Author name: jrand

No, I don’t mean “dinghy adrift!” which we have heard three times this winter. Those lucky cruisers all recovered their dinghys. Two traveled from Staniel Cay to Andros Island, a distance of approximately 30 miles, and one was found out on Exuma Sound. Murray wanted to institute an afternoon class of basic knots when we heard that the third one had escaped.

No, this dinghy drift is a good experience. First let me set the stage. We were anchored at Children’s Bay Cay, south of Lee Stocking Island. It had been a lovely few days of sun and fun in the water. But, Saturday was memorable, as it was F.A.C. or Flat Ass Calm.

In the morning, Murray & Doug, from High Stepper, went diving while Connie and I worked on our basket weaving. In the early afternoon, we took the dinghys to Barreterre, a nearby village. There we stretched our legs and investigated the local populace. The no-seeums chased us off after an hour and we returned to the dinghys. Speeding along on the gin-clear water gave us the illusion of flying above the surface.

I suggested a get-together that night for a dinghy drift. We stopped by each boat ( there were 9 in the anchorage ) to tender the invitation. At 4:30 dinghys started to gather and lash together, up-current. When most had arrived, we cast off our anchor and drifted with the current. Snacks and stories were passed around the group. Between the boats, you could get glimpses of the bottom, seeing soft corals waving and fish dart by. The night was topped off by a green flash as the sun set. What a glorious day!

Yesterday, we motored the final 15 miles to George Town, to replenish supplies of fresh foods and fuel. High Stepper was lucky once again and landed a mahi mahi. We were lucky also as they shared it with us at dinner that night.

Today, up early to gather weather info, we headed to town before 8 am. I was the first person at the laundry and got things going quickly. Murray investigated the grocery to see if a ship had been in to deliver fresh things. Most of the items on my list were found. Then, Doug came by as we were checking out. ” There is a huge barge of sand, with a tug attached, very close to your boat!”. Back to the dinghy, through the narrow cut under the bridge, into the rough waters of Elizabeth Harbour. Man, that barge looks close to our boat from here. Arriving back, we unloaded quickly and moved the boat ahead, out of his way.

Once we were re-anchored, I called the tug. I apologized if we were blocking his passage, but the computer charts showed that we were outside of the designated channel. He said that we were correct but there was more water outside of the channel! As he was aground most of the time, he was looking for the deepest water he could find.

Now that our hearts have settled down once again, we will finish our chores in town. Then find someplace calmer to anchor for a few days, while the winds blow. After that, we will see. Maybe south to Long Island or east to Conception. All written in Jello.

Stay warm and well. Hugs to you all. Heath & Murray

That is our current location, anchored off of the private island of Rudder Cay. The adjacent island of Musha Cay uses this island for a garbage dump and an airport. The island is big enough for an airstrip, unlike Musha Cay. Exactly why they deposit the garbage here, we do not know. But, it stinks! The cruisers are not allowed to step foot on the beaches, even though the Bahamas laws state that anyone can land on a beach up to the high water line plus one cart width. But, we don’t push it. If the island is marked “private”, we stay off.

Shortly after our last note, friends on High Stepper landed a 54 inch Wahoo. That is almost as long as I am tall. Murray helped clean the fish and they gifted us with several pieces. The story is that the name of that fish came because the flesh was so tasty, when one was caught everyone would cheer ” wahoo”! Certainly we have enjoyed the pieces we have eaten already.

Our Engles freezer never seems to get any emptier. As I use up the meat within, Murray re-fills it with fish. It is almost as full as when we left Florida.

Yesterday the winds blew up to 30+ knots overnight. Today it has calmed down somewhat but is still quite windy. I took advantage of the cooler weather to bake 2 loaves of bread and then an apple cake out of the dregs of the apples in the larder. The cabbage looked wilted yesterday, so I read through all of my books and found a recipe for Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole. But, it needed to be bake for 1.5 hours. Too much propane usage. Back to the books and I decided to try it in the pressure cooker. Four minutes under pressure and the casserole came out beautifully. Leftovers for dinner tonight along with fresh bread.

When the wind dies off some, we will meander further south, eventually to George Town, Exuma for re-stocking of fresh things. No immediate plans, except for a movie this afternoon aboard High Stepper. Maybe they would like some apple cake?

Hugs to all, Heather & Murray

Hello all,

We “drove” to town yesterday for supplies. This means that we jumped into the dinghy and motored approx a mile ( 2 km ) to the village. The announcement had gone out on the weather net that the mailboat had “reached” or arrived at the dock and thus there would be fresh supplies in the stores.

There are three grocery stores on Staniel Cay – the Pink Store, the Blue Store and Isles General Store. We tend to visit Isles General first and get most of our list there. Visits to the other stores may complete our shopping list or maybe not. These stores are not what you encounter in Canada. They are very small, closer to the size of a small variety store. They have a few shelves, frigs and freezers plus overflow placed on the floor. All of the meat is kept frozen. Cheeses, eggs, milk and some vegetables are kept in the frig.

The customers help to unload the supplies from the truck and carry them into the store. It makes them available faster.

Sometimes there is fresh bread and sometimes not. Yesterday was a not. So, one of my jobs soon will be to bake us some bread. I made English Muffins the other morning while Murray was helping another cruiser with a project on their boat.

So, back to the shopping. I got most of the things on my list – 1 dozen eggs, 3 tomatoes, 1 green pepper ( all that seemed somewhat fresh ), a bunch of bananas, a head of cabbage, 3 grapefruit and 2 potatoes. The total cost was $18.50 US. I think the price of fruits and vegetables are fairly reasonable. It is just snack stuff or prepared items that are very expensive. The bread that I couldn’t get would have cost $5 a loaf. A box of crackers is $6. And I don’t even look at the price of cookies or muffins. Those I make myself, if we want them.

Luckily, we carry all the snack stuff that we think we will need for the winter months. Can you imagine? Trying to figure out how many boxes of crackers, nacho chips, salsa, nuts, etc that you may want to eat or use for entertaining? Basically, we carry as much as we can. When we are out, that is it.

Tonight, there will be a beach party. Now, what to take……?

Hopefully, all is well up there and the next time you go grocery shopping, look around and appreciate the choices that you have.

Hugs from, Murray & Heather

Hello everyone,

We safely arrived at our favourite spot in the islands on Jan 6th. Now we are anchored here, off of the Pig Beach, with about 40 boats anchored nearby and the wind howling in the rigging. The pigs are new ones but they still learn to swim out to the dinghys which bring table scraps in for them to eat. The wind has been 20+ knots for the last three days and is scheduled to continue for another three days. Oh well, we have lots of power from the wind generator.

On Jan 2nd, we hauled anchor and motorsailed to Nassau, where we stayed only one night. Arriving mid-afternoon, we ran around and did the errands necessary to depart in the morning. Another case of rum and some veggies and we were good to go. In the morning, we were able to sail all of the way to Norman’s Cay, in choppy seas on the shallow banks. Fishing lines were deployed on all of these trips, with nothing to show for it. At Norman’s, we anchored off of the west side and had a comfortable night. But, the next couple of days, Heather suffered from a stomach flu bug of some sort and managed to pass it on to Murray, as well. We did travel for short hops in the afternoons but basically laid low and took it easy.

Between stomach flu and chest colds, this winter so far has been the worst in a while for sickness. Murray is still coughing at times from his bronchitis.

Now we are doing the cocktail party rounds, beach parties and even a pig roast scheduled. Snorkel trips take place whenever the weather allows. Oh, the water temperature is 78 degrees F or about 25C! Not too hard to take. When we need a change, we head to the village for fresh supplies or a burger at the Yacht Club. Or to use the wireless there as well.

And this is the year of the green flash! We have seen 5 already! Using the binoculars makes them even more visible than ever. But even with the naked eye, there have been some beautiful, very GREEN, flashes. A friend told us of the Christmas star and we have even seen that. It was in the southeast sky, about 30 degrees above the horizon and very bright ( with us at position 24 degrees Latitude ). With the naked eye, it appears to twinkle a lot. With binos, it gives off red and green flashes but does not move as a plane would. According to the friend, it spins so very quickly that it emits these colour flashes. It was beautiful to see.

Otherwise, there is not much excitement here. A quiet life aboard, reading books and watching movies until the wind dies down somewhat. Hopefully, life is treating you well up north and you are able to keep warm and healthy.

Hugs to all, Murray & Heather

On Dec 22nd, we departed Peck Lake, as early as possible. As it was Friday and a holiday weekend, we expected the waterways to get busy in the afternoon. There are seven opening bridges between Peck Lake and our anchorage near the entrance to West Palm Beach. And each bridge is on a different schedule of openings. The challenge is to try to get between them with the correct timing, so as you don’t have to wait a half hour for the next opening. And, of course, the current is against us.

Finally, we dropped anchor south of Peanut Island and began to make preparations for the crossing. I cooked some hard boiled eggs and made up some salmon for sandwiches. Murray checked the engine and alternator belt alignment.

Saturday dawned with grey skies and the wind in the wrong direction. Was the weather report wrong? We were in a quandary and the radio calls between boats indicated that we were not the only ones. Finally a rain squall went trough and the winds changed to the predicted direction. Quickly we pulled the dinghy onto the deck and headed out the inlet.

With the outgoing tide against the on-shore wind, the inlet was ugly. Square waves bashed us for about a mile and then settled down somewhat. The boat tucked into a close-haul and we were trucking. The boat was heeled over ( leaned over ) 20 to 25 to 30 degrees and my “house” down belowdecks wasn’t faring to well. Once the bookcase threw its extra cards and books on the floor and the throw cushions from the starboard settee joined them, things settled down somewhat. But, I don’t move around much in those conditions.

With the wind blowing from the southeast, we weren’t able to head to the Berry Islands, so changed plans our destination to Lucaya, Grand Bahamas. We dodged a few ships but the crossing was quite quiet. As we were under full sail, with no engine runing, we had to hand steer the whole way. You see, the autopilot takes too much power. The wind continued and we arrived at the entrance to Lucaya at 0400. Low tide. There is not a lot of water in their entrance but a vessel ahead reassured us that we would find enough water. When we turned on the engine, it was not pumping cooling water. Shut down quick! Now, we sail in. Between the markers, around the corners, drift past the marina and drop anchor under sail. Whew! A job for the morning to check out the cooling system.

In the morning, the engine pumped water fine (wouldn’t you know!) and we motored to our slip. Customs and immigration were handled quickly and then it is time for brunch. The afternoon was spent dozing by the pool.

Christmas Day was hot and muggy. A celebration dinner was laid out on the pool deck with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, plus Bahamian favourites like peas and rice , macaroni and cheese. Rum cake was served for dessert. Friends shared our table and enjoyed the spread.

Boxing Day we awoke to rain that varied from a deluge to a patter. When the skies cleared, we left the marina ( $64/ day ) and anchored nearby. Our alarm went off at 0600 on the 27th. We hauled anchor and sailed ( again! ) all the way to Great Stirrup Cay, at the top of the Berry Island chain. It was a lumpy anchorage and we left again early the next morning to motorsail 20 miles south to Hoffman Cay. This is a good spot to unwind.

The wind is predicted to blow hard for the next few days, so we will remain here. Murray is in his element, catching fish one after the other from the cockpit. I enjoy the beach walks and shelling nearby. We had our first dive of the season yesterday and bagged a lobster and a conch. The new knee seems to work just fine with fins and climbing into the dinghy.

Last night, we organized the first beach cocktail party of our winter and all of the boats anchored nearby attended. Now, what to do for New Year’s Eve….?

Hopefully your holiday season has been full of fun with family and friends nearby. Take care of each other and best wishes for 2007.

Hugs, Murray & Heather

Yes, it is almost here. Today is Dec 21st and our tree is decorated and set up in the centre of our table. All of the lockers are stuffed full, ready to cross over to the islands. The laundry is done and everything is ready, I think.

Except for the weather. Today it is blowing hard and our wind generator and solar panels are filling up the batteries. Right now we are anchored at Peck Lake, which is just a wide spot to the side of the ICW. But, there is access to the beach and we may go for a walk later. Friends, George & Nancy Marvin from Trumpeter, live just a mile down the ICW and invited us over yesterday. We showered, did laundry and borrowed the car to pick up the last minute fresh stuff. Then they plied us with steak and wine and even ice cream! It is wonderful to have good friends.

Tomorrow we will move on down the ICW to West Palm Beach and anchor near Peanut Island to be ready if this window materializes. Saturday and Sunday’s forecasts seem to show that we can get across the Gulf Stream without too much pain.

Will we have turkey and presents? Well, there is a turkey breast in the new freezer, just waiting for the right day. And, as for presents, there are a few things stashed in the cupboards that will find their way into the stockings. Things like batteries, a headlamp, Sudoku books, flavoured coffee and small boxes of chocolate. Little treats. Our best presents are the love we have for each other and all of you, our friends and family. Without that, presents are just more stuff. And, of course,the gift of good health. Murray will be more than happy to stop coughing and I am glad that I can walk, without pain. Those are the important gifts.

Once we get to the islands, then we will have to decide if we head straight to Staniel to enter the New Year’s Regatta or, if we meander through the Berry Islands. All will depend on the weather as another cold front will be hard on our heels. We don’t get snow but get the strong north winds that cause us to take shelter.

When we are underway, we will let you all know and also of our safe arrival. Meanwhile, enjoy some eggnog for us! Sit by the cozy fireplace with the snow blowing outside and marvel at the family and friends around you.

Hugs, Heather & Murray

Well, at about 12:30 today, Dec 10th, we cast our lines off and departed the dock at Green Cove Springs. Off for another season of adventures in a small boat.

Arriving at the marina on Nov 20th, we found the boat to be in good condition after the summer, with very little evidence of mildew to be found. Murray buffed the hull again, with Aquabuff, and she shines as though she was brand new. We put on a new coat of bottom paint and did a few other jobs aboard. By Tuesday, Nov 28th, we were ready to launch.

Then, tidy up the mess down below as friends arrive on the 30th! Linda and Kuyler flew down for a week visit to help us get the boat ready. We put them to work, washing the yard dirt off of the deck, polishing the ports both outside and in and helping me stock the boat with cans and other groceries. Meanwhile, Murray was dealing with his own issues – a wind generator to install ( replacement for the old unit ), a cracked elbow on the cooling system, leaking stuffing box, etc etc. Mostly we tried to stay out of his way!

But it wasn’t all work and no play. The marina had a lovely Thanksgiving potluck on the 23rd and even us Canadians got in on the act. Paul, the yard manager, supplied a turkey and a ham and the boaters brought the rest. Yumm. With Linda and Kuyler, we managed to take one night off to visit Clark’s Fish Camp in Jacksonville. That was an experience! Delicious seafood in interesting surroundings and good friends to share it with.

When Linda and Kuyler headed back, we got really serious. I had an opportunity to purchase a used Sailrite sewing machine, on launch day. It had a few problems but we got those ironed out and it works like a charm. I made a canvas storage bag, with a full length zipper, to store Murray’s Fortress anchor. Now, we are looking at making our own dodger and bimini, in the spring.

The waterline slowly disappeared as we hauled groceries back to the boat and stowed them away. The new portable Engel freezer is jammed packed with meats and tucked in the aft cabin. The freezer in the icebox is filled with cold meats and cheeses.

Now, to remove the old batteries and install the new ones. Those are darn heavy things! We created an elevator with a milk crate and the spinnaker halyard. That job went better than we expected. The biggest hold-up was the laundry. But, after about 3 hours, it was done and folded.

Today, we got up, closed the boat tightly and set off insect bombs to kill any cockroaches that might have decided to travel with us. Then air the boat out again, stow the car away, and toss the lines.

The sun is shining brightly but the wind has a cold bite to it. We will travel as far down the river today as we can, entering the ICW tomorrow. And then, travel as fast as we can, heading south. But that is only at 6 to 7 knots! Arising at dawn and anchoring at dusk, we can expect to make about 60 to 70 miles per day, equivalent to one hour by car. Slow, huh?

Once we get south of Vero Beach, we will start looking for weather windows to cross the Gulf Stream. But, that is a few days away.

My new knee has not given me much trouble. Occasionally, it swells up some and I try to sit down more the next day. But, there is no pain or heat in the joint. All good things.

We finally found a new, tiny tree for the boat and acquired some lights today. Soon, we may get some decorations up for Christmas. I keep forgetting that it is so close.

Stay warm everyone.

Hugs to all, Heather & Murray

Hello everyone,

I got freedom! On Wednesday, the 1st of November, my meds were discontinued. My family doctor removed the PICC line ( that was easier than putting it in!!). I was free to walk about without a 5 pound pack around my waist or jump into the shower without having my arm wrapped in plastic wrap and tape. Man, did it make my life easier.

Now, we monitor the situation, watching for fever and/or pain. After a couple of weeks with no sign of either, we are going to continue on with our usual life and plans.

So, the plan is to arrive in Green Cove Springs on the 20th of this month. That will require us to depart Ontario on Thursday or Friday prior to that.

Right now, we are in Dunrobin visiting with our son and his family. Stops have been made in Woodstock and Guelph. On the return drive, we hope to visit Peterborough and maybe Oakville. Then we will be back at Steve’s place in St Thomas for a few more days.

So, that is what is happening with us. How are things will all of you? Surviving this dull, cool time of year? Hopefully, we will manage to visit or at least have phone contact. Stay in touch.

Hugs, Heather & Murray

Hello everyone,

Well, Monday was the day that I saw the doctor again, hoping to be disconnected from the pump, put on oral antibiotics and sent on our way. It didn’t happen. He wanted to continue the iv for two more weeks. Needless to say, I was very disappointed.

But, we said that we would still head south and started to make plans. On Tuesday, we would pick up another weeks worth of iv bags, have the tubing changed at VON and drive to my Mom’s for a visit. Then we would have until Friday before needing another visit from the nurse. So, we called Community Care Access to arrange for all the info to be transferred to St Thomas and to have the VON there take over.

Not quite so easy. They would not allow me to leave North Bay with their pump. Even if we guaranteed overnight delivery back to them. No way would they bend the rules. The pump must be delivered before we leave. And there is only 7 hours between doses. The CCAC tried to suggest that it wouldn’t matter if I missed a dose. But, we didn’t think that was a viable option.

So, Tuesday we drove down to Gravenhurst to visit with my mom and sister, Karyn. They were so supportive during my hospital stay and I really wanted to see them again before we headed off.

Wednesday morning, as soon as my 6:00 dose started ( the pump wakes me ), we jumped up, showered, ate and headed out. The pump was left at the VON ( the drugstore didn’t open till 9 ).

The traffic was fairly light, except around TO, and we made good time. The nurse met us at Steve’s and hooked me up again.

Visiting with friends has top priority for the next few weeks. Once all this medical stuff is behind us, we will head back to the boat but no definite date as yet. A new wind generator has been ordered and will meet us in Florida. We had purchased a used one in ’97 and repair parts were no longer available. The list of boat jobs is not too long this year. Just as well, with the delay.

Steve’s wireless is allowing us to use this address again and we check it frequently. Stay in touch.

Hugs Heather & Murray

Hello all,

Firstly, I must apologize for the lack of news during the last little while. As you all know, I had knee surgery on Sept 8th and had expected a speedy recovery and to return to work in approx one weeks time.

That didn’t happen. I ran a fever daily from the day of surgery and visited several doctors/emergency clinics in the Orillia/Gravenhurst area where I was staying with my mom for the week post-op. Finally, I called North Bay Hospital and arranged to see the surgeon on Monday, the 18th.

I don’t need to give you all of the gory details but the up-shot was that they admitted me. Even though there were no beds to be had. I ended up on Paeds/Gyn Surgery at the McLaren site of the North Bay Hospital. The nurses there took wonderful care of me for the 15 days that I was their patient. Yes, I did say 15 days!! That is unheard of in this day and age of overnight stays for giving birth and short stays for other surgeries.

I was receiving IV antibiotics three times per day. My veins didn’t co-operate and most sites pooped out after 24 hours. Then, it would take 4-5 tries to get another vein. Man, am I covered with bruises. Eventually, it was decided to insert a PICC line. This is a fine catheter that enters a vein between your elbow and shoulder and terminates at the superior vena cava. Even that wasn’t easy as the first three tries didn’t work. But, eventually it was inserted.

Due to a suggestion by my sister, Karyn, (thanks, hon) I got out on passes for a few days just needing to be at the hospital at 2 pm, 10 pm and 6 am for my IV meds. So, Mur would pick me up in the morning, return me for an hour at 1:30 and then bring me back for overnight at about 9:30. I discovered just how much strength I had lost as we walked around grocery stores etc.

Murray’s cousin, Ivan, and his partner Midge have graciously taken us in for the duration of this “ordeal”. They have a condo in Callender, just outside of North Bay. If you wish to phone, we can be reached at 705-752-5204.

Then, on Tuesday, finally all of the paperwork was in place. Home Care was set up and I was discharged at about 5 pm.

We visited the VON office in North Bay last night and they hooked me up to a Prism pump which automatically delivers my doses at the required time. The pump is worn like a purse and is fed through your clothes, jackets etc. This will continue for another two weeks.

At the end of that time, if my blood results have improved substantially and all else looks good, I may be able to switch to oral antibiotics and be disconnected from the pump. If not, we will still leave this area and transfer down to St Thomas to stay at Steve’s house, near the 17th of Oct. Hopefully, we can do some visiting during our stay there and will try to connect with each of you. Long term plans? The return to the boat may be delayed somewhat but is still going to happen.

Meantime, I continue to stretch and bend my new knee and build up my strength. Mur pushes me to bend further each day. He keeps me going and is trying to tempt me to eat more. But, my appetite is way down and I have been losing too much weight (as if I would complain about that!).

So, that is what is happening here. Hope all is well with you.

Hugs, Heather & Murray