Klein Curaçao 🇨🇼
29. tammikuuta, Curacao ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
We arrived at dusk, had supper and went to SLEEP! So grateful for a safe, and relatively quiet passage. We had a few rigging things to adjust and fix (our errors), but otherwise, we rested!
We were concerned that we may have dropped anchor too close to the tour boats (9 in total showed up), but they all maneuvered around us. We set to shore, and enjoyed walking around the island, seeing the lighthouse (1850) which we observed sailing towards the island and actively flashing through the night.
As we swam to shore, we noticed that an anchor was tangled in containers/mooring, so Brian set about finding the owner. We chatted for a few minutes to owners/ captain of Aqua Azul business and adult son Jacob…. Who had placed the anchor on purpose.
With all the people and the boats I expected an increased noise level, but it was just a humm on the boat, and enjoyable to people watch after we swam back. We also worked on getting all our charts in order, syncing with the chart plotter and updating active captain and Navionics app. This met Brian had to reach out to his ex-wife for the Apple password in order to do a much overdue update. She graciously obliged and I don’t think we will have any glitches with Active Captain again…. and we now have charts on Navionics and the Chartplotter for the rest of our journey through South and Central America.
At 4pm the last boat left and all was quiet again. The anchorage was a bit more rolly in the evening…. But we were still grateful to sleep in bed! 🛌 Only some music and a dog wandering (must be the caretakers) were signs that someone was still on little Curacao!
After two nights, before the Mermaid and other tour boats arrived, we hoisted the anchor and headed to Spaanse Waters, dropped the dinghy and headed for Customs & Immigration (after I filled out Sail Clear and our Digital Immigration cards online).
Christel is in Miami and returning to Curacao on Friday… and we will use her car, and then figure out our time on the island. It feels so strange to be here on Lorena, to share this Alice of heaven with Brian (and hope he loves it as much as I do)! My 4th time here since 2023.Lue lisää
Goodbye Curaçao
11. helmikuuta ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
It has been a jam packed time in Curacao…. And I’ve enjoyed every moment!
Christel gave us her car, and much was amazing!! Although I used it to get to and from the Studio (Movements Yoga and Pilates: https://www.movementscuracao.com/). I went to Christel’s Power Yoga class on a Sunday and taught the following Sunday. I taught two classes on Monday (Feb 2nd and 9th), a Yin in the morning and Flow in the evening, was a second set of hands for Christel’s waitlisted Yin and Sound on Wednesday night (which is how we started 3 years ago), I helped with an influencer event on Friday night and had a meeting with Edward and Kim (Kura Botanica and Spa 8) about running a retreat in October. Sadly I didn’t attend any classes (but also taught my regular Wednesday and Friday morning classes for RWW).
With Brian, we went snorkelling to Tug Boat Beach and to Mambo a couple times. We also drove to Piscetera (but didn’t swim), and swam also on the last day at playa Caracasbai, with Joeny, Wouter and Christel. We swam often around the boat, however, the current was really strong!
Friends came to visit the boat: Diana and her two daughters, Ingeborg, Michelle (Christel’s mom), and Wouter, Joeny, Christel (and their friend Dave). As that crew was leaving (they swam/ SUP to the boat), Coast Guard decided to board us (but Brian was taking Wouter back to land as he was starting an on call shift. We had the papers they asked for, although it was blowing hard that day and I was upset that their boat may have scratched Lorena.
One of our days was spent trying to get our yellow fever vaccination, make sure we had the “card” and see if mine could be updated (as I had the card but it says in expires after 10 years, but Doctors now say it is lifetime). Luckily we ended up at Dr Allard office. I knew both his (Chris) siblings (Harry, whose house I stayed at when Christel was pregnant, and Eline who helped us build the website for Movements). It took the whole day, but we were grateful to get it done…. Although we are no longer in need of it, as Santa Marta (our original plan for Columbia) is now off the table due to weather and we are heading to Cartagena.
I got to show Brian the two yoga studios, Peitermaii and Otrobanda, and both bridges. We actually got to see the Queen Emma Bridge opening.
We went to La Reina and the Nut Boise for gluten free treats. We went to 4 different grocery stores while on the island and of course Budget Marine (and Freedom Marine).
The last day, our outboard stopped working so we took it to Yan Tuk and not only did he get it to start spitting water again (the thermometer was gone), he taught us how to do it and how to change the impeller! He was very very kind and we were grateful… although we still ended up rowing back as something else seems to have gone wrong.
We went for dinner with some other sailors (Burger Haus), went to Disboer with Christel and gang, and Nut house with just Brian and Hofi Cas Cora for bunch and a tour of the farm. We also had a meal (wraps) at Christel’s house… and swam in the pool with Joeny who is so adventurous and growing.
We climbed seru kabritu… a had a great hike with Michelle. We also explored the fort on a different day.
I enjoyed watching Brian with Joeny… he will have fun as a grandpa someday.
We stayed the entire time in Spaanse Waters and Brian seemed content there. The wind was wicked for a few days, but there was no swell and good sleeps! There was also always LOTS of activity happening: racing, wind surfing and wind foil, tour boats and more. Anglo, from the Mermaid, took us to our boat the night it died (we rowed the whole way next night). He came on board for awhile and he also lives on the boat.
Brian thought Curacao was like Southern California and loved the climate, and the bay. I was worried he wouldn’t like it… but it was magical for him too!Lue lisää
Cape Horn of Colombia
15. helmikuuta, Caribbean Sea ⋅ 🌬 27 °C
We attempted to leave Curacao early on Wednesday morning…. But in the process of hoisting the dinghy we maligned the arm of the wind turbine…. So we replaced the parts and continued onward. We went to the Curacao Yacht Club only to realize they had 5ft depth, so we back tracked to the other fuel dock… and over flowed the tank. Not a great start to the voyage, but we persisted, nearly missing the channel and getting into the shallows — the frazzled captain made the turn, put up the sail and we were OFF!
We sailed into the night, beyond Aruba, making good time under sail. We were goi g to Jib at 2-3am but waited till dawn, to move the preventer (keeping the boom from an accidental jib). Once we jibbed, it was evident that we would need the engine as we were no longer on a broad reach but full downwind.
Eventually we took the main sail down and put out the geneoa on the wisker pole. We motor sailed like this all day…. However, in the morning we noticed an odd noise coming from the rudder which was a cause for great concern. I asked Brian to check it out, and he didn’t think much of it…. But as the day progressed, and he heard it consistently, he worried. By dinner he had called his friend (Migel from Colombia) and had them put us in touch with the coast guard. They suggested we go into Puerto Bolivar (Cabo de la Vela), but it was not a lite entry and too dangerous for us. We decided to proceed toward Santa Marta. We asked our weather guru, Chris Parker, for an updated forecast — but he was slow to respond.
We took the pole down, and motored with the stay sail through the night. The next morning Brian was anxious that the Gudgeon was the problem. I had no such concern. We checked it out again and finally I put my phone in the water (with a case), and Brian stuck his head in the water…. Relieved that it was not the rudder itself. With that information in hand we decided to proceed past Santa Marta and head directly for Cartagena, aiming to arrive on the afternoon of the fourth day.
We expected the wind and swells to recede after we past Barranquilla, however the swells seemed to get bigger and the wind only backed off slightly. The highlight on day 3 and 4 were the dolphins!! 4 different and distinct looking pods visited us over a 36 hour span. The entrance to the Cartagena harbour at Grand Boca, is very narrow, and has no physical bouys, only marks on the GPS. The charts showed that we had depth to cross prior to the green, but it was wrong and we saw 4ft under the keel… and quickly motored away with me shouting “starboard.” Although we had a slip at Club de Pesca, the wind was high and we opted to anchor and try in the morning. We arrived, ate and went to bed.
Sleep was SO good!!
Today we messaged for help as we knew it would be a tight squeeze and Robe came out with his tender. Unfortunately, with an enclosed pilothouse, Brian cannot hear the shouts of Spanish, and I could not understand. After we burst a fender, I asked Brian to reverse and talk to the workers who were hollering instructions I did not understand. Once we knew what we had to do, the process went smooth and although tight, we managed to get into dock 123. Once in, and caffeinated, Brian dove the rudder again to see if it would give a clue to the noise, we then bleed the lines and tightened the stern gland. Tomorrow we have a guy coming to the boat to help us.
Afterwords, we both had a long shower and washed our hair at the marina… such a highlight. We hadn’t taken an unlimited water shower since Trinidad, over a month ago… the little luxuries!!
After getting the electric hooked up, we turned on the A/C and went for a walk in the old city, having a nice dinner at Mar Y Zielo.Lue lisää
Cartegena
27. helmikuuta, Kolumbia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Feb 16- Walked to Old Town again. Went to Epoca and had the oat pancakes, went to the bookstore and Pezatarian.
Feb 17 — Hired varnish guy, taught a class, walked to the fort and through another neighborhood (Popa). Loud and smelly. Did laundry. Didn’t feel great today, slept a lot and had stomach issues.
Feb 19- Fasting all day as I didn’t feel well yesterday (very bloated). We went for a walk and Brian ate at the Art Hotel rooftop… a fun view of Old Town.
Feb 20- Getsemani, Old Town… went to Cande Restaurant but they wouldn’t let us dine as Brian had sandals (dress code). Oddly I was wearing sneakers as I had a blister trying to break in my new Birkenstocks. We ended up dinning at Pezetarian again… even though I resisted and didn’t want to as I thought I may have gotten “glutened” and realized that I indeed had as I ate something that had cross contamination. The most exciting news — I have a niece (Ella Jane).
Feb 21 - Went to the beach (foot and back massage and Brian had his hair done) went and got groceries and I found a dress for the wedding at the mall. Brian found more books at the bookstore.
Feb 22- Bernie arrived at noon. We lowered the dinghy to test the outboard and ended up rowing all the way back from Old Town, as it died and we couldn’t get it started. Walked to Old Town… went to book store. Bernie made fajitas.. so good!
Feb 23 - Tried to decide what we would do for the week and if we would travel to the Sierras or see something. I booked horseback riding as no one was making decisions. Steak dinner
Feb 24- , went horseback riding, Brian fell off horse dismounting… found our starboard bow line snapped and we hit the old boat beside us, and crushed the back of the transom into the concrete. Got back, traffic bad, so Brian got out and walked while I stayed in cab, Bernie also out and walked to Jumbo grocery store. Started to disassemble bent stations and Brian took outboard to Yamaha shop. Went for coffee in Old Town and bought some coffee at Saint Alberto. Then went for Asian food (Ana)
Feb 25- Taught class. Tracked down workers to fix stantion and to fix the paint and wood in the transom . Brian went up the mast twice to try and fix the steaming and anchor light… didn’t work… Bernie and I went to the Marine Store across the street to get bolts for the stantion and a new LED. Brian went for a shower, and Bernie and I were starting to put the newly varnish flooring into the rudder room when we were swarmed by bees. The… like 500 or more, settled on the aft davit. Brian came back from shower but couldn’t get on boat. He and Bernie got into it, as we were trying to find an unharmed way to get rid of them and Brian wanted to be consulted… as he just wanted them gone. He boarded the boat once they settled, and took the pee jug (a vinegar jug with a she wee, that we use in the middle of the night as it is easier and less noise then pumping the toilet)… he grabbed the life line as we was doing it… and fell in… forgetting they weren’t attached. He had to shower again. He began putting the floors in again, and I got stung by a bee in my palm. Had Tacos in Getsemani.
Feb 26 - Packed, Indian restaurant that was under construction. Gave Javier picture. Customs offical came to inspect the boat hull number and engine.
Feb 27 - taught class, shower … Brian bought a new outboard and I got on the plane to Montreal.Lue lisää
Montreal - Part 1
2. maaliskuuta, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ -8 °C
Wonderful but altogether to short a visit with my beautiful offspring. A direct afternoon flight from Cartegena to Montreal. I arrived around 10pm to the Plateau and dug into some of the thoughtful gluten free snacks waiting for me, while catching up with Ashlynn and Hugo.
On Saturday Ashlynn had a full day planned! We went wedding dress shopping, then did a somatic art and movement class with Erica. Which was so much fun. It made me want to reconnect with scribbling and abstract drawing. Then to the bookstore in Saint Henri to pick up the latest Emily Austin book and have a Taco meal at Freda’s with Erica and Des.
Sunday is apparently Bridge, so Hugo, Ashlynn and I played… she won. We headed to Mile End to visit a GF bakery with a few stops along the way, and after at consignment stores, shoe stores and COTN. Hugo was making Lamb and Risotto so I picked up a bottle of Amarone for the meal.
On Monday I had said I would caulk the bathroom since Ashlynn had just painted it (the color of our wall in the den/ burgundy). We went to the Hardware store and Tapi Go for some Cassava Chesse balls. I worked on clean the bathroom which took longer then extracted, so promised to do it upon my return in a few weeks. Off to the airport, with a layover in Toronto. Sadly my flight was delayed for 2 hours (which meant there was a point where my close friend Kim, from Barbados, and I were only 4 gates apart and didn’t realize it till we were on our planes 🙁). It also meant arriving after midnight in Calgary, where Andrew picked me up. While I was flying… Brian and Bernie were sailing from Colombia to Panama — San Blas Islands (Guna Yala).Lue lisää
Calgary — Welcome Baby Ella
10. maaliskuuta, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C
Eight days… and sad to say goodbye after Ella’s 2 week check up. She is such a calm and quiet baby… I enjoyed holding her, and doing all the infant things. Playing with Kai was also lots of fun… it took him a few days to warm up to me, as he was adjusting to no longer having his parents full attention.
Once he did I could read to him and get up with him in the morning, feed him and play together. On Saturday, the family had a photo shoot in a beautiful location. It was the first time I’d experience something like that, and felt honoured and grateful that Amy asked me to participate! 🙏🏻
They have a rental duplex 5 minutes away that they have been renovating and I went there on three different days to help out. As always, I expect to get more done than actually happens… however, I managed to do lots of crack filling, prepped and taped the baseboards for paint, and edged most of the unit for rolling/ painting. It was nice to work with Andrew in this project and also nice to be alone, playing my music and enjoying solitude (something I rather ever experience anymore… It was so good for my soul)! However, I do t miss the winter driving… the truck, parked on ice on a hill, would not back up… and after an hour of trying to g with the help of neighbors… we shouted the hood to find the owner of the car in front of me…. So I could finally get home as Pete dropped by the house for an evening visit.
Amy and Andrew are pros at parenting now. It is so beautiful to see how much patience they have with Kai and one another. How relaxed they are with Ella and how much energy and time they devoted to the kids, their work (rentals and office), and each other ❤️.
Pete dropped by the Duplex with warm drinks one day, and came for lunch at the home on another. We met up with he and the boys, at Fish Park, after the photo shoot and went for a walk. Nice to connect with everyone together! I will see both of them in a week for Dads birthday.
On my last evening, I also got to see long time, admired friend, who helped me start Otesha Consulting— Susannie! I was thrilled to connect with her.
Off to Ottawa for a layover, and quick visit with Rachel before continuing East.Lue lisää
Moncton - Dad’s 80th Birthday
15. maaliskuuta, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C
Arrived in Moncton late on Tuesday (March 10th). Dad picked me up and we spent some time together before I took the Saturn to Pasq and Manju where I stayed for the next couple days. Gobi was happy to see me and consistently tried to sleep with me.
Wednesday morning I taught a class and then went to a class at Inspire in Shediac, and had coffee with Lisa G at the Tate House. I spent the afternoon with Sheila and we went to USVA, and had supper together at the condo with Jamie. Afterwards, I popped into Saint James Gate for a quick hello to Gail
Thursday was a Dr appointment (and surprise biopsy). It was freezing rain and I had to get Pasq to drop me off and pick up as the Saturn wasn’t up for the task. In the afternoon I headed to Melanie’s and then a meal at Moxies. Back to the OWE late in the evening.
Friday I relaxed in the morning (not teaching due to the biopsy), eventually catching someone home at Arlington to pick up my mail, and picking up cake and food for Dad party the following day. I also was working out the logistics to surprise Dad with Andrew coming home. Shelia dropped off van at the airport (with car seat), Andréia rented me her condo and I got groceries and child proofed it. In the evening Pasq and Manju hosted a dinner… with the Silva’s and Sheila and Jamie. The Silvas brought lots of food, including a cashew dish that I’ll have to learn to make as Brian would love it. Made my way to the condo, and Andrew and Kai had arrived and were still up. I got to read Kai books before bed!
Saturday was Dads 80th celebration and we were able to surprise him with Andrew and Kai. Pete and I were also there and it made it special to have us all together. There was about 80 people that dropped into the party. He is loved 💕. Once the party ended I went to Kirsten’s for a few hours to hang out and then back to the house to say goodbyes!
Pete came to the condo and we hung out for awhile, listening to Ms Rachel in the background, while Andrew tried to put Kai to sleep.
Today, Pete picked me up…. I said bye to the brothers and off to Montreal for the next adventure!Lue lisää
Ashlynn’s Wedding ~ more pics
16. maaliskuuta, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C
Bonus videos and photos
Montreal ~ Ashlynn’s Wedding
16. maaliskuuta, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Arrived to Montreal over an hour late, took an Uber to Ashlynn’s and enjoyed time with her, Hugo and friends. They had both just arrived back from Bachelorette/Bachelor parties. They took some down time while I socialized with the others…. Eventually, at 4pm, Hugo rounded up everyone except me, who were going to the Airbnb and took them over. I stayed and had some Ashlynn time…. A mini pedicure and metallic silver toe nails to match her fingers and my toes too.
Both her and Hugo needed to finish writing vows, once they were done, around 8pm, we walked to the Airbnb and Hugo’s parents joined (Robyn, Jeff and Aria were already there).
Ashlynn and Hugo were going to be separated…. So he didn’t see her until the “exchange of vows,” so he stayed at the Airbnb with Jeff and I, and Ashlynn, Robyn and Aria went back to the apartment. Jeff and I rearranged the living room so that the vows would take place in the most picturesque spot, and everyone would have seating.
On Monday morning at 10am, I joined them. Looking around, I decided that I would be most helpful by cleaning (LOTS of dishes, Laundry, bathroom, etc..) so they would have a clean space to return too after the marriage (and when they returned from the honeymoon). Robyn did Ashlynn’s hair, and Aria cooked Finnish crepes, eggs and sausages. Then it was makeup and getting dressed time. After trying on a few, I went with my old dress that I gave to Ashlynn for a wedding last summer, and her shawl. We all got in an Uber and went to the Airbnb where the “ceremony was held.
Brad (Ashlynn’s Dad) and Tracy, Chris and Mary (Hugo’s parents), Griffin (Hugo’s brother), Jeff and Aria (witnesses that went to notary with them), Erica (bridesmaid for BC) and Robyn (bridesmaid for BC), myself and Josh the photographer witnessed the exchange of vows and rings (from 2:40-3:20) Then they left for the notary.
We all met back at Starbar at 6pm. I realized at 4:45 that I hadn’t printed documents I needed for Panama… so a sprint up Saint Laurent to a print shop, arriving 2 mins before closing at 5pm! I went to the apartment afterwards and did a bit more cleaning, then Robyn and I walked to Starbar, passing and ultimately designing a flower bouquet for Ashlynn before arriving.
The first hour was the core group from the ceremony and then friend started to arrive… staying untill 9ish. Walked back to the apartment with Ashlynn and Hugo, to help carry items, and a big goodbye Hug…. Knowing I’ll see them in August for wedding event #2 in BC.
I returned to the Airbnb, chatted with Jeff, Aria and Robyn for awhile and then took my last long hot shower in Canada. My sleep was fitful as I was likely worried about my scheduled Uber and early morning pickup.
I’m sitting on the plane (Copa Airlines) writing this…. And going through the picture of the weekend. Ashlynn looked SO So happy and in her element. I am thrilled that she has celebrated her 10 year anniversary, the way that suited her and Hugo best ❤️❤️.
I haven’t finished my “gift” to them yet, but will continue to work on it for August. Off to Mexico they go, later today and I hope they don’t experience a flight delay, as I have on nearly every flight I’ve taken in Canada this trip.Lue lisää
Panama Pacific
21. maaliskuuta, Panama ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Arrived to Panama (another delayed flight) and flew directly over the Panama Canal, which was awesome! Brian greeted me at the airport with some macrons, fresh OJ and an 🍏. Bernie (who join Brian on the passage from Colombia to Panama) was waiting in the parking garage and since my flight was delayed we hit traffic leaving the city. A nice drive to Rio Mar, where he has a beachfront house. The caretaker, Tiburcio opened the gates and to my wonderful surprise, a dog - Lassie. The sweetest, calm, loving dog I’ve been around in awhile! After a beautiful walk on the beach we had a nice meal prepared by his sisters (Maureen lived next door) housekeeper, and went for a walk afterwards.
My Wednesday 6am class was now 5am as Panama doesn’t observe daylight savings. Up early to teach the class and then off to a hike in Cerro Chame. It was a challenge, with lots of stops, but we made it up and it was easier then down as I already had chin splints from wearing tight footwear for Ashlynn’s wedding. I had been stretching prior to the hike…. So I walked sideways or backwards down the mountain.
We stopped at a store on the way back and picked up a few groceries, then back to home base and out to the ocean for a swim. The water was rough and the current strong!
The outside of this place is so amazing, several little spots to do yoga or meditation, little benches and private areas, an outdoor shower and direct beach access and a nice separate bathroom and shower from the house. However, the room configuration, water pressure and maintenance would need to be addressed before I could think about hosting a yoga retreat there.
We went for another walk to Bernie’s old homestead (he grew up in Panama) which is now rented. He also has a home that’s rented in Panama City (and two houses in USA, with Virginia Beach being his main residence).
Thursday morning Bernie, Lassie (the dog) and I did yoga and it was so great to “lead” a class again. Bernie has a daily practice but I struggle with the consistency.
Breakfasts were a delight every morning! I was once again spoiled by having my coffee made for me… and Bernie made eggs in a corn tortilla, arepas (which cheese inside), grilled cheese, fresh OJ and a mountain of fruit. This was fuel for our visit to El Valle. A community nestled into a volcanic crater. We hiked to the top of a hill (much easier then the previous day) and met some school children who were interested in chatting. Part way down we stopped at a cleared piece of land and I explored (spotting a Rufous Motmot bird) while the men stood beside the mud hut. Across the stream lived other natives, perhaps the ones that dragged drink up the hill to sell to the tourists. Near the bottom we stopped at a waterfall pool and took a refreshing dip!
We explored the market, and I had my first Guama (Ice Cream Bean) fruit. Then we visited Bernie’s property (Casa Pangea) where he will soon build, and off to an early dinner at a boutique hotel in town, before heading back to the beachfront.
On the way to El Valle, they were paving the road and there was an hour delay. We were stopped in front of a large haciendas and property (finca) for sale. Brian called to inquire and we stopped on the way back to talk to the gardener and tried to see the place but couldn’t reach the owners/ real estate folk. Back at the beach folk we talked real estate and I peeped for my Friday class while Bernie and Brian went for a walk.
We managed to do two loads of laundry while at Bernie’s, and they needed to be started at 4am due to the low water pressure. After my class, we went for a swim, showered, ate breakfast, went and bought groceries with Bernie’s CRV and back to the house to relax before the driver arrived at 12:30 to take us to Panama City.
The driver/ taxi that Bernie uses came with a nice van and it was a quick drive but for finding the self check-in hotel (Casa Arias) in Old Town, which frustrated him. We finally got there with out 10 pieces of luggage (2 suitcases, 2 backpacks, 1 canvas bag, 1 bag with hiking boots, 1 brown bag, 2 grocery bag and 2 styrofoam coolers). Luckily our room was on the ground floor, although it was the size of a postage stamp. Oddly it was burning man themed, and had a beautiful courtyard, where plants hung from the balconies above and the rain fell into the pool. We spent the rest of the day, Friday, walking around old town, taking in the heritage…. Guessing about the shiny specs on the church turret was made of oyster shells. We stopped into small shops and ice cream stores and ate at a Peruvian/ Japanese restaurant before going back to the hotel. Our picture up was at 4:30am, so a hot shower and early to bed.
It seems the hotel was a popular pick up spot for people heading to the San Blas islands, as lots were up and waiting. The driver only arrived after 5am and only had room for 1 person. Brian. He took 5 pieces of luggage (my clothing), and drove off, leaving me with a number to call. I was pissed! I called Judy Lamb who runs the tour company and she wanted a photo of the luggage (I only took pictures of three). At the same time a driver was arriving (and my new friend of 30mins, Bonnie, was getting on). The driver started to grab my luggage and put it in the van. I went with it (quickly converting my final two bags into one). We took the very back jump seat and ended up with the cooler (which made a terrible styrofoam noise) between us and the canvas bag on the floor under the cooler and my backpack on top of me… with knees to my chest for 3 hours. Still upset but grateful I was enroute although I had no idea that we would be crossing the border back into Colombia, two hours into the ride, or need money. I scrambled to find my phone/ wallet and passport. Brian had called and messaged many times to check on me.
I arrived in Puerto Carti, hundreds of people milling about, wondering where to go, what Panga (boat) to get on. Finally I spotted Brian and we moved my load to his, realizing that our boots and my suitcase was missing an had been off loaded. Finally they arrived in another vehicle and after 60-90 minutes we boarder a boat to Salardup — where Lorena has been anchored alone for 5 days.
The trip reminded me of Ashlynn and I travelling from Hopkins to Glovers Atoll in Belize.
Relief for us both when we saw Lorena and once on her, the batteries had been sufficiently recharged by the sun.
Mentally and Physically exhausted — I went for an unusual afternoon nap, before Brian invited me to snorkel a distant refer that we swam to. Being back on the boat was so nice…. The sun, the sway, the rhythm, the ability to jump off when hot, and my bed all felt great ⛵️!Lue lisää
Guna Yala Islands (San Blas)
22. maaliskuuta, Panama ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
The San Blas island are a throw back in time to an earlier century. One where people lived off the land, had little electricity or potable water, no cars only carved out logs, and rules that were developed and enforced by a congress of like people. There are nearly 50,000 Gina’s scattered across 350 islands (and the mainland), who still live life this way. Some islands only have a couple families, some have little bars or restaurants and running water.
We snorkelled and walked the beaches of many of them, some inhabited and others not.
We were in three main island clusters: Salaradup, East Holendes (Swimming Pool, Banadup and Bug island), Green Island, Lemmon Cay (and a quick stop in Chichime), plus a check out at Porvenir (where they hold congress). I wrote an article for the Salty Dawgs detailing our journey to San Blas and the joy of being in these safe islands nestled off the coast of Panama: https://sdsa.memberclicks.net/my-favorite-ancho….
Here we also found new marine wonders… like the mermaids necklace. It looked like plastic in the water, so I removed it and realized it was alive. We looked it up later and realized it is a whelk snail egg sacks. We also found a very rare tritons trumpet (Large snail shell used in Hawaiian ceremonies), lots of big and living conch and starfish and strange remora fish that have suction at the top of there heads to attach to other creatures or boats.
Our next stop is Linton Bay, Panama for a few days to provision and find a weather window to Isla Providencia (Colombia).Lue lisää
Linton Bay
2. huhtikuuta, Panama ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
It was mid afternoon when we realized that it was Easter weekend in a few days and if we didn’t get to Linton Bay tomorrow (Thursday) we would have to wait till Monday for our Zarpe (Departure papers). We devised a way plan, and quickly left Chichime and the San Blas Islands, getting to playa Chiquita just after nightfall. We decided to keep our anchor lights off as to not call attention to ourselves as we were the only boat in this uncomfortably roll Bay. After dinner, we took some melatonin to offset the heaving of the boat and fell to sleep. I awoke at 10:30pm to pee and as I was climbing back to bed… I heard someone call out. Immediately I woke Brian and we yelled at whomever was nearby. Rapidly trying to find clothes in the dark and make our way to the pilot house. A man had climbed aboard the boat and said he was swimming, wanted to rest, wanted a life jacket, and upset that his cell phone was wet. I just stood there as they spoke Spanish. Brian had aimed a spotlight at him and calmly told him to leave a few times. Finally he jumped back in the water and it wasn’t untill we put the spotlight on him did he swim away.
We sat in the pilot house trying to decide what to do next, Brian asking me if I had heard the fireworks earlier. I didn’t. We agreed that neither of us would be able to fall back asleep….and we might be in danger if we stayed. So we weighed anchor at 11:15pm and went to sea. A bumpy night!!
We arrived to Linton Bay an anchored at 7am. I tried to sleep for a couple hours, then we docked…. With some struggle due to angle and current.
We spent two nights at the marina and it was great!! There was a chandlery, a cafe and small grocery store (run by Charlie and his cat Captain) . We hired Luis to take us to the grocery store in town (Portobello), although not sure it was worth it, although the drive was nice.
We shower often, even though they weren’t hot, and were able to get out laundry done. We also managed to get our Zarpe, but they charged $400usd verse $120 had we waited till Monday (claiming that it was a RUSH fee).
We met the owner of the marina, Allen, and told him our story about Playa Chiquita. We had learn from the Chandlery that the fireworks Brian heard were actually gun shots and someone had been murdered. We found the news report for it (https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/provincias/hom…) and tried to contact the authorities with no luck. Allen suggested we needed to have wasp spray on the boat as we had no weapons to protect ourselves. We walked to the small Chinese run grocery in Linton, but weren’t successful. In the end Allen gave us one of his bottles before we sailed off to Isla de Providencia.
We made a report of the incident in the Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN), and subsequently a sub stack article was written: https://open.substack.com/pub/loosecannon/p/pos….Lue lisää
Providencia & Santa Catalina
15. huhtikuuta, Kolumbia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
We left Linton Bay Marina on April 4th and sailed through Easter Sunday and arrived in Providencia on Monday morning around d 8:30am. The sail and winds were great, and we were on a close haul most of the time, one the same heading. We only ran the engine to boost the voltage for a few hours and arriving… otherwise it was all sail power.
We had a little bird, a swallow, stop on the Davits at the back of the boat, for a rest. So nice to see little creatures up close. It watched as we caught three Mahi-mahi in an 8 minute time span. They were small and a lot of work for Brian to fillet, but good eating!
The check in and out (Zarpe) of each country is a total pain in the ass. We had to use an agent again to check into Colombia, and we were meeting Mr Bush (72 years old) at the immigration dugout. An odd process where they video taped Brian giving the officer his passport, but more relaxed then other spots, perhaps because it was open air.
On Tuesday we went to Mr Bush’s store to pick up passports and we did some snorkeling (eels, rays and more).
On Wednesday we started approaching other boats to see if any were interested in travelling with us toward Honduras. Pierre (French) and Laura (Mexican) on Chogüi are going, but a more direct route through pirate land. Giorgio and Heyoung (Ladyhawke) are planning to go to Cayman ~ Canadian boat and they are Italian and Korean. We already knew Pura Vida (John-Michel and Kimberly) as they were beside us in Cartegena and are heading back.
We went to town and went to the hospital to check on my biopsy wound - it’s ok. Then continued walking and ended up at a Library. Brian was excited and we went back twice to donate 6-8 books in Spanish.
We stopped at a Cafe and meet Charlie Ottley (Film maker) and Guana from Romania (Transilvania). We invited them to the boat a day later and had sundowners, and then a couple games of pool back on the island. Interesting couple who film, Flavours of Romania.
The channel of the Bay is well marked with green and red bouts that flash in the night (and early morning), and for some reason make me feel safe. There is also a mother Mary statue on the hill above our anchorage (Fort Warwick, Santa Catalina). The island was hit hard by a hurricane in 2020 and is slowly rebuilding.
We did more snorkelling, visited lots of grocery stores, especially after the fruit boat arrived (and tried some new fruit including yellow dragon fruit). We discovered the ice cream store and went nearly everyday… and we walked to Almond Bay and beyond, then a few days later, we took a tuktuk to South West beach for an hour, and came back the opposite way, full traversing the island. It is beautiful and I wish we had taken more time to explore beyond what we could walk too.
Two more boats, Salty Dawgs who we knew, Brian on Pangolin and Chris and Fiona on Carioca arrived. We talked to them about a convoy, even though they were also going to Cayman… we could go as far as 18N and then divert WSW. We organized a WhatsApp group, messaged Chris Parker and held a meeting at the ice cream shop. Chris suggested waiting till Friday April 17th, the group wanted to leave on Wednesday (even though there wouldn’t be as much wind). We agreed with 8am Wednesday although Chris wasn’t happy and said we wouldn’t arrive till Monday to Honduras (**we arrived Saturday late afternoon).
We spent a lot of time polishing the stainless steel in the boat, and doing some boat chores. We also bought a machete and more wasp spray for potential pirates. I think we both just wanted to be on the other side of this passage as we had a heightened fear of pirates given what happened in Chiquita Beach.
One the last two days before we left, I cooked enough food for 6 nights… plus boiled eggs and salad for 2-3 nights. I was pleased that we had provisioned well and were ready to go.
The time before we left was filled out with fundraising and work with FTHS, plus teaching RWW classes, although when we are in Belize and Honduras it will be the same as Calgary time and much to early to teach anything but a 9/10am class (which will be 7am).
In all we spent 9 days in Providencia, and enjoyed the people, the ice cream/ frozen yogurt (with currents), getting the boat shiny, and getting some FTHS stuff completed, along with both business and personal taxes. Brian drew portraits of John-Michel and Kimberley (and they were thrilled to get them, asking that he sign them), and a pastel. He hurt his finger on the passage (not wrapping the Genoa furler sheet around the wench when letting it out), so guitar was more difficult. Arrived on a Monday and left in a convoy of 5 on the following Wednesday.Lue lisää
Pirates Passage
19. huhtikuuta, Kolumbia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
The convoy left Providencia on Wednesday morning, except Pierre and Laura, who left Tuesday afternoon and were taking a more direct route to Honduras.
Lady Hawke and Lorena leaving at 8am and the other two at 9am. They caught up to us fast and passed us early on. We had a WhatsApp chat group that I had set up and these were the terms we agreed too:
- We are leaving at 8am
- We will sail on the west side, close to Beacon Cay
- We will communicate via WhatsApp and channel 68 (with check-ins every 4 hours)
- We will stay in visual distance of one another (line of sight might be hard… so screen distance)
- We will keep on AIS but go dark (no lights).
- If any of us run into trouble the others will circle round.
- Brian to follow up with Chris and we will share the forecast.
- Brian will fill a float plan and send out Emergency number for Colombian Navy.
Fiona was the link that kept us together on Whatapp and channel 68, trying to communicate. We sailed initially, then motor sailed and then just motored for the day…. Still having trouble keeping up and running at 1400rpm’s verse 1100. That extra bit doubled our fuel consumption to 2gph. Unfortunately, LadyHawke was feeling the same but didn’t have as much fuel as we did…. So they decided to change course and sail. We continued to check in with them, and watched them in Marine Traffic. They did have an incident where they were approached by a fishing boat near Seranilla Banks, but headed into a squall to reduce visibility and the fish boat stopped the following. Turns out they had a fishing net around their property and that is what slowed them down.
By Wednesday evening we were in a tight pack and had the main out, triple reef and the staysail. We wanted to keep a 1nm distance as we had no lights, just AIS. Lots of cargo traffic through the night which was comforting!
In the morning, the current was helping and the flow seemed to be veering west. Pangolin and Carioca decided to take the cut by Thunder Knoll and maximize the current. We had to decide if we would follow as it was a more dangerous route (concerning piracy) or be left to sail solo. Since we would be doing the majority of it in the daylight, we decided to follow along. The shift helped us to sail better and by noon on Thursday we had overtaken the vessels and were moving along at 8knots. At around 4pm we noticed that Carioca was sailing slow Ina different direction (their mailsail furler wasn’t working). Sadly, they had to move through 35knot winds with full main and decided to go to the Lee side of the Caymans to take it down.
We had another 2 days of sailing…. But it was quiet with very little traffic. We arrived in Guanaja in the afternoon on Saturday.
We had made good time and even ran the whisker pole on the jib the whole night for a downwind run. It made a big difference in our speed (motor sailing at 6.5-7knots).
On Friday night I saw a light off in the distance and casually remarked. Brian tried to investigate and got worried quick. I had determined it was Venus, but he was sure it was an unmarked vessel. A quick check on Starlink (with lat/ long and bearing) suggested it was a planet and the anxiety faded.
However, the rudder noise we heard in Cartagena was back.
Our interaction with wildlife on the passage was neat. We had a barn swallow fist us again. This time perched on the wench and then inside the pilot house. It allowed me to pat it… and it was vocal although I didn’t understand what it wanted (I tried water and nuts), perhaps it just wanted rest. We then had a red foot boobie catch a ride with us in the bow. Sadly, Brian chased him away as he didn’t like that it was pooing on the bow seat. We also caught a Mahi.
Overall it was a safe trip with no issues. Once we got to Guanaja (two days earlier then Chris Parker the forecaster had predicted) we anchored beside Pierre and Laura who had arrived there through the night. A dangerous entry, through the reefs, I can’t believe they did it at night.Lue lisää
Guanaja, Honduras
22. huhtikuuta, Honduras ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Sadly, El bight was the only anchorage we visited in Honduras. It’s the time of year when Brian is anxious to move on and make sure he is in the USA and away from hurricanes. We tried to check-in in Guanaja but they were having some political issues, and immigration was shut down on the island. We were told that we would have to check in at Roatan.
We had thought about going there and looked a marinas, as we were still concerned about the rudder sound.
On our first day we decided to drop our laundry off at Jessica’s and hike the highest peak on the island, Michel’s Rock. Brian stopped at the 2/3 point and I continued to 7/8th. The trail was difficult to see and we needed to us the All Trails app, but it was burning through our phone power. We both wore pants, but my solo expedition to the top had my arms covered in scratches, my pants throughly stained green and two ticks (one I only found days later).
We went snorkelling on the reef beside the ostentatious Dunbar Hotel. It was clear and felt like snorkelling in an aquarium — saw porcupine puffer fish, squid, angel fish and more. Our snorkelling attempt two days later was cloudy.
We went into the town, twice. The first time we walked around, picked up a few groceries, although not much fresh food. We walked around the town and landed on a large pool that had several nurse sharks, turtles, rays and other fish. We meant a boy named Edwin who was curious about where we were from and the traveling we’ve done. Our second time we came, hoping that the fruit and veggie freighter had arrived. We went to DeBella Cafe and waited, but decided we needed to get going. However, we did by 3lbs of red snapper and a few mangos. There was a lot of police and military presence, which was uncomfortable. We found out that the party that lost the elections had tried to take over again, and a school was burnt down. The main town is an island…. And beside the island are houses on stilts… a fascinating world!
The night before we left, we went to Jessica’s Restaurant (the same women who did our laundry, runs a restaurant). It was on a different part of the cove and once we found it the view was great. The food options were to risky, but we both had a drink and sat with Belgium cruisers from FOX (Carlos and Cathy).
Sadly we didn’t get to ceonnect with Pierre and Laura, although we messaged and saw them working on their forestay. They had problems with it enroute from Providencia and also had this occur:
“Apart this problem in the middle of the trip, we had some emotions when meeting some boats : most of them were fishermen or cargo, but at some point we saw a group of 5 small boats, not really moving, maybe half a mile away.
We continued on our way when one of this boat started moving in our direction. It took him maybe 15 or 30 minutes to reach us.
We kept on our way. The boat was strange with 5 or 6 peoples inside, and one standing on the proa and making signs. He asked us if we had something to give them, food or anything else.
We answered we had nothing.
He asked about cigarettes…
We don’t have. Finally he said good bye, have a safe trip and they went back to where they came.
So no problem but some emotions. We still think that we were far enough from the coast !
That is the story about our trip, not completely simple but interesting 🤔
Hope to see you again. Enjoy Belize
Laura & Pierre”
—————————
Our last foray was to get gas before leaving for Belize. The current was strong, but Brian managed it well. We got 130 gallons ($6usd/gallon), earlier in the day, on the dinghy, we topped up the gas and our propane. By 4:30 we were on our way.’Lue lisää
Glovers Reef
29. huhtikuuta, Belize ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Our sail from Guanaja, Honduras to Glovers Reef, Belize, was mainly motor sailing with intermittent times to turn off the engine. We were uncomfortably close to the east/ windward side of Roatan at night, not leaving much room for error.
The upside to the engine on, is that when run at 11,000rpm, it only consumes a gallon per hour and gives us lots of momentum (fake wind) AND I can sleep in our bed without the awful sound of the auto helm. I heard Brian moving about and making coffee, so I popped my head out the aft hatch to see the sunrise and instead saw the tension on fishing lines, yelling “fish on.” We reeled in two tuna, and Brian spent the next hour fillet them, while I got the coffee.
I was excited to visit Glovers Reef again, and see Island Expeditions. Ashlynn and I spent Christmas there in 2019. Sadly, I found out that they had just closed down for the season and the last boat left on the morning we arrived. I had emailed them, and the Manta Cay Resort to ask if we could have dinner with them and offer to teach yoga to their guests — that was a NO. Apparently they are an all inclusive, expensive resort!
We arrived around 2pm. The passage in through the reef was unnerving as the water was so clear I could see the reef below and it was hard to tell the depth. We anchored in eel grass and it held nicely for the whole week!
Shortly after arriving, the Coast Guard and fisheries arrived (with their guns). There was a $30usd/ week to stay in the Atoll. They also asked to see our papers… and we had to admit that we didn’t check into the country. It was never our plan too, as we were just going to transit the outer islands and continue on to Mexico. The check-in is on the mainland, which is at least 36nm away. They gave us a warning, told us that others might not let us transit through and told us we could stay for a week and be on our way. We were still considering going to Lighthouse Reef or Sandbore Cay…. Sunday looked good, but I had an FTHS board meeting, so we decided Monday — however, when we took a closer look, we realized that Glovers was a much better anchorage, so stayed put. Our plan was to go to Mexico, check in and wait for a weather window. However, when I started looking at the requirements (Mexican liabilities insurance, captains license, and 400usd to check in, and the same to check out…. Plus the blog posts about boats being boarded and inspected, and sailors charged import taxes for food and extra outboard, we decided to forgo. Next was to contact Chris Parker for a forecast….and finally deciding to race a FRONT (storm) arriving in Mexico on Sunday/ Monday — by leaving Wednesday (April29th) and heading straight to Florida.
Every day we went snorkelling and saw lots of Rays, porcupine puffer fish, lion fish, lobster, sea cucumbers, slipper lobster, angel fish, big ones, of varying colors (some with blue mouth others with white). The coral was absolutely gorgeous, the purple fans, wine and green and yellows speckling the underwater landscape, against the clear blue water. The shelf was our favorite and where we saw the most rays.
We didn’t do much boat work other than dig out the water drenched foam from below the issued water keel tank…. Scraping my hands in the process. I also hand washed our Calvin Klein’s and bathing suits. Otherwise, I was working on Freeing the Human Spirit things, and teaching RWW.
We were visited by bright yellow tiny birds and black ones with orange and yellow…. I love these visits 🕊️!
We made our way to Isla Corisal Resort on Southwest Cay and went to the bar, one of the staff told us we could walk around, and so we didn’t, finding our way to the Island Expedition piece of land with so many great memories. The tents were gone, but the pegs still there, showing how small our cabana was.
The following evening we returned to the resort for super and it was awesome. There was a group of 22 women (from the USA) along with an older couple from Flagstaff, Arizona who were staying at the resort.
The following day we returned as Jill, the bartender, had gotten permission to sell us some fresh fruit and vegetables (for $20)… we were SO HAPPY! By the time we reached Florida the only thing we will have left is frozen fruit (with a busted blender 🙁) and some carrots. It was very kind of the resort to give/ sell us some of there provisions. Brian drew a picture of Jill, and Eddie the owner (who we never met). They also made, by special order some zucchini bread which we picked up the next day, and dropped off the drawings. Brian has also been doing pastels of me.
On our final night we went back and had dinner again. The resort and people were so welcoming! I even got a picture with Mira who was Ashlynn’s dive master when we were there last.
Brian climbed up to the crows nest to try and capture the beauty of this island before we left (and I stole a screen shot from Marisol’s Instagram page) to show you why I’ll go back again someday!
Up at dawn and hoisted the dinghy, closed the hatched and portals and lifted the anchor to set off 720nm to Florida.Lue lisää
Longest Passage, double-handed
3. toukokuuta, Caribbean Sea ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
Our passage was supposed to be 4.5 days, as we had approx 650nm to cover. However, the first two days were magical! We sailed with three sails (main, geneoa and stay sail) and averaged 200nm per day. Our average speed was 8.4knots. Now we had about 2knots of current helping us along, which was awesome. We were both at awe as Lorena has never moved so well! We even managed to run the code zero for all of 30-45 minutes.
We left at dawn April 29th and arrived nearing midnight on May 2nd.
We caught three mahi mahi in one day, and the following day a heavy skipjack tuna. The freezer is full, and Brian is happy, although he dropped the fillet knife overboard, nevertheless, he does a great job with just a kitchen knife.
Birds continue to join us on our journey. Not sure if I should be looking at it as a sign from God guiding our journey, or merely as Lorena offering a haven to tired souls.
Our path was supposed to end at Dry Tortugas, but we arrived in the morning and decided to stay in the Gulf Stream and proceed to Miami, as we were enjoying wind, speed and current. We even talked about going to Fort Pierce.
We have a friend, Joe Ricciardi, former Delta Pilot, who was following our trek, our land contact. He alerted us to a small craft advisory near Miami and when we checked the weather ourselves, we saw lightening and made a quick decision to divert to Key West.
The entry in, at 10pm, was scary! The main channel is marked, but it is difficult to tell the distance of bouys or which ones to head towards. We finally made it, around 11:30pm (May 2nd) with a full lunar torch guiding us past each hazard.
We dropped anchor, however, it did not set. Brian was adamant it was fine and we just needed to put more chain out… I was frustrated with that decision. The anchor alarm sounded twice in the night and Brian thought everything was fine. BUT, when we got up in the morning, we had slide 150ft… much too close to the rocks behind Tank Island.
We moved to a new location, behind Wisteria Island. We had friends, the ones who had done the convoy with us, we arrived to Key West the day before (Chris and Fiona on Carioca), but sadly we didn’t see them before they left again.Lue lisää
Key West
9. toukokuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Key West was awesome and we were in deep need of some rest, while it amply provided. The anchorage was calm and we were on the outer edge of Westeria Island (close to Tank island). Each evening a few dozen boats would parade out to the harbour showing its guest the gorgeous sunsets this location displays! The water was warm, but the current strong so our dips kept us close to the boat.
Our rendezvous into town consistently included the bookstore (used and new), west Marine and Key West Marine and the grocery store called Fausto’s. We also walked the main streets through the town that lead to the water (Duval and Whitehead)… the southernmost point of USA and the beginning of Route One. Lots of roosters, key lime pies, police on horses, and tourist roamed the streets. We bought some new shorts and shirts, and each shore visit also meant an oyster feast and the blazing sights of Flamboyant (Royal Poinciana) in full bloom.
We did lots of boat chores, including the most harrowing, changing the stuffing box/ stern gland flax while at anchor. The bilge pump did its job while we worked as quickly as possible deciding to only replace the bottom pieces with something bigger.
For 5 days I was illegal in the country… wanting to wait before setting the clock ticking again! It was such a relief to check in and get the notification. Grateful for NEXUS as I suspect it helped expedite the process. I was truly concerned, as leaving in November my exit from the country was denied, but I was already 24hrs offshore by this time.
The most exciting part of Key West was seeing a Manatee for the first time…. at the dinghy dock (that was $15/ day). The most shocking was gas price at $7.20/gallon.
Off to No Name Harbour, Key Biscayne outside of Miami next. It was an easy 24hour trip riding the Gulf Stream adding an extra 2-3knots of current.Lue lisää
Key Biscayne
18. toukokuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌬 28 °C
We arrived Sunday at 1pm to the entrance (which was the earliest I suggested, half way between high and low tide). The tides vary by 4feet…. And coming in we had 5feet under the keel in some spots.
Brian always does a great job picking the best spot to anchor. We dropped the hook and had a nap! You could see city lights (Miami) in the background at night.
Whether it is a day or three days… it always takes up time to recover from a night passage and the following day or two we seek lots of sleep.
On Monday we slept in, and then got to work on boat chores. I fixed the blower fan to cool the engine room. Brian was spot priming and varnishing the outside teak. In the afternoon I hand washed our underwear (we haven’t done laundry since Honduras). Pain had been steadily increasing as swollen veins protruded from my seat. I called Urgent Care and suspected it was a thrombosed hemorrhoid. Creams, wipes, and painkillers were of no use.
Tuesday we dropped the dinghy as I hummed and haa-ed at going to the clinic. The coat would be $350USD and I knew it would eventually fade. I busied myself with fixing the fan to cool the dashboard and read a lot. We bought many books in Key West and I’ve been ploughing through them: Dharma Bums, Gathering Moss, The Life Impossible, Marriage at Sea and Hallelujah Anyway (“Love is hard… love is seeing the darkness in another person and defying the impulse to jump ship.” - Anne Lamott). I also chatted with Andrew, Amy and the kids (Kai and Ella). I try to FaceTime with them once a week.
On Wednesday we finally went to town. We docked at the Bill Briggs National Park with our dinghy and caught a FreeBe to the grocery store. FreeBe is electric cars, using an app the same as Uber, but totally free! We went for Sushi and then to a small park (where we watched small turtles and moorhen birds with their babies - a duck like bird, but no webbed feet, also know as a swamp chicken). Winn Dixie in Key Biscayne was paradise considering the grocery stores we’ve been to the last few months. We stocked up, including a big beef tenderloin, which we regrettably had to return later that day. I opened it to cut it up and the smell was rancid! We were supposed to join some other sailors from Austria for a picnic, but timing did not work, so we met with an old client of Brian’s, who he had helped release from an Uruguay jail.
The next day I was still suffering so we stayed on the boat, read, cleaned, and varnished. My Thursday calls with Ashlynn (and Vinny) are always a highlight of my week. This week she showed me her newest tattoo (Muah Ouah)… I shared it with Andrew, Pete and Dad… it was something mom used to always say 💕
I wanted to take Brian to Wynwood Walls and KYU (a Korean fusion restaurant I had been to several years before with Melanie Lang). My plan was to take a Freebe to the end of Key Biscayne and Uber the rest of the way. Brian had different thoughts…. So we took the bus into downtown Miami and then a trolley (with no A/C) to Wynwood. It took us about 3 hours and by that time someone was grumpy and hungry. After we ate, we went to the walls and walked through, then to grab an ice cream, and a stop for coffee at Panther Cafe (where I met the artist Mark Diamond).
We Uber’s back to Key Biscayne and were having dinner with Arturo (whom we met a few days earlier) and Sebastian (who was also in prison 14 years ago) and their wives. Both families from Argentina. From the penthouse apartment, we were able to see Lorena while we ate a special meal. Sebastian drove us to the national park gates (in his Tesla X bat mobile). The gates were closed so we crawled under the fence and back to the dinghy and Lorena.
We had been watching the weather window and it looked like Sunday or Monday, but on Saturday morning… it looked like that evening would give us the best wind angle, so we decided to leave around 7pm. We went to shore one final time to check out the national park and its beach and lighthouse, before setting off on a 2 day trek to Cumberland Island, Georgia.
We left Saturday at 7pm and arrived at St Mary’s Marina on Monday at 5:45pm. Grateful the dockhand/ manager (Colin), stayed late to help us catch the lines. Coming in the channel we were approached by the coast guard (with a machine gun on its bow), we had the radio turned down so didn’t hear them hailing us on Channel 16. They wanted to know our intentions, and found out they were clearing the channel for a navy vessel. There is a large nuclear submarine dock at Kings Bay (inside the channel).Lue lisää
Cumberland Island and area
26. toukokuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
On Monday evening at 5:30pm we arrived at St. Mary’s Intercoastal Marina. Colin caught our lines and docking was a challenge but we did it with no damage to Lorena. In the evening we walked the town and ate.
The following morning we took looooong showers, did 3 loads of laundry, washed boat, had GF breakfast sandwich and coffee and Kraken Cafe and went to a bookstore (Hope for the Flowers and Norse Mythology) then at 2:30pm we rode the outgoing current down the river to Cumberland Island, where there was only one other boat. I called Dad once we were anchored but in the middle of conversation Brian spotted something close to shore so I cut the call short and helped to get the dinghy down fast and see if something needed rescued— alligator, manatee, whale. Turns out it was just a couple of Mantees close to shore. We paddles back, in a stiff current. The tides here are 6-7feet and the currents run up to 3knots. The live oaks and Spanish moss from the shoreline was breathtaking.
Wednesday we explored Cumberland Island, seeing more manatees at the public dinghy dock. We wandered around the Carnegie house ruins at Dungeness and saw lots of wild horses, including foals, one of which I touched. We had a long walk on the beach in the Southern End between Dungess and the Sea Camp, and Brian took a quick dip in the ocean.
Thursday morning is reserved for Ashlynn (she is in NB) this week and I always LOVE our catch-ups! We saw a Submarine leave the channel (from the Kings Bay nuclear submarine base), and we went back to the island and walked on Cumberland Parellel Trail and back via the beach and Sea Camp (bugs bad)… saw lizards with red heads and others with blue tails and a turtle in the dunes. The beach was also full of horseshoe crabs. While on the beach we saw a sailboat coming in the channel and determined it was our friend on Carioca (Fiona and Chris), as we left the island, we motored out to welcome them to the anchorage which now had 10 boats and invited them over for drinks (water is all we have, but they brought beer). We caught up with them in the evening after they had walked the shore.
On Friday we headed into Cumberland again for a quick walk to the salt ponds (hoping to see armadillos and alligators), we saw the white foal and another one in front of the castle. Our plan was to go to Amelia Island, but instead we decided to sail the night and go to Wassaw Island on the Odingsell River.
After a passage with not much sleep again… I snoozed alot on Saturday . We arrived at 8am and slept till noon, surprised to see so many weekend boats enjoying the beach on both sides.
On Sunday I had a board meeting for Freeing the Human Spirit and then we took the dinghy to the beach and went for a walk, again, amazed at the number of dead horseshoe crabs… I was able to save one and get it back into the water.
Monday was a holiday (Memorial Day) so still several boats on shore, although the weather was threatening rain so no as many as previous days. We dinghied down the river, through a marsh area to a public dock. We got a the main road, and then took Pavilion trail…which took us over a ridge and to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean which was deserted for miles either way. We enjoyed a nice walk (and my brother Pete called while there). Brian forged for gifts while I was on the phone, bringing me sand dollars, sea urchin and snail shells.
Both Brian and I read Untamed (The Wildest Women in America and the fight for Cumberland Island) by Will Harlan. Normally I am not a fan of historical books, but this one about the islands history and the life of Carol Ruckdeschel was awesome!
As a Canadian I have to figure out the I-94 form and try and determine how much time I have left in the country as they didn’t acknowledge my departure back in November. Brian was dealing with trying to close the KLEB llc and email.
We left on Tuesday at 6:45am to catch the high tide (which was actually at 4:30am), and head to Hilton Head, only 30nm away.Lue lisää
Hilton Head
4. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We arrived in Hilton Head just after noon on Tuesday. Saw Joe guiding a tour as we came into Broad Creek, following the narrow passage up until we saw Encore V at dock at the Palmetto Marina. We were too tall to go under the bridge and anchor, so we dropped the hook between some derelict boats, 500ft from the docks.
We dropped the dinghy and went to the dock to drop off our 9.9, 4-stroke Yamaha, to get it fixed. Then to visit Joe and Michelle Ricciardi (on Encore V, a Burgur 80 yacht) and pick up our packages… including a wedding invitation from Ashlynn and Hugo.
The following day I started to call around and deal with my I-94, B2 Visa status for being in the USA. Some of the Boarder Protection folks I spoke with had never even heard of the 30-day rule for Canadians who do not have an I-94. I ended up writing a long email with all the “evidence” about my departure last November (which wasn’t recorded) and entrance into Key West. We then headed to a nice dinner at the Olive & Fig with Michelle and Joe, a great Mediterranean restaurant!
Thursday was spent talking with, mainly listening while US border protection agents bullied, yelled, threatened to fine or revoke Nexus or send me back to Canada…. Contradicting each other and giving us false information. I could hear the potential voice of my dad echoing in the background as I endured several hours of frustration… “they are all morons!” Finally, we resubmitted the Roam request and poof, my I-94 and B2 Visa was granted. I am legal till Nov 26th. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to mark my departure by boat, so I will likely have to deal with this issue again in the future.
That night, I got sick… perhaps the stress, but it lasted for over a week (diarrhea) so it must have been the flu.
On Friday we were supposed to go into the docks but I was too sick and slept most of the day. On Saturday we moved to the face dock and Brian only wanted to stay a night as he feels the dock ($150+ per night) is a waste of money. I wanted to be close to our friends. The anchor was stuck, so we chain braked and drug it, dislodging it, but the weight of the anchor was too much for me to release the chain brake…. The current was really strong (up to 4knots in the channel), and we were sliding towards the dock, so we docked (with Joe’s help) and then both he and Brian were able to lift the chain to take pressure off the brake and release it.
We went to Sushi with Joe and Michelle (and their friend Bill and Eileen), then to a bar that featured a band called Rock Candy (80’s heavy metal). I had my ear buds but it was loud and not the type of music Brian or I would normally listen to!
Sunday I went to church with the two couples and enjoyed the fellowship of being around others. The music was great and the message was on the book of James. We went out to the International Restaurant afterwards and I had GF pancakes with crispy bacon (a treat).
We ended up staying at the dock until Thursday at noon, and I was grateful! Still feeling under the weather, but energy had returned!
I did LOTS of provisioning and used the oven on Encore V for most of it: Hawaiian, Turkey Taco, Boursin cheese & tomato casseroles, chilli, sausage biscuits, banana muffins and zucchini muffins. I shouldn’t have to cook on passages between here and Maine or NS.
We did two grocery shops, Aldi and Kroger, visited West Marine looking for a shackle and a dynema sleeve for the outhaul and a bookstore. Michelle was kind enough to drive us around!
Sadly, Joe had to leave midweek to go to Atlanta as he is back with Delta, so his time in a training position.
Brian found the happy hour oyster place at the Black Marlin (just beside the Marina), and we made several visits! I didn’t eat any as my belly was still troublesome.
Michelle and I went thrift shopping and it was lots of fun! I bought 6 pair of shorts, a linen beige dress, scarf and necklace (potential Mother of the bride outfit), and went to G-free Spot for some delicious GF treats!! On Wednesday night we went to Mellow Mushroom, a pizza and burger place and I had GF pizza. They had trivia night and we started playing, with no intention of staying. We did ok on the first two rounds (the table beside helping us), the third we got all correct and the forth (music and TV), none of them. However, we still ended up in a tie breaker, so with neither Michelle or Brian willing, I took the final question… and we WON! A $25 gift certificate.
On Thursday, with all the meals packed into the fridge and nicely showered, I went to visit with Michelle and her mom Suzanne, before heading to the fuel dock and leaving town.
Unfortunately, we were not even out of Broad Creek when we had issues, the epoxied coolant cap gave way and started sputtering. We anchored, fixed the problem by putting the newer one back on, and continued.
Once out and on course, Michelle called to say I left my LOVE bag/ purse on there boat (it had my AirPods). She will ship it to Brian’s daughter, Marley in NYC.Lue lisää
Birthdays
10. kesäkuuta, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
The original plan was to sail to Lookout Bight, NC and wait for a bit to round Hatteras. However, there was a weather window available and we took it. Sadly, of the 3.5 day we only ended up sailing (motor free), for 12 hours. It was mainly a run with big swells, and we do not have a spinnaker.
We left Thursday afternoon and Sunday was my birthday. We had a good passage and I actually got more sleep than usual, and found that taking magnesium seems to help!
Even though we were on mobile data, I used it all day to send video hello’s and thank-you’s. Lots of messages pour in on Facebook, text and WhatsApp, and I connected by phone with Dad, Ashlynn and Andrew.
It was nice to connect with everyone.
I caught a fish (Brian was in engine room). It was a blue fish, and marinated in Italian dressing, it was delicious!
We flew the code zero for several hours, which was a nice treat!
At 8pm, we arrived to an anchorage outside of Cape Charles by the concrete boats. After a long passage, we had a good sleep!
There is only one day between our birthday’s, mine on the 7th and Brian’s the 9th. We spent the day trying to assess and address our coolant problems and rudder noise, which is also happening at anchor when the swell hits the stern.
I made some carrot cake muffins (with a faux cream cheese frosting… yogurt, cottage cheese and maple syrup) for Brian’s birthday.
On Brian’s day, he got lots of calls and messages from family and friends. I made a nice omelette for breakfast and a big steak dinner.
Still recovering from our passage and waiting for the next weather window to take us to NYC, we slept, read and relaxed. BUT not for long!
The wind and weather picked up and made the anchorage unbearable. I fell from the stairs and landed on my back (scrapping it), and bruising my hip. On the morning of the 10th I had to cancel the 6am class as it was too rough to actually teach.
We made reservations at the face dock at Cape Charles Marina and headed there mid-morning. We had 4 bottles of coolant and a new coolant cap arriving at the fuel dock (we replaced a 7psi with a 25psi…. A big mistake.Lue lisää
Cape Charles
12. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After a rocky start to the morning, where my computer was taped down for a class, we passed the concrete boats and headed for Cape Charles Marina — a fairly easy docking, alongside the face dock, our neighbour’s a 100ft motor yacht. Although we only stayed two nights, we took full advantage of a marina and its quaint little town!
We did a load of laundry, ordered groceries from Instacart (and do to timing, had to divert the driver to a restaurant, which meant carrying 6bags of groceries a mile back to the boat), two coffee ice creams (the best I’ve ever tasted) at the Brown Dog, two oyster happy hours at the E&O, 3 wonderful showers (in a nice clean bathroom), 2 sunsets, one walk on the beach and lots of boat chores, trying to figure out and fix the rudder issue and coolant. Thanks Ashlynn for the gift card that allowed all the ice cream and oysters!!
We also managed to go to an Asian Fusion restaurant for lunch (Edible Art) with LOTS of GF deserts, a book store (I bought the book Maid) and a book sale at the Library. I bought lots, including Pawverbs… which I bought through Amazon later that day and sent to Joe and Michelle. I also sent, via Amazon, West into the Night to Ashlynn, and the philosophy of Coffee to Hugo.
After testing the cap, we realized it wasn’t the issue and deflated, had to make our way to Zimmerman at Herrington Harbour North, where they had capacity to work on Lorena immediately, 120nm away… up the Chesapeake.Lue lisää
Adventures on the Chesapeake
22. kesäkuuta, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
After our book buying spree, we got back to the boat and left the marina… heading up the Chesapeake. With its tide and current Redding and flowing twice a day, you only ever have 6 hours where you are not fighting the currents. Although we always try to sail, in a narrow body of water after, with a head current we don’t always make the miles we want and do to crab pots, it is advisable to either stay in the shipping channel or be on the lookout for pots (which is much more difficult at night).
Our first night, we pulled into the first Bay in the Deltaville area (going into Fishing Bay would have added 1.5 hours to our trip). Sadly, when we dropped the main, it didn’t come down all the way and we had to anchor with it still up. The polyester wrap outside the dynema had been chewed up, rendering the halyard useless. We got it down, but wouldn’t be able to use it again untill we bought a new ($600) one, which we had shipped from Travis at Mack sails to Herrington Harbour North.
Our second night (June 13) was at Cove Point. We arrived late and left early, and by 2pm we were at Herrington Harbour and assigned to Slip B42. The channel in was dragged to 7ft but we draw 6.3 so it was really tight! The docking was between big pilings, and we were attempting to back in with two young dock hands helping. They didn’t tie off the midship line in time and the wind was blowing 20knots…. So we got pinned sideways against the pilings, blocking in 3 other boats. We checked with them and they were not going anywhere, so we remained untill Monday morning when the wind died and our neighbour helped easy us into the slip.
There are approximately 1000 boats at this marina between dry storage and water. It was amazing and the grounds were immaculate. The gardening was beautiful all along the paths and every dock, from A to M, had its own sitting and BBQ stop on land, with benches and Adirondack chairs all over the property. It reminded me of home and how much I loved to sit outside my home, with the same brick pavers, sip my coffee and chat with the neighbours walking by. It also reminded me of how much I loved to garden.
We borrowed bikes from the marina and took a spin through the yard and used them often to go to West Marine (on the premises), which seemed to be a daily occurrence. After using instacart again we found out that the marina would do a courtesy shuttle to a nearby grocery and hardware store, so we got away on Friday and had fun perusing the aisles at a new store, Christophers. The marina also had a pool and bar area, with a laundry room and the most magnificent bathrooms and shower rooms I’ve ever experienced at a marina!
We did some socializing on the last couple of days. Ian and Alex (Brian son and daughter-in-law came from Baltimore for a Saturday visit) and we went to eat at Wharf 38 (for a second time — so good), visited the pool and bar and hung out at the boat. They brought pastries and coffee for Father’s Day. The boat next to us was Dave in a Halberg Rassey (Tenacious) and we toured each others boats. Further down, a motor yacht that had done the great loop (YOLO) had a dog named Lucie (same as the Marina office women)… we swapped boat tours with Calvin and Beth Bell, who we also sat with at the Slipholders Dinner. Michel (who sailed with us to Antigua) was out on his boat Sea Whisperer (Hunter 49) and he and his wife Terry came to the Marina for a night. We were going to have dinner but found out about the free steak & shrimp dinner at the pool (with a band), so we all went to that and had an enjoyable night that ended with dancing to Free Bird (Leonard Skinner). On Sunday, International Day of Yoga, I was excited that there was a class outside, so I attended and it felt great. The marina definitely gets a 10/10!
However, it was posh and expensive and we had hoped to be there only a few days, but Nathan and Ed at Zimmerman, nor the delivery of parts, were as quick as we had hoped. Eventually, the hoses, expansion tank and freshwater pump was replaced on the Perkins, all the coolant was flushed (it took a full day) and the locking nut on the stern gland stuffing box was un-seized, although they couldn’t get the packing out to repack. Brian and I re-rigged the main halyard and I sewed the dynema sleeve on two places, as well as the outhaul. When we filled the water tanks, we realized that the port tank is leaking into the galley and tried to determine where it was coming from (with no success), our bilge pumps are also temperamental (and Nathan suggested we drill a small hole in the topside of the hose to prevent air bubbles), our splinter stopped working and we tried to repair it with a new head, but failed, so we had to order a new one (pick up in Maine). We also cannot get our forward A/C to run.
Ed worked Sunday and when we was done at 5:30pm we were going to leave, except as we turned on the instruments the low water alarm was on and we were a low tide, a bad time to go. We were also heading to Herrington Harbour South to get fuel. In the end we paid for another night and left in the morning. As tricky as it was getting in, the same for getting out and we ended up leaving a bright green stain on the piling, leaving an opportunity to figure out how to repaint Lorena’s starboard stern.
Getting gas, although a narrow fairway in and out, wasn’t a problem, we filled up on diesel ($5.34/ gallon), 110 gallons (we hold 250) and left for the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, knowing we would need to anchor for the night in order to catch the current (2-3knots) across.
About 15nm after leaving Herrington Harbour Brian checked the coolant and found that it was still leaking, very disappointing! We sent a message to Nathan, reminding him of my comment and fear, that we seem to get work done, problem “fixed” and get out on the water only to find we spent ALOT of money and still had the problem. At 25nm away, while Brian was checking the fishing line he notice the stern gland going off a lot. When we went down the drip that used to be once every 5-10sec was now a constant dribble of water. We called Nathan immediately. It was disconcerting to still have both problem, one that could be perilous. Nathan called back and offer for us to return or suggested we tighten the lower lock nut and the bolts on the neoprene gasket (that should have been a paper gasket). The leaks in both areas were subdued enough for us to continue. We found a nice spot to anchor at Still Pond with lots of bird watching and bluffs. There was a storm warning for thunder and lightening so we tucked in as close to land as possible and prayer that “the awful autograph of God” would not poke Lorena!Lue lisää