still amazes me. It’s possible to see your anchor chain at night. We stayed at Allens for two days and then went to Norman’s Cay. All of my former cohorts (well, at least the older ones) will know this place as it was the home and base of operations for a gentleman by the name of Carlos Ledher. We visited the plane in the bay that didn’t quite make it in or out. There’s not much left of it but enough to know it was a plane. It was interesting to stand on the airstrip and think about all of the dope that had passed through there. Norman’s was absolutely beautiful. We met some people that were headed north and went snorkeling with them. Carl was able to get one huge lobster. I managed to miss another big one twice. I’ll get better, I promise. We had a little get together on the beach one evening and met some more nice people. I finally got the opportunity to learn how to clean a conch. I think the same guy that was the first one to eat an oyster was the same guy who was the first one to look at a conch and say, "You know, I bet you can eat that thing". We were cleaning the conchs on SAILOR which is a marine trader trawler. That’s right, we don’t discriminate. We even had Bettye and Dennis over for dinner one night. They brought some of the conch over and I made fritters. These were even better than the first ones. The wind started blowing and we decided to stay put for a couple of days but finally left on the 21st. By the way, we dinghied around the end of the island to watch the sunset one evening and saw the green flash again. (I swear) We then went to Staniel Cay and anchored just off of the Yacht Club. (The yacht clubs here are just a little bit more subdued here in the islands) This island , other than being absolutely beautiful (I know, you’re getting tired of hearing that, but it’s true. I’ll make a deal with you. As soon as we see an ugly place, we’ll post some pictures of it) is known for Thunderball Grotto. This is a grotto that was used in the filming of two Bond.......James Bond films. We dinghied over and snorkeled the grotto. (Along with two thousand other people) It was pretty neat swimming in one side of a rock and coming out the other. Plenty of fishes. There is also a hole in the top of the rock. I had to sip on a martini (shaken not stirred of course) that evening in honor of one of my heroes. We did a little exploring and went by the airport. I had another flashback as we saw a group of men unloading a DC-3. (I’m sure it was just supplies for the island) All of my older cohorts will once again know what I’m talking about. We did a little grocery shopping and tried to share the wealth by buying something at the Pink Store and the Blue Store. ( I won’t go into how they got there names) We went in to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for munchies one evening and saw a group of men cleaning fish at the dock. They were throwing the remains in the water there and it attracted several rays and nurse sharks. As luck would have it we didn’t have the camera so I went back to the boat. As I was returning I came by a sailboat that had grounded. I stopped to help and along with several other folks in dinghies we were able to get them afloat again. (This story will have more meaning later) We decided to head on down to Georgetown the next day. It was a 50 mile trip (or so we thought at the time) so we left early. The wind was coming out of the ESE so we had to motorsail. We were doing great till the engine quit about 15 miles from Gtown. Well, we are sailors (watch it!) so we did what any true sailors (watch it!) would do, we sailed. If it hadn’t been for the tacking thing we could have made it by dark. We were hoping to get close enough to at least get through the cut (that’s the term for entrance) before dark and anchor. I changed the fuel filter but still couldn’t get the engine to fire up. We decided that if we couldn’t make it we would head out for a few miles and hove to (That’s where you adjust your sails to where you just sit and not move very far) and then just get in the next day. As we got closer we were able to get in touch with our friends Toby and Donna on CARIBA. We told them of our situation and our plans. They offered to come to the cut and help lead us in if it was dark. Well, the word spread like wildfire. By the way, did I mention that there are about 400 boats in Gtown. Well, everyone monitors the same channel on the VHF radio so everyone was in on the developing soap opera. We even heard from Benny and Marie on SILENT JOY. We first met this lovely couple (well, she’s lovely anyway) at Sail Harbor marina in Savannah several years ago. Anyway, we were just plugging along when Toby called back and said he was coming out to get us. (Remember the story about me helping a boat get afloat? ) I was a little confused and concerned about him coming out in the Sound (did I mention it was just a little on the rough side) in his dinghy. Well, he wasn’t in his dinghy. Another boat,(and I mean a big boat) had heard of our situation and volunteered to come get us. (I like to refer to this as a situation and not a predicament because as Bob Bitchin would say, "The difference between ordeal and adventure is ATTITUDE!!!!") We were about 3 miles from the cut when they got to us and threw us a line. They towed us in and we were able to drop the hook and get settled in. A major thanks to Dan and Ann on BORROWED HORSE! Also to everyone who monitored our "situation" and offered other assistance. Toby and Donna had us over to dinner that night for fresh lobster and fish which was a nice ending to an interesting day. Toby came over the next morning and he and I towed MISS ALICE (bless her heart, she’s been so good to us) to a better anchorage. It was after much tinkering, monkeying, and whatever else you want to call it that Toby came over and asked me if I had replaced the secondary fuel filter as well as the primary. As many of you know of my vast knowledge and expertise in the area of machinery, I’m sure you are as shocked as I am that I had neglected to do that. (That coupled with the fact that I didn’t have one) Well, what do you do when you need a fuel filter in the middle of nowhere. Obviously you get on the VHF and call the local NAPA store. They had one left. (Am I living right or what!!!) Toby and I dinghied over and got it. I put it on and five minutes later MISS ALICE was up and running. I was really concerned about getting the engine running because everything on our boat runs on 12 volt power and to charge the batteries, (you guessed it) you have to run the engine. There was no need to be concerned because the offers poured in for loans of generators to charge up. Thanks to everyone again!!!!!!!

When people ask me "What do you enjoy most about cruising?" I always respond, "The people". The sunsets, the beaches, the water, the moonlit nights, the beautiful islands are nothing compared to the kindness and closeness of the cruising community. Some people may think that the world is going to hell in a hand basket but I’m here to tell you that it’s not so out here on the water. Anyway, we’re here. Hope everyone is enjoying the pictures. We hopefully will be able to speak more often with everyone (via email) now that we’re here and have access to internet. Well, I guess I’d better go. We have to decide whether to go fishing, snorkeling, play volleyball, tennis, do yoga, (yes yoga) or just hang out. (Life can be so complicated at times. This cruising thing is not all roses you know) Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. Take care and remember,

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!

Ahoy! Well folks, it’s been a year. And what a year it’s been!!! Can you believe it? We can’t. We left April 1 last year from Jekyll Island and headed north. Since that day, we have traveled 2379 miles. (And that’s just on the water) And we even got to sail some of it!!! I won’t recap everything except to say we are lucky people. Kathy and I hardly go a day without wondering aloud what we ever did to deserve the life we have. We are truly fortunate and we know it. We have each other and a lifestyle that is hard to beat if you don’t mind hauling water, groceries, laundry and fuel to your boat in a dinghy. I know we sometimes are smartasses about all of the "ho-hum" beautiful sunsets but hey, if we didn’t do that yall would wonder who was really writing all this stuff. (Now wouldn’t you?) Anyway, we just wanted to thank all of you who have emailed us and encouraged us about the web site. (That’s a nice way of saying some of you bitched about not having enough photos) In addition to this wonderful lifestyle, we are truly blessed with more good friends than any two people deserve. And that list has grown since we have been cruising. That includes folks on 24 foot sailboats to 90 ft motor yachts. It also includes some wonderful people who are land bound. The only thing we have regretted about this past year is not having more of our friends come and visit us. If you are waiting for a specific invitation, don’t hold your breath. (Believe me, if you’re not on the open invitation list, we’ll let you know!!!!!!!!) Gosh! It just dawned on me. Maybe all of the talk about hauling water, groceries, etc. etc. etc. caused you to think twice. Hmmmmmm. (Here’s a secret. That’s what makes the sunsets so pretty) Oh well, we’ll manage to get by somehow. Okay, enough with all the sentimental dribble.

After the Cruisers Regatta was over, we tried to settle back to some type of normalcy. We were able to sleep in a couple of days. (That means we slept till 7:30 instead of 6:30) On Tuesday March 22, we went to a St. Patrick’s Day Party at the flip flop shop. (Hey, we’re in the Bahamas remember?) It was a blast. We were introduced to our new favorite game, Butt Darts. (Some of you may know this game as Butt Quarters) Well after the sun went down a bucket was placed in the sand. At this point a quarter was placed between the cheeks of (you guessed it) your butt. This could be done by a licenced physician, Dr. Feelgood, or you could do it yourself if you are the shy type. You then had to walk app. 6 -10 ft. (with the quarter still lodged), stand over the bucket and try to drop said quarter into the waiting bucket. (I know some of you can’t wait to try this) For those of you that do, you may say to yourself, "Hey, this isn’t hard once you get the hang of it". Well, you’re right. EXCEPT!!!!!!!! Everyone who successfully rings the bucket returns for the second round. The aforesaid bucket is removed and replaced with a smaller tupperware container. And the fun continues. What makes this sooooooo much fun is knowing that some people have practiced this at home. Anyway, the containers gradually get smaller with each round until the Butt-Off. At this time, a shot-glass, yes, you heard me, a SHOT GLASS is placed in the sand and the finalists have a go at it. Believe it or not, it took three rounds in the shot glass before we had a clear winner. I’m telling you, the Final Four ain’t got nothin over Butt Darts!!!!! Ahhh, St. Patrick’s Day in the Bahamas.

Well, what do you do after a party like that? A road trip, what else. We were just kind of sitting around and someone said, "Let’s go to Long Island". Sounded great to us, especially when we found out where Long Island was. It’s just east of Great Exuma about 25 -35 miles depending on what part of the island you go to. The only little drawback was, we didn’t have a chart of the area. No problem!! Toby gave us gps coordinates to get us there and we were off. Started out as a great sail but the wind died about half way there so it was engine time. Still, a good day. Early the next morning, Mike from ANAHATA came knocking on the boat and said he had access to a truck if we wanted to go sightseeing. Off we went with snorkel gear in hand. I should mention that it was Good Friday and nothing could open until 3 pm. (This wasn’t a problem until someone got hungry. Believe it or not, it was Kathy!) We got to see a lot of the southern part of the island. It’s about 75 miles long, so we didn’t go everywhere. We did go to the Blue Hole. This is a deep (and I mean DEEP) hole located in one of the coves. Divers have been to 200 feet and it’s been sounded to 660 feet with no bottom in sight. It was a great snorkel. We ended the day by going to Tryfena’s for happy hour and dinner. Tryfena is a super nice lady that runs the Club Thompson Bay Restaurant. And she knows how to cook. The happy hour included conch fritters (almost as good as mine) and popcorn. We then sat down to a wonderful family style meal that included cracked (fried) conch, grouper, and chicken along with peas and rice, macaroni and cheese, potato salad and cole slaw. (Yes, we stuffed ourselves!!!) We then settled in for a night of Kareoke. Miguel on BODETTE brought his machine and it was a hoot. Wayyy too much fun. The next day, Kathy settled in with her book and I went on a walk-about. Actually it was more of a hitch-about. The people here on this island are super friendly and you don’t have to walk far before someone stops and gives you a ride. My second ride was from a nurse at the clinic on the island, Ms. Inez Spencer, and she wound up postponing her hair appt. so that she could give me a guided tour all the was to the north end of the island. I saw the last house on the left, the last house on the right, the last pole on the right and the only place on the island where the Atlantic Ocean and the Carribean Sea meet. It is frequented by several women who line fish there. Including one lady who is 92 yrs. old. We passed Pat and Dori on SOL Y MAR and Ms. Spencer picked them up too. She took us to the Columbus Monument which commemorates his landing there in 1492. She also pointed out a well that is said by the locals to have furnished fresh water to Columbus’ men. Now that’s history!!!! After she dropped us off we hitched back to the boat. We had a weenie roast on the beach with several other boats and toasted the sunset and full moon rise within minutes of each other. (See previous commentary ref. lifestyle)

On Sunday several of us went to a local cave. Our first one. Kathy made it to the first big cavern and decided to hang there and watch the bats. Even though we had flashlights I now know what the expression "Dark as six feet up a bull’s ass" means. I was doing real well till Pat almost stepped on a snake. A looooooong snake. We had been reassured that even though the island had snakes, none of them were poisonous. Well, as Pat says, "They’re all rattle headed copper moccasins". When we got out I thanked Pat for leaving a trail of crap for us to follow. We then went to a beautiful local beach and spent the afternoon. I was able to get a couple of conchs and Toby speared a 13lb. grouper. We had another little get together at the anchorage beach and feasted on conch fritters and fried grouper. Pam and Ollie on DEHARLO brought steamed lobster to sort of round things out. As one old timer in the group said, "If this ain’t heaven, it can’t be more than a quarter of a mile from here." We just kind of hung around for the next couple of days but on Tuesday, we rented a car with Pat and Dori and drove the entire island. What a day. On the extreme southern end we found Miss Susannah running the Goat Pond Bar. It was our kind of place. We could have stayed there forever listening to her stories but alas, we had to move on. We went back to the Columbus Monument since Kathy had not seen it and snorkeled there for awhile.

The next day we went to another beautiful local beach and snorkeled again. As we were planning on leaving the following day, we decided another visit to Tryfena’s was in order. Another great meal. We also met T.J. who is Tryfena’s grandson. Smart kid but he couldn’t quite figure out why I could pull my thumb off but he couldn’t. Not that he didn’t try.

The next day we celebrated our 1 yr. cruising anniversary by sailing ALL THE WAY back to George Town. What a day and what a way to start off another year!!!!

Well, that’s about it I guess. We plan to stay here for the Family Islands Regatta which is held the last week in April. We may visit a couple of more local islands between now and then but we’ll wait and see.

Once again, we hope you have enjoyed our adventure half as much as we have.

Take care and remember..........................

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS!!!