2007 - 9/9 - 9/12 - Bahamas & Home

We slept in a bit on Sunday morning- the 9th - left Gun to cross over to the States. We had a little chop but we had the fish (stabilizers) out so it wasn’t too bad a ride.  There were storm clouds all around us but we seemed to be in a clear hole that is until we neared Miami. A squall was working its’ way from the south – northward and arrived just in time to greet

MIAMI skyline

us as we approached Government Cut in Miami. Lots of wind and rain, the radar was filled with the storm. I predicted it would end by the time we got into the cut so we could raise the booms without problem.  I was almost right. The major part of the squall passed us and only a little drizzle remained. We anchored on the bay side of South Beach at 4:00 pm.  Even though the weather wasn’t perfect for boating, there were lots of boats and PWC buzzing around us…ah, the sound of Miami! We sure didn’t miss that.
Wayne calculated that we were cruising on fumes so we found a place to get some diesel…YIKES! Sticker shock!  It was $3.29/gallon…have we been gone that long?  The guy said in broken English, “It’s Miami”.  Yea, well that sure explained everything. We only got 50 gallons - enough to get home. We decided to cruise on the inside down through Biscayne Bay – we had had enough excitement for one day. On 9/11 we cruised under the new bridge that will sore 65’ above Jew Fish Creek. An amazing project that's been going on for a few years now and should relieve the back-up of

Construction of the new Jew Fish Creek bridge

traffic that had to stop when the old bridge opened.

The old Jew Fish Creek bridge

 We anchored in Buttonwood Bay on the bay side of Key Largo. We talked about the enormous decision we made about buying the cottage on Lubber's. Can we really afford both properties - Keys & Lubbers? I was adamant about not selling the Summerland cottage & without selling it, we probably would be strapped.  Reluctantly, we called Austin & Amy to tell them what we were thinking. They were incredibly understanding and let us out of the deal - and a great deal it was too!

Home sweet Home

So, my friends, that's the end of another adventure.  Can't wait to get going again.

2007 - 8/25 - 9/7 - Marsh Harbor - Hope Town, Elbow Cay

August 25th  We moved back to Marsh Harbor to attend a party on the Pecheur, an old but gorgeous sailing vessel built in the late 30’s. Very unusual and wonderful. This is Del and Marie, originally from England, owners & hosts of the party.

Dell in Red shirt - Marie on his right

They also have a contract with the Boy Scouts and take the boys out on cruises throughout the islands. We each brought a dish to pass and our own libations.

Patrick & Darnell

  This is Patrick and Darnell playing their ukuleles and instruments were distributed so all of us so we could participate singing and playing. Marie used to be an operatic singer – what a joy to hear her sing that night. A wonderful night with really terrific people. And who said boaters were bums!! We stayed in Marsh Harbor on the 26th & 27th wandering about town again We talked with the bankers and insurance people. Marsh Harbor has grown so much and is now able to supply most needs that we’re used to in the States…however, everything costs about twice as much as the States!  Ahhhh, the price you pay for paradise!
We returned to Lubbers on the 28th to secure the deal for the Garden Cottage. We also went back to the cottage for more measurements on the 30th.  Wayne is now biting his fingernails down to the quick and has to take Tums for his spastic colon! What are we thinking??

Famous Hope Town Lighthouse

We moved the boat to Hope Town on Elbow Cay and decided to treat ourselves & stay at the Hope Town Hideaways, a very first rate looking resort with a fresh water pool…but there were no boats in the docks?  Is it open? We called the resort on the VHS radio and discovered that they were, indeed, open. This was definitely a treat as it had been over a month since we were at a dock and more than that amount of time since we had access to a pool.

Rest day at the pool

Pool & bar at Hope Town Lodge Resort

The girls were in heaven too.  We all rested.  We wandered around town for next few days.  It’s been over 25 years since I was last here and boy have things changed…but not so much in the older part of town. They have a gate to lock out vehicles from driving around the older part of ‘town’. We even went into Vernon’s grocery, which when I was there, was the only grocery in town…great memories! Another place I wanted to revisit was the Hope Town Lodge, a beautiful resort – back then, this was famous for their Sunday Brunch. Things have changed there too. They added to the resort by putting a pool and bar on the ocean side…we found that without problem and proceeded to hang out there several afternoons for happy hour.

Scupper & Molly greet us on our return to the boat

We decided to really splurge & treat ourselves to dinner at the lodge. The food and atmosphere were extraordinary. I wish I had taken my camera but then they would have known we were tourists. We signed the agreement papers for the Garden Cottage on the 3rd and returned to the pool bar to celebrate. Wayne had the pen he signed the papers with and told everyone at the bar that it was the most expensive pen he ever owned! The bar and pool area were fairly crowded for September – we wondered why & discovered it was Labor Day weekend – DUH! That’s how out of the loop we are. 
We had to return to the States – certainly not something I wanted to do. The weather has been perfect so far…the only storm of any consequence was Hurricane Dean which was well south of us passing over Jamaica and the Caymans.
We left Hope Town for Marsh Harbor on Tuesday, September 4th to get some provisions, wine, rum and vodka before our return to the States. While in the Abacos, we listened to the Boaters Web every morning at 0815.  Very interesting and informative and provided by various live a boards in the area. We heard the weather report, world and local news, advertisements by local businesses, special events and heard from new arrivals, departures and a chance to get mail back to the States by giving it to people leaving by airplane. A fabulous service for boaters.  On the 5th we visited with Hazel aboard Lucky H, a 48’ DeFever in immaculate condition. She won’t say how old she is but she’s at least in her 70’s and handles the boat mostly on her own. Quite an incredible woman and I admire her for that – that’s how I want to be at her age except, I’d rather still have my husband with me.  She had a problem with one of her engines and Wayne helped her order the parts and faxed the information to the company.  She reciprocated by taking us to lunch at Curly Tails, a very nice, upscale restaurant on the harbor.  A very enjoyable and unexpected afternoon. 
We returned to Lubbers on the 6th to be present when the survey team arrived at Sea Level Cottages. They were surveying all six lots.  We pulled anchor at 0730 on the 7th and headed to the Stirrup Cays.  It was blowing and very rough, I’d say 5 – 9 swells especially through the passes until was passed Hole in the Wall.  It was a long and strenuous day-too long for me.  We arrived at Great Stirrup about 7:30 pm and boy was I happy to finally shut down the engine. Once again, there were no other boaters in the anchorage.   The Majesty of the Seas was already anchored first thing the next morning – a thousand or so people ready for fun in the sun on their private island with tons of food, of course. We left the area about 7:30 am heading across the Bahamas’s Banks for Gun Cay.  Another uneventful day and arrived at Honeymoon Harbor anchorage at 7:00 pm.  Dark, stormy clouds and lightening all around us but we never did get hit  but made for a nervous night.
PS:  if you check out the location at the bottom of this blog, you can see Marsh Harbor on the left; Hope Town on the right & just below & in the middle, but closer to Elbow Cay is a small island- that's Lubber's Quarter.

2007 - 8/16 - 8/24 - Lubbers Quarter - Tahiti Beach on Elbow Cay

According to Steve Dodge’s book, Cruising Guide to Abaco,  “Lubbers Quarters Cay is a developing residential community of over 50 homes.  It has grown substantially since being serviced by electricity and Internet about 5 years ago.” Lubbers is in its’ baby stages and that’s what especially drew us to it. We tied up to the dock and headed for the cottage. There’s a wooden path between the Dolphin & big house but the beautiful foliage obscures the houses. We crossed a narrow dirt road, big enough for a small car or the golf carts most islanders’ use. Here’s a few pictures of the path from the dock to the cottage. We knew there was a 2nd building on the property the Bahamians call a snooze house. It's like a bunk house with a porch, bathroom, shower and bunk beds. Right now, it's Sea Level’s laundry/storage area.  

It is so much larger than we expected - we plan to take out a few walls, open up the porch, put in a small galley kitchen, washer/dryer and make it our private quarters. In the 23’space between the 2 structures, we plan to construct an arbor, outdoor kitchen, swing etc. and plant a vegetable garden. Quite a project for two old geezers like us! See why we are so enchanted?
We had many questions, so on Friday, the 17th we headed for Marsh Harbour, the closest island with multiple services & shopping - we anchored in the harbor. Wayne got on the  cruiser’s net on VHF channel 68 & announced us as a “new arrival” and told them about BLUE MAX etc. We got a call back from Patrick & Darnell aboard “Island Dream”, Ed & Cindy aboard Cyrano, John & Yolanda aboard JoHo (pronounced “Yo Ho”). They were so welcoming and answered many of our questions. They invited us to happy hour at Snappas on the Harbour. Who can resist $3 drinks from 5 – 7:30?  The day started with rain on the 18th but soon cleared. We gathered the girls and went to “town”. We walked as far as we could to try to get a feel for the place we would go for most of our supplies. We wandered over to Boat Harbor, which is the closest place to dock from Lubbers. It costs $15 to dock the boat for the day, and the perk is, if you eat or drink $15 worth, dockage is free…well, sort of.  We visited a few grocery stores, hardware store & a huge liquor barn. We learned on the cruiser’s net that Cracker P’s, located on Lubbers, was having a closing party including a 'Bar Wars' on Sunday afternoon. We thought it would be fun & pulled anchor on Sunday morning, the 19th and left for Lubbers, so did Island Dream and Cyrano, and anchored just off shore from the bar. We waited…no other boats arrived. We expected a big crowd – so did the owner. Unfortunately there was another, bigger event on Great Guana and seems all the other boats went there. We went to the bar anyway.   

Welcome sign @ Cracker P's

There’s only one 'commercial' entity on Lubbers and that’s Cracker P’s Bar & Grill. It’s a good 10-minute hike from the cottage or a short boat ride north. At least if there’s only one commercial place, I’m glad it’s a bar & grill with live music on Saturdays and Full Moon parties. They have weird hours but, when open, serves lunch and dinner – reservations are even required for dinner during season! Just as we got settled at the bar with a drink, the owner decided to close early since no one showed up for the “party”.  Here we are, the 6 of us who cruised all the way over from Marsh and no party & worst, the bar's closing. Bummer!!  Austin invited Wayne and me to his new compound; Lubbers Landing, next door to Cracker P's. There were just a few of us at the beginning, but after an hour or so, tons of people showed up from the other event. He said he wanted to have a party for the new place, but he sure wasn’t prepared for this amount of people…but everyone brought beer and drinks and turned into a really nice gathering. Again, we met a lot of locals who now know we’ll probably be neighbors. He’s done a beautiful job with this new project. Everything is totally natural and the buildings have not disturbed the natural forest-like environment. What a great day! We spent most of the 20th at the cottage, we measured, took pictures, talked about…we could do this, we could do that. Tired and hot, I had to experience the beach. The girls loved it too.  Sherry and Paris, her little Yorkie, the neighbor from next door, came to say Hi and invited us to her house for a rum and coke. Her husband’s name is Rocky-yes, that’s his real name. Seems all the houses have a name and most locals know you by the name of your house – their house is called “Hard Aground”, name of their boat too. We toured the “cottage” and it’s nothing like a cottage! Pleasant sitting on their porch right on the beach.  Also visiting was Rigatoni, a large puppy of unknown origin and I don’t think anyone really knows where he lives but he’s always around.  You can see him in the water with me.
We spent the next few days anchored on the Elbow side of Lubbers channel so we could get Internet access from Out Island Internet (OII). One of their antennas is located on a hill at someone’s house.  It was pretty weird having to anchor in a specific spot just to get the Internet.  We were still negotiating, and making sketches of the property. We went swimming and exploring on Tahiti beach, which is on Elbow Cay. Here I am holding up a fallen tree on Tahiti beach. WOW!
We spent the next few days just hanging out in Lubber’s Channel doing odd jobs but didn’t feel like doing the most important job – refinishing the teak. We took a few more trips to Tahiti beach and on the 24th we took the dinghy through Tilloo Cut.  The weather was perfect, seas flat.  I trolled a bit but didn’t get anything for dinner. Tilloo Cut is a great passage but only if the weather is good, otherwise, it’s very dangerous. This is the cut with 25-knot winds.

Tiloo Cut with 25 knot winds

  This is the cut the day we explored it. The compound on the left is a private island with several homes & structures- gorgeous! The houses in the distance are on the south end of Elbow Cay.

2007 - 6/29 - 7/2 - Man O' War to Green Turtle

June 29; It can’t be the 29th already! We planned to go ashore to continue exploring, but it was raining again and Tom’s flight from Daytona at 7am to Treasure . Discussion ensued as to how to get Laurel back to Green Turtle.  Hell...we'll just all go back so we can attend the opening regatta party July 3rd on Fiddle Cay just north of Green Turtle. This is a yearly, party given by the owners of Stranded Naked swimwear. The race begins on 7/4 (our independence & ends on 7/10, the Bahamas independence day. The skies were dark and angry looking all around us but we were in a clear hole. We had to travel across the Whale Cay passage as you might remember, can be extremely dangerous.  Just as we approached Whale Cay, all hell broke loose. The wind picked up, rained so hard we couldn’t see but a few feet ahead of us with a 5’ sea at our beam. No sweat for Blue Max but we sure got jostled around a bunch.  We anchored outside New Plymouth town or “the Settlement” as it’s called about 3:00 but still no word from Tom who should have arrived before Noon.  Laurel figured he missed his 7am flight – she was right but he did make it later in the day. After Wayne showed Tom every nook and cranny of Blue Max we went into town for dinner at “Wreckers”; I had the cracked Conch, of course. The restaurants in this area are just a tad above the basic places we discovered in the Exumas. A very pleasant evening with newly found friends.
Saturday, June 30; Overcast & rain again in the morning; For the past several days it’s been stormy & rain in the AM then clearing with sun after 3:00. Another lazy day; decided to get off the boat and see more of the settlement of New Plymouth. Wayne went to the Museum,

Typical home in New Plymouth

Molly, Scupper and I wandered.  Somehow, we always seem to wind up at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar!! Today was no different. It took all my will power not to go in to get a ‘smash’ so I walked on by…until I heard my name being called. It was Laurel and Tom - I couldn't resist.

Baby Scupper & a really nice dog lover

Before I knew it there was a drink in front of me and the girls were being picked up and loved by all the customers. Low & behold, Wayne poked his head in the door – the girls were the first to see him.  While the boys were talking boats, Laurel & I checked out the cemetery in more depth. I usually visit the cemeteries on each island - is that morbid??
July1st maybe 5am when a huge storm came thru with thunder, rain and winds at about 40 knots!  Blue Max held fast while other boats dragged or broke loose. We went back to bed. Based on information from others who said more storms were coming, we moved back and anchored in White sound outside the Green Turtle Club.  We waited and waited for the storm...no storm. But that’s OK, it’s nice in there and we had Internet service. Quiet day. We wandered in to the Green Turtle Club where we met up with Laurel and Tom  attending a pre-regatta meeting. These are a few pictures of the bar area – gorgeous, pictures can't even describe it.

Green Turtle club, restaurant & marina

Actually, I didn’t see anyone talking business, but just an excuse to have drinks in this perfect setting. At this point we pretty much decided to hang around for the big party on Fiddle Cay on July 3rd. The cheeseburger in paradise party is huge & it’s free. Burgers, hot dogs, adult drinks - all free. Hell, we have no pre-set plans, let’s just  p a r t y for a change. July 2nd; Dawn of another rainy morning. After it cleared, we decided to walk to the beach side of the island. Dogs in tow, we explored the area. The water was gorgeous and temperature-perfect.  Quick swim to cool off then headed back. Thoughts of cheeseburgers were dancing in our heads.  Our dreams were fulfilled at the pool bar.  Didn’t do much else today.

 

2011 - 6/6 - 6/10 - Heading South on the ICW to Lauderdale (Again)

Jupiter Island beach @ Peck Lake

June 6th - Pump out & filled up with water at the marina. It’s still sunny, mid 80’s with steady, gentle breezes that makes for wonderful sleeping. 
Nice leisurely cruise down the ICW - no rush, no fuss - totally my style.  Other than a few huge wakes from A_ _ holes in Sea Rays, it’s pretty much smooth sailing and I am able to get quite a bit done like stowing all the stuff we got, working on our blog and defrosting the freezer. Much to my surprise and pleasure, Wayne decided to anchor in Peck Lake at Jupiter Island and actually stay put the next day. We’ve been here before and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and tranquility.

Jupiter Island beach @ Peck Lake

YIKES !!

Anchor up on the 8th. Turned on our 6 week-old notebook computer used strictly for navigation -deader than a
door nail! black screen- nothing-nada! MSI said to send it back & would take 2 weeks to repair/replace.  We don’t want to stay in the states another 2 weeks!  I called the local Office Depot & the manager will let us turn it in for a new one- YEA!  We had a nice unhurried cruise down the ICW. It was so calm I was able to defrost the freezer (lucky me).  Remember having to do that years ago?  I was also able to work on SPOT, a device David & Shannon gave us for Christmas so they & other friends can track us and know we're OK. Every time we cruise up and down the East coast I am totally amazed at the amount of HUGE homes along the ICW-hard to tell if homes or hotels!

Beautiful Boyton Beach Bridge on the ICW

Where the heck does all this money come from??? And I’m talking miles & miles & miles of luxury homes. Then I think of our little cottage on Summerland Key, which is probably the size of one of their bathrooms, and still happy to call it home. Overcast weather was a nice change from sun, sun, sun. We anchored in Boca Raton. Cottage pie for dinner and another rousing night of watching
America's Got Talent. We anchored in Lake Sylvia in Ft Lauderdale on the 9th and, once again, took a dock at Cooley's Landing on the New River on Friday, the 10th.
We have amazing friends who live in N.Miami, Stephanie & Bob. We met them in the Berry Islands, Bahamas in 2001 & have been friends since. For months we've been ordering 'stuff' & having it sent to their home.The plan was to take the boat near their house & load it all onto the boat - but, as you can see from reading these blogs, we can't make plans. So...after they both put in a full day of grueling work, they packed up the car & brought it all the way to Lauderdale.

Stephanie & Bob

They arrived about 10pm!! We pretty much threw the boxes on the boat & walked as fast as we could to the Downtowner for dinner.
Guess you know what's next.  All this stuff has to now be installed!! Suppose it'll be yet another week @ Cooley's.  Bummer!

Cooley's Landing Marina

2011 - 5/27 - 6/6 - Hollywood (Florida that is) to Vero Beach

May 27th - We left Cooley’s Landing heading south about 2 pm.  We were each craving a burger from Le Tub, a funky, tiny place we’ve visited before…so about 3ish, we anchored in the North Lake, a short dinghy ride from the restaurant.  We never made it to Le Tub as sounds of laughter drifted out to us from another bar - GG’s.  We were greeted by a slew of partiers who took us in as if we were old friends.  Turns out getting a boat & cruising are Jeff & Linda’s dream & Eva has been boating for years. They invited us to join them for fresh fish tacos at their incredible house on the beach on Saturday, the 28th. See why we love this life-style ?

Linda, Wayne, Eva, Winnie & Jeff

May 30th - Here’s when it gets crazy - the kind of crazy only Wayne can create.  Here’s a summary:  Since we’re still in the States, he’d like to see his grandson, Casey Joe, graduate from HS;  Casey lives near Jacksonville-about 300 miles away; Wayne verifies the date is NOT 6/9 but 6/3 - 4 days from now; he wants to cruise up there…he’s pretty sure we can make it in time especially if we can travel ’outside’…but it’s too windy & we don‘t want to;  we cruise an agonizing 9 hours up the ICW having at least 30 bridges open for us; we anchor and rest in Lake Worth; we continued this folly the next day and cruised another 8 hours;  he was finally showing signs of exhaustion from

Memorial Day parties on the ICW

dealing with boat traffic, bridge openings and trying to stay in the channel; we finally talked about the situation and on May 31, we chose Vero Beach City Marina & we took a mooring; On Wed.,June 1st we took the dinghy to the Riverside Cafe where we were met by Dave & Ellen, the very gracious owners who treated us to a few drinks - dinner was delicious. Wayne left for Middleburg on the 2nd and I stayed on the boat with the girls (cuz I'm still "with cold"). I had a glorious 2 days all alone. There was a Frazier Marathon on Friday night-I must have watched 8 episodes and was up way past midnight! The master returned about 7:30 pm on the 4th. Sunday, June 5th - Treated ourselves to Brunch at Riverside Cafe - delicious and filling. Then spent a grueling afternoon of shopping for provisions. It took two dinghy trips to unload everything and now you want me to find places for all this stuff ??