Iwalani 03-31-09

Iwalani Current position

Tuesday 03-31-09, Lat: 23* 31.2N, Long: 075* 45.7 W Elizabeth Harbour, Exuma Island. Winds SE 10-15 kts; mostly clear skies, good visibility.

Thursday, March 26, 2009, moored and anchored Little Farmers Cay, Exuma

0730: We awake to constant winds out of the East at 20-25 kts, and
make the easy decision to stay another night at Little Farmers
Cay. After updating our blog ashore, we walk the 1.5 mile island,
chat with a few locals, buy some limes (2 for $1), decline some
local pakalolo offerings, and do a few routine maintenance chores
on Iwalani. It's an easy relaxing day, thoroughly enjoyed during
this transit south. We had previously referred to our inflatable
as "Alaka'i", but in honor of my good friend Genie - char siu duck
- Kincaid, we have opted to christen her "Opihi", the rare yellow
one, stuck fastly behind Iwalani.

1700: Off to the hermit crab races ashore at Ocean Cabin
Restaurant, in the middle of town. By the way, town consists of
two buildings. Ocean Cabin Restaurant, and the littlest bar in
the Bahamas, standing room only, maximum capacity - five. We
arrive just in time for the final race and place our $1.00 bet on
#4 for 50% win, 25% place, 25% show. #4 comes out strong and
never lets up his lead, finishing first without a doubt. We win
$2.50 and end up paying $40.00 for drinks and one entree.

2000: We pay our bill and say our goodbyes at Ocean Cabin
Restaurant and head back to Iwalani. We've had great time meeting
new cruising buddies, but need to focus on our journey south.

Friday, March 27, 2009 Lat: 23* 57.4N, Long: 076* 18.9W, winds S
10-15 kts, COG: 203, partly cloudy skies, good visibility

0830: Anchor up, release mooring, depart Little Farmers Cay towards
Georgetown, Great Exuma Island with good water at a high tide.

1145: Winding our way south, encountering extremely shallow
waters, scrapping bottom at 3.4 feet. Weaving through the East
and West Pimblicos, we had to "Thread the needle" on more than two
occassions, barely making passage. At times, we left a white
plumb of sand billowing in the water behind us, telltale signs of
bottoming out. It's no wonder we don't see another sailboat during this passage.

1330: Our passage through Norman's Pond Cay, Leaf Cay and the
northern point of Lee Stocking Island and Adderly Cut is like
traveling through the Bermuda triangle. Current is raging, tide's
ripping out and we slow to 2.7 kts. As we parallel the western
shore of Lee Stocking Island, we once again encounter shallow
depths of less than 3 feet and touch bottom.

1430: Having quite enough of the shallows for one day, we shortly
retrace our steps and head back to Williams Bay Anchorage off Lee
Stocking Island.

1500: Drop two anchors, Williams Bay Anchorage, Lee Stocking
Island, Exumas. Lat: 23* 45.6N, Long: 076* 05.2W in 5 feet of
water. There is one other catamaran, Alexander Glyn, anchored in
this small bay. Wine glass in hand, I am thankful to be with Chris
on this sometimes nerve racking but memorable journey. We are
truly blessed to be able to live our dream.

1830: After going ashore and hiking the short hill to view the
Sound, we head back to Iwalani and plan the next days' travel.

1930: A frontal system is forecasted for tomorrow through
Saturday, with SW winds at 30 kts. It just may be our window to
exit out into the Sound to Georgetown, where we can find safe
harbour. But Capt Chris needs to make multiple contingency plans
for every leg of our trip, in the event the weather fouls and our
underpowered vessal cannot handle the "in-your-face" winds and
current. P.S. - our anchor dragging episodes are based on the fact that Iwalani is a steel hull vessal weighting 30,000+ pounds, in comparison to the majority of other
fiberglass vessals weighing +-8,000 pounds, attempting to anchor
in sand bottom. Can't wait to be in the Hawaii and the south
pacific, reef and rock bottom.

Saturday, March 28, 2009, Williams Bay Anchorage, Lee Stocking
Island, Exumas

0730: We meet our cruising neighbors on the beach, Eric and
Allison from CA, traveling with their two young children and her
parents. Sailing from Florida in their brand new Catamaran
Alexander Glyn, they encountered roaring ocean swells of 10-15'
with seas building, mom orders everyone to their bunks, then literally "surfed" their Cat into Rat Cay Cut. That must have been a hair raising experience for all
aboard, as the Cut is just wide enough to accommodate ONE BOAT in
CALM waters. Anchored since Monday, March 23, 2009, they've been
waiting for condusive conditions to head back out into the Sound
and on towards Georgetown, Great Exuma Island. Great family with a whooping sense of humor. After climbing the small hill to take a peek at the ocean conditions, Capt Chris
decides to stay put for the day. Weather reports forecasted an
approaching frontal system today with SSW winds at 20-30 kts.
Behind the front tomorrow, WNW 20-25 kts, diminishing on Monday.
Good decision as our protected spot recieved 30 kts gusts later in
the day.

1000: Chris and I put out a second anchor then putter around in
Opihi, searching for conch for fish bait. None to be found, just
one lonely clam. It'll have to do as our neighbors caught a nice
sized snapper with bacon! Water is mostly clear, the surface
winds whipping up some sand off the bottom, creating limited
visibility. The bottom consists of grass and fine sand, built up
in conical mounds. There are some holes where critters must live,
but are in hiding. Chris ties a line to Opihi and I try my hand
at maneuvering an outboard motor. Dragging Chris behind in the
water, I end up going in circles. Exasperated, Chris climbs in,
tells me I'm a terrible driver :-), and dumps me in the water,
dragging me along like bait off a sport fishing boat. I hope I
don't encounter any predators. We had a blast.

Sunday, March 29, 2009 Lat: 23* 44.4N, Long: 076* 03.8W, winds SE
10-15 kts, COG: 133, speed 4.8 kts.

0930: Anchors up, depart Williams Bay Anchorage, Lee Stocking
Island, heading to Georgetown, Exuma Island. After looking at the
Sound, Chris decides that although not perfect, it's good enough
to get moving. Eric and Allison decide to make the move too, and
we officially have a traveling partner. It's only 23 miles to
Georgetown but at 4 kts, it'll take us around 5 hours. As soon as
we exit the Banks and out to the Sound, the Cat takes off like a
race horse at 7-8 kts, arriving in Georgetown in 2.5 hours. Bye
bye traveling partner. See you in Georgetown. But we don't mind.
Good ole "hula hips" Iwalani handles like a charm. Didn't catch a
fish, couldn't sail, but the autopilot worked for 3 hours!

1530: Drop anchor, Stocking Island Anchorage, Georgetown, Exuma.
Lat: 23* 31.2N, Long: 075* 45.7 W, partly cloudy skies, good
visibility. There's literally a sea of sailboats anchored here. Regatta
Party central. After doing Iwalani's rinse down ritual, we head
ashore and have some drinks with Eric & Allison.

Monday, March 29, 2009

0730: Coffee in hand, we witness the mass departure of sailboats
headed north with the forecasted good & calm seas. We anchor up and move
across the bay, then drop anchor at Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown,
Exuma.

0900: With time getting short, we decide to stay at Georgetown
for a few days to wait for a FedEx package, and I will fly out
from here on 4/5/09 and head home. We learn that Georgetown is a
main meeting ground for crusiers in the Bahamas. Last month,
there were well over 300 boats anchored here! Every morning at 8am, there's Boater's Net on VHF 72. It's a chat session for all boaters in the area and they cover everything from business, to arts, arrivals, departures, and trading "stuff". Pretty interesting if you can get a word in edgewise. Busy channel.

1300: Jonesing for surf, Chris goes for a paddle on his longboard.
It's an odd sight, but he enjoys it nonetheless. Even with such
beautiful clear water, it's a rare sight to see anyone swimming.

03-26-09 Iwalani

Iwalani Current position Thursday 03-26-09, Lat: 23* 57.8N, Long: 076* 19.1WLittle Farmers Cay, ExumasWinds E 10-15 kts; mostly clear skies, good visibility.

Saturday, March 21, 2009 Lat: 25* 05.1N, Long: 077* 21.2W

0730: Docked, Nassau Harbour Club & Marina, winds ENE 20-25 gusting to 30kts. It's been a stormy rocky night, even at dock, and the conditions have not improved, so we decide to stay in safe harbour today. Chris hammers out some repairs and maintenance, I get online and use skype to call UAL to change my reservations, delaying my return to 04-06-09. 1800: Ole & Susan invite us over to see their sailboat and have a cocktail. More stories and advice on the cruising life and experiences past, they share with us things that one cannot learn from books and guides. Truly genuine people sharing their lifetime of experiences. Wanting to share something with Ole & Susan, I gather up my pareau gifted to me in Tahiti upon finishing the Hawaiki Nui race in 2007. It marks a special time and place for me, and I'm happy to share it with Ole & Susan, in our exchange of special moments.

Sunday, March 22, 2009 Lat: 25* 03.8N, Long: 077* 15.4W, winds 20-25 kts, COG: 109, seas are choppy.

1000: Depart Nassau Harbour Club & Marina, heading to Highbourne Cay. Forecasted weather to remain stormy for the next four days, but we decide to make a move rather than sit idle. Raging current and winds, it takes two dock masters to help us reverse out of slip #10. Successful, we wave goodbye to Ole & Susan and wish each other well.

1140: We pass Athol Island and Porgee Rocks into deep water. Seas are rough and choppy, motorsailing with one full jib, doing 6.4 kts. It's 4.5 hours to Highbourne Cay and we do a course change to Lat: 25* 02.8N, Long: 077* 13.5W COG: 148, towards the SW point of Highbourne Rocks.

1700: Drop anchor Highbourne Cay Anchorage, Exuma Cays. Lat: 24* 42.9N, Long: 076* 49.8W. We took another beating today, motorsailing in ENE winds 25-30 kts in choppy seas. Even got some wind burn. But racing up behind us were six other sailboats, indicating we were not the only idiots on the move. There's a malestrom of other sailboats and catamarans already anchored as the final vessals squeeze in for the night, one hilariously shouting, "coming through!". Sand bottom, our anchor dragging yet once again. Anchor up, but this time Chris decides to put out a different style anchor...and it holds! Yippee! Iwalani is the drag queen no more. Anchor #1 - The Culprit, anchor #2 - The Successor. Highbourne Cay is privately owned so we cannot go ashore. Fine by me, I'm beat.

Monday, March 23, 2009, Lat: 24* 42.7N, Long: 076* 50.0W, COG: 233

1030: Depart Highbourne Cay, heading out 4.5 nm W to deep water before heading south towards Shroud Cay.

1237: Motorsailing with one full jib, 6.3 kts, mostly cloudy skies with good visibility. Making good time, we pass by Shroud Cay and head to Hawksbill Cay, reportedly one of the most attractive Cays within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The Park, a designated marine replenishment area and nursery for all the Bahamas, is made up of 15 major Cays and numerous smaller ones encompassing 176 square miles. The capture and or removal of any fish , turtle, crawfish, conch, welk and shells (inhabited or not) is prohibited. The Park starts at Wax Cay Cut in the north and stretches southward some 22 miles to Conch Cut, with an average width of 8 miles. There are no commercial developments within the park, and the few inhabited islands are privately owned. The Park areas are strictly controlled, and the waters are patrolled by Park Wardens.

1440: Anchor on a mooring, Hawksbill Cay, Exuma Cays, Lat: 27* 27.9N, Long: 076* 46.7W. We quickly settle in, rinse off Iwalani and hop into Alaka'i and head to shore. The sand is extremely fine, more so than Bellows in Nalo, and the low lying Cay is filled with prickly brush and razor sharp rocky bases similar to Kona's volcanic plains and ledges. We explore a wide creek at very low tide, then head back before the tide changes. Wading and dragging Alaka'i back into the water at a 1' depth, along comes ANOTHER Barracuda, cruising the shoreline and checking us out, trying to determine if we're suitable prey. Not today buddy.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009, Lat: 24* 27.8N, Long: 076* 46.6W, COG: 160, winds ESE 15-18, seas are choppy, motorsailing with one full jib at 5.5 kts.

1000: Anchor up, release mooring and depart Hawksbill Cay for Little Farmers Cay.1340: Course change, tacking North, Lat: 24* 14.8N, Long: 076* 36.6W. Weather has fouled, winds changed to E 20 kts, getting pushed too far out into the Banks, and being pounded with solid 2' chop.

1445: After much debate considering foul weather, winds and little remaining daylight, we abandon plans for Little Farmers Cay and select an anchorage just north of it, on Great Guana Cay.

1825: Drop anchor, Little Bay, Great Guana Cay, Exuma Cays. Lat: 24* 04.7N, Long: 076* 23.0 W. Winds are HOWLING E 20-25 kts and gusting 30, mostly cloudy skies, good visibility and an excellent anchor hold. It was a long hard day of sailing against the prevailing winds. We were expecting the forecasted northerlies, but instead got strong easterlies. Gotta deal with whatever is handed to you out here. We covered about 35 miles today in foul weather, and my nerves are frazzeled. Feeling dis-com-bob-ulated, this time LISA needs the rum and coke. I once again thank the heavens for Chris, and gladly settle into his arms. Little Bay is a small and picturesque bay with clear blue waters, its' surface rippled by the 30 kts winds. Great Guana Cay is one of the largest Cays in the Bahamas, with a settlement at Black Point, just north of our anchorage.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009, Lat: 24* 04.2N, Long: 076* 23.2W, winds still strong E 15-20, COG: 185, speed 6.0 kts.

0945: Anchor up, we depart Little Bay, heading to Little Farmers Cay just off the south end of Great Guana Cay. We decide to take it easy today wit a shhort and easy sail, well deserved at this point.

1130: Moored at Little Farmers Cay, Lat: 23* 57.8N, Long: 076* 19.1W. Off the southern most tip of Great Guana Cay, Little Farmers Cay is just 2/10's of a mile away, but separated by a very shallow sand bank. We go ashore to visit the famed Ocean Cabin Restaurant, owned and operated by Terry Bain and family. It's a very friendly place where we meet other sailing folk, and exchange introductions. Having lunch and a few beers at Ocean Cabin along with our cruising neighbors, we all participate in a local song about the idyllic life on Little Farmers Cay, which put everyone in a festive island mood.

1500: Hiking the hill that leads to nowhere, we descend and walk the beach towards a massive shipwreck. A rusty heap lying dormant high above the high water mark, we speculate it ran aground after losing its' mooring during a storm or gale. Upon our return to Iwalani, Chris dives to check out the mooring and puts out an additional anchor, just to be safe. Weather should improve over the next two days. Departure tomorrow morning from Little Farmers Cay to Long Island, south of Great Exuma.

Iwalani 3-21-09

IwalaniCurrent position Saturday 03-21-09, Lat: 25* 4.5 N, Long: 077* 18.7 WNassau, Bahama; Nassau Harbour Club slip #10Winds ENE 25-30 kts; mostly clear skies, good visibility.
Thursday 03-12-09, Lat: 26* 17.4N, Long: 079* 57.7W1320: Depart Fort Lauderdale (finally!) towards West End, Grand Bahama Island. COG (course over ground) 077* (refer to 360* compass, 077* is a ENE direction). Open ocean crossing, fighting 2-4 kt Gulf Stream current running north, a SE wind 10-15 kts, no sailing just motoring. Feels like crossing the Ka'iwi Channel, at night, FROM O'ahu to Moloka'i. One dose of dramamine, coming right up! Unfortunatley, the auto-pilot ceases to operate within 2 hrs of our departure and Chris, of course, does all the work. I'm able to to cover just 1.5 hrs of steering, out of this 17 hour crossing.
Friday 03-13-09, Lat: 26* 42.0 N, Long: 078* 59.8 W0430: Arrival Old Bahama Bay Anchorage, Grand Bahama Island. After a long night of crossing the straits of FL, we anchor in the dark off the coast in 24' of water, raise the Bahama Flag & yellow flag to signal quarantine, and wait for morning. Chris collapses.0830: Soft bottom & SE winds at 20 kts, our anchor started dragging. Heaved up and reset it. Dove into the crystal clear water to view anchor holding, and we lucked out with a good hold on sand & "grass" bottom. "Grass" looked like...well, long blades of grass. Very different from Hawaiian waters. There's no coral, reef, rocks of any sort. Just sand bottom with grass growing from it.0930: We go ashore in our inflatable (named Alaka'i) to clear customs and head back to Iwalani. Mysteriously, the outboard motor dies midway, and Chris is forced to row us back...into 15-20 kts winds :-)1030: The rest of the day is spent resting up, cooking and preparing for the next day's sail. Between 1530 and 1700, Chris and I are entertained listening to VHF 16 (hailing channel) with the mad dash of yachts and sport fishing vessels racing into Old Bahama Bay Marina, seeking dock space with power and water, before the office closes PROMPTLY at 1700 and all goes dark. We sit happily at anchorage, self sufficient on our ark, with solar panels, wind vane and desalination unit. Life is good.
Saturday 03-14-09, Lat: 26* 36.0N, Long: 078* 55.3W, COG 1380600: Depart Old Bahama Bay Anchorage, heading to Sandy Point on the southern tip of Great Abaco Island. Wasn't happening. As soon as we turned around the western point, we got slammed in the face with 12-15 kts SE winds. Motoring at 3.6 kts, we're going nowhere, fast. Downed another Dramamine and after a quick reference to our trusty 1998 Bahama guide book, we decide to detour to Port Lacaya, Grand Bahama Island. We traveled for almost 8 hrs, but covered only 25 miles. The weather today was definitely NOT in our favor.1350: Arrival Port Lacaya Marina, Lat: 26* 30.9N, Long: 078* 38.4 W. A tourist destination, amidst a crowd of springer breakers. We dock Iwalani, check out the dock and pay our fees, then head back to the boat to do some work. We apply non-skid to the main deck, Chris finishes installing the forward hatch, and I receive my first batch of no-can-see-ums / sand flee bites. Uughh.
Sunday 03-15-09, Lat:26* 28.8N, Long: 078* 36.3W, COG: 800745: Depart Port Lacaya, heading to Burrows Cay off the southern tip of Grand Bahama Island. Partly cloudy with good visibility, motor sailing with one full jib. Rocking and rolling but making 5.5 kts!1220: Chris decides to put out the fishing line.1300: Pilot Whale sighting! Mom & calf, 15-20' in length. Wow!1430: Wheeeeezzz! "Whoa! What's that sound?" The fishing line is streaking out...it's a strike! Chris jumps up off his Capt chair, adrenaline rushing. He picks the pole up off its' holder and starts cranking. "Oh shit, it's a big one". Chris struggles and fights to reel it in, not knowing what's on the other end. I'm trying to steer in the chop and keep on course, failing miserably. Chris finally eyes the fish jumping out of the water, a 40 lb Mahi! I get the boat somewhat under control and Chris reels the fish up alongside. Wow! Crystal clear waters preview a brightly colored beautiful blue fish. Chris barks out the plan - he'll reel it in and I'll gaff it. WHAT????? No way. I ran for the gaff then held the pole while Chris gaffed the fish. After he hauled it onboard, Chris proceeded to apply blunt force trauma with the nearest available weapon - a hammer, to flatline the fish. Sadly, one blow was not enough. Eeek. With fish blood spewed on deck, Chris gleefully proceeded to clean and fillet the Mahi like a newly appointed surgeon on his first day in the OR. I helped by putting the fillets in ziploc bags. Amazingly, fish this fresh has no smell, just that of clean seawater. Chris cleans up, mops up and plops back into his Capt chair and quips, "Chris needs a rum & coke." I'll get it.1605: Mostly clear skies, seas diminishing, doing 5-6 kts.1635: We're FINALLY passing the southern tip of Grand Bahama Island and on our way to Burrows Cay, SE of Grand Bahama Island.1830: Arrival Burrows Cay with a little sunlight left, we let go anchor in position Lat: 26* 25.5N, 077* 46.4 W at the NE end of Burrows Cay in 6' of water. Winds SE 4-6 kts, mostly clear skies with good visibility. We dive into the water to view the anchor holding in sand and grass bottom, shower and shiver with cold water then settle in with a cocktail.1930: Twilight, first star, beautiful skies with no one else in sight. Solitude, silence and my true love. Life's simple pleasures. Suddenly Chris chirps, "What the heck is that?" I look up into the sky towards Florida and we both see what looked like a comet, but going in the opposite direction. Something was shooting up into the sky, leaving a linear trail of bright light ranging from red to orange to white. A squiggly line of atmospheric collidascope (sp?), brightly colored and intense. It then exploded into a white plumb that looked like a cloud under a spot light, brighter than a full moon. We figured it must be some shuttle launch off Cape Canaveral, FL. Spectacular view - front row seats. It's been a day full of first time experiences.
Monday 03-16-09, Lat: 26* 32.3W, Long: 077* 53.4W DAY OF DREAD0230: SE winds 15-20, tide running, anchor dragging. Winds and current pulling us towards Burrows Cay. Anchor up and in the dark, gingerly move around around from the NE corner to the NW corner off the Cay. Better protected in 7' of water.0930: Anchor up. As soon as we get underway, the engine immediately starts overheating. Motor back to original position, drop anchor. Chris checks and cleans out the strainer. Second attempt - anchor up, underway, engine overheating, return to original position, drop anchor. Chris checks and finds the engine losing coolant. Fixes that. Then after a third and fourth anchor up attempt, we abandon departure plans for the the day and Chris hunkers down to troubleshoot, using a process of elimination. Slow start today. Searching for the problem, Chris finds the raw water intake has plastic bits and ocean debris clogging multiple lines and valves. Upon removal of a valve attached to the raw water intake cylindar, it SNAPPED OFF in hand, creating a gush of seawater into the boat! Oh-my-god! Gone was the nipple and most of the threads. Not good at all. Chris quickly plugged the hole with his gorilla grip thumb and asked me to find something to plug it with. I dove into the trash bag for a used wine cork, then Chris maguivered it to temporarily plug the hole. Upon catching his breath and regaining his composure, he planned out and installed a water hose and clamp from raw water intake directly into the strainer. Chris tested it and it held fast. Success! Disaster averted. For my family's information, the raw water intake is a 6" diameter through hole that supplies the boat with seawater for cooling the engine, water maker intake and generator intake. However, it is located UNDERWATER. Get the picture?1530: Anchor up, heading to Morres Island, COG 120*. Too late to make Sandy Point. Engine doing well, not overheating nor leaking. Whew! Bye bye Burrows Cay, can't say I'll miss you. Need to put this day behind us. Chris needs a rum & coke.1800: Arrival at Morres Island, Hard Bargain Settlement, Lat: 26* 19.3N, Long: 077* 35.0W, winds are light and variable. Morres Island is inhabited mostly by fishermen and those who make a living off the sea. Hard Bargain, aptly named, looks a little sketchy and we happily drop anchor and stay aboard. Sand and grass bottom, again, but we seem to have a pretty good hold.
Tuesday 03-17-09, Lat: 26* 19.6N, Long: 077* 35.1 W, COG: 357Happy St. Patricks Day and Colin's birthday!0830: Anchor up, depart Morres Island, heading for Sandy Point on the southern point of Great Abaco Island.1200: Mostly clear skies, winds S 5-7, clear water with shallow depths averaging 6-8'. Some areas got as low as 4.5'! Pretty gnarly for a ship guy accustomed to deep water.1400: Arrival Sandy Point, Great Abaco Island. We slowly navigate shallow waters, barely avoiding depths of less than 4'. We spot one sailboat already anchored near shore, and use it as a guide, zig zagging our way in. We anchor in 4.5' of water, sand and grass bottom.1600: Alaka'i's outboard motor ceases to operate yet once again, and we row the short distance to shore to check it out. Not much but a sleepy little town of conch fisherman. However, across the Bight is privately owned Gorda Cay, where Disney Cruise lines has created a destination point. At 1700 we witness a flurry of speed boat traffic into Sandy Point, ferrying locals who work on Gorda Cay but reside on Sandy Point.1800: Reviewing the maps and navigational charts, it's fast becoming apparent that we still have a LONG way to go. Unfortunatley, the shortest path between two points is not always the available choice. Wind, weather & seas are controlling influences in navigational planning, and is NOT an easy endeavor. Motor sailing is not a lifestyle to be ruled by timelines, calendars and appointments. You must let the wind take you where she wills. With winds forecasted to be NNE, we opt to head towards Eleuthera Island to maintain a SE direction towards the windward passage between Cuba & Dominican Republic.1845: The sun is still around 4 fingers from the horizon, giving us approximately 30 minutes of daylight. Chris finishes painting the wheelhouse interior, forward hatch and errant spots on the deck.1923: Sunset, cocktails, then a good nights' sleep.
Wednesday 03-18-09, Lat: 26* 01.2N, Long: 077* 25.3W COG: 2650600: Chris has been up most of the night, concerned about the anchor dragging in this pitifull sand and grass bottom, and the NNE winds. Although we dragged anchor, it wasn't enough distance and depth change to warrant repositioning during the night.0730: Anchor up, depart Sandy Point, Great Abaco Island. Lat: 26* 01.2N, Long: 077* 25.3W, winds NE 15 kts, COG: 265. Heading W 3 miles to get to deep water, then we'll turn SE toward Eleuthera Island. Cloudy skies, light rain and chilly temperatures.0925: Winds were strong out of the NE 20-25 kts with gusts up to 30 kts, ocean swells 2-3', full sails at 6-7 kts. Cloudy skies, raining and cold, multiple fronts bearing down on Iwalani. Chris and I don our full 2-3 mil wetsuits in lieu of foul weather gear, or lack thereof, and it worked like a charm. Suddenly the winds shifted out of the East, forcing us to make a course good to the south towards Nassau.1325: Suddenly, the winds becalmed in the middle of the channel and forced us to yet once again change course. Cold, wet and tired of manually steering our course (auto-pilot refuses to work properly, if at all) in what appears to be a gale, we motor with a quarterly sea 10 nautical miles SW to the Berry Islands, seeking shelter at Little Harbour Cay.1615: We encounter a quiet little safe anchorage filled with 4 other sailboats and one motor boat. We gingerly motor amongst our new neighbors in depths as shallow as 3.2 feet, and finally drop anchor in what appears to be the last available space in 5.2' of water. Lat: 25* 33.9N, Long: 077* 43.4W It's been a long & rough day of sailing.1630: Drop anchor in 5' of water between Cabbage Cay and Little Harbour Cay. Sand and grass bottom (oh-oh), non-stop rain, poor visibility, overcast skies. We must have been nuts to be sailing, manually, in those conditions. But we safely anchored, protected from the weather. We dry off, hang up all things wet, check Iwalani for water leaks and rearrange items tossed about during our crossing. Confirmed is the fact that sailboat maintenance is neverending. Plugging tiny holes, eliminating rust spots on a steel hull, re-waterproofing, removing collected water, cleaning, checking and rechecking power, checking fuel consumption. It's all in a days' work but Chris and I are loving it. For all it's worth we took a beating today, but sailed more than 50% of the time. Iwalani handled the rough seas gracefully. She is truly our blessing, a sailboat well worth her salt.
Thursday 03-19-09, Little Harbour Cay, Berry Islands.0600: Check anchor position, dragging slightly in 5.6' of water.0645: Depth 3.4', anchor up! We suddenly dragged 200' in just 45 mintues. Sand and grass bottom has become our nemesis.0710: Repositioned anchor and reviewing our progress. Still 700 miles to go ti Jamaica, then another 542 miles to Panama. With today's weather pattern, we decide to stay at Little Harbour Cay and leave tomorrow with the NNE winds. Chris gets Alaka'i's outboard motor running and we take a spin around and check out the shore.1830: Reposition the anchor yet again, but this time in a 13' hole surrounded by 4-5' of water. We dive into the water to view the anchor. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I spin around to take a look and spy what appears to be a small shark or Barracuda, definitely a 4' predator type fish. YIKES! I look at him, he looks at me, then swims away. I quickly catch up to Chris and tell him what I saw. He replies, "We're looking at the anchor, not the fish!", and continues foward. Okay then. Nonetheless, I keep a vigilant watch. Anchor looks good, Chris puts out a second anchor off the stern and feels confident it'll hold through the night. I certainly hope so, he needs to be able to sleep.
Friday, 03-20-09, Little Harbour Cay, Berry Islands.0130: Chris calls, "Lisa, get up! We're dragging and need to move!" We were extremely close to another sailboat. I jump outta bed and reply, "what should I do?". Chris shouts "put your pants on!" Ha ha. Having all this practice, I'm getting really good at pulling up the anchor while Capt Chris naviates the boat. We reposition over the 13' hole yet once again in sand & grass bottom, and Chris lets me sleep while he stands watch.0500: Chris gets an hour of sleep while I stand watch.0715: Anchor up, underway to Nassau, Lat: 25* 33.8N, Long: 077* 42.9W, winds NE 65-10, Swell NE 2', COG 91, speed 4.8 kts. Motorsailing with full sails, partly cloudy, good visibility, light NE winds with 3-4' ground swell. Chris, "surf is good SOMEWHERE".0900: I take over the helm while Chris sleeps, feeling a lot more comfortable in excellent sailing conditions, getting up to 6.5 kts.1334: making excellent speed, we arrive at Nassau Harbour entrance well ahead of schedule. Lat: 25* 05.1N, Long: 077* 21.2W, getting an early start gave us a jump on other sailboats and vessels arriving at Nassau for the weekend. It's been a great sailing day. On our approach, we're just ahead of an enourmous cruise ship, bearing down on us like impending doom. Since we're in front, Harbour control tells us to go "full speed ahead then!", which we do at 5.6 kts :-) We just make it into the harbour entrance with the Cruise liner on our stern, and I come to the conclusion that Cruise ships have no road etiquette. We're suddenly a tadpole in a sea of whales.1400: Arrival, Nassau Harbour Club & Marina fuel dock. We slowly take on 104 gallons. I chat with the dockmaster and find that all the anchorages here are sand and grass bottom. Not good. At $1.75 per foot per day, I immediately opt for dock space in consideration of my husbands' sanity.1515: All fast at Nassau Harbour Club & Marina, slip #10. Space is filling up fast. I am very glad to have had an early start.1919: We meet our neighbors, Oly and Susan in their sailboat. Nice couple, grandparents. Much chatting continues and we gather bits and pieces of information about sailing, equipment, locations and general cruising lifestyle tidbits. After gathering the weather forecast and seeing ENE winds, we decide to stay at Nassau for another night, then plot a course to depart on Sunday, 03-21-09.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Arrival at Grand Bahama Island 0430. It was a long 17 hour trip. Auto pilot failed after 4 hours into the voyage, leaving us to hand steer the rest of the way. Chris steered most of the way, I handled a couple of hours here and there. Winds did not cooperate, was NOT in our favor, and therefore not an easy comfortable sail. We had to motor most of the way.

0930 dingyed into register with customs and immigration, stopped to get online to drop a quick note, now outbound for the next island.

Ft Lauderdale Fl Sun 3-8-09

It's overcast and chilly today, but we've just had a mexican omlet for breaky and off to do some shopping.

Yesterday, we found the perfect inflatable and small outboard engine. It's our yellow submarine, yet to be named.

Also yesterday, we went out for a short day sail to test the autopilot. Outbound going under the 17th Ave Causeway bridge, we encountered a mass of kiddie sailing boats being towed out to sea for a sailing regatta, along with the rest of the world outbound for a day of boating. It was like being on the H-1 freeway during rush hour traffic. The autopilot passed the test and we headed back in to our dock at the Riverwalk to watch the heavy traffic of boats go by, happy to be tied up and out of the mad rush.

030709: We're tied up in Fort Lauderdale awaiting installation of our desalination unit on 3/11/09. Over the last two months, Chris has made excellent modifications in an incredible amount of time, leaving behind others working on their vessels for years. Since I am not adept with ship terminology (but I will get there), I will parallel the work accomplished to that of a total gut and rebuild of a single family dwelling.

Upon my arrival on 3/4/09, I find just a short list of to-do items such as making minor adjustments and repairs, cleaning Iwalani inside and out, and stocking for our trip, but also find these are no small tasks. However, it is enjoyable since I finally get to see and spend time with my wonderful husband.

We're going out for a short day sail today, then we'll enjoy the local area art show that happens just two times a year. Great timing.