Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Junkanoo is here!

We have made it out of the US!  We are currently in West End, Grand Bahama Island at the Old Bahama Bay Resort.  It is nice but we are feeling the itch to keep moving south and east.  We did take one day here just to relax and savor this long awaited moment.  Tomorrow we plan to move on to Port Lucaya on the southern side of the island.  Caroline has enjoyed the pool with a waterfall and is anxious to snorkel a reef.
 
Here are a few pics.  A couple are from Christmas, most are during the crossing, and a couple are from the harbor here in West End.
 
 
Our coordinates are: 26°42.091'N  078°59.511'W
 
Junkanoo is a celebration that happens here in the Bahamas around Christmas and New Years.  So, Merry (or happy) Junkanoo!
 
 

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Season's Greetings

Hello all! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I got 5 stitches for Christmas! Long story, short: slipped on wet dock, fell down go boom, in the process I kicked the edge of the wood! Everything is OK and it could have been worse. At least no one was watching! We have been waiting for a weather window and it looks like Monday is the day. In the meantime, we have been joined by friends from Fayetteville; Carrol Thomas and family are here on "Reel Time" and Dixon Dickens and family are here on "Turbulence". Its nice to see them.

Here are the GPS coordinates so everyone can check out the scenery we have been enjoying on Google Earth.

26°46.825'N 080°02.393'W


Have a safe and happy New Year!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Wait Continues!

We are still here in Palm Beach! The new electronics have successfully been installed and we may or may not have the water maker fixed by the time we depart. No worries, though, especially if I can get all the required parts to take with me. Sunday looks favorable for the short trip across the Gulf stream. Even though we are enjoying the area, we look forward to getting somewhere a little more remote. There are several cruising boats here, but they are waiting for after Christmas to head back to the Bahamas.

Caroline has found friends to play with in the afternoons once school lets out. They mostly swim and catch unsuspecting creatures that swim by. She did spot a manatee the other day but was unable to catch it!

Coco has even found a playmate! Her name is Luna and she is a Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever. She's the marina's owner's puppy and she and Coco wear each other out!

Anyway, here are from shots from the area.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lewisnance/PalmBeach?feat=directlink

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Poised to jump

We are waiting for a weather window from North Palm Beach to make the jump to West End, Grand Bahama Island. While we are here, we will be upgrading some electronics and have rented a car so that we can get around.

We have also had our first Manatee spotting. As we went under PGA bridge, we had two manatee surface in front of us. With no time to dodge, I had to cut the engines and coast right over them! The water and weather here is beautiful! Clear and blue! We expect a front to come through tonight, so we will see a little rain and heavy winds.

Caroline has made friends with other children here at the dock. They play together and swim in the hot tub every chance they get! Two have lived on a boat their whole lives and the other is from Denmark and doesn't speak much english. But, they get along great and are going to have a sleepover tonight!

I can't say enough about this area. The water is so clear, you can see all the way to the bottom at 20 feet!

We are having a great time but always miss loved ones back home. Wish you were here!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Christmas is in the air!

We had a wonderful sail to Ft Pierce today.  Along the way we sailed behind a community named Wabasso Beach.  I had never heard of it but it was beautiful!  Not only were the homes magnificent, but the mangrove islands dotting the sound made me believe we were in the Keys. Both before and since, the land simply had a different feel to it.
 
Once at Ft Pierce, we discovered they were having their Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony.  What great timing!  So, we ate lunch, had our first HOT shower in several days, and enjoyed the local parade.
 
Its funny how simple things like a good meal, a hot shower, or even sharing a laugh with strangers at a parade bring joy to my soul.  I suppose the secret to enjoying life is being able to relish in the simple things.  After all, they happen whether we notice or not!
 
Enjoy the pictures:
 
 
 

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Saturday, in the park, I think it was the fourth of July....

Yes it is Saturday and we have stopped to anchor just south of Melbourne, FL.  We stopped because the winds picked up and began to impede our progress.  Should that have continued, we wouldn't have made our planned stop at Vero Beach by nightfall.  Instead I decided to pull over, anchor and watch the Army Team beat Navy!  It all went according to plan except for Army beating Navy.  Oh well, there is always next year!
 
The good news is that winds should shift to the north overnight as a cold front moves through so we should have an easy sail tomorrow with favorable winds.
 
The past couple of days have been fun.  The weather has been warm and dolphin have enjoyed frolicking about - we've enjoyed watching them.

Here are some random pics of sights along the way and a few dolphin.
 
 
 

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Here comes the SUN!!!!!

Monday we left Jekyll and had a short run behind Cumberland Island to reach the cute little town of St. Mary's by lunch. St. Mary's is right on the boarder between GA and FL and just exudes southern charm. If you ever want to get to Cumberland Island, this is where you go to board the Cumberland Ferry.

We departed early the next morning and decided to go "outside" for the run to St. Augustine. We had decent wind and a following sea - just perfect for the 50 mile inlet to inlet trip. Coming in to St Augustine inlet was interesting! Breakers lined each side of the channel but once inside it was worth it for the view. For those that don't know, St Augustine is the oldest town in the US. The first night we ate at a great restaurant and then went on a Ghost Train. We visited several cemetaries and a couple of gardens, plus the Ripley Museum after it had closed! The tour included EMF (electro - magnetic frequency) meters and disposable cameras. I took pics with my digital camera too. Some of the pics did show anomalous "orbs". Creepy! We stayed an extra night in St Aug so we could visit the Spanish built Fort the next day and just relax. Alyson and Caroline played a round of miniture golf and did laundry while I checked a few of the items off the "to do" list at the boat. St Aug is a great town. If you never have been there, I recommend it!

Today we made it to Daytona Beach. It was the first day we had warm weather. I even broke down and slathered on a little sunscreen! It was a good day and the landscape is really begining to look like Florida. Palm trees line the ICW and grand Floridian Style houses abound.

Here are the pics from St Aug. Check out the Orbs and the cool fort!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lewisnance/SaintAugustine#


Our current position is: 29°12.186'N 081°00.778'W