Little Farmer's Cay

Monday, February 4, 2008

Location: Little Farmer’s Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

Log: 3313

Miles Traveled today: 55

Total Trip Distance: 674

Having completed a couple of repairs yesterday afternoon, we had a nice dinner on the boat last night prepared by someone called “Cool Runner” on the VHF radio. We chose our dish and spoke to him during the day and it arrived at about 6:30. Since we cannot get network television on the boat, we spent about an hour trying to receive the Super Bowl on sideband radio, only to discover that we could hear the game, but not see it, on the NFL network on DirecTV.

This morning we got off around seven for a long slow day into head seas. We only made around five knots most of the day to avoid pitching too much. Seas were steep and right on the nose, making for a long uncomfortable day.

We are now tied up at Little Farmer’s Cay, a place I visited about 10 years ago. The “yacht club” here is run by a gentleman named Roosevelt Nixon. This is where we had planned to attend the five-F festival (First Friday February Farmer’s Festival) last Friday, but weather delayed our arrival. It’s a shame we were late because I had entered Early Uncle Randy in the “Best Buns” competition. Perhaps another year.

We’re within 50 miles of our final destination at Georgetown. We’re planning to get there tomorrow night but I’m afraid we’re going to have another rough day at sea. However, we shall plow ahead as Randy is scheduled to fly out early Thursday morning.

Saturday the Lovely Laura Lee joins me for a three-week visit. She will be accompanied by the Lovable Loti Woods who will join us for a few days. Our friends the Spotswood’s from Birmingham will be down the following weekend and then we’ll be joined by my entire family at Cape Santa Maria at the end of the month. I’m looking forward to completing the “delivery” portion of the trip. However, I am mindful that inviting friends to vacation on Steel Magnolia is like having a house party in a small mobile home. I hope everyone will enjoy the tight quarters.

A Short Day

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Location: Highbourne Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

Log: 3258

Miles Traveled today: 6

Total Trip Distance: 619

We blew a fuse on the anchor windlass this morning when the chain stuck in the opening through the deck. After hand winching the anchor the rest of the way up, and finding out that seas were rough and it would be a long day, we decided to turn in to the Highbourne Cay Marina after about an hour of travel. We needed some time to fool with the windlass and determine what it needs and we’re hoping for more gentle seas tomorrow.

We may miss the Super Bowl tonight as there is no TV here for guests. We’re still receiving satellite TV but we do not get the regular networks on the boat. We have heard that there is a “camp” for the employees here that has a TV and might get the game. We may wander there this evening to see if we can watch it. Meanwhile, we’re going to work on repairs. 

Allen'sCay

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Location: Allen’s Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

Log: 3252

Miles Traveled today: 39

Total Trip Distance: 613

We had an incredible day today. We left Nassau at around 9:00 am under clear blue skies and traveled for just under five hours southeast to Allen’s Cay, the first nice anchorage at the northern end of the Exumas. Although my journey is not complete, I felt a great sense of satisfaction at reaching the Exuma Islands after some 600 miles of travel from Savannah, Georgia.

The anchorage here is beautiful, although crowded, as always. We launched the dingy and took the obligatory trip ashore to see the iguanas. This has become a popular tourist attraction with day boats full of tourists visiting to feed the enormous number of iguanas on the beach here. As a result, there are hundreds of fat, spoiled iguanas standing on the beach all day waiting to be fed.

It is windy tonight and slightly rolly as an anchorage. We ended up a little closer to the rocky shore than I planned, but the anchor seems to be holding well, and I think we will be OK for the night. The sky is clear and full of stars, spoiled only by the distant lights of Nassau reflecting off the sky. It will only get better and more beautiful as we travel south. We dined on lasagna, salad, and red wine. Early Uncle Randy has gone to bed early, as usual.

Years ago, when I first brought a boat to the Bahamas with my kids on board, we began referring to the Bahamas as a “parallel universe”. Because of some cultural or body language differences, we often found ourselves sitting in the same place with Bahamians but seemingly in another dimension. My favorite example was an evening at the Guana Beach Resort in the Abacos. We all went to the restaurant for dinner, found a table, and sat down to await dinner. For a period of about 15 minutes, waiters and waitresses walked by and simply refused to look at us. We held up our hands and waved, but no one seemed to acknowledge our presence. Finally, I got up and walked over right in front of a waitress. I said, “We’re sitting right over there and we’d like to get menus and order dinner”. “Oh,” she said, “you want to have dinner?” Why else would we come into a restaurant at 7:00 in the evening and take a seat? “Yes,” I said, “Of course we want to have dinner.” We were right there in the restaurant with waiters and waitresses walking by us, but we seemed to be in a “parallel universe”.

I often try to convey this strangeness to friends with some difficulty. Therefore, I was delighted last night when Early Uncle Randy got to experience this “parallel universe” for himself. We walked from the boat over to the incredible Atlantis resort and casino. We wandered through the place, walked through the underground passages through the giant aquarium, and then headed into the casino area to find a spot for a cocktail. The first bar we went to had bartenders and waitresses and we asked for a drink. “We’re closed,” they told us, and we were referred to the next bar along the way. It was open and fairly busy, but we found two open seats at the bar. It was a large circular bar and the two bartenders were at the far side, out of our sight. We waited, and we waited, and there was no way we could get a bartender to come to our end of the bar or even notice that we were there. Finally, after about 15 minutes, we simply left.

We  wandered outside and around the “marina village” where we finally located a restaurant named Carmine’s. We were seated and we waited and we waited and, finally, after about 15 minutes, I got a waitress’s attention. “We’ve been here about 15 minutes,” I said. “We’d like to order a drink and get some dinner.” She appeared surprised and took our drink orders and said she would pass them along to our waitress. After another 15 minutes and asking several people to check on our drink orders, a woman brought the glass of wine I had ordered. She said that Randy’s martini would be along. I drank the wine and we waited and we waited and we asked several people about Randy’s drink. A totally new waiter appeared and said he would be our waiter and asked if we would like to order a drink. We told him we had ordered and would he please bring Randy’s drink. Finally, a waitress appeared and said there was a problem with finding a glass for Randy’s martini.

The menu had an extensive list of “specialty drinks” including all kinds of martinis. However, the bar was apparently out of martini glasses. Randy had ordered a Bombay martini with a twist. He finally got a wine glass about half full with straight gin. No twist, lukewarm, no vermouth. Very strange.

After another long wait, a waitress appeared and asked us if we were familiar with the restaurant’s “concept”. I started to say that yes, we understood the concept of ignoring customers, but I held my tongue. She explained that each item on the menu was a large enough portion for four people. That is why salads cost $36 and entrees were in the $50 range. Of course, there were only two of us so we ordered sauteed chicken breasts and nothing else. It was enough for four people but there was no salad, vegetable, or even garnish. Just a plate with four chicken breasts. We ate what we had and left after spending $75 for chicken breasts, wine, and a glass of warm gin.

It’s a parallel universe.

Nassau

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Location: Hurricane Hole Marina, Nassau, Bahamas

Log: 3213

Distance Traveled Wednesday and Today: 120 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 574 Nautical Miles

We departed at daybreak Wednesday from Port Lucaya near Freeport, Grand Bahama. The wind had picked up during the night and I was concerned that seas would produce an uncomfortable ride. The waves were small but very steep when we first left the harbor, and we were going straight into them. To make the ride tolerable, I tacked to the left and right of course for about the first hour, wondering if we would ever get to an anchorage in one day. Fortunately, the seas died down as we got further offshore in deeper water, and we had a nice ride for the rest of the day.

We anchored last night about half way to Nassau in an area called Great Harbor off Great Stirrup Cay. We cooked a pork tenderloin on the grill, had a fine dinner, and watched half a movie before hitting the rack early.

This morning, we got off around 7:00 a.m. for the second leg to Nassau. Unfortunately, winds had picked up to 15 knots and, this afternoon to around 20 knots. Again, we were headed straight into the waves. They were only about 4-foot seas but very steep and right on the nose. When it began to get intolerable, I turned about 15 degrees right of our course and found a comfortable ride. We had to run this way all day until we got in the lee of New Providence Island (Nassau) where we were finally able to turn back toward our waypoint. All in all, it was not a very comfortable day.

Just when I was sighing with relief to enter Nassau Harbor, a Bahamas Defense Force boat came out toward us, circled around, and began following me closely into the harbor. Sure enough, they had to board us, see all the paperwork showing we had been admitted to the bahamas and purchased a cruising permit, etc. Between the Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement officials, and the Bahamas Defense Force, I have now been boarded about 10 times in my boating career. All have been courteous and businesslike, and I have nothing to complain about. It just always seems to happen when I’m tired and ready to get to the dock.

Anyway, we’re here. The boat has performed beautifully. The remainder of the trip is less a delivery and more enjoyable cruising. We’ll lay over here tomorrow to get some provisions. Saturday, we’ll travel down to Allan’s Cay at the north end of the Exuma Islands chain. Throughout next week, we’ll slowly work our way down the Exumas.

After tomorrow, it may be awhile before I have internet access. However, I’ll check back in as often as possible. 

Early Uncle Randy has arrived

Riding to the rescue after my crew mutinied and left me here in Freeport, Randy arrived here around noon today, early, as usual.

We plan to head out around 6:30 am at first light. For those following our progress, or looking for us if we get lost, I have changed my mind again about our route. The route to the west of the Berry Islands across the Great Bahama Bank would have kept us in shallow water, but we would have had a 14 hour day tomorrow with only 11 hours of daylight. Instead, I have opted to go to the east of the Berry Islands, where we can have an eight or 10 hour day and anchor for the night at Great Harbor Key or, further south, at White Cay. Thursday, we should move on to Nassau. I’ll let you know when we are safely there.

Change of Plans

As I mentioned earlier, John Fortenberry and his wife Judy were visiting friends in the Abacos while we waited for weather. I called John today to tell him it looked like our best weather window for the trip to Nassau would be Tuesday and Wednesday. However, John has some things to tend to back home and will be unable to rejoin me. So i’m stuck with good weather and no one to help me on the boat.

In my younger days, and in boats which I knew very well, I wouldn’t have thought twice about going it alone. But I am older, and perhaps wiser now, and I’ve only had a couple of long days at sea on Steel Magnolia. So I’m looking for company. Fortunately, the lovely Laura Lee’s uncle, whom I refer to as Early Uncle Randy, is planning to ride to the rescue. He can’t get here until Tuesday afternoon, but with luck the weather will hold out for a Wednesday and Thursday trip from here to Nassau.

I’ve also modified my planned route to avoid being at sea for so long. On the map below, I am near Freeport on Grand Bahama Island at the upper left of the map. I was planning on going to the east of the Berry Islands, tucking in there to anchor for a night, and then on to Nassau. The plan now is to go a more southerly route from here, to the west of the Berry Islands, across the Great Bahama Bank, and down to Chub Cay at the southern end of the Berry Islands. The  first day would be about 11 hours, but more than half of it is in water about 10-12 feet deep. The second day would be about a six-hour trip to Nassau.

So, we have a plan. Wish us luck and hope that the next cold front doesn’t speed up and get here too early.

Still, the weather

Well, I know there is a lack of information out there when I Google “Bahamas” and “marine weather” and find my own blog entry about the lack of detailed weather information here. However, I am learning to figure things out by reading the forecasts more carefully and looking to a variety of sources.

We have another cold front moving through the area today which will swing the wind around to north and pick up the seas again. However, by Monday night or early Tuesday, things will have settled down. There should be a southwesterly wind Tuesday 10-15 knots. Seas are still forecast to be four to six feet, but “in a northerly swell”. That means more gentle and widely spaced waves rather than steep wind-driven waves. I’m planning to call Captain John Fortenberry later today to see if he can get back here tomorrow so we can make a run at it. 

Meanwhile, I’ve kind of enjoyed a couple of lazy days here in Port Lucaya. I’ve finished a good book, continued to straighten and organize the boat, watched a couple of good movies, and eaten out in the little marketplace here. And also, of course, I’ve learned a lot about how to get the weather forecasts in the Bahamas.

The Problem with Bahamas Marine Weather

There is a cold front passing through the area right now as I sit in Port Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island waiting for the weather to settle. The winds have already shifted to the north and seas right outside this port are picking up to four to six feet. Our trip from here to Nassau will require two long days of over 50 miles each. First, across the Northwest Providence Channel to the Great Stirrup Cay area, and then across the Northeast Providence Channel to Nassau. The question becomes: when will we have a two-day window of settled weather to travel south?

In the US, we have the luxury of detailed weather forecasts for specific areas along our coasts. One can look at an overall synopsis for a large area and then zoom into a forecast for exactly where you will be. Out here, the forecasts from the US cover gigantic areas of the ocean. The Bahamas is within the High Seas forecast area described as the “Southwest North Atlantic south of 31 degrees north and west of 65 degrees west”. This area covers some 600 miles north and south including most of the Florida east coast all the way down to the north coast of Cuba. East and west it covers more than 900 miles out as far as Puerto Rico. While it can give you a broad synopsis of what is going on, the wind and wave height predictions are utterly useless over such a large area.

For example, the forecast for today for this huge area reads as follows:

.TODAY ...N OF 27N W OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING 
N TO NE 20 TO 30 KT THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT BUILDING 10 
TO 15 FT THIS AFTERNOON. N OF 25N E OF FRONT SW WINDS 20 TO 25 
KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. S OF 27N W OF BAHAMAS N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT 
BECOMING NE 20 KT THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING 5 TO 8 
FT IN BAHAMA CHANNEL. ELSEWHERE AREA E OF BAHAMAS VARIABLE WINDS 
10 KT SHIFTING TO N 10 TO 15 KT BEHIND FRONT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT IN 
E SWELL. SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG FRONT.

Obviously, I can’t be out there today. But as I sit in the marina with internet access and a sideband radio, I am on a quest to find something to look to over the next few days.

First, there is the Bahamas Department of Meteorology website at www.bahamasweather.org.bs. It has a marine forecast for the northwest area of the Bahamas. As of right now, 11 am Friday, it gives a forecast for last night and today. Not much help in looking for a two-day weather window next week.

Next, John Fortenberry told me of a friend in the Abacos called Barometer Bob who maintains www.barometerbob.com. His site has localized weather around Marsh Harbor in the Abacos and several useful links to NOAA forecasts. But there is no specific forecast for the area I must traverse.

I have tried the Weather Underground site, marine section, at www.wunderground.com/MAR/. Again, there are hundreds of useful and interesting links, but no specific forecast for the small area I am looking for. I press on, searching Google for perhaps an amateur forecaster interested in this area.

This afternoon, I checked in on the SSB radio with a guy from Canada named Herb Hilgenberg. He has been providing forecasts daily for many years for boats crossing the Atlantic or on passages to or from the Virgin Islands or Bahamas. He told me that the next 24-hour window he sees for my specific route will be to depart late in the day Monday and arrive Nassau Tuesday afternoon. Reading the high seas forecasts carefully fully backs up his analysis, although his idea of decent weather is a little rougher than mine. Anyway, the reason we can’t go now is that a cold front passed through this morning, creating strong northeast winds for the next couple of days. Just when things would likely calm down, another front is due through here Sunday. Hence the Monday night Tuesday recommendation from Herb.

I’ll keep exploring the internet and the radio broadcasts. However right now, I see a need for more specific forecasts from the Bahama Meteorology office. Their forecast will be very helpful when we think we’re ready to go, but it never extends more than 24 hours.

Port Lucaya

Thursday, January 23, 2008

Location: Port Lucaya Marina, Grand Bahama

Log: 3092

Distance Traveled Today: 29 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 454 Nautical Miles

I am always amazed at the hassles ordinary law-abiding people get with customs and immigration. We anchored last night near West End and traveled four hours today around to Port Lucaya on the south side of Grand Bahama. We got in around 1:30 pm. Our slip is about a 10-minute walk back to the marina office so, after tying up, I walked over to check in and pick up the customs and immigration paperwork. I was to bring it to the boat, fill everything out, and return it to the Customs and Immigration office. We had a sandwich and filled out the extensive paperwork. About an hour later as I was walking the papers back, I was accosted by a woman from the immigration office who gave me hell about how long I had taken. She demanded to come to the boat and see who was aboard. “I have to see faces”, she said. Apparently, I was not giving sufficient priority to the paperwork. As we walked back to her office, she lectured me on why the paperwork was urgent. I should not have eaten a sandwich, I should not have wasted any time, etc. So, she processed the papers and stamped our passports, etc. Then she told me that the Customs woman had left and would not be back until four pm. I could leave but I had to be back at exactly four. When the Customs person arrived, I was jumped on all over again for taking so long. I made the mistake of telling her we had arrived in the Bahamas late last night and anchored near West End and this caused an additional uproar. Apparently, we were required to stop at the first port of entry we passed and we should have checked in at West End this morning.

Anyway, I was polite and apologetic and eventually they all backed off a little. I told them I’m just a stupid guy from the US and I am not familiar with all of these processes. With all the drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and terrorism going on in the world, you would thing that the little Steel Magnolia would not cause so much of a stir just because we wanted a sandwich while checking in. It all reminded me of the Mexican Cha Cha we went through in Ensenada. Mexico while purchasing our last boat in the year 2000.

So, here I am in the Bahamas. We have two long days of open ocean cruising from here to Nassau and not a single weather window in sight. John Fortenberry and his wife Judy are to fly off to the Abacos tomorrow morning for a long weekend there with friends while I wait out the weather here. They will rejoin me next week when we hope to be able to move on.

I don’t think I’ll have much to report until the weather improves unless the Immigration Lady attacks me again. I’ll let you know when we plan to move on. 

We made it across

Thursday, January 23, 2008

Location: Anchored at West End, Grand Bahama

Log: 3064

Distance Traveled Yesterday: 59 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 425 Nautical Miles

Don’t ask me how I’m posting this. We are anchored near West End, Grand Bahama with no other boats around. For some reason, when I turned on my computer, it said wireless networks are available. I connected to something called Vivato, an unsecured network. It somehow seems to be working. Perhaps it is a strong wireless system from the marina, although it is nearly a mile away.

We made it across the Gulf Stream. It took about eight hours and we pulled in here to anchor at about 12:30 am. We had some thunderstorms for about the first third of the trip, but then the rain passed and it was calm, with about two-foot seas for the balance of the crossing. It’s exhilarating to complete the passage. 

It’s almost 2 am so I’m ready to crash. I just wanted to take advantage of this weird wireless network to let everyone know we are safe and sound in the Bahamas. Tomorrow, we cruise around the south end of this very long island to Port Lucaya marina, near Freeport. I’ll try to keep you up to date as we move along 

Day 10

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Location: Just offshore of Lake Worth Inlet, Palm Beach, Florida

Log: 3010

Distance Traveled Today: 5 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 371 Nautical Miles

We are just out in the ocean from Palm Beach. I decided to do a quick update before I get out of range of Verizon cellular internet service. This should be the last time I can post or email except from an internet cafe or marina with internet service.

Conditions are slightly rough, but tolerable. We’re hoping it doesn’t get worse in the Gulf Stream. There is a light southerly breeze and three to four-foot seas. We had hoped to get away early but there’s always something. I mentioned two days ago that my bow thruster quit working as I was docking. After much troubleshooting, we found at the end of yesterday that the anchor windlass also didn’t work. Since both the windlass and the bow thruster run off the same batteries, it became obvious that the batteries were shot. So this morning, the boat yard here ordered two new ones which arrived around 11 am. Fortunately, a few guys much stronger and younger than me were able to get the old batteries out and the new ones in. They each weigh about 150 pounds.In the process of hooking up the batteries, the main fuse somehow blew. It is a 250 amp DC fuse that’s not easily available.

So we are away. Unless we have to get towed back for some reason, you’ll next hear from me from the Bahamas. 

Day 8

Monday, January 21, 2008

Location: Riviera Beach, Florida

Log: 3005

Distance Traveled Today: 46 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 366 Nautical Miles

I was going to write today about how I accidentally set a valve wrong while “polishing” fuel and overfilled the day tank, dumping fuel into the marina at Ft. Pierce, and becoming responsible (although insured) for a costly cleanup. But surely readers are not interested in more of my stupid moves. And besides, that happened the day before yesterday, and it’s old news now.

Instead, I will write how I found myself suddenly alone today. Stuck in Ft. Pierce in bad weather, I decided to move south today in the waterway. I am being joined here tomorrow afternoon by my good friend Captain John Fortenberry and his wife Judy. We have one “iffy” day to try to cross to the Bahamas on Wednesday, followed by several days when it will surely be impossible. I was assuming that Pete Sloss and the crew of Snowhawk would try to get here tomorrow so that we could cross over together Wednesday.

Instead, as I was casting off this morning, Pete informed me that he had a change of plans. He will move his boat down to Stuart to a boatyard for a few repairs and leave it there while he returns to Birmingham for a social engagement around February 1. I politely called him chicken and did all I could to encourage him on. But he would not be swayed. So with Bryan Duck gone home and Snowhawk dropping out of the race, I found myself moving down the waterway alone for the day. I will miss the good company of the Snowhawk crew during the remainder of the trip. Here’s hoping they will join me later in the Exumas.

The winds were wicked all day from the east, blowing at 20 to 25 knots. The day was fairly uneventful until I tried to dock in a difficult spot alone in the raging wind. To top it all off, the bow thruster quit working in the middle of my docking maneuver, forcing me to lean hard on the wood pilings to get the boat into the slip. It was not a pretty sight, but I’m here safe and sound with no damage done. I’m in a boatyard just north of Lake Worth Inlet Palm Beach. I’m hoping the yard can have someone look at the bow thruster tomorrow since it will be a difficult trip without it.

The forecast Wednesday calls for light north winds of five to 10 knots with seas of two to four feet. Normally, it is not good to cross the Gulf Stream in northerly winds because the current flowing north against the winds causes seas to stand up and be much steeper. However, the winds are only shifting to the north during the day and are very light. We’ve decided to poke our nose out and see how it feels if the forecast stays the same. If we can’t go Wednesday, the weather begins to deteriorate and it would probably next week before we could try it again.

Wish us luck. I’m hoping my next post will be from some internet cafe in the Bahamas, but I may be back here again Wednesday night. I will not have any internet access from the boat once I get to the Bahamas, but I’ll try to keep everyone up to date as often as possible. 

Day 6

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Location: Ft. Pierce, Florida

Log: 2959

Distance Traveled Yesterday (and all night): 164 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 320 Nautical Miles

The last time I was in Harbortown Marina was as crew for the new owners of Suladan in March of 2006, almost two years ago. I can still recall the excellent Italian dinner prepared on board. This time, I’m in a considerably smaller slip, and there is no outstanding chef aboard.

We had planned on leaving St. Augustine Thursday late afternoon, but weather and some needed parts for Snowhawk delayed us until yesterday (Friday) morning. We got away in time for the 8:30 am bridge opening and arrived here at 7 am this morning, tired but happy to have completed such a long leg non-stop. On our departure and for most of the day Friday, we had following seas leading to an uncomfortable ride. Bryan was at the helm for the morning and was not his usual enthusiastic self. I first attributed it to drowsiness caused by the Bonine seasickness pill he took, but I soon learned that he was suffering from Mal de Mer. He soldiered on and took all of his shifts, but I know it was a miserable day for him.

We had planned on staying close to Snowhawk for the long offshore night, but they were sailing and later motoring in unfavorable winds and only making about six knots. I couldn’t slow down to that speed without making Bryan far more uncomfortable because our stabilizers have very little effect until a speed of over seven knots. Regretfully, we left Snowhawk behind. They are due to arrive here shortly, about three hours behind us.

During the night, the seas moved around to moving from the east, and eventually from the south. We had a good ride overnight and Bryan got in some good sleep. He’s back to himself this morning and is outside washing the boat off as I write. He’s planning on renting a car and heading back to the Ford Plantation later today. I’ll move on to West Palm Beach tomorrow where John Fortenberry and his wife Judy will join me for the crossing to the Bahamas. It’s looking like we might have decent weather to cross on Tuesday.

Bryan Duck has proven to be a fine deckhand (when he wasn’t hanging his head over the side) and outstanding company. He’s welcome back aboard Steel Magnolia any time, particularly when the seas are more calm. 

Day Four

Day Four

Wednesday January 16, 2008

Location: St. Augustine, Florida

Log: 2795

Distance Yesterday: 54 miles 

Total trip Distance: 109

We had a nice cruise down the Intracoastal yesterday with only one slight encounter with the underwater topography. To get out of the way of an oncoming barge and tug, Bryan had to move to the side of the channel, which proved to be no channel at all. However, we were barely moving and it was easy to get unstuck by backing down after the barge passed. The hearty sailors on Snowhawk went outside and actually beat us to St. Augustine, claiming they had a great sail in eight to 10-foot seas. We are staying in port today waiting for a front to pass and we hope to travel overnight and tomorrow around Cape Canaveral to Ft. Pierce, Florida

Dr. Duck is proving to be a valuable crew member. However, some conversations could easily be misinterpreted, given that he is a Urologist. Last night he told me the following:

    “Tomorrow I’m going to spend the morning working on your dingy. It looks like it hasn’t been used in a long time. It’s a little small, but it appears to be usable. I’m going to charge it overnight, check all the fluids, and see if we can jump start it in the morning. Before we try to use it, I’m going to need to pump it up a little. It needs to be fully-inflated for a good ride. The best thing I can recommend to you is to make sure it gets regular use and routine maintenance.”

I guess at my age, you sometimes need a urologist to get your dingy working properly.

Assuming frontal passage, we hope to get around cape Canaveral tonight and tomorrow. We’ll keep you posted. 

Day Three

Day Three

Wednesday January 16, 2008

Location: On the Intracoastal Waterway, south of Amelia Island, Florida

Log: 2748

Total trip Distance: 109

This trip is eerily reminiscent of my trip with my son Daniel and his friend Rob to the Exumas in 2004. We started that trip from The Ford Plantation in bitter cold weather. Seas were rough and we were forced to stay inside on the Intracoastal Waterway for the first three days. We anchored south of Savannah the first night, made it to Amelia Island the second night, and on to St. Augustine the third night.

This time, its also cold, although not nearly as bad as then. We anchored south of Savannah the first night, made it to Fernandina on Amelia Island by last night, and we’re headed for St. Augustine today.

The big difference is that we had a glorious day at sea yesterday. Winds were from the northwest, seas were two to three feet, and it was a perfect day for cruising, and for sailing for the crew of Snowhawk. After fighting off an early challenge, we stayed comfortably in the lead all day and made it into the Fernandina Marina about an hour ahead of Snowhawk, covering 72 nautical miles for the day. We had a fine dinner, courtesy of Dr. Duck, with good and raucous conversation among the six slightly crazy guys who enjoy this kind of journey.

At dinner, the conversation turned to the weather, which is turning nasty. While we have the option of cruising in the waterway, for Snowhawk it’s either go or no go. Her mast is over 70 feet tall, meaning she cannot pass under the fixed bridges of the waterway. The forecast for today and tonight is a follows:

ST AUGUSTINE TO FLAGLER BEACH FL OUT 20 NM- 216 AM EST WED JAN 16 2008 …SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON… .TODAY…NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING EAST 20 TO 25 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 3 FEET BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. RAIN DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON. .TONIGHT…SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS. SEAS 5 TO 7 FEET. INLAND WATERS CHOPPY. RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS

We had pretty much decided by dinner last night to proceed on the waterway today. This morning, I awoke to find all four captains on Snowhawk huddled in deep deliberations as to whether to depart or not. Among the four of them, I heard at least six different strategies. Soon enough, however, they were casting off, with the idea that if the seas were too rough, they could turn in at Jacksonville, about 20 miles to the south. So we’ll either see them at St. Augustine tonight or possibly run into them as we pass through Jacksonville in a few hours.

I am fully aware that this trip blog is somewhat boring so far. Readers love catastrophe, and relish the stupid mistakes I sometimes make on these trips. Never fear, I am sure things will be more eventful ahead. However, we are having a great time so far. We’ll keep you posted.

Finally, Underway

Day One

January 14, 2008

Location: Anchored in the Wahoo River just north of Sapelo Sound, Georgia

Log: 2676

Distance Traveled Today: 37 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance: 37 Nautical Miles

And so finally, at 11:00 AM this morning, we actually got underway and began another boat trip. My good friend Pete Sloss arrived at Isle of Hope yesterday on his beautiful Little Harbor sailboat to accompany us south and on to the Bahamas. Pete has three friends on board while I am accompanied by Bryan Duck, a friend from the Ford Plantation near Savannah. We are trying to loosely travel together south and we want to definitely cross the Gulf Stream together to the Bahamas.

After two long days at sea, Pete and his crew wanted a late start and a short day. We left Isle of Hope at 11 am and took a Leisurely cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway to anchor in the Wahoo River, just north of Sapelo Sound, at around 5 pm. We used our anchor and Pete rafted up beside us.

We’re in a beautiful spot among great company. Bryan christened our new grill by cooking chicken for all and the Snowhawk crew prepared potatoes and salad. We ate aboard Snowhawk which can squeeze all six of us into its dining table. The interior of his boat is absolutely perfect and it was a great evening with food, friends, and an incredible atmosphere.

Update: Tuesday morning

We got away early this morning at 7:20 for the 66 mile trip to Fernandina Beach. Yesterday, we had pulled back our throttle to stay with Snowhawk motoring in the waterway but today at sea, with about a 15-knot breeze from the northwest, Snowhawk kicked into high gear and almost caught up with us. While we normally cruise at around 1700 RPM and seven knots, we had to move it up to 2000 RPM and over eight knots just to stay in front of them. I probably went from four to eight gallons per hour to gain about 1.3 knots, but I couldn’t just let the sons of bitches pass us.

There’s a nice breeze and seas are a comfortable two to three feet. It’s still cold though, and we look forward to getting further south.

 More later.

Preparing to head south

It has been many moons since I posted here, but work has continued apace on Steel Magnolia. I had a setback when I took it to a boatyard about a month ago only to find my boat would not fit in their lift. It needs to be hauled out to clean the bottom, clean out the intakes which are fouled with barnacles, and apply some fresh bottom paint. I moved it to another yard which was booked up and could not haul it out until next Wednesday. However, they promise to haul it and the work should only take about four days. Meanwhile, the electronics have been getting finished up and the new bar is just about complete.

If all goes well with the boatyard, I plan to depart Savannah around January 13. The first destination is Palm Beach which should take about a week. From there, I’ll cross over to the Bahamas at West End on Grand Bahama Island, then south to Nassau and on to the Exuma Islands to the south. A friend from the Ford Plantation near Savannah, Bryan Duck, will travel with me to Palm Beach. Crossing to the Bahamas I’ll have Captain John Fortenberry and his wife Judy along. In Nassau, I’ll be joined by Early Uncle Randy. And finally in Georgetown, Exuma, the lovely Laura Lee will join me.

Although I’m not on a tight schedule, the plan is nevertheless ambitious. The boat has not really been used since June and has had a lot of work done, a recipe for problems on a long trip. And, as always, the weather can become an issue and cause delays at any point, especially crossing over to the Bahamas. However, we will be well-stocked with good food and necessary beverages, so any layovers should be pleasant.

A friend from Birmingham, Pete Sloss, is planning to travel south with us on his beautiful sailboat, Snowhawk. Now that I own a seven-knot trawler, I fit in more with the blowboat crowd than with faster motor yachts. I’m looking forward to his good company as we head for warm waters.

Stay tuned and look for postings on our trip starting around mid-January. 

The Lady Has a New Hat

No southern lady is properly presentable until she is wearing a hat. A sun tan would not only ruin the complexion, but might make a lady appear to be of the working class. And what, with all the hot sunshine down here, her makeup would simply melt without it. As Margaret Mitchell described Scarlett O’Hara in the opening paragraph of Gone with the Wind, she mentioned “her magnolia white skin — that skin so prized by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets, veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.” So to complete Steel Magnolia’s makeover, she has gotten a new hat, as shown in the picture above. It’s a white canvas top stretched over an aluminum frame covering the upper part of the flybridge. It not only guards her against “hot Georgia suns”, but it makes it tolerable to drive the boat from the flybridge in hot sunshine, and it also seems to have dressed up the boat properly and changed her appearance for the better.

Now that Steel Magnolia is almost finished and getting ready for a trip to the Bahamas this winter, it seems a good time to list the improvements that have been made to her since her purchase almost a year ago. Not counting repairs and maintenance, here are the major projects completed or in progress:

1. A rub rail was added all around to make docking possible without scratching up the boat.

2. The proper amount of ballast was added to the chain locker area of the boat and the anchor chain was increased from 200 to 400 feet.

3. The shore power system was changed out from 110 volt/30 amp service to 220 volt/50 amp service with Glendinning Cablemaster system added to electrically roll the shore power cord in and out.

4. The forward guest cabin shower was enlarged so that an adult can actually use the shower now.

5. Window shades are being added throughout the boat for privacy and sun protection.

6. The air conditioning system was upgraded with properly-sized ductwork and new grills to dispense air better, and the plumbing to the air conditioning units was upgraded to supply adequate water flow.

7. The toilets were upgraded to Headhunter water jet models.

8. A new and vastly better GPS chart plotter is being installed including an “AIS” receiver to show the position of nearby ships.

9. A new ham/marine sideband radio is being installed.

10. A satellite tv dish and receiver were installed.

11. Stabilizers were added to give the boat a smooth ride at sea.

12. A fuel polishing system was installed.

13. The “day head” off the galley is being replaced by a wet bar with icemaker.

14. We have a new powerful horn that actually works and a new spotlight. 

When all of this is completed, the boat will be taken to the boat yard for a haulout and routine maintenance this fall. All in all, she should be in magnificent shape for a trip to the Bahamas starting in January.

You Never Know What You'll Find Out There

Giant Lego man found in 

Dutch sea

Wed Aug 8, 10:23 AM ET

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A giant, smiling Lego man was fished out of the sea in the Dutch resort of Zandvoort on Tuesday.

Workers at a drinks stall rescued the 2.5-meter (8-foot) tall model with a yellow head and blue torso.

“We saw something bobbing about in the sea and we decided to take it out of the water,” said a stall worker. “It was a life-sized Lego toy.”

A woman nearby added: “I saw the Lego toy floating toward the beach from the direction of England.”

The toy was later placed in front of the drinks stall.

Update on Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 09:34AM by John Samford

More on this breaking story here. “SOMEWHERE OUT AT SEA, THERE’S A LEGO CRUISE SHIP WITH A GIANT GRIEVING LEGO WOMAN ABOARD.”

Fuel Polishing

Now this, truly, is a journal entry on an obscure topic which could only be of interest to other people interested in the details of boats. If you don’t fit into that category, I urge you to read no further, unless you need help getting to sleep.

As I sit here tonight on the boat, I am busy “polishing” my diesel fuel. I have a brand new “fuel polishing” system manufactured by a company called “Algae-X” which is running full steam down in the engine room. I don’t know who came up with the term “polishing” because it is really simply cleaning the fuel, but that’s what they call it.

The situation this system addresses is this. This boat holds 3,356 gallons of diesel fuel. When we are traveling, it burns about four gallons per hour. Fuel can be dirty when purchased or, over time, it can get water in it from condensation or begin to grow algae in the tanks. With this enormous capacity and low fuel consumption, there can be times when fuel sits in the tanks for months or even years. 

Every engine has a fuel filter which filters out fine particles that might hurt the engine or clog it’s injectors. Most boat engines also have a primary or pre-filter which not only filters debris, but also separates out water which can harm the engine. While these filters usually do their job, if they fill up with debris, the filter clogs and the engine stops running. This happened to me a few years ago as the Lovely Laura Lee and I were crossing the Gulf stream from the Bahamas back to Florida. The filter can be changed, of course, but this is not a fun project in a rough sea, and the engine will then have to be primed in some way to get it back in operation. Luckily, in our case, the boat had two engines, and we simply kept going back to Florida where we could stop and deal with the problem.

The solution is to run a pump which takes fuel from the tank, filters it and separates out any water, and then returns it to the tank. In my case, it can polish the fuel in the main center tank which holds 651 gallons, and return it to that tank or polish it and transfer it to the day tank which holds 85 gallons and actually runs the engine and generator.

There are a number of reputable companies which manufacture these systems. I chose a system from Algae-X, sold and installed by Marshall Solomon of Marsh Marine in Charleston. The system gets rid of water, sludge, and inorganic debris and eliminates microbial contamination. It’s components include a Separ Fuel/Water Separator and Filter, a 6 hr manual timer, a fuel pressure gauge, and a continuous-duty gear pump. Marshall came down a few weeks ago, mapped out the system, ordered the parts, and was back today to do the complete installation. It’s neatly installed on the forward bulkhead of the engine room and it’s operation simply involves setting the timer, turning it on, and letting it rip.

The system filters about 210 gallons an hour. At this rate, it would take three hours to filter the tank. However, since you are returning it to the same tank, it is recommended that you run it at least six hours to insure that most of the fuel has gone through the system. I turned it on as Marshall was leaving, set it for six hours, and I’m busily polishing as I sit typing in the saloon. 

With this system on board, it’s feasible to stock up on fuel whenever the price is right, and store it indefinitely on board. And we hope our single engine won’t quit on us when we’re out to sea.