June 19, 2010
Well we have been back in the USA for three weeks and dreaming of the "next" trip. Things at the dive business have been booming so not much time for the projects on our list. We have repaired the hot water heater (case was rusted out) and we thought leaking but maybe not. We have replaced hoses in the back (behind the water heater) and a thru hull for the bilge pump that had broken. We have the new inverter/charger in the boat but the hook-up is not complete. Running the electrical wiring proved to be more than I expected - one out, one in - NOT! Different plugs going thru existing holes where smaller connectors had been previously proved to be my nemesis.
If you were to walk on Alibi right now, you would swear that a bomb had gone off below decks. With all these projects going on, we have everything removed from it's normal spot. And we keep having to move things to do every little task - it is CRAZY!! Oh, I almost forgot we have cut a hole and have a door to go in the aft cabin above the cabinets. This new space we created is for storing fishing poles and probably long rolls of fabric when we are aboard full time. We stole the idea from another Island Packet that we looked at when we were shopping. Darrell is about ready to put up some spice racks for me on the back wall of the galley - Dick and Nelda, you know that big empty space next to the EPIRB.
We still have to trouble shoot the wind generator - which quit functioning during our trip home (although not much wind here right now). We have replaced the charge controller for the solar panels and getting some help with battery charging from them. And we have been running the engine for a little while each day to charge but yesterday morning I noticed the engine temp had crept up to almost 200 degrees - yikes! So last night after a long day at the dive shop, we started going through the possible causes and finally located the problem - the impeller was shot. We have learned so much in our years in the keys that it took less than an hour to have the engine purring like a kitten again. You bet, we're patting ourselves on the backs!!
Like I said, we are dreaming of the next trip which could be sometime later this summer after the dive business slows down a little bit. We did get provisions for the next trip - we bought our "liquor" stores from the landlords (restaurant/bar owners). We also got to enjoy a CD sent to us from some dive friends who took a similar trip the the Bahamas last winter - the parallels between us is uncanny! But I can't write like Martha can - we were crying and rolling in the floor laughing at some of her stories. Perhaps we will travel together someday.
Well, divers are showing up to give me money so I guess I'll have to go take it - after all, more cruising $$.
Love and Hugs,
Darrell, Ann, & Roxy
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Back in the USA
June 4, 2010
Well, sorry we are so slow in posting again but it was "back to work" almost immediately when we got to the dock! Things went fine while we were gone - as good in fact, BETTER than while we are here!!! Thanks so much Island Ventures crew!!!!!
Update:
May 24, 2010 - we left Chub Cay in a little bit of a rush. We had some provisioning to do on the island (more Rum) after the store opened at 11 AM. Well after being here for a while, we knew better than to be standing at the door to the store when they opened so we waited until 11:30 or 12 to go shopping. After getting our supplies, we left and headed out to the "big boat" in the dinghy. After arriving, we noticed a different kind of motion than we have previously encountered. The wind had changed and so had the tide - we were bouncing on the bottom (luckily sandy) at low tide. After assessing the situation, we decided to "kedge" out to deeper water and when we were there.....decided to leave and go fishing. After following a weed line that would make my "favorite fishing buddy" Jason absolutely cry, we just kept going towards Northwest Light or in the direction of New Providence (the island the Nassau is on) . On the radio after quite a while, we hear "Alibi, Alibi, -- Cygnus". This is the siter ship to ours that we met a few days before! Anyway, we anchored together that night (a storm broke their anchor and they drifted about a mile) and traveled together across the Gulf Stream back to the good old USA.
We spent about 2 days at Chub Cay doing laundry and getting provisions, etc. The laundry story only gets better from my previous post. Mr. Perry Scott seems to be the only person at the marina who can work on the laundry machines and he is VERY hard to find!! He came and fixed the washing machine after we had already switched our clothes to the one that worked but we were not bright enough to check the integrity of the dryer BEFORE he left!! Lol....we dryed the clothes the old fashioned way with clothes pins and lines on the boat.
We crossed the Bahamas Banks to Riding Rock on Thursday, May 27 - in preparation to cross the Gulf Stream back to Florida on Friday (our first good weather window). We left Riding Rock (just a couple of islands with NOTHING there) in the wee hours of Friday May 28th to motor the entire way across (no wind) to Angelfish Creek near Ocean Reef. We arrived at Pumpkin Key just in time to get an anchor down before it was too dark to see. Welllllll, on the way across I got frustrated with fishing with a reel that wouldn't reel in the line so I quit. Darrell said "the Cubans do it with that yo-yo so why can't I". So he did - the first fish - a 48 inch dolphin (Mahi-mahi) was caught on an empty beer can. The second one was caught on a water bottle when I told him to reel in the line because we were about to enter Angelfish - a Bonita. Guess who cleaned the fish by flashlight power after were at anchor near Pumpkin Key. I thought the rule was in our family that you clean what you catch?!?!?!?! Anyway we are going to enjoy that fresh Mahi!!
We made it to our dock about 10:30 AM the following day and have been "running" ever since. Business has been good - in fact the guys did a GREAT job minding things for us! We would Love to get packed up and leave again but we'll see..........
Anyway, a recap:
718 nautical miles traveled
67 gallons diesel burned
16 gallons gasoline used in the dinghy
200 approximate gallons of water used
Rum 13 L
Beer 5 cases
Why did it take more water, rum, and beer than diesel and gasoline to make that trip? Provisioning will be a lot different next time!! LOL We actually learned so many things but many of the lessons learned are of such a personal nature that they don't make for good tales. We had a great time, we are ready to go again, and the only thing we would change about the trip is less up wind sailing and more downwind sailing. I will post a lot of our pictures later when I get a chance to get them ready to post.
Love and hugs!
Darrell, Ann, and Roxy
Well, sorry we are so slow in posting again but it was "back to work" almost immediately when we got to the dock! Things went fine while we were gone - as good in fact, BETTER than while we are here!!! Thanks so much Island Ventures crew!!!!!
Update:
May 24, 2010 - we left Chub Cay in a little bit of a rush. We had some provisioning to do on the island (more Rum) after the store opened at 11 AM. Well after being here for a while, we knew better than to be standing at the door to the store when they opened so we waited until 11:30 or 12 to go shopping. After getting our supplies, we left and headed out to the "big boat" in the dinghy. After arriving, we noticed a different kind of motion than we have previously encountered. The wind had changed and so had the tide - we were bouncing on the bottom (luckily sandy) at low tide. After assessing the situation, we decided to "kedge" out to deeper water and when we were there.....decided to leave and go fishing. After following a weed line that would make my "favorite fishing buddy" Jason absolutely cry, we just kept going towards Northwest Light or in the direction of New Providence (the island the Nassau is on) . On the radio after quite a while, we hear "Alibi, Alibi, -- Cygnus". This is the siter ship to ours that we met a few days before! Anyway, we anchored together that night (a storm broke their anchor and they drifted about a mile) and traveled together across the Gulf Stream back to the good old USA.
We spent about 2 days at Chub Cay doing laundry and getting provisions, etc. The laundry story only gets better from my previous post. Mr. Perry Scott seems to be the only person at the marina who can work on the laundry machines and he is VERY hard to find!! He came and fixed the washing machine after we had already switched our clothes to the one that worked but we were not bright enough to check the integrity of the dryer BEFORE he left!! Lol....we dryed the clothes the old fashioned way with clothes pins and lines on the boat.
We crossed the Bahamas Banks to Riding Rock on Thursday, May 27 - in preparation to cross the Gulf Stream back to Florida on Friday (our first good weather window). We left Riding Rock (just a couple of islands with NOTHING there) in the wee hours of Friday May 28th to motor the entire way across (no wind) to Angelfish Creek near Ocean Reef. We arrived at Pumpkin Key just in time to get an anchor down before it was too dark to see. Welllllll, on the way across I got frustrated with fishing with a reel that wouldn't reel in the line so I quit. Darrell said "the Cubans do it with that yo-yo so why can't I". So he did - the first fish - a 48 inch dolphin (Mahi-mahi) was caught on an empty beer can. The second one was caught on a water bottle when I told him to reel in the line because we were about to enter Angelfish - a Bonita. Guess who cleaned the fish by flashlight power after were at anchor near Pumpkin Key. I thought the rule was in our family that you clean what you catch?!?!?!?! Anyway we are going to enjoy that fresh Mahi!!
We made it to our dock about 10:30 AM the following day and have been "running" ever since. Business has been good - in fact the guys did a GREAT job minding things for us! We would Love to get packed up and leave again but we'll see..........
Anyway, a recap:
718 nautical miles traveled
67 gallons diesel burned
16 gallons gasoline used in the dinghy
200 approximate gallons of water used
Rum 13 L
Beer 5 cases
Why did it take more water, rum, and beer than diesel and gasoline to make that trip? Provisioning will be a lot different next time!! LOL We actually learned so many things but many of the lessons learned are of such a personal nature that they don't make for good tales. We had a great time, we are ready to go again, and the only thing we would change about the trip is less up wind sailing and more downwind sailing. I will post a lot of our pictures later when I get a chance to get them ready to post.
Love and hugs!
Darrell, Ann, and Roxy
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