PHOTO link–>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/pJn7yuCNsatR3x272

When I returned to Aeeshah at the end of October we were planning to leave fairly promptly for Florida, well that didn’t happen…..

For the 1st week we had a car so that we could drive the generator to Savannah, the closest repair place. However, three weeks later and the generator is still not ready and we are nearing the end of November.

Savannah

We drove along the scenic route 17 to Savannah avoiding the interstate. It was a very enjoyable drive looking out at the marshland, the wooded areas and the small towns along the way.

After dropping off the generator we headed to the Water Front area of Savannah. Once there we started walking from the West end and walked down river to Morrell Park.

Along the river walkway interesting information stops are posted giving the history of the area and the people who lived there. In Morrell Park is the Waving Girl Monument. This Savannah icon, a statue of Florence Martus, waves a handkerchief at passing ships on the Savannah River in hopes that her departed sailor lover would be on one of them. The Olympic Monument is also found there. This is in memory of the 1996 Olympic sailing that was held in Savannah.

From there we walked along the Emmet parkway above Factors Walk.

This is a network of very old narrow cobbled arched streets where cotton producers once sold their crops. The warehouses and shipping terminals now hold residences, restaurants and such. The day we were there they were setting up to film a movie so the whole area was a great big “set”. Once we reached the City Market area it was time for us to drive back to Brunswick.

Jekyll Island

Another day we drove to Jekyll Island. There we walked along Driftwood beach.

When we had 1st arrived in the area we had anchored off Driftwood beach. Now the shoreline is somewhat different with all the damaged trees from Irma.

It is still a very scenic beach and the skeletons of the trees standing along the beach are testament to the encroaching sea level.

St Simons Island

Our next destination was to St. Simons Island. There we first visited the lighthouse built in 1872. It is protected and maintained by the Historical Society, but is still a functional lighthouse.

We toured the museum and lighthouse keepers dwelling and climbed the 129 steps to the top to enjoy the view.

Fort Frederica was our next stop. General Oglethorpe brought colonists and soldiers to St Simons in 1736, building Fort Frederica as Georgia’s first military outpost on the banks of the Frederica River. Now it is a national monument where you can still see the tabby powder magazine, the foundations of the original towns buildings and the cannons used to protect the town.

The English withstood a Spanish attempt to take Georgia in 1742 in a battle know as Bloody Marsh. Also in this area at Gascoigne Bluff oaks were harvested for the new country’s battleships one of them being the USS Constitution aka Old Ironsides. The USA government still has some acreage of live oaks designated for ships repairs. We really enjoyed the informative movie, which we watched there. Walking around the old town ruins and out to The Frederica River was lovely…. the oaks are spectacular. 

Riding around Brunswick

We have enjoyed using our bikes to ride around Brunswick and the surrounding area. We rode to the marsh area opposite the marina. Having been told that there we fossilized sharks teeth being found in the mud dredged from the ICW and dumped in the marsh, we thought we would ride over and explore, maybe even find sharks teeth.

Well the ride over was enjoyable and the ride along the dirt roads of the marsh was fun, but when we stopped and tried to get to the dredged area we were attacked by mosquitoes by the thousands. They even bit through our clothes and chased us as we rode away as fast as posssible.

Our friends Don and Pam came for a bike ride with us around historic Brunswick. We stopped at the parks, rode along the lanes, through the neighborhoods looking at all the older buildings.

They showed us the Shotgun houses which is a narrow rectangular domestic residence, usually no more than about 12 feet (3.5 m) wide, with rooms arranged one behind the other and doors at each end of the house. It is an African American cultural architectural form that originated in the American South and was used extensively throughout the region.

The Victorian, gothic style of homes with the lovely gingerbread designs, cast iron fencing and long wide porches were on every street. And we visited the Oak Lovers tree, a massive oak tree in the middle of Brunswick.

The Brunswick old cemetery was the highlight. We spent a long time wandering around reading tombstones that dated back to the 1700s. The Spanish Moss hanging from the trees really gives the graveyard a dramatic effect. We really enjoyed our many rides adventuring around Brunswick.

Savannah again

Finally after nearly a month our generator was ready. Don and Pam volunteered to drive us there and we ended up making a day of our trip. We picked up the generator and then headed into downtown Savannah. I had a walking tour that we decided to follow.

Madison Square was our first stop. General Sherman’s home and Civil War headquarters were there. We continued towards the river passing through Orieans Square. There we found a Pecan festival being held. Georgia being the main area for Pecans, people were selling all things pecan. We enjoyed many samples of pecan pie and listened to some oldie goldie music being played by “The Crabs”.

It was on to Telfair Square where the oldest art museum in the south holds art and sculptures from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. We stopped and had a wonderful lunch at Goose Feathers Cafe, the food was just excellent!

It was on to the City Market area where we even saw a few cats on leashes a group was playing lively music and many folks were sitting enjoying the sunny day.

We passed through Johnson Square and could view the gold dome of City Hall. Down the old stairway to Factor Street and the Waterfront area where another arts festival was being held. We briefly looked at the arts and crafts being sold and then cut up to Reynolds Square and rounded the bend to go to ……

Leopold’s Ice Cream. Now the line was out the door with people waiting to buy an ice cream, but Pam assured us the wait is more than worth it. When we did get ours I had to agree as it was just excellent old-fashioned ice cream, really, really good!

Onto Oglethorpe Square and across to the Colonial Park Cemetery where we walked and read many of the old gravestones.

The Cathedral of St John the Baptist was our next stop. What an amazing cathedral, the stained glass and artwork inside are just awe inspiringly beautiful. The architecture too was just wonderful, the spires outside and the domes inside are quite incredible.

On passing through Lafayette Square and Calhoun Square enjoying looking at the beautiful homes with the old windows, Victorian Colonial architecture, cast iron railings and quaint fixtures was very enjoyable, I do love old architecture.

In Monterey Square we saw the gothic Temple Mickve Israel built in 1734 and the Mercer-Williams house, famous as described in the book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”.

Our last stop was Forsyth Park where they were just packing up yet another festival. There we looked at the beautiful two-tiered cast iron fountain with its statues.

We all had a wonderful day in Savannah. It was a great way to finish our time in this area of the USA.

The boat is fully loaded and finally we hoping to be off soon…..

There are no wrong turns only unexpected paths. – Mark Nepo 

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will. – Charlotte Bronte

PHOTO ALBUM –>> https://goo.gl/photos/76dGdxurBcBxgAo59 

Friends had recommended the Cape Lookout area to us, saying it was very beautiful and well worth visiting. We didn’t have much time as the bad weather held us hostage in Morehead City for an extra few days, but we decided to visit the area and we were not disappointed.

Lookout Bight and Cape Lookout National Seashore

The guide book described it as “one of the most beautiful anchorages in all of the Carolinas, Lookout Bight “ “ Miles of unspoiled, dune backed beaches of Cape Lookout National Shoreline provide the perfect setting to search for seashells of the giant whelk or watch the antics of Laughing Gulls, a variety of terns, willets, dunlins, cavorting oyster catchers…”

Anchoring in the large Lookout Bight by midday we had lunch and set off to explore. We headed to what we thought was a boardwalk that would lead us to a track and to the abandoned village. We were wrong; this was a disused, falling apart boardwalk that led into the marshes that was not an access to the “village”. So we opted to walk along the beach and exposed sandbars.

We walked along the inside of the bay for miles as the tide went out. It was wonderful to be taking pictures, walking and enjoying a new adventure. We crossed the huge dunes separating the bight from the Atlantic seas and were just stunned by the beauty of the beach and shoreline. The beach goes on for miles and miles, in fact 7 miles out and then the sand bars for a further 8 miles into the Atlantic. Again we walked the shoreline, now I was collecting shells too, so I was even happier. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

The following morning we dingied over to the famous Cape Lookout Lighthouse. It has been a landmark since 1812 and still shines the way to those that travel/sail the waters. The lighthouse’s unique diamond markings actually mark north and south with the black diamonds and east and west with the black, again showing the way. At the lighthouse we climbed to the top, all 200 plus steps and what a fabulous view from the top! We could see for miles. The ranger gave me his binoculars so I could view the wild horses across on Shackleford Island. They were in the water of a marsh bay happily splashing and enjoying the cool.

We then set off to walk to the abandoned village, but the sandy track was very hot with the sun baking down and we just reached the first of the structures. For our walk back we crossed to the other shore and enjoyed walking the beach back.

After lunch we went in one of the parks ATVs for a tour of the Cape. This comprised of a very interesting history of Cape Lookout, the village, (we found out we had made it to the village store on our walk) and then along the beach out to the end of Cape Lookout. The island was made a national park many, many, years ago, but the people who owned the properties were allowed to stay for 25 years. The last of the islander left in 2005. We opted to stay out on the bar for an hour and walk around; again it was just wonderful and so very beautiful. The sandbars extend for another 8 miles off the shoreline, just incredible!

Back at the dingy John suggested we pop over to nearby Shackleford Island. This is where the wild horses of Shackleford banks have roamed from the 1500s when Lucus Vasques de Ayllon’s colony failed and the horses were turned free. They are now protected as they have their own unique bloodline. They number about 150 and care completely for themselves. We were not disappointed as there were several right there grazing. We had an excellent day.

We were planning on leaving the next day, but the weather came in so that the morning was just pouring with rain and very miserable, so we stayed. As the weather lifted in the afternoon we went for a very long walk over the dunes on the shoreline. We walked to the end of the peninsular and back to the boat via the other side. It was wonderful; birds all round, wide open beach, wind blowing, waves crashing and nobody around for miles.

“What I like most about change is that it’s a synonym for ‘hope.’ If you are taking a risk, what you are really saying is, ‘I believe in tomorrow and I will be part of it.”  — Linda Ellerbee

 “To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them”  — Ralph Waldo Emerson

PHOTO LINKS —->>

1 Back in Bermuda  https://photos.app.goo.gl/tHIRHhlHotkwae1h1 

2 Final crossing to North Carolina   https://photos.app.goo.gl/s3gWCgpM2ACmIDUh2 

There we were on our second return trip to the U.S. East coast! Yes second try, a week before we had to abort our passage due to the weather coming off the US coast.

We checked out of St Georges on July 4th. The weather looked great despite localized squalls. We were all set, had Ethan, our excited Grandson aboard, we were all fueled up, plenty of food, off we went, the weather forecast was good, but turned out to be false.

After the 1st 12 hours we had encountered dreadful weather, winds up to 42.8 knots, squalls, high seas, and all coming from the south west exactly where we were trying to head in North Carolina. However we persisted as the weather according to our information was going to become settled and winds were to blow from the south. However this did not happen, we had ever increasing seas, we were having to sail very close to the wind, the going was very slow and uncomfortable. So after 48 hard hours we headed back to Bermuda.

We had a good-sized stainless shackle holding the jib sheet block that gave way… broke. John and I were trying to reef the jib at that the time and bang! It just went. The jib was all over the place sheets slamming and oh what a mess, of course this was at night. Then other various small breakages, lines that were chaffing, water had entered due to waves crashing right over bow and landing near the hardtop, it was practically impossible to move through the boat, it really was quite dangerous. Plus our auto pilot muscle – driving arm/mechanics was busted, so no auto. Luckily that gave way just as we limped back into St Georges harbour. The authorities were great! There they were waiting for our arrival and had been monitoring our progress. Anyway we were back in Bermuda on the 7th. Once back we found out that flights on the east coast had been cancelled due to the system we were heading into, soooo glad we headed back!

Back in Bermuda we had repairs, plus had to get new expensive auto pilot muscle flown in. We restocked ready to leave again.

Our family was really happy to have us back and we did get to go to our daughter Chrissie’s baby shower, which was just lovely.

I got to do the walk around St Georges taking pictures of the old Town. I just love St Georges!

Plus we spent one afternoon at a beach off of Paget Island with Rhianna, Gavin and Lily.

By July 15th we were off again, – no Ethan, he had enough the previous trip. The weather looked great and our first 2 days out were amazing, but not enough wind. However neither of us was complaining.

Following were 2 days that we had good sailing wind, plus bigger seas and nights with rainsqualls accompanied by thunder and lightening. We actually saw lightning striking the water off a ways, which I found very worrisome. However the seas weren’t bad and we were making good progress.

Our final day was another lovely day; blue blue skies and a good breeze lending us a nice board reach to finish our crossing. It was fantastic entering the channel – the Inter Coastal Waterway and passing under a bridge and on to the marina. Just after noon we were dockside at Morehead Yacht Basin, as suggested by John and Kay off svBad Bunny. I can honestly say, “I will NOT be doing a long passage again for a long time” I am happy to do the over nights, short hops, island to island, for now anyway.

Since arriving here in Morehead City we have been doing a massive clean up and fix up. On the passage over the engine’s regular fuel leak which had been a drip,    drip,   drip,    filling a cup a week turned into a drip, drip drip, drip, filling the same cup in a few hours. So the mechanic – Mike – told us a new fuel pump was needed. That’s one of the jobs. The list is quite long thanks to the beating we took on the 1st passage.

We have enjoyed our marina, the 1^st in a year. There is everything we need, plus friendly folks and the use of the marina car.

We have borrowed the car most days to drive and get all we need and to have a quick look at the surrounding area.

We enjoyed a walk along the waterfront and through the neighborhood. It is a very nice area. Dinner out was excellent, one restaurant, “Floyds” the dish I had was amazing. Shrimp with a cheese grits side. I discovered grits are really good.

Rig heavy, reef early, and pray often; for God does not assure us an easy passage, but He does promise a safe anchorage…

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have” Eckhart Tolle

PHOTO LINKS—>>America’s Cup  https://goo.gl/photos/KqPG3SoxFg17XNtD6

Tall Ships–>> https://goo.gl/photos/4kNmF1VHCGpg4E4C6 

Canada, Ethan’s Graduation —->> https://goo.gl/photos/Jhta8knd5qRpAEbC7

PHOTO LINKS below, 1st J-Class racing, 2nd our 40th anniversary –>>

 https://goo.gl/photos/FqR9UjLm3p7iQyfGA     

https://goo.gl/photos/w9cEQ2gwdBNDHPj46   

Bermuda on Aeeshah

When we first arrived in Hamilton Harbour on Aeeshah we were confused/uncertain as to where would be the best spot to keep the boat. We needed an anchorage or mooring, which afforded easy access to the shore and home. So we looked around and decided to anchor up in the islands of the Great Sound, between Nellie’s and Hawkins’s islands, until such spot could be found. For our 1^st weekend the family visited and enjoyed the regular swimming. Gavin had brought his boat and Jae had brought his so we had a boat along each side of us, – that was a 1^st. We had a lovely family day with swimming and early dinner.

The following weekend we moved Aeeshah to an anchorage along the north side of Long Island. Jae, Kate and May came along in our boat while Gavin met us there on his boat. Again the day was enjoyed swimming. Gavin also took a number of the family to Somerset where they enjoyed the sandy, shallows of the King’s Point area. Another early dinner together was enjoyed – an excellent day.

Meanwhile we had secured a mooring off of Hinson’s Island and a private dock along the shoreline of the mainland where we could easily and safely leave the dingy. Plus we had the loan of one of Gavin’s bikes for transport, so we were well set up.

America’s Cup racing

We visited the America’s Cup racing in the Great Sound during the 1^st America’s Cup race-week; this was on the second day of racing. It is amazingly exciting to watch! The AC boats just fly! Literally fly at times, the speeds are amazing! The screech from the forces, the sight of the AC boats up in the air on their foils is incredible! We had gone out on Gavin’s boat with several others, and then Katie and Lily came along later on Will and Kathleen’s boat. However the races were quite boring for the little ones being not even 2 years old and so afterwards we went to the islands to swim. It was an exciting day out for the adults.

The following week we were out again on board Gavin’s boat, to watch the races, this time our friends John and Kay off Bad Bunny and their friends Michele and Randy came along. This day was extremely windy, it was doubtful if the boats would race, but they did…. And what exciting races they had too. It was during one of the races that Emerities pitch-poled, yep right in front of us was the turn marker and around they came and over they went. It was quite incredible to see. Oracle won that race.

Meanwhile back at the boat, John and I were heading to the house each day to do chores, mainly maintenance, John patching leaks in the roof, painting etc. I was doing cleaning, clearing and organizing, helping Chrissie who is expecting a baby boy in September. Plus we had regular appointments and such to catch up on. So it was very handy having the boat off the shoreline of Darrel’s Warf and just riding down Harbour Road and home when necessary.

We visited the America’s Cup Village during one of the first weeks of the racing. We went with our son Gavin, wife Katie, her Dad, Uncle, aunt and sons.

What and incredible set up! It really was worthwhile as we were able to wander around and appreciate the technology close up. The set up is just incredible, as my daughter Kate said, “it’s not even like being in Bermuda” To get there we caught the America’s Cup ferry and we had lunch in the Gosling’s enclosure which looked out over the finish line. However the wind died that day, so we did watch the boats practicing, but the races never happened as by then the wind was under 6 knots. Afterwards we walked to Dockyard and caught the regular ferry back to Hamilton. Another excellent day!

The Tall Ships

The Tall Ships arrived in Bermuda and were docked in Hamilton. We went to the Harbour Nights street festival where they were along side. Our daughter Chrissie, – Island Fusion – was also set up as one of the vendors selling her fused glass jewelry. We walked the length of Front Street looking at all the stalls and of course at the tall ships. It was a fun evening.

When the Tall Ships left Hamilton there was a parade of sail along the North shore. John and I first had a close up look at the Tall Ships by taking a dingy ride in Hamilton Harbour. Then we went with Gavin on his boat, along with our daughter Chrissie, friends Kay and John off Bad Bunny and Gavin’s fellow photographer Becky to follow, photograph and watch the parade of sail along the North shore. It was a wonderful day, the weather was just perfect, these Tall Ships under sail are magnificent! Again an excellent day out on the water!

Ethan’s graduation

The time arrived for me to travel with Gavin, Katie, (son and daughter in law) Lily and Rhianna, (Granddaughters) to Canada to attend, (Grandson) Ethan’s Graduation from Pickering College in Ontario, Canada. We flew out on the Thursday, had 2 cars, as there were a few of us and plenty of baby gear and stayed in a large rental house.

On arriving Gavin, Rhianna and I quickly got ready to attend a reception for the graduate’s families. We were a bit late arriving, which was fine as we only missed the drinks and snacks. However we were in time for the special presentation and awards. All of which was very entertaining and really helped with understanding the atmosphere of Pickering. The school was founded by Quakers and is still run on the Quaker principles.

The following day we had to be ready for an 11:00 start to the graduation. It was held in the school auditorium and we were lucky to get seats halfway from the front. There was the processional with all the faculty filing in, followed by the graduates. After which there were various speeches, the award of certificates of graduation, the valedictorian speech, which was excellent, further speeches and the school hymn. Overall it was an excellent ceremony, which lasted 3 hours, but really was very interesting.

Following the graduation there was the throwing of hats on the front stairs and refreshments in the cafeteria. I must say the refreshments were excellent!

That evening we all went out to dinner to an excellent Oriental restaurant, which served a huge buffet of amazing foods.

Our final day was Katie’s birthday. We went to Newmarket, which was the small town where the school was located. There we had an excellent breakfast and then wandered around. It is a lovely town and it just happened to have a Gay Pride march on, plus a farmer’s market and an artisans market. We spent the morning meandering the markets, pond side and pathways. The weather was excellent and we had a wonderful morning.

On the Sunday we were back to Bermuda arriving on Father’s Day. It had been arranged to have a Father’s Day/Birthday celebration at Gavin’s that later afternoon. There we all had a very nice evening together.

J Class racing

It was really the final week of all the sailing that followed. We went to the J Class races off of the North shore. Off in Gavin’s boat we went along with our friends John and Kay again. Watching the J Class sailboats was thrilling. They are just amazingly huge classic sailboats that are so very elegant when under full sail. It was a lovely day watching the races and quite nerve racking when the boats were hard under sail and crossing each other’s way when tacking.

The final week the Red Bull races concluded, Bermuda did very well as the beginners! Plus the America’s Cup was battled out between Oracle and Emirates teams. We did see some of the finals from a distance, but with Emirates way ahead it was a foregone conclusion that they would win. The really amazing spectacle was all of the hundreds of spectator boats including mega yachts across the Great Sound watching the racing.

40th Anniversary celebration

Katie and Gavin held a 40^th Wedding anniversary celebration for John and I at their house. It was for just family and our close friends. Again an excellent evening! They had organized our favourite Indian restaurant to supply curries, our daughter Chrissie did decorations and the weather was perfect. Everybody had a fun relaxing time.

Meanwhile John and I have completed just about every chore we had been challenged with during our time on island. And our time was just about over as July was looming which meant time to move on to the East coast of the USA.

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. – Anais Nin

When you are grateful – when you can see what you have – you unlock blessings to flow into your life. – Size Orman

PHOTO LINK —->>>   https://goo.gl/photos/kB4Luroc3zWj5gycA 

Boot Key, Marathon to …..

The time arrived for us to start to head to Bermuda,

so on the morning of May 5^th we left Boot Key. We had heard over the radio the warning of some approaching showers, possible squalls, but John was confident all was fine. Once outside Boot Key Harbour we could see large black clouds approaching, then we could hear the distant sound of thunder.

We were heading downwind with the main and jib out, but as the wind increased we brought in the jib, just in case…About an hour into our trip the black clouds had caught us and were right on top when WHAM! The wind just blew hard out of the opposing direction sending the main slamming kablam into a jibe, thank goodness for the preventer! This was short lasted as the wind came around again to behind us and just blew hard from downwind. There wasn’t much rain but the wind reached 42 knots and there was still distant thunder rumbeling, we really only just had a glancing blow from this “front” that passed over.

The winds decreased and we motor sailed to the Key Largo area, 49 miles in 8 hours. We anchored on the north side of the key in gusty conditions. During that night we were awakened twice by the anchor alarm, once was a false alarm with just a wind shift. The second time was the real alarm, our anchor was dragging and we were heading towards the shallows. So we attempted to re-anchor and finally found a spot on the south side of the key where it was more sheltered.

The next day the 6^th May we really did every imaginable job on the boat in order to make her ready for the up-co0ming crossing to Bermuda. I basically stripped any loose items and packed them snugly into the bow cabin. The wind changed again so we moved once again into the inside – north side of the key, finally finding another spot to anchor.

May 7^th the wind was still blowing with too much north, so we delayed leaving, until noon. Then we set off for Bermuda.

It was a really lovely day, the waters were beautiful, the breeze was perfect, we saw dolphins jumping around the boat, the colours were just wonderful blues, turquoise and greens.

Off towards the North Bahamas coast we sailed due to the direction of the winds. However as the afternoon progressed so did the wind increase and as we were by this time in the Gulf Stream, the wave size mounted higher and higher as the wind was against the current of the Gulf Stream. It became quite rough so we altered our course to head more towards Bimini and out of the main flow of the Gulf Stream.

Sometime around 11:30pm when I was “sleeping” in the aft cabin, I was awakened by John who was exiting the engine room with a cup, which he said was oil, but not to worry as he had everything under control. About 20 minutes later there he was again, this time with a full pint cup of oil, but again John reassured me all was fine. However just a short while after that he was again in the engine compartment the entrance that opens into the shower and he said I’d better go up top to help out as we had a big problem.

Well it turned out that an oil pipe had broken/cracked and we had an oil leak. As the wind had died we had been motor sailing, but now we turned off the engine while John attempted to fix the leak. Another problem was we were just off Fort Lauderdale, the second busiest cruise ship port in the world, and yes, there were cruise ships all around us. We had to contact several cruise ships to warn them of our position.

John was in the engine room with the stinking hot engine trying to fix a leak while I was in the cockpit keeping watch and starting the engine when instructed, with a large swell rolling the boat all over, and cruise ships stalking us.

Wellll, the pipe then broke right off and the engine sprayed oil all over the engine room and into the shower area….what a mess!! So now John had to try to rig a fix of this pipe. He tried plugging it with various homemade plugs, but they all blew out again spaying oil everywhere each time. Nothing was working, and then John saw we did not have any oil pressure! No oil pressure means no working engine. It was nearly 4 in the morning by then, so with nothing we could do we gave up and drifted along in the Gulf Stream.

By morning we had contacted home using our sat phone, to tell one and all we thought the trip was cancelled. We contacted some friends in Florida to ask about the best place to make for to get engine repairers or as John thought a new engine. We were very sad, so depressed. We rested and drifted in the Gulf Stream trying to head for the Florida coast.

Around lunchtime, after some sleep,  John decided to have one last go. As the engine was cold he took off the whole piece which the pipe was on, plugged the hole with some epoxy we had, let it dry, filled the engine with a whole lot of oil we had on board and crossed our fingers it would work. Turning on the engine there was a slight flutter in the oil gauge, which told us we did actually have oil pressure, which was excellent news. John fed the engine as much oil as needed, started her up and voila we had oil pressure, the plug held and we were back on course. All we didn’t have was an engine alarm as it had been dismantled, so we had to constantly watch the oil pressure if the engine was running, while on watch. It was such a relief to be back underway!

By this time it was May 8^th, late afternoon, we had lost about 18 hours, but never mind, we were on the way again.

The following days and nights had winds of 10 – 15 knots or less, the seas were rolling swells, the skies were beautiful blue with white fluffy clouds, just lovely weather. At times the sea was so calm it was glassy and the sky and ocean blended together with no horizon being seen. We were just averaging about 5 knots, which meant we would take longer to get to Bermuda, but as it was so comfortable, we didn’t care.

There then followed a couple of days with semi overcast conditions, it was misty at night, the wind did increase and with it the seas and it became quite rough making moving below deck or trying to stay in bed quite challenging, however, we didn’t really mind as we were over halfway home.

While out we had a wonderful full moon, saw dolphins, had Longtails – Bermuda tropic Birds flying around Aeeshah, saw Portuguese Men Of War and lots of seaweed, life was very peaceful each day just blending through the night into the next day. At night we found there were a surprising number of ships, several we had to contact, one of which we couldn’t see his lights but knew from the radar was close.

Bermuda…..

On the morning of May 16^th, 9 days after we started I saw Bermuda in the distance. It was just a wonderful feeling to actually be heading home. Both John and I were overjoyed and very proud of our achievement.

We sailed along the Southshore, our daughter Kate saw us from just below Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. We had been in contact with Bermuda Radio and welcomed home.

As we approached the Eastern end we could see other sailboats approaching too, we had not seen even 1 when we were crossing, now we could see over 8 others arriving too on slightly different courses. Through the Towne Cut we went and over to HMS Customs at Ordinance Island to check in.

After 9 days, 2 hours, we had arrived…. From Key Largo, Florida we had travelled 955.2 miles at an average speed of 4.3 knots, very slow, but we arrived!

That evening we just rested, enjoying being at anchor where the boat was steady and not rolling, we crashed out and slept for nearly 12 hours.

Gavin our son, visited the next morning bringing us some odds and ends we needed. We wandered around St Georges enjoying walking on land. We got our data set up and started the huge tidy up. Everything that had been packed away needed to be unpacked, the boat needed cleaning inside out and we had a huge amount of laundry.

Our daughter Kate with baby May and partner Jae visited that evening having dinner with us. It was lovely to see May who was now over a year old, walking and starting to talk. We had a very nice, simple barbeque dinner.

The following day was again another of cleaning, sorting and unpacking. Our daughter Chrissie visited us for lunch and a few hours aboard, she is now 5 month pregnant. Again we enjoyed walking around St. Georges. It is such a scenic, historic, town.

Then it was time to move to Hamilton, so off we set along the Northshore to find an anchorage in the vicinity of Hamilton.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end” – Ursula K. Le Guin

Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s waiting out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it. – Pema Chodron

PHOTOS link–>>     https://goo.gl/photos/9qm7JVAo3ukqLc4u6 

The last of Isla Mujeres, the passage north and Key West followed by Marathon

We had waited and waited for fair winds to sail to Cuba, but time passed and we decided to make a change of plans. The new plans had us going to the USA east coast to get ready for our sail to Bermuda. Our Cuba visit was delayed until later in the year after the hurricane season and then we can spend a good 2 months in Cuba. Our buddy boat Mikiai was still set on sailing to Cuba, as they were not pressed for time.

Meanwhile, while we waited for the weather we continued to go for walks ashore and enjoying the Isla. We dingied along the shoreline and found that towards the southern end there was an amazing zip line set up. We both would have loved to ride the zip line along the cliffs, across the bay and back to shore – maybe next time. Chico had his final vet check for his medical travel cert; we had many social evenings and prepped the boat for our passage.

Finally the weather cooperated and we knew we would be underway. Setting off on March 29^th we had several hundred miles and nights at sea. From the beginning the passage was not the one hoped for, on the way out when I faced the wind for John to hoist the main sail, the mainsheet slide all the way out of the blocks. This was while the seas were starting to roughen up, for me it was an anxiety spike that left me unsettled. The seas on leaving northern Isla were nasty. As there was a fairly strong wind blowing – up to 25knots, the seas were up and due to the shallows surrounding Isla Mujeres it was out right rough! We were going right into the large seas which started rolling over the bow. John did wonder if we should head back, but I felt we would then have to go through it all over again so we continued…..

The 1^st day was really unpleasant, constantly rough with higher winds than expected, gusts up to 30knots, the seas had the regular swell, but a heavy chop on top. Neither of us ate anything except saltine crackers, by later afternoon I was seasick and really feeling like hell. I wasn’t any good as crew. John was then faced with the whole night watch, which loomed ahead. I had to go below and passed out between being thrown about. Thank goodness that near midnight the seas and wind calmed to moderate and the passage improved.

Day 2 John slept on and off most of the day, while I was on watch, but the wind and seas were up and down all day. Plus we had an unexpected current pushing us into the Gulf of Mexico. This meant we had to sail quite close to the wind and with the swell and seas broadside it was again rough and uncomfortable. However my seasickness had gone and I could even read! So keeping watch wasn’t quite as boring and tedious.

The second night was dreadfully challenging. After John took over that night the Gulf Stream current was opposing the wind, which made for dreadfully rough conditions. We had waves crashing over the boat; it was dangerous to try to maneuver through the boat. One wave crashed down on the aft starboard side, ran down into the lazarette, through it and swamped the aft head. It was a dreadful night passage. As the sun rose we decided to cut up between the Dry Tortugas towards the inside passage towards the keys. Reason being it was easier and calmer. Finally once on the inside of the Cays the seas settled and we sailed nicely.

By the time we were off of the Marquises Cays we had decided to stop there and rest for the night. We couldn’t make it rest of the way to Key West by nightfall anyway. So there we stopped and crashed out for the night. Even Chico was mightily relieved. He climbed up onto the arch on the solar panels and looked out.

Continuing the next day to Key West we arrived by lunchtime, stopped at the mooring field, took the dingy in to the town, caught a taxi to the airport and checked in to the USA.

Key West

Key West is just as it was 6 years ago, maybe a bit busier, it is a fun town. We went the mooring field at Garrison Bite where we tied up to a buoy.

Being in the mooring field gives us access to the secure dinghy dock in Garrison Bite, plus the laundry facility and showers. If we had used the anchorage we would not have had these facilities and still would have had to pay to use the public dingy dock. From the Garrison Bite dingy dock it is only a 10 minutes walk to West Marine and then along the boardwalk into the front of Key West.

We also have access to the grocery stores by securing our dingy under a highway 1 bridge and climbing up the bank there before us are 2 shopping plazas! All the stores we need for supplies, foods, and services.

We have purchased our sat phone – an Iridium – It arrived a few days ago and we are very pleased with it. It does, texting, emails, SOS, calls, and even facebook.

Next to arrive to was our water maker – a Rainman. We now can make water at a rate of 18 gallons an hour.

Everyday we go for walks checking out the sites/sights along the roads. Key West has many interesting storefronts, bars/saloons, quiet homes and makes for great people watching. There is a large interesting cemetery too, which we wandered around.

Another fun activity is to take the dingy along the many mangrove canals. There you can weaver along behind homes, under bridges and roads while enjoying the scenery.

Due to the weather we were in Key West for longer than we had planned. The wind just kept blowing from the east exactly where we needed to head. Finally, we had a break and we headed off to Marathon.

In Key West John and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary! We took the day off, went for a nice long walk and had food at the raw bar that we both enjoyed before.

Marathon

It was excellent weather to have a slow sail to Marathon. We saw dolphins along the way, it was so smooth, a real but rare treat. Again we are quite familiar with Marathon having spent time there before we set off over 5 years ago. There were plenty of mooring balls in Boot Key City Marina, so once again we are attached to a mooring.

Boot Key Harbour Marina is excellent! It has all the necessary facilities plus bikes you can borrow for free. Each day we borrow a bike and ride to the various shops to get what we need. I do love riding a bike. We have stocked up on everything we need, Chico was vetted, we made the boat ready for the possible 10 day passage and are just set to leave!

We met up with our neighbours in the mooring field, Joe and Ginny. They saw we were from Bermuda and came over to chat as they had sailed there back in the 80s. They have been cruising for 35 years! What was just astonishing was that after chatting Ginny told us their ages, she is in late 80s and Joe is an astonishing 92! They only look to be in their 70s! We had several pleasant evenings out with them enjoying the local seafood. 

Finally we were leaving on our passage back to Bermuda!

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate,

Can circumvent or hinder or control

The firm resolve of a determined soul.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox