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We made it across! Under the light of a full moon we pulled up the anchor at 4 a.m. on Sunday, December 18th and headed out the Lake Worth inlet into the open water. We had been forewarned that it might be a rough crossing but we all (in the group of 6 boats crossing together) decided it was a good enough window to give it a try. If it was too rough we could turn back. The reports we were getting from boats that left a couple hours before us had the wind blowing from the south at 15+ knots and 4-6 foot waves from the southeast. directly ahead of us. Note that West End is roughly barely south of due east (103°M) and the Gulf Stream current runs north at about 2-3 knots. In order to avoid being swept north by that current during the crossing we calculated that we would need to point the boat toward an imaginary point about 20 miles south of West End (about 120°M). We raised a double reefed mainsail as we approached the harbor entrance and soon found ourselves outside the jetty and close reaching into 4-6 foot waves into 20 knots of apparent wind and making a paltry 3-4 knots motorsailing into them. We shortly decided to put out about two thirds of our headsail (Jenny) to better balance the boat and attempt to increase our speed. We noticed that the remainder of the group, which left about 15 minutes ahead of us, was keeping a more northerly direction than ours as they were having difficulty pointing into the large waves. Two boats turned back as they felt the conditions were too rough for their boat or crew and we heard a motor vessel call for the Coast Guard as they were taking on water directly ahead of us.We quickly caught up with the group by falling off a little more north as we were the only boat in the group with canvas up at that time. As we approched the west wall of the Gulf Stream about 7 miles offshore, we found that to maintain our course of 103° we were pointing the boat 140°+. This put us in a close hauled position pointing directly into the waves. We were extremely happy with the boat’s performance as its hefty weight seemed to plow ever onward. By now we were settling in and realizing that we were actually quite comfortable, all things considered. Neither of us had any signs of seasickness and we began a routine of taking turns napping and keeping Otto (our autopilot) company.

As the day progressed, wind moderated and moved southwest as forecasted and we were able to gradually get ourselves back on the rhumb line (or “RUM” line as I prefer) toward the Bahamas. About lunchtime we shook out the reefs in the main and “Jenny” and were continuing to make 6.5-7 knots motorsailing.

At about 2:00 we heard the first boats on the VHF radio declare “Land Ho!” and we had our first sighting of land soon after that. Our first International passage with Lucky Peek looked like it was going to end very successfully. After studying the harbor chart two or three more times and seeing the entrance, we dropped our sails and motored the last half mile in.

The water had gone from the deep blue grey of deep ocean to to a bright turquiose of the shallow, sandy Bahama bank. The water in the marina looked like a swimming pool. Adding to our exhileration, the resort was having a Christmas party that was in full swing…Christmas carols and lights aglow were overwhelming our senses. We received our slip assignment and entered our slip ever so ungracefully with the wind on our stern, tied up quickly and headed to customs and immigration to get cleared in. We received an invitation to the complimentary Christmas Buffet and after checking in, stopped by for turkey and stuffing with all the fixins followed by a nice slice of coconut pumpkin pie. What a treat! Visit www.oldbahamabay.com to see some pics of the area. Of course, keep in mind that we aren’t staying in the Old Bahama Bay hotel, but we do get to enjoy the amenities while we’re on our boat in the marina.

We have spent the last couple of days cleaning up and lazing around the boat and resort waiting for the weather to clear up for the rest of our trip to the Abacos. The resort is actually still closed after Hurricane Wilma but there is a flurry of activity as they are opening on Friday. We are one of only about ten boats in the Marina and have full run of the resort. The weather is a little blustery and overcast but it is warm…about 73 degrees as I write this. We have enjoyed visiting with our new friends Robert and Carolyn on “Gypsy Common”, Peggy and Terry on “Attitude”, and Les and Candy on “Anejo”.

Yesterday we borrowed bikes from the Marina and rode into the village. The people are all helpful and friendly with bright smiles, but life here looks hard given the proximity to the summer hurricane track. It appears that there is not enough time between seasons to ever get ahead of the accumulating damage. A hike through the resort over to the western shore showed us what incredible destruction can be wrought upon homes from tidal surge and wind as we saw the ground floors of luxury homes completely gutted and their foundations undercut and washed out. We couldn’t help but extrapolate to the damage inflicted upon the Gulf Coast by Katrina. Be thankful for the things you have and try to remember how many in the world have lost so much and have so little.

We are planning to leave West End tomorrow for Green Turtle Cay with an overnight stop along the way at Great Sale Cay, an uninhabited Cay (pronounced “key”) about forty some miles east of here. If everything goes as planned we should be spending Christmas in Green Turtle and we will celebrate the day after with “Junkanoo”, an Island party which is much like a one day Mardi Gras with festivities, costumes, and parades ( I suspect there may also be Rum Punch involved). We are looking forward to a visit from the Nelsons at the end of the month. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will be able to make it so we can ring in the New Year with them.

We wish everyone a safe and peaceful holiday season. We are thinking of our family and friends—missing them and hoping the best for all. If we don’t have a chance for another posting in the next week or so…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are enjoying the warm temperatures here in Palm Beach (sorry to rub that in for those of you in more northern latitudes) and trying to be patient in waiting for a favorable weather window to cross over to the Bahamas. We left Titusville on Sunday, December 11th with our anxiousness to be heading south again tempered by leaving our friends Chris and Susan. Their hospitality during our 2 weeks in their neck of the woods was most appreciated. We stayed with them a couple more times after our long Thanksgiving visit and enjoyed our time at the Conrad B&B and Laundry Facility.

We left Titusville on Sunday, December 11th under partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures. We had a good day motor sailing on the Intracoastal Waterway to our anchorage for the night near the Eau Gallie Bridge. We continued on the ICW the following day to Fort Pierce where we anchored for the evening and I enjoyed a quiet birthday dinner on the boat.
On Tuesday, December 13 we decided the northern winds would give us a good boost south so we left the ICW via the Fort Pierce inlet for the open ocean. Wow! What a day! We had 15-20 knots of wind and a following sea of 4-6 feet with occasional waves of 7-8 feet. We were flying! We were steadily doing 7 knots and would see 8-9 knots when surfing down the larger waves and we even saw 10.9 knots on the speed indicator! We made it to the Lake Worth inlet at Palm Beach in record time and were a bit exhausted after such an exhilarating day. We dropped the hook just inside the inlet for the night and then moved about 4 miles north the following day to wait with the larger group of boats with the same destination. Robert and Carolyn of “Gypsy Common”, whom we met in Brunswick, were there waiting for us and gave us a warm welcome.

So now we wait. Southern winds are forecasted for Sunday and we hope that holds true so we can cruise to the Bahamas! If that is the case then it may be a week or more before our next update. Stay tuned…

We’re on our way again! We left Brunswick, Georgia on the chilly morning of Sunday, November 20th on the heels of a passing cold front. Since the front had kicked up the seas and brought colder temperatures, we decided to travel on the ICW. We made great time with the help of 15-20 knot northerly winds. Highlights of our first day out included, but were not limited to, the following: waves breaking over the bow as we crossed Jekyll Sound; Lisa wearing purple and teal socks on her hands in lieu of gloves; and running aground on the south side of Nassau Island as we sought out an anchorage for the night. Regarding that last point – while the local fisherman watched curiously, Rod revved the throttle and I jumped up and down on the bow sprit. Miraculously, we got off the shoal and moved quickly back into the ICW to seek out a deeper spot to drop the hook. Just a few miles further we spent the night in a beautiful and peaceful anchorage in front of the Kingsley Plantation/Park.

We got an early start the next morning, after Rod pulled up the anchor using the ABI windlass that he installed in Brunswick. Yay!!! It worked like a charm, and Rod returned to the cockpit with a smile on his face rather than the usual anchor-raising-back-pain-grimace. We made great time to St. Augustine due to the winds picking up and after much discussion we decided to anchor for the night in a popular spot just off the city wall and north of the Bridge of Lions. The city and bridge were so beautiful with the holiday lights aglow and the sunset was amazing with what we later learned to be a “sucker hole” on the horizon. Rod thought the approaching cold front had sidestepped us as we looked at the clearing sky as the sun went down. Just an hour later we actually heard the weatherman refer to what we saw as a sucker hole – a term used by sailors to describe conditions that make it appear the front has passed when it is really yet to arrive. And boy howdy, did it arrive. We had a restless night as 30+ knot winds would hit the boat and heel it over. We would both get up to confirm the anchor was holding and that we were in the same place. On the bright side, this night was a good test of our heavier ground tackle we added in Brunswick (45 lb. CQR anchor and 150 ft. of 3/8” high tensile chain). The boat didn’t move an inch beyond it’s swinging radius in the wind and current.

Another early start on Tuesday morning and we made the 7:30a.m. opening of the Bridge of Lions that allowed us to continue south. On the other side of the bridge, where other boats were anchored, we passed one wayward sailboat that apparently had drug it’s anchor in the night and had landed across the channel hugging an ICW channel marker. There appeared to be nobody on the boat, so we continued on our way and later heard the Coast Guard on channel 16 trying to get information on the vessel. On this day our biggest challenge was the extremely low tide that never seemed to flow back in on it’s schedule due to the strong westerly winds of the front. We bumped the bottom along the way, we heard other accounts of the same on channel 16, and then just north of Daytona we passed a sailboat just 5 feet outside the channel that was hard aground. Daytona was our destination for the night and with no good anchorage options in the area, we decided to stay in the Daytona Marina. Conveniently located on the same property, even sharing the same building with the marina office, was a Chart House! We thought we should reward ourselves with a night out and enjoy the famous Chart House salad bar. It was great and they didn’t even notice all the filled Ziploc baggies I left with. J We had a nice visit with the crew of s/v Nobadeer, a stunning green hulled Mariner 47 ketch. Alec and Lori, and their kids Laura and Andrew, were taking their boat to the Bahamas to leave it there until they could fly back to it for Christmas with the rest of their family. We look forward to the possibility of seeing them again in the Islands over the holidays!

On Wednesday, November 23 we left Daytona under clear skies, bright sunshine, and the promise of warmer temperatures. Rod had to expertly maneuver Lucky Peek out of the slip we had stayed in the night before, and that proved to be the biggest challenge of a somewhat uneventful day. We traveled through Mosquito Lagoon, where we were entertained by dolphins and manatees and a large variety of birds. So, I guess for being “uneventful” it was very pleasant! We arrived in Titusville around 4pm and again Rod impressed onlookers with his ability to calmly put the boat in the slip without incident. We washed down Lucky Peek and celebrated our arrival with an SVT (Sundowner Vodka Tonic). We made it in time to have Thanksgiving dinner the following day with the Conrads! Amazing how the lure of turkey and dressing over say, Spam, can motivate one to travel great distance.

Thanksgiving day with the Conrads turned into a four-day stay at their house. That’s probably the last time they invite us over for a holiday! We had a great turkey day dinner and over the next few days we enjoyed their company, we enjoyed their guest bedroom, and we even enjoyed the marathon game of Trivial Pursuit.

We will be here in Titusville until early next week (first week of December) when we will continue south to West Palm, which should take no more than three days. We plan to anchor in Lake Worth, the body of water off of West Palm Beach, where we will wait for a favorable weather window to make the crossing to the Bahamas. Hopefully, that will be a relatively short stay. We will post another update when we are on the move again.

So far one of the most difficult aspects of this journey has been homesickness. We miss the regular interactions with family/friends/co-workers and are learning how to spend our time together without a daily work routine that takes us away from each other – providing varied topics for conversation over dinner. Our new routine was drastically different and we had to adjust to it. Slowing down in Brunswick aggravated this because we weren’t experiencing something new every day as we had been in the first three months of being constantly on the move. Both of us slid into a slump but through discussion realized the common cause. We embarked on this adventure for many reasons, one of which was to experience personal growth. We were feeling the growing pains and luckily we felt the relief of overcoming this particular bump through acknowledgment and understanding. (Rod just did an editorial review and said this sounded too much like Dr. Phil. Not being a fan of Dr. Phil…. Well, actually, I really can’t stand Dr. Phil…. this made me gag and want to change the entry. I’ve modified it some, but it still does sound a bit Dr. Phil-ish. Sorry.)

One of the best parts of slowing down in Brunswick has been making new friends. We have met a variety of interesting people that have been a wealth of knowledge as well as just plain enjoyable to be around. Some folks are fellow cruisers waiting out the hurricane season in preparation of heading South or to the Bahamas for the winter. Some live on their boats as residents and working citizens of the Brunswick area. Some live/work elsewhere and visit their boats on the weekends. All have been a pleasure to get to know and their eagerness to help us with whatever we need has been most appreciated.

Yes! We are now in final preparation mode to start heading south. Today is November 2, 2005 and we are planning to leave Brunswick within the next two weeks. Our plan is to head to Palm Beach, Florida, where we will wait, anchored at an area called Lake Worth, for a favorable weather window to make the crossing over to the Bahamas. It is 54 miles from Palm Beach to West End, Grand Bahama. Not far, but crossing the 25 mile wide Gulf Stream is a major milestone for most sailors. It will take us between 10 and 15 hours to make this short distance. We will stop at Grand Bahama and then spend the next three days traveling on to the Abacos, which are on the east side of the Bahama Bank. At this point, we are planning to spend the winter cruising the Abacos. Once we are there, we may decide to continue further south to explore Eleuthera and the Exumas (all part of the Bahamas). We will see once we get there where the wind takes us.

While Brunswick is not what I would describe as a destination city, it is situated next to the Golden Isles that include St. Simon and Jeckyll which attract their share of tourists seeking beautiful beaches and expansive golf courses. St. Simon is the bigger of the two islands but Jeckyll has a more interesting past and, in our opinion, was more beautiful with the old oak trees that canopy the roadways and drip Spanish moss from their expansive limbs. While that is a common sight around Georgia, it was especially cool on the small two-lane roads that circle the island. Jeckyll was once privately owned by a group of America’s wealthiest. Families such as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Pulitzers, and a few others that had a few bucks to spare bought the island and formed their prestigious private Jeckyll Island club in 1886, limiting access on the island to only their elite members. Story has it that they didn’t even allow the President of the United States to visit because he wasn’t a member. Jeckyll is now owned by the state of Georgia (purchased in 1947) and further development is restricted to preserve it’s natural state.

The first week of October was thunderous and very wet due to Tropical Storm Tammy passing just south of us. We received somewhere around 16 inches of rain in 6 days and we had a couple of restless nights on the leading edge of the storm with the thunder shaking the boat and the lightening getting a little too close for comfort. There were many areas of Brunswick that experienced flooding that week, and we were not immune to the wet living conditions either. After discovering a soggy rug and a soaked settee cushion, we deduced that some areas of the boat were not water tight. We have added “rebed chain plates” to our list of projects. Fortunately that’s not a complex project and it’s one that needs to be done as a normal part of boat maintenance. Guess it was time for ours to be maintained.

What began as what we refer to as a Bargain Safari, ended up including a side of tourism in St. Augustine. We were motivated to visit St. Augustine again, this time by car, after we learned of a store called the Sailors Exchange, where one could find good deals on used and new equipment. It’s basically like a salvage yard. A boater’s dream! At Sailors Exchange we bought Sunbrella cloth for a deck shade and other projects at approximately 60% of the normal retail price per yard. We also bought enough Triple B chain to replace and increase the length of our current primary anchor chain. This too was at a very good price. During our 4 hour scavenge at Sailors Exchange Rod found a welding shop next door where he scored a piece of stainless steel pipe needed for the windlass installation and we also learned of some local wood workers where we might get some small pieces of teak also needed for the windlass. By this time it was after 5:00 so we had to make a decision – drive the approx. 100 miles back to Brunswick and then return the next day to track down the teak, or spend a spontaneous night in St. Augustine. With the price of gas around $3.00 per gallon and our general inclination toward the spontaneous, we decided to spend the night. That decision allowed us to be tourists for the remainder of the evening and wander the quaint streets of this historic city, where Rod claimed to sense the presence of ghostly pirates. We even found the restaurant/bar in the tree, The MillTop, that Chris had told us about from their visit to St. Augustine.

Once we were mentally settled in to Brunswick after returning from Orlando, we started adding things to our project list, prioritizing, and determining where to begin. Here is a sampling from the list (yes, this is just a sampling):

Install Racor 500 fuel filter
Install solar panels
Order new sails
Install Windlass
Install chain stopper
Install new bow deck cleat
Install manual galley pump
Move raw water strainer on engine
Determine email/weatherfax solution for Bahamas
Connect GPS to network and radio
Install deck pipe for stern anchor
Buy 4-person off-shore life-raft
Fix auto-pilot mount
Add cheek blocks and cleats to boom for reefing
Repair Mack Pack zipper
Check water in batteries
Install Monitor wind steering system
Replace mast boot
Various sewing projects – bumper covers, TV cover, sunshade, windlass cover
Get ship’s clock fixed
Polish stainless and aluminum
Polish fuel and tank