The Glass Window

Location: The Glass Window, Eleuthera
Position: N25 25.759 W076 36.142

We leave the Abacos at 2:30am on Friday January 9th bound for Royal Island just north of Eleuthera with a nearly full moon as our “third crew member”. A northeasterly wind blows us about 50 miles south and we arrive at Royal Island at 1:00 pm on the same day. Our friends on Barefootin’ and Diva arrive later in the afternoon having delayed their departures until dawn.

In company with Barefootin’ and Diva, we leave Royal Island on the 10th. The challenge of the day is to negotiate Current Cut at the north end of Eleuthera. It’s a narrow cut with a vicious current – hence the name. After going through the actual cut, we have to negotiate a 100 degree turn to starboard, close but not too close to the rocks, and avoid being pushed by the current onto the shoal to port. Or, to paraphrase Jimmy Buffet, “Shoals on the left, rocks on the right, and you’re the only boat in town.”

Last year when we came north we went through Current Cut about 1.5 hours after high tide in Nassau – that’s the closest tide station we had – and saw less than a knot of current. So we time it the same today. Another boat makes it through about a half hour ahead of us and sees 3 knots. By the time we get there it’s down to less than a knot and we make it through with no excitement, thank goodness.

Our destination today is The Glass Window. The island of Eleuthera squeezes down to a narrow, rocky waist about two thirds of the way up its length. There used to be a natural bridge at this point that was captured by American painter Winslow Homer. In 1872 an enormous wave washed away several couples who were picnicking there. The 85’ high natural span was subsequently washed away during a hurricane in 1926. A bridge was built across the opening in 1960. Then on Halloween Day, 1991, a rage spawned a huge rogue wave that knocked the northern end of the bridge 7 feet to the west. It has since been repaired by closing opposite lanes at each end of the bridge allowing traffic to pass via a single lane that runs catty-corner from one side of the bridge to the other. In March of 1996 two people were washed off the bridge by another wave – by some miracle one of them survived.

On top of the bridge looking out to the East we see the rich, deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean. To the West, the various shades of emerald and turquoise of the Bight of Eleuthera provide a stunning contrast. We’re way above the water – the wave that reached up here and slapped the bridge around must have been absolutely monstrous. We stand in awe of the forces Mother Nature can bring to bear and hope we never see a wave that size – at least not from the vantage point of our Rachel.

That evening we had a happy hour and bonfire on the beach with 4 other couples and a beautiful sunset. Life doesn’t get much better.

Humbled,

How many people will fit into Rachel's cockpit

Location: Great Guana Cay

Q: How many people will fit into Rachel's cockpit?

A: 12

Junkanoo

Location: Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas
Position: N26 45.780 W077 20.086

We have been in the Green Turtle Cay/Manjack Cay area for almost two weeks along with several friends we met last year. Our time has been spent attending a cruisers pot luck Christmas dinner on the lawn behind Brendal’s Dive Centre along with about 70 other cruisers; enjoying many long walks on the beaches and through the town; taking advantage of the free wifi offered at Manjack Cay, which gave us the opportunity to call family over the holidays; and attending several happy hour gatherings on the beach and on various boats.

The main reason for staying in the Abacos for so long was so we could attend the Junkanoo on New Years Day. Junkanoo is a street parade with music, costumes, dancing, drumming, cow bells, and various other noisemakers!! We had heard it was great fun and a real Bahamian tradition. Yesterday, New Years Day, we all dinghied into town around noon. The ferry boats that run back and forth to the main island, Great Abaco Island, were working overtime bringing spectators to see the parade. All over the town of New Plymouth booths were set up selling the local fare; conch fritters, conch salad, conch burgers, peas & rice, macaroni & cheese, chicken, ribs, all variety of homemade sweets and any rum drink you could possibly want. We spent the time before the Junkanoo started wandering between the stalls trying this and that and comparing notes with each other on which stall had the best food.

Finally at around 2:30 we could hear a big commotion. A long string of fire crackers popped and the parade started. The first participants were the 3 local police officers clearing a path followed by 2 girls holding a big banner decorated “Lil’ Island Slammers”. All ages of girls followed from maybe 6 to 16 in colourful costumes strutting their stuff in time to the music. They were followed by adult women also in costumes that included large frames fitted over their shoulders and reaching maybe 10 feet high, faces were painted with an exotic flair. At one point one of the ladies lost her balance and fell. The costume was so heavy 2 or 3 people had to rush over to help her back onto her feet to continue on.

The next wave was the musicians, all male ranging from age 4 to 60, the main instruments of all size and variety being the drums, cowbells, and horns. The beat was thrilling! Spectators were encouraged to bring their own noise makers - we had saved food tins and filled them with nuts and bolts. As the musicians passed by we got caught up in the beat and found ourselves moving to the beat and shaking our cans (both kinds ).

The parade was fairly short, it’s just a small community after all, so after it had passed we ducked around to the next block and waited for it to pass again. We watched it from the other side this time. After it passed we continued following side streets so we could pass it and get another viewing. We managed to see it a total of seven times before it finished. During each viewing we saw different things, different painted faces, pieces of costume, cute little children, tiring as time went on. What great fun. We can imagine that the BIG Junkanoo parade in Nassau is much more spectacular and longer but we loved this small town version and were so glad that we got to watch and participate. What a great way to start our 2009. The thing that really impressed us was that this was not a big commercial tourist event; there were no T-shirts, no balloon and cotton candy vendors. This was an event by and for the local townspeople - we were welcome to watch and enjoy, no strings attached, but the focus was entirely local.


Happy New Year

Mark & Julie
s/v Rachel

http://svrachel.blogspot.com pictures on the blog.
For more info on Junkanoo see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Checking in

Location: Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas
Position: N26 45.780 W077 20.086

After spending way too long at Palm Beach, FL waiting for weather we finally got the window we wanted. Wow! Now we just had 2 days to do laundry, last minute shopping, and making sure everything on Rachel was stowed securely. We said goodbye to all our friends who were not yet leaving the US and off we went at 2pm in the company of 2 other boats, Diva and Temptation. The crossing was easy and uneventful we travelled 153 miles in 25.5 hours, the only thing missing was some wind so we could actually sail! Can’t have everything, we know, and we did manage a brief sail down the Sea of Abaco which was great.

Saturday. We arrive at Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos and drop our anchor at 3:30 in the afternoon. We are flying our yellow quarantine flag (yellow, for the letter “Q”, don’t ask) from the starboard spreader as required when arriving in any country until you have cleared customs & immigration. We aren’t sure if Customs will be open on a Saturday, so Mark calls a local business on the VHF. The lady there is very helpful. She tells us we can go to the customs house and if the officer is not there we should go to either of the grocery stores in town and they’ll call her for us.

Until you’ve cleared in, only the captain is allowed ashore. So off the 3 captains go in the dinghy with all the paperwork, passports etc. The customs office is closed, so they walk over to the grocery store. The lady there calls the customs officer at her home. The customs lady says she will not be working this afternoon, or Sunday, so just come in on Monday. Oh, and by the way, it’s alright for everyone to go ashore before then. No worries. One reason we love the Bahamas.

Arrangements are made to dinghy in to Pineapples, a water side bar we discovered last year with 2 for 1 rum punches for happy hour, which finishes at 6pm. The 6 of us quickly organize ourselves and make a bee line for the bar. Did we mention that these rum drinks are REALLY strong? Rum is relatively cheap in the Bahamas, but the mixings are very expensive. Thus drinks tend to be strong… very strong. 2nd reason we love the Bahamas. We each have 2 drinks and share an order of grouper fingers and then we’ve had all had it. None of us had got much sleep Friday night during the crossing, so we decide to call it a night and head back to our boats.

Back on the boat. A guy who is anchored next to us, shows up with a big cream pie in his hand and a server. We did not know him from Adam! “Hi, take a piece of pie for each person on board, and enjoy” “Wow, thanks. What’s your name?” “Steve” he says, and off he goes to the next boat. Main reason we like cruising – cruisers are so friendly.

After a great night’s sleep here we sit listening to the roosters crowing on shore. We can see the anchor dug in on the sandy bottom since, for the first time since we left the Bahamas last year, the water is crystal clear. 3rd reason we love the Bahamas. We are waiting for three more sets of friends to arrive this morning; they left the US yesterday morning. We will all spend Christmas here together, we’ll probably also invite the neighbour with the pie, and anyone else who is here, too.

Monday. Rumors are rampant. The customs lady is going to be coming to the marina near where we’re anchored, so we won’t have to make that long dinghy ride in the open in 20 knot winds. A friend at the marina will call us on the VHF and let us know when she arrives. Oops, nope, she’s not coming. We jump in the dinghy and head into town. We’re able to hug the shore so we don’t get too much wind chop and have a relatively dry ride in. As we arrive at the dock, two other guys are getting in their dinghies – she’s not going to be there today – she missed her plane in Nassau and won’t get back until late. All the while more boats arrive from the US. Now, instead of just the three of us who need to clear in, there are more than 20 boats waiting. This could get painful.

Tuesday. She’s definitely supposed to be here today. We go in at 9:00 am. There’s already a crowd at the customs house. Another lady arrives and says the customs lady is due in on the 10:45 ferry. She doesn’t have a key, but if we can break into the customs office, she is authorized to hand out the paperwork. She can’t clear anyone in, however – we’ll have to wait for the customs lady for that. We head back to the boat figuring we’ll 1: avoid prosecution in case someone in authority doesn’t like the idea of Americans and Canadians breaking into a Bahamian customs house, and 2: wait until after the crush to come in so we’ll get processed more quickly. While we’re gone, several captains help her “gain entry” and the paperwork is distributed. We already have ours, obtained from our friend at the marina on Sunday.

We arrive back at the customs house at about 11:30. There’s a line. A long one. The “breaker inners” who waited all this time are just starting to trickle out. The lady who previously wasn’t authorized to process the paperwork is now apparently authorized to do so – she’s the only one there and the customs lady still hasn’t shown up. About the time we get to the front of the line the customs lady shows up. Now there are two of them processing paperwork and the line moves much more quickly. We’re finally checked in and legal and ready to go after only 4 days. No worries, mon!

Merry Christmas

Lake Worth

Location: North Palm Beach, FL
Position: N26 50.405 W080 03.212

We’re currently anchored at the north end of Lake Worth, near North Palm Beach, FL. Lake Worth is a long, shallow body of water that runs north and south of the Lake Worth Inlet at Palm Beach. We arrived here in the late afternoon of Friday, December 5 after a nice sail down from Ft. Pierce. We finally had a chance to try out the new windvane self steering and are happy to report that it worked fine. With a few adjustments and modifications to our setup we expect to use it a lot. We’re looking forward to using it when we cross to the Bahamas.

The high point of our visit here so far was the Christmas boat parade last Saturday night. We overheard the Coast Guard on the VHF telling someone it was going from Palm Beach all the way up to Jupiter Inlet! Being about a mile off the route, the best part for us was the fireworks. We’d never seen this before – a fireworks barge led the procession and there was a constant fireworks display taking place for the entire 1.5 hours we could see it. It was really amazing! Easily the longest lasting fireworks display we’ve ever witnessed, and a big hit around the anchorage. About every 5 minutes there was a big ‘grand finale’ type display and we’d think it was over but then it would start back up again. We sat up on the coach roof with a glass of wine and had a wonderful time. It wasn’t even cold!!!

On the down side, we’ve been here for nearly a week and still haven’t found any nice walks. There’s a grocery store a short walk from the dinghy landing and a chandlery about a mile away. Apparently there’s a hardware store about 2.5 miles away but unfortunately, all of these destinations are on busy streets that aren’t very pleasant to walk along. We understand there’s a pretty good bus system and for $3 you can ride all day. If we’re here long enough we’ll check that out, too.

We did discover a very nice state park (John D. MacArthur State Park) with a nature center, lovely walks, and a boardwalk to the beach, but it’s a couple of miles just to get to the entrance, and then another good half mile to actually get into the park. The walk from the dinghy landing to the park is on a very busy road lined with gated communities, guard houses, thick hedges, and chain link fences. No little side roads, no bike paths (except those we could see inside the gated communities) – it’s a long, noisy walk. We’ve heard about another anchorage closer to the inlet that is within a short dinghy ride to another, smaller park. We may move down there for a while after the wind shifts - we do like our walks, after all.

We’re stuck on the boat today while, in cruiser’s parlance, it’s “blowing like stink”. The wind is between 20-30 knots from the south making the anchorage pretty bouncy. The good news is the frontal boundary is scheduled to pass through at around 4:00 this afternoon, clocking around to the west where we have more protection and we expect things to settle down considerably by this evening.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a weather window to cross to the Bahamas anytime soon. After today’s front, it sounds like it’s going to be blowing pretty steadily from the northeast, kicking up pretty high seas in the Gulf Stream. We’ll make the best of our stay here and, if a crossing window doesn’t open within the next week or so, will probably head down to Miami and try from there.

Fair winds,

Giving Thanks

Location: Vero Beach, FL
Position: N27 39.75 W08022.36

We’re currently on a mooring in Vero Beach, Florida (a.k.a. “Velcro Beach”). We arrived here on the 18th of November and rafted up on a mooring with our friends on ‘Diva’ and ‘Smiles’.

The afternoon we arrived in Vero, friends we met last year in the Bahamas on ‘Better Days’ stopped by and took us shopping. They have a house in nearby Ft. Pierce and invited us to share a lobster dinner at home with them. They then proceeded to loan us the car for two days and invited us back again the next night for a turkey dinner and birthday celebration! After several trips to the store and several more trips from the dinghy dock out to Rachel and back, we have pretty well completed our major provisioning for a season in the Bahamas. Rachel is now sitting low in the water and seems eager to head out before we think of anything else to load into her.

A couple of days ago we rigged up Belle for sailing and met some friends in their dinghy for a leisurely sail around the anchorage. It seems that everyone we pass is happy to see us sailing – and perhaps a bit envious, too, as they sit in their cockpits wishing they were out here with us. What a great way to meet new people.

Thanksgiving morning is a chilly, still morning and the boat is covered with heavy dew. Julie cooks the filling for a couple of chocolate pies we’re bringing to the cruisers Thanksgiving dinner this afternoon. By afternoon the weather is sunny and warm. We shed our sweats and fleeces in favor of shorts and tee-shirts. Thanksgiving in shorts – what a treat!

The cruiser’s Thanksgiving is a success. Three lines of tables are covered with all the Thanksgiving fare you can imagine. About 75 people attend, and there’s more than enough food for all of us. We’re pleased to run into several sets of friends we haven’t seen since we were in the Bahamas last year.

After dinner we sail Belle back home to Rachel in light wind on the nose, tacking slowly back-and-forth through the anchorage. As we sail, we talk about all the things we have to be thankful for on this beautiful Thanksgiving Day. We have each other. We have our families. We have our health. We have our shared love of living aboard and sailing. We have many, many friends – old, new, and not-yet-met. The list goes on and on, and after a while get silly, laugh, and smile, and remember once again why we’re doing this.

Gratitude and best wishes,

Mark & Julie
s/v Rachel

Wow!

Date: November 14, 2008
Location: Fort George River, FL
Position: N 30 26.424 W 081 26.143

We left Cumberland Island and headed further south down the ICW to the Fort George River today. On the way we saw a beautiful rainbow. It made a complete semi-circle from the earth up through the sky and back down to earth again behind us! Wow!!

We hadn’t stopped at the Fort George River last year and it turned out to be a lovely anchorage. Marsh grasses on one side of the river and an old plantation home on the other with excellent protection from the south – all good points on this blustery day. We went ashore and walked around, then headed back to the boat for dinner.

We had heard people talking about a shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, FL, but hadn’t really paid much attention to it. On the VHF we heard someone asking if anyone knew when the shuttle launch was tonight. Someone responded that it would be at 7:30 pm.

We were both a little skeptical that we would be able to see it from 125 miles away, but it was a nice night and it was either that or Julie beating Mark at dominos again – and that’s getting a bit old for one of us!!

So up we go to the cockpit after dinner and gaze intently to the south. 30 minutes later we have seen nothing and it’s getting chilly. Well, maybe they cancelled or delayed it. Maybe we just missed it, it is, after all, pretty far away. So off we go back down below feeling a little disappointed. Julie tidies up the galley and Mark works on a boat chore, when suddenly we hear this huge roaring sound. Like distant thunder, but more constant.

Wow!! Could that be the shuttle?

We quickly scamper up the companionway just in time to see this ball of fire clearing the top of the trees as the roar intensifies.

Wow!!

It only took maybe 15 seconds for it to disappear into the clouds on it’s way into outer space – but

Wow!!

We couldn’t believe it. We sat there looking up for several more seconds in silence, soaking it in. It looked like a comet! Just think – how fast were they going? Way faster than we do in Rachel, that’s for sure!

Wow!!

If it was this spectacular so far away, imagine what it would be like from the launch site! It’s possible to anchor at Titusville for a ring side seat, but we haven’t managed to do that, yet – we need to pay more attention to the launch schedule earlier in the year. However, after tonight’s launch we’re determined to see one “up close and personal”. Mark has always loved fireworks…..

Wow. You never know what you will see when you are out cruising.

Work, wings, and walks

Location: Cumberland Island, GA
Position: N 30 46.066 W 081 28.271

We spent a very busy 10 days working at Isle of Palms. Rachel was lucky enough to have a slip and the weather was warm so we stopped and took care of a few more boat jobs: added a new VHF radio; a new sail cover designed and built by Julie; relocated the wind generator mast from the center of the stern to the side so the new self steering wind vane has room to swing; and a multitude of other little tasks.

It wasn’t all work and no play - we really did have our noses to the grindstone, but we also have friends in the Isle of Palms/Charleston area. We managed to fit in a few, albeit too brief, social gatherings, too. We were introduced to a great Irish pub with cheap beer and outstanding wings (not very Irish but still good). We also managed to fit in a couple of sightseeing walks in Charleston, one of our favourite places to explore.

We left Isle of Palms at 6 am Monday, November 10th and sailed south outside in the Atlantic to the St. Mary’s River Inlet on the Georgia / Florida border. The wind was light so we motor-sailed through the night. By morning the wind had increased to about 20 knots and the seas were building. We reached the St. Mary’s River entrance around 9:00 am – about an hour after high tide. With the wind behind us, we had a very rolly ride bucking the tide almost all the way up behind Cumberland Island where we gratefully dropped the anchor at about 10:30 am.

Cumberland Island was one our favourite stops last year and we have been looking forward to exploring the southern end of this beautiful National Park this year. We spent the day we arrived resting, napping, and reading and were up and out early the next morning to catch the 2 hour walking historical tour of the island led by one of the park rangers.

In the late 1800s this island was owned by the Carnegie family. There are several big mansions built for the Carnegie children by their mother, so the island is a strange combination of wilderness interspersed with pockets of both current and abandoned civilization. We toured the ruins of Dungeness, the mansion the Carnegies built in 1884. The Carnegie family members donated their 90% of the island to the National Park Service in 1971 and we’re really glad they did!

We spent two lovely days walking the trails through maritime forests, saltwater marshes, and along beaches. The transition from beach to forest was like entering a tunnel with a canopy of live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. We walked several trails and reveled in the shapes of the branches and the sunlight shining down through them. Cumberland Island is abundant with wildlife, wild horses, pigs, deer, armadillos, and turkeys roam freely. We did not get to see any armadillos or wild pigs this year but enjoyed watching the horses cantering through the forests. And the flocks of turkeys reminded us that Thanksgiving isn’t far away, too!!

Green Flash

Location: Atlantic Ocean, off Savannah, GA
Position: N 31 55.356 W 080 24.582

You may think Green Flash is a super hero, or maybe a new laundry detergent? Nope. And it’s not a little gnome in a trench coat, either. It’s a natural phenomenon that sailors the world over look forward to seeing.

If we’re out on the ocean, can see the western horizon, and there are no clouds, we watch for it at sunset. At the moment the sun drops below the horizon every once in a while you can see a green flash.

We’ve heard people talking about them but so far hadn’t been lucky enough to see one ourselves.

As we headed south offshore down the Georgia coastline we were treated to a beautiful sunset and then a green flash. It was truly amazing.
For more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

Feeling flashed

Happy Halloween

Location: Isle of Palms, SC
Position: N 32°48.251 W 079°45.407

We spent 2 days and 3 nights on the South River it was like going back in time – there are almost no houses, so you get a sense of what it must have been like hundreds of years ago. Quiet. No Internet. Barely a cell phone signal. And very few other boats. We had this magical place pretty much to ourselves, and we soaked it up. We stopped here to wait out some high winds, and even though it was windy and cold, we really enjoyed it.


The last week since then has been pretty much more of the same. Cold nights and mornings, then almost every day has been sunny. We’ve been bundled up but still enjoying the sun on our backs and faces. The night time temperatures have been too cold for us to even think about going out in the ocean and sailing overnight. Neither of us is thrilled with the thought of doing watches at the helm in almost freezing temperatures and 20 to 30 knot winds. Brrr! So here we are replaying last years southbound trip, long days on the ICW, lovely varied scenery, lots of wildlife to observe, and other southbound vessels to chat with on the VHF.

Dolphins are now an everyday sight along with geese, pelicans, and numerous wading birds. Today we spotted an alligator and a kingfisher. We usually keep our binoculars and bird book handy for quick identification of unknown birds. And today we also saw our first Spanish Moss this trip hanging from the trees. This, as well as the ubiquitous palm trees, will now also be a daily sight.

We did have a lovely respite. Just before Wrightsville Beach Mark’s son’s grandfather met us on the waterway in his skiff where we did a "drive-by" pick up of Jeseph, Tiger Lily (Mark’s son and granddaughter) and a friend. We lost almost no time and even made the next bridge opening as scheduled! They travelled with us for the rest of the day and spent a blustery night aboard. We had a great time and hopefully they will be able to join us again for a longer visit.

We’ve made great time with 5 hops from South River, NC – Mile Hammock Bay, NC (in the Camp LeJeune Marine Corp camp) – Carolina Beach, NC – Little River, SC ( where we spent a lovely evening with friends) – Georgetown, SC and today’s destination of Isle of Palms, SC just outside Charleston.
We have some friends here and they have fixed us up with a slip for a few days. We’ll get a few jobs done, visit, and hopefully get to explore Charleston a bit before heading further south. Charleston is one of our favorite spots.

Slowly getting warmer.