Author name: hmrand

Hello everyone

We just wanted to let you know that, once again, we have crossed the Gulf Stream and are back in the USA. This makes 38 times across that stream.

The passage was rough, as usual, but blessedly short as we crossed from Ocean Reef , Grand Bahama to West Palm. The journey was to take 13 hours but took us 11.5 ! The wind and waves were off of the stern so the boat rolled and tossed about a lot. Murray remarked that we were in the agitation cycle in a washing machine.

This morning, we got checked in at Customs and renewed our cruising permit. Once that was done, we hauled anchor and headed northward. Some good friends suggested that we spend the weekend at their dock and we plan to take them up on that. The waterways get crazy on the weekends in the spring and this is also a long weekend. Our friends are not home ( in fact they are still in the Bahamas ) but told us where to find a key to the house and car and to make ourselves at home. Just super people.

On Monday, we will continue our journey northward, with clean clothes and re-filled lockers. It will take us about 5 days to reach the marina and then about a week to prep the boat for storage.

It will not be long now and you will see our smiling faces once again.

Hugs from
Heather & Murray

 
Sent from my iPad

Yes, believe it or not, we picked the perfect time to sail from Spanish Wells over to the Berry Islands and on. Bob & Liz, on S/V Arapesh, followed us out between Egg and Little Egg just as the sun was breaking over the land behind us. The wind was on our beam and we quickly set sail and shut down the engine. All we heard from then on was the blessed quiet with only the swish of the waves passing beneath our hull. It was a wonderful sail of about 42 miles and we arrived at Devils/Hoffman Cays in lots of time to get securely anchored in the daylight.

Murray jumped into Bob & Liz’s dinghy in the morning to show them the trails to the blue hole and to the ruins on Hoffman Cay. By 1030, we were ready to depart once agin. This time the winds were quite light but the plan was to only go 18 miles up to Great Stirrup Cay area to anchor again. It was a lovely day with the sun shining and the boat sliding along. Arapesh complains that they cannot keep up to us, even though they have a newer boat with a longer water line. W4 was just performing beautifully!

As we approach the anchorage, we take note that the wind is not changing direction as expected. The waves are rolling along that island and maybe right into our anchorage. We enter the area to confirm and it is being affected by ugly waves from the northeast. It is not the spot for tonight but there are a couple more possibilities nearby.

We go back out into the deep water and pass by the cruise ship anchored off of Great Stirrup. They stop here and ferry their passengers ashore to enjoy the beautiful beach and some Bahamian cuisine. Between Great and Little Stirrup is another anchorage – Slaughter Harbour. But the waves are rolling right into there as well. Darn! Do we really have to go all of that extra distance around to Great Harbour Cay?

Murray steers us around the west end of Little Stirrup Cay and towards the shallow sand bar. Here we are out of the waves and safe for the night. Although there is no note on the chart that this is an anchorage, we certainly found it to be perfect for this night. The sun set over the empty sea behind us giving us an awesome view of a green flash.

The next day found us continuing to sail at hull speed, making the journey of 55 miles to Lucaya in great time. Arapesh disappeared behind us until they turned on their engine to assist. Once in Lucaya, we anchored for the night not far from the entrance as we planned to move on again in the morning. During dinner, we heard a voice “ Captain, captain! You have to move! ” By now, it is full dark and the police boat wants all three boats to haul anchor and follow him to somewhere else. There was no arguing with them as they threatened to arrest the owner of one of the boats who was simply asking questions. They took us over by Grand Bahama Yacht Club and told us to anchor there. But, we had been chased from this spot before and expressed our doubts. “This is fine because I am putting you here!” OK, safely anchored again, we finished dinner and went off to bed. It was just barely daylight, when we again heard a voice. “ Hello, you have to move!” The dock master from the nearby marina is chasing us off. We explained that the police placed us here. So, he left and came back in about an hour with two police aboard his boat. “You cannot anchor here! There are sewer lines all over this area” Well, any thinking person knows that to be untrue as they would never put sewer lines under the water. What happens if you have a break? How do you fix that? It was just an excuse.

The bottom line was that Lucaya was no longer the friendly port that we had enjoyed for so many years. Unless you wish to pay for a dock, perhaps visiting Lucaya should no longer be any part of our plans. Between the extra charges for checking in and being chased from an anchorage twice, once of those times in the dark, we don’t feel welcome here any longer.

But, luckily, we were moving on once again. This time to a dock at Ocean Reef resort. So, on Wed March 2nd, we tied up to the dock here for approx one month. Friends, Bob & Jane Argue formerly from S/V Flextime, are staying here in a timeshare for two weeks and helped us tie up and escorted us on a dinghy adventure right away.

Life is very different on a dock in a resort. There are scheduled activities and lots of boaters to chat with. They have buses to take you to the beach or shopping plus there are dance lessons, scuba lessons, aqua-fit classes, a gym and lots of washers and dryers. Yeah! Clean clothes without using a bucket!

For about a week previously to our arrival here, there had been some concern about a health issue for me. A local doctor came to the boat and sent me for further testing. It took a few days but the bottom line was nothing of real concern was noted. For a time, a CVA was suspected but the MRI ruled that out. So, right now we are doing some exercises to improve my balance and stability again. By the time we are ready to head out again, I should be back to normal. If I was ever normal.

Family arrive on Saturday, staying in the resort, and the fun will begin in earnest!

A different form of life aboard!
Hugs
Heather & Murray

 

 

Hello !

First, let me say that the boat and both of us are just fine.

The weather here has been wild the last few days with thunderstorms, high winds and rain. On Friday, there were many tornado warnings, watches and alerts during the pre-frontal storms. We stayed hunkered down, with the TV on to keep an eye on any approaching problems.

But, we had planned to leave our friend’s dock, here in Hobe Sound, on Saturday near noon, to catch the tide. The weather reports made us change our minds as Sunday was expected to be even worse. Further information on Saturday indicated that the storm would hit Sunday morning between 0400 and 1100.

The wind and rain started about 0330 with some quite strong gusts that made the boat rock and roll. Shortly after 0630, my iPhone started to bleep and there seemed to be some kind of warning on the screen. But, before I could read it, it disappeared. But now we were awake and listening to the wind and rain. At approximately 0700, the boat started to shake, with all of the canvas and furled sails flapping. Then the wind generator distorted with an awful sound. It does this when the wind speed gets too high for it to handle. The boat pulled against her dock lines and rolled over towards the starboard. All loose objects in the boat crashed to the floor. We both jumped up, found our glasses and dressed.

Neighbours report hearing the roar of a tornado but I must admit that I didn’t hear it. The damage around us certainly indicates that a tornado did touch down. Trees are up-rooted, roof tiles are missing, backyard furniture went over a roof and into a neighbour’s front yard, power and cable lines are down. It seems to have been quite a small tornado with damage only spread over three or four blocks.

Luckily, Murray is always prepared for wind, even while on a dock. The dinghy was was moved about a foot although it was lashed down to the deck. If it hadn’t been tied, we might be looking for a new dinghy. One of our dock lines let go and had been very tight before giving up it’s hold. The fuel jugs and deck cargo are always tied down.

Now it is time to assist our friends and their neighbours with the clean-up. Some trees have been lost but everyone survived and their homes are intact, other than missing tiles and broken windows.

Tomorrow we will leave the dock and head south to West Palm Beach, to anchor near the outlet to the sea. Perhaps this Wednesday, we may be able to cross over to the islands. But, don’t worry, we will be keeping a close eye on the weather!

That too is life aboard.

Hugs
Heather & Murray
PS This is a report by WPTV West Palm from this morning.

Big storm damage in Hobe Sound

HOBE SOUND, Fla – Neighbors in several Hobe Sound communities are cleaning up the damage from what they believe was caused by a tornado.

Sunday morning at around 7 a.m. several described hearing the “frieght train noise” people commonly use to describe the sound of a tornado.

A trail of debris was left along several roads: SE Palm Street, SE Coconut Street, SE Gomez Avenue, SE Woodview Terrace, SE Randall Court and SE Courtney Terrace.

Many immediately jumped into action to clean downed trees, scattered debris and broken fences.

The National Weather Service is expected to be out to assess the damage and determine if in fact it was a tornado.

Heather & Murray Rand
windswept4@gmail.com

The light of dawn had yet to brighten the day when we slipped our lines free and drifted away from the dock. A day of rain and strong winds had been forecast but, when we awoke, it was to hear nary a sound of wind in the rigging or rain pattering on our decks. Time to go.

It had taken some work to get ourselves to this position though. We departed Ontario on Dec 12th and arrived at the marina on the 14th. There we found a ladder and climbed under the shade cloth enveloping our vessel. The decks were filthy as usual. Murray undid the padlock and I ventured below. Mould! Oh well, it was not unusual. The summer had been very wet and many boats had the same problem. The next day, the boat was moved into the work yard where the real work could commence.

As I cleaned belowdecks, Murray worked outside. He had discovered that our prop was seized. Calling on me to read the manual and hold the tiny bits, he carefully took the MaxProp apart, re-greased it and then put it back together. Other than congealed grease, he found no obvious problem with the prop but it seemed to move freely once again. Then it was time to check the thru-hulls. Last year, he had found some softness in the backing plates and feared that much work might be needed. Inspection showed the problem to be confined to just one thru-hull and easily dealt with.

We completed the work that needed to be done on land and took the opportunity to launch a day earlier than planned – on Dec 22nd. On the 23rd, we started the engine and motored to Reynolds where we would finish the jobs that could be done in the water. The Rialta took us on a Christmas adventure, first to Stuart, FL, to visit with George and Nancy Marvin where we had changed our engine last winter. They shared their Christmas celebration with us and it was a wonderful time. From there, we headed north of The Villages to meet up with some former sailors and great friends, Pete and Lani Tufts. Both couples must have thought we needed feeding as they gifted us with boxes of homemade cookies! Yumm!

All fun aside, there was still work to be done. Shopping trips depleted our bank account and filled the lockers with food and wine for the winter. Many gallons of fuel were carried aboard. Some repair work needed to be done on the dodger. All of these jobs were carried out in 85F with 80-95% humidity! The temperatures broke records for 7 days in a row. At bedtime, you almost had to peal your clothes off as they damply stuck to your skin. A late evening shower in the cockpit was the luxury looked forward to each day.

The list was getting shorter but a list of work or needed items never really disappears. It was time to start checking the weather reports. A cold front was coming and might carry us quickly down the ICW if we can position ourselves to use the wind. The timing of the front seemed to vary depending on whose report you read/listened to. So, when we awoke to find light winds on New Years Day, we took the opportunity to head out.

Today, we are sitting at anchor near Ft Matanzas, listening to the rain on the deck. It may stop by noon and allow us to continue south. But, if not, we will head south again tomorrow. The temperatures have definitely dropped – to a high of 59F. But the strong winds have yet to appear. Modified reports indicate perhaps tomorrow but definitely by Wed. Maybe.

It is good to be underway again. Some problems have shown up – a leak in the fresh water system that is challenging Murray. This time in the waterway is the perfect time to find these problems and to resolve them before heading to the islands.

We have some parts meeting us at George & Nancy’s place in Stuart – the repaired Ham radio, some glues and adapters. Plans are to stop there briefly, re-stock, do laundry, visit and then head on. Ready for the islands once again.

From 1997, through every winter, to 2016. Is this the last cruise? One never knows when that decision will be taken from you. For now, we will take it one day, one week, one month and one cruise at a time.

Hugs and love,

Heather & Murray Rand
windswept4@gmail.com

As per usual, time has flown by and it has been much more than a month or two since I updated the website and our friends. But, excuses abound.

Most of my spare time, all summer long, was spent working on my first ever queen sized quilt. It is a blooming nine patch quilt that I took a one-day course on in June. It has a huge number of tiny squares and a myriad of seams and was probably not the best selection for a first-time quilter. Finally, in late September, I had completed all of the squares needed for the quilt and it came time to lay it out. You see, I wasn’t quite sure what piece was to be sewn to what.

So, I started to lay it out on our bed, not thinking that the quilt would be larger than the surface of our bed. I dragged furniture from all over the house to hold the blanket up and allow me to continue the pattern. Finally, after two hours, I could step back and view what the quilt would look like when it was finished. It was gorgeous! But, now what? It was covering our bed! I didn’t want to disassemble it. Murray, bless his heart, made me a support for the blanket using some wood, some screws and clamps so that it could stay set up in the dining room until I finished sewing. And, within two weeks, I completed the assembly process and took the quilt to a long-arm quilter to be finished. Yesterday, we got the quilted blanket back and now I just have to apply the binding. I cannot believe that I finished it.

Murray has been spending a lot of time at the farm this fall, as usual. This year,he helped with harvesting wheat, rye, coloured beans, soy beans and corn. The weather co-operated and they finished the corn harvest earlier than usual. When he wasn’t at the farm, he was helping neighbours with jobs around their homes. One, that took much too much time, was adding a railing down the front steps for one couple. He couldn’t find the railing to match until someone said “that is a fencing product, not a railing”. The correct parts were ordered and he installed the rail. It required drilling a four-inch hole in a patio stone to cement in the bottom support and to maintain the look of their front walkway. The finished rail looks as though it has always been there.

The Rialta took us on a couple more adventures this summer and fall. In August, George & Barb held The First Annual Runway Campout at the farm. There were six rigs in attendance and we had perfect weather for the event. Music and food shared with friends, new and old, made for an excellent time. We will definitely join in next year’s event.

Later in September, we travelled to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to meet up with some relatives and old friends of George & Murray. They made us very welcome and we toured around the area, forcing ourselves to visit the local wineries for samples. It was too cool for swimming but that didn’t stop us from visiting Lake Michigan in two different areas.

Just a few weeks later, we again loaded up the Rialta for a weekend rendezvous at the farm. Some cousins were coming to visit with their motorhome and wanted us to join them. I skipped out on the Saturday morning activities to get together with my long-time friend, MaryAnn. It had been a couple of years since we had managed to meet and it took a few hours to catch up on all of the news and changes in our lives.

In October, we met Jeremy, Cynthia, Matthew and Samantha in Niagara Falls. They were there for a conference on Juvenile Diabetes and had arrived early enough to spend a day with us. Although it was cool, we investigated the tunnels under the falls and then jumped into the hotel pool. After dinner, we exchanged hugs and headed back home. It was great to see them without travelling through Toronto!

Usually by now, we have loaded the Rialta and headed off to the boat. But, due to a medication change in September, we have delayed our departure until mid December. So, we are Christmas shopping and doing projects around the house.

Murray celebrated his 70th birthday this November and 24 friends joined us to mark the event. One of the gifts that he received was an original print. That encouraged us to get our framing supplies out of the basement and to read the instruction book. The print is now ready to hang and we may have another hobby/small business.

Steve and Katherine have purchased a new home and we helped them get their current home ready for sale/open house. Mostly I forced myself to spend time with my grandbabies while Murray, Steve and Kath worked. It was a tough job but someone had to do it. Their house sold very quickly and they move into a brand new home in mid January. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for my back, we will not be here to assist them with the move.

There are a couple of big jobs to do at the boat before launching this year. One job is to re-seat some thru-hulls as the backing plywood has rotted. The other job is to free up our prop. When we hauled in April, we discovered that the MaxProp had seized up. Both of those jobs must be done while we are on the hard, as well as the usual bottom paint and hull polishing. The marina will close down for almost two weeks at Christmas and we hope to launch before they close. But, if not, we will finish our work and then jump in the Rialta to visit friends around Florida.

After all, sharing time with good friends and family is the best part of life aboard and on the hard, in the marina or at home.

Hugs

Murray & Heather

Just after spending Father’s Day with Steve, Kath, James and Violet, we headed out in our Rialta for points east. We learned the trick to a speedy and trouble-free passage of Toronto – leave our area in the evening! That took us through Toronto and out the eastern side in good time. A WalMart made us welcome for our first night on the road. One more detour had to be made before we hit the road for Nova Scotia – a visit to Ottawa. There we managed to celebrate Matthew’s Grade 6 graduation, Father’s Day and my birthday all at once. But, after a couple of nights, we pulled ourselves away and headed south and east.

Approaching New Brunswick from the USA brought us near some good sailing friends in St Andrews by-the-Sea and we had to spend a couple of nights there to catch up on their adventures. Underway once again, we turned away from the main highway and travelled through Fundy National Park and the north shore of the Bay of Fundy. Our timing was perfect for a low tide visit to Hopewell Rocks and we marveled at the sculptured rock islands there. Murray walked the whole hike but I opted to ride the tram on the return to the parking lot.

Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from the attractions of New Brunswick and headed into Nova Scotia. Of course, we drove the back roads, Hwy 6, along the coast, with a stop for shortbread in Pictou at Mrs MacGregor’s Cafe. Delicious! Beautiful scenery and lovely little towns. But, Cape Breton was calling to us and we headed for Baddeck.

In Baddeck, we toured the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site and examined the many inventions Bell had been involved with during his lifetime. A Kitchenfest was scheduled for that evening at the Baddeck Legion and, for $10 each, we were treated to live music on guitar, keyboard and fiddle. One of the fiddle players was Mairi Rankin! Great evening of lively music. We spent the night in the Legion parking lot and visited the marina in the morning for laundry and showers.

Clean and sweet smelling once again, the road up into the hills of Cape Breton beckoned. Man, are they steep! The little Rialta was put to the test but managed to make it all the way around. That night we stopped in Inverness and found another Kitchenfest to enjoy. As the sun set into the Gulf of St Lawrence, we walked the boardwalk by the shore, and made plans for the next few days.

On Canada Day, we were visiting St Peter’s, the lock into the Bras D’Or Lake and a small museum nearby when we were told about a party at the yacht club. All were invited for burgers, hot dogs, drinks and cake to celebrate Canada’s birthday. What fun! And more live music.

Finally, it was time to head to Canso and Stanfest. The opening party was Thursday night and we planned to be there. So, from July 2nd through until midnight on July 5th, we enjoyed all the live music we could fit into our day! It was an awesome time! To save money, we had signed up as volunteers. That gave us free entry into the festival for the whole weekend. Our jobs were in traffic control and we worked for 8 hours on Friday. Then we were free to wander. The camping area was well organized and we had a great spot overlooking the whole place. But, it didn’t take us long to figure out that we couldn’t party with the young ones and in fact we were in bed before midnight every night. Too bad we hadn’t attended this event twenty years ago!

The line-up of artists was amazing and it was hard to pick and choose who to go to see. There were several large tents set up where afternoon concerts/workshops were held each day and a main stage event every evening where five or six artists entertained us all.

Next summer is the 20th anniversary of Stanfest and promises to be even bigger and better than ever.

By now, George & Barb had made their way into Nova Scotia and we arranged to meet at a campground north of Halifax. There, we unhooked their truck from the trailer and used it to tour. Much easier than trying to take the Rialta into downtown Halifax! The Museum of Immigration was well worth our visit. And the lovely walk along the harbourfront kept us hiking for miles. This was George and Barb’s first trip to Nova Scotia thus a visit to Peggy’s Cove was necessary. It was as beautiful as advertised but very crowded while we were there.

George had made contact with some of the Rand’s in Nova Scotia and we headed to Kentville to meet with them. I needed another laundry visit and, while watching the clothes come clean, chatted with a couple involved in the same job. The upshot of my chattiness was an invitation to park on their lot overlooking the Bay of Fundy at Hall’s Harbour. We stayed two nights in this beautiful spot! Our hosts even serenaded us on their bagpipes. Thank you Ian Webster!

The Rand family at Randsland Farms Inc welcomed us and Marshall Rand shared much information on our shared genealogy. Then he very kindly took us on a tour of the farm and the area around. The Rands grow many acres of broccoli and supply Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI as well as shipping some products to the USA. It was a great visit and we learned much about the Rand history in Nova Scotia.

Leaving Hall’s Harbour, we ventured south once again and visited Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Chester. In Lunenburg, the Bluenose had just arrived at the dock but they were not allowing visitors as yet. But, it was wonderful to see that beautiful ship in the water. Lunenburg was much too busy with tourists and we enjoyed both Mahone Bay and Chester more. The drive along the coast was just gorgeous! The day was completed with an early lobster dinner at the Shore Club in Hubbard. It was some tired puppies who hauled ourselves back to our campground

The Rands who left Nova Scotia for Ontario had departed from Cornwallis. So, that was our next destination along with a stop at Annapolis Royal. Both lovely small coastal towns, with much history, and much quieter than the towns on the southern coast. Since we were heading in that direction, we opted to take the ferry from Digby to St John, NB. It was a very calm misty day and a lovely crossing.

Now, it was finally time to think about going back home. Toronto was in the midst of the Pan-Am games and traffic problems abounded. So… after some studying of maps and options, we decided to return through the US, driving south almost to Boston before turning to head to Buffalo. It worked well and traffic wasn’t an issue.

It had been a very busy three weeks but we enjoyed all of it! Lots of things to see and music to enjoy plus good times with family members. What more could we ask for?

It was time to clean out the Rialta and get her ready for the next adventure. And catch up with all of the laundry!

This year’s project was to update our front entrance. This is the original door and porch.

To that end, we collected lots of brochures of doors and did some on-line investigation of the best product to use. The question was – fiberglass or steel? We had decided on fiberglass but then were advised by a retailer that steel was better for our climate. So steel it was to be.

Then to chose the design of the door and the glass. We had decided quite early in the process that we wanted glass to increase the light in that hallway. So glass was a definite. But, not too much glass as it does get cold up here in Canada. Eventually we settled on a medium sized oval. Now to select the design of the glass. We wanted the light but also wanted privacy as our bed is in full view from the door. This narrowed the options and made the selection process easier. Finally, the appearance of the door was chosen.

Now just colour remained! Whew, lots of choices. Again, we eliminated ones that were entirely inappropriate quite quickly. Finally we were down to our four favourites. It was time to call in the expert! A neighbour is an artist and has given us excellent advice regarding paint colours in our house. She was thrilled to help and agreed on the four possibles but quickly narrowed in on the best choice.

With all that done, we just had to wait for the door to come in and for the installer to schedule us. Maybe we should take a look at the rest of the entry. The patio slab walkway was looking very mossy and the porch could be cleaner. With a beautiful new door coming, we couldn’t leave the rest looking shabby.

A new coat or two of HardRock freshened up the porch and gave it a colour that would look great with the door. Then Murray tackled the patio stones. After much searching, we found the right replacements and also a lovely natural stone step to replace the old concrete one. The old stones were removed, the hole dug and squared, 3 to 4 inches of fines with mason sand on top was added and, finally, all compacted. Then the new patio stones were installed. Polysand was swept and watered into all the joints.The biggest job was to move the 800 pound stone step from the trailer into it’s place. Murray used eight neighbours ( the oldest over 90 ), pry bars and pipes as rollers to do that job. He figured that if the Egyptians could built the pyramids using levers and rollers, he could move one large stone the same way. All went smoothly but with no photos of the process.

Today, the final piece arrived – the beautiful new door!

Our crossing back to the US wasn’t without it’s challenges. But, it never is simple, is it?

We hauled anchor and departed White Sound in Green Turtle Cay early one morning. The wind was supposed to die down and shift more easterly.But the wind didn’t listen to the weather guru! It continued to blow hard from the northwest, making us heel over onto our ear as we sailed along the coast of Great Abaco. The wind was so strong that we stopped and anchored for a time, thinking that it would die down. After a quick lunch, we convinced ourselves that the wind had calmed somewhat. So, we hauled anchor once again and continued on. Rounding the corner and turning onto our next course, we found the wind directly on our nose! And blowing 20+ knots ! Motorsailing towards Great Sail Cay was our only option at this point. And the usual anchorage was going to be too far for us to make within daylight hours. With the wind due to clock more to the north, I studied the chart and found us a spot to tuck in for the night. And, just after dark, we dropped the hook in this protected cove.

A few hours later at 0400, we hauled the anchor again and followed friends down around the southern tip of Great Sale and on past Mangrove Cay. The plan was to make passage through the Indian Rock Channel but, due to shallow water, we needed to arrive there at high tide. Thus the early departure. The channel wasn’t quite as shallow as advertised and we made good time out onto the Atlantic. The deep water was quite calm and we motored on towards the West Palm Beach entrance and arrived there about 10 pm that night.

After a good sleep, we launched the dinghy and checked back into the USA on March 25th. By noon, we were back aboard and ready to head north up the ICW. Many bridges later, we dropped the hook in Hobe Sound and finally relaxed. Now it was just a matter of motoring north. We stopped in Cocoa and planned to spend the weekend. Finding no easy access to a grocery store and bus drivers without change, Cocoa let us down. We decided to push on. Weekends are usually busy on the water with the local boaters and we tend to stay put and let them roar around. The weather report wasn’t great with cool and windy days and we hoped that the locals would stay in their harbours. And they did! We made good time northward and arrived in the St John River with an extra day in hand. So, we motorsailed up the river and anchored at the mouth of Julington Creek just after lunch. Launching the dinghy once again, we piloted it up the creek and had a lovely dinner at Clark’s Fish Camp. This is our favourite restaurant for seafood and we try to go there each year.

Before noon the next day, April 1st, we were snugged up to the dock at Reynolds Park Yacht Center with haul-out scheduled for April 9th at Green Cove Springs Marina. Time to clean out lockers, pack clothes, check all cans to be stored aboard and prepare for the summer storage.

Haul-out went well and we finished up and were under way by noon. We were thrilled to notice that the local Moose Lodge was having their monthly pork barbeque. Pulled pork for lunch! Boating friends who live on Hilton Head Island had invited us to visit and we spend a lovely evening sharing our respective winter’s adventures. In the morning, they took us on a golf cart tour of their community. What a lovely place! But, we had miles to go before we could sleep so we pulled ourselves away in the late morning.

The little Rialta made good time and we arrived back in Ontario a day earlier than necessary. Just enough time to stop in St Thomas and meet our newest grandchild. It was bedtime but James was still awake so we got to exchange hugs and give him his belated birthday presents. Violet was sound asleep in her crib. Even though I tried talking loudly in her room, she slept on. Later, my sister suggested that I should have kicked the crib. That might have worked! But, we did get to see her and have had many chances to hold her since then.

Life here in Hickory Hills keeps us busy with dances, coffee hours, the AGM and my work in the library and on the Holler committee. Murray is again helping out at the farm when needed and we have a long list of neighbours who want us to start their irrigation systems. In my spare time, I sew and am starting a queen sized quilt. Murray is re-doing the front entrance as we ordered a new front door. And that job snowballed into new patio stones, new step etc etc.

But, that is life on shore. We hope that your life is going well and everyone who is important to you stays healthy. Enjoy every day and live each one as though it might be the last.

Hugs
Heather & Murray

No, it is NOT the latest dance step or even an exercise routine. It is the best description I could give you of the boat’s action during our recent passage from Eleuthera up to Abaco. We had departed just at dawn, on Wednesday March 11th, from Meeks Patch, near Spanish Wells. The winds were from the beam and enough to allow us to sail.

Once we got out into the deep waters, we met the ocean swell, and it was anything but swell. There was about a three to four foot wind chop on top of the ocean swell of about 5 feet. When those two happened to combine, the results were not great. The ocean swell was hitting us on the stern quarter and would lift the stern, causing the bow to dip towards the sea. Then we would accelerate down the wave. As it passed under us, the boat would rock over to the right or starboard before rolling back to the left or port and then, finally, returning to its normal orientation. This motion made it difficult to move around much and we both took up positions on the small seats to the side of the wheel. Those spots held us quite securely and I didn’t much move from there for the whole trip.

Murray hooked and landed a Mahi Mahi a couple of hours from our destination. Since we were close to arriving, he was able to just wrap the fish, place it in the shade and wait to clean it until we were anchored.

The Little Harbour cut, into Abaco, seemed quite benign but one of those swells managed to toss us onto our beam in the cut. If Murray hadn’t been so good on the helm, we could have broached and then been in serious trouble. I was quite glad to finally have the anchor down and poured our sundowner drinks with a heavy hand. The mahi was dealt with and gave us five dinner sized packages. Somehow, that evening I managed to break a tooth and it seemed to have some very sharp edges. But, maybe I could hang on until we got back to Ontario. At least that was the plan.

The next day, we headed to Marsh Harbour for laundry and re-stocking. The Bare Foot Man was playing at Nippers on Great Guanna the next day and several people that we knew would be going. So, we decided to take the ferry across from Marsh Harbour rather than joining the crowds in the tight anchorage. It was an interesting day and we did manage to meet our friends, even though there were hundreds of people there. We probably won’t rush out and buy his cd’s though. It was spring break with lots of young girls in skimpy bikinis and good looking guys hanging around them.

My tongue was becoming very sore and I was finding it difficult eat or speak without pain. Kim on s/v Clarity recommended a dentist in Marsh Harbour and we visited his office on Sat. His examination revealed an extensive canker on the bottom of my tongue caused by the sharp edges of the broken tooth. After some discussion of the options, he ground and smoothed the edges of the break and prescribed an ointment to protect the tongue from further injury. My usual dentist will make the necessary repairs when we are home.

Bakers Bay used to be one of our favourite anchorages. But, now it has become a huge development with golf courses and million dollar homes. They are constantly sucking sand from the bottom to extend and re-shape the beach. It is still a beautiful two mile long beach but we are not welcome ashore. What a pity. The local newspaper also reports that the reef on the ocean-side of the development is being negatively affected by chemicals from the golf course. The nitrogen is causing increased growth of algae on the reef and that is destroying one of the best dive sites in the world. It is a huge reef of stag horn and elk horn coral, almost to the surface in areas and was just gorgeous when we snorkelled on it some years ago. It is another example of the changes occurring here in the Bahamas that benefits a small group and causes long-lasting repercussions to the environment.

The winds were quite calm and we took advantage of the opportunity to pass through Whale Cay cut, to the northern area of Abaco. Now, we are hesitating, trying to decide whether to take an opportunity to cross over to the US this weekend or wait for another week. It will depend on what the weather guru tells us tomorrow. Either way, we will be without internet starting on the 24th and will have to use the ham radio to send e-mails. The internet access will be very limited until we arrive at the marina. Thus, this will likely be the last you will hear from us for a while.

That too is life aboard!

Hugs
Heather & Murray

Sent from my iPad

Hello from Windy Staniel Cay

We did manage to get further south a couple of times, down to Black Point and Little Bay beyond. In Little Bay, we have friends ashore, Doug & Jean in a castle named, appropriately, Sandcastle and Frank & Peg in a pink house called O’Brien’s Landing. Peg had gone to the US for a few days and her purse was stolen, containing her passport, credit cards etc. Thus she was still in the US and we didn’t have a chance to meet up with her. But, Doug & Jean hosted a potluck one evening and a great time was had by all.

Of course, the wind doesn’t allow us to remain at Black Point very long. A day or so, here and there is all we can usually get. Just long enough to do laundry at Ida’s Rockside Laundry, the prettiest laundry in the Bahamas! And the cleanest! It is expensive but so much easier than doing laundry in a bucket. Sheets and towels are almost impossible to wash in a bucket.

Our friends on Merlin have headed north as they need to be at their son’s graduation by mid March. We were sorry to see them leave but have acquired another newbie already. Resolve, with Mike and Debbie aboard, are following us from place to place and have no agenda. Debbie was very nervous snorkelling but, after some time spent together on a shallow beach, we were able to show her some of the beautiful underwater scenery.

The game plan, once this current period of wind calms slightly, is to head north to Spanish Wells. There we will show Mike and Debbie the sights and introduce them to friends ashore. When the weather allows, we will make our way north into the Abacos, hopefully before mid March. And then, ultimately, to the US near the first of April.

So, the bow is turning north once again as this, our eighteenth winter aboard, is winding down. But, there is no time to be sad as the locals are having a cookout ashore today, with crafts and goodies to sell. Grab some shoes and a hat and jump into the dinghy as the party awaits!

That too is life aboard.

Hugs
Heather & Murray