Two in fact! I'd give hitchhiking two thumbs up! When nobody answered our request for a ride into town, Matt and I were a little stuck. We were running out of time and needed to get into Ft Myers, so we could rent a car, get to the hardware store and start prepping the boat to be taken out of the water. The temperatures have been intensely hot. It was 92 degrees Fahrenheit (for you metric folks-that translates to 50 centilitres of sweat every hour) and we couldn't leave Wookie on the boat. We worried that hitching with an animal would put us at a disadvantage, but aw shucks, we love that little guy. So, we woke at 6, made a sign and headed to the highway to give the passing cars the thumbs up. It took over an hour to even get to the main road and we started to question our plan. (Though we saw some nice country side along the way!)
46 cars passed us by. We tried not to take it personally. 47, 48, 49.......a red truck put on it's brake lights. Hooray! Matt, Wookie and I ran euphorically down the road. I felt one third scared, one excited and one relieved. We hopped in the back of the pick up and met Andrew, Andy and Daniel. A trio of all American guys who happen to feed tigers hitchhikers for a living. Ha! Just kidding...about the hitchhikers, not the tigers.
Not only did they take us to Ft Myers, but they drove us all the way to the airport, where we could rent a car. Over an hour later, we parted ways so thankful that these amazing strangers had taken a chance on us, and had gone so far out of their way to help us out. Faith in humanity = restored.
Yes, we knew this part was coming. No, we're still not ready to go home. (Except for the fact that we miss YOU!) 120 days on the boat and now it's time to take her out of the water. I (in my sailing fantasies) assumed this meant bringing her up on land and kissing her goodbye until next year. Turns out there is a little more to it than that. In the next 24 hours, we will:
Take off and pack up the Jib and Main sails
Remove sheets and halyards
Take the labels off canned goods that will keep until next year (cockroaches can lay eggs in the glue- EW.)
Give away all perishable food
Empty the water tanks
Store all books and charts in ziplock bags
Top up diesel and add biocide to tank
Empty and clean out the bilge (Dibs out)
Vinegar all surfaces to prevent mildew growth
Oil all teak to prevent uv damage
Wax the deck, also for sun damage
Charge batteries
Pack our stuff (How do I accumulate so much, how?!)
Fix solar fan (It actually died today. TODAY!)
Bag all bedding and cushions
Set roach, ant and mouse traps
Rent a car
Remove and stow bimini
Secure dinghy on bow
Empty the fridge (oh dear god, it's a black hole.....mmmm cheese?)
Get tarps, bungee cords, duct tape, biocide, wax, teak oil, chain and ice cream.
Did I mention that we're in the middle of nowhere? Seriously, there's alligators swimming around our boat. This place is truly in the boondocks. I return to my lack of organizational and research skills here (guess the apple DOES fall far from the tree, mom) when I tell you that I just assumed we could catch a shuttle from the boat yard, rent a car or take a bus into Ft Myers. We are 50 miles from Ft Myers at a "do it yourself" boat storage yard, and in this case "do it yourself" means "good luck suckers". Nice one team! Maybe I shouldn't assume that being in the states means wifi access, lattes and cabs on every corner.
Don't worry! It will all work out! We've posted a sign on the men's bathroom door asking for a ride- with the promise of gas money. Surely someone will be going. Three cheers for optimism!
Marianne and I weren't sure exactly how it would play out going up the ICW. Our first day on the "ditch" brought us through 8 draw bridges. We didn't really understand the whole etiquette of hailing the bridge operator to request an opening. So at the first bridge, Marianne got on the VHF and yelled, "Wizard let us pass!". It worked, the bridge opened. So cool!
We woke up on Tuesday morning (only slightly late) at about 3:00 a.m, made a fresh pot of crappy coffee and went over our departure plan. Things were going pretty smoothly as we pulled away from the dock and headed out into the pitch black. A little nervous because both of our spotlights had stopped working, we decided to look on the bright side and be thankful for the intermittent flashes of lightening helping us to see for a few seconds at a time.
As we motored slowly out of Bimini's narrow inlet, everything was going according to plan. Everything except for a huge dredging barge that appeared to be blocking the channel. We'd seen this barge and its long (2 ft diameter) hose snaking its way to shore the previous day, as we stood on the beach and planned our exit. Problem was, it had moved and that massive hose was invisible to us under the cloak of darkness . As we got closer, we kept expecting to see it more clearly and find a safe path around it whilst avoiding a string of ocean breakers to our right. It wasn't happening. Matt couldn't see anything, and I wasn't doing much better up on bow. The sound of the crashing waves was ominously close. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses, turn around and head back to the dock, and watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" until the sun comes up.
Take two! Out we go again, this time at 6:00 a.m. We successfully pass the barge this time and marvel at how we miraculously didn't hit it on our first attempt. The forecast was looking good, but the skies… not so much. We were surrounded by threatening cells on three sides.
Storm number 1: a LOT of rain and thunder. Intimidating at first, it actually ended up helping us out! The wind accompanying the rain sent our speed up and we were grateful for the boost. Wookie is annoyed at being wet.
Storm number 2: This one is smack dab in the Gulfstream, where the northward current is about 3+ knots. More rain and thunder- some lightening, and an unexpected wind shift to northerly. This was very bad (wind that opposes current causes dangerous swell). Although we were making really good time (averaging 7.5 knots), almost everything on and in the boat was wet. Matt got worried, as the seas kept building, and diverted our course to Fort Lauderdale, the closest port. 10 minutes later, the wind died and we resumed our original course to Lake Worth. Mother Nature, you're a fickle broad.
So the seas were finally calming and that the weather was looking up. The sun was shining. We were in the clear. FAT CHANCE SUCKAS!!!!
Storm number 3: Thunder, no lightening, but some of the nastiest swell we've seen. The forecast had called for very light winds close to Florida, but it was definitely gusting 30+. We were running, the winds at our back, a handkerchief of jib was all the boat could handle. We surfed some of the waves (and hit 9.3 knots at one point!), while others threatened to crash over our stern. As we neared Lake Worth, we were anxious at the fact that we were the only boat on the water. When we finally did sail into the harbour we were all soaked, shivering and riding a high of post storm exhilaration :)
Who cares? We're here! We dropped the hook and collapsed. The next morning we headed to U.S. Customs.
"I see you've been denied entry before" the border guard says directly to me. "Uhhh, yeah I guess so, but they let us in eventually", I stutter back. After round three of questioning and scrutiny at our flight info- as well as a phone call to confirm our airline reservation itinerary (we must look like liars) we are admitted into the states. This time our visa is not for 6 weeks, but for 6 months! WOOP WOOP! Party time!
So now we depart. Up the ICW (Inter Coastal Waterway) to Glades where we will take Maranatha out of the water, mend some wounds (hers and our own) and fly back to our beloved Vancouver.
Here's a music video we found to express how we feel about that. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do :)
It's amazing to think that just shy of 3 months ago we arrived on these banks, weary, naive and thirsty for adventure (and rum!). Sadly, the time has come for us to leave these beautiful waters and cross the infamous Gulfstream for a second time. We've topped up our fuel, water and supply of yams and plan to leave Bimini at 2am tomorrow morning. This should give us a good head start for the 76 nautical mile journey to Lake Worth, Florida where we will once again go eye to eye with US customs. Bahamas, we love you ..... and we'll be back.
Our last stop in the Berry Islands brought us to Chub Cay….almost. We radioed in to see if they had a slip for us for the night and to check their rates. $4.35 a foot???? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Most of the marinas we've stopped at have been about $1.00-$1.50 per foot. This place was highway robbery. So, we decided to go straight through, placing our bets on a dubious forecast to go 80 nautical miles west to Bimini- thus avoiding an expensive night, and staying ahead of schedule (albeit somewhat un-mentally prepared for the two day journey).
Things start going a little downhill from here.
An hour or so later, as Matt leaned over the side of the boat to clean Wookie's astro turf in the ocean, the turf fell overboard. Turf overboard!! We circled the boat around and headed back, but turf begin to sink so I dove into the ocean and for the first time experienced the very odd sight of Matt sailing the boat around me. Turf in hand, I clambered back up onto the boat and began to dry off.
Shortly thereafter, we noticed our speed had been dwindling, and though it could have been due to a current, the more likely culprit was sea grass wrapped around our propeller and rudder. Back I went into the water. Matt is usually our designated diver, but since he had an ear infection, the torch was passed to me. Sure enough handful after handful of sea grass came off. We were hauling more grass than a VW van with BC plates.
Bad things happen in threes right? HA! I wish! After our barbeque cover blew over board (we managed to get that with the boat hook so we were saved another dive) we figured maybe our luck was about to turn. An adorable tiny bird perched on our deck. Where did it come from? This minuscule creature was in the middle of nowhere, 30 miles from land and in the midst of wind and drizzling rain. We marvelled at it hopping around on deck- it even landed on Matt's arm for a few seconds. We attempted to feed it some seeds when- poof! It disappeared into our V-berth hatch burrowing out of sight in the vicinity of our bed.
It was growing increasingly dark and I was growing increasingly tired so we decided to drop the anchor. Right then and there, miles from land, there was only about 18 feet of water. I put the engine in reverse to set the anchor- my mind drifting to thoughts of my warm, dry bed (now shared with a Bananaquit). I put it back in neutral and ERRRRRR! Off goes the engine alarm to tell us that when we reversed, our dinghy line got wrapped in our prop.
Refusing to deal with our latest problem in the dark, we exchanged kind words and marvelled at strength of our relationship amidst such adversity. NOT! We just about killed each other and went to bed angry!
That's when the thunder and lightening started and we discovered not one, but THREE new leaks on our boat.
After a wet, rocky and sleepless night, Matt's tired, I'm tired, and Wookie's never felt better. Our little stowaway emerged just after breakfast, found it's way to the deck and flew off to sea. Strange indeed.
Living on a boat means lot's of free time to get lost in your thoughts. When we're away from land, staring out at sea, it's hard not to feel somewhat minuscule in the grand scheme of things. We found this video and it's pretty stellar....gotta love TED!
Step 1: Find a tree (preferably one that is dead already)
Step 2: Cut the branches off with an hatchet. (We used a sharp rock, a chisel and a hammer - we don't suggest using these tools, unless you are unemployed and have a lot of time on your hands…..like us.)
Step 3: Attach the now bare tree to your dinghy. Hooray - it's a mast!
Step 4: Take a break. Drink a beer if you have one, cold works best.
Step 5: Cut a sail. *Hint - tarps work much better than bedsheets. We found out the hard way, you don't have to.
Step 6: Duct Tape! Put a strip down the leech of the sail. Yellow works best.
Step 7: Attach sail to mast and tie a line around the clew. We used plastic tie-wraps for the mast and some light line as our main sheet.
Step 8: Sail away, sail away, sail away.
Ooops! Looks like we forgot the keel! No sailing upwind, I guess. See you later Matt! Hope you brought lots of water.....
The first time we ran aground seemed like a rite of passage and was somewhat comical. The second time was anything but. As we made our way from Great Harbour Cay to Hoffman's key, we admired how clear the water was. Even though there was thirty feet below us, we could see the ocean floor. It was beautiful and eerie at the same time. We alternated between looking out over the bow and checking the gps for dangerous rocks that lay ahead. Matt and I took a moment to look at the chart and decipher where to anchor when CRUNCH! Our depth went from 30 feet to 3 in a mere moment. Our boat elevated out of the water and we felt like we were on a ride at Disneyland. We realized we had hit our keel on a massive coral head, and immediately knew that this would cause considerably more damage than the last grounding, to us and the coral - sorry coral :( The alarming thing is, if this was the Coral that we were navigating around on the gps, it was three or four hundred feet from where it was supposed to be. An alarming notion when we rely on gps for a huge part of our navigation. Fine Berry Islands, visual piloting it is. Although we aren't taking on water and our keel hasn't fallen off yet (knock on wood) the repairs for next season are going to be more extensive than we had hoped. Bring on the epoxy.
Sailboat or Submarine?
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Our first stop in the Berry Islands landed us in Great Harbour Cay. Right smack dab in the middle of some pretty major election hype. In fact, we arrived on the same day that the Prime Minister of the Bahamas did (although we didn't manage to seem him because he flew in and out for a mere five minute photo op.) Despite my best efforts, I managed to get very little information about the three main political parties. No one seemed particularly interested in discussing their political viewpoints, even though everywhere you looked there were flags on cars and people donning their respective party colours and slogans. Just as well I suppose, I can barely keep up with Canadian politics. We could sure learn a lot from their voter turnout though- above 95%! After several parties and a bustling election day, the PLP was declared the victors. From what I gathered, they are somewhat more left wing than their previous governing party- the FNM. Truth be told, most people seem to think there isn't a heck of a lot of difference between the two….at least not on the out Islands. Well PLP, congrats I guess! We sure enjoyed the activity that the election brought to Great Harbour Cay. We've been here for four days and we already feel a sense of community. The people here have been so welcoming and we've never had so many offers for rides (into town or to the beach) as we've walked down the side of the road. Thanks to the incredible and interesting people we met who made this one a stop to remember. Best dance parties EVER.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
With the Abacos in our wake, we've been putting some miles on our boat, slowly making our way westward towards the Berry islands. The wind died out yesterday, and we found ourselves in an absolutely flat calm ocean 20 miles from land. Marianne jumped in our dinghy and sang one of her hardcore ukelele numbers. Nothing like a little music video project to pass the doldrums.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Umbrellas, helping drunk people stand since the 18th century.
Abacos! It's been a blast! Thank you for your beautiful beaches and for being our enormous bathtub. Thank you also to the amazing people we have met who have helped us immensely. Your advice has saved our hides and made life just that much more fun. We will miss you until we meet again. Next stop, Berry islands! AHOY!
The last time I taught a yoga class in Vancouver was in January and I'd been feeling pretty rusty. I started to stress about jumping back on the wild yoga steed once we returned from our hiatus. It's been tough to find a peaceful and flat spot to practice yoga in the Bahamas and finding a class was not even an option....or so I thought! Low and behold, on the second floor of the W.M. H Building in Marsh Harbour is a gem of a place called Satori Health Strategies. I was so excited to take Patricia French's fabulous class, and was even more stoked to have the opportunity to teach one. Thank you, thank you, thank you Tricia, for your incredible classes and your energy, and for the opportunity to get back up in front of a class. If I ever find myself back in Marsh, your studio will be the first stop I make.
