Author name: hmrand

As the weather guru has been telling us every morning, what a strange winter this is ! The cold fronts have been coming through every 48 hours for the last month, making travel between the islands difficult. But, we have managed to get all the way down to Staniel Cay, Exuma.

In the Berry Islands, the wind only allowed us to get off the boat once and we made the annual trek to the blue hole. After that, it was boat jobs and reading as the winds howled through the rigging. Murray had a lot of fun, fishing from the cockpit. He attracted a barracuda, who lurked under our hull, and had to share about half of each fish he caught as the barracuda took his big chunk out of the tail.

On Feb 3rd, the wind abated enough to allow us to head down to Nassau. It was a fast trip on a beam reach with all fishing lines deployed. About six miles from Nassau, one of the lines went zzzing! Murray rushed over and applied the brake. Then the second line sounded off as well. He hurried to to the second line while I struggled to bring in the first one. The fish on my line was so strong that I was afraid to remove the pole from the holder as I might just lose fish, pole and all. So, we both cranked away and watched as the Mahi-Mahi’s got closer and closer. Mine leapt into the air several times trying to spit the hook. Murray got his close to the boat and prepared to haul it into the cockpit. Just then the line broke. Oh no! Murray dashed over to haul mine in. It was the male or bull and quite large. Just as the fish reached the stern of the boat, he took another big leap and spit the hook! Two lovely fish and they declined our dinner invitation!

In Nassau, we re-stocked and finally did some laundry. It had been about three weeks since laundry facilities with just a bucket laundry in high winds to keep us going. But, we didn’t stay there long and took a light wind opportunity to motor across the banks to Normans Cay.

We arrived at Normans about 4 pm and tried to anchor in the basin. The current and our forward momentum managed to wrap the chain around the anchor shank as it was deployed. But we didn’t find that out until the anchor didn’t set. Murray hauled it up again and finally managed to free the chain. Meanwhile I was making circles, watching the approach of a huge black cloud. Finally the anchor was down and set and we dashed below just as the squall hit us with torrential rain and strong wind gusts. The cold front came in during the night with the expected high NW winds. After spending one day boat-bound, we decided to use the 20-22 knot northerly breeze to sail on down the thirty miles to Staniel Cay, before the next front.

With just a double reefed main and full jib on a close reach, we zoomed to Staniel Cay in 4.5 hours, anchor to anchor. It was a very fast trip and Merlin had trouble keeping up at times. But both boats anchored safely at Big Majors and enjoyed the balance of the day. In the morning, we moved into protected waters for the next front and led Merlin to a safe anchorage near town. Merlin has a very small dinghy and motor and, in order for them to enjoy the islands, they need to have a short travel distance. Once they were hooked well, we loaded the crew, Robert and Catherine, into our dinghy and took them ashore in Staniel Cay.

After exploring, a visit to the clinic to donate some medical supplies and a stop at Batelco to solve my internet connection issues, it was time for a lovely lunch at the Yacht Club and then back to the boat to prepare for the next big blow. That blow was due to arrive during the wee hours of the next morning and it blew in with a bang. Winds were 30-35 with gusts to 50. And then the radio came alive. A boat was in trouble down by Big Farmers Cay. It had dragged and was on the beach. A vessel was sent out from Little Farmer Cay to assist but determined that it was too dangerous to do much in the dark but take the crew off the grounded yacht.

When daylight came, we were secure in our anchorage but boat bound, reading and listening to music. About 2 pm, I heard a radio call “Pan pan, pan pan, pan pan”. After listening for a few minutes and hearing no other response, I responded. It was the crew from the grounded vessel, looking for a pump to take the water out of their holed yacht. I contacted a local salvage vessel and relayed the information. Once they contacted the crew by telephone, my job was done. Just another day in the islands.

Today the wind is down slightly but it will return again tonight, with another cold front. Tomorrow’s light winds should allow us to visit town for fresh fruits and vegetables. Perhaps on Saturday we can sail south to Little Bay, near Black Point, for a change of scenery and to visit with friends. If the winds permit.

That too is life aboard,
Heather & Murray

PS The new engine now has 40 hours on it and will get its first oil change in the next few weeks. We have two concerns: noise and vibration. Neither of these things will likely change as the Yanmar shakes and a vee drive requires firm motor mounts – this increases our vibration. The three cylinder engine is louder than our old one and the noise is increased by the larger exhaust hose.

Sent from my iPad

Hello all

It wasn’t a great forecast but it was the best one that we had seen for the last eight days while sitting in Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island. The wind was forecast to be 17 to 22 knots with gusts to 25 but to die down in the afternoon and Friday was to be very light winds.

So, at 0630, we hauled anchor and slipped out of Lucaya just as the sun peaked over the horizon. Murray suggested that we take out the double reef that we had put in the mainsail last night. But, that little bird on my shoulder said “wait and see”. It is easier to shake out a reef than it is to put one in especially in high wind conditions. In the canals of Lucaya, the wind was calm. But, by the time we reached the sea buoy, the wind was honking.

The waves slapped against the hull and, quite often, curled themselves aboard to splash us. The day was cloudy and cool. I know, you are saying to yourself “she doesn’t know from cold” but it was cool enough that I was wearing capris, a tee shirt, a fleece and a foul weather jacket on top. I wore that all day and even wished for some socks!

The journey was almost 65 nautical miles to Great Stirrup Cay and we arrived just after 4:30 pm, having made good time due to the wind, which never really died.

Here we will spend the night before moving on to Devil’s-Hoffman’s Cays about 20 miles further south. There are more cold fronts expected in the next few days but we should be secure there, with protection from the north winds. When the weather allows, we will move on to Nassau. Murray hopes to catch lots of fish at Devils-Hoffman Cays and I wish for time to shell. And, if the wind ever is light enough, we need to break out the bucket and do some laundry. You remember how we do that? A five gallon pail, some water and about one half cup of ammonia. Add clothes and mix with a clean toilet plunger. When clean, wring out the clothes and hang to dry. The ammonia smell dissipates when the clothing is dry.

The captain reports that all systems worked well today – sails, engine, watermaker, etc. But the crew is very tired. Dinner is finished and now just to do the dishes and tidy the ship.

That too is life aboard.

Hugs from
Murray & Heather

Sent from my iPad

Finally, we have a running engine again! It has been a long, difficult and time-consuming journey.

On Dec 16th, we made the actual order for the engine, a Yanmar 3JH5E. A few days later, they informed us that it would take about two weeks to obtain the engine and transmission that we had ordered. So, although the transmission was also 30 years old, we opted to retain it and ordered just a bobtail ( the engine without a transmission ). It was to be delivered along with all of the adapters necessary to connect to our existing transmission.

On Dec 23rd, the engine arrived at the front of our friends’ house. Using levers, an appliance cart and four man-power, it was moved to the dock beside our boat.

Murray had already removed the Westerbeke, using the main halyard attached to the end of the boom and a four-part line from that same point to the centre lift point of the engine. I was the winch wench that did the cranking while Murray kept things centred and clear from obstructions. We then sat the engine down on planks laid across the cockpit seats, lowered the boom again and lifted the engine high enough to swing it above the lifelines and over to the dock. Then he cleaned and painted the engine room in prep for its new arrival.

On Dec 24th, Murray and Lonnie, a mechanic friend of our host George, started to examine the engine more closely. They soon discovered that the bell housing and adapter, to connect to the transmission, sent with the engine was incorrect. Although they called the dealer immediately, they were informed that the marine industry was closing down for Christmas and would remain closed until Jan 5th. We were stopped in our tracks.

Luckily our hosts had many events planned to keep us entertained. Christmas Day was super, with a lot of friends around. An Irish sailboat with a family aboard made the day even more wonderful as the children entertained us all.

Murray continued to prepare the engine room with lost of new hoses and vents as all had been increased in size on the new engine. The engine mounts provided were still too high so, after on-line research, Heather figured out that DF-2207-2 mounts were the ones we needed.

On Jan 5th, we phoned the dealer to obtain the correct bell housing etc only to be told that it would take at least two weeks. Heather called Mack Boring in New Jersey and was told that they made their own version of this adapter/bell housing assembly and that they had it on the shelf. So, we called back to the dealer to have them order these parts. What…. They cannot order them! The distributer has too. OK, the dealer caller the distributer and asked that they order the parts. Nope, they won’t. So, hHeather ordered it herself. During the same conversations, we told the dealer about the needed engine mounts and he said they would be in the next day.

The mounts arrived but were the wrong ones. Heather had been in touch with a person at the manufacturing company and queried him about the ones that the dealer got for us. He said not to use those unless absolutely necessary as the engine could pull out of the mount if we were to capsize. The better mount for us was the one that Heather had found – the DF2207-2. So, we ordered the correct ones from the manufacturer and returned the inadequate ones to the dealer.

The final parts arrived late of Friday. Saturday saw us lift that engine in and out of the engine room six times! This was caused by the fact that the new Yanmar was a different size and shape from the old Westerbeke. By the end of Sunday, it was almost finished. Today, Monday, we started it up!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, a mechanic is coming to check out the installation and to go with us for sea trails. this will validate our warranty as we didn’t use a Yanmar mechanic to do the job. Murray did all of the work himself assisted by Heather.

This story is a bit long but I must make it clear that neither the distributer or the dealer have been a huge help to us. They provided no parts list, no installation manual ( although we asked for both ) , laughed at the idea that Murray could install the engine himself and also made errors in parts sent and parts ordered. We are not impressed to say the least.

The research that Heather did on-line and the companies that she contacted advanced us much further than any assistance from the dealer and distributer. And Murray is a mechanic extraordinaire !

Hugs
Heather & Murray

Heather & Murray

Our little motorhome was finally out of the transmission hospital and we started making plans to head back to the boat. On Sat, we got the Rialta back and by Tuesday we were loaded and on our way!

Thursday found us at Green Cove Springs Marina where we were scheduled to move from storage to the work yard on Sat. But, the work yard was impossibly crowded and we were not looking forward to trying to work in those conditions. So, we examined our work list and projects that needed to be done and decided to go straight from storage into the water and skip the mayhem in the work yard.

Luckily, we found a power cord strung to our boat. Using that, we buffed and polished the hull. In storage, you are not allowed to stay aboard but, again luckily, we had the motorhome. Murray checked all of the thru-hulls because any work on them would have be done out of the water. We had ordered a new speed/depth unit but were able to use the existing transducers, which also saved removing and replacing those thru-hull items.

The bottom line was that we launched on Tuesday, Nov 11th! Then we motored a short distance up the St John River to Reynolds Marine Park where we tackled the rest of the job list.

Our under-deck autopilot had been leaking hydraulic fluid last winter. The company that made the unit had been sold right after we bought it. In the summer, we contacted the new owners, ComNav, and they informed us that they do not support AutoNav. So, our plan was to take the parts to a hydraulic repair facility in Jacksonville, buy the needed seals and Murray would make the repairs. Off we went, parts in hand. The repair spot in Jacksonville couldn’t supply seals but looked up the AutoNav name on-line. They still had a website! And a phone number! We had never looked as we had been told they were defunct. We contacted AutoNav and the seals needed are being shipped to us! One job under control but not finished.

I had purchased a chartplotter to be mounted at the helm. That mounting process has been keeping Murray occupied for the last two days, down in the bowels of the cockpit locker, running wires. But, it is almost finished and will be a super addition to our vessel.

On two successive days, we shopped! And I don’t mean wandering the stores, looking at stuff. I mean SHOPPED! The bill at Costco was $500 and at WalMart, $400 plus there was the stop at ABC liquors. But, those supplies will feed us for 5 to 6 months, only requiring the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. And if the mailboat is delayed or the fresh stuff is all gone, we have canned vegetables aboard.

The plan had been to depart here this weekend but my order of books has delayed us. The third book, Gertie’s Big Mouth, is being printed but the company has been very busy and my order hasn’t shipped yet. We hope to have them in hand before Thanksgiving and that will let us cast off from the dock.

In the meantime, there are always things on the job list to keep us busy.

That too is life aboard,
Hugs,
Murray & Heather

Lighthouses, icebergs and puffins! That was my bucket list for our trip to Newfoundland and we managed to accomplish all of them.

The Rialta was loaded and we headed out near mid July.

But this was not a direct trip as our route took us north first, to Orillia to visit with some relatives, to Bancroft to meet up with sailing friends for a weekend, and then on to Ottawa for a grandchild fix. From Ottawa, we dipped into New Hampshire to meet up with former sailors now living and travelling in a fifth-wheel. After a day or two, we headed into New Brunswick and met up with more sailing friends. They twisted our arms ( it didn’t take much persuasion ) and convinced us to stay another day to go sailing on the St John River. What a lovely day that was!

But, we had to push on as we had tickets on the ferry to Newfoundland for July 29th. A brief stop was made in Moncton to meet our travelling companions, Gail & Henry. Henry is one of the net controllers on a Ham radio net, the Mississauga Net, and we had spoke to him during the winter of our plans to visit Newfoundland. As they had similar plans and a similar sized motorhome, we decided to travel together.

On the trip up to the ferry dock in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, we visited the fort at Louisburg and very much enjoyed our afternoon there. What a project – completely rebuilding those structures from the original plans! It is definitely worth a visit, if you are nearby.

Finally, we boarded the ship and then spent the next 6 hours reading, playing games, walking the decks and watching for our first glimpse of the island. There it was! Shrouded in mist, but just visible on the horizon! Now, it is our turn to drive off of the ship and our wheels touch the ground. We made it! We are in Newfoundland!

What in the world! There are huge hills, dare we call them mountains! That was unexpected. We drove north from Port-aux-Basque and stopped at a convenience store at Doyle. To our inquiry re a place to stop for the night, the man answered, as best I could tell, that “just across the road, in the Irving truck yard. Nobody’d bother you there, byes!”

The next day, our explorations began in earnest. The first lighthouse was visited, at Cape Anguille, down the first of many roads filled with pot-holes. On the return to the main highway, we drove through the lovely Codroy Valley and stopped at a fish packing plant to purchase some cod. But, our goal was to get north as soon as possible and maybe find some icebergs still hanging about. So, on we drove.

Finally, we arrived in L’Anse aux Meadows, at the very tip of the northern peninsula and toured the site of the Vikings arrival in 1000AD. In St. Anthony, we boarded a sight-seeing ship and headed out into the Atlantic. Icebergs! I see icebergs! There were two still around, one small one and one huge one that was aground in 200 feet. Because it was grounded, we were able to get close and I took lots and lots of photos. But, icebergs are beautiful and scary, at the same time. When you see the size and realize that 90% of this object is submerged, you come to respect the damage they can do, when they roll over or a chunk breaks off.

With one major item crossed off of the list, we decided to visit Labrador. It was a spur of the moment thing and a good decision. The ferry cost us less than $60 return, with the small motorhome. From St Barbe,we boarded the rather tired-looking ferry and crossed the Straits of Belle Isle, in about two hours, landing at Blanc Sablon, in Quebec. From there, it was just a few minutes until we entered Labrador. Evening was fast approaching and we found a lovely spot to spend the night – in a walking trail parking lot, overlooking a lovely beach in L’Anse au Clair.

In the morning, we proceeded to investigate this part of the world. The roads are not great! And the hills are very steep, straining our little motorhome to make it to the top. Once on top, we could see ahead of us – more hills! And so many lakes! It must be a fisherman’s paradise. We visited Pt Amour lighthouse and the guys climbed the 128 steps to the top, while I toured the family quarters below. Back on the road, dodging potholes, we headed to Red Bay and the site of Basque landings here in the 1500’s. The museum was full of artifacts from wrecks, re-creations of Basque type clothing of the time, scenes of life ashore and whale bones. Very interesting site!

A wonderful fish dinner was enjoyed in the Whalers Restaurant, Red Bay. We had read over the menu choices, when the waitress said “ we are famous for our fish”. She was absolutely correct as that fried cod dinner was the best one we ate during our whole visit to the island! That night, we stayed in the parking lot adjacent to the restaurant.

Just to say “ we did it”, we drove a short distance on the road north of Red Bay. You cannot call it a highway as, after Red Bay, it becomes gravel. Our understanding is that paving has commenced, between Labrador City and Goose Bay but they have many many miles to go. And we thought that the potholes were bad on the pavement! So, we turned about at this point and headed back to the ferry and crossed back into Newfoundland.

Heading back down the peninsula, we stopped in Daniels Harbour to tour Nurse Bennett’s home. But, it was 5 pm and they were just closing. “ You can spend the night in our parking lot!” It was a deal and another lovely evening with a beautiful sunset. Nurse Myra Bennett’s home had remained in the family and all of the furnishings were original, along with the medical instruments she used during her many years as an Outpost Nurse and the only medical care for many hundreds of miles. She visited her patients by dogsled, horseback and boat, depending on the time of year. A very interesting woman who was decorated by the Queen for her service.

Next on our agenda was a visit to Norris Point and we spent two days in the KOA nearby. Bonne Boat Tours, in Norris Point, entertained us with sights of Gros Morne, minke whales and bald eagles. But the musical entertainment aboard only whet our appetite for more. Tickets were obtained for the Anchors Aweigh show, in Rocky Harbour. What a fun night that was! Great music, good food and tooo much wine!

Our plan had been to check out the villages of Woody Point and Trout River, on the other side of Bonne Bay, when we headed back to the ferry at Port-aux-Basque. But, our travelling companions pointed out that we would have to travel much further doing that and recommended that we make those stops today, before heading on. A great decision! What a different area it is, near Trout River – the tablelands, where the earth’s mantle has been forced up to reveal what is usually buried deep. The ground is red and barren and the hills are flat-topped mesas, making the area look more like Arizona than the usual forested Newfoundland. Woody Point is a lovely and quaint village offering many shops and restaurants – a wonderful place to visit where we could have spent much more time.

But, we pressed on, heading into north central Newfoundland. Then the rain started and night fell early. We were glad to finally stop for the night in a Walmart parking lot in Grand Falls. Terra Nova National Park was our next stop and we toured their Visitor Centre. As the weather was expected to be rain for the next few days, we adjusted our travel plans and spent the night camped at the home of some friends from Hickory Hills. They made us very welcome and opened their beautiful home to us. More visits with friends were scheduled for the next day, as we stopped in Heart’s Delight to meet Ham radio contact, Doug Card and his wife Karen. Another wonderful evening.

By now, we have discovered a problem with our refrigerator – it won’t work on propane! Now, that is only a problem if we don’t have access to power overnight. But, as our usual stops are not traditional campsites, we need that feature to work. It is a weekend, so we must be patient until we can contact a RV repair facility – maybe in St John’s. So, we travel together to Bay Roberts. But, Murray wants to get this dealt with and we make plans to go alone to St John’s and be at the RV centre for first thing on Monday morning. The two RV’s go their separate ways.

As we are preparing our lunch, Murray suggested that I call Crystal, a friend of ours from Ottawa, who was visiting family nearby. Lo and behold, she is out with her parents and they are just five minutes from our position. Dave & Sheila Mugford, and their family, are the most welcoming people we have ever met! They insisted we spend the night at their home,in Makinson, plugged in so the frig would work. Members of the family recommended a repair facility much closer, and cheaper, than St John’s. The bottom line is that we spent two nights there, got the frig repaired and spent some hours with real Newfoundlanders!

Eventually, we had tore ourselves away and headed on to the big city and met up with our travelling companions again in Pippy Park, a campground right in the city. While making our way there, Murray finally mentioned that the transmission was slipping and had been for several days. He was becoming quite concerned. Using my iPad for research and to make phone calls, we finally located a shop that could change the transmission fluid but no one had access to a new or rebuilt unit or parts for a week or 10 days. So, rather than strain our already damaged transmission more, we opted to take a bus tour of the city. That was a wonderful way to see all of the highlights and learn more of the history of each tourist attraction.

Also, due to the ailing transmission, we decided to cut our trip short and limp homeward. I managed to book tickets on the ferry, leaving Argentia on Sat 16th. Gail and Henry surprised us by saying that they wanted to head back with us to make sure that we made it, at least as far as their place. So, we all got tickets on the same ferry.

The transmission fluid ( $40 per litre plus labour! ) was changed and we headed on to Bay Bulls and another boat tour. We saw puffins!! Lots and lots of puffins! They are very tiny and fly very fast. Difficult things to photograph but I did manage it. They spend summers on islands in this area, burrow into the ground to lay their eggs and raise their young, out of the reach of marauding gulls. Winters are spent in the water on the edge of the Grand Banks.

Our challenges were not quite finished as, after the boat ride, Murray found a tire going flat. There was a screw in it! Drag out the jack, the wrench, the spare and then the work started. But he couldn’t loosen the nuts! Even with Henry’s help, those nuts stayed tight. Luckily, a truck stopped and a voice called “ Are you having some trouble there, b’ys?” It was Russ, from Russ’ Tire Service! He removed the tire, repaired it and replaced it for $20 at 8 pm! What a gentleman! Are we lucky or what?

We spent the night in the parking lot of the boat tour company and headed out early the next morning. Reading the guidebook, Heather found mention of the waterfalls at Cataract Park, not far from our planned route. But, the guidebook didn’t mention the condition of the road! Oh my! It was terrible and we just crawled along. Eventually, we passed some signs indicating the park was just ahead but no sign of a park. “Oh, there are some stairs! Maybe this is it? “ It really was worth the effort that it took to get here. We walked the many boardwalks and stairs, watching as the tea-coloured water poured and tumbled over the rock faces. Truly a lovely spot.

On we pressed to St Mary’s Ecological Reserve where we walked for a long distance on the cliffs to see thousands of Northern Gannets, Kittiwakes and Gulls of many kinds. Another unique facility allowing visitors to come quite close to nesting birds. And those cliffs! Nothing prevented you from getting too close to the edge, except our instinct of self-preservation. Of course, we didn’t stop at the first viewing point but continued on to Bird Rock, travelling a very rough, uneven path up and down hills. It was our exercise for the day!

That night, our last in NL, was spent in a cattle loading yard. We had thought to stay in a campground nearby, but it was just a gravel lot with motorhomes parked side by side – for $40. Not for us! Our spot was quiet and free!

As we had just 60 km to travel to Argentia, we started out later than usual. But, the road was atrocious! It was so rough, we lost a wheel disc during the day. The scenery was beautiful with large hills, small villages and always the view of the Atlantic to our left. The transmission seemed to be handling the hills quite well and we hoped that perhaps we would make it all the way home, without incident. We boarded the ferry around 5 pm and arrived back in Nova Scotia around 9 am the next morning. The crossing was smooth but neither of us got much sleep. Perhaps we should have spent the $200 for a cabin!

Our visit to Newfoundland ended up being only 18 days but we travelled 1695 miles or 2712 km within the province. Our total expenses were $4860, of which $600 were for repairs to the motorhome. We only spent $200 for campgrounds, opting instead to stay in less traditional places. But we did spend $1000 for entertainment including meals out, boat tours and museum visits. That money was well spent and we do not begrudge a single penny.

Would we go back? Certainly! There are a few areas that we didn’t get a chance to visit. Maybe another year.

Bottom line – the province has unusual and incredible beauty and wonderful people! We loved it!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we DID make it all the way home but now the Rialta is in the shop for a transmission re-build.

Summer is upon us and the days have been just glorious here in Tillsonburg. Beautiful sunny ones with little rain. I am sure that soon the farmers will be gasping for rain but for now we can just enjoy the days.

Life here is busy as usual. Murray keeps himself almost too occupied with jobs around the neighbourhood. There is seldom a day that finds him sitting on his butt, reading a book. When it happens, it is enjoyed but usually interrupted by a neighbour needing assistance.

Earlier this month, we took the motorhome on a shake-down trip to Niagara Falls. Traveling to the boat doesn’t really count as anything that the motorhome was missing, I could easily find on the boat. So, we went away for three nights and had a wonderful time. The first night was spent at Chippawa Creek Conservation Area and a lovely quiet park it was. Murray barbequed our dinner ( need a brush and more propane for said barbeque ) and then, before the mosquitoes came out, we had a lovely campfire. The next day, we drove closer to Niagara Falls and stayed at Scott’s Camp and Trailer Park. I had purchased a wine tour on-line and we spent the afternoon near Niagara-on-the-Lake drinking wine and enjoying the scenery. The next day, we went to the Butterfly Conservatory, which was lovely, and then visited with friends who live in Niagara Falls. All in all, it was a very good trip and we were only missing small items.

The other thing that we had wanted to check out on this trip was the new mattress. The one that came with the unit was very heavy and made it difficult to utilize the storage under the bed. We replaced this with a foam mattress that we made by bonding four inch medium density foam and two inch memory foam. This was all encased in a striped cover that fits like a glove. The neighbours helped me pull this on the foam and the three of us struggled but managed to get the foam inside. The resulting mattress is quite comfortable and lighter than the original.

I had purchased a new sewing machine and was eager to have a project. So, using some fabric from the Bahamas and quilt backing and filler purchased locally, I proceeded to create a new blanket for the motorhome. It looks lovely, if I must say so myself. And the new machine sewed like a dream.

Gertie’s Big Mouth is coming together. That is my new book, about a grouper! The digital editor signed on for another book and the artwork is nearly done. So, we are hoping that all will be ready for publication this fall. Stay tuned!

Everyone knows that I love to find a bargain. Well, now I am putting those talents to good use, finding the best deal on new books for our library here in Hickory Hills. It was a little daunting at first but I soon got into the swing of it. I also have to write a column for our monthly newsletter, describing the new books available.

Murray is working on the car rally that is to be held in October this year. As we will be away from mid July to early September, he wants to get a head start on the route and instructions. I have got the sign-up sheets and tickets organized. So, we think that we are in good shape for that event.

The street party will happen in July before we depart as September weather is too iffy. Last Saturday, we held a get-together in the parkette at the end of our street with 46 people in attendance. It was great fun and an opportunity for new residents to meet their neighbours.

So, as you can see, we are keeping ourselves occupied! And the trip to Newfoundland draws ever closer! Time to start making lists of things to take with us. I am definitely getting excited and we are both looking forward to the new adventure in our Rialta motorhome.

Hello!

This is the very latest, that I can remember, to see the leaves come out on the trees! As we drove north in April, we watched the leaves disappear. They were in full view in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky. But, by the time we reached Ohio and Michigan, the trees were still winter stark. Usually it is only a week or two after we arrive home before we see those little buds pop out here. Not this year! There are so few leaves, that we have been able to easily watch a couple of robins raise their young ones. There are three little beaks rising up for the worms that mom & dad provide. Soon, they will learn to fly and head off.

The day after we arrived home, it snowed! I guess that the weather gods thought perhaps we had missed out on all of the fun this winter and wanted to give us a taste. There was two inches of snow on the ground when we awoke. Oh well, we could survive on the groceries in the cupboard for one more day and thus decided to wait until it melted. I don’t think that strategy would have worked this winter, from the sounds of it! We might have starved.

On a warm day, we washed the little motorhome and, in the process, filled the crawl space with an inch of water. There was a split in the pipe to the tap into the garage. I guess that heating the house to only 9C doesn’t keep that pipe from freezing during cold, cold winters. It took us a few hours to suck out the water with a wet/dry vacuum. What a job! Then Murray had to replace the tap fitting.

Mur also had a few jobs that he wanted to do on the motorhome. We had been told that the A/C didn’t work and went to get that replaced. The honest business man tested the unit and decided that it worked just fine! Not the biggest unit in the world but it does work. That job was postponed, yeah!

Thank goodness it was as, just a few days later, the Volvo gave us trouble. Mur put the key in the ignition but nothing would happen. The key wouldn’t turn! This had happened in the fall as well but Mur had managed to repair/work around the issue. This time there was nothing he could do. Local garages couldn’t help. Luckily our motorhome insurance includes roadside assistance for two vehicles and a tow truck was called to take the Volvo to London. Ten days and almost a thousand dollars later, we had our car back. The lock assembly, the problem area, needed to be ordered from Sweden! The Rialta became our car for the duration of the fix-it time.

The next job that Murray attacked was removing the carpet in the Railta and replacing it with a waterproof vinyl click flooring. What an awful job that was! As he tore the carpet out, he discovered that they had glued foam down to the floor, under the carpet. Using gallons of glue, at least it seemed that way. We tried heat – that didn’t work at all but just got stickier. Eventually he came up with a method that worked. The finished job is lovely.

Yesterday we were finally able to plant some flowers without the fear of frost killing them off. The plants were purchased at the annual horticultural society auction on Tuesday night and we got some lovely ones as usual. The gardens are looking great, both the flowers and vegetables. Murray’s garlic wintered well and we look forward to the harvest.

Our trip to Newfoundland is scheduled, with tickets already purchased on the ferry for near the end of July. Ham radio friends, never met face-to-face, will be traveling with us for part of the journey and we will visit other ham radio buddies on the trip. There are also cruising friends scattered along the way as well and we will stop where we can, for visits.

So, that is what is happening in our lives. How are things with you and yours? Healthy, if not wealthy, we hope.

Hugs from
Heather & Murray
hard aground

Hello all
On April 4th, we arrived back in the US after a short, but lovely, winter in the Bahamas. The last 8 days were spent in White Sound at Green Turtle Cay. Although we were held there due to weather, it was still an enjoyable time with old friends nearby and new ones to be made.

In the last two weeks, we have encountered several different critters. Most were birds but not all, so that is why I said “critters”.

The first such meeting was a pair of green parrots that circled the anchorage each evening. They would screech and holler as they flew the circuit and we never knew if they were captives that were allowed out for exercise or wild parrots, on a scheduled fly-over. Research has since shown that they are the Rose-throated or Cuban Parrot, once native to the islands but now few in 
number.

After we left Green Turtle, we sailed to Powell Cay and were greeted by another rare sighting. Tropicbirds! Six of these lovely, long-tailed birds were swooping, soaring and chittering around our boat.

Back in the US, we motored past a few 
small islands, north of Titusville. Here I
 always find some roseate spoonbills and I was lucky enough to see a couple of these pink birds once again.

And then, just a few minutes later, we saw many manatee! They were in the Haulover Canal and seemed to be playing in the water. I cannot count how many tails and backs we saw in the time it took us to pass this waterway.
We never see the actual creature but just a nose, a humped back or the tail as it disappears.

What a week this was! I hope that you enjoy the photos that I found on-line.

Hello everyone

We are still safely anchored in White Sound, Green Turtle Cay in Abaco and the winds have continued to blow hard for many days.

On Tuesday night, with the cold front expected, we left our radio on even once we retired for the night. About 12:30 or so, the very strong winds hit with gusts over 40 knots and the change woke us both.

Murray climbed up on deck and checked the anchor while I perused the nearby boats to make sure that we weren’t in danger from a dragging vessel. Eventually we both went back to bed but mostly just lay there, listening to the wind and the anchor snubber line squawking as it tightened in the gusts. At about a quarter after one, we heard “Mayday, mayday! Vessel going on the rocks! Mayday, mayday!” . We lay there awhile longer but no one responded. So, I went to the radio and answered. We quickly determined that it was a vessel that anchored outside Green Turtle the previous afternoon, with their stern to the shore. Not a good move with the prediction of higher winds. So, when the strong gust hit, they dragged anchor and were quite near to the rocky shore. I got the names of the vessel, the persons aboard and their exact position, suggested that they rig jacklines ( to allow ease of movement aboard when the boat falls over onto its side ) and to don lifejackets. Still, no one in authority had responded even though we stayed on Channel 16 for the whole time. Finally, another cruiser telephoned the police station and they responded. I gratefully turned the frequency over to him and returned to my bed shortly after 2 am. But, we continued to hear the radio transmissions. The policeman drove to a position where he could observe the vessel and told them that they were 30 yards off the rocks and in a area of sandy bottom. The boat was a steel sailboat 58 feet long and 33 tons, so not easily pulled off. The police said that he would return just after high tide with two vessels and attempt to pull them free. And, that task was accomplished just after 7 am the next morning.

Yesterday we met the two persons aboard. The owner of Figment, a Canadian registered vessel, is Barry Thorpe and he has played one of the pirates in three of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He gave me a photo of himself with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Although I wasn’t able to do much except keep them calm and answer their questions regarding tide and weather, they are very thankful that I was there.

So that is the excitement here. The winds continue to blow hard and another cold front is expected Sunday. Once that has cleared out somewhat, we will head north, towards Great Sale Cay. Probably on Wednesday, we will be crossing the stream to the US. Then, get back to the marina and prepare the boat for summer storage again. The we will mount up in the Land Ark and motor home, maybe visiting friends on the way if time permits.

Keep that snow melting as we will be home soon. Hugs from,
Murray & Heather
holding on in Abaco