Once more in the Abacos
An early morning flight from Chicago to Miami turned into a special ordeal when the little kid in the next seat developed serious digestive trouble. I won't spoil your appetites with details, it wasn't pretty.
I had some time in Miami to relax because I had booked two separate tickets with a good amount of buffer time in case anything goes wrong.
The flight to Marsh Harbor started a little bumpy but soon turned beautiful, with a clear view from Freeport to West End. This time in Marsh Harbor I waited a little before I face customs - having noticed that last time I got picked since I was first (having only hand luggage). After a quick question what I was bringing the officer waved me through.
Recharged the BTC SIM card with $36 which I thought would get me the 'unlimited data' plan for 30 days, but that seems to have been discontinued. I'll have to watch my data use a bit, unlike last time.
Taxi to the ferry stopped at a conch salad stand and I quickly decided to get one for lunch. The taxi charged me $20 for the ride - pretty ridiculous, it's no more than a 15 min drive.
I ate the conch salad waiting for the ferry and it was great, even better than Show-Boo's.
The Man-O-War ferry dropped me on the Caprice and it was wonderful to see her afloat and seemingly totally fine.
Inside is much better smelling than usual - a result of leaving the front hatch open for all the time I was gone. This place is great for boat storage.
Last time I had forgotten three bananas (or was it two?) in the fridge and was wondering what would have become of them.
In fact they have almost entirely disappeared and left a thick almost dry puddle on the fridge bottom. Not hard to clean up (of course the whole fridge had gotten somewhat moldy from that. Otherwise very little mold and no dampness either.
The new car radio I brought to replace the one the lightning took is a super easy replacement since the cable connectors are configured exactly the same as the old. And it works great, even with Bluetooth.
The dinghy needed a bit of re-inflating, but not a lot really. Put the outboard on it and it starts second pull!
The original white line (the 'painter' we call it) has turned into dust, literally. It's ridiculous that West Marine puts a line on a dinghy that apparently has no UV blockers whatsoever. I'm sure people have lost their dinghy this way!
I dinghied into town and found it even more quiet than usual. I got some new water from the marina, some milk, eggs and fruit from the tiny shop and returned to the boat.
I started the diesel engine also without any trouble and ran it for 30 mins to make sure it behaves and top off the batteries. The gear lever seems stuck - I'll deal with this tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
To access the batteries to check acid levels I dremeled off the hinges on the fridge top plug. I had thought having the fridge have a hinge would be nicer, but in the end it doesn't help much and makes proper sealing more difficult. After the hinges were off I could slide the batteries forward and open the fill holes. Every cell is very very low - I used up 1/2 gallon (!) of water for all six cells.
One more time to the marina to go to the shop for some more food and pay for my storage here and chat with Jen and Lisa from Edwins. Back to the boat and try to move the shift lever. It won't move, so I ran the engine some more to see if maybe just needs the gears realigned. The lever suddenly moves, but much too easily. Oh Oh, not good. I look at the transmission and I see that the control cable has broken at the lever. Part of it is my fault because the new sanitation hose I routed past the engine was impinging on the lever movement. However, that wouldn't cause it to break normally, but the linkage from the cable to the lever had corroded and caused the control cable to bend which eventually weakened it. In fact I'm lucky that this happened now when I'm safe and not moving. Depending on the situation, the shift from forward to neutral to reverse failing at the wrong moment could cause a collision or crash during docking.
Still frustrating. This is really the only problem with the boat, but until I figure out how to fix it I can't really move. To do something more productive I put the bimini and the sails on, all looks good.
The evenings are very early and quiet here. By 6:30PM it's pitch dark.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
I finally managed to take the old linkage off the transmission lever after spraying it with PB Blaster (a rust dissolve agent). It's a real pain to reach and I had a hell of a time to get wrenches in position. Of course, when I finally got it off it fell into the bilge. And the bilge is impossible to get things out from, it's so deep that I simply cannot reach in there and it has about 1/2 foot of oily water.
Anyways, I hadn't planned to use this part again since it's rusty and would quickly seize again. However, the control cable broke right at the linkage and still has some threads on it, so if I can find a spare part I can fix this.
One more time into town, and at Edwins they do actually have a linkage part, called a ball joint. I'm not sure if it will fit, so I return to the boat to see if I can find nuts to measure the existing cables. Long story short, the part they have fits, but is a bit shorter than the old one and I'll have to move the control cable by maybe 2 inches to make up for the bit of lost thread and the shorter new part.
While mounting it I was very careful to tie a lanyard to it first so if it slips I don't lose it in the bilge. All goes on well, but adjusting it is surprisingly difficult - just a fraction of an inch means that one can either not go into full forward or full reverse. I didn't expect it to be so fickle. To slide the cable further down means I'm not in the existing metal sleeve notch that keeps it safely in position so I'm worried that the cable might slip if not clamped very hard. I think I'll have to put a hose clamp on the end that I fear might move. Not entirely satisfied with the solution.
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Finally my first swim/snorkel today. I dinghied to the Gazebo beach, left the dinghy there and went for a long nice snorkel. The water is a bit colder than last summer, but by no means bad. Not as many fish as in summer, and only one star fish. Last time I saw several dozen. Still nice to finally get to swim. I still have to snorkel around the Caprice to check the propeller and rudder and possibly untangle the anchor lines. Somehow they dropped my anchor, probably when they came on board to close the hatch when Hurricane Irma was looking to come exactly here.
Friday, November 17, 2017
It's still pretty breezy here which is nice to be comfortable. I don't even run the cabin fan during the day (let alone at night) because with the big wind catcher in the front hatch I get nice airflow inside.
We booked a flight for the admiral to join me here next Wednesday. I'm very happy and I really hope that this time we will have nice calm conditions for her to be comfortable on the boat. I did some work for my job (I'm on semi-leave here), read some books and watched some Star Trek (last trips watched the original series with Spock and Kirk, now I'm working my way through the Next Generation (Picard, Data etc).
Saturday, November 18, 2017
I got a small clamp in town to secure the shift control cable and I'm now much more confident it will be fine. I got lines ready on deck to go to the marina with the Caprice to get fuel and water, but when I tried to pull my anchor out I realized it got wrapped around the mooring chains, probably 20 warps or so. I could theoretically try to drive around the mooring in the opposite direction but that would be kind of lame, so I took a dive in and looked at the mess. At first I thought my anchor had entirely disappeared, but eventually I found it 10 meters away. To untangle I had to undo the anchor line on the boat and pull it into the water - but now I found that coiling 100 feet of line isn't easy and I would somehow arrange these 100 feet into a bundle to pass around the mooring chains. Eventually I had the idea of stuffing the line into a sail bag and maneuver this bag over and under the chain (it's lying on the harbor floor. The water wasn't deep so I could easily dive down to it but it took a long time and at least 30 dives. Eventually I got it disentangled and found that the three strand nylon line was pretty unlaid in many spaces. I can't quite say how much this weakens the line, and I think I'll get a new one soon. For now it's good since I'm not planning to anchor in strong conditions soon.
I took off finally and slowly crept through the harbor. While snorkeling for the lines I had seen that the bottom of the boat is a veritable forest of various marine plants. I now learned that a fouled bottom truly slows the boat. Even with 2500 RPMs the boat was just moving at 4 knots. It usually will go 6-6.5 at this throttle setting.
After getting fuel and water I left the harbor and proceeded to the Gazebo beach, where I immediately after anchoring snorkeled down to see that the anchor is well set. Next I got a strong brush and started scraping and brushing the plants off the boat as far as I can reach snorkeling. A 'hookah' snorkel system with a compressor and hose would really be very useful. I'll have to do some more tomorrow - I've been in the water for probably 2 hours total today.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Not quite as it had been predicted, the morning brought a pretty violet rain storm and a 180 degree shift in wind direction. I was now non-sheltered and on a lee shore. My anchor alarm went off several times, as it does when I turn around completely (I set it to 20 meters). However, even after resetting it a few times it came on again and it was clear that I was slowly dragging toward shore. Since it was pretty ugly I decided to just leave early and move over to Mermaid Reef. Soon after I left the rain stopped again and the wind slowly abated. When I reached Mermaid Reef the sun was up and the wind had calmed down a lot. I had noticed that my speed hadn't much improved in spite of the bit of scraping and brushing I had done, so I planned to do some more. But first I went for a snorkel at Mermaid reef and, like last time, saw big swarms of fish that were begging for food. Next back to the boat and some serious scraping. And then into Marsh Harbor, anchored and dinghied to shore and to Maxwell's super market. Marsh Harbor is really so dead on Sundays that I had a fear that Maxwell's might even be closed, but it was open. Unfortunately they didn't have a beach umbrella, so unless I find one at a hardware store my admiral might have to drag ours from Chicago to here. On the other hand I wonder if she shouldn't let it be - until now it's been windy most of the time and an umbrella would have flown off many times. Plus the sun hasn't been shining that much and often from lower angles. We'll see.
After Maxwell's I went to the liquor store to get some beer and cream liqueur but it being Sunday they were closed. We'll go on Wednesday when I get the admiral from the airport.
Back to the boat, and after studying the weather forecast I decided to go back to MOW, as tomorrow a strong wind would be straight on the nose. The sun set beautifully on my way back and I arrived in pitch dark, at 6:30pm, and anchored just south of the northern shallow entrance. The wind was already pretty strong and increased through the night. Even though in the lee of MOW, there was plenty swell to make the Caprice pitch and roll at times, and it was only borderline comfortable. But I hadn't had much choice since I really didn't want to enter the harbor in the dark.
Monday, November 20, 2017
The next morning a boat that had anchored just north of me up and left, and I did the same and entered the harbor at 10:00 between showers. I took a mooring ball right opposite the fuel dock.
After breakfast and relaxing a bit I rowed to shore and walked the village. The weather was changing rapidly between windy and cloudy and sunny and pleasant, but with occasional sprinkles. I walked to the Gazebo beach and sat a bit but it wasn't all that comfortable because of the wind and rain showers.
Of course after I walked back to town the weather turned so nice that I almost regretted not anchoring outside. I had met my neighbor David on a Pearson 365 and after we chatted a bit he invited me over for some beer and good conversation. He's from Texas but lives in Memphis. TN now when he's not cruising. By evening the wind was blowing pretty good and I didn't regret being nice and comfy in the harbor.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
The morning started with plenty rain and wind, and I worked a bit with the computer. David had offered me the use of his 2 in hole drill that would be perfect to mount my depth sounder. Unfortunately when I tried to drill through the face plate the thin plastic shattered. I think I'll have to get some piece of wood and glue it in place.
I decided to stay here for this trip, instead of going down to the Exumas, since time is a little tight for that after my admiral leaves on Dec 2. I found a good flight to Miami for Dec 14 that will leave me plenty time to catch the connection to my other flight to Chicago.
I also did laundry here since I didn't want to risk finding Mangoes laundry maybe unavailable when I go there tomorrow.
Another evening with David, this time making a dent in my Flor de Cana rum supplies. He had gone over to Marsh Harbor with the ferry to look for boat storage, and found Mangoes to be nice and Rey offering him a good monthly rate.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
I got early to shore to deal with finding a piece of scrap wood and got to chat with Richard, the owner of a Valiant 40 who had his boat hauled and the bottom and sides touched up by Keith and his crew. Keith also confirmed that I can have the mooring again.
I was lucky to find a nice piece of scrap wood that I quickly drilled with David's tool and then put two coats of paint on it before I left the mooring to go over to Marsh Harbor. After an uneventful crossing I got a spot and cleaned up a bit before heading to the airport to get my admiral. She arrived on schedule and we got back to the boat quickly. After putting the admirals luggage on we went for a walk that got us to Maxwell's and we got so many supplies that we took a taxi back to the boat. And after snacking on some of the wraps the admiral had brought we decided to go to bed early.
Thursday, November 23, 2017
We left Marsh Harbor early without waiting for Rey - we'll just pay when we come back the day of the Admiral's departure. We wanted to make use of the nice conditions to stop outside of Marsh Harbor for Mermaid Reef, so we anchored and quickly dingied to the buoys they keep at the reef. The water wasn't the clearest, but the fish plentiful and swarming us, as usual, to beg for food. My admiral was slightly freaked out by them coming so close that you actually bumped them occasionally. But she liked it.
After that we took off quickly because we had planned a long trip down to the Tilloo bank. We got there just after lunchtime and anchored just north off the bank, took the dinghy and anchored right on the bank in 2 feet of water and played.
While wading through the shallows we encountered a ray just lurking between some patches of seeweed. He eyed us for a minute and then took off leisurely undulating his wings. Cool dude.
By the evening clouds were approaching from the south - and later we had thunderstorms passing in the west and some rain showers, but nothing serious.
I cooked Cashew Chicken for dinner - for lack of veggies it was mostly onions and celery, but the admiral ate it anyways.
Friday, November 24, 2017
We didn't stay very long because we wanted to get to Hopetown before the tide fell too far. We called ahead and got a spot at the Lighthouse Marina where the dockmaster Paul even came back from lunch to help us tie up.
He has a resident pet, a manatee that often swims under the dock catching sprinkles from a leaking fresh water hose.
We got in the dinghy to go for lunch (the marina is on the peninsula with the lighhouse and there's no way to walk to the village, one always needs the dinghy. We first walked around a bit to find nothing really changed since last March, and then went for lunch at Captain Jack's. Grilled Mahi Mahi for the Admiral, and Bacon Burger for the captain, and both were delicious, as were the cocktails.
Next some more walking around town and by Vernon's grocery shop for Conch Salad - unfortunately he doesn't have that anymore. We got ice cream instead, with a very nice flavor 'Soursop (Guanabana)' and ate it in the Cholera cemetary. Next back to the boat when it started to get dark.
Bad surprise, Paul had unfortunately forgotten to keep the showers unlocked, as promised, and we really wanted showers. We couldn't find any way to contact Paul, so we got in the dinghy to go to the other marina for showers. Of course, during our trip it started raining and then the outboard ran out of fuel. When it rains it pours...
After refilling the engine we took off again and made it to the showers, where the marina office girl graciously let us borrow the keys without the customary $40 deposit that we didn't carry. After a shower the world was much improved.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
We decided to stay in Hopetown another night because Paul promised to not forget the showers this time. He also gave us free laundry tokens to make up for his oversight, so first thing this morning we started laundry, and then, after breakfast, climbed the light house for the customary gorgeous view.
After laundry was done we went over to town and walked to the admiral's favorite place, 'On da beach'.
After a delicous fish sandwich we went on da beach and found the little shelter from March now beautifully enhanced, and ready for us to hang out in. Eventually we put our pareos next to it in the shade and took a little nap. The ocean was so calm (especially compared with March) that we found it easy to swim. And then we walked back to town all the way along the beach. A beautiful walk..
Sunday, November 26, 2017
We planned to go to Guana Cay today, but had to wait until 11 or so to catch the rising tide since the Hopetown approach is shallow in parts. So we went one more time for a long wonderful walk on the beach which we had pretty much for ourselves. We collected some sea glass, maybe we get enough to make a necklace.
At 11 we left and found conditions outside really nice and calm, and proceeded without incident past MOW and Scotland Cay to Guana Cay. Orchid Bay Marina is very beautiful, but almost entirely empty. We checked in and immediately proceeded to famous 'Nipper's Restaurant' on the top of a dune for their Sunday Pork roast. This turned out to be buffet style, and more food than one could handle. And it was really tasty. The place was rocking with youngsters and oldsters.
The admiral declared the place 'hip' and commented that the music was really good, nonstop danceable. Unfortunately her captain is not so much of a pop music dancer.
After that we walked on the gorgeous beach (declared by who knows who one of the best in the world)
And back at the marina we saw a beautiful sunset on their comfortable porch. Life is better in the Bahamas.
Monday, November 27, 2017
As predicted today was cloudy but no rain, and the wind predicted to pick up later. We walked over to the Atlantic side and through Nipper's to the beach and walked along it North West as far as we could, and then back.
Even on a cloudy day it's beautiful here. And the balmy sea breeze just makes it better.
We walked through Great Guana Cay village and to Grabber's, and everything is peaceful (or you might say, pretty dead). But people are very friendly and smiling a lot. We will surely come back.
Next we took off south toward MOW and arrived there without incident at lunch time. The gas station attendant assigned us a slip since Tommy Albury was out for lunch, literally.
We ate lunch at Dock and Dine (very good Cracked Conch and Mahi Tacos) and then walked north, stopping at the Low Place a bit and then on until we reached the end of the road. As before, the peaceful atmosphere of this island is so nice to absorb.
On the way back we spotted a turtle swimming and when we went on a dock to get closer to her we instead found a beautiful Spotted Eagle Ray who seemed as curious about us as we about him. He came very close to the dock and eyed us for a few moments before chasing off a smaller ray on the beach, and then again swimming past us showing off his moves.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Today was supposed to be sunny but windy and we had planned to go to the low place and snorkel. Unfortunately soon after breakfast clouds started gathering and then some very heavy rains came down. I finally met Buddy, the guy I've been hearing about renting and managing moorings. He was working on a boat next door. Also, at the 'Gabby Bench' I met a guy who's on a 27 foot Cape Dory with his wife, and again Richard from Knot Tied. I rigged the 'shower curtain', a panel of impreganted heavy duck fabric, to keep the heaviest of the rain off the leaks, and it helped a bit.
During a break we went to the shop and got some lamb and chicken to grill later, but when we got out the next rain shower soon began. This day wasn't productive, really. And on such days having a floating condo would make things much nicer...
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
The tastiest Cracked Conch ever, the Admiral decided.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Finally the weather is improving and we can start snorkeling the low place, and even the admiral feels safe here.
We went back for lunch and then returned here, but soon clouds started gathering and we decided to return early rather than getting caught in a thunderstorm.
Instead we walked the southern part of the island all the way along the Queen's Highway. Eventually it simply ended at some private property so we backtracked and tried several times to reach the Atlantic shore, but either got stuck at some private property or at a piece of iron shore that we couldn't walk on. At the end when we reached the shore we were almost back at the cemetery we had found a few days ago.
I had caught a bit of a cold and didn't feel like cooking, so we returned to the wonderful Dock and Dine for dinner. Here is desert.
Friday, December 1, 2017
Today looked even better and we repeated yesterday's itinerary, first snorkeling at the low place:
The admiral is getting more and more confident snorkeling. Maybe we'll try diving next.
We spotted lots of small fish but one larger, very pretty one that I can't identify:
Back for lunch (this time we made our own) and then return north, but going past the low place to an area that's all privately owned spots. However, since we could reach them by boat we were fine:
Eventually we returned to the low place and the admiral had a little nap.
Life is better in the Bahamas
Saturday, December 2, 2017
My land admiral had been scared of the crossing to Marsh Harbor today, on account of the 15knot winds. But it went very smooth - following winds and seas are not a problem even on the tippy Caprice. We arrived without incident at Mangoes and quickly went shopping for supplies so I could make wraps for the admiral's journey. Then we went to Snappa's for lunch (Grouper with fries and Wahoo with fries, both excellent.
The admiral had two beer and this, together with surviving the crossing, made her a happy camper.
Then we had to rush to the airport to be avoid being shouted at (like last time) and say goodbye for now to the admiral. I'll stay here another 12 days. Back to the boat, and reorganized the boudoir, and early dinner and bed.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
A beautiful day, and I didn't want to wait for Rey so I decided to leave after breakfast and a shower. I had the engine already running when I saw the marina office door opening. Rey had just returned in time to help me push off. He didn't want to bother with payment yet either, I guess I'll have to come back at least one more time before I leave.
Conditions outside were actually much calmer than yesterday, despite the forecast. I decided to go to Fowl Cay and snorkel and then think about my next stop. I anchored in the lee of the little beach and took off with the dinghy. It was rougher than last time, but still great.
Fat pompano. They are supposed to be tasty.
A large barracuda (I guess 3 feet)
And suddenly some three more barracuda. showing their fangs
And a little ray
After getting back I continued past Scotland Cay to the anchorage we had seen a few days ago. With the NE wind, it gives nice protection and I spent a calm night
Monday, December 4, 2017
I explored the passage between Scotland Cay and Great Guana Cay. It's gorgeous here, and the passage is so shallow that in spots I had to wade and drag the dinghy
On my return to Caprice I found that she had apparently dragged to - by about 300 feet! Since the dragging was away from shore, this wasn't a problem but a pretty surprising distance still. I kept an eye on it during the evening but we appeared to be stationary now.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
It had gotten quite windy overnight and I decided to leave early. When I raised the anchor right after sunrise I found the reason why we hadn't dragged any further - the Rocna had snagged a big electric cable. It wasn't a problem, I could lift the anchor all the way and the cable dropped off. We took off NW with the help of the little jib and got through the first part of the whale passage without trouble. When we turned the corner toward Baker's Bay, however, it got pretty bouncy and I had to run the engine at 3000 to make 3 knots headway. Before me I saw a charter cat taking the shortcut through the shallows, I guess he has local knowledge, I wouldn't dare do that. When I arrived at my usual anchorage and dropped the anchor I found it very rolly because of the swell from the Atlantic. With the Caprice having a similar rolling frequency it clearly wasn't going to be comfortable. I decided to deploy the stern anchor to pull me in a better attitude, and it helped to swap much of the roll to pitching. At times like these a catamaran becomes hugely nicer.
I noticed the Caprice moving relative to shore and snorkeled on the Rocna which I found to be dragging on the shallow sand/rock at times. The stern Danforth however had dug itself in nicely and didn't budge.
I wanted to go snorkel but rain clouds gathered and a big shower started. While this happened a wind shift made me pull toward the beach instead of away and I briefly considered reanchoring, but soon the usual win picked up and pulled me away again. I'm anchored extremely close (100m from the beach) because only there there's enough sand to hold the anchors.
After the clouds cleared and I rechecked the anchors I took off with the dinghy for the buoy I had used to snorkel last June. I soon found it, but as I was struggling to attach myself to it clouds were again blocking the sun, and as it was getting somewhat dark I decided to postpone snorkeling here to tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Windfinder had predicted strong thunderstorms overnight and I had briefly considered abandoning this place for now since the rolling was so bad that it made me a bit nauseous below. In the end I decided that leaving close to dark was more dangerous, and rechecked the anchors and the anchor alarms. No thunderstorms materialized anyways,
The next morning I went back to the buoy, still surprisingly difficult to find, and went for another fine snorkeling trip. One more time back to the boat, and some lunch, and once more snorkel, this time I was rewarded by a magnificent spotted eagle ray:
When I returned to the boat the rolling seemed even worse than before Even though the bay shields me from the immediate E wind very nicely, the swells from the ocean are bad and don't show any sign of subsiding. I decided to leave.
After pulling out the anchors without incident I set course toward No-name Cay where they have put some pigs to create a tourist attraction like in the Exumas. After plotting the course I realized I'd be anchoring in the twilight, not a good idea, so I turned around after rounding the corner and anchored in peace and calm on the SW side of Baker's Bay. This side is pretty and full of mansions, but not nearly as nice as the NW side. Nevertheless I very much enjoyed the calm waters here.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
What a relief to have a calm night... I took the dinghy to Spoil Cay (which was created from the dredging debris from the ship channel since I've heard there might be good shelling there - unfortunately I didn't find anything nice. Next to the beach on Baker's Bay, and I walked around a lot here. Workmen are busy building new houses, but no visitors are here it seems.
I grabbed snorkel and mask and went by dinghy to the rocks that divide the North Bay from the area I'm in. I almost made a stupid mistake when a wave caught me by surprise and made me worry about capsizing with the dinghy with the motor on it, running, which would surely ruin it.
I got to my usual buoy just before another dinghy with three people also turned up and joined me at the buoy. Another nice snorkel (btw. the ocean swells are just as bad as yesterday, so I feel my decision to move was a good one). I saw the usual barracudas, and lots of the other reef fish. The barracuda are slightly unnerving since they are clearly watching me and maybe wondering how I might taste. Back to the boat. It's time to move toward MOW since strong wind and thunderstorms are predicted to arrive soon. As usual, I realize I can't get to MOW today before nightfall, so I go to Fisher Bay (close to Grabbers) and anchor there. I got the bay to myself.
After diving on the anchor to make sure it's nicely set I took a quick shower on deck and then dinghied to town to get some fresh water and crackers. The water I took on in Marsh Harbor is safe but has a terrible taste, so for drinking I need either water from Man O War, which is much better, or bottled water that costs almost as much as diesel fuel.
Back in time for the sunset and a Carribean Mule cocktail.
Friday, December 8, 2017
The weather didn't turn ugly yet and I decided to get going quickly before it got nasty. Initially things were OK with just occasional rain showers, but no thunder storms. Eventually the clouds thickened ominously and then a terrible rain storm hit me, with a ferocity I've not seen often. I could barely keep the Caprice on course into the wind by hand (the autopilot wouldn't stand a chance). Whenever I got a little off sideways it took a lot of rudder to bring her back on course. I had to run the engine at 3000 RPM just to make 2 knots headway. In any case, I wouldn't dare enter the narrow MOW entrance in these conditions when a few meters deviation might mean to crash into the nasty rocks.
By the time I got to the entrance the winds had thankfully abated a lot and I happily entered the harbor, quickly followed by a large barge with tug. I was thoroughly drenched but since it's warm that's no problem. I found Buddie's mooring, tied up and got below to change and wait for the rain to stop.
Once the rain cleared the winds were still gusting hard through the harbor. A big Moorings motor cat came in and tried to pick up a mooring unsuccessfully for 20 mins before leaving, to god knows where.
I took the dinghy over to the dock and went to buy some fresh fruit and salad, and then back to the boat and made a big portion of Cashew Chicken.
It's predicted to stay windy for a few days, I likely stay here until the end of my cruise.
I'm in contact with our friend Dave from Pyxis, but he's gone over to the dark side and is on a powerboat in Miami, waiting for a window to cross to Bimini. He sends this gorgeous view of Miami:
Saturday, December 9, 2017
A very nice, if a little windy morning. I did a dinghy run to the garbage dumpster and then to Edwin's to see if they might have an alternator belt for me. The belt is wearing out because it's a little too loose, but I can't tighten it more. Yesterday's hard motoring made it start slipping and squealing more and more, I need a new one.
Edwin's is closed today though and all I get in the hardware store is new alcohol for the stove. It cost $8 for a liter, I could buy proper (bad) booze for that!
The clouds start gathering and I rig the 'shower curtain' awning to keep the boat a bit drier, I found that the windows leak very little this way. Soon after I'm done short rain showers start, but nothing serious until, suddenly, a huge rainstorm hits and turns the place into a shower stall with 20+ knot gusts. I find I'm pretty fine and dry inside and watch some movies. I'm sure glad to be on a solid mooring in these conditions. Within a few minutes the wind direction changes by 180 degrees to the North, and the temperature starts dropping quickly. Still I'm pretty cozy inside, and run the engine an hour in the evening to recharge my low batteries (they didn't get a chance to get much sun).
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Not much to report, the windy and rainy weather continues. The batteries are so low that I can't get the engine started, so I switch off the fridge and wait for a few hours to let the solar panels slowly put enough in them to start it. A few factors conspire to let me run low on electricity: Short days, little sunlight, inefficient alternator (because of the worn belt), long battery cables, probably batteries in poor shape. I have to run the engine for 2 hours today to make enough juice to run the computer.
It's not raining anymore, so I remove the awning.
I'm attacking the zincs on the engine, I really think I need to check and quite possibly replace them. Unfortunately two are really had to reach, but the one in the back is easier and I have a nice wrench that fits.
But the thing won't budge. I think I need PBlaster or WD-40 on it, and warm up the engine.
Watched Westworld and a few Star Trek episodes.
Monday, December 11, 2017
A much nicer day. I go to Edwin's where I find the belt I need - $25!! I think they are $10 in the states, or less. I'll get a spare or two next time. I talk with Keith to see what a paint job on the Caprice would cost - he says he'll come by later to have a look.
I run the engine again for a bit and meanwhile finally change the oil on the outboard. It looks pretty good to me actually. This is a fine clean little motor. Once the diesel is warm I try the zinc once more, but all pulling and hitting the wrench with a hammer doesn't help.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Even though I'm stuck here, seemingly for the rest of my stay, because of the cold strong winds, I'm feeling content and relaxed. Having nothing to accomplish means to no worries and stress. I drive around with the dinghy some but mostly chill out on the boat and munch through my remaining fresh foods. Just when I think of calling Edwin's to remind Keith to come by to see the Caprice he turns up and takes a look. He estimates that the bottom paint will be about $2500 because the old waterbased paint has to be entirely removed and a coat of primer put to allow the newer paint to be applied. The topsides need a lot of work too and he estimates $5000 for that. Altogether $8000! And I'm actually willing to sell the Caprice for $12000, so this seems a rather big investment. I tell him I'll mull it over.
I realize that what I thought to be the white gel coat is actually yet another layer of paint on top of a slightly darker blue. Maybe that was the original color?
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
I finally get to visit my neighbor Ron on his Endeavor 40, and the usual boat envy ensues. It's wonderful to have such a spacious boat. Nominally it's just 5 feet longer (but 3.5 feet wider!) but it must have 4 times as much space inside. And it weighs double as much as the Caprice. Of course it also needs a much bigger engine and double the amount of fuel to move it.
We talk about LED lights and I decide to give him the LED strip I have left over from my interior lighting project. I'll buy some more back in the US.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
I figured that if I take the G&L Ferry at 1PM I'll have plenty time to make the 3:30PM flight to Miami, so I stayed on the mooring close to town for the night. In the morning I run the dinghy to the dumpster for the last bit of garbage and bring my roll of head liner (the project to put headliner on the parts of the boat where so much mold accumulates didn't pan out) to Ron. He happens to have exactly the same in his boat and can use it in places where the old stuff is missing or damaged. Very nice of him to offer to pick me up from the Caprice at 12:30 so I don't have to worry about the ferry getting me (or forgetting to get me). I move the Caprice over to the Eastern Harbor finally, moor her and put the dinghy on top. I have time to flush the engine with a gallon of fresh water to hopefully retard corrosion a little. A quick sun shower on deck, some last lunch, and Ron arrives as promised to get me to the ferry.
Uneventful ferry ride, taxi ride with Susan, check in, flight to Miami where I have a fairly long wait for the next flight to Chicago. Security lines here are ridiculous and I'm glad I have so much time. Even though we are pre-screened, the TSA guys decide that we are better off being escorted all the way out of security and back through the main check in hall and full repeat security. Since I have about 5 hours time to kill it's more amusing than annoying.
The flight to Chicago is all good, I even manage to nap a little, and arrive at midnight. Uber home and in bed by the admiral at 1:30AM. That's it for now - back in the Bahamas in February!
Hope to see you in February guys! Ted and Patti, s/v Little Wing
ReplyDeleteOh, are you two coming down there in Feb? That's great. I'll be back on Feb 22.
DeleteWe've made it as far south as St. Simons, GA - but are going to stick here beyond our Wed forecast low of 26F. But hope to see you guys around! Ted and Patti.
ReplyDeleteWe're at Green Turtle as of Feb 19. Where is Caprice?
ReplyDelete