Gone Sailing for a Year

Ein 295-Tage Abenteuer von Kir Weiterlesen

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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Trellis Bay Tortola
22. März 2016 in Britische Jungferninseln ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
With St. John and Jost Van Dyke & the Channel Islands (Cooper, Peter, Salt, Normans) covered, our next destination to discover was Virgin Gorda (the fat virgin) with Tom & Danise. We had a great sail from Peter Island to the Bitter End, Tom took a go at the helm and sailed Gaia close hauled like he’d been doing it for months. In the afternoon we anchored in the calm waters of Eustatius and just right of the famous shallow snorkeling. Since Saba Rock was only a cables throw away we dinghy-ed over for the cocktails and tarpon feeding. Saba Rock has such a relaxed vibe, it’s where all the cool dinghies go to hang out and their owners sit idly on the dock drinking their high-priced cocktails watching kite surfers perform jaw-dropping tricks.

We learned there was a full moon party in Trellis Bay and made sail for Tortola to have our own experience in the full moon revelry. We arrived at Trellis Bay… and it was packed, more aptly defined as a sh!t show or a fog of boat masts – it was tightly anchored. Let’s put it this way; being between a rock and hard place was beginning to look roomy. We slowly and carefully meandered the premise, in hopes to find something the other 10 boats in front of us didn’t and sure enough! Winner! On the outer edge close to shore! We surreptitiously motored over, I felt like the submarine commander in WW II b&w movie trying to creep along enemy lines. There were hungry sailboats in every direction eager to jump on a mooring ball or sink their anchor in any ole patch of open water. We maneuvered to the cramped but unoccupied pocket and crept to a halt to anchor. This is what we had been training for. These past six months of hand signals, strong currents, timing, placement…. after 2 tries we anchored in just the right area. We were golden! We watched as other sad boaters skimmed past our transom with forlorn looks of despair at not finding anything.

We decided to grab a drink before dinner at this small island in the middle of the harbor. All the reviews made mention of young English hipsters who ran the bar. Of course we had to investigate these ‘youngens’. We arrived seconds after the bartender opened for business and had our first round of margs. We meandered to the outside and found a spacious yard with giant jenga, swings made from crates to lounge on, cornhole, fussball, every hipster/frat outdoor game you could think of, it was adult recess.

The moon began to rise as the sun sunk beyond the horizon, when we saw flames on the beach we took that as our calling. Live festive music was playing at full blast upon arrival and our friends Megs & Tom just happened to be sitting not 10 feet away from the dinghy dock and almost done with their first round of drinks. Fire-Sculpture-trio2 We roamed the beach and perused the art village and all the amazing steel creations and designs. There was a family friendly area and fires ablaze every hundred yards or so. There were several dance parties & jumby walkers spread out but the main attraction were these sculptures stuffed with paper and lit on fire. It was the Burning Man of the Virgin Islands! Far more tame but far more accessible for us. We enjoyed our 2 EC red stripes and danced until Megs & Tom and Nils & Lisa had to catch the last free ferry back across the channel. It was fun festive and lively. Definitely check it out if you’re in the area.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
The Baths!
23. März 2016 in Britische Jungferninseln ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Day 4 was the day I had been waiting for, a visit to The Baths! You’re not allowed to bring your dinghy to shore, instead there are bouys to attach your tender and then you’re expected to swim ashore. All guidebooks mention the swim is not for the weak. Ok, but I’m young and fit and most guidebooks tell me a 3mile hike in the VIs is considered difficult, which I politely disagree with. I took the warnings with a grain of salt. Don’t do what I did the swim can be difficult. There are surges that roll through and crash after the steep dropoff on the beach. What our guidebook failed to mention is the red flags on the beach signaled there are stronger than usual wave conditions. Great. We had snorkels and flotation devices, we all made it in but not without an exhausting fight.

Finally! Our efforts finally paid off in the form of this magnificent and wild scenery. We found the path for tourists and quickly found our way up and away from the path.

We spent the night in Spanish Town and found the ocean front restaurants to be a bit pricey and with a less than local feel. We ended up talking to a driver in an open-aired bus who dropped us off at one of his favorite restaurants. It was a perfect mom n pop restaurant with outdoor seating and ridiculously good bbq. Yay! Does life get better? Sailing, adventuring, bouldering, friends, bbq, and fresh passion juice.

We spent the night in a marina because the swells were just too rowdy in the anchorage for top-heavy Gaia to spend the night. And the following day we had a great sail to Norman Island. We tried racing a catamaran but once they realized how to use the entire main sail we were toast. Norman Island in the afternoon was fairly crowded. The wind had picked up and the few anchoring spots were filled with other boats. We looped around the vast mooring field for the second time as rain began to pour. It was then a voice from heaven (or the mist) called out to Gaia. ‘There’s a mooring behind you!’ Sure enough, an off-colored mooring was indeed bobbing helplessly in the wind. Mike tried his best to keep the bow steady in line with the mooring ball pendant and I cumbersomely hitched a dock line with Tom and cleated it off securing Gaia for the night. I came back slightly chilled and soaking wet. Danise informed me there were gusts up to 30 knots while I was on the bow. I nodded my head feeling a little badass that we had just secured Gaia so effortlessly. It really does make all the difference having another pair of hands on deck.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
VIs to Puerto Rico
29. März 2016 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
This next friend, was well acquainted with St. John in the Virgin Islands. Matt, who we endearingly call Red, lived in St. John just after he finished college. So it only seemed fitting we meet him at a bar in St. John …Coral Bay, Skinny Legs! Burgers and Beers. What more does a cruiser really need?

We made a few stops to favorite places like Normans Island, the Willy Ts and to the northern section of Francis Bay, St. John. It was a genuinely beautiful time, Red with his puns, Mike with his computer programing talk, Kirsten with her music and every day we’d drop that and go snorkeling. It wasn’t until our passage from St. John Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico we saw any drama.

Red was behind the helm sailing at a run (the wind was directly at our stern), all sails in flight as far as they could reach. Mike and I were leisurely sitting with the fishing poll stuck in its nook towing a fake plastic squid to catch a tasty fish. All was boring and calm and then ZZZZZZZIIIIING. In light air I brought in the main and tried to furl in the genoa to slow the boat and get the sails out of the way…. This was a lot easier in thought than action. We lost too much speed, the sails backed and the fish, that dang fish, which Mike was reeling in decided to swim right underneath the boat and wrap around something down there. All of a sudden turning on the motor looks like a bad idea…. What if the fish wrapped the line around the prop? Turning on the engine would mean cutting the line to our dinner – BUT if the fish somehow got the line stuck on the rudder, it would fine…. Instead of taking down the boarding ladder and diving in… we opted for continuing on our trip to the island of Culebrita where we would anchor under sail. But not before flogging the sails for another 20 minutes. The furling line on the genoa was caught and had to be manually rolled-in then out and untangled with pliers… ah the joys of sailing.

We had a beautiful sail into Culebrita where there’s a protected sandy bottom bay – excellent holding. We anchored under sail like pros; no engines used all day! What an accomplishment. We found Culebrita to be absolutely pristine and Red needed no coaxing to dive immediately into the water to check if the fish was still ensnared under the boat. To all of our dismay the fish got away but we still had the lure and hook so there’s always next time. On the bright side, I woke up the next morning and watched turtles come up for air and dive back down. It was the largest amount of turtles in one bay I’d ever witnessed and was wonderfully serene.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Vieques, PR
5. April 2016 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
Well, to start at the beginning… We decided to head first to a marina in Fajardo as we had friends arriving the next morning from Boston via San Juan. Customs & Immigration was by far the most straight edge we had encountered after visiting, the French, Dutch, Dominican, & even the English islands. If you’re wondering, yes, Mike and I are both Americans. The whole welcome back to America team must be in JFK airport somewhere because before we could even put a credit card down for the night, the C/I officers were called and summoned. So we awaited C/I to come board Gaia. 20 minutes later three large men with big black shoes, guns, holsters, & gleaming badges came aboard Gaia opened their big black briefcases and thus began the questions and triple carbon copied paperwork. Easy enough questions, we had nothing to hide but what if they suspected something, what if they found an error in our paperwork, what if we accidentally threw away a receipt they required….. All these what if questions whirled through my mind and it was mainly because there were three guns in MY home, three intimidating-looking officers, and I don’t care much for that.

The officers eventually left with smiles and what they had come for, our money and documentation in their triple carbon-copied papers. But just a warning to other cruisers – don’t mess with the letter of the law, the second your docklines catch in PR or your anchor settles, hustle on over to the C/I with your boat papers and passport.

IMG_0068The following morning, we met up with more Boston friends, Talia, Julia, & Nate, in Fajardo. We filled the tanks with FREE water and set sail for Vieques in search of some campgrounds for our 4 friends and brilliant beaches. Vieques did not disappoint.

For $5 a night/tent, there was a wide open grassy-fenced off field complete with amenities. We anchored just off the main fishing dock in Esperanza. We hid behind the small island along some smaller local boats. Guidebooks and park rangers told us the mooring balls were free but they’re NOT! The anchorage was a bit dicey but we managed to hold. In Puerto Rico, the main waterfront drag is called the malecón, and is home to some pretty great eateries & bars. WIMG_7796e trended towards the smaller joints for breakfast & enjoyed those places greatly. Our first day was finding our bearings so not much to say there but the second day was far more successful. We found the beaches, we did the snorkeling, and made the picnic. We fell in love with the seclusion of Plato Negro, a calm white sand beach, and camped out on the beach for the night. We joined forces with even more friends, Jeff & Erik Lambert. And then there were 6 friends of Gaia in the Caribbean!

IMG_7798We all signed up for a night kayak tour of The Greatest Bioluminescence Bay In The World in ‘Mosquito Bay’ or ‘Bio Bay’. The gentleman pictured to the left was very passionate of the tour and explained why Mosquito Bay, Vieques won such a prestigious title.

We first begin with Dinoflagellates (the drawing behind our new friend), these organisms, when disturbed, emits bioluminescence. Dinoflagellates survive off of and thrive around red mangroves, which happen to surround Bio Bay. Secondly, the mouth of the bay is in an ‘S’ shape which makes it difficult for these microscopic organisms to find their way out. The bay is also shallow and has a tidal change of only a few inches. Bottom line, these dinoflagellates ain’t goin’ nowhere. The best time to see these tours were on nights like the ones we experienced. We had a downpour of rain in the morning and then nothing but sun for the remainder of the day; at night, we had no moon allowing us to have the best visibility of the bioluminescence. We assembled into our clear-bottom two-person kayaks and followed our guide (who wore a blue light on his kayak) to the middle of the bay. At first, with a splash of my paddle, I was dismayed not to see a single reaction. But as we paddled out, I noticed random streaks of light through the water! They were fish. With each flick of the fishes tail, the dinoflagellates sprung to life, illuminating their path! It was phenomenal, I looked down and it was like champagne bubbles flooding underneath the kayak and when I splashed my hand in the water a wave of bioluminescence erupted. When I took my hand out of the water, it was still wet and there was bioluminescence on my hand! Ah!

Mike said he’d seen amazing bioluminescence in Luperon, DR that was impressive, but this, this was a whole different league. Our guide told us to stay in our kayaks or else the shark will get you. We laughed but then…. We spotted a flick of a very large tail shaped like a nurse shark tail. We kayaked over to the light that had now faded and sure enough, Mikes paddle dove into the water and the bioluminescent outline of a nurse shark jetted out from under our kayak. We sprang into action and gave chase to the agile bottom feeder. Kayaking after schools of illuminated fish and a nurse shark was such a highlight of our trip. I strongly recommend experiencing Bio Bay first hand.

Vieques was fun-filled with beaches but Culebra is where I fell in love.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Culebra
12. April 2016 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We sailed from Esperanza Vieques to Ensenada Honda, Culebra (it’s-a-not-a-honda. it’s-a-Beta! – I made that joke too many times to count – we have a beta engine.) and immediately stormed The Dinghy Dock, a bar and restaurant where you could go from dinghy to dock to barstool & beer using only three steps on land. The barkeep asked us our order and the 7 of us looked at each other unsure of the best way to enjoy todays happy hour. (dramatic and patriotic drumroll please…). It was then, our brilliant and bold friend Nate stepped up to the bar counter and fearlessly spoke the words; ‘I’ll have a rum and passion juice drink, please.’ And there you have it, the most refreshing and rejuvenating happy hour caribbean drink ever to be ordered was requested (and politely at that). From hence forth, we’ve named the drink, ‘The Nate’.

Our friends camped out on Flamenco beach and we gave them our handheld VHF to communicate with, they came up with their own hailing name; a mix between Beer & Flamingo – Beermingo. A perfect mix if you ask me, it was kinda fun hailing them on channel 72 ‘Beermingo, Beermingo, Gaia.’ And knowing some stranger was probably also listening in to the shenanigans. By the way, Beermingo, if you’re reading this: ‘the blue monkey is over the full moon – Over.’

The island is best explored via golf cart which we made great use of by traversing one end of the island to the other multiple times. Zoni and Flamenco beach boasts to be of the most picturesque in the world…. and it’s true. After snorkeling, playing soccer, and running around with the beach crowds, I think most of us preferred Zoni since it was void of all other people. In further exploration of Culebra, we picked up a mooring ball in Carlos Rosarion Beach and found the snorkeling to be phenomenal. Good snorkeling is a constant search for us. The real treat from Culebra is technically not on Culebra itself but a tiny island near Culebra called Culebrita. There’s a perfect beach which was overtaken by mosquitos. But if you’re able to swim or run faster than the mosquitos you need to explore the pools of Culebrita. All of us happen to be big fans of mother nature and rock climbing so climbing up and down the boulders that create natural eddies and all sizes and manners of pools was A LOT of fun.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Okay Okay, This is our last long passage
18. April 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
The day our dear friends departed, they took ALL of the wind… Our next leg was about 450 nm from Culebra to Great Inagua – The Bahamas (!!!) so we were stuck until wind could fill our sails. Mike took another stab at aligning the prop shaft/V-drive using a new app called Vibration. Using an accelerometer, it charts 3 different frequency waves to measure the vibration of our engine alignment (thanks Nate for suggesting this!).

We kept a watchful eye on passageweather.com and saw a decent weather window that we decided to take. It would be light wind the first few days with building stronger winds the last few days – we were okay with that.

But before we really started the journey we topped off on diesel fuel and water in Fajardo, mainland PR. It was then I noticed our diesel prices throughout the trip.

2015 Oct – VA USA $2.03/g
2015 Dec Bermuda $4.50 /g (and that was greatly subsidized!)
2016 Mar St. Thomas USVI $3.14/g
2016 Apr Fajardo PR $2.45/g (we unfortunately did A LOT of motoring in Mar/Apr)
2016 May Georgetown Exuma $3.72/g

Priciest fuel goes to Bermuda, Cheapest goes to VA

Our passage from PR to Great Inagua Matthews Town took us 4 full days, we arrived in Matthews Town at midnight Friday. We did 4 hours on, 4 hours off for shifts but again, since it was a short(er) passage we were a bit lenient on the shifts. The first day was great sailing. Puerto Rico appeared more mountainous than I imagined and I hope to explore mainland PR one day. The second day, I was feeling a bit under the weather, and I don’t think it was seasickness, it felt different. Mike was amazing and pulled off a 7 hour night shift for me and the next day I began to pull through my ‘funk’.

Also worth mentioning, we passed over/ by the Puerto Rico trench. The trench extends 500 miles long and it’s deepest point is Milwaukee Deep at 28,373 feet, the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean.

It turned out to be gorgeous sunny sailing. A pod of 16-18 porpoises swam alongside Gaia, playing in the bow wake for a while and we both got a kick out of that. Later, while Mike was asleep, the USCG helicopter circled the boat twice before disappearing over the horizon. We suspected they were doing routine checks in the area for drug control. We passed the northern entrance of the Mona Passage effortlessly – the Mona Passage is notorious for being the biggest in-to-the-wind passage for sailors headed toward the Virgin Islands. Reason # 738 why I’m glad we went to Bermuda then down to Antigua to follow the trade winds back home – one less pain in the butt windward sail for us.
On day 3, the winds picked up to 20-25 knots and we dropped the main in some decently sized waves which made the entire process…. uhm….”sporty”. For my night watch, I pulled my foulies on in preparation for a few looming storm clouds. No moonlit night sailing this time, it was far more stressful for me this time. A cargo ship was approaching at 13 knots but I lost visual of it in a particularly thick squall that passed. I monitored the cargo ships progress via AIS (AIS is a way to track other boats progress through the water on your GPS, ours is receive-only). Once the squall passed I looked behind me where the GPS showed the cargo ship, only to find darkness. The cargo ship was much much closer than what our GPS was reading & on top of that the controls on our GPS were not functioning. I jibed to get further away from the path of the cargo ship. After the jibe, I took another look around and noticed a single tall white light. I starred at it for a few minutes trying to calculate just what the heck the light was. It couldn’t have been a rocky shallows off the coast the DR – maybe it was a buoy, or another sailboat without red/green running lights. Whatever it was, my current heading could be on close collision course with said mystery light. After a few minutes, I decided it’d be best to jibe and steer clear. I looked over my shoulder to see where that cargo ship was… but another squall had hit. The winds picked up, the rain was slamming down, and I had a mystery light ahead of me and a cargo ship hiding in the squall on my starboard – all with a GPS that was none-too reliable. Earlier, I had looked up the cargo ships AIS data and found the name of the ship so I went down below and hailed the cargo ship on channel 16. “Cargo ship XYZ, cargo ship XYZ, this is the sailing vessel on your port bow” A pregnant pause and then there was a response!!! A complete and utter stranger responded back to me at 2:00 AM in the middle of a squall! I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting a response but my heart was pounding, I was so excited. Since 16 is purely a hailing and distress channel, I was very curt and requested their course over ground / heading. He responded and I said thanks. I looked at the compass and estimated my new course through the water once I jibed & saw I’d be in the clear, close to the cargo ship but in the clear. I made my jibe and about 10 minutes later the squall passed and I saw on my port bow the cargo ship putting along at it’s 13 knots.

darkness befalls us

The rest of the sail was a breeze and rather dull. We dropped anchor at 11:50 PM on Friday night and we both slept soundly on Gaia in the Bahamas. We were finally here. Only west and north from here until Boston.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Great Inagua!
24. April 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We wobbled onto land to check in on Saturday morning to Matthews Town. We immediately found the locals to be immensely kind – amazingly generous. There were two locals who gave us a ride to the police station to check if the Customs/Immigration office would be open on a Saturday. The police stationed phoned the C/I who drove over to pick us up at the police station before clearing us into the Bahamas. We paid $300 USD in cash to clear in which gave us a cruising and fishing permit for a year and the ability to leave for up to 3 months and return without clearing in/out!

Matthews Town wasn’t all that exciting, it had a screened in gazebo/hut with free wifi but even the prospect of free wifi didn’t stop our progression to a new anchorage. We anchored in Man O War bay just South of the Morton Salt dock. It was there we snorkeled the crystal clear Bahamian blue. We decided to splurge and take a tour of Great Inagua.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Hogsty Atoll I
28. April 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
It’s about 75 nm from Great Inagua to SW Acklins, which would definitely be an overnight sail. Or you can anchor midway. Midway of the passage resides a sudden shallow reef called Hogsty. The horseshoe-shaped reef barely cuts the oceans surface, so you should only spend the night when the seas are calm. We were fortunate enough to catch the passage at 11 knots and decided to go for it. We would anchor for the night completely surrounded by vastly deep ocean in every direction for 40 miles.

The safest way to enter the atoll is more of a westerly direction, too far South and you’ll be dodging large coral heads. With a shift in winds, we found the middle of Hogsty to have confused seas sloshing about but further to the NE where the seas consistently bubbled over the reefs, Gaia bobbed up and down peaceably at anchor. We dropped anchor in 13 feet of sand just east of the Liberty wreck, a freighter that went down in a 1963 hurricane. This is just one of 200 wrecks accounted for since the Columbus’ era of exploration.

We immediately brought the dinghy down and went on a snorkeling adventure. The water in the lee of this ship was murky with iron tainted waters but once we cleared the side, the water was clear and the shallow reefs stretched on and on luring you in to explore. I bravely snorkeled further from the ship peering around coral heads bobbing about and then … I saw IT! My first encounter with a shark and not a nurse shark. It was a reef shark with shark eyes and a shark snout in its shark environment. My first reaction was to reel around and swim as fast as I could to get Mike because Mike would surely protect me… but then I realized flailing around in the water to float next to another body would not eliminate the fact that I was still in the water with a shark. I decided to slowly float on over to Mike. By the time I had informed Mike, the shark was gone. So we continued swimming but I was less adventurous. We swam past the dinghy to the other side of the wreck and a barracuda kept unnervingly close tabs on us. Mike tapped my arm and pointed at another reef shark behind the barracuda. It wound its way around the coral heads, making its way closer to us before continuing on its rounds about the reef. Very conscientious of my heartbeat and limbs I was now a bit unnerved by the new territories of this water. A few minutes of poking about I watched a barracuda sprint away. I tapped Mike’s shoulder to show him. He tapped my shoulder and pointed in the opposite direction. My third reef shark was swimming ever-closer to both of us. That was it. That’s all I could take for one day. I hadn’t felt this defenseless since our crossing to Bermuda. I just wanted to be out of the water. I slowly watched the shark swim around and loop up right at us and I was acutely aware of how slow I was in the water as the sharks path came closer and closer. Mike was in front of me and began holding out the Hawaiian sling. Thank God, someone had something to stab at the shark. The shark came within 20 feet of Mike and deep inside I was freaking out thinking of all the worst case scenarios and how much all of them would … suck. But externally, I maintained a slow steady breath and kept my movements slow and minimal.

The shark eventually lost interest and we swam straight back to the dinghy. Once we were both out of the water, everything released. We both just began laughing in awe of swimming around sharks and how thankful we both were Mike decided to bring the spear. That was pretty darn cool.

We later learned shark advice from an adventure camera crew:

Once you spot a shark don’t flail – the splashing is similar to that of a fish in distress and acts as a dinner bell to the shark. (check)
2. Don’t panic – maintain your normal breathing. When you jump in the ocean, sharks don’t smell you or hear you, they first feel the electrical pulses of your heart. (check)

3. For most sharks, you don’t look like their habitual meal. A majority of all shark attacks are because the shark mistook the human as food (fish) of some form. A sharks prey tend to dart to the surface. Maintain your buoyancy and try to maintain your lateral swimming position. (almost check)

4. Keep eye contact with the shark. If possible stare into its eye(s) and face the shark don’t turn your back to the shark. (2/3 check)

5. If the shark does dart at you…

a. give up the damn fish. Don’t fight the shark to keep whatever fish you’ve just speared.

b. punch the shark in the nose. (Yeah. About that…) The shark is most sensitive in the nose and, really, at the end of the day most to all sharks don’t want to be harmed and are weary of getting hurt.

The anchorage was amazing. It didn’t just feel like we were alone…. we really were alone and it was beautiful.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Hogsty Atoll II
29. April 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by deep deep ocean. And the eerie apart of it all, you could see the wrecks throughout history swept into it's battery clutches. So here's more photos.

We later learned shark advice from an adventure camera crew:

Once you spot a shark don’t flail – the splashing is similar to that of a fish in distress and acts as a dinner bell to the shark. (check)
2. Don’t panic – maintain your normal breathing. When you jump in the ocean, sharks don’t smell you or hear you, they first feel the electrical pulses of your heart. (check)

3. For most sharks, you don’t look like their habitual meal. A majority of all shark attacks are because the shark mistook the human as food (fish) of some form. A sharks prey tend to dart to the surface. Maintain your buoyancy and try to maintain your lateral swimming position. (almost check)

4. Keep eye contact with the shark. If possible stare into its eye(s) and face the shark don’t turn your back to the shark. (2/3 check)

5. If the shark does dart at you…

a. give up the damn fish. Don’t fight the shark to keep whatever fish you’ve just speared.

b. punch the shark in the nose. (Yeah. About that…) The shark is most sensitive in the nose and, really, at the end of the day most to all sharks don’t want to be harmed and are weary of getting hurt.

The anchorage was amazing. It didn’t just feel like we were alone…. we really were alone and it was beautiful.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Acklins Island
2. Mai 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Hogsty atoll was such a beautiful experience. If you’re sailing through the area and the conditions are right I highly recommend diving/snorkeling the reefs and wrecks!

We continued on our journey past Castle Island. As beautiful and pristine the anchorage appeared, the swells on either side were too much for us to handle. We motored up the coast to the SW Acklins anchorage. (SW Acklins from aloft – right->)

You’ll notice none of my pictures show buoys or channel markers outlining channels or warning of shoals and reefs. You really need to depend on your eyes so it’s important to sail with good sunlight in unknown waters. At first I was nervous, having never navigating by eyesight alone…. but with decent sunlight it’s a cake walk. The waters are clear and after you see one reef or jetty of submerged rocks… you know what to look for going forward.Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Fish Cay
3. Mai 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
From SW Acklins we spotted a few small skiffs skimming the horizon but no neighbors to speak of since Matthews Town the day we cleared in. We crept to the South of Fish Cay where the current carved out a deep enough area to anchor in sand. Everything in front of us was all too shallow for Gaia and in 10 knot winds, we had zero bouncing waves. Another sound night of sleeping!Weiterlesen
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Fish Cay to Crooked Island
4. Mai 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
All alone in Hogsty Reef, in Acklins Island, in Fish Cay, but not in Crooked. We had a neighbor!
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Gone Sailing for a Year Kir McLinn
Long Island & Dean's Blue Hole
6. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
From Crooked Island we went to Long Island and had another beautiful downwind sail. We tucked into Little Harbor finding ourselves alone again. The cut into the protected anchorage is narrow and East-facing. Don’t time this cut incorrectly or it’ll prove to be a dicey and uncomfortable motor into steep strong standing waves. We timed it perfectly at slack tide and found the harbor to be curiously inviting with a half submerged boat in the shallows. I enjoyed my morning coffee watching the occasional green turtle surfacing.

The following day we made anchor in Clarence Town and the nearby marina had a nice laid-back bar we really enjoyed. From there we hitchhiked to Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole In The World (cool! blue holes are water filled sinkholes). Most known blue holes in the world average 110 meter/360 feet deep. Dean’s Blue Hole is a whopping 203 meters/666 ft deep. A couple of locals picked us up no problem and dropped us off…. on a beautiful white sand beach…. with about 30 other people and a …film crew… (?). Not what we were expecting either. The International Freedive Competition was camped out and taking place before our very eyes.Weiterlesen
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Dean's Blue Hole II
7. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
We watched as five deviously laughing young men surprised someone, picked him up by his arms and legs, ran him over to the water and tossed him in. The man they threw in the water was William Trubridge, who earlier that day, set the new world record of free immersion diving to 124 meters (407 feet). Good grief! The idea of diving with weights and a scuba tank past 90 feet scares me…. I can’t imagine swimming freely for another 327 feet. We wandered the premise enjoying the sights and watching this close-knit world of free divers around us. We eventually strapped on our own dinky snorkel fins and mask and swam around the blue hole. The diving competition took place within a square, marked off by 4 floating pcv tubes. Friends and spectators could hang off them and watch. As curious spectators, we floated in the warm clear water with the pros. We asked questions as to how athletes started and met their depth. We learned the long wire that hung straight down had flags at predetermined depths for each diver to reach and retrieve their own flag. Upon their ascent two aiding free divers swam down 100 feet only to assist if something was awry. When the athlete surfaced they were required to perform basic functions to show they were stable. It’s not completely uncommon to witness a diver black out or show problems breathing. Not to fear, there are completely qualified and trained medics standing on the raft and in the water to help should any serious problem arise.

We stayed and watched several divers. They were beautiful, elegant swimmers. They disappeared into the abyss with purpose and rose back to the surface like slow rising smoke or an unearthly ghost – it was fascinating. I watched one woman ascend from afar by diving down a few feet. Through my own mask I could see her face. Her nose pinched off by a plug, and her eyes closed. She was completely zen and relaxed. If it wasn’t for her feet effortlessly moving I would have thought she was asleep.

We made our way back by hitchhiking again. A diving competitor from Germany, generously stopped for us and gave us a ride back to the marina. She kindly listened to our elementary questions on the sport and we hung on to every word she had to say on what it was like to dive down that deep.

Seeing Dean’s Blue Hole was beautiful and unique and a great start to visiting Long Island…Weiterlesen
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Jess n Justin - Long Island
8. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
We had a most beautiful sail down to Salt Pond Bay.
But the day Jess n Justin arrived, it poured… I mean it poured hard. We had rented a car to run a few errands like laundry and groceries then pick our friends up at the airport. When the rain subsided we ferried our dry warm clean laundry and groceries back to Gaia. As we opened the hatch we found that we (cough..Mike cough) left the hatch above the aft cabin bed completely open. The neat and tidy bed we had made was drenched. Bugger. What a way to start off a vacation for friends. We picked them up at the airport returned to the boat and sure enough the sun began peaking out of the clouds just before sunset. It wasn’t going to be so bad… they’d just sleep on the settees. All the running around and being swamped by buckets of rain was all made better when Jess n Justin pulled out of their luggage 4 steaks from a cooler bag. The last time we had a decent steak was in …. New York? 8 months ago… god that long… yeah not cool. Mike and I were aside ourselves incredulous with happiness. We broke out the good wine and the good the silverware, the only silverware, and went to work.

The next day we used the rental car to drive over to Dean’s Blue Hole. The free dive competition was gone but a few curious tourists and a class for free-diving was taking place. Jess and Mike were bold enough to climb to the edge of the limestone cliffs and plunge about 25 feet into the blue hole. Both had good form.
We set sail for Calabash Bay near the northern part of Long Island and found a trail that lead to the Christopher Colombus memorial. The walk over was easy and nice to catch up with old friends.Weiterlesen
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Conception Island I
9. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
After a night of too much chess games, we made our move to Conception Island. We thought San Salvador would be amazing but sailing there and back and seeing the island would eat up 4 days easily. Conception Island was only 30 nm, a far more manageable day sail. When we approached we caught a horse-eyes jack. Discovering that ciguatera was an issue for larger horse-eyed jacks, we had to set this big lugger back to his home. As we settled down from the excitement another friend playfully swam by. A dolphin swam around the boat, twirling about in the water and playing in the bow wake. At this point we found Conception Island to be most welcoming. The wind was just north of East which made the swell that wrapped around from the south to be very subtle. When the sun set and the stars rose we were completely alone in paradise. The next night we moved to the the northern anchorage and found two other sailboats perched nearby. We dropped the anchor and found three large nursesharks nestled in the shadow of the boat. All 4 of us flung ourselves into the water to get a better look. They were pretty great. I think of them like sheep, cute and harmless but in a beguiling shark kind of way. We enjoyed the beach and were intending to leave early next morning but then we bumped into the folks on the nearby monohull – a chatty bunch from FL and then two brothers from the catamaran dinghy-ed over and invited us over for drinks which quickly escalated to a potluck. I believe it was the words of fresh caught seafood that sealed the deal for us. We decided we’d stay another night and party with our new friends tonight. We found out there was a great mangrove river to be explored and so much more to snorkel.Weiterlesen
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Conception Island II
9. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
The next day we dinghy-ed to the mouth of the river. The entrance is shallow and the water color varies from crystal clear to an iridescent sparkle like diamonds. As we continued, the river forms to a more traditional turquoise color with deceptively fast turtles that dart away. At the junction of the river there was a deep pocket of water. It was near here we decided to jump out of the dinghy and float with the current. I stayed with the dinghy, while Jess, Justin, & Mike got up close and personal with the sergeant majors hiding in the mangrove branches, and the conchs trudging along the bottom, even the barracudas lurking in the back. We returned to the mile long white sand beach with a few beers and relaxed. I wrote in big block letters ‘ GAIA IN DA HOUSE’ – it seemed like the right thing to do.Weiterlesen
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Cat Island
11. Mai 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We had a long slow sail to Hawksnest marina, Cat Island where we filled up on much-needed water and decided to stay the night by anchoring in the river. The sun was setting and it’s unwise to navigate in poor lighting when there are possible coral heads to hit. The river was shallow and with a draft of 5.3′ we definitely bumped the muddled ground at low tide but nothing major.

On Cat Island we explored New Bight, which was a great anchorage. We pulled up on the beach and found several bar and restaurants. We chose Hidden Treasure and Denice took great care of us. Jess & I started off with mango daiquiris. They’re served in a long stem margarita glass… or I should say margarita bowl, it was enormous with rum floaters ontop! Lunch was made jovial by our mid afternoon cocktails. But let’s not leave out the food, it was also wonderful – the grilled mahi mahi was spectacular. We burned off our lunch by hiking the tallest point in the Bahamas! Mt. Alvernia better known as Como Hill which stands 206 feet tall. Whew! And the top not only rewards you with a great view but an interesting peak into the past.

“It was named Mount Alvernia by Monsignor John Hawes, a Roman Catholic priest. It is said to be reminiscent of La Verna, the hill in Tuscany that was given to St. Francis of Assisi as a place where he could peacefully contemplate, and is reportedly where Assisi received the Wounds of the Cross. Monsignor John Hawes, known to Cat Islanders as Father Jerome, was a skilled architect and sculptor – a self-described contemplative and admirer of St. Francis of Assisi. Using local stone, he built The Hermitage on the peak of Mt. Alvernia in 1939, a small medieval monastery where he could get away from the world. Father Jerome is also known for building cathedrals and convents throughout The Bahamas, including on Long Island and New Providence. He died in 1956 and is said to be buried somewhere on the site of The Hermitage.” -bahamas.comWeiterlesen
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Cat Island II
13. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
From New Bight we went to Fransesco Bay where we found a resort that had a trusting bar on the beach. The owner welcomed us and showed us a circular bar completely stocked with cups, ice, liquor, wine, beer, and juices.

Each party took account for every drink they made or took and tallied up their own order to pay for it up at the front desk. And then the owner walked away. And we continued to party.

The next day was a bit slow in more ways than one. The wind had died and we had a very long sail from Cat Island to Georgetown Great Exuma. The seas were so flat and so calm, we slowed the boat and jumped in. It was a fantastic trip all around but again the friends had to return to Boston and we, we had to prepare for our last round of guests…. my parents…. bum bum bum!Weiterlesen
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Mom & Dad Visit - Georgetown & Stocking
15. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
We greeted my parents at the hotel, Peace & Plenty, they were standing on a veranda looking out over the water. When they turned around to see us it was a tidal wave of hugs and smiles. Despite having traveled thousands of miles under sail for several months, they kept repeating ‘ I can’t believe you’re doing this, that you’re here!’ That made us smile even more.

From the moment they stepped onboard I knew it was going to be trouble. Of all our friends who visited, it was my Mom and Dad, who couldn’t keep still. The second I turned my back they were running foredeck or off the side boarding ladder into the water. Aiyiyi. It was going to be a long week. 😉

We began in Georgetown, the capital grounds for cruisers in the Bahamas. Peak season is in the winter months, so the anchorages we explored (in May) were largely quiet and we had our pickings of where to anchor.

My Mom and Dad quickly made use of the clear water when they first arrived. We eventually & leisurely motored across the harbor to Stocking Island and made landfall at the Chat n Chill. It’s a beautiful beach with picnic tables scattered under trees, a volleyball net, tree swings, the ring game – this place is ‘never never land’. It was crafted for adults, a place where day drinking and laughter lifted all your cares and land worries away. It was easy to get sucked into this place. And yet, after all the hype of hearing about the infamous Chat n Chill, I was a little underwhelmed. It was a beach bar that seemed to serve you a beer and usher you back out. So back out is where we went and the place I enjoyed the most. We left the Chat n Chill beach area and wandered to the eastern side of the island wadding through a narrow channel to get to the next beach.Weiterlesen
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Mom & Dad Stocking Island II
16. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
Part 2
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Lee Stocking & Farmers Cay
17. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
From Stocking Island we sailed all day trailing thunder clouds until we anchored in Lee Stocking Island, near the old maritime research facility, abandoned in 2011. It was once the Perry Institute for Marine Science a research facility started in the 50’s to pursue marine research and sustainability. Sadly, in 2006 Perry died and funding dried up, a caretaker now looks over the grounds. A couple of cruisers dinghied over and informed us this anchorage had a lot of mosquitos but further south the pristine anchorage of Williams Bay had no bugs. We pulled up anchor and sure enough, yes, Williams Bay was astounding. Twin beaches, interesting limestone formations and a sandy bottom.

We went ashore and walked the adventurous trails taking in the sites.
We had a beautiful day sail to Farmers Cay in light wind and took the mooring ball in front of the yacht club in stunning clear water. The current was a bit strong but the wind was light. We tied our dinghy to the newly built dock and were greeted by Roosevelt. We enjoyed a traditional Bahamian dinner and even learned how to dance with Roosevelt once we were finished.

We explored the ship wreck across the channel and strolled the beaches around Little Farmers Cay.Weiterlesen
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Return to Georgetown
19. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We made our way back to Georgetown at this point and stopped in Rudder Cut Cay. David Copperfield owns land around here and there’s a mermaid playing a piano underwater (made of stone in 15 feet of water). We anchored near the enormous cavernous limestone overhang, which was the highlight of the anchorage for me.

My parents asked to get as much time on the water sailing & thats exactly what we gave them. We had another full day of sailing, close hauled.

We stopped behind Rat Cay and enjoyed our afternoon with snorkeling the clear waters on our own secluded beach and enjoying ‘anchorage cocktails’ & bottle of wine.

We returned to Georgetown and strolled the small town and enjoyed the warm weather. We had our last beers together at the beautiful hotel, Peace & Plenty.Weiterlesen
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Boat Prep for the Exumas
21. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
Our time to relax was cut short by our need to knock off boat chores around the weekend. Stores shut down on Sundays and most establishments are closed or have shortened hours on Saturday.

We refilled the water tanks with four of our plastic compressible 5-gallon jugs – dockside in Victoria Lake. It took about 5 trips to top off our 3 tanks (hold approx. 50 gallons each). Had our propane filled on a Monday, did laundry, grocery shopping, and one last alcohol run. And last but not least we topped off the diesel fuel tank and gas tank on the dinghy. We went to the Georgetown Yacht Club for diesel and they were great but the nozzle was one of the worst we’ve experienced. Our fuel intake valve is narrower than most other boats and tends to “bubble up” quickly. Many! Many paper towels and cursing accompanied this particular fill up.

We still bring our own grocery bags when we grocery shop. The French trained us well. In Guadeloupe many grocery stores didn’t cary plastic bags at all. We made the mistake of not bringing our own bags…. only once. But now that I use my own, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s seems silly to keep using plastic bags, throwing them away, then going back to the store to use new bags just to throw those away too. Case and point of ‘reality’ is stranger than fiction. (Mark Twain once wrote ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’)

We spent one day fixing screens and cleaning the boat. And when it got too hot, we jumped in to cool off. Our last night in Georgetown we witnessed some amazing lightening storms in the distance. The wind picked up a few times but the anchor held strong in sand along with everyone else.Weiterlesen
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Sailing up the Exumas
24. Mai 2016 auf den Bahamas ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
The Bahamas in total consists of 700 islands and 2,400 cays, 30 of which are inhabited. In 1783 American Loyalists settled in Great Exuma. Looking for a new and safer home, they brought cotton farming to Georgetown.

If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean or James Bond movie Thunderball, you’ve seen a piece of the Exumas but where those films took place is only the tip of the palm tree my friend. The Exumas have so much to offer. We sailed near Georgetown with my parents but with guests and flights out of the picture we were ready to get out of the Georgetown circle.

Our first day we sailed right past Black & White, Childrens, Rat, and Lee Stocking. We spent the afternoon around Adderly, Zobo, & Leaf Cay dropping our anchor SW of Leaf Cay. We had 4 other boats anchor near us… talk about Time Square rush hour, Geez! Around the corner were iguanas but other than that, just your run of the mill paradise.

We sailed from Adderly to Big Major Cay inside the Bahama Banks. With cays and reefs on one side and shallow sand on the other side, there’s not a lot of room for fetch/waves to build up. Sailing through flat, shallow, sandy bottom, turquoise water, THIS is why we’re here! To experience this kind of sailing. We drank Nates and soaked in the sun. We passed a beautiful island called Musha, for $38,000 a week you can rent the island and enjoy a dinner. When we passed it, we saw someone vacuuming sand from the beach to relocate it. I cringe to think of how many people make use of that…. you could give that money to an aspiring college kid, you could invest in someones struggling company, you could feed families. Nah, I think I’ll go paint my toes and do yoga for an afternoon with some friends on Musha… argh.Weiterlesen
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