The weather window was approaching. You could feel the tension/excitement in the air as cruisers made their last dashes to the grocery, the bank, West Marine and the telephone booths. The chatter on the radio was all about the weather and preparations. Local fuel docks experienced line-ups as cruisers filled their water and fuel tanks. Most of the vessels hauled anchor and moved closer to the entrance to the Atlantic.

Aboard Windswept IV, all was in readiness. The tanks had been filled the day before by jerry jug, so we didn’t need to wait in line. After an early breakfast, we had gone ashore to get rid of garbage and buy some fresh veggies. We made a couple of phone calls to our moms and pushed off from the dinghy landing area before the rush began. Back at the boat, Murray installed the nylon webbing that we use as jack lines to attach our harnesses on before going forward while at sea. I fired up the oven and baked some banana chocolate chip muffins. A few hard boiled eggs cooked up and then check that all is stowed safely.

We dug our cruiser suits out of the locker and put them outside to air. They haven’t been worn since 1997 in the Erie Locks! But the nights have been very cool and we may need them this time. They very much resemble snowmobile suits except they are bright yellow and full flotation. I double checked the charts and my way-points for the intended route. I think we were ready.

Many of the boats anchored by Peanut Island were planning to cross to Memory Rock and the Abacos. We listened as they decided to depart at 4 am. As we were headed to Lucaya on Grand Bahama, we decided to depart at noon on Tuesday.

Tuesday dawned with light winds and clear sky. The anchorage was almost deserted as most boats had left before first light. Xanadu, a boat from Green Cove Springs with Ron & Holly aboard, and us hauled anchor shortly after noon and headed out the inlet.

The sunset found us 36 miles out of West Palm, motorsailing with the main and still many miles to go. Lucaya is a total of 79 miles from Lake Worth and, with the gulf stream, approx a fifteen hour trip. We had met most of the shipping traffic while it was still light, which is what I preferred. The moon was to rise near 10 pm but we had 4 hours of real black night to get through until then. The radar was a great help to give us locations of vessels only seen as moving white, green or red lights.

Near 10:30 a glow was seen on the horizon and a very red/orange squashed moon rose quickly. It appeared almost egg-shaped and became paler as it climbed into the sky. The stars faded before its brilliance. Now we could see again, almost as well as daytime.

Once we neared Grand Bahama Island, we slowed down and sailed only as we would arrive before dawn. For many hours we ghosted along at 3 or 4 knots. Even that didn’t slow us quite enough as we arrived off of Lucaya by 5 am. Vessels were leaving the harbour and contacted us by radio, but the lights were impossible to pick out against the glow of the town. As the pre-dawn sky brightened, we started the engine again, dropped the mainsail and entered the harbour.

Customs and immigration was handled painlessly at Port Lucaya Marina and we spent the night there. It is very handy to the town and shops and we scoured the stores for the best buy on rum to fill our lockers. That job accomplished, the boat tidied up, a fine dinner enjoyed and we hit the sheets before 7:30! Man, were we tired!

There is a front coming through later on today, Thursday, so we departed the dock in the morning and found a hidey-hole in one of the canals where we could anchor, enjoy the town but pay no dockage fees. Xanadu had thought they may stay at the dock for a month, but the monthly rate wasn’t that great a deal. They followed us out to anchor.

So, another good crossing made. Now, we will need to wait for this weather to pass through before we can head further south. If we feel like another overnight, we can go all the way to Nassau. Otherwise, we will island hop through the Berry Islands and get to the Exumas when we can.

Hope all is well up north. Love to all.

Murray & Heather aboard Windswept IV

Well, we are in Vero Beach. We got back to the boat on the 29th of Dec, rushed around and filled the frig with fresh stuff and prepared to leave the dock on New Years Eve. But, the wind had other ideas. Strong winds from the south pinned us on the dock. Early the next morning, there was a brief lull and we tossed off our lines and departed from Green Cove Springs.

The strong winds returned and helped us make a 65 nm day to Pine Island, near St Augustine. That night the temperatures dropped to the mid 30’sF and we had no heat aboard now that we had left the dock and power. Brrr. We snuggled beneath the comforter in the morning and hated to get out of bed. But, pre-dawn we were awake and moving. Murray puts the kettle on and brushes his teeth etc. When he finishes, I jump up and make the coffee, brush my teeth, try to make my hair look halfway decent and then jam a hat on anyway. Meanwhile, he has started the engine and pulled the anchor in partway. When I am on deck with all of the charts necessary, we haul the anchor up and start down the waterway once more. During the day, we take turns at the helm while the other one checks the charts, makes lunch or gets cold drinks. We put the anchor down again just before sunset.

We traveled 240 nm in four days, trying to find some warm weather. Each day, we put on sweats, then vests, then rain gear, hats and hoods to protect us from the cold winds. By mid afternoon, we were able to take off the outer layer, but never down to shorts.

Until Vero Beach. Finally. Fred & Cindy Meyer were there and picked us up for a home-cooked meal of soup and biscuits. The next few days they acted as chauffeurs and drove us to Sam’s ( for new batteries ), to West Marine ( for odds and ends ) etc etc. They flew back to Ohio for the Cleveland Boat Show after a few days, but left us the use of their car! Murray and Fred had researched the Honda and Yamaha generators on the internet – sort of a blind leading the deaf situation, but they learned a lot. We ordered a Honda 2000 watt generator and Fred was interested in the 1000 watt size for Brass Tacks.

After they left, we re-visited Sam’s and crammed even more stuff in this boat somehow. The waterline is disappearing, but we will eat well. A few other boat jobs entertained us while we awaited the generator. It arrived yesterday. At first try, the inverter/charger on the boat was not recognizing the power coming in. But, with Murray’s ingenuity, we managed to get things working. Our new batteries heaved an audible sigh of relief as they finally neared full charge. We even turned on the water heater. Wow, hot showers without motoring all day! Murray has made a shelf for the generator to sit on in the locker, that will also act as a support while it is on deck. The noise of the unit is not bothersome and we can talk at normal volumes even if right beside the generator.

So, now all is aboard and we are ready to depart. Oh, except for one little thing. We both caught colds and are coughing and sniveling away. I am doing my usual seal imitations. There is no window to cross to the islands this week, so we may just stay put here until we are feeling better. The weather has turned cold again and my feet are freezing. Time to find my slippers. Ahhhh, that is better.

So, that is what’s happening here. Lots for a while and then sit and wait. Usual life aboard. Maybe by the weekend we will head further south, looking for warmth and a window to get to the islands. Although, someone on the radio this morning mentioned snow storms in the Bahamas. I sure hope that he was kidding. He must have been…. right??

Hugs to all,

Murray & Heather aboard Windswept IV

We arrived at the boat finally on Nov 4th. After much polishing and painting plus complete cleaning of the inside of the boat, we were launched on Nov 12th. Then the real work started.

Murray thought about the autopilot installation for a few days, taking measurements and muttering to himself. Then, he spent 2 weeks on his knees behind the pedestal with his head in the the space behind the helm seat. The autopilot was mounted on the cockpit sole, so everything was upside down. Finally, all was installed and we ran the wiring through the lockers etc to wire the controls. Time to test the unit – and it doesn’t work. After checking all of our installation and many phone calls to the company, the problem was traced to a faulty circuit board. Send that back for repairs.

In the meantime, I was sewing up a storm. Repairs to the mainsail, mainsail cover and cockpit cushions. Made new screens for companionway and forward hatches. A new seat cushion for the nav station. Fit a new sheet for the vee-berth. Shorten some trousers for Murray. Every time I thought I was finished sewing and put the machine away, another job would turn up! But, I am certainly glad to have the machine aboard to do these jobs.

The speed/log unit that plagued us all last winter was sent away for repair as soon as we got to the boat. The day after we ran the wires for the autopilot and put the floor back together from that job, guess what arrived? You are right – the repaired speed/log. Tear the floor up once again – thank goodness Murray had put messenger lines in the most difficult sections! So, that was installed and appears to work.

During the cleaning process, we discovered that the galley sink was leaking. Murray made a few tries to repair it while I studied catalogues. The prices were crazy – over $500US. Off we went to the Sailor’s Exchange in St Augustine where we found a lovely deep double sink that was only slightly larger than the hole and only slightly dented. For $75! Now I have a beautiful shiny sink and I just love it.

While here at the dock, I was introduced to canning meat. In actual cans, not glass jars. There is a community cannery in Jacksonville where the boaters go with their winter’s supply of meat. I have done chicken breasts, pork, beef, hamburger and sausage. The cost is much less than commercially available meats. We haven’t tried any of it yet, but are looking forward to many good meals from these cans.

We have re-painted and installed new seals on all of the small hatches on the boat. Now we are working on the forward hatch which will also get a new lens as well.

So, the boat is looking great. The work is almost done – just a few more lockers to fill. After a brief visit to Ontario to meet our new grandson, we will cast off our lines and point the bow south -likely shortly after the first of the year.

Merry Christmas to all and have a very Happy New Year.

Murray & Heather aboard Windswept IV

on the way to the boat. But, it isn’t really funny. And we haven’t got to the boat yet.

We left Woodstock on Tues and arrived in Corbin, Kentucky where we spent the night. By 3:30 the next day, we were turning off I-95 at Beaufort,SC where we planned to stay overnight with friends.

Our transmission puked just a few miles from the highway in a little town called Yamesse. A friendly local took Murray to a garage where he arranged a tow.

The up-shot of the story was that the transmission was done and the price here was the same as in Canada, but in US dollars! That job was finished on Friday. Our friends, Gail & Meindert Wolff, have been great hosts all of this time. Thank goodness for friends.

Then, we called the marina to let them know that we were not going to arrive as scheduled. Good thing, because our boat wasn’t in the workyard yet! Maybe Monday or Tues, the 4th or 5th.

So, we haven’t got to the boat yet. I guess we should have stayed in Ontario longer and done some more visiting with the people that we missed. And maybe our transmission would have died up there.

We have quite a work list when we do get going on the boat. Time will fly in the work yard, but we will launch as soon as possible. Life is easier when we are afloat, even if we work all day.

That is what is happening here. Hope to hear from y’all. Hugs, Heather & Murray

PS The sun is shining and we have been wearing shorts. So life is good.

It is now late August. The trees have not started to change yet, but the tourists are thinning out and the boats are becoming few and far between.

Life on the docks continues, but at a much slower pace. Our student helpers have all left by now, back to their respective schools. We sure will miss them as they become our surrogate kids during these months. They have given us many laughs this past summer, while we pumped another holding tank or two.

The lodge is still very busy, with few or no rooms left most nights. Soon the Lake pilots will arrive for their weekend get-together and airplanes will be scattered, like fallen leaves, on the lawns. This year I promise to take some pictures!

Murray has gone back to his carving, as we now have some time to spare during our days. He has done several walking sticks and many “ugly men” as he calls them.

I will be starting back to work on my morse code. October is coming quickly and I hope to take my test before we head south again. So, spare moments are spent with ” dits and dahs”. And an occasional book or two.

By late October, we should be headed south once more. The boat project list is a little long this year, so launching may not be as fast as usual. An autopilot is needed as the old one died during our Gulf Stream crossing.So, that will need installation. The, the knotlog will have to be sent in for service ( warranty, I hope ) and re-installed prior to launch. The dinghy – well, we still haven’t made a decision on the brand but we MUST do that soon as well.And then get it delivered.

The list of jobs to be done here, in the north, in southern Ontario during our travels, and then in Florida gets longer each day. And I must make sure that all get accomplished!

So, that is our life right now – lists upon lists. We will be doing some visiting on the southward journey and hope to see at least some of you at that time. Stay in touch, but write to either ve3zua@winlink.org or hmrand@pocketmail.com as the e-mail through the website does not always work.

Fair winds to all, Heather & Murray

The last message found us getting ready to haul the boat at Green Cove Springs.

The haul-out went well and the boat was tucked in and buttoned up by early afternoon. I laid out fly, ant and roach traps and hanging bags against mold and mildew. By the time I was done, the chemical combo below was enough to make you choke. As long as they work, I will be happy.

We drove north just into South Carolina the first night. Then on to visit friends in Ohio for a day or two. By May 1st, we were in Ontario. But it had turned cold, and we almost headed right back.

Most of the month of May was spent visiting family and friends and catching up with financial matters. By June 1st, we were back at work in Killarney at the Killarney Mountain Lodge.

Our days now are spent with young men and women and they sure keep us entertained and on our toes. Also, I think that they keep us young.

Not too many boats around yet but soon the weather will improve and the boat traffic will pick up. Then we will be running around and remembering fondly those quiet days at anchorage in the Bahamas. But, October rolls around eventually and we will pack up and head out once again.

Life as vagabonds, or rather part-time live-aboards – we do love it.

Heather & Murray in Killarney for the summer

Hi everyone,

We have arrived back in the US, at Port Canaveral. In fact, we arrived here at 7:45 am yesterday. The title above refers to the trip, not our location!

The trip started out bad as the water cooling for the engine did not function. So, we sailed off the anchor, had breakfast and Murray replaced the water pump from his store of spare parts. Both speed readout and autopilot worked initially, but failed as we progressed.

There were good parts to the trip, some were even incredible. First, Murray caught 1 and 3/4 fish. Total edible weight of 8 lbs. The 3/4 fish was landed with severe damage to the side and tail area. The spacing of the teeth marks and their size seemed to indicate a shark, rather than a barracuda. But, we got most of it.

Two different times, we had visitations by groups of dolphins. The second group was about fifteen in total and they played around our bow for ages. At one point, there were six abreast in our bow wave. They would drop back, then zoom forward, roll over and look at us, then disappear under the bow and allow another to take his place. They are amazing creatures.

Just as we left the shallow banks on our 160 mile trip, a tropicbird soared overhead and circled us several times. They are a white tern-shaped bird with an extremely long tail. It was lovely to see it and an appropriate goodbye to our tropic islands.

The Gulf Stream crossing was uneventful. It was lumpy as usual, but mostly 4 to 5 ft waves with occasional 6 to 8 footers to add to the mix. We saw a few ships but none that came close enough to make us sweat.

The autopilot worked most of the night, but broke at about 4 am. That was the bad. Now, we had to take turns on the helm, with the other person trying to catch a nap on the cockpit seat.

The ugly started shortly thereafter. First it was just a gentle rain. Murray was below, checking the computer. I figured that it would be the usual Bahamian style brief shower. Wrong again! The gentle rain rapidly changed into a downpour. Soon, we could hardly see the bow of the boat. The wind changed direction and intensity. We grabbed rain gear and tried to keep dry. That was a lost cause as it continued to rain until long after we entered the harbour. The computer and chart program led us right to the entry buoys. Due to the heavy rain, the radar was unable to pick out the markers, so I was very glad to have the computer and charts running.

We passed through the port and the small lock into the Banana River. Six or seven manatees shared our lock and swam ahead of us as we exited. The anchor went down shortly thereafter. Then, a little hot cereal was in order just to warm up. When the rain stopped at eleven, we headed off to officially enter the country.

So, we have crossed the Gulf Stream once again. This makes it 10 times. Now we will slowly cruise up to Green Cove Springs, do some work on the boat and then head back to Canada.

Hope to see you all soon. Love,

Heather & Murray

Hi everyone,

We sailed to the Abacos on March the 13th from Spanish Wells. Our friend, Woody Perry, led us out through the reef in the hazy dawn light. As the winds were light at first, we motorsailed but were able to turn off the engine by 11 am. As usual, the seas were rolly and confused. This region of the ocean seems always to create washing machine-type waves that toss the boat every which way. Heather’s stomach doesn’t like the ride much and she spends most of her day above decks. A vessel traveling beside us landed a dolphin fish, but we had no luck as usual.

Annual Hope had left from Royal Island towards the same destination and we spent a few days with them anchored at Lynyard Cay. There we found some of the largest conch that we had seen this year. Murray made some of his famous conch salad.

Eventually, we made it to Marsh Harbour with the laundry and grocery stores first our our list of stops. Quickly accomplishing our jobs, we left town the same day and headed for Bakers Bay and beautiful beaches. We spent a couple of days there, enjoying the warm water and shelling, until the wind switched around and sent us back to Marsh Harbour. Oh well, more laundry and shopping, visiting friends and making new ones.

Dave & Brenda, from Kitchener, flew into Marsh Harbour by private plane with six friends for 5 days stay at a resort on Guanna Cay. Heather took them grocery shopping, we loaded all of their gear aboard and ferried them to the resort. The weather allowed us to anchor off of the resort for a few days and enjoy their company. We managed a shelling/diving expedition one day, with other days spent by the pool or exploring the local watering holes. A great bunch of people that we very much enjoyed meeting.

Our dinghy started leaking seriously and we headed back to Marsh Harbour to work on it. It took many tries, but eventually Murray stopped the leak and ‘our car’ was mobile again. More laundry ( nice to use a machine and not a bucket! ) and a few more supplies. A couple of more cocktail parties to throw and then maybe we should head north. The dinghy still leaks a little and the autopilot seldom works, the boat insurance is due and…….. Perhaps it is time.

So, we say goodbye and head north through Whale Cay. Just in time for a thunder and lightning display. Cross our fingers and keep going. Murray gets a little wet, but no CRASH, BANG’s. Once hit, twice shy.

Now, we are anchored at Manjack Cay. A cold front passed through yesterday, with high NE winds behind it. Here we will stay until the winds drop somewhat and then move to Great Sale Cay. From there, we will cross over to Cape Canaveral. Perhaps Wed or Thurs. It depends, of course, on the weather as usual. Meanwhile, we will wax the boat, give ourselves haircuts, read, swim, maybe dive, generally occupy ourselves while we keep one eye on the weather.

So, that is what is happening aboard. How are things with you? We hear that the weather is colder now than many times during the winter months. Hopefully, the snow will stop soon and the flowers will bloom. Then, the sun will shine and things become warmer. Before we get there, I hope! Take care and stay in touch. We love to get mail aboard.

Heather & Murray

Hello everyone,

All is well here aboard and we hope the same can be said for all of you up north. The spring should be showing up there soon and the snow must be on it’s way out.

We have just had a cold front through here and the temperatures have dropped. It was a classic cold front and I will try to describe exactly what happens.

The predominant winds here are from the east and south-east. And they blow 10 to 15 to 20 kns most of the time. When a cold front is approaching, coming in from Florida usually, things start to change. The winds will clock around towards the south,then south west and, finally, as the front approaches closer, the west. Usually by that time the winds have increased in speed. Rain may immediately proceed the actual edge of the front. And then the north winds start to howl. This always happens at night. The rigging shakes, and the wind generator zooms. Anchors, that have held for a week or more with the wind from an easterly direction, are suddenly wrenched around from the force of the wind. The good ones with enough chain out will re-set themselves and the boat will hold just fine. Some will let go. And then, the crew is left with the task of re-anchoring in the dark with rain and strong winds to complicate the issue. If they are awake, that is. Otherwise, their boat may drift with the wind and, usually, come in contact with another vessel. Or, the bottom. Neither are desirable.

This last front hit very suddenly. The winds preceding it had been extremely light. In fact, the no-seeums had attacked us in bed. The rain coming in the hatch woke us and we scurried to close the ports. It was 11:30. Then, instantly the wind went from light breezes to gale force from the north. Thirty, thirty-five, fourty knots were reported on the VHF radio. Our wind generator showed a steady 20 to 25 amp input to the batteries, with a peak of 30 amps seen. As we don’t have a wind speed indicator, that is how we judge the wind speed. One boat called a ‘mayday’ as their anchors had let go, one rode was wrapped around the prop and they were about to go on the rocks. Local boats went out to assist them, re-anchored the boat and took the people off. By the time that drama was over, it was 12:30 or 12:45. Our anchor had held firmly, as had those of vessels around us. It was time to try to get back to sleep.

The wind blew all of the following day. The wind generator continued to charge nicely. We made water for an hour, typed many e-mails, read and used lights freely. Now, it is the second day. We are starting to get a little stir-crazy. It is time to brave the winds and try for a run to town. The supply ship has come in and fresh vegetables are available.

Tomorrow we plan to start north, likely to Norman’s Cay. Then, on to Rose Island, near Nassau. And the third day, to Royal Island in Eleuthera. But, the weather may have something to say about that. We hear another cold front is heading our way. So, we may be stuck in Norman’s for a while. Who knows? Plans must always be fluid, living in this fluid environment.

Hugs to all and stay in touch. Love

Murray & Heather

Mayday, mayday, vessel on the rocks taking on water….

That was the call we heard yesterday. Our hearts beat a little faster and I ran to the radio to take down the information and quickly plot the position. We were currently too far away to be of much help, but continued to monitor the situation. Eventually, we heard that it was a 65 ft ketch on the reef near Black Cay. He had been holed and was taking on water rapidly. Several smaller boats were circling him, and assisting in removing personal effects etc to the nearby beach. Requests went out on the radio for a large capacity pump and everyone in the area scrambles to try to locate one to save the vessel.

By the time we drew close, the water had virtually filled the vessel and the captain was ready to give up. A pump arrived shortly thereafter, supplied from the army base near George Town. It was a large one and had a diesel motor. We called in to the vessel co-ordinating the rescue and offer our assistance. But, with our deep draft and the seas that were running, it was difficult for us to be of any help. They thanked us, and suggested that we maintain our present course. We continued on towards George Town, with one ear always tuned to the radio. It wasn’t long before we heard that the captain had given up and was abandoning the ship. All the crew and the ship’s cat were safe, and hopefully, with a lot of their belongings. They were taken to a nearby town and looked after by the locals.

On our return north the following day, we again contacted the co-ordinating vessel that was on still on scene. He told us that the coach roof of the boat had been destroyed overnight in the pounding surf. The vessel had broken free of the reef and come to rest against the rock outcropping. The family was still recovering some belongings from the boat, but had managed to get most of their personal things off the day before. The ship’s cat was missing at the time, but, as the island was very small, they expected to recover him shortly. We extended our sympathy to the family and our praise to the people that had worked so hard to help them. It was a very difficult situation and handled extremely well by the volunteers in the area.

So, we will watch our course lines even more carefully. Keep our eyes open for reefs. And monitor the radio for other boats in trouble. And perhaps consider having a large pump available for situations just like this one.

Love & Hugs, Heather & Murray