May 2019

Just a note that many of the photos are not orientated properly.  They were in my photo file but reverted when placed in the blog.  Sorry!

Back in the States & another month has sped by.  We were able to get together with friends Larry & Annette Carter (no relation) while we were in Ft. Pierce.  We met then a few years back on Long Island, Bahamas and became fast friends.  Larry was right hand man to "Brad the Builder" as we called him and Annette is one of the nicest ladies I have had the pleasure of knowing and believe me.....there are a lot of them cruising. They no longer cruise due to health problems & their beloved boat is for sale but we make a point to stay in touch. 

 

From Ft. Pierce we made the long trip to Vero Beach for a few days to do laundry & hit the grocery.  Our friend Bill (who also has a Pearson 365) has purchased a condo there.  With his help we were able to provision & help him at the same time. 

Soon we were off to Melbourne to meet with friends & see Anna Delgado play at Grills for Cinco de Mayo. May is "love bug" season in Florida and they were awful.  They do not bite but are very annoying to say the least.  They swarmed the boat for days & we hid below with screens as much as possible.

They were so bad that the restaurant cancelled the music because no one could sit outside!  We had a wonderful time as friends Stew & Diana drove up from Port St. Lucie and Gary & Roland were there and we all had a nice visit with Anna too!  Monday found us off to Cocoa which we always enjoy.  We met Gary along with Peter & Carol, a wonderful German couple and we met at the Bier Garten.  The food was fantastic!

It was a short visit in Coca & Wednesday found us in Titusville where we were happy to see that the restaurant under the bridge has reopened.  We had drinks and an appy and were impressed with this.....

An overnight in Daytona and on to St. Augustine.  Our friend Rob drove down from Jax and we went to dinner at the Kingfisher Grill at Comanche Cove Marina. A grand time!

We wanted to stop in New Smyrna Beach to see our friend Becky but she had a medical procedure that day so we will stop in the fall.  We decided to walk to the farmers market on US 1 and before the day was out we had walked over 5 miles!  We wished we had worn sneakers rather than sandals by day's end!  A night on the hook at Pine Island then on to Sisters Creek on the north side of the St. Johns River in Jax where Rob drove to see us again and we went to the Palms Fish Camp for dinner.  Becky Sanger had shown us this place a year or so back & it was just as good.  They normally close at 2pm on Monday but decided to try being open in preparation for Monday Night Football.  They were slammed!  With only 1 waitress!  Oh well......

On to Fernandina Beach where we had hoped to revisit the Marlin Barrel Distillery for another bottle of Pepper Vodka but the Marina is being rebuilt & there is no dinghy dock so we decided to relax.  Our friends Scott &Michelle on Orza travelled 115 miles that day to catch up with us and we had a fantastic night!  Rob had made the marinade for Beef Satay & I had made the peanut sauce.  Appys, salad and there was dinner!  They brought over some very nice red wine & some of Michelle's banana rhum.....It was great!

We needed a couple of calm nights and we had them at Jekyll Island & Walberg Creek before heading into Herb River.    

Some of the sights you see!  Helicopter touch & go!

 

Rob had these pains in his ankle and we could not figure out what he could have done. 

We went into Bahia Bleu Marina in Thunderbolt to visit with the Savannah Table of the BOC.  Saturday night we walked to Tortugas just outside of the marina to have dinner with friends Joe & Maureen.   It was a first visit for us and the food was wonderful.  After we said goodnight & walked back to the marina Rob was in a great deal of pain.  Sunday morning he could put no weight on it at all and we had to call Maureen to ask if she could take us to a "doc in the box".  She took us where she had gone herself and they were great.  X-rays showed nothing & the PA asked if Rob had ever experienced gout.  No.  A shot of cortisone & prednisone pills and by late afternoon he was feeling much better.  We decided to stay an additional night to be sure.  It gave me an opportunity to scrub the boat, do laundry, provision & fill the water tanks.  Rob needed the rest & the boat had not had a good scrub since we left Virginia last fall.  Late Monday afternoon we had a nice visit with our dear friend Alise.  It was sad as she recently lost her husband Albert, but it was also wonderful to be able to spend time with her and reminisce.

The 21st found us heading offshore to Beaufort(bew-fort) SC.  We had a wonderful trip but dropped the hook near Paris Island as it was getting dark.   A day in Beaufort is always fun.  We bought a very nice print for the house, had lunch @ Luther's and cocktails at Hemmingway's.

Underway at 6am the next morning trying to make Charleston on the inside but it was not meant to be.  We anchored in Church Creek for the night on to Charleston the next day.  We did not even put the dink in the water! We have never NOT gone to shore in Charleston.  Time is getting short & I need to be back in VA for a doctor's appointment so we were on a mission!  One night in Georgetown SC where we had lunch with Bill. The next morning was grocery, seafood, fuel & leave.  From Georgetown to Enterprise Landing to Southport where we rode the Cape Fear River to Masonboro Inlet and outside up to Beaufort, NC.  It was a beautiful sail into the Morehead City/Beaufort inlet about 1230am on the 30th.  We went under the bridge & dropped the hook for the night and early on the 30th we moved over to Town Creek which is our favorite anchorage in the area.  There I had to rent a car & head to Norfolk for a doctor's appointment.

That brings May 2019 to a close. Back in the US, wishing we were still in the Bahamas.  More at the end of June.

 

 

April 2019

Another month has sped by!  After a brief stop in George Town for water we took off for Cat Island.  It was a wonderful sail into New Bight for our third visit to Cat this season.  We returned to Olive's Bakery to see if they had any of their delicious Almond Pound Cake.  They did so we could not resist.  Of course Hampshire Rose looked so nice on the hook too!

 

 

 

 

Soon we were off to Fernandez Bay Resort.  In December I posted pictures of painted floats done by a local.  He never contacted me to purchase one so we thought we would ask at the resort.  No luck, but it was a very nice visit. 

There are mangrove areas adjacent to the resort that are  wonderful to take the dink through.  We had not yet done that this year so off we went.  As you enter the area there a few homes too.

 

                                          Stunning!  The mangroves, not the homes!

 

After the mangroves we decided to explore outside.  There were no footprints on the beach!

 

 

 

 

 

All this exploring was thirsty work so off to Fernandez Bay for a cool drink!

 

Turning another 10,000 miles is always a milestone.

 

We enjoyed our time on Cat Island again but it was time to move on.  After a rather uncomfortable night at Littler San Salvador we were underway back to Eleuthera.   

Before 8am we had a nice tuna in the fridge!  Later on we decided to fish a bit more.  Since we do not have a freezer we try not to take more than we can eat but since we know lots of folks in Rock Sound we thought why not?  After losing yet another couple of lures Rob got this nice dolphin.....  Ours Bahamian friends Frank & Merionetta had their tuna & mahi for Good Friday dinner.  We felt honored!

Rock Sound was great as usual but the batteries were really getting bad so it was time to keep moving.  A stop in Hatchet Bay/Alice Town and we got to see our friend Emile from Long Island.  There is a new boatyard there and he has been helping to build this!  130ft long, 10 heads, 3 bars and carries 400 passengers.  She will tour out of Nassau.

 

 

 

 

 

In Marsh Harbour we were able to get together with Gino & Carolyn of S/V Andiamo for a last time this season. A quick provisioning & off we went to Guana Cay starting the trip back seriously.

We had a couple of Grabbers & Kaliks then off to the boat.  The next morning we went to Green Turtle Cay & were lucky enough to see friends Tom & June of S/V Lady Ella, another Pearson 365.

It appears to be a weather window so were off to Great Sale Cay.

We had a wonderful sail into Great Sale, a nice dinner & rest and off towards Ft. Pierce we went.  It was about 24 hours anchor to anchor and we were able to sail a good portion of it.  We dropped the hook at 0930 ready for a good sleep.

But that was not to be.  No sooner was the anchor set when this man pops his head out of a nearby boat yelling "Help me, help me, I'm on fire!!!".  Our dink was in the davits & motor on the rail so we could not go pick him up.  We saw no smoke but he kept yelling for assistance.  We did the only thing we could, called the Coast Guard.  Soon we had 2 Coast Guard boats, 1 Sheriffs boat, TowBoat US and a small charter boat on scene.  While we do not know exactly what was going on we suspect the man was maybe a wee bit unstable.  We told the Coast Guard on the VHF that we saw no smoke even though the man was yelling about fire before boats were dispatched from station Ft. Pierce. The St. Lucie County Deputy came by our boat and we explained that we  had just come in from offshore but the catamaran nearby had told us they had been there for a few days.  In fact, we had not yet cleared in with CBP!   Well, things settled down, we cleared in and had a nice sleep.

That wraps thing up for April.  We are back in the US and making our way north.  We replaced our house bank of batteries and the difference is amazing.

All in all, we feel that this was probably one of our best seasons yet,  battery problems & all.  The weather was for the most part fantastic and the people were as always wonderful.  We have decided that we are not ready to stop yet!

We were able to see our wonderful friends Larry & Annette Carter while in Ft. Pierce but that was on May 1st so more on that next time.

Isn't this a great idea???

Bye

 

March 2019

 Back in George Town, the fun continues!  We loaded up the water and since there was yet another front on the way we moved across the harbor to off of Chat-N-Chill.  The place seems to be a victim of its own success.  For many years it was THE place for cruisers to hang out.  To a degree it still is as there is a great beach, volleyball, Mexican train dominos, and lots of picnic tables under the casuarinas.  For the last few years the beer has been lukewarm (bottles) and the quality of the food has declined we are told.  We have not eaten there in a few years because of this and the last beer we bought there was cool but not cold.  Since "back in the day" many more options have opened for the boaters and the restaurants for the most part have responded.   We did hear a nasty comment on the cruiser net about a restaurant in GT proper but my thought is if you want fast food, stay in the US and hit "Mickey D's Steak House" aka McDonalds.  You can be assured that if you order conch, in any form, first it has to be removed from the shell, then cleaned, then tenderized, then prepared.  Fast food is not good & good food is not fast!  Enough of that!

There was an unusual trimaran on that side.  140 feet with no hailing port.  Brand new.

 Notice the beach towel?  Even the super rich dry the laundry outside!

After the front went through we moved back to the GT side.  Stocking Island is great for weather and there are old and new places that we enjoy.  St. Francis is a popular restaurant & resort, Peace & Plenty has opened a Beach Bar there which only sells burgers on Fri/Sat and our favorite is Lumina Point. 

Weather dictates all of our plans & it seemed that getting back to Long Island was not an option for that week so we decided to head to The Bahamian Music & Heritage Festival Fri/Sat/Sun.

The Exuma Garden Club was out with fresh herbs & wonderful plants for sale.

 

 

 

 

 

We bought a really nice dolphin from these folks.

 

 

 

 

 

                                             And watched the stage setup.

 

The following day was the Culinary Challenge for the students.  Just like Long Island there are some very talented young folks who will become excellent chefs with the proper guidance & training. There were 4 very talented students with the guiding hand of a chef from Sandals Resort and very serious judges!

 

Next was the Mixology (Bartender) Competition.  There were 3 and they were all from Sandals.  Each had to compose 2 cocktails.  One frozen using rum and non frozen using vodka.  Oh yeah, we got to sample them too!
 

 

 

 

 

Then to our surprise there was an open cooking competition.  I thought oh why not..... When I looked at the chosen ingredients I kind of froze.  Okra, chicken & shrimp.  With a great deal of cajoling I managed to talk Rob into taking my place.  There were two French Canadians, a Bahamian & Rob.......

 

 

Notice that they have a 2 burner cooker! Rob won!  The menu he prepared was okra with onion, celery peppers & fresh tomato.  Then lightly battered & sautéed shrimp, grilled chicken breast with sweet & sour vegetables.  "I wanted to keep it simple." is what he told the judges.

  He told me later that he was a bit mad at me for talking him into it but not so much after he won.  We were told to go to the Ministry of Tourism on Monday to collect his prize.  When he discovered he had won $500.00 he decided he really was not mad at me!

The weather finally broke & we were able to head back to Long Island.  It was a Tuesday and with the winds the direction they were we decided to head to Pinders Cove, a place we had never been.  It also happens to be right off Club Washington, a place that has a wonderful Happy Hour/Dinner every Wednesday.  We dropped the dink & went to the bar Tuesday & spent the afternoon having a wonderful time visiting Darin the owner.  Merlene, (Mom) does the cooking and Tuesday she was baking bread!  It smelled wonderful & her bread is the best! 

The Wednesday affair is a great time.  You fill out your name and choice of meal & sides for Mom.  There is a spreadsheet of sorts on the bar where again you put your name and choice of drink with a tick for each one & # of dinners at the end.  Quite ingenious really.  The food is always great and it's a gathering spot for locals, boaters & second homeowners too.

We moved over to Thompson Bay the following morning as the winds had shifted and it was quite rolly.  Not only was the anchorage more comfortable there was Mutton Fest to look forward to.

We had been to Mutton Fest a few times when it was held in Clarence Town and put on by the Ministry of Agriculture.  It has since moved to Salt Pond at the Cultural Site and the Ministry of Tourism now handles the event.

 There were lots of food vendors and local crafts.

The ladies & gent at the Ministry of Tourism, Salt Pond did a fantastic job!

Last month we posted photos of the mural being painted at Sunshine Real Estate.  Here is the next stage.  No one was there but it appears to be an ongoing project.

 

Up south (said because of prevailing winds) is a beautiful beach we went to with good friends Bob & Francie of S/V Barefootin'.

 

Many years ago we stopped here and had a wonderful time & yes there were goats!

 

On to Rowdy Boys with their A Class boat for lunch!

 

A last stop to see the work done on Brad & Jeannie's       new home & celebrate with an umbrella drink!

There was another fund raiser for the Mack Knowles Junior Sailing Club and again, it was a wonderful time.

It has become a tradition for Rob & I to get together with Bob, Francie, Brad & Jeannie for a celebration of Anniversaries & a birthday at Chez Pierre.  This time we had a total of 12 people & we all had a blast!

We always find it hard to leave Long Island.  Over the years we have come to think of many locals & second homeowners as friends.  Especially local folks who have been so kind to us over the years.  It is one of the drawbacks to our lifestyle, always saying see you next time.

Again we are getting low on water and the batteries are refusing to hold a charge so it is time to start northward.  Free water in GT then back to Cat Island, but that will be for next month's post.