Bahamas Bound

2006 - 2007

With Ruth onboard we headed for Key West to see the balance of Race Week. It's a chance to see some of the best sailors racing on the hottest equipment. It's also a chance to see Papa Matt in action.

We plan to post and update at least weekly. We move the older portions of the log to secondary pages accessible at the bottom of the page. Join our voyage!

Updated on 01/30/2007

1/14/07 - It continues to blow 15-20 out of the north keeping most of the vessels harbor bound. I went to a meeting of boat headed for the Bahamas and picked up a lot of good info relative to the crossing, customs and harbors. Spent the rest of the day cleaning up the wiring for the SkyMate system. I still need one part - an interface blown by the near lightning strike last May. I dropped off weather information from SkyMate to assist Hans in his gulf stream crossing and wished them well on their journey. 1/15/07 - Wanderlust headed out at dawn, enroute to Key West where they will check out with immigration and head to Cuba, the Bahamas and Europe. I headed into shore and did the wash in preparation for Ruth's visit. The winds died to almost nothing today making for an excellent crossing for a group of boat that headed to the Bahamas today. An e-mail from Sampatecho confirmed they had safely arrived at Marina Hemmingway the night before. Ruth and I talked back and forth a couple of times arranging for my picking her up at Miami tomorrow. As Buddy would say "Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Just before sundown Ebb Tide (Neil & Malen) out of Racine, WI anchored next to AA and we discussed over beers the various routes Neil had taken out of the Great Lakes (Mississippi, Erie and St Lawrence). 1/16/07 - Today I picked up Ruth at Miami via rental car. Boy it's good to see her again. We caught up with each other on the 3 hour drive to Marathon, stopping to provision at Publix on the way to the boat. Buddy was excited to see that Ruth was back on the boat. His Ruthie was back in the flock. It's great to have her aboard again! Sue and Jack stopped by about an hour after we got back to the boat - they were anxious to meet Ruth. 1/17/07 -We headed for Key West this morning after I returned the rental car. The wind was light (must have blown itself out this past month) so we motored most of the way. Ruth is having to acclimate to the warmth here. We arrived Key West about 4:30 and anchored off Fleming Key. Ruth didn't want to do Key West today but wanted to watch the Race Week fleets tomorrow then go ashore. I called Papa Matt and learned that he'd be at the Green Parrot  Friday night. We'll be there to see him. In my short conversation I learned that he has traveled quite a bit with a couple of bands - Alaska, West Coast, etc.  It will be great to catch up with him and see how his dream is progressing. As for my dream - I need to knuckle down and start writing again. 1/18/07 - What a great morning - perfect weather, a new vista (Key West - Fleming Key) and Ruth aboard. Time for a happy dance! We motored out to watch the Key West Race Week fleets. It was exciting to be positioned between the windward mark of one set of fleets and the leeward mark of another. We found ourselves rooting for vessel we didn't even know. We estimated that there were about 400 boats on the various courses off Key West. We spend the day on the courses, returning to anchor off green 31 near Fleming Key. Great way to spend a day! Oh, our SkyMate positions are currently doppler positioned from communication satellites as our GPS link replacement hasn't arrived yet. Doppler positions aren't as accurate as evidenced by our placement on land in Key West. We are in fact in water. 1/19/07 - Another perfect day in Key West. The Race Week fleets are sparring in 10-15 knot winds - perfect conditions. We took the dinghy to shore near the Schooner Wharf and walked Duval for a couple of hours before going to the Green Parrot, an off-Duval bar, for Papa Matt's 5:30 show. The crowd of locals, working folk and rich, mixed with tourists was interesting to watch. Papa Matt and his cohorts really got the place rocking! When their 2 hour set was finished the crowd was on their feet screaming for more. This is was amazing when you consider that while each of the trio had played with the others in duets it was the first time they had played together as a trio! Two songs later it was time to go. The band had another gig in Pine Island yet that night. Matt has come a long way on the path to his dream! I'm glad Ruth and I had the chance to talk with him and catch up on how his second career, following his avocation, is progressing. I'm sure we'll be hearing more of him. 1/20/07 - A windy overcast morning greeted us. The NOAA and SkyMate weather forecasts say Monday is our best day to head back to Marathon. Prudence dictates that we take heed - boats that blindly adhere to schedules frequently pay a high price. The seas don't care where you want to be or when and they aren't forgiving. While I was in Marathon a local boat had a side stay fail, dropping the mast and sails in the water. Naturally (Murphy's Law) their lines got caught in the propeller, disabling the engine. Wind pushed the boat onto rocks and waves holed it. Rescuers pulled the boat free only to have it sink in deeper water. A USCG helicopter picked up the crew, flying one to a hospital for stitches. The captain, Peter, a musician, lost everything: boat, clothes, instruments - the works. How quickly one's life can change down here. It was heartwarming to see how the community pulled together to help him find instruments and a temporary place to live. Today was housekeeping day on AA - Ruth made the boat her own by cleaning closets, cabinets and sorting "stuff".  It's amazing how much "stuff" you can store on a boat. I won't be able to find "stuff" for a month. However, the boat looks a lot better. 1/21/07 - Light showers last night gave AA a much needed bath, rinsing off a layer of salt. Day dawned windy and partly cloudy. Ruth attacked the forward cabin today and got it reorganized. I have to admit the boat looks pretty good inside. Today was a dragging day. The winds were pushing into the low 20's when a large catamaran slowly dragged it's anchor on it's way to visit us. The crew re-anchored further away. Then a 40 foot monohull next to us dragged back into another 40 footer. They moved back and re-anchored only to be hit themselves by an unoccupied 24' cabin cruiser. TowBoat US came out and anchored the cabin cruiser further back in the anchorage. Later, after dark, I was reading some of my earlier writing (stories never printed) when I heard someone yelling and went topside to find the cabin cruiser owner trying to get our attention. He wanted to know if we'd seen his boat - explaining it had been anchored near us. I gave him a heading toward it's new location and off he went to find his home. He returned with it, anchoring in shallower water between AA and Fleming Key. Staying anchored is difficult here due to the strong reversing tides and winds. It is not uncommon to see a boat sail over it's anchor, breaking it loose from bottom and dragging it in a dash for freedom. 1/22/07 - My brother sent me a picture of a city snow plow clearing the street in front of his home... asking if I missed the white stuff. I responded we have plenty of white stuff here - surf, sand, egrets and old folks. We departed Key West for Marathon to pick up a part and get Buddy legal to travel. As we motored out of the channel the fragrant air carried promises of spicy sausages, crepes and exotic lunches - we almost turned back. A brisk 15 knot south wind drove AA at 7 knots to Marathon where we dropped the anchor in Boot Key Harbor about 4pm. Enroute we'd seen over 90 Portuguese Man-O-Wars (jellyfish), a half dozen large Dolphins, a small shark and numerous other fish. It was a beautiful day for a sail! 1/23/07 - Ruth and I started our day with a visit to West Marine to pick up the SeaTalk:NMEA interface that was reportedly the root cause of SkyMate and our VHF not having GPS positioning. I also found a pair of latches that should work well on the dinghy hoist. With my interface in hand we headed back to the boat for an estimated 1 hour installation. After 3 hours of installation, testing and discussions with a RayMarine tech we decided the interface is (and the old one was) working but the problem remains. Hmmmm! The day was sunny, still and hot - not prime conditions for troubleshooting. Time to regroup and attack the problem anew tomorrow. While I worked on electronics Ruth worked on paper - making calls and discussing prices. 1/24/07 - No winds, hot (78) and sunny. Had to run the engine a couple of hours to catch up on our power needs. Ruth and I went to the marina to trade books and to West and SeaMark to find a cable to try to get the NMEA feeds to the VHF and SkyMate working. Got what we think we needed, tomorrow will tell when I try to wire it in. I think I'm getting this mess figured out. More - later. We went down to Burdines to hear Eric Stone tonight, joining Jack and Sue. Bob and Carol joined us - we had a great night getting to know the couples better. Bob and Carol cruise on an older style water ballasted McGregor 26. They like the shallow draft and the ability to make several hundred miles a day (it's trailerable). 1/25/07 - Projects today: maintenance on mast lights (done), fan in forward cabin (done),  A cold front moved in this afternoon with strong west winds shifting to north. We move one of our anchors, our fortress, yesterday to let make a space for a young couple to anchor. Wouldn't you know that anchor dragged today - twice. When we drag Ruth dons a headset taking the wheel and starting the engine. I grab a second headset and head for the bow to retrieve one or both of the anchors. The headsets let us talk in a normal voice and convey more complex instructions than our hand signals do. They also lets Ruth keep and eye on boats around us as she doesn't have to be watching for my signals - a great device from Cruising Solutions. The first time I pulled up an old anchor rode someone had lost. The second time I pulled up a carpet and a household window fan. Man... we must be anchored in a town dump! The winds are howling through the rigging at 15-20 knots with higher gusts. 1/26/07 - Lost a day somewhere! 1/27/07 - This is a cold front with an attitude! The winds drove in mid-50's temps last night. It's the first really cold air we've had down here. It is crystal clear now but the NE winds haven't slacked off at all. The gusts had the boat rocking last night. Not trusting the newly set anchor and tight proximity to other boats I didn't sleep much. I worked on the locking mechanism for the dinghy hoist - completing it but for the 4 bolts I need to buy. Another project near completion. Ruth cut my hair in preparation for  having guests. Sue and Jack of Passage came over for a spaghetti dinner. Retired teachers and coaches, they are great company with lots of stories. 1/28/07 - Today another cold front will pass through. They are predicting night temps in the high 50's. For us the wind is a bigger issue as it will slowly move around like the hands on a clock while blow in the 20's. This means we get to meet all our neighbors up close and hopefully not personal. We were reading in the cockpit this morning when Ruth noticed a couple of Mallards begging alongside the boat. We didn't realize Mallards could tolerate salt water. I completed a switch mount for the macerator - another step closer to completing that project and spent some time troubleshooting the control package on the wind generator. It appears to be putting out power but the regulator's LEDs aren't reporting status. Arrgh! Now I understand why the old sailors said arrgghhh so often. Maintenance was driving them nuts. Ahhh! The winds have arrived. Time to go on anchor watch. fortunately its only 2:30 in the afternoon.

Spinnakers running toward the finish They also serve who only weight How do they keep them all on the boat? Papa Matt, one-time corporate marketing VP Portuguese Man-O-War - pretty, but painful This little beauty was about 12" long Erie Canal Barge in Marathon harbor Barry performing maintenance aloft Project time... One would think a relatively new boat wouldn't require projects. Not true. A factory boat (versus a custom built) is delivered pretty basic. On AA we've added shelves to cupboards, added electronic devices for navigation and safety, added outlets for 100V appliances, added a wind generator solar panels to reduce our dependence on the diesel for electrical power along with dozens of small projects to improve live ability and convenience. Often one project leads to another... just like a house. The big differences on a boat are the fact that everything has to be done to ABYC standards and you never have the right parts or tools aboard. Home Depot is 15 minutes away. We are about done with our additions and are focusing on a couple of troubleshooting issues - trying to get things working properly. The big project remaining is the design and sewing of a new bimini to fit the arch we added last fall. The bimini will support a total enclosure we can zip around the cockpit for addition bug, rain and cold free living space. In a pinch it can provide 2 additional berths for guests.

Visit earlier portions of the Bahamas Bound trip log...