Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, October 13, 2013

This will be Glory Days' home for the next month or so. We are back on the boat after about four months away and it feels good. We are at Hidden Harbor Marina which offers us easy access to downtown St. Augustine.

In early June we had the boat pulled and put in a boat yard in St. Augustine. We then rented a car and drove to Michigan. We enjoyed having some extended time to reconnect with family and friends who we had missed so much while we were off sailing. While we were in Michigan we bought a condo in Tawas City, so now we have a home on land to return to when we are done sailing.



This is the view from the deck of our new home.

After leaving Michigan, we travelled to Tennessee to attend the wedding of our nephew, Jared. While in the area we spent three days exploring Nashville. We loved the city and the influence that music has on the culture. Everywhere we went there was great music playing by talented artists that are trying to "make it."



From there it was on to St. Augustine to get the boat ready and back in the water.


After lots of cleaning and waxing, it was time for the Travel Lift and in the water we went.

The hurricane season doesn't technically end until December 1st, (but is generally considered to be over on November 1st) so we are committed to staying in St. Augustine for a while. Although this area is not immune to hurricanes, it is considered to be a safe spot and has not taken a direct hit since 1964. We like the odds, as does our insurance company. So for now we sit.

In the meantime we are enjoying St. Augustine. We have been here a little more than a week. Each morning we have walked and explored. This is the oldest city in the United States and it has retained a lot of the "old feel."









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Location:St. Augustine, Florida

We Reached, June 2, 2013

The Bahamians have a term for arriving at a destination. They simply say, "we reached." When we arrived in St. Augustine on May 31st, we felt like we reached.




The above picture shows what has happened to our Bahama courtesy flag after flying for five months in the windy Bahamas. We will need to replace it before we return next winter.




We spent 18 days working our way through the Abacos. We visited the towns of Little Harbor, Hope Town, Marsh Harbor, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana and Coopers Town. All were unique and interesting, but what we really liked was getting out to the less inhabited islands and walking the beaches. Laurie has enjoyed collecting shells on these beaches.




This is a "signing tree" at Allen's Cay. This is a spot where people leave signs and momentos to commemorate having been here.


This is us in front the "signing tree." The hard hat we found on the beach and decorated is above Laurie's head.




This is Dave and Teresa, a couple from Nova Scotia that we met in early May at Davis Harbor on Eleuthera. We have been bumping into them regularly as we have travelled and have enjoyed their company. They are doing a long offshore leg to North Carolina as they head home.

After leaving Allen's Cay, we moved to Great Sale Cay to prepare to cross the Little Bahama Bank and the the Gulf Stream and on to Florida. The forecast came together and we left Great Sale at 9:00 am on May 27 (Memorial Day). It took most of the day to get across the bank and just before dark the water depth plunged from 20 feet to over 2000 feet deep. We had planned to fish when we hit the Gulf Stream, but it was much too rough to consider fishing. There was no way we could land and clean a fish in 7-8 foot seas.

It was a remarkable crossing in that we sailed nearly the entire way under a full moon. With the aid if the current in the Gulf Stream, we were at times making over 10 miles per hour. We also did not see another boat the whole way. We arrived at Cape Canaveral at 8:00 am, covering the approximately 180 miles in 23 hours. We were tired, but happy to have the crossing behind us.



We relaxed for two days at Canaveral before moving north. We were faced with the choice of going outside and sailing along the coast in the Atlantic or going up the Intracoastal Waterway. The forecast was for continued strong winds and big waves on the Atlantic, so we choose the ICW.

After two full days on the waterway. We arrived in St. Augustine and tied up to a mooring ball. This is a place Leo and Dan had stopped on the way south in early December, but Laurie had not seen.




We will do some sight seeing and make a plan for storing the boat, then it will be on to Michigan for the summer.

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Location:St. Augustine, Florida

Hello Abacos, May 13, 2013

After three nights in Hatchet Bay, on the island of Eleuthera, we sailed west and north to Spanish Wells. It was sad to leave Hatchet Bay, as it has become one of our favorite spots. On the way to Spanish Wells, we passed through Current Cut. This spot is significant because the current RIPS through here with the changing tides. We timed it with a falling tide and had the current with us and at times we moved along at 10 mph.




Spanish Wells was a good place to stop to get fuel and rest up before our 55 mile crossing to the Abacos. The wind never really picked up enough to just sail, so we motor-sailed and fished the whole way.




Just before we got to Little Harbor our new fishing reel started singing, indicating we had a big strike. Dan managed to land this nice Wahoo. Wahoo are big fighters and very tasty.

Little Harbor was our first stop in the Abacos. This is a picturesque spot and home to the Randolph Johnston art studio. Randolph Johnston was a dynamic sculptor who moved here from the States in the late 1940's seeking a quiet spot to live and work. He became quite famous and was featured in Life Magazine. The foundry, studio and gallery are now operated by Randolph's son Pete.








We toured the complex and then relaxed at Pete's Pub, which has become the center of activity in Little Harbor.




From Little Harbor it was on to Hope Town. Hope Town is a very quaint Bahamian village with narrow streets and pastel colored cottages.


It is most famous for the lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in 1864 in spite of the resistance of the locals. They knew that the light would hamper their lucrative business of salvaging the ships that ended up on the reefs.

Today, the candy-stripped landmark still stands as sentinel to Abaco. The lighthouse is one of three oil-burning, hand-wound lighthouses in the world. The lighthouse keeper must climb the 101 steps to the top every two hours to hand crank the weights that operate the beacon.




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Location:Hope Town, Abacos, Bahamas

Beer with Crack. What's next? May 4, 2013

While walking through the liquor store, Dan discovered a new Bahamian beer that he had not seen before. The store owner said it was becoming very popular with the local men. It doesn't really have Crack in it, but it is strong. Similar to a malt liquor. Bahamian men tend to like their beer strong, often drinking Guinness, so it is understandable that they would like Bush Crack. We found the name funny on several levels, but the beer was just okay.

We continue to work our way up the islands at a leisurely pace. On April 29, we left Cat Island and headed toward Eleuthera, with a plan of stopping on the way at Little San Salvador.




Carnival Cruise Lines owns Little San Salvador and when we pulled into Half Moon Bay, our intended anchorage, found this ship in the anchorage. There was a a lot of activity, with para-sailing, glass bottom tour boats and shuttles back and forth to shore. We decided to move on.

We pulled in to Davis Harbor Marina, and for the first time in over 50 days, we tied Glory Days to a dock for the night. It seemed good to take long showers and give the boat a good washing, but a neither of us slept very well. We concluded we are so accustomed to rocking at anchor, that being still at a dock feels unnatural.





We left Davis Harbor at mid-day and had a wonderful sail up the coast. On the way we landed three Mahi-Mahi. Laurie caught this one and she now holds the boat record for the biggest fish, (sorry Leo).

Our fishing reel broke several days ago, so we are now only hand-lining. This involves dragging the lures on heavy monofilament line attached to a length of clothes line. When the fish hits, we put on gloves and start hauling. Not very sophisticated, but pretty effective. Just like Hemingway's, "Old Man in the Sea."

We now have a freezer full of Mahi and are finding lots of ways to prepare it.




We stayed three nights in Rock Sound enjoying the sights and the people.


Now we are at Governor's Harbor and plan to continue our slow progression north with a tentative plan to cross to the Abacos in the next week.

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Location:Governor's Harbor, Eleuthera

You need to be flexible, April 27, 2013

After our friends, Kaye and Leo left, we stayed another night in Salt Pond before heading north to Cape Santa Maria (again). On the way, we took this picture. After all this time in the Bahamas, we continue to be amazed by the beauty of the water and the sky.

We anchored just south of the Cape, near the Columbus Monument (again) with a plan to head to Rum Cay in the morning. After we left the protection of the anchorage and got out into the Atlantic, we realized that getting to Rum Cay was not going to be easy. The wind was just off the bow and the seas were running 7-8 feet. After some discussion, chart work and more discussion, Laurie said, "We need to be flexible. Let's go with what the wind is giving us and head for Cat Island. Rum will be there for another time." We turned to the north and enjoyed a wonderful close reach to the south tip of Cat Island.

After the sails were set, Dan deployed the fishing lines and we trolled the entire way. We hooked four Mahi Mahi. There are no pictures to post because we lost all four. We were very disappointed not to have fish for dinner and to put in the freezer, but the excitement of hooking and fighting four fish made the time fly by.

We continued up the west coast of Cat Island and dropped anchor at the settlement of New Bight.




New Bight is the site of Father Jerome's (John Cecil Hawes) Hermitage. Father Jerome was first an architect and later an Anglican Priest. He came to the Bahamas in 1908 following a hurricane which devastated the islands. He designed and built many hurricane proof churches which are still standing today.




Father Jerome built the Hermitage atop Comer Hill in 1937. At 206 feet, this is the highest spot in the Bahamas.




As we climbed the stone staircase, we passed Fathers Jerome's "Stations of Christ."

Father Jerome lived here in solitude until his death in 1956.


He apparently didn't have a lot of dinner guests, because there is only one chair in the place.




Walking from the boat to the grocery store we passed many ruins of Loyalist plantations. The Loyalists came to the islands at the time of the American Revolution, bringing with them slaves to work the plantations. When slavery was abolished, the plantations were no longer sustainable and the Loyalists left the island, leaving behind the newly freed slaves.



In the afternoon, we stopped by Duke's Deck for cold beer and Rum Punch. As Duke made conch salads, the bartender entertained us with stories and then showed us how to play the saw. The saw is part of a musical style called Rake and Scrape, which is very popular in the Bahamas.




We each took a turn, but were not invited back to play with the band that night.

After two nights at New Bight, we moved a few miles up the coast to Fernandez Bay.

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Location:Fernandez Bay, Cat Island, Bahamas

Livin' Large on Long Island. April 23, 2013

We have been enjoying our stay on Long Island since we arrived here on April 6th. After hanging around Salt Pond for several days, we sailed up the west side of the island to Cape Santa Maria and anchored in front of the CSM Resort.



The resort is very nice and is at least tolerant of cruisers that anchor in front and dingy ashore to use the restaurant and fill water jugs for the boat. They also have a car rental service which we used to drive down to the southern part of the island to pick up our friends, Kaye and Leo, who flew in on April 16th. Since we had the car for the day, we decided to do some sight seeing.




This is the airport terminal at Deadman's Cay where Kaye and Leo arrived.


From here we drove to see Deans Blue Hole. At 663 feet, this is the deepest blue hole in the world, and is the sight of the annual free diving world championship.



This is the raft, anchored in the blue hole where the divers descend to depths of over 250 feet, without the aid of scuba tanks. This of course falls in the category of, "why would anyone want to do that?" There were two memorial sites on shore, dedicated to people who have lost their lives in the blue hole.


After more driving around, taking pictures of the beautiful vistas, it was time to head back to the north end of the island and settle in on Glory Days. Having guests on a 37 foot sailboat presents some unique challenges, but ours was even more challenging because on the second trip ferrying people, luggage and supplies to the boat, the impeller in the dingy motor gave out and the motor over-heated.




This is Dan trying to figure out what was wrong with the motor. We actually got very lucky, and found a local, Big Deuce, who was willing to bring his boat out to Glory Days and take the motor back to his garage for repairs. The part we needed could not be located on Long Island, but was available from Nassau. Big Deuce's son was flying to Nassau "to take a test" and would be able to pick up the part and return with it, "in a couple of days."

Although it was frustrating to be without a motor for most of the week we had company, it turned out better than it would have if we had not connected with Big Deuce. He came through and returned the repaired motor at a very reasonable price.




In the meantime, we anchored close to shore so we could paddle in for beach walks and snorkeling excursions. Dan and Leo also booked a bonefishing trip with a guide.


This is Burt (the guide) and Leo walking the flats in search of fish. Dan's perfect record of never catching a bonefish is still intact.




One day we sailed out into the Atlantic and trolled for big fish. Leo landed this dandy Mahi Mahi after a long battle.



On our way back in we sailed past the white cliffs of the Cape. At the top is the Columbus monument. This commemorates his landing here on October 17, 1492. This is said to be his third landing in the new world. Of course he thought he was in India, which reminds us of the immortal words of Jimmy Buffet. "The best navigators are not always certain where they are, but they are always aware of their uncertainty."




After our time at the cape, we sailed south to Salt Pond to resupply and see Kaye and Leo off to the airport. From here, it is on to Rum Cay and points north.

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Location:Salt Pond, Long Island

Goodbye Georgetown, Hello Tropics, April 9, 2013

We spent twelve nights in and around the Georgetown area. The highlight of our stay was the visit by our daughter Hayley and her husband, Dan.


While they were with us we had almost too much fun. We hiked, walked the beaches, played volleyball at Volleyball Beach, played Texas Hold'em at St. Francis Yacht Club, snorkeled on the reefs, rented scooters and toured the island and ate and drank too much.




It was great fun for us to introduce Dan and Hayley to our cruising lifestyle and for them to experience the Bahamas. They got to eat cracked conch, conch fritters, conch stew, fried hogfish, grouper fingers, peas and rice, and Bahamian style macaroni and cheese.

All too soon it was time for them to fly back to snowy Michigan and for us to continue moving south. We left Georgetown on April 8th and headed to Long Island. On the way here we crossed the Tropic of Cancer. This line of latitude marks the northern limit of the sun's summer migration in the Northern Hemisphere. According to our guidebook, "south of this line, you are in the real tropics." So far it has not seemed much different. It appears that the Tropic of Cancer will also mark the southern limit of Glory Days' winter migration, as we will now begin a slow trek north toward the states.

We are anchored near the town of Salt Pond in Thompson Bay, Long Island. This is a large bay that is considered by some cruisers as a more peaceful alternative to the crowds and congestion of Georgetown. The main attraction in town is the Long Island Breezes resort. The owner, Michael, seems to do everything in his power to make cruisers feel welcome, including opening the bar on his night off so we could watch the NCAA men's basketball finals.


Hiking the Atlantic beach in search of shells and sea beans.




Planning our next move.

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Location:Thompson Bay, Long Island