Georgetown water taxi

March 21

We left Boqueron- headed for Ponce ( pronounced pon-say) , which is located about mid south coast of Puerto Rico, At 0500. It was barely light but the way through the reef was lighted bu a green marker. The day was pleasant and we had a very nice motor sail. As we were passing about the mod point the engine started stumbling and we were only able to make about 1700 rpm. I suspected a fuel problem but the aft tank was empty. The rest of

the trip we were able to make about 4 knots and made our way into the harbor at Ponce.

The first thing was to take on fuel in the aft tank which we did ( 50 gallons) , and asked for a slip. They had none available as there was a fishing tournament scheduled and all the slips were taken. We then anchored in the small bay there .

The next order of business was to contact Kato marine about the broken spreader bar on our davits. Even though they did not sell us the davits ( we bought them used) the shipped us the bar and the hardware without making us pay for the complete assembly ( the stainless steel ends which we had were serviceable we ended up paying for only the bar and some hardware. It turns out the spreader bar we had was not the right size for our dingy and this was the probable cause for the weld failure. Since Puerto Rico is effectively part of the united states the 2 day freight was relatively inexpensive.

I then took apart the supply hose to the filter for the forward tank and the valve was filled with stuff such that you could not see though it. After cleaning the valve and reassembling the motor ran fine. The clogged tube was apparently the cause for the engine stumbling and not running properly.

Since we would be waiting for the part, the next day we rented a car and re provisioned. In Ponce there was a Sam's Club, Walmart, Office Max as well as Hernando's cash and carry. After a hectic day of visiting the various shops we returned with our purchases to stow on board.

The next day we took a driving tour about parts of the old city and you could see the Spanish influe

nce as at the center of the city was a public square and a church with Spanish architecture. There were horse drawn tours available but we decided to continue via the car.

Thursday March 25

We got the part from Kato marine and installed it so now the davits work as they are supposed to. We decided to start our trip home tomorrow rather than continue on to the Spanish Virgin Islands.

Friday March 26

At 0600 we set out to return to Boqueron to stage our return home. The trip was uneventful and the engine is now running fine off of the forward tank. The trip was uneventful and we arrived back in Boqueron at 1400, After anchoring for the night we will leave early tom

orrow morning.

Saturday 27

After some discussion Kathleen and I decided we would by pass the DR and head back to the Turks and Caicos. Either trip would be about 48 hours but we would be 13 hours closer to home by heading for the Turks.

The weather and seas were very settled and the wind was light and variable. As we passed Isla Desechio ( about 20 mile out ) The wind picked up to

about 10 knots and the seas became very confused ( nowhere near as bad as our trip over) and gave us an uncomfortable ride. As soon as we passed the hourglass shoals waypoint the seas became regular and for the rest of the night we had a broad reach with 10 to 15 knot winds. The morning saw us off of Samana bay and we were halfway to our destination.

Monday March 29

The winds picked up a bit and we were able to maintain almost 7 knots as we passed the Silver Bank. For most of the day we had following seas and 10 to fifteen knots of wind. We sighted Big Sand Cay at 0530 and were able to get the anchor down by 0630. The rest of the day we rested as both of us were exhausted after 48 straight hours at sea.

Tuesday March 30

We left Big Sand Cay at 05

00 as the anchorage is completely open the the east and headed for Provo. The trip across the Caicos Banks was a nail biter as you had to dodge coral heads and deal with thin water ( in spots it was less than 5.6 ft deep and we draw 5.1 feet). We made it across without hitting anything and arrived outside South side Marina at about 1600. We hailed them and Simon said that we could try our luck getting in but it was just 1 hour passed low tide. We decided to give it a try and we made it to within 50 yard of the final set of buoys before we got stuck in 4.9 feet of water. Simon and his wife came out in their runabout and gave us a tow and finally we made it to the dock. After two days and sea and a day crossing the banks is was that last 50 yards that was the toughest.

We stayed at the marina for 2 days to take care of washing, Kathleen had to get a tooth looked at and we took on some more provisions, water, and we filled up the aft tank. I plan on letting the front tank run dry to make sure I have all the stuff cleaned out and trapped in the filter.

We left the marina and staged ourselves at Sapadilla Bay so we could get an early start to Mayaguana.

April 1

The exit from Sapadilla was fine and the weather was settled as we made our way the 43 miles to Abraham's bay. We had a good wind 15-18 knots off the beam and were able to average 7 knots for the trip. The anchorage at Abraham's bay is a little tricky as it is pe

ppered with coral heads so I laid down a track coming in on the chart plotter that I could follow the next morning. This next leg from Mayaguana to Calabash bay on Long Island will be the last long overnight for until we get back to the states.

April 2

Shore of Calabash Bay

The first half of the trip was fairly nice sailing as the seas were calm, the skies clear and the winds were 10 to 15 knots off our beam. As we approached Acklins Island however the seas started to rise to 5 to 7 feet and the winds began

to freshen 15 to 20 knots. We were able to maintain about 7+ knots but the ride was roll and bumpy to say the least. Finally about 0300 we ran into a few squalls and the winds piped up to 20-25 knots with gusts to 30. I had reef the sails when it started to get dark so we were prepared for the winds. At 0500 we reached Long Island, made it around the point and were anchored in Calabash Bay. It was still a little bumpy but a far cry from the night and both Kathleen and I were ready for a rest.

April 3

This morning we made the 18 miles from Calabash to Georgetown and are now anchored in Kid Cove were we will wait for favorable weather before continuing on.

At sea on the way to Staniel Cay

April8

At 0700 we left Georgetown Headed for Staniel Cay ( It has the cave were scenes were shot for the movie Thunderball). We had a nice quartering wind and were able to maintain a 7 knot average speed and arrived in Staniel Cay at 1600.

April 9

Kathleen with a Banaquit

This morning we contacted the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells and were able to secure a mooring. The park is beautiful and the water is crystal clear. There are bananaquits ( small birds) that visited us every mooring and would perch on your hand if it held a little bit of sugar.

April 13

Today we took a small weather window and headed for west end of New Providence ( Nassau is on this island). We will be here through Wednesday and hope to get a weather window for Bimini on Thursday. If all goes well we should be back in Florida by Saturday

A view of the shore of Samana Bay











Hotel on Samana Bay










Sunday Feb 28
We started to leave Ocean World Marina at 08:00 and as we were leaving the dock we failed to notice one of our lines in the water and naturally the line got wrapped in the prop. Gil and Dennis helped us get secured back to the dock and Doris was kind enough to dive on the boat and unwrap the line-- no damage but not an auspicious beginning. After that we moved to the fuel dock and filled our aft fuel tank and pumped out the holding tank, got our despachio from the navy for Samana and were out of the marina at 10:00.
Our plan was to go to Sousa and stage there for the day and leave later in the evening. When we arrived the waypoint given for the anchorage looked to be off by about ½ mile and we could find only rock on the bottom- nowhere to set the anchor so we decided to continue to Escondido, which was about 15 hours away.
The weather was relatively calm until about 2200 when the sky opened up and it started to rain. The radar showed a clear areal about 2 miles ahead but as we approached the rain moved with us. After the rain the wind started to pick up out of the south and the seas started running at about 3 to 5 feet.

Monday March1
We reached Escondido at 0630 and worked our way in. The place was like being in a steep canyon with fjord like walls all around and the seas being reflected back into the bay creating confused and choppy seas. We tried to anchor, but again were meet with a rocky bottom and decided to move on to Samana.
The seas picked up yet again as we rounded the cape and were met with 20 knot headwinds. I felt pretty bad until I saw some folks out in those seas and wind in open fishing boats. As we entered the bay the seas fell off and we were able to make our way into Samana. Just as we were approaching the anchorage we were met with two cruise ships taking up most of the channel and at first weren't sure whether they were anchored or not. As we got closer we saw that they were anchored and were disembarking passengers in small craft.
We arrived at the anchorage and I was in the front dropping the hook when an open boat with 5 people came alongside and demanded to board. At first I refused and then they showed some ID and it was the a rep from the Navy, a local port official, customs and immigration, a drug enforcement agent and an interpreter. It all made for a crowded cockpit. The port official wanted 24 dollars ( 0.60/foot of vessel length. The immigration guy looked over our passports and dispachio, the drug guy gave our below decks a quick run through. I didn't have any Dominican currency on me so I had to get a ride to the dock to go to an ATM machine to get money. I thought I was back in Viet Nam. There must have been hundreds of small two cycle motor bikes going every which way and the general atmosphere was of a third world country.
I went to the ATM outside the local bank and the machine swallowed my card. Fortunately the interpreter was still with me and we went inside to request the return of my card. The place was crowded with at least fifty people and I had to wait about ½ hour for someone to help me. I got my card back and using a different ATM was successful in getting the money I needed.
The next step was to pay the local port official, get my receipt, and then I could go to the Navy to get a dispachio to Puerto Rico. They were kind enough to write it out so we could leave early in the morning. I was then given a ride back to the boat and after 32 hours with no sleep was able to get some rest and prepare for an early departure across the Mona Passage.
Tuesday March 2
We left Samana at 0700 and had clear going until we reached the mouth of the bay. According to the weather forecasters we should have had a calm crossing, they were predicting winds out of the south with 10 15 knots and swells out of the south at 3 feet. WRONG!!!!. The winds we encountered were out of the south but there the accuracy ended. The wind was 20 to 25 knots out of the south and the swells were 7 to 10 feet out of the south east. The best legacy could do was 2.5 knots on the rhumb line into those wind and seas, so we had to roll out the sail and tack down the rumb line. While our speed through the water was 6.5 knots our velocity made good was only about 4 knots at best.

Wednesday March 3
As we got further off shore the winds clocked a little bit and we were still into the wind and seas
making an average of 4 knots. As we approached an area just off what are called the hourglass shoals the waves became taller, steeper and closer together. Legacy was taking a pounding. At about 7:00 in the morning the front fitting on the dingy backed out and dropped the front end off the davits into the water. I had to drop the dingy and then get in while the seas were pounding and twice I was almost thrown out of the dingy. I was finally able to get the fitting back on, get back aboard and raise the dingy back on the davits. About 10 in the morning I noticed our front navigation light near the coaming of the cockpit, with the port lens shattered. A couple of hours after this chore was dine the chart plotter and autopilot started to act up saying that position was lost and heading was lost, it would come back for a second or two and then start to lose it again. With the boat bouncing in the seas I had to get my tools out, take the console apart and locate an intermittent connection. I was successful in fixing the chart plotter and autopilot and I was just figuring what else could happen when the welds on the support post of the davits gave way and almost dropped the rear of the dingy in the water. I jury rigged some support with lengths of dock line and we continued on.
As we approached Boqueron, Puerto Rico the seas moderated somewhat and and we limped towards the harbor. As we approached it appeared that our chart was off again because as I entered the harbor through the reef the chart plotter showed the boat going through dry land. As we were not taking any chances we were moving at only 2 knots as it got completely dark. We nosed our way in until the depth shoaled to 19 feet and I dropped and set the anchor. As I went forward to do this I noticed that the teak bow seat had been ripped off of it's mountings- probably the cause of the loss of our navigation light.
All through this 36 hours, Kathleen was sick as a dog, not from sea sickness but suspected food poisoning. As the anchor was set and we could finally relax it felt good to have finally arrived here in Puerto Rico.

Friday March 5
After relaxing and resting for a day I went into Boqueron to contact customs. I had no local money and both ATM's in Boqueron were non functional. I had about $1.50 in change so I figured that would be sufficient. The local pay phone required $.50 for the first two minutes and .25 for each additional minute. As I was giving my information to the customs officer I was interrupted every minute to deposit another quarter. As we were almost done I ran out of quarters and was disconnected. I walked the entire town of Boqueron and was unable to find another ATM or a bank of any kind. I spent the entire day attempting to contact customs and was unsuccessful.

Saturday March 6
Doris , on Magic. was kind enough to let me use her cell phone and I was able to complete the check in process but still need to go to Mayaguez on Monday ( they are not open Sunday ) to completely check in and get my official documents. Hopefully our cruise of Puerto Rico will only get better from here.

One of the animal acts at Ocean World



















I don't know what the traffic rules are for horses on main street!







Us at the Brugal Rum factory. ( We even got free samples!)













The oldest fortification in the new world overlooking Puerto Plata harbor







General Luperon's statue












A view of Puerto Plata harbor
















Town Square in Puerto Plata










You can see the REALLY narrow streets ( especially with cars parked on both sides of the road)










View looking up the cable to the top of the mountain













View from the top














Christ the Redeemer statue










Another view from the summit










Fri Feb 12

We arrived today at Sapadilla bay on Provodinciales in the Turks and Caicos. The entry to the bay was through a channel in the reef called the Sandbore channel and after picking our way for a few miles through coral heads and rocks it was a relief to finally drop the hook.

Check in was fairly straight forward as I took the dingy over to government dock and went in to see customs and immigration. The Turks allow you to be there for up to a week without having to purchase a cruising permit so we will probably be here just a short while.

Sunday Feb 14

Today we moved to Southside Marina and it was nice to be hooked to the power grid and have a really high speed wifi connection. Simon, and the crew at the marina were very friendly and helpful and even drove us into town for a provisioning trip. The local IGA supermarket was the best we've been at on our travels outside the US. We took on 85 gallons of water and are now set in that department for a while.

Tue Feb 16

I took the autopilot linear actuator out and was preparing to send it to Raymarine for repair when I noticed that the actuator cylinder was loose and the outside housing was also loose. After tightening them the autopilot arm no longer rattled and moved smoothly in and out. I then re-installed the arm and IT WORKS!!! You cannot believe what a thrill it is to have the autopilot back in operation. After hand steering for 24 hour you can really appreciate the advantage of having the autopilot on the job.

Thursday Feb 18

At the end of our 7 days we started out for the Dominican Republic. The first stop was a day trip across the Caicos Banks to Ambergris Cays. The trip was kind of nerve wracking as there were coral heads and rocks every so often and as the sky was overcast the heads were hard to see until you were almost on top of them.

The anchorage was very rolling and bouncy as it was open to the north and there was a north wind blowing so we were out of there the next morning as soon as we could see to navigate around the coral heads and reef. The next stop was Sand Cay, a remote uninhabited animal sanctuary. We anchored in 15 feet of water over deep sand ( hence the name) and were firmly tucked in for the night, planning to leave the next morning for the Dominican Republic.

Saturday Feb 20

Legacy departed Sand Cay at 12:20 PM today bound for the DR. The advice we had was to expect a 20% reduction in speed due to adverse current. WRONG!!!. For the first 40 miles we averaged 6.0 knots and if we continued we would have arrived at 4:00 AM. Instead I had to reduce speed to 3 knots to insure we arrived after daylight. The last half of the trip was somewhat uncomfortable as we had a 3 to 4 foot swell from the NNE while the wind was blowing 15 knots out of the SSE. This caused the boat to roll severely as well as a significant pitch.

Sun Feb 21

The coast of the Dominican Republic is a lot different from the Bahamas or the Turks and Caicos. The Island rises out of the ocean in a steep hillside that is covered with subtropical vegetation. As we approached the island peaks were covered in clouds and the fog was thick in the valleys. The radar picked up a line of rain shower cells that were marching along about a mile off the coast. It seemed like a scene out of Jurraisic Park and that was not too far off the mark as some of the film was shot here.

We arrived at about 6:30AM and discovered that the marina did not open until 8:00 so we had to motor around and kill an hour and a half. When were able to raise the marina on the radio we were quickly assigned a slip and assisted in rigging our dock lines. The Navy visited us to sign us into the country then it was to immigrations. After checking our passports and such I was given a bill for 14000 ( fortunately it was in pesos which was about 42 us dollars.) Next was customs and all went smoothly. The marina is part of the Ocean World complex which includes a casino, a dolphin experience, and a sea show. The amenities are first rate and the dockage fee is moderate especially if you stay a week.

Monday Feb 22

Today we went to market in town ( free transport to and from). The ride reminded me of driving in Saigon in Viet Nam. The motor bikes outnumbered the cars 4 to 1 and the rules of the road were not rules but mere guidelines, There were several times I thought we were going to be involved in a maiming accident but somehow at the last minute a massive dose of braking was applied by some of the parties and disaster was averted.

There was a lot of poverty as well as affluence here and the contrasts are stark. The people are very friendly and tend to overlook the fact that we cannot speak their language.

After the grocery expedition we went to the Ocean World park and partook of their buffet lunch and watched the animal show. The first show was a series of bird tricks performed by macaws, parrots and cockatoos. The second show was a group of seals performing.

Tomorrow we have booked a tour of Puerto Plata and look forward to seeing the sights.

Tue Feb 23

We booked a tour of Puerto Plata for today and It includes the transportation as well as an interpreter. Eduardo was very friendly and gaves us an in depth tour of the town. We went for a tour of the the Brugal bottling plant and following the tour were given free samples of the product. I could definately tell the difference between the 6 year old and two year old rums, they also manufacture a type of clear rum that is more like a vodka.

We then proceded to a jewelery and cigar emporium. The Dominican Republic is one of the worlds greatest suppliers of amber and Kathleen was in her element. In addition to yellow amber there was also latimar and red amber and the prices were fairly reasonable.

The next stop was on old Spanish fort , Fort San Felipe,which overlooked the harbor of Puerto Plata and is the oldest such structure in the new world. .

After stopping for something cold to drink we then went to the cable car that takes you to the top of the mountain Loma Isabel de Torres 2600 ft up overlooking the city. At the top was a statue of "Christ the Redeemer" which was very similar to the statue at Buenos Aires. The view was spectacular and the altitude caused my ears to plug up. From the top the entire city of Puerto Plata could be seen.

After a day of walking up stairs both Kathleen and I were tired so after a small dinner we retired to the boat to rest. Tomorrow will be a laundry day and boat cleanup and hopefully today my navigation lights will arrive. I ordered them shipped FED EX international direct and it looks as though the transit time will be much less than it was in the Bahamas

Sorry for tne long post but it hs been awhile since we have been near an internet connection





Views from Sapadilla Bay, Provodinciales















Friday February 6
With a calm day predicted for today we left Thompson Bay. Long Island, heading for Rum Cay. For the first twenty miles we were in the lee of Long Island and the weather was clear with the wind 10 knot out of the east. We were about 10 mile out when our autopilot decided to give up the ghost. It appears the linear actuator no longer actuates.
As we rounded Cape Santa Maria we were treated to a water show as the Atlantic rollers were breaking on the reef that extends about two miles out. The wind was now in our face at full force and the seas were 6 to 8 feet on our nose. After one particularly nasty set of waves we lost our nav light cover again, I had figured to arrive at Rum Cay around 3:00 PM but due to the headwinds and seas our speed over ground was only about 2.5 knots. We arrived at the Rum Cay anchorage at 8:30 PM and had to navigate out way into the anchorage in the dark. The anchorage was rolling severely and in the morning we decided to take a dock at the marina.

Saturday February 7
On calling the marina they agreed to send a pilot boat out to help us navigate in through the many coral heads and rocks. As we navigated the channel I felt like we were going through a mine field and the coral and rock were quite thick. Rasta ( the marina dock master) guided us in and helped us back in to our slip/ The marina is well protected and we got a good nights sleep. The island is beautiful but there are very few amenities available . Once at the dock I was able to trouble shoot the autopilot and the linear actuator is broken. There are no repair facilities nearby and it would take about 4 weeks to get one from the states as well as the huge cost to airfreight in such a part so we are condemned to hand steering until we get to the Dominican Republic were we will probably have better luck with parts and repairs.

Sunday February 8
Jacques and Ria of Ladyhawke invited us, along with Connie and Jim on Plane to Sea, and Betty and Dick on Blue Bay. It was nice sitting in the cockpit of the catamaran Ladyhawke, I can see the appeal of a catamaran as there is a tremendous amount of space available. It was nice relaxing, watching the sun set and swapping sea stories as we solved the worlds problems. It is truly amazing all the nice folks you meet a that are out cruising. Later that evening we went searching for a bar that might be playing the Superbowl but we were out of luck and made it and early evening.

Monday February 9
We listened to Chris Parker this morning and the forecast was favorable for the 130 mile run to Mayaguana, the last island we will be visiting in the Bahamas. The seas were calm for the first 6 hours and we were able to move at 6+ knots for much of the way. The Atlantic rollers were about 6 feet but were about 30 seconds apart and the Legacy was in here element as we rode over them. As darkness fell the wind increased to about 15 knots and the waves increased slightly. The sky was breathtakingly clear as the stars were shining bright with barely a twinkle.
Mayaguana is an island with almost no inhabitants and the anchorage at Abraham Bay appears to be wide open to the south. The south side is protected by a reef so the chop inside is minimal and the only trick is to avoid the coral heads that pepper the bay. We arrived at 10:00 and the the sun was shining so it was fairly easy to work our way into the anchorage in Abraham Bay. The bay looks wide open to anything with a southerly component but the bay is surrounded on that side by a coral reef. Inside the bay is peppered with coral heads but there is plenty of room to anchor in clear sand among the heads. We are anchored in 15 feet of water and our hook is firmly set in sand. We will probably be waiting here for a weather window for the Turks and Caicos.

Tuesday February 10
Today we lowered the dingy and went to see the settlement on Mayaguana. The approach to the dock w2as marked by two poles which denoted a channel through some fairly shallow water. In fact the water was so shallow that on a couple of occasions we almost grounded in the dingy. There was a ketch anchored a ways off and appeared grounded as it was listing to starboard. The dock was a concrete wall and rather than tie up against it we continued on to a small sandy beach and beached the dingy. The walk to the settlement was about a ¼ mile and there were about 4 single story buildings, a government office, a very small grocery store, a bar, and tow houses. We bought two loaves of bread and two six packs of diet Coke and returned to the dingy.

Wednesday February 11
Connie and Jim on Plane to Sea left today en route to Puerto Rico. We wished them fair winds as we decided to wait another day for a weather window to the Turks and Caicos. We lifted the outboard motor and secured the dingy to the davits and prepared to leave the next day if the weather was favorable.

Thursday February 12
Chris Parker gave us a good forecast today so we threaded our way out of Abraham's Bay and motored over to Southeast point ( about 10 miles) to anchor just off the beach and wait for the evening to proceed to Provodinciales. At 10 PM the anchor we departed and had a very nice trip over the 39 miles to Provo. There must have been a following current as we were moving at an average of 7.5 knots, occasionally reaching 8 knots. As we were about ½ way there I had to throttle way back so we would not arrive before daybreak. The Sandbore channel through the reef around Provo requires visual piloting in order to avoid the many coral heads that lie between the entrance to the channel and Sapadilla Bay. Finally at 9:30 am we dropped anchor and I was able to rest for a couple of hours. After dropping the dingy and motor I rode over to a small beach near government dock and cleared in through customs and immigration. The Turks and Caicos give you 7 days clearance and if you decided to stay longer you need to purchase a cruising permit. Our plan is to stay through next Wednesday and clear out for Thursday morning headed for the Dominican Republic.

Jan 24













Good News!! My Ibm laptop has returned from the land of the lost and I will now be able to add pictures to the blog!!!
Today we had a rare treat. The cruisers have organized a trip to Barreterre for a Family Regatta Race. We boarded to bus at 12:30 rode about an hour to the next island north of Great Exuma. When we arrived the preparations were moving forward and it seemed the whole community had turned out to watch the races. The weather, which started out with light and variable winds and overcast, cleared up and turned into a beautiful day. The atmosphere was very much like a county fair and the local ladies were making ribs, chicken, conch fritters, and other delicacies.

The boats that are used are essentially one design and are based on Bahamian working fishing boats. The races were once to get back to dock with the fresh catch as the first to arrive generally got the best prices for their catch. The boats are single mast forward rigged ( very similar to a cat boat) with the boom trailing over the transom by a great deal. The boats are shallow draft with no keel to speak of and the heel is controlled by boards that are extended over the sides and crew are hiked out to counterbalance the heel. There are four crew and tacking is an adventure as there are no jib sails and the boom sweeps just over the deck so crew have to duck under the boom to gain the tack.

The races are begun with all the boats at anchor and when the start is given a crew member in the bow takes up the anchor line to get the boat underway and raises the sail. The course is as triangular course with strategy and crew skills critical. The races are hotly contested and the finishes can be very exciting.

Kathleen and I spent the afternoon watching the races and enjoying the food and music ( there was a DJ and lots of local music) and generally having a good time. We got back on the bus at 4:00 PM and were back in Georgetown around 5:00.

Monday December 28
I know it has been awhile since the last post but a lot has happened and this is the first time we have been near an internet connection so I will try to catch up.
It was about a weeks wait for weather after Todd Harris arrived on the 16th. The weather was cold and blustery with 20 to 25 knots of wind out of the north which is not good for a gulf stream crossing. We finally got a window where it blew from the north at 5-10 knots with the wind clocking to the east the next day.
We staged ourselves outside of No Name harbor and at 4:30 set out. The seas were settled as we left and as predicted the wind clocked and blew at 15 to 20 knots out of the east. The seas in the gulf stream weren't too bad at 5 to 6 feet and we made it to Bimini at about 3:30.
We anchored off the beach of South Bimini and I motored in to check in. The check in went smoothly and I made it back to Legacy at about 4:30AM. We decided to push on as we wanted to be at Warderick Wells by the 25th.
As we went onto the banks we passed the wreck of the Sapona and continued on towards the Northwest channel light.
At 12:00 AM we could push no more and decided to wait for morning to make our way onto the Tongue of the Ocean. The wind and seas freshened and when we got up at 5:00 AM we found that the snubber had chaffed through and all the chain ( 150') was out and the windless just spun. After much work in the dark we finally got the anchor up and at 6:30AM we were on our way. There was about a 1.5 knot current heading us and way was made slowly.
At about 11:00 AM we finally made it through the Northwest Channel and were in over 2000 feet of water. The wind was out of the East at 20-25 knots and we were able to unfurl the sails and move out at about 7 plus knots just a little to the south of our desired rhumb line. Later that day the seas started buliding and we were in 10 to 15 foot sea. Legacy handled the seas well although the same can't be said for the crew. As we pounded through the seas we disovered that the forward hatch cover wasn't completely closed and both my computers are now toast as salt water got to them. Fortunately Kathleen's Apple is still alive as it was protected in the salon and I am writing this on her computer.
We finally made it to West Bay on New Providence ( Nassau ) at about 10:00 PM totally exhausted and anchored in about 10 feet of water over sand. In the morning we also discovered that the front nav light lens was missing ( probably due to the high seas ), and the mainsail was torn between the sunbrella and the sail fabric. After so much the crew was exhausted and we chose to rest for the day.
The crew woke early and we set out for Allan's Cay. The winds had moderated out of the east and on the shallow water of the banks the seas were somewhat calm and we were able to move at a good pace. Legacy arrived at Allan's Cay at about 4:00PM and we on our anchorage in 12 feet over sand. In the morning we dingied over to Highbourne Cay and were able to get a few supplies and some sail thread and a needle to repair our Mainsail. As we were relaxing on the beach a Seaplane landed with some fishing guests for the marina.
As we returned from Highbourne Cay we dingied close to shore on Leaf Cay and four or five Iguanas came on to the beach. From a distance they looked like small dogs and some of them were at least 3 feet long! Apparently a lot of people land on the beach and feed the lizards and they must associate the sound of an outboard motor with food.
Later that day Todd went snorking and returned with enough conch for dinner. Kathleen made a wonderful meal that was enjoyed by all.
After much research through the Lewmar users guide I found a small sentence that gave me a clue as to the windless problem. When we were on the banks and the anchor snubber let loose the strain on the chain caused the upper nut on the windless to back off and allow the gypsy to slip. After retightening the nut the windless started to perform without slipping.
Kathleen was able to stitch up the mainsail and we able to unkink the sail and the furler and another problem is survived. They say the cruising is performing boat maintenance in exotic locations, and that has certainly been true for this voyage.
In the morning we set off for Warderick Wells ( Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park) with almost flat seas and light winds. Legacy was in rare form and we were able to motor into light south winds at 6.5 knots. As we approached Warderick Wells I was able to raise them and we got a mooring assignment for the same day.
So here we are at Warderick Wells, safely on a mooring ball and taking a day or two rest.
Right now Todd is busy on his computer so I will try to update this post later with pictures. Please forgive the lack of pictures but I need to edit the ones we took to be able to post and Kathleens Apple has no image editing software so please be patient.

South Miami Harbor












Gaffed rigged schooner coming out of Government Cut Miami











Cruise ship moving out to sea down Governement Cut










Coast Guard Protecting the cruise ships in Miami Harbor
Dec 12

We had to leave the harbor here at No Name as the were closing the harbor to allow the parade of boats ( a Christmas type boat parade) so we went to South Miami Beach. It is a wide open anchorage with plenty of room and a Publix supermarket just 3 blocks away from the dingy dock- so much for the good news. All Sunday go fast boats and PWC's were tearing up and down the harbor creating much rock and rolling. Monday was much more peacefull.

December 15.

We moved back to day to an anchorage outside of No Name and are waiting for a friend to join us who wishes to cross over the Gulf Stream with us and experience the Bahama's for a few weeks. The plan is to leave very early Thursday morning ( weather permitting ) and cross over to Bimini. We've got our fingers crossed!!