January 28 - Green Turtle Cay to Marsh Harbour, Bahamas (23 miles)

The big concern for today was traversing the cut at Whale Cay, one of the most maligned areas in the Bahamas.  This area can either be a non-event or nightmare, depending on the wind and waves.  The cut leads out into the ocean, around Whale Cay, then back into the safety of the Sea of Abacos.  If there's a "rage on the bar" it means huge seas are pounding the channel from the Atlantic, filling the entire channel - not good.

A rage on the bar

Before getting underway we did what everyone does when trying to transit the channel - used the VHF radio to call "any vessel in the vicinity of Whale Cay" to see what the conditions are.  We spoke with a boat that was transiting the area who said it was calm, so we weighed anchor at 0830 and headed out.
The sun was shining and the seas were calm, so our transit through the cut and around the Whale was smooth sailing.  Once back inside, we motorsailed down to Marsh Harbour and was moored up at Mangoes Marina at 1225.

Heading into Marsh Harbour

 So, that's the end of Frank's trip for now.  Casey flew out today (I'm writing this on the 29th) and I've been securing the boat in preparation for my flight back to Norfolk (and all the snow they've gotten) tomorrow.  I should be returning to Marsh Harbor in a month or so to continue cruising the Abacos - check back then to see what's going on with Frank's big adventure! 

January 27 - Allens-Pensacola Cay to Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas (23 miles)

Woke up to another beautiful day with light and variable winds and puffy white clouds.  Got underway at 0730 and motor sailed to Green Turtle Cay.  Arrived and dropped anchor in Settlement Harbour at 1130.  After getting the boat squared away, we launched the dingy and headed into settlement of New Plymouth.

Arrival at the town dock, New Plymouth

New Plymouth has a lot of history, some of which I have happly cut and pasted here:

A Brief History of New Plymouth
The village of New Plymouth located on the southern tip of Green Turtle Cay, is home to just over four hundred persons most of whom can trace their ancestral roots back to the Loyalists of the American Revolutionary War. The first Loyalists to come to Abaco were refugees from New York. Forced to leave their homeland after the War, they arrived at Carleton (Treasure Cay, Abaco) in August of 1783. Later, hundreds more from east Florida; Georgia; North and South Carolina joined them bringing names like Adam, Malone and Weatherford to add to the Roberts, Sawyers, Saunders, Russells, Currys, Bethels and Lowes. The poor soil quality refused to support these gentlemen farmers and by the close of the eighteenth century, disillusioned planters began to leave Abaco. Some die-hard Loyalists remained to take up subsistence farming while others became skillful seamen and boat builders passing these crafts on through the generations. By the mid 1850's, Green Turtle Cay was the wrecking capital of the Abacos and by the 1880s pineapples and citrus were exported from New Plymouth to the United States. After the pineapple and citrus industry had run its course, sponging became the mainstay of the local economy. Many people made their living sponging during the 1930ís till a blight destroyed ninety per cent of the sponge beds in 1938. During World War One sisal became the chief export to the United States. This was the second time that sisal became the prominent industry: the first being 1888-1907 when because of the Spanish-American War the U.S. was unable to import sisal from the Philippines. There was enough trade between Green Turtle Cay and the United States to warrant a U.S. Consulate being posted in New Plymouth which now boasted a population of sixteen hundred persons. The decade of the 30ís was a turning point for Green Turtle Cay. It saw the end of sponging; the beginning of the 2nd World War; and it had survived the catastrophic hurricane of 1932. This hurricane destroyed or damaged about fifty percent of the buildings in New Plymouth. The 1930ís saw a shift in population of Green Turtle Cay. Many moved to the U.S. and to Nassau. In Nassau the Abaconians were sought after by the businessmen for they were known to be hard-working and loyal employees. In the 1940ís sharking became the main industry of Green Turtle Cay. Their skins and oils were exported to the United States; the skins to replace leather products and the oil for vitamins. Slowly, as the sharking industry faded out, crawfishing which had started several years before, became the main source of income for the people. The crawfish (rock lobster) were exported to the U.S. and still are today, making it the longest lasting industry in all of Abacoís history. Today, New Plymouth, with it's clapboard cottages with white picket fences reminds one of a New England fishing village. It now offers a variety of shops, galleries and restaurants to an increasing tourist trade.

One of the "main" streets

The Wrecking Tree bakery and resturant

Memorial sculpture garden

Nice place to sit and watch the harbour

The old town Gaol (that'd be jail to you and me)

Heading back to the boat.

January 26 - Great Sale Cay to Allens-Pensacola Cay, Bahamas ( 28 miles)

Woke to no winds and glassy waters.  Got underway at 0920 and dropped the anchor at Allens/Pensacola Cay at 3:00.  We then launched the dingy and headed into shore to explore the cay.  Found lots of shells.  Used the leftover pot roast to make a huge pot of vegetable soup.   

Glassy seas

Anchored Allens/Pensacola Cay

Hitting the beach



                                                              Beach Reconnaissance

Soups on!

January 25 - West End, Bahamas to Great Sale Cay, Bahamas ( 60 miles)

The winds had been blowing 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts from the North the night of the 24^th, but as the weather folks predicted, they had died down to less than 10 knots by the morning.  We got underway as soon as it was light enough to see (around 0700), headed out of the marina and turned north to Memory Rock, where we would turn east and onto the Little Bahamas Bank.  While heading north we put out a handline and caught a 10lb barracuda in less than 5 minutes. 

We arrived at Great Sale Cay, entered the harbor, and was anchored by 5PM.  We noticed a sailboat aground towards the south end of the anchorage.  Not sure if it ran aground while trying to navigate it’s way around the cay or if it dragged anchor during one of the recent Northwesters.  Shared the anchorage with three other boats.  Cooked pot roast with all the trimmings for dinner.



Fish on!



The crew hard at work



Hearty fare



January 23 & 24 - West End, Bahamas

Stayed two nights at the Old Bahama Bay Marina, West End Bahamas.  Got up on the morning of the 24^th and looked around the resort, then checked out bikes and headed into town to see what was going on.  Not much was the answer, but it was a nice ride and good exercise.  Val’s flight back to FL was at 5PM, so he left for the airport around 2PM, leaving me a Casey to carry on.  We had an early dinner at the resort restaurant, then hit the rack for an early departure the next morning for Great Sale Cay.



Old Bahama Bay Resort rooms



Resort Beach



The "old as Hell's Angels"

Conch grave yard



We loose a faithful crew member - Mr. Don Q Gold (who has been with me since my last Puerto Rico trip) was tragically killed in West End .  He'll be missed...

 

January 23 - FT Lauderdale to West End, Bahamas (70 miles)

The weather reports for a Thursday crossing to the Bahamas looked a little iffy, but doable. The big factor in crossing from FL to the Bahamas is the Gulf Stream, which can be calm as a lake or rough enough to beat the devil out of a boat and crew.  The cruising mantra is never to cross with any winds that have a "north" element to them (i.e. winds coming from the north, north-west, north-east, etc) as these will blow against the north flowing gulf stream, causing large waves.  The winds for Thursday were predicted to be from the north-west and shifting to north-east during the day, but at 10 knots or less.  Val has been helping me plan the crossing and volunteered to go over with me as crew and fly back once we arrived.
Got underway from Bruno's Zoo at 0345 to catch the 0400 and 0430 bridge openings (for the two bridges between the zoo and Port Everglades inlet). Cleared the inlet at 0445 and pointed the bow towards West End, Bahamas.

Underway at 0'dark-thirty

Sunrise at sea

It was a little rough while crossing the middle of the Gulf Stream (which is approximatly 20 miles wide) but once we crossed, it smoothed out and was nice sailing.


Underway in the Gulf Stream



Casey and Val - the happy crew!



Running up the "Q" flag



Safely moored West End, Bahamas!

Heading to the Bahamas is something most all east coast cruisers talk about (myself included) but I never actually thought I'd make it over.  Thanks to the help from friends like Val, Lisa (Val's wife) and Casey it finally came to pass!  I'll also have to thank my wife Marilou for her support (and for letting me take off in the first place!).

January 20 - 22 FT Lauderdale, FL

Stayed at "Bruno's Zoo" for 4 days to check out Ft. Lauderdale, ready the boat for the crossing to the Bahamas, and pick up crew.  Casy Jones, a good friend I've known for 20+ years (from my early Coast Guard days in HI) flew in from CA to help with the crossing.  If the weather is good we're shooting for a possible crossing on Thursday (Jan 23rd).

Docked at Bruno's Zoo

The infamous outdoor shower

Yep...



The new crew settles in



January 19 - Lake Worth, FL to FT Lauderdale, FL (51 miles)

Up at 0530 and underway at 0630. Went out Lake Worth inlet to roughly 3 miles offshore and headed south.  Another nice day offshore, calm seas with 10 to 14 knot winds.  Stayed on the same tack the whole trip.  Entered Port Everglades Inlet at 1430 and moored at "Bruno's Zoo" (no kidding - that's the name) at 1600.  Brunos is a unique place to dock. Bruno is a home owner that has a house on one of the canals with six docks that he rents out to cruisers.

Docking at Bruno's Zoo

January 16 - 18 Lake Worth, FL

Stayed in Lake Worth (Palm Beach) from the 15^th through the 18^th.  Was entertained royally and traveled around with one of Val’s old army and boating friends.  Went to the farmer’s market on Saturday in Palm Beach, etc.  I did manage to get a few boat projects as well, one being to climb the mast to inspect the rigging one last time (and to get my starboard flag halyard unstuck – the one I’ll need to fly my “Q” flag and Bahamas courtesy flag).



View of anchorage from the mast



Up the mast



Farmer's market




Fresh danish for breakfast - next stop, Cuban coffee.



January 15 - Ft. Pierce, FL to Lake Worth, FL ( 53 miles)

Weighed anchor and was underway at 0730.  Weather forcast was good, so we headed out to sea through Ft. Pierce Inlet and turned south.  Sailing conditions were excellent, with 2 to 3 foot seas and northwest winds at 10 to 15 knots.  I raised all of the sails (main, jib, and staysail) and stayed on the same tack until arriving at Lake Worth Inlet (roughly 7 hours).  Once through the inlet, we headed north along the ICW and anchored just south of Parker Bridge in Palm  Beach  (ICW STM 1014).
This is a pretty big anchorage  - there's roughly 25 other boats here, but still plenty of room.  The weather calls for cold, windy conditions over the next few days (lows in the 30's tomorrow night) as a couple of cold fronts pass through. As the anchorage is well protected, we'll probably stay here until Sunday or so to let the weather calm down and so Val and Lisa can visit with some friends.  I'll just chill on the boat and catch up on some work.



Nice day offshore



January 14 - Vero Beach, FL to Ft. Pierce, FL (14 miles)

Departed Vero Beach for a short two hour trip to Ft. Pierce.  Anchored in the turning basin at Ft. Pierce inlet.  Tomorrow the plan is to head out the inlet and down the coast to Lake Worth Inlet (weather permitting).  Otherwise, we'll just stay in the ICW tomorrow.




Turning basin, Ft. Pierce



January 11 - 13 Vero Beach, FL

Rafted up on a mooring ball for our three day stay at Vero Beach, or as the cruiser call it "Velcro Beach" (as many make it here and stay longer than expected).  It's a nice town and very cruiser friendly.

Vero Beach City Marina Office

Walking into town

Farmer's Market

Fresh Bread!

Fresh veggies!



Rockabilly Band at the poolside bar



January 10 - Cocoa, FL to Vero Beach, FL ( 54 miles)

Weighed anchor and got underway at 0715.  Overcast most of the day with sprinkles and patches of fog - thick at times.  The sun finally started to break through around noon and the day turned out pretty nice afterwards, with light winds and calm waters.  Arrived at the Vero Beach City Marina fuel dock at 1520 and took on fuel and water.  Rafted up with RISING STAR on a mooring ball, then took Val and Lisa's dinghy over to a waterfront resturant for dinner.  Will be in Vero Beach for 2 to 3 days.

Birds on a bridge



Bridge repair



Can you spot the dolphin?



Rafted up, Vero Beach, FL



January 9 - New Smyrna Beach, FL to Cocoa, FL (50 miles)

Weighed anchor and was underway at 0700.  Another windy, rainy day, but a least the temperatures were a little better with a high of 66 degrees.  Dropped anchor at Cocoa, FL at 1420.  I can hear all of the cruise ships (Disney Dream, etc) on the VHF making their security calls as they head out to sea from Port Canaveral (which is only a mile or so east of the anchorage) - kind of neat, particularly as the family and I took a cruise on that one a few years ago.  As we made good time today and anchored up fairly early, I was able to get online and actually get some work done on a new gub'ment project I started working on this week.  Hey - it's not all fun and games (and those drinks with the little umbrella's in them) down here!

Mangrove swamps

Oyster tonging



Haulover Canal