Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Into the Dominican Republic
After a terrific couple of days in South Caicos, anticipating a couple of more days on Big Sand Cay as a staging area for our night crossing to Luperon, DR, we made the crossing into the Dominican Republic directly and without incident. We are currently safe and sound, at anchor, in a friendly small port town's bay outside of Luperon, DR.
But I'm ahead of myself. South Caicos was a full day's sail across the Caicos Banks from Providenciales (or Provo as most refer to it) and after reviewing several routing alternatives, we chose a route that stated clearly it was for a 7 ft. drafted vessel (how deep the bottom clearance would be on this course). We weren't worried as our boat only draws 3'8" but another boat we were traveling with had a 5'6" keel. So, being the prudent mariners we all are by now, we chose the deeper route to avoid any potential problems. This was also the most direct route to our destination. Once underway, we found that the depths were a bit less than charted, and we knew there would numerous coral heads sprouting up along the way to avoid, so we were on a serious lookout and continued cautiously across this very shallow bank.
Note: To best understand what I mean by a "bank", think of a very high mountain plateau which is submerged under a somewhat consistent depth of shallow water. Surrounding the bank is usually a very deep (up to 15,000 ft. deep!) body of water with corresponding deep water wave and surge action. These deep water conditions effect the banks somewhat but usually, the water state on the banks is more related to wind and tidal activity, rather than the deep water action.
We had a moderate wind chop and tides were not a big issue here so we made it across the bank successfully and without kissing any dangerous coral formations. We all noted that these heads would have made for some fabulous snorkeling, had we taken a break along the way. But, as is usual, we were under a time constraint while making this daytime passage. I say "usually" because, changes in weather and approaching darkness can cause serious problems to the passagemaker.
Our "flotilla" of 7 boats, most of whom we've been moving with since leaving Georgetown, arrived at South Caicos island within hours of each other. After anchoring near dark, everyone stayed on their own boats for a quieter time alone, being Valentine's Day. The next day we were delighted to find we had terrific internet connectivity from our boat and spend most of the day catching up on emails and SKYPING for as long as the connectivity stayed good. After Rick concluded his internet activities in the morning, and Suz took over to do hers, Rick took the dingy ashore to fill our 5 gallon gerry can with diesel several times, returning to the boat to add to the tank to make sure we were prepared to make the big crossing to the DR when the weather said we were ready. After about five trips, we felt we were more than safe with our fuel levels and our comfort level was satisfied as we were now ready to go, expecting the passage to be in a few more days when the weather seemed to be getting more settled.
That night, we all went ashore to see what the little village was about. One must remember that we are in a very remote part of these island and the town, despite having the best internet wifi connections since Warderick Wells, Exumas(!), are very poor communities with little industry, if any, beyond fishing. The town was about the size of a small American rural crossroads town, and consisted of a "grocery" store, a gas station, 4 bars (maybe more) a couple of miscellaneous stores with dirt streets and goats and chickens running around unattended. Our kind of place! Actually, a few of the main streets were paved, which seemed so odd in such a remote place.
So that night the "gang of 6" (two other couples we've enjoyed) and us, decided to go in and see what the nightlife was to offer in this little village. We made a "pub crawl" out of the night to the 4 bars we could find and ate fried chicken at the last one at about 9pm. After paying premium prices for beers in Provo, we were all pleased to find cheaper beverage pricing ($2.50/beer) and made a night of it. We met many nice locals, whom were extremely friendly to us, their children, their uncles and aunts, etc. Much like meeting old friends and making new ones all at once. We even got a ride in the back on a pick up from one bar to another (only a few blocks away!) at one point, and generally felt a part of the Friday night's local scene. We all returned to our respective boats and were tucked in around 11pm that night, none of us feeling much pain. :)
The morning "ritual" among boaters with SSB radios at least, is to get up in time for the early morning weather broadcast at 6:30, then make any decisions about moving on based upon individual (sometimes collective) interpretations about the weather report. There is a fellow named Chris Parker who runs a weather reporting business for the Caribbean region, who does these reports daily (except Sundays). With a paid "subscription" of a couple of hundred dollars a year, one has the ability to hail him on the broadcast frequency to ask specific questions about a desired passage plan or a certain weather window likelihood for an upcoming trip. We aren't sponsors, but a few of our traveling partners are, so when they call in, we get the benefit of their advice. If we were to continue forward alone, I think for the $200, we would likely join to use this personalized portion of his service. But as for now, we get the benefits without the expense.
The morning following the pub crawl, after listening to the weather report, we all discovered that the window for the next leg had suddenly opened and an option for moving earlier now existed. The general rule of thumb is, once a window opens, take it, as another might not be available for a while. So, after a short discussion was completed at around 8:30am, we all decided that we should make ready to get on the road. We all needed to go ashore again to check out of the country before we could leave. This is a practice like leaving any country, one must go through customs and get approval to leave. Being a Sunday, we expected to have to pay "overtime charges" (usually an additional $10-20) to get the paperwork done. This is a practice which many countries use to bolster their income from tourists. So in we captains went, papers in hand, to seek out the customs official. We had to call his house and have him meet us at the grocery store to do the paperwork. Having left the ladies aboard while we went to do the customs thing, much prep was complete before we returned.When we returned, and were all back aboard our boats, we made the final preparations to depart ASAP. Evidently the customs man, officially dressed in blue jeans, t-shirt, and an American logo ball cap, took pity on us revelers and no overtime was charged. Within 30 minutes, all of us had raised anchors and were underway for the proposed trip to Big Sand Cay, where it was proposed to lay up for a couple of days until a better window was supposed to appear when we could make off for Luperon.
Knowing that the trip to Luperon necessitated an overnight passage, our intention was to lay up at Great Sand for a couple of days so we would be ready to depart, when ready, for the long passage to Luperon for an early morning arrival. It is advised that one must arrive into the harbor at dawn to avoid problems with what is called the "lee effect" of this big island. The lee is the side of the shoreline opposite the wind direction. Simply stated, strong winds come across the island after the sun comes up, come across the tall mountains, then drop down to the seashore, where they cause difficult sea conditions during the day as you try to enter the harbor area, making it very dangerous at worst and very uncomfortable at best.
Once underway fro Great Sand (5-6 hours away), we were contacted by another of our group whom had departed the day before. He reported that the anchorage on Great Sand was very rolly and not good for laying up due to current sea conditions. Now it was time to make a new game plan, unless we wanted to "enjoy" uncomfortable anchorage conditions for potentially up to a week. Since the weather for the continuing leg to Luperon was acceptable but not great, it was decided to shove on and continue through the night to our first destination in the Dominican Republic.
After a rather "celebrated" evening the night before, none of us merry makers were too excited about this leg's extension (an additional 16 or so hours), but we all knew that you need to go when you can, so off we went. The wind conditions were terrific for a good sail day so up the canvas went and we all fly across as the miles clicked away. Motors off, the feeling and sounds of the wind in the sails, and the water rushing by is something one must personally experience rather than read of. I will simply say that the day's sail was certainly one of the highlights of our trip so far. We all made as many miles as we could not knowing when and if the weather would change along the way. There were 6 monohulled sailboats and us in our catamaran in the flotilla.
Once the decision to push on for Luperon was made, about halfway to Great Sand, three of the boats, the earlier mentioned "gang of 6" decided to begin a shorter, more direct route to Luperon, while the other four monohulls made on to Big Sand Cay to then tack south expecting a stronger following wind which would give them more speed on that leg. Informally, and not stated, the race was on! We 6 had decided that we could make better overall time with a shorter distance than they could with their better downwind speed at a longer distance. Since we all remained within 10 miles of each other radio contact was good and frequent connections were made along the way.
As we traveled that day, sails flying, we saw many humpback whales whom seemed to want to come near our boats to check us out. It was thrilling to see their huge bodies surface nearby (within 100 yards at times!) then slide back below the water's surface. We made approximately 40 to 50 sightings, including one whom I was concerned would ram into the side as he approached on a rather direct collision course. But just before he would have hit us, he dove below and reappeared on the opposite side as if he were saying "HA! I fooled you!". We all sailed throughout the day between 7 and 8 knots speed, then, once the sun started to set, each boat doused whatever sails they wanted to put down before continuing on through the night. Some were more comfortable leaving all up, others, like, us felt better getting the jib down and putting one reef into the main for a bit more stabilization in the 15-20 knot wind. The cat sailed effortlessly through the whole day and was the fastest boat in our group and made me feel pretty happy as we moved on toward our late night's journey.
We took shifts at the watch as the other partner napped, to return later for their shift at the helm. The overnight's are strenuous only in that they demand complete attention in less than ideal conditions. Darkness, rolling seas, continuous wind blowing on you, and lack of sleep all cause fatigue. We have learned to take our watches in longer stages as they seem to allow us to get mor quality sleep when allowed. Others prefer to take shorter watches with naps as possible. We both stayed awake until around 7pm, when Rick to his first sleep break. At 11pm and a few hours rest, he came up and was informed of the night's first encounter with a big cruise ship was underway. Off of our port bow, the lights from the cruise ship were clearly visible at about 5 miles. Some of the boats in our group have RADAR, others have none, some have something called AIS which gives more specific data (nearby vessel's name, type, speed, heading, etc), some don't, and some have all. We only have RADAR which allows us to "see" the approaching vessels on our screen but we have to do some manipulation to determine their direction and estimate their speed. It was nice to have accompanying vessels with the more sophisticated equipment along, voicing info for us all.
In this case, one of our group were able to hail the cruise ships helm and informed him of our flotilla and to watch out for 7 sailboats. Technically, sailboats would have the right away in these cases, but as in life, sometimes size does matter. Therefore we all try to keep out of their way without abandoning our set courses unless necessary. The cruise ship's captain was pretty arrogant and after telling us "not to worry" came dangerously close (within 1/4 mile) of one of our group. Our friend said he could actually see the scratches in the big ship's hull. Our friend, who is a very experienced sailor, had made course adjustments aplenty to avoid this ship, yet the big boat seemed to keep on coming toward the little guy. Not where one wishes to be. After a few tense moments in the darkness, all was resolved and no one was the worse, yet for a few moments or panic to relieve the boredom of this night's passage.
After this scene was resolved, Suz slipped downstairs to get some shuteye. Rick took the helm from about 11:30pm until about 4 when Suz came back up to take over. During Rick's watch, a freighter had come into our area and was not responsive to our efforts to contact him, making us do some collective calculations regarding his direction and speed to make sure we were all out of danger zone. Other than that, the passage went uneventful, save for a few small squalls following us, with one above us for about an hour. No serious wind attached, so we enjoyed a good old fashioned rainstorm to wash some of the salt from the day's sail from the boat.We stayed up together for about an hour when Rick napped for about an hour until the sun started to peek up over the watery horizon. Within another hour we could see the land mass of the DR and were delighted that we had made the journey, on schedule and would be entering the harbor safely on time. Once inside the harbor, we found a snug spot to drop the hook and fell exhausted into bed for a couple hours of well-deserved shut eye. To awaken and begin the checking in process.
Entering a new country, unlike coming into the US, one must go through Customs, Immigration, an Agricultural check-in where they inspect your food and trash to make sure you are not bringing disease into the country, meet the fully decked out in military garb (including medals) Commandante or official Navy Captain who kind of acts like the Chief of Police. Each step requires a few dollars and some paperwork and a lot of patience as they all speak very broken English. We have had to re acquaint ourselves with the Spanish language again. We feel like we've lost much of the little Spanish we used to have.
After completing these duties, we went into the town of Luperon, which is very third world like in looks but the most friendly place we've been so far. There were the typical farm animals loose in the streets (ever have a goat come into a bar and check you out? Sounds like the beginning to a joke, doesn't it!). Being it was now beer-thirty, we stopped at a local's open air bar for a local beer. They make a very good quality beer, Presidente, here and they put them in 24 oz bottles. They are about 90 cents each so we think we're going to like this place. HA! Sitting on a stool looking out over the streets, we we soon met by our friends and a group of about 10 of us hung out for the rest of the evening, including a dinner at a more traditional eatery called Captain Steve's. Oh yes, the Commandante from the mornings meeting on the boat was also in this bar, now dressed in his civilian clothing, dancing the salsa with some of the local ladies. He made a great effort to come over to us and informally welcome us to his town of Luperon.
This morning we awoke after a bountiful night's rest, feeling refreshed and rarin' to go. We're about to go to town to check on flights home for the wedding and to do some internet both of which can be accomplished in this back woods community. It is an amazing world we live in, yes?
We will stay here, weather windows be damned, until we fly back to Colorado for the big celebration, then return to continue toward Puerto Rico and t5he Virgin Islands upon our return. Since this is a big cruiser's hangout, we feel very comfortable leaving our boat here under the watchful eyes of friends we've made along the way.
But I'm ahead of myself. South Caicos was a full day's sail across the Caicos Banks from Providenciales (or Provo as most refer to it) and after reviewing several routing alternatives, we chose a route that stated clearly it was for a 7 ft. drafted vessel (how deep the bottom clearance would be on this course). We weren't worried as our boat only draws 3'8" but another boat we were traveling with had a 5'6" keel. So, being the prudent mariners we all are by now, we chose the deeper route to avoid any potential problems. This was also the most direct route to our destination. Once underway, we found that the depths were a bit less than charted, and we knew there would numerous coral heads sprouting up along the way to avoid, so we were on a serious lookout and continued cautiously across this very shallow bank.
Note: To best understand what I mean by a "bank", think of a very high mountain plateau which is submerged under a somewhat consistent depth of shallow water. Surrounding the bank is usually a very deep (up to 15,000 ft. deep!) body of water with corresponding deep water wave and surge action. These deep water conditions effect the banks somewhat but usually, the water state on the banks is more related to wind and tidal activity, rather than the deep water action.
We had a moderate wind chop and tides were not a big issue here so we made it across the bank successfully and without kissing any dangerous coral formations. We all noted that these heads would have made for some fabulous snorkeling, had we taken a break along the way. But, as is usual, we were under a time constraint while making this daytime passage. I say "usually" because, changes in weather and approaching darkness can cause serious problems to the passagemaker.
Our "flotilla" of 7 boats, most of whom we've been moving with since leaving Georgetown, arrived at South Caicos island within hours of each other. After anchoring near dark, everyone stayed on their own boats for a quieter time alone, being Valentine's Day. The next day we were delighted to find we had terrific internet connectivity from our boat and spend most of the day catching up on emails and SKYPING for as long as the connectivity stayed good. After Rick concluded his internet activities in the morning, and Suz took over to do hers, Rick took the dingy ashore to fill our 5 gallon gerry can with diesel several times, returning to the boat to add to the tank to make sure we were prepared to make the big crossing to the DR when the weather said we were ready. After about five trips, we felt we were more than safe with our fuel levels and our comfort level was satisfied as we were now ready to go, expecting the passage to be in a few more days when the weather seemed to be getting more settled.
That night, we all went ashore to see what the little village was about. One must remember that we are in a very remote part of these island and the town, despite having the best internet wifi connections since Warderick Wells, Exumas(!), are very poor communities with little industry, if any, beyond fishing. The town was about the size of a small American rural crossroads town, and consisted of a "grocery" store, a gas station, 4 bars (maybe more) a couple of miscellaneous stores with dirt streets and goats and chickens running around unattended. Our kind of place! Actually, a few of the main streets were paved, which seemed so odd in such a remote place.
So that night the "gang of 6" (two other couples we've enjoyed) and us, decided to go in and see what the nightlife was to offer in this little village. We made a "pub crawl" out of the night to the 4 bars we could find and ate fried chicken at the last one at about 9pm. After paying premium prices for beers in Provo, we were all pleased to find cheaper beverage pricing ($2.50/beer) and made a night of it. We met many nice locals, whom were extremely friendly to us, their children, their uncles and aunts, etc. Much like meeting old friends and making new ones all at once. We even got a ride in the back on a pick up from one bar to another (only a few blocks away!) at one point, and generally felt a part of the Friday night's local scene. We all returned to our respective boats and were tucked in around 11pm that night, none of us feeling much pain. :)
The morning "ritual" among boaters with SSB radios at least, is to get up in time for the early morning weather broadcast at 6:30, then make any decisions about moving on based upon individual (sometimes collective) interpretations about the weather report. There is a fellow named Chris Parker who runs a weather reporting business for the Caribbean region, who does these reports daily (except Sundays). With a paid "subscription" of a couple of hundred dollars a year, one has the ability to hail him on the broadcast frequency to ask specific questions about a desired passage plan or a certain weather window likelihood for an upcoming trip. We aren't sponsors, but a few of our traveling partners are, so when they call in, we get the benefit of their advice. If we were to continue forward alone, I think for the $200, we would likely join to use this personalized portion of his service. But as for now, we get the benefits without the expense.
The morning following the pub crawl, after listening to the weather report, we all discovered that the window for the next leg had suddenly opened and an option for moving earlier now existed. The general rule of thumb is, once a window opens, take it, as another might not be available for a while. So, after a short discussion was completed at around 8:30am, we all decided that we should make ready to get on the road. We all needed to go ashore again to check out of the country before we could leave. This is a practice like leaving any country, one must go through customs and get approval to leave. Being a Sunday, we expected to have to pay "overtime charges" (usually an additional $10-20) to get the paperwork done. This is a practice which many countries use to bolster their income from tourists. So in we captains went, papers in hand, to seek out the customs official. We had to call his house and have him meet us at the grocery store to do the paperwork. Having left the ladies aboard while we went to do the customs thing, much prep was complete before we returned.When we returned, and were all back aboard our boats, we made the final preparations to depart ASAP. Evidently the customs man, officially dressed in blue jeans, t-shirt, and an American logo ball cap, took pity on us revelers and no overtime was charged. Within 30 minutes, all of us had raised anchors and were underway for the proposed trip to Big Sand Cay, where it was proposed to lay up for a couple of days until a better window was supposed to appear when we could make off for Luperon.
Knowing that the trip to Luperon necessitated an overnight passage, our intention was to lay up at Great Sand for a couple of days so we would be ready to depart, when ready, for the long passage to Luperon for an early morning arrival. It is advised that one must arrive into the harbor at dawn to avoid problems with what is called the "lee effect" of this big island. The lee is the side of the shoreline opposite the wind direction. Simply stated, strong winds come across the island after the sun comes up, come across the tall mountains, then drop down to the seashore, where they cause difficult sea conditions during the day as you try to enter the harbor area, making it very dangerous at worst and very uncomfortable at best.
Once underway fro Great Sand (5-6 hours away), we were contacted by another of our group whom had departed the day before. He reported that the anchorage on Great Sand was very rolly and not good for laying up due to current sea conditions. Now it was time to make a new game plan, unless we wanted to "enjoy" uncomfortable anchorage conditions for potentially up to a week. Since the weather for the continuing leg to Luperon was acceptable but not great, it was decided to shove on and continue through the night to our first destination in the Dominican Republic.
After a rather "celebrated" evening the night before, none of us merry makers were too excited about this leg's extension (an additional 16 or so hours), but we all knew that you need to go when you can, so off we went. The wind conditions were terrific for a good sail day so up the canvas went and we all fly across as the miles clicked away. Motors off, the feeling and sounds of the wind in the sails, and the water rushing by is something one must personally experience rather than read of. I will simply say that the day's sail was certainly one of the highlights of our trip so far. We all made as many miles as we could not knowing when and if the weather would change along the way. There were 6 monohulled sailboats and us in our catamaran in the flotilla.
Once the decision to push on for Luperon was made, about halfway to Great Sand, three of the boats, the earlier mentioned "gang of 6" decided to begin a shorter, more direct route to Luperon, while the other four monohulls made on to Big Sand Cay to then tack south expecting a stronger following wind which would give them more speed on that leg. Informally, and not stated, the race was on! We 6 had decided that we could make better overall time with a shorter distance than they could with their better downwind speed at a longer distance. Since we all remained within 10 miles of each other radio contact was good and frequent connections were made along the way.
As we traveled that day, sails flying, we saw many humpback whales whom seemed to want to come near our boats to check us out. It was thrilling to see their huge bodies surface nearby (within 100 yards at times!) then slide back below the water's surface. We made approximately 40 to 50 sightings, including one whom I was concerned would ram into the side as he approached on a rather direct collision course. But just before he would have hit us, he dove below and reappeared on the opposite side as if he were saying "HA! I fooled you!". We all sailed throughout the day between 7 and 8 knots speed, then, once the sun started to set, each boat doused whatever sails they wanted to put down before continuing on through the night. Some were more comfortable leaving all up, others, like, us felt better getting the jib down and putting one reef into the main for a bit more stabilization in the 15-20 knot wind. The cat sailed effortlessly through the whole day and was the fastest boat in our group and made me feel pretty happy as we moved on toward our late night's journey.
We took shifts at the watch as the other partner napped, to return later for their shift at the helm. The overnight's are strenuous only in that they demand complete attention in less than ideal conditions. Darkness, rolling seas, continuous wind blowing on you, and lack of sleep all cause fatigue. We have learned to take our watches in longer stages as they seem to allow us to get mor quality sleep when allowed. Others prefer to take shorter watches with naps as possible. We both stayed awake until around 7pm, when Rick to his first sleep break. At 11pm and a few hours rest, he came up and was informed of the night's first encounter with a big cruise ship was underway. Off of our port bow, the lights from the cruise ship were clearly visible at about 5 miles. Some of the boats in our group have RADAR, others have none, some have something called AIS which gives more specific data (nearby vessel's name, type, speed, heading, etc), some don't, and some have all. We only have RADAR which allows us to "see" the approaching vessels on our screen but we have to do some manipulation to determine their direction and estimate their speed. It was nice to have accompanying vessels with the more sophisticated equipment along, voicing info for us all.
In this case, one of our group were able to hail the cruise ships helm and informed him of our flotilla and to watch out for 7 sailboats. Technically, sailboats would have the right away in these cases, but as in life, sometimes size does matter. Therefore we all try to keep out of their way without abandoning our set courses unless necessary. The cruise ship's captain was pretty arrogant and after telling us "not to worry" came dangerously close (within 1/4 mile) of one of our group. Our friend said he could actually see the scratches in the big ship's hull. Our friend, who is a very experienced sailor, had made course adjustments aplenty to avoid this ship, yet the big boat seemed to keep on coming toward the little guy. Not where one wishes to be. After a few tense moments in the darkness, all was resolved and no one was the worse, yet for a few moments or panic to relieve the boredom of this night's passage.
After this scene was resolved, Suz slipped downstairs to get some shuteye. Rick took the helm from about 11:30pm until about 4 when Suz came back up to take over. During Rick's watch, a freighter had come into our area and was not responsive to our efforts to contact him, making us do some collective calculations regarding his direction and speed to make sure we were all out of danger zone. Other than that, the passage went uneventful, save for a few small squalls following us, with one above us for about an hour. No serious wind attached, so we enjoyed a good old fashioned rainstorm to wash some of the salt from the day's sail from the boat.We stayed up together for about an hour when Rick napped for about an hour until the sun started to peek up over the watery horizon. Within another hour we could see the land mass of the DR and were delighted that we had made the journey, on schedule and would be entering the harbor safely on time. Once inside the harbor, we found a snug spot to drop the hook and fell exhausted into bed for a couple hours of well-deserved shut eye. To awaken and begin the checking in process.
Entering a new country, unlike coming into the US, one must go through Customs, Immigration, an Agricultural check-in where they inspect your food and trash to make sure you are not bringing disease into the country, meet the fully decked out in military garb (including medals) Commandante or official Navy Captain who kind of acts like the Chief of Police. Each step requires a few dollars and some paperwork and a lot of patience as they all speak very broken English. We have had to re acquaint ourselves with the Spanish language again. We feel like we've lost much of the little Spanish we used to have.
After completing these duties, we went into the town of Luperon, which is very third world like in looks but the most friendly place we've been so far. There were the typical farm animals loose in the streets (ever have a goat come into a bar and check you out? Sounds like the beginning to a joke, doesn't it!). Being it was now beer-thirty, we stopped at a local's open air bar for a local beer. They make a very good quality beer, Presidente, here and they put them in 24 oz bottles. They are about 90 cents each so we think we're going to like this place. HA! Sitting on a stool looking out over the streets, we we soon met by our friends and a group of about 10 of us hung out for the rest of the evening, including a dinner at a more traditional eatery called Captain Steve's. Oh yes, the Commandante from the mornings meeting on the boat was also in this bar, now dressed in his civilian clothing, dancing the salsa with some of the local ladies. He made a great effort to come over to us and informally welcome us to his town of Luperon.
This morning we awoke after a bountiful night's rest, feeling refreshed and rarin' to go. We're about to go to town to check on flights home for the wedding and to do some internet both of which can be accomplished in this back woods community. It is an amazing world we live in, yes?
We will stay here, weather windows be damned, until we fly back to Colorado for the big celebration, then return to continue toward Puerto Rico and t5he Virgin Islands upon our return. Since this is a big cruiser's hangout, we feel very comfortable leaving our boat here under the watchful eyes of friends we've made along the way.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Our first overnight passage
After staying two weeks in in the informally over-organized environment of Georgetown we decided that it was time to leave when we started referring to the setting as an "Adult Daycare Center'. It wasn't that we didn't enjoy it, as we did. We simply felt that the bulk of the inhabitants were there as a destination, rather than a layover, between stops further on down the path. As such, we noticed a certain daily/weekly "routine" which began to bug us and which we could not find comfort within. For a short visit maybe,but not for much longer than we were there. So, we made plans to "escape". Little did we expect, at the time, that there were others with similar mindsets.
One morning on the Cruisers Net VHF program, one boater suggested that anyone interested in meeting to discuss their individual plans for going further south might want to meet on such-and-such a day to discuss their plans and thoughts for these upcoming passages. As our intent all along was to get at least back to the Virgin Islands, before heading on to a Summer storing place, we decided that this meeting might be helpful in figuring out how to move on down through some of the next few islands with the least amount of difficulty. As experienced southern passage makers, as well as novices were encouraged to attend, we felt the info would be very helpful to us as first-timers. Boy were we right! The first meeting was attended by nearly 40-50 folks, including some 10 or so with extensive experience in making these trips on a regular, if not annual, basis.
Several of the attendees were making plans to go to the same places we intended to go, so it was easy to group up with those of similar intensions. The meeting started with introductions of each boat & crew, with boating expertise duly noted, followed by a general discussion about doing these passages and what one could expect or at least hope to expect. Quickly this large group settled into a tight knot camaraderie with several like-minded smaller groups forming, in anticipation of the journey ahead.
After this first meeting, an additional session was planned a few days later for those still considering leaving, with a rough departure date scheduled for the next good weather window. That meeting was attended by approximately 30 boaters and, again, smaller groups were formed from within the larger group. We found a comfort with a group of folks who were planning on leaving with the next window, with most shooting for the Dominican Republic as their next longer-term layover, maybe up to a couple of weeks. Most of our group had similar intentions of continuing on with the next weather opportunity, to the Virgin Islands and beyond. This group consisted of about 18 boats. Once the weather presented the opportunity, the group shrank to a serious 15 boats.
The "escape", as we began to call it, began with a planned overnight sail race/rally from Georgetown to Long Island, a neighboring island of some similar size. This was a planned "event" for anyone interested from the Georgetown community, and was to include a fun awards party and dinner at a restaurant on Long Island, an overnight there, then a return to Georgetown the next day. Our group, self-named "The Georgetown Escapees" planned to use the event as our first leg of the departure from Georgetown, in our passage through to more southern latitudes.
The day of the sail race/rally dawned beautifully, and we all enjoyed a perfect sailing day, of 10-15 knot winds on a beam reach (directly at the side of our boat) with the all sails flying in a mass armada of boats leaving the Georgetown harbor at the same time, around 8:30 am. Some 35 eventing boats in all, we headed toward the intended "finish line", about 20 miles away, with those planning on the Long Island portion of the event turning right at the finish line, and those of us continuing on, maintaining our headings for further out, to our intended overnight staging location, Conception Island, about 15 miles beyond the finish line. Had the wind had a more favorable heading, we would have continued on to Rum Cay, some 10 miles additional. But most of the "escapee" group settled for the Conception Island anchorage for the night. We felt quite good about our "race" position, as we had passed several boats and were not passed by any. I guess all those summer days on Lake Wawasee in Indiana must have taught me something about the wind and the sails. Had we continued off to the event party, we felt sure we would have been among the top finishers of the race. However, we had destinations in mind, further on down the chain.
At Conception, our group had been pared down to about 11 boats. Some of our original group had decided, for one reason or other, to change their plans and join the party group at Long Island, some had developed mechanical problems and had to pull off to resolve them, and some may have never intended on continuing on at all. Regardless, there was now a group of dedicated passage-makers, heading, en masse, south in the morning. Some intended on shorter destinations before resting, some planning an all out assault on the Dominican Republic, straight through, non-stop.
The next morning, sunrise was beautiful and the departure was quick with little discussion, as it had been previously decided to head off early if the weather continued favorably. Once underway, it became apparent, whom the real die hard sailors were and who was more interested in "just getting there". We fell somewhere in between.
This leg (minimum 30-36 hours) had several variables to consider. The first part included an overnight passage (or two for those continuing on to the Dominican Republic without stopping) with some consideration to each crews' ability to handle overnight watch shifts and such. Since we had done overnight passages with Capt'n Mark on our first outage, we felt comfortable we could handle those long hours, although we weren't looking forward to them with much excitement.
We enjoyed a good sail for much of the morning and somewhere around noon everyone seemed to have re-charted their intended route to take advantage of what they, individually or collectively, felt was the best angle of attack on the changing wind and waves. Several of the boats felt more comfortable staying with their friends or with someone more experienced for the first leg of the passage. We chose, primarily, to consider the wind angle, the wave heights, and the anticipated changes in wind direction as we decided our route for the rest of this leg. As it turned out, we were one of two boats on a more northerly route, anticipating better wind angle on our approach to Mayaguana, our next short pull-off, should we need it, on our way toward the Turks and Caicos. The other boat, it turns out, is another Coloradoan, whom we hadn't know well, who was intended on sailing the entire distance, if possible. We guessed that, as we already knew, us Coloradoans always seem to "march to our own drummer".
All other boats chose a more direct route, which took them more into the wind, at a slower speed, for a shorter distance. We calculated the longer route with an expected slower first leg with an intended faster tack angle on the homecoming leg. Our primary contact in this group, the other Manta sailboat whom we had earlier befriended, questioned our decision with some surprise, and then went on the more southerly, slower, route. We were really happy with our decision as we arrived into Mayaguana several hours ahead of most and with pride in finding our skills in routing had prevailed, at least for this once. :)
Once at Mayaguana, we fell exhausted into bed, after a quick warm meal, a few boat chores, and inspection of our anchor's position, a hot shower, and got a couple hours of well-deserved shut-eye (4 hours), anticipating a late night departure onward to the Turks and Caicos. We needed to arrive at the Turks/Caicos in the early morning to be able to pick out the coral heads in the water and not run aground transversing the wide banks there.
We left at 11:00 pm as the lead boat, including three others, and headed out into open water again. The others had left earlier, while we were resting. The seas around the point of the island were rough and we took one wave completely over the front of the boat. Quite a sight to see us plow into a wave and have water come back across the entire width of the cat all the way to the cabin windows. We momentarily questioned our sanity, yet knowing we couldn't change our IQs at this point, we pressed on, anticipating calmer conditions once away from the point of the island. Sure enough, once away from the current-ridden point, the seas became much more manageable and, although still running at 4 feet or so, we continued across the Mayaguana Passage toward the Turks and Caicos, about 12 hours away.
The overnight passage across to the Turks/Caicos seemed longer than it actually was as we were now working on a relative second night without a good long sleep. Although we took watches of about 4 to 6 hours each overnight, to allow some rest for each, this didn't seem to give either of us the needed deep sleep our bodies craved. We felt alert enough, however to make sound decisions and to be able to navigate and respond to ongoing needs of the passage. The first overnight yielded much large boat traffic, including freighters, giant container ships, and even a couple of huge cruise ships coming and going in and around our charted route. Each time we needed to decide if their course was of any concern to us, as they cannot and as we're told, WILL not, alter their courses for us little-bitty sailboats. Then we must decide what, if any, actions we might need to take to avoid any collision potential. It can be a bit unnerving to make these decisions out in the pitch black of the night, trying to determine course angles of approaching vessels and, even with the aid of RADAR, decide if all will be fine if left alone, or if evasive action must be taken at once. Fortunately, no real issues presented themselves and we made a good passage without incident, which is usually the way it is, after all is said and done.
During our second overnight from Mayaguana, as lead boat, our duties took on an additional responsibility. Because we were in the lead, we were the first to see oncoming traffic and then to report it to the boats coming up behind. During Rick's watch, at about 3 in the morning, a couple of boats came into view which needed to be reported to the others. After deciding that these vessels were of no danger to us, we needed to let the others know of their presence and approach. This activity allowed me to stay alert with ongoing VHF radio traffic and discussion between the approaching boats and the others. Naturally, during part of this evening several small squalls approached and went over us, making visual contact with the approaching vessels difficult if not impossible. Thankfully, we had RADRA which allowed us to see them (except when they were temporarily blocked by the squall line). Some of the boats didn't have RADAR and were mighty happy to have ongoing communication from us as we reported on the approaching vessels position and kept them aware of what was heading their way. The night passed without anything serious happening and we made great time into the approach to the Turks and Caicos.
Once the sun came up, Rick went below for some shut-eye, his watch completed, and Suz continued to get us home, into the Turks and Caicos at the Sandbore Channel. At about 9:00 am we arrived at our waypoint outside of the tricky entry into the banks of the T/C islands. We were arriving at just the right time, as the coral heads, looming black against the bright blue of the shallow sand bank waters showed up easily and allowed us to avoid any difficulty. We made it across the shallows (only 10-12 feet deep) and hit the anchorage without difficulty at around 10:30. After a few quick boat chores, we made a quick lunch and we both hit the sack.We awoke at around 2:30 and felt "back among the living", thankful for a safe passage and grateful for our ability to even be out here. Tonight we're celebrating with a steak and baker! Hopefully we can stay away for the entire meal. We plan on staying here for a couple of days at least. The next opportunity for making the Dominican Republic isn't expected until around Wednesday or Thursday. Once there we will explore that lovely island for a while before continuing on Puerto Rico.
Stay tuned... More adventures just over the horizon.
One morning on the Cruisers Net VHF program, one boater suggested that anyone interested in meeting to discuss their individual plans for going further south might want to meet on such-and-such a day to discuss their plans and thoughts for these upcoming passages. As our intent all along was to get at least back to the Virgin Islands, before heading on to a Summer storing place, we decided that this meeting might be helpful in figuring out how to move on down through some of the next few islands with the least amount of difficulty. As experienced southern passage makers, as well as novices were encouraged to attend, we felt the info would be very helpful to us as first-timers. Boy were we right! The first meeting was attended by nearly 40-50 folks, including some 10 or so with extensive experience in making these trips on a regular, if not annual, basis.
Several of the attendees were making plans to go to the same places we intended to go, so it was easy to group up with those of similar intensions. The meeting started with introductions of each boat & crew, with boating expertise duly noted, followed by a general discussion about doing these passages and what one could expect or at least hope to expect. Quickly this large group settled into a tight knot camaraderie with several like-minded smaller groups forming, in anticipation of the journey ahead.
After this first meeting, an additional session was planned a few days later for those still considering leaving, with a rough departure date scheduled for the next good weather window. That meeting was attended by approximately 30 boaters and, again, smaller groups were formed from within the larger group. We found a comfort with a group of folks who were planning on leaving with the next window, with most shooting for the Dominican Republic as their next longer-term layover, maybe up to a couple of weeks. Most of our group had similar intentions of continuing on with the next weather opportunity, to the Virgin Islands and beyond. This group consisted of about 18 boats. Once the weather presented the opportunity, the group shrank to a serious 15 boats.
The "escape", as we began to call it, began with a planned overnight sail race/rally from Georgetown to Long Island, a neighboring island of some similar size. This was a planned "event" for anyone interested from the Georgetown community, and was to include a fun awards party and dinner at a restaurant on Long Island, an overnight there, then a return to Georgetown the next day. Our group, self-named "The Georgetown Escapees" planned to use the event as our first leg of the departure from Georgetown, in our passage through to more southern latitudes.
The day of the sail race/rally dawned beautifully, and we all enjoyed a perfect sailing day, of 10-15 knot winds on a beam reach (directly at the side of our boat) with the all sails flying in a mass armada of boats leaving the Georgetown harbor at the same time, around 8:30 am. Some 35 eventing boats in all, we headed toward the intended "finish line", about 20 miles away, with those planning on the Long Island portion of the event turning right at the finish line, and those of us continuing on, maintaining our headings for further out, to our intended overnight staging location, Conception Island, about 15 miles beyond the finish line. Had the wind had a more favorable heading, we would have continued on to Rum Cay, some 10 miles additional. But most of the "escapee" group settled for the Conception Island anchorage for the night. We felt quite good about our "race" position, as we had passed several boats and were not passed by any. I guess all those summer days on Lake Wawasee in Indiana must have taught me something about the wind and the sails. Had we continued off to the event party, we felt sure we would have been among the top finishers of the race. However, we had destinations in mind, further on down the chain.
At Conception, our group had been pared down to about 11 boats. Some of our original group had decided, for one reason or other, to change their plans and join the party group at Long Island, some had developed mechanical problems and had to pull off to resolve them, and some may have never intended on continuing on at all. Regardless, there was now a group of dedicated passage-makers, heading, en masse, south in the morning. Some intended on shorter destinations before resting, some planning an all out assault on the Dominican Republic, straight through, non-stop.
The next morning, sunrise was beautiful and the departure was quick with little discussion, as it had been previously decided to head off early if the weather continued favorably. Once underway, it became apparent, whom the real die hard sailors were and who was more interested in "just getting there". We fell somewhere in between.
This leg (minimum 30-36 hours) had several variables to consider. The first part included an overnight passage (or two for those continuing on to the Dominican Republic without stopping) with some consideration to each crews' ability to handle overnight watch shifts and such. Since we had done overnight passages with Capt'n Mark on our first outage, we felt comfortable we could handle those long hours, although we weren't looking forward to them with much excitement.
We enjoyed a good sail for much of the morning and somewhere around noon everyone seemed to have re-charted their intended route to take advantage of what they, individually or collectively, felt was the best angle of attack on the changing wind and waves. Several of the boats felt more comfortable staying with their friends or with someone more experienced for the first leg of the passage. We chose, primarily, to consider the wind angle, the wave heights, and the anticipated changes in wind direction as we decided our route for the rest of this leg. As it turned out, we were one of two boats on a more northerly route, anticipating better wind angle on our approach to Mayaguana, our next short pull-off, should we need it, on our way toward the Turks and Caicos. The other boat, it turns out, is another Coloradoan, whom we hadn't know well, who was intended on sailing the entire distance, if possible. We guessed that, as we already knew, us Coloradoans always seem to "march to our own drummer".
All other boats chose a more direct route, which took them more into the wind, at a slower speed, for a shorter distance. We calculated the longer route with an expected slower first leg with an intended faster tack angle on the homecoming leg. Our primary contact in this group, the other Manta sailboat whom we had earlier befriended, questioned our decision with some surprise, and then went on the more southerly, slower, route. We were really happy with our decision as we arrived into Mayaguana several hours ahead of most and with pride in finding our skills in routing had prevailed, at least for this once. :)
Once at Mayaguana, we fell exhausted into bed, after a quick warm meal, a few boat chores, and inspection of our anchor's position, a hot shower, and got a couple hours of well-deserved shut-eye (4 hours), anticipating a late night departure onward to the Turks and Caicos. We needed to arrive at the Turks/Caicos in the early morning to be able to pick out the coral heads in the water and not run aground transversing the wide banks there.
We left at 11:00 pm as the lead boat, including three others, and headed out into open water again. The others had left earlier, while we were resting. The seas around the point of the island were rough and we took one wave completely over the front of the boat. Quite a sight to see us plow into a wave and have water come back across the entire width of the cat all the way to the cabin windows. We momentarily questioned our sanity, yet knowing we couldn't change our IQs at this point, we pressed on, anticipating calmer conditions once away from the point of the island. Sure enough, once away from the current-ridden point, the seas became much more manageable and, although still running at 4 feet or so, we continued across the Mayaguana Passage toward the Turks and Caicos, about 12 hours away.
The overnight passage across to the Turks/Caicos seemed longer than it actually was as we were now working on a relative second night without a good long sleep. Although we took watches of about 4 to 6 hours each overnight, to allow some rest for each, this didn't seem to give either of us the needed deep sleep our bodies craved. We felt alert enough, however to make sound decisions and to be able to navigate and respond to ongoing needs of the passage. The first overnight yielded much large boat traffic, including freighters, giant container ships, and even a couple of huge cruise ships coming and going in and around our charted route. Each time we needed to decide if their course was of any concern to us, as they cannot and as we're told, WILL not, alter their courses for us little-bitty sailboats. Then we must decide what, if any, actions we might need to take to avoid any collision potential. It can be a bit unnerving to make these decisions out in the pitch black of the night, trying to determine course angles of approaching vessels and, even with the aid of RADAR, decide if all will be fine if left alone, or if evasive action must be taken at once. Fortunately, no real issues presented themselves and we made a good passage without incident, which is usually the way it is, after all is said and done.
During our second overnight from Mayaguana, as lead boat, our duties took on an additional responsibility. Because we were in the lead, we were the first to see oncoming traffic and then to report it to the boats coming up behind. During Rick's watch, at about 3 in the morning, a couple of boats came into view which needed to be reported to the others. After deciding that these vessels were of no danger to us, we needed to let the others know of their presence and approach. This activity allowed me to stay alert with ongoing VHF radio traffic and discussion between the approaching boats and the others. Naturally, during part of this evening several small squalls approached and went over us, making visual contact with the approaching vessels difficult if not impossible. Thankfully, we had RADRA which allowed us to see them (except when they were temporarily blocked by the squall line). Some of the boats didn't have RADAR and were mighty happy to have ongoing communication from us as we reported on the approaching vessels position and kept them aware of what was heading their way. The night passed without anything serious happening and we made great time into the approach to the Turks and Caicos.
Once the sun came up, Rick went below for some shut-eye, his watch completed, and Suz continued to get us home, into the Turks and Caicos at the Sandbore Channel. At about 9:00 am we arrived at our waypoint outside of the tricky entry into the banks of the T/C islands. We were arriving at just the right time, as the coral heads, looming black against the bright blue of the shallow sand bank waters showed up easily and allowed us to avoid any difficulty. We made it across the shallows (only 10-12 feet deep) and hit the anchorage without difficulty at around 10:30. After a few quick boat chores, we made a quick lunch and we both hit the sack.We awoke at around 2:30 and felt "back among the living", thankful for a safe passage and grateful for our ability to even be out here. Tonight we're celebrating with a steak and baker! Hopefully we can stay away for the entire meal. We plan on staying here for a couple of days at least. The next opportunity for making the Dominican Republic isn't expected until around Wednesday or Thursday. Once there we will explore that lovely island for a while before continuing on Puerto Rico.
Stay tuned... More adventures just over the horizon.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Moving On...
As of yesterday, we decided to take advantage of a rather fortuitous weather window, one which would allow us significant distance before needing to tuck in somewhere, and continue moving south through the Bahamas toward Puerto Rico and then the Virgin Islands. So tomorrow morning as you all are snug in bed, we will be adventuring out into the more open water away from Georgetown, Exumas toward and around the northern tip of Long Island, then head south toward Mayaguana and then on toward the Turks and Caicos, with a hopeful landing in the Dominican Republic sometime early Sunday. There, we'll land at the harbor at Luperon, and take a couple oof days exploring this beautiful island of cheap high quality beer and bountiful flora of the island variety.
We will be leaving Georgetown with a group of about 25 other boats of all sizes who will be doing a cruising "race" to Long island, where they'll stay for a day before returning to the Georgetown harbor again. We will not stop there as the weather is good (at least very acceptable) for our continued travels south and east.[ Some of the boats will do a non-stop trip of around 72 hours, taking shifts at the helm of 4 to 6 hours each. Others will do short hops of "day trips" with nightly sleeps in between. We will do a bit of both, I imagine. If the weather holds, we would like to get all the way to DR before the weather turns bad again on Sunday late. Tyhen on Tuesday, we shold be able to continue across the northern side of the DR and cross the Mona Passage, a crossing very similar the the Gulf Stream, over to the west end of Puerto Rico, proceeding along the south side of the island toward the Virgins. Our goal is to get into the Virgins before we fly back to Colorado for Jen's wedding or at least get to Puerto Rico where we can fly from. If we get stuck in the Dominican Republic, flights would also be available there. We will likely be out of internet and phone contact for the time between here and DR so don't expect any immediate response should you send a message. It could be up to a week but hopefully not.
This is the biggest leg of the trip so far so we're a bit apprehensive, but the boat is certainly capable of the journey and we feel able as well. If we get into trouble along the way, there are plenty of spots to "pull in" and regroup so don't fret. We'll get back in touch once we make landfall in the Dominican Republic so stay tuned...
Love to you all!
Us
Still in Georgetown
We are still in what many consider the "Mecca" of the Exumas, Georgetown and enjoying the things that are available here. Most of these things exist because of the influx of the seasonal cruising community and are available for these folks' enjoyment and anmnual seasonal occupation. The main harbor, which is several miles long and may be a mile wide has several designated anchorages. Each anchorage has a "theme" as in Volleyball Beach for the beach volleyball crowd, Sand Dollar Beach, which seems to attract those less interested in group activities, and Red Shanks, which is very remote and attracts those who really seek freedom from the crowds at the other anchorages. Red Shanks, where we anchored for several nights is beautiful and very protected from winds in all directions. It is harder to get into due to the shallow areas one must pass through and around, but affords one a very calm and relatively wind-free anchorage.
We are planning on staying here at least a week or so. Then we will decide if we should continue south down to Trinidad area (off of South America) where we could leave the boat on shore for the summer hurricane season, or stay in this general area until we decide to turn around and start back north for the summer season. We just want to make sure we have time to get either direction completed without feeling like we've just blown through and not had time to enjoy stops along the way. We'll keep you posted as we make decisions. I will add to the blog before long and discuss this in more detail but thought you might like to be in on our thinking before we make the final decision.
This place is really interesting. It seems to be a lot like Sun City, etc. as there are lots of people who come for the entire winter season, less the time it takes them to sail/motor from the states or Canada. Every morning there is a scheduled program on VHF Channel 68 where the local cruisers net announces the day's "doings" and let's everyone new have a moment to announce their boat name, home port, and such. Kind of like a welcome wagon thing. I guess it lets others hear where you're from and if one is returning they can reconnect with others they've met during earlier visits. The announcer/moderator really got a chuckle out of our boat's name "Allergic to Cities" when we checked in our first morning.
We're still doing well and enjoying this area, although we are beginning to feel like we're anxious to move on to see new stuff. This is pretty organized for us free-spirited types but the area is quite beautiful, nonetheless.
DECISON MADE
Today we decided we wouldn't attempt to go the entire distance to Trinidad this season, and would opt to stay closer to the states, venturing maybe no further south than the Virgin Islands before turning north for hurricane season. We feel that making the commitment to go all the way to South America this first year might have been too aggressive for our initial outing. We know we are capable of doing it, we just feel that for the first year we might make better use of our time honing our skills and not just racing past some of the places we have wanted to stop and enjoy. Next year will be another year and all options will be back on the table.
The boat has been handling beautifully, even with the sporadic mechanical issues, it was a perfect choice for our first boat. Perhaps a bit more luxurious than needed, but what the heck, we're worth it! :)
The Outdoor Recreation show in Salt Lake City was a huge success, evidently, as our rep company The Duck CO. said the had a great reception to the new line. Sales were moderate but encouraging and they feel that with the follow-ups from their field reps, sales should be where they'd hoped when all is said and done. Said the show produced a lot of "looky-loos" but that was typical of these shows. They thought the response to the line was on target so they (and we!) were very pleased. They produced a catalog specifically for our line and I'm anxious to see it. It is in the mail awaiting our arrival in Steamboat Springs.
We have sent out inquiries to several marinas regarding costs and availabilities for storing the boat for the summer. Places as varied as Puerto Rico and Savannah are being considered. Currently we plan on returning to Steamboat Springs for next summer and aren't quite sure how/where we'll stay once we're back in town. Our rental house is being occupied by a very nice family and we don't want to displace them when we return. Our land could be where we stay but we'll need to get something a bit more substantial up there beyond our Tipi and a port-a-potty for summer needs. We would love to build a barn with apartment above for our use but that wouldn't be available for occupation until later inm the summer if at all this year. So.... We have many decisions to make before too much longer. But for now, I think we'll dingy ashore and go for a hike. That's enough decision making for now!
We are planning on staying here at least a week or so. Then we will decide if we should continue south down to Trinidad area (off of South America) where we could leave the boat on shore for the summer hurricane season, or stay in this general area until we decide to turn around and start back north for the summer season. We just want to make sure we have time to get either direction completed without feeling like we've just blown through and not had time to enjoy stops along the way. We'll keep you posted as we make decisions. I will add to the blog before long and discuss this in more detail but thought you might like to be in on our thinking before we make the final decision.
This place is really interesting. It seems to be a lot like Sun City, etc. as there are lots of people who come for the entire winter season, less the time it takes them to sail/motor from the states or Canada. Every morning there is a scheduled program on VHF Channel 68 where the local cruisers net announces the day's "doings" and let's everyone new have a moment to announce their boat name, home port, and such. Kind of like a welcome wagon thing. I guess it lets others hear where you're from and if one is returning they can reconnect with others they've met during earlier visits. The announcer/moderator really got a chuckle out of our boat's name "Allergic to Cities" when we checked in our first morning.
We're still doing well and enjoying this area, although we are beginning to feel like we're anxious to move on to see new stuff. This is pretty organized for us free-spirited types but the area is quite beautiful, nonetheless.
DECISON MADE
Today we decided we wouldn't attempt to go the entire distance to Trinidad this season, and would opt to stay closer to the states, venturing maybe no further south than the Virgin Islands before turning north for hurricane season. We feel that making the commitment to go all the way to South America this first year might have been too aggressive for our initial outing. We know we are capable of doing it, we just feel that for the first year we might make better use of our time honing our skills and not just racing past some of the places we have wanted to stop and enjoy. Next year will be another year and all options will be back on the table.
The boat has been handling beautifully, even with the sporadic mechanical issues, it was a perfect choice for our first boat. Perhaps a bit more luxurious than needed, but what the heck, we're worth it! :)
The Outdoor Recreation show in Salt Lake City was a huge success, evidently, as our rep company The Duck CO. said the had a great reception to the new line. Sales were moderate but encouraging and they feel that with the follow-ups from their field reps, sales should be where they'd hoped when all is said and done. Said the show produced a lot of "looky-loos" but that was typical of these shows. They thought the response to the line was on target so they (and we!) were very pleased. They produced a catalog specifically for our line and I'm anxious to see it. It is in the mail awaiting our arrival in Steamboat Springs.
We have sent out inquiries to several marinas regarding costs and availabilities for storing the boat for the summer. Places as varied as Puerto Rico and Savannah are being considered. Currently we plan on returning to Steamboat Springs for next summer and aren't quite sure how/where we'll stay once we're back in town. Our rental house is being occupied by a very nice family and we don't want to displace them when we return. Our land could be where we stay but we'll need to get something a bit more substantial up there beyond our Tipi and a port-a-potty for summer needs. We would love to build a barn with apartment above for our use but that wouldn't be available for occupation until later inm the summer if at all this year. So.... We have many decisions to make before too much longer. But for now, I think we'll dingy ashore and go for a hike. That's enough decision making for now!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Georgetown, Exumas
We are still in what many consider the "Mecca" of the Exumas, Georgetown and enjoying the things that are available here. Most of these things exist because of the influx of the seasonal cruising community and are available for these folks' enjoyment and anmnual seasonal occupation. The main harbor, which is several miles long and may be a mile wide has several designated anchorages. Each anchorage has a "theme" as in Volleyball Beach for the beach volleyball crowd, Sand Dollar Beach, which seems to attract those less interested in group activities, and Red Shanks, which is very remote and attracts those who really seek freedom from the crowds at the other anchorages. Red Shanks, where we anchored for several nights is beautiful and very protected from winds in all directions. It is harder to get into due to the shallow areas one must pass through and around, but affords one a very calm and relatively wind-free anchorage.
We are planning on staying here at least a week or so. Then we will decide if we should continue south down to Trinidad area (off of South America) where we could leave the boat on shore for the summer hurricane season, or stay in this general area until we decide to turn around and start back north for the summer season. We just want to make sure we have time to get either direction completed without feeling like we've just blown through and not had time to enjoy stops along the way. We'll keep you posted as we make decisions. I will add to the blog before long and discuss this in more detail but thought you might like to be in on our thinking before we make the final decision.
This place is really interesting. It seems to be a lot like Sun City, etc. as there are lots of people who come for the entire winter season, less the time it takes them to sail/motor from the states or Canada. Every morning there is a scheduled program on VHF Channel 68 where the local cruisers net announces the day's "doings" and let's everyone new have a moment to announce their boat name, home port, and such. Kind of like a welcome wagon thing. I guess it lets others hear where you're from and if one is returning they can reconnect with others they've met during earlier visits. The announcer/moderator really got a chuckle out of our boat's name "Allergic to Cities" when we checked in our first morning.
We're still doing well and enjoying this area, although we are beginning to feel like we're anxious to move on to see new stuff. This is pretty organized for us free-spirited types but the area is quite beautiful, nonetheless.
DECISON MADE
Today we decided we wouldn't attempt to go the entire distance to Trinidad this season, and would opt to stay closer to the states, venturing maybe no further south than the Virgin Islands before turning north for hurricane season. We feel that making the commitment to go all the way to South America this first year might have been too aggressive for our initial outing. We know we are capable of doing it, we just feel that for the first year we might make better use of our time honing our skills and not just racing past some of the places we have wanted to stop and enjoy. Next year will be another year and all options will be back on the table.
The boat has been handling beautifully, even with the sporadic mechanical issues, it was a perfect choice for our first boat. Perhaps a bit more luxurious than needed, but what the heck, we're worth it! :)
The Outdoor Recreation show in Salt Lake City was a huge success, evidently, as our rep company The Duck CO. said the had a great reception to the new line. Sales were moderate but encouraging and they feel that with the follow-ups from their field reps, sales should be where they'd hoped when all is said and done. Said the show produced a lot of "looky-loos" but that was typical of these shows. They thought the response to the line was on target so they (and we!) were very pleased. They produced a catalog specifically for our line and I'm anxious to see it. It is in the mail awaiting our arrival in Steamboat Springs.
We have sent out inquiries to several marinas regarding costs and availabilities for storing the boat for the summer. Places as varied as Puerto Rico and Savannah are being considered. Currently we plan on returning to Steamboat Springs for next summer and aren't quite sure how/where we'll stay once we're back in town. Our rental house is being occupied by a very nice family and we don't want to displace them when we return. Our land could be where we stay but we'll need to get something a bit more substantial up there beyond our Tipi and a port-a-potty for summer needs. We would love to build a barn with apartment above for our use but that wouldn't be available for occupation until later inm the summer if at all this year. So.... We have many decisions to make before too much longer. But for now, I think we'll dingy ashore and go for a hike. That's enough decision making for now!
We are planning on staying here at least a week or so. Then we will decide if we should continue south down to Trinidad area (off of South America) where we could leave the boat on shore for the summer hurricane season, or stay in this general area until we decide to turn around and start back north for the summer season. We just want to make sure we have time to get either direction completed without feeling like we've just blown through and not had time to enjoy stops along the way. We'll keep you posted as we make decisions. I will add to the blog before long and discuss this in more detail but thought you might like to be in on our thinking before we make the final decision.
This place is really interesting. It seems to be a lot like Sun City, etc. as there are lots of people who come for the entire winter season, less the time it takes them to sail/motor from the states or Canada. Every morning there is a scheduled program on VHF Channel 68 where the local cruisers net announces the day's "doings" and let's everyone new have a moment to announce their boat name, home port, and such. Kind of like a welcome wagon thing. I guess it lets others hear where you're from and if one is returning they can reconnect with others they've met during earlier visits. The announcer/moderator really got a chuckle out of our boat's name "Allergic to Cities" when we checked in our first morning.
We're still doing well and enjoying this area, although we are beginning to feel like we're anxious to move on to see new stuff. This is pretty organized for us free-spirited types but the area is quite beautiful, nonetheless.
DECISON MADE
Today we decided we wouldn't attempt to go the entire distance to Trinidad this season, and would opt to stay closer to the states, venturing maybe no further south than the Virgin Islands before turning north for hurricane season. We feel that making the commitment to go all the way to South America this first year might have been too aggressive for our initial outing. We know we are capable of doing it, we just feel that for the first year we might make better use of our time honing our skills and not just racing past some of the places we have wanted to stop and enjoy. Next year will be another year and all options will be back on the table.
The boat has been handling beautifully, even with the sporadic mechanical issues, it was a perfect choice for our first boat. Perhaps a bit more luxurious than needed, but what the heck, we're worth it! :)
The Outdoor Recreation show in Salt Lake City was a huge success, evidently, as our rep company The Duck CO. said the had a great reception to the new line. Sales were moderate but encouraging and they feel that with the follow-ups from their field reps, sales should be where they'd hoped when all is said and done. Said the show produced a lot of "looky-loos" but that was typical of these shows. They thought the response to the line was on target so they (and we!) were very pleased. They produced a catalog specifically for our line and I'm anxious to see it. It is in the mail awaiting our arrival in Steamboat Springs.
We have sent out inquiries to several marinas regarding costs and availabilities for storing the boat for the summer. Places as varied as Puerto Rico and Savannah are being considered. Currently we plan on returning to Steamboat Springs for next summer and aren't quite sure how/where we'll stay once we're back in town. Our rental house is being occupied by a very nice family and we don't want to displace them when we return. Our land could be where we stay but we'll need to get something a bit more substantial up there beyond our Tipi and a port-a-potty for summer needs. We would love to build a barn with apartment above for our use but that wouldn't be available for occupation until later inm the summer if at all this year. So.... We have many decisions to make before too much longer. But for now, I think we'll dingy ashore and go for a hike. That's enough decision making for now!
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