The weather finally settled enough for us to travel the remaining 75 miles to the northern end of the Exuma chain - where we plan to spend most of the next two months exploring.  Here's a map showing the Exumas, and I'm writing this on Friday, 30 April from Highbourne Cay.  Tomorrow we're heading down to Normans and we hope to find some wifi there so we can connect to the Internet - update this neglected blog, and catch up with friends and family.

We've encountered a lot of boats leaving the Bahamas, heading back to the US after spending the winter over here.  It's a shame - the weather is finally starting to get nice, but we hope that means fewer boats around since we like more remote, quiet places.  We ran into a DeFever 44 (ELIZABETH ANN) we know coming out of Nassau, and we made plans to get together when we're passing through Annapolis later this summer.  We cut through Nassau harbor - a very busy place with three cruise ships in port, various mail boats destined for many of the islands, pleasure craft, and fishing boats.  On the east side we turned south through Yellow Bank, where the chart shows lots of scattered coral heads that we must steer around.  It turns out to be pretty easy in broad daylight - the coral is very black, and can be seen at a distance.  The chart looks pretty daunting, though!  We planned to anchor off Allen's Cay (pronounced "key"), but it was full of sailboats so we headed down to Highbourne Cay just to the south for a few days.   Next to Allen's is Leaf Cay, home to some interesting iguanas, which come to the beach when boats arrive, hoping for a hand-out. 

We dinked around to the east side of the island and hiked to the top, where the iguanas were a little less spoiled. 

It takes some getting used to, zipping around in our dinghy at high speed, with rocks, coral, and shallows all around.  We're probably better at reading the water than we think, but we're taking it cautiously for now.  We've gone snorkeling a few times the last two days, finding some healthy patch reefs not far from the anchorage with lots of fish, encrusting sponges, and coral.  This is a furry sea cucumber (all rolled up) that Jim was holding.

May 1 - we moved 10 nm down to Normans Cay – VERY pretty!  Went exploring in the dinks for snorkeling spots and found really small patches of coral that are healthy and full of life.  Saw two lionfish on one of these tiny patches – very sad. Dinked around the south end and up into the basin to snorkel the wrecked DC-3 airplane from the island's days as a drug haven. 
We stopped at the “Normans Cay Beach Club” with MacDuff's Restaurant – two or three little brightly painted houses right next to the airstrip and the beach (closed on Mondays).  MacDuff's supposedly has internet, but it wasn't working today.  “It was struck by lightning and we need to send it to Nassau for repair” was the explanation, but no one seemed in a hurry to do so.

We're living on the "hook" (at anchor), but it's a bit different in these more remote places.  We have a watermaker that we can use to convert clean sea water to drinkable water, otherwise we'd have to buy water since islanders have to make their fresh water supply - nothing is free and there aren't any natural water supplies out here.  We carry plenty, but we try to be mindful. 

Trash is another thing we can't take for granted.  We have to pay to bring bags of trash ashore (where there is a settlement), and the islanders usually burn most trash. We sort our trash into recyclables and that which can be burned, and we're careful to rinse out containers and separate food scraps so the trash doesn't get stinky - we have to live with it a lot longer!  Food scraps are collected in a container kept in the refrigerator or freezer, and dumped (legally) overboard in deep water during passages.  Never dump food scraps in an anchorage - the fish (sharks and barracuda) learn that boats mean food, and that's not a good thing.

These big nurse sharks hang out just below a fish cleaning station at Highbourne Marina - we dinghied in there to check it out, and these guys were hard to miss!

We don't have our cell phones any more (they're disabled until we return to the US in early July), so we have to rely on satellite phone ($1.29/minute - for keeping in touch with our Dads and emergencies only), SSB radio, and marine VHF radio.  We can still receive Sirius satellite radio and DirecTV feeds, though we can't get any weather info that's relevant for us.  For that, we use a Weather FAX, and weather reports from the SSB.

It's just a different routine, but one we've settled into nicely.  We run the generator for about two hours every morning to charge batteries and either make water or use water (run the washing machine).  Then we head off in our dinghies to explore and find snorkeling spots, or to the beach to go hiking if there are some trails. 

We finally made it!  We crossed the Gulf Stream last Thursday - a somewhat lumpy ride, but not too bad.  We saw a sailfish jumping, lots of flying fish, and we even had a little bobolink bird hitch-hike on the boat deck for an hour or two.  We decided to come into South Bimini, clear customs, and proceed the next day.  Jim and Dan took a cab to the airport and cleared customs quickly - so we hoisted our Bahamas courtesy flags and raised a toast with a cold beverage.
We had a little time in the later afternoon for some exploring, so we walked to the north end of the island and took a water taxi over to North Bimini - a distance of about 150 yards.  People were very friendly and smiling, and the water was so blue that it reflected turquoise off the bottom of the puffy white clouds... lovely.  We walked through Alice Town and Bailey Town, stopping at the little liquor store for some Bahamian rum (Dan got coconut and I got mango), and the gal there recommended a little place called "Kim's Deli" for dinner, a good walk up the road. 
Friday morning we left for the long trip across the Great Bahama Bank.  We had nice conditions for the crossing, but we were nervous because of the shallow water.  Of course it's so clear that you can distinguish individual blades of sea grass easily, but we're just going to have to get used to the shallows and gain confidence in our ability to read the water.  At the eastern end of this "plain", the water plummets from 15' down to 3000+' as we entered the Tongue of the Ocean.  We ran in the deep for about an hour, then tucked in to anchor behind Frazers Hog Cay in the Berry Islands just after sunset.  The weather was changing and we would have to stay put for a few days - a welcome excuse to relax and explore a bit.
We launched our dinghies and headed to a nearby beach to land and explore.  We saw tons of little birds - migrating red starts as well as local finches.  We waded in the shallows at the north end of the island out of the wind, and rescued several sea hares (large shell-less snails) from the low tide.  We came back to the boat and snorkeled around a bit - we're still getting used to the unbelievable water clarity. 
We had two boat-bound days - we did some chores, read, relaxed, and cooked a bit - things we haven't had the time to do in a long while.  We took advantage of the time to build a "lookee bucket" - a bucket with a clear bottom that you can stick in the water to see what's under the boat.  It's handy for checking the set of your anchor, looking for good coral heads to snorkel, etc.

A nice day followed so we dinked over to the tiny marina and bar/restaurant called the "Berry Islands Club".  The name makes it sound big, but it's just a speck of a place... friendly and nice though.  With some advance notice (you radio ahead if you want to eat there, and tell them what you want), we had a nice lunch on the porch.
The problem with the Bahamas islands is that there are so many places to explore it's easy to become paralyzed with indecison.  The biggest constraints are water depth and finding anchorages that will provide protection from the current wind direction. 
Here's a crude map to show you where we've been (Bimini and the Berry Islands), and where we're headed (the north end of the Exumas).

The weather is finally going to break (somewhat) so we can head up to Key Biscayne and meet up with our Bahamas buddy boat.  Friday, April 16th we finally got out of our slip and traveled a whole 100' over to the fuel dock to top up the diesel tanks and fill all our spare gas cans for the dinghy.  We spent the night on the fuel dock since we were leaving before sunrise, and we enjoyed a last dinner and Marathon sunset at Lazy Days.  We left on Saturday morning and had a bit of a lumpy ride for several hours, but the seas settled down a bit after lunchtime.  We noticed a "Low Oil" light on the stabilizer panel, and when Jim went to the engine room to look he saw oil squirting from one of the stabilizer pistons every time the fin moved.  We centered the stabilizers and he added some oil to keep the system happy, but we were no longer happy when the seas kicked up later in the afternoon, about an hour out of Key Biscayne.  It was the first time we've ever really experienced the ride in a steep beam sea without stabilizers, and we had to tack (zig-zag) to ease our ride a bit.  We were tired, it's a long run (90 miles).  Jim grabbed the stabilizer manual to try to understand the situation better, and he noticed that the local (Ft. Lauderdale) dealer had a 24-hour phone number.  We gave the number a try and left a message, holding out little hope for any help on a weekend.  An hour later we had a call back from Stabilized Marine (the folks who installed the stabilizers in the boat 14 years ago), and they were going to check on parts availability, and squeeze us into their schedule on Monday or Tuesday if we could bring the boat to them in Ft. Lauderdale.  Wow! 
We anchored next to LUCKY STARS, ate a quick dinner, and zonked out for the night.  We were very disappointed about delaying our crossing to the Bahamas, but the weather changed and conditions were not going to be favorable for a few more days.  Stabilized Marine called us back on Sunday to discuss their recommendation for repairs and to say they would have to order the parts from Connecticut first thing Monday morning, with overnight delivery.  All they asked was that we try to get to Ft. Lauderdale on Monday so the engine room would be cool for the repairs on Tuesday.  NO problem - it was the least we could do for such great service and support. 
Stabilized Marine strongly recommended that we replace the pistons on both sides with a newer model - it has a larger diameter push rod and is more durable, and they suggested we upgrade our hydraulic pump to match the bigger pistons.  The parts were expensive, but the system is 14 years old and it's the first time we've had to do anything besides regular maintenance, so we couldn't really complain. 
The piston on top is the older style, and the one on the bottom of the photo is the newer type.

The parts and guys arrived earlier than expected on Tuesday, and by the end of the day the repairs were completed and the system was tested and checked out fine.  We left at mid-tide on Wednesday morning and had a nice run back down to Key Biscayne out in the ocean - a good sea trial for the stabilizers.  Dan and Carol on LUCKY STARS were still waiting for us in Key Biscayne, and they invited us for dinner so we didn't have to cook!  The weather looked acceptable for crossing the Gulf Stream on Thursday, and we made it an early night so we could leave before sunrise.  At this point, I was wondering if we'd ever make it to the Bahamas!

After returning from our circuitous (ship, planes, and automobiles) trip, we scrambled to deal with all the provisions (seven dock cart loads) - repackaging, inventorying, and freezing things into two-person portions.  We also had a little bit of work to wrap up from our winter projects, and we had to double-check everything in the engine room to make sure nothing was dislodged or broken when Jim was crawling around dragging electrical cables, jammed in tight spaces.  Weather was also a problem, as the pattern of strong easterly winds continued unabated.  It was a race to see if we could get everything finished in time to catch a "weather window" - a break that would allow us to leave the Keys and head up to Key Biscayne to meet up with our buddy boat - Dan and Carol aboard LUCKY STARS.
In addition to our boat projects this winter, we also had the builder construct the sea wall at our house on Big Pine.  It was finally completed a week before we left, and we were able to make arrangements for two big palm trees to be planted on the canal-side of the yard, as well as the final grading and pea rock all around the house - which pretty much completes our house projects.  We're still waiting for the builder to paint the trim around the front windows.

...a wing walker...

...and the Blue Angels!

We had a front-row seat right along the tarmac and runway, and it was amazing to see the take offs and landings as well as the aerial stunts.  It was the best air show I've ever seen, and it was especially fun to watch Jim - he absolutely LOVES airplanes, and it  brought him back to his days in the Air National Guard.

The next few blog entries will hopefully catch you up on the last four hectic weeks!  In the last entry, I promised the tales of our various land tours during the Rendezvous cruise.  We made stops in Aruba (where we took a 4-wheel-drive jeep tour), then through the Canal, then to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica where we hiked in the dry forest.  Our guide was quite good, and she pointed out a number of beautiful birds (squirrel cuckoo, trogon) and interesting plants.  Trailing behind the group taking photos, I spotted a small poison dart frog - a great little find!

The next stop was Huatulco, Mexico - a lovely little area with five gorgeous bays.  The Mexican government is investing in the area with the intention of developing it into the "next Acapulco", but we hope it stays small and pristine since we found it to be a lovely place.  We took a bird watching tour with an excellent guide, and were able to see tons of colorful Central American birds to add to my life list.  The magpie-jay with long tail and little decorative head feathers were plentiful (but hard to photograph), as were the streak-backed oriole.

We also saw two kinds of hummngbirds, flycatchers, hawks, trogons, red-lored parrots, and mot-mots.  It was a perfect day.
The next day we stopped at Acapulco, with beaches and big hotels made famous back in the days of Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
Our last port-of-call was Cabo San Lucas, on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula.  There is a lot of interesting nature here - in the desert as well as in the Sea of Cortez, where whales come to mate and manta rays and other large pelagic sea life is plentiful.  We didn't have time, but this place is on our "list" as a place we want to spend some time diving.
We chose a land excursion out in the desert on some two-person 4-wheel-drive Honda "Big Red" vehicles, which turned out to be a blast.  We were outfitted with helmets, goggles, and bandannas to cover our mouths since we bounced along dusty trails at pretty good speeds. 

We traveled through washes, up hills, and down along the Pacific beach.  We stopped to get a closer look at the big organ pipe cactus and some of the same pretty birds we saw down in Huatulco.  It's a very rugged and mountainous area, and the trail was dramatic as it climbed above the beach and followed a ridge line along the shore.

The cruise ended in San Diego, and we spent the weekend there we could spend some time with our good friend Laurie from grad school back in Salt Lake.  It had been too many years since we spent some time with Laurie, and it was wonderful to catch up!
From there we flew to NJ to visit my Dad for a few days, and then we flew back to Florida to get our car, visit Jim's Dad, and shop for the remaining provisions for the Bahamas trip.

Once again, I'm sorry we haven't blogged in a long time but we were on a trip through the Panama Canal (plus a few other stops), then to visit our Dads before finally getting back home to our boat in the Keys last night.  Now we're in high gear getting provisions vacuum-packed and stowed for about two and a half months in the Exumas (far Bahamas).  We still have a healthy to-do list before we can leave, on top of unpacking, laundry, and catching up after being away since March 5th.

Why would boaters go on a cruise ship, you ask?  Our DeFever Cruisers club decided to hold its annual Rendezvous aboard a Holland America Panama Canal cruise, and we had 54 intrepid trawler folks with us (including Arthur and Ruth DeFever - he's still designing boats at 92).  We especially wanted to see the Panama Canal - and it was truly a thrill!  Frankly I prefer a boat that I'm driving, but the cruise was just lovely and we were well taken care of, with stops in some pretty places - so what's not to like?

Our ship is a "smaller" cruise ship - the MAASDAM is 770' long and 101' wide, which means we have 4.5' of space on each side of the ship in the 110' wide Panama Canal.

We're having a pretty good winter down here in the Keys, but we've been so focused on projects and chores that we haven't had much of a life.  Jim is on the "home stretch" of the big electrical upgrade project - the last big project that we have planned for the boat.  All eight of the 135 lb. batteries have been moved into their new boxes (we did it ourselves), and Jim has the second inverter/charger installed and working.  He's been replacing a lot of old, undersized wire in the engine room, as well as old terminal blocks that have gotten corroded over the years.  He's adding fuses and switches to make the entire 12v system safer and easier to use, and the overall impact will be to halve the time we need to charge the batteries when we're anchored. I have no idea how he learned so much about marine electrical systems, but he's a wizard!

I've been keeping busy with a lot of smaller to-do's - refinishing the swim ladder treads, refinishing the pilothouse table, repairing some damage done by the wake of a fisherman up in the Chesapeake, fiberglassing and painting battery boxes, small repairs, and now preparing for the Bahamas trip in April. 

I still get out to kayak whenever I can, though we had a few weeks of high winds and weather fronts that made it tough.  It has also been unusually cool, but that makes it nicer for Jim working in the engine room. 

The last time I was out in the kayak, I caught this nice tricolor heron hunting...

The winter season is in full swing here in the Keys, with the post-holiday arrival of the rest of the snowbirds by boat and RV.  The marina is nearly full and the dock is often lively with little pockets of people watching the sun set every evening.  It's something that makes life special here - no matter what's going on, people stop to watch the sun set every day.  It may be just a brief private pause, or it may be a social gathering - but what matters is that people care.