Happy Wednesday! Hope your week is coming along well.
{this moment} – A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple moment to pause, savor and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by SouleMama’s Friday ritual.
After our fill of fun in Oriental, we elected to take the less traveled route up the East Coast by way of the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands about 30 miles off the east coast of North Carolina.
Affectionately called the “OBX”, these islands offer isolated escape from the hectic pace of the mainland and are home to some famous firsts of American history, from the first English born baby in the New World to the Wright brothers’ first powered flight near Kitty Hawk.
Our first stop, Ocracoke Island.
Part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (a marine national park) and only accessible by boat or small plane, Ocracoke is considered the Pearl of the Outer Banks for its renowned beaches, authentic village charm and natural beauty. With a clear forecast for Saturday, we made our way across the Pamlico Sound, which has a reputation for being a contemptuous and fickle body of water. Other than slow progress due to currents and little wind, we were blessed with a safe and easy sail to this enchanting island.
Evening fell as we dropped the hook in the protected Silver Lake Harbor, the very place where the infamous Blackbeard once kept his pirate fleet and met his fate during a naval battle in 1718. Surrounded on all sides by the village and a lighthouse shining brightly, Silver Lake is about as perfect an anchorage as they come. And it only got better from there. We joined Gregg and Jo on board Simpatico for a delish Indian curry chicken dinner and made plans to explore the next day.
After watching church service on Sunday, we joined Simpatico in renting bikes and pedaled off to the fun-loving Howards Pub Restaurant for lunch before making our way to the beach. And what a beach it is! With over 16 miles of unspoiled Atlantic shoreline, Ocracoke offers the most beautiful and secluded beach we’ve seen along the East Coast. No wonder it was named America’s Best Beach for 2007.
From the sun and sand, our pedal-powered machines took us back to the village for an ice cream break then on to see the Ocracoke Lighthouse. Built in 1823, it’s the oldest operating lighthouse on the East Coast. Though the interior was closed to tours, it was neat to see a tower that served as the warning guardian to so many ships.
We all continued our leisurely cruise and, from one end to the other, we covered just about every inch of the village. Along the way we stopped at the British Cemetery, where four navy men from the British Ship HMT Bedfordshire are buried and celebrated each year after their ship was sunk by a German U-Boat while on loan to the U.S. during WWII.
A must-visit if you’re in Ocracoke, Zillie’s Island Pantry is a unique wine, beer and gourmet foods and cheese shop where we stopped for pre-sundowners. Then it was back to the boats for dinner before returning to shore to enjoy some live music.
Monday morning we were up early for a sail north to Manteo on Roanoke Island, another hot spot in the Outer Banks and the home port of our friends Chip and Tammy of Cara Mia.
They, along with Dale and Karen of Jesse Marie were already there with plans for us to join them that evening for “The Lost Colony”, the nation’s first and longest-running outdoor drama reenacting the lives and fate of the first English colony to settle in the area.
After a long but (thankfully) easy trip up, we dropped the hook and dinghied in for a heartfelt reunion over pre-theater cocktails. Then it was off for an evening of entertainment at the historic outdoor Waterside Theatre.
The performance is an intense account of what was believed to have happened to The Lost Colony. It’s a story of hope and fear, of comedy and tragedy, of mystery and suspense. And it’s retold each summer on the very site where it took place.
More than 400 years ago (1587), 117 men, women and children sailed from Plymouth, England to settle on a New World of Roanoke Island. Just three years after settling, they vanished, leaving behind no trace of their fate. From the hardships of crossing the Atlantic, to attacks from Indians and lack of supply ships from their homeland, these settlers endured and kept faith that they would survive. Though the full story will never be known, it’s believed they couldn’t sustain the colony and with less than 60 remaining, eventually moved south in search of more fertile grounds.
The following morning we moved into a slip at the Manteo Waterfront Marina and borrowed Chip and Tammy’s bikes (thanks guys!) to explore the town. In between cool off sessions in the A/C aboard Kaleo, we explored the historic waterfront, visited the maritime museum and even washed the boat.
We wrapped up the evening with a “neighborhood” BBQ on the docks with Jesse Marie and Cara Mia. Dale grilled steaks and chicken over charcoal briquettes and we all enjoyed a feast of dishes from all three boats. Once again, thoroughly enjoying the friendships formed along these adventures.
Thanks for letting us continue to share these adventures with you. Can you think of a time when you took the road less traveled? We’d love to hear about it!
(*Photo credit: http://www.ocracokeisland.com/Ocracoke.htm)
We’re delighted to have been nominated by Matt over at Life’s A Journey to participate in the Tripbase, “7 Links Blogger Challenge“. This project is sweeping the social media scene and is a way to shed light on a handful of archived posts and to show some love to fellow travel bloggers.
We are honored to be the first cruisers that have been selected to participate and are excited to pass the torch on to five others (cruisers of course) in hopes of spreading the word about this interesting project among the cruising and sailing communities.
With the challenge’s criteria to guide us, we reflected on the 200+ posts we’ve written here over the past two and a half years to compile the following.
MOST BEAUTIFUL – Harbour Island, The Nantucket of the Caribbean
This was probably the hardest category to narrow down. We’re blessed to have sailed to so many jaw-droppingly beautiful places along our travels. If we have to pick just ONE place then it would be Harbor Island off of Eleuthera. Only accessible by boat (and having to cross through the Devil’s Backbone to reach it), this settlement is truly beautiful in every sense of the word with the open Atlantic crashing over pink sand beaches, tree shaded lanes winding through historic English architecture and a sense that everyone on the island had the same mindset – to enjoy it. Read the post …
MOST POPULAR POST – Inside Our Home
Many readers have asked what it’s really like living on a sailboat. They’re specifically curious to know how we can thrive each day in an indoor living space no larger than most people’s bedroom. The best way to describe it was to open the front door and invite them in. Our home is mobile, efficient, and sufficient. And that’s the beauty of it. Despite being the size of a walk-in closet and in some form of constant motion, it doesn’t feel confining. Rather, we wake up to a new playground each day and have a pretty snazzy pool. We welcome you to take the tour. Read the post …
MOST CONTROVERSIAL POST – Kaleo is For Sale
We knew as soon as we pressed “Publish” on this post, we were in for some startled responses. While we are offering Kaleo for sale, it’s because she is a vessel built for cruising the ocean and at least for a while, we are returning to adventures ashore. She served her purpose admirably and we look forward to to seeing where she will take her new crew. But for the record, we are by no means finished with sailing or the cruising lifestyle. Read the post …
MOST HELPFUL POST – Kaleo Has Been Newly Salted
This post, written as part of the Interview with a Cruiser project, compiled some of the most common questions from aspiring cruisers and our answers to them. This interview, along with the many others who have participated in IWOC, are building a knowledge bank that aims to better prepare those dreaming of and/or planning to toss the docklines. Read the post …
MOST SURPRISING SUCCESS – The Charm of Charleston
When looking at our traffic stats, we were surprised that our top destination post was not the exotic locale of a remote tropical island. Rather, it seems like readers were lured by good old lowcountry livin’. We couldn’t agree with them more as the charm of Charleston captivated our hearts and had us staying much longer than planned and leaving sooner than we would have liked. This post was even featured on the Southend Brewery & Smokehouse’s blog, a local restaurant where we dined one evening. Read the post …
DESERVED MORE ATTENTION – A Big 0, Means We’re One Step Closer
This post probably didn’t get a lot of attention because it’s not about sailing, cruising, travel or adventure. But for us, without the step of becoming debt free and having an aggressive savings plan, none of the other posts would have been possible. When people ask how we were able to step away from our careers to sail about the world for awhile, we suggest they start here. Read the post …
MOST PROUD OF – Yoga and Kids’ Church
Kids have a big place in our heart. And it’s important to us to give back to the communities we visit along our travels. So, one of the many ways we have connected with islanders was by volunteering as tutors at their schools and teaching kids’ church in the community. With Bahamian churches, we also shared resources from our home church that support children’s Christian growth. Read the post …
MY NOMINATIONS
The final piece of the project is to nominate five other travel bloggers to take part. Here are my 5 nominations:
WHAT TO DO: To the bloggers selected above, the rules for participating in the 7 Links Project can be found here. Be sure to nominate someone who has not already been nominated. You can check the current list of nominations here.
Happy Wednesday! Hope your week is coming along well.
{this moment} – A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple moment to pause, savor and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by SouleMama’s Friday ritual.
On Tuesday, we untied from the dock in Carolina Beach, waved goodbye to Auntie Linda, and continued north toward Beaufort, the third oldest town in North Carolina and pronounced “BO-fert” as opposed to the “Bu-fert” of SC.
It was a two day hop that had us anchoring within the boundaries of a military base, Camp Lejune. Though the cruising guide says any boats in the area can be ordered to leave due to military maneuvers at anytime, day or night, we had an undisturbed and peaceful night’s sleep. And a bonus, we synced back up with our friends, Gregg and Jo, of Simpatico who also happened to be anchored there.
As we were pulling up anchor on Wednesday morning we met a fellow cruiser in the anchorage, David, on Cloud Messenger. His depth sounder had stopped working so he asked to follow us through some potentially tricky parts of the ICW where the channel gets shallow. Our boats draw the same amount of water (depth of the keel), so if we started getting into questionable areas we could warn him via radio and proceed slowly together. So, with Simpatico, the three of us set out for Beaufort.
It turned out to be an easy 45 mile (7 hour) motorsail with only one shallow enough area where we skimmed bottom. We set the hook (actually two in opposing directions because of the crowded anchorage and switching currents) then did some research on what to see in town and relaxed on board the rest of the evening.
We spent Thursday morning window shopping, exploring the waterfront and visiting the North Carolina Maritime Museum. Along with artifacts and displays on boating, fishing and lighthouses on the East Coast, the museum is the official repository for articles from Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, which ran aground near Beaufort in 1718.
The ship was discovered by a commercial salvage company in 1996 near where it was reportedly run aground by Blackbeard and his crew. Many of the near 300 year old artifacts, from the ships enormous anchor to its many cannons, dinnerware and muskets have been recovered. Since it sank slowly after hitting the a shoal, Blackbeard and his men had time to ferry off all of the treasure. Along with the intriguing exhibit, we were surprised to learn the Blackbeard’s rein as a fierce pirate was only over a span of about two years. That’s a lot of heck to raise in such a short amount of time!
After taking in our fill of pirate lore, it was back to Kaleo to head for Oriental. We were again joined by Cloud Messenger, and other than a quick stop on anchor to keep us from sailing into a storm passing ahead, had another uneventful trip. We pulled into the free Town Dock (check out their HarborCam), secured the boat and sauntered around the unofficial sailing capital of North Carolina. Dubbed so because with only 875 residents, there are over 2500 boats.
That evening we met up with our new sailing friend, David, and swapped Bahamas cruising stories over dinner at M&M’s Cafe.
On Friday morning, we could see a wall of rain charging our way, so we closed up Kaleo and headed across the street to “The Bean.” The local coffee shop where all the town’s news, sailing stories and such are traded over their signature drinks. We indulged in the Chai Tea Smoothie and Chai Tea Float while mingling with others seeking dry shelter while waiting out the torrential downpour.
After the sun came out, we hopped on complimentary bikes borrowed from the cruiser-friendly “Provision Company” and explored more of the town. After mining through the treasures at the boater favorite “Marine Consignment of Oriental” and a ride over the town bridge, it was back to Kaleo for a few boat chores. Afterward, Simpatico came by for a visit, David came for taco dinner and we met a neat family of four that had been out on a week-long trip aboard their trailerable sailboat.
The group wrapped up the night over margaritas and some “Bimini Ring on a String” at Oriental Marina’s Tiki Bar. From there, we headed home to get some rest and prepare for a long day of crossing the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke, an island accessible only by boat, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
We had a wonderful week+ stay at the “Ritz Carlson!” On Saturday, Kaleo glided into a guest slip at Auntie Linda’s condo on Carolina Beach where we would spend the next nine days lounging, learning lots of new ways to slay sea creatures (thanks Jim!), and soaking up treasured time with the family.
It was an action-packed visit culminating in a festive 4th of July celebration. We were well taken care of by auntie and cousins as we:
Thanks Auntie Linda for opening your home to us and Jim and Sarah for all the fishing and cooking lessons. We loved getting to spend time with you guys and the visit is one of the highlights of our trip.
N 34° 20.70 / W 77° 53. 37
Happy Wednesday! Hope your week is coming along well.
{this moment} – A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple moment to pause, savor and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by SouleMama’s Friday ritual.
Some of you might have noticed a widget on the left-hand side of our page noting that Kaleo is now for sale.
Kaleo under sail along the southern tip of Long Island, Bahamas
Nearly two and a half years ago we invested in a capable Aloha 34 that would take us on adventures greater than we could imagine. She has safely and comfortably carried us over 3,000 miles from Kemah, Texas along the Gulf Coast, across the Gulf Stream and throughout the Bahamas as far south as the remote Jumentos, and now up the East Coast.
We had initial plans for a six month cruise and have inevitably extended it. What we’ve learned, accomplished, seen and experienced leaves us in awe, inspired and eternally grateful. Kaleo has served her purpose well.
As we wrap up our summer sail up the East Coast, we want Kaleo to continue her adventures under new ownership. She is a seaworthy cruising boat built and outfitted to carry her captain and crew on exploration. So rather than have her docked and growing a bottom beard while we’re states away, the plan (for now anyhow) is to continue north to Annapolis where we’ll put her on the hard in a safe and protected storage facility until a sale is final.
For prospective buyers, please see our “Kaleo is For Sale” page for detailed information on all of its systems, equipment lists, photos, and an asking price. Feel free to contact us with questions or to set a time to see Kaleo for yourself.
As for this blog, we still have a lot to share here. We’ll continue to post our progress over the summer, reflect on some share-worthy cruising material and resources that may help others live the dream, upload more photos from the adventures, offer insights into future cruising plans, and more.
We are humbled by your encouragement, prayers, and advice. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Today we gratefully celebrate life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Because 235 years ago a group of courageous men got together and they made a commitment, they made a declaration. These Founding Fathers were willing to risk everything for a set of ideals that still inspire the people of this nation today.
For us, those ideals have bestowed the freedom to pursue a road less traveled. One where the notion of breaking free from the status quo, living simply and exploring the world in our floating home went beyond just capturing our imaginations. It gave us the freedom to pursue a dream and to see it take life.
Today we’re reminded that this freedom came at a high price and that we’re remarkably blessed because of the sacrifices made to secure it. That in itself is worthy of a spectacular celebration.
As you reflect on your dreams, you might find inspiration in revisiting The Declaration that was drafted to give us all the freedom to pursue them.
When it comes to toting our gear from the boat and back and everywhere in between, we’re set!
The crew over at Sailor Bags generously shared an assortment of their signature bags to help outfit us along our sailing adventures. And they’ve certainly done so in style!
These bags are sturdy, fully collapsible, water resistant and guaranteed for life making them ideal for anyone active on and off the water. Being crafted from custom-woven sailcloth, they have a classic nautical appeal that keeps them in season year-round and adventurers like us organized on the go.
We first discovered their website when searching for durable, stylish and affordable bags to replace our bulky landlife luggage. While we could find durable bags out there, none seem to fit the full bill of style, value, and durability as ideally as Sailor Bags.
With Kaleo dockside while we visit family in Carolina Beach this week, we’ve been using our bags continuously to haul clothing and gear back and forth from the boat to the pool, condo, cars, and beach. They pack easily with large openings secured by sturdy zippers (like the kind on a dodger or bimini) and the tough sailcloth can handle being tossed onto the dock or sitting on the cement at the pool.
Sailor Bags are made in almost every style and size that you could want. Duffles, Totes, Cooler Bags, BackPacks, Messengers, Stow Bags and more. In case you’re curious, we have the Mini and XL Tote, Medium and XL Duffel, Messenger Bag, Wristlet, CoolerBag, and LunchBag.
Check out their site to learn more and join them on Facebook where they have fun giveaways, discounts, and other gift ideas.
Have you “Liked” us on facebook yet?
This is where we post our most recent updates, photos and get to interact with you throughout the day.
It’s easy, just click the “Like” button on the left sidebar of this screen.
If you’ve already joined us there, thank you! We love hearing from you guys so feel free to shoot us a note in the “Leave a Comment” box here under each blog post or in the comments section over on the s/v Kaleo facebook page.
See you there!
Charleston has been a great home for the past 10 days!
This city has captivated our hearts with its rich history, poised charm, culinary delights, and hospitable character.
With the captain’s eye on the road to recovery, we spent a restful Wednesday getting a lay of the land by way of the dark tinted windowed and air-conditioned vintage-inspired trolley fleet (free). That evening, we made the walk from our home in the Charleston Maritime Center to enjoy a waterfront dinner at Fleet Landing (Iron Skillet Mussels, Carolina Lump Crab Cakes with all the good Lowcountry sides) while watching sailboats race in the harbor. This set our culinary tour through the city in motion. Thanks for the recco, Chip!
We quickly realized there was a lot of ground to cover and while downtown is walkable, we decided to rent cruiser bicycles from Affordabike (only $40/bike for the week). In addition to riding through virtually every nook and cranny of downtown Charleston, we:
Note: For the discerning visitor who wants to experience true Old Charleston as a guest, not a tourist, Laura offers a comprehensive Charleston Tea Party Private Tour. She will guide up to six people through her friends’ historic homes and gardens in the morning and wraps up with an elegant home-cooked lunch of Low Country cuisine served on 19th century Cantonware at her home. See her website for her number to make your reservation for this authentic Charleston experience when you’re next in town.
We untied Kaleo’s docklines on Thursday afternoon and headed into Charleston Harbor absolutely smitten with this seaside city.
N 32° 47.18 / W 79° 53.30
Who doesn’t like a clean house? Whether it be out to sea or ashore, we’ve found a few simple recipes that help us keep Kaleo shining inside from stem to stern.
Yet you won’t find Mr. Clean or Windex lurking under our galley sink.
With just a few basic items that you most likely have on hand (water, vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil), you can do almost all of your household cleaning, save money, and keep your home free of the toxins found in many store-bought cleaning products.
Here are a few recipes that will help you do most of your everyday cleaning:
General Surface Cleaner
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and use to clean general surfaces such as counter tops, sinks and the stove. Do not rinse.
Tea tree oil is antiseptic, germicidal, antifungal, and antibacterial agent making it a very effective surface cleaner.
Mold and Mildew Eliminator
Using the same recipe as above, wipe down surfaces in high-mold or high-humidity areas. Tea tree oil is a natural fungus fighter but if you encounter large amounts of mold, or black mold, however, call a mold-removal specialist.
Head (Toilet) Cleaner
Mix in a small spray bottle and use for head surfaces, the toilet bowl and wiping down the gel coat shower pan. If you’re concerned about the smell of vinegar, you can add a few drops of essential oil to your mix, but know that the odor of vinegar disappears as it evaporates.
In addition, about once per month we run a pint of undiluted white vinegar into the toilet, flush once and let it sit overnight to fight the salt water deposits that build up.
Glass Cleaner
Mix the ingredients into a spray bottle for an effective glass cleaner. It also works well on the chrome faucets in the galley and head and even on the stainless steel dorades and rails on deck.
Trash Can Deodorizer
Mix the two ingredients thoroughly, ensuring all lumps are removed. Place a (fresh) piece of absorbent cloth on the bottom of the trash can and sprinkle this mixture over it. Change the pad and deodorizer every other week or so.
A few other natural deodorizers
Laundry Detergent
First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours and it’s ready to go. Use 3/4 cup per full load. You can store this in gallon jugs aboard and fill a water bottle to take to the laundromat.
Bug Trap – Not really a cleaning product but one we use when those nasty fruit flies visit.
Cut the top off a small plastic cup. Add apple cider vinegar and drops of dish soap. Place on your kitchen counter and within minutes the little buggers will be swimming. Apple cider vinegar attracts the bugs and the dish soap traps them on entry.
Happy (and healthy) cleaning!
We departed St. Augustine on Saturday morning where our route took us up the ICW to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, the northernmost town on Florida’s east coast.
With plans to head offshore from the St. Mary’s Inlet just north of Fernandina Beach the next morning, we took the rest of the day to explore the town with our friends from “Simpatico” and some of their friends (now our new friends) aboard “Magic Beans.”
Strolling the tree-lined streets, we drifted in and out of an eclectic collection of local stores, shops, galleries and boutiques. A mid-afternoon ice cream stop helped keep us cool and upon a glowing review from Don on “Magic Beans,” we stepped into Pablo’s for a little A/C, margs and Mexican dinner.
Full on fajitas but not ready to call it a night, the sounds of live music brought us to the garden patio of Cafe Karibo where a local band, Hofmann’s Voodoo, was staged beneath huge oak trees, singing and strumming a guitar and mandolin to a funky mix of Americana and Acoustic Blues until about 8:30. An ideal way to wrap up an early evening as we still needed to prep “Kaleo” for our 30 hour passage to Charleston the next day.
Monday morning we checked the weather, said our radio farewell to “Simpatico” and topped off on fuel at the marina. We made 7 knots on the ebb tide (outgoing tide) leaving St. Mary’s Inlet, hoisted sails and were making great time toward Charleston, about 140 miles away.
Late afternoon, Matt went down for some rest with plans to get up around 10 p.m. Lighting woke him up a bit sooner and with the winds gusting in the low 20’s we decided to reef the main (reduce the amount of sail so as not to get over powered by strong winds). No sooner had we got in the first reef when the winds picked up above 25 knots.
With a thunderstorm behind us and ever-growing sea state, we played it safe by going to our third reef (the smallest amount of main sail out). It was a wise move as within the hour winds were blowing at 30 knots and the ocean swell was running about five to six feet. It seems our smooth offshore sailing streak had run its course as we spent the remainder of the night reefed down with following winds and seas. Though we were getting rocked and rolled, we gained the benefit of speed where at times we were surfing down the waves at 9+ knots, a new record for us.
After what seems like an incredibly long night, dawn broke with only about 30 miles to Charleston. If we kept up the evening’s pace, we could have made it in 6 hours sooner than planned. That did not happen as the winds soon shifted to 15 knots from the NE, exactly the direction we were headed (not good). So we spent the remainder of the day painstakingly tacking toward Charleston and finally arrived in the harbor at 7 p.m, 6 hours later than planned.
With darkness approaching and already 36 hours into this passage, we decided to pull into a slip at the Charleston Maritime Center where we could tie up safely and get some much-needed, solid rest.
As we crawled into bed, Matt mentioned having a lot of pain in his right eye which was pretty bloodshot. By the time morning came, he couldn’t open it and was in intolerable pain. A quick Google search led us to Access Healthcare, a quaint, modern medical center within about a mile’s walking distance of the marina. After 15 minutes with Dr. Dave, Matt was diagnosed was a corneal abrasion, a scrape on the clear surface of the eye. He walked out with an eye patch, a need for a pair of those nifty disposable sunglasses you get after dilation (which we picked up from an optometrist down the street) and a prescription for pain management. Ouch!
With the captain slightly out of commission, still exhausted from our abusive passage and with tons to see and do in Charleston, we’ve decided to make the Maritime Center our home for the week. We look forward to some rest, recovery and a fun week of exploring the incredibly charming Charleston.
N 32° 47.39 / W 79° 55.42
After a few day hops up the ICW we landed at Hidden Harbor Marina to explore the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine, FL.
While we had plans to take a mooring ball ($20) at the municipal marina (anchoring is a little sketchy with the currents), a blog friend, “Captain Peppers”, turned us onto Hidden Harbor Marina. Just two miles up the San Sebastian River, the marina truly is one of St. Augustine’s best kept secrets! Secure, impeccably clean, cruiser-managed and ideally located across from the winery and a short walk to beautiful, historic downtown St. Augustine. Ah, and their rates – just $25/nt., utilities included! Bonus: There’s even a community garden where we were given fresh tomatoes and potatoes upon checking in. We can’t say enough about this place and its outstanding dockmasters, David and Hayla.
“Kaleo” resting at Hidden Harbor Marina
With Kaleo tied up we spent the past two days:
Overall, St. Augustine is a city filled with rich Spanish history and was a great way to wrap up our sail through Florida.
After a cool and restful night in Ft. Pierce, we took Kaleo 15 miles up the ICW to keep her on a mooring in Vero Beach while we visited friends in Ft. Lauderdale.
After getting Kaleo secured and packed up for our week ashore we:
Though we already miss the crystal waters and laid-back lifestyle of the islands, it was nice to have such a warm welcome back stateside from great friends.
N 27° 39.3 / W 80° 22.2
Assuming all fuel and water are topped off, the evening before any significant passage is spent prepping the boat and ourselves for safety and ease underway.
This involves, but is not limited to, securing the dinghy outboard motor on the stern rail, deflating and storing our dinghy on deck, checking the main engine oil, alternator belt and fuel filter, inspecting standing and running rigging, uncovering the main sail, running our jack lines (safety straps that run the length of the boat that we clip into when going forward of the cockpit), preparing meals that we’ll have underway, organizing and securing all movable things inside the boat and laying out the clothes and PFD’s we’ll wear.
And here’s how we spent the 30 hour crossing from Green Turtle Cay, Abaco to Ft. Pierce, Florida.
6:30 – Matt wakes up to tune into Chris Parker’s weather forecast. It confirms favorable conditions for a smooth Gulf Stream crossing with winds 5-10 knots from the east, southeast and two to three foot swell on the ocean.
7:00 – We pull up the anchor with Matt at the bow and Christie at the helm. The chain rapidly clanks up over the bow roller, most likely alerting everyone in the anchorage that a boat is leaving.
7:02 – Scooted past the sleeping “Honu Lele” and entered White Sound Channel toward the Sea of Abaco. 55 miles to Great Sale Cay, our intended staging anchorage for the crossing.
7:30 – Christie makes egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast while Matt programs the day’s waypoints into the chart plotter.
10:00 – The wind picks up so Matt rolls out the jib to motorsail.
10:09 – The wind dies so Matt rolls the jib back in to stop it from flapping against the shrouds.
12:00 – Lunch is served, salads with summer sausage and crackers for Matt, grilled Veggie-cheese for Christie.
14:30 – The wind picks back up and Matt rolls out the jib again.
16:00 – The wind has held and Kaleo glides along at 6 to 6.5 knots with only the rumble of Mr. Beeker (our affectionately named engine) to disturb the peace of the island we’re floating past.
16:15 – Matt finishes his second book of the day. (Life on a Rock and The Sun Also Rises)
17:30 – We arrive at our intended staging anchorage of Great Sale Cay. Feeling good and decide to sail on through the night and get to Florida by Saturday afternoon. About 110 miles to go.
18:30 – Christie heats up premade foil packets of Quinoa stuffed bell peppers which we enjoy in the cockpit as the beginnings of sunset beckon nightfall.
19:00 – We get cell reception from a lone island tower and use our last $8.00 of Bahamian cell credit to call AT&T and have our U.S. cell phone taken off vacation hold and call family and friends to let them know of our adjusted plans.
19:15 – Matt goes below for his sleep shift while Christie takes the helm.
20:30 – Our fishing reel starts to click, click, click signaling fish on! Matt jumps up to bring it in while Christie goes for the gaff hook and gloves. Much to our dismay, the fighting fish is nothing more than a large Barracuda which we unhook and release. At least we didn’t lose a lure.
21:00 – Christie scans the horizon as a few twinkles turn into a comforting blanket of stars in the pitch black sky.
23:30 – A bright flash wakes Matt up. Turns out it’s lightning about 10 miles off our stern, not Christie taking pictures in the night. Matt joins the storm watching party in the cockpit and eventually takes over for the admiral to get some rest.
24:00 – The storm passes well to our stern with strobing flashes indicating its location.
2:30 – A silver quarter moon rises and gives lighted dimension to the waves around us.
3:00 – The engine mysteriously lugs and dies, leaving an eerie silence in the night. We sail on at 4 knots while Matt opens up the engine room to start diagnosis.
3:20 – The motor cranks and starts back up after Matt traced the problem to a drained starting battery which didn’t have enough power to run the electric fuel pump, starving Mr. Beeker to silence. After hot-wiring into the house batteries, it was back to full steam ahead at 7 knots.
5:30 – Streams of sunlight begin to pierce the sky signaling the approaching sunrise.
7:30 – Breakfast is again served, this time it’s cereal.
8:00 – Our speed increases to a near 8 knots as we’re pulled northward into the strong currents of the Gulf Stream.
9:30 – Christie crafts notes to fill a couple message in bottles and we toss them overboard in the ripping current of the Gulf Stream.
10:30 – Matt lowers our tattered and torn Bahamian flag as we sail back into U.S. waters.
11:00 – Looking over our stern, we realize there is a fish on our line. We reel in a bluefin tuna, which was a little too small to eat so we cut it up for bait.
11:20 – We were welcomed into Florida by a pod of about a dozen dolphins and a double rainbow. Our playful friends escorted us in for about half an hour, some doing synchronized leaps and dives that were so well timed we thought they had escaped from Seaworld.
12:30 – We motor through the channel entrance into Ft. Pierce Inlet and quickly realized we were making our grand entrance into the coast of southern Florida on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend! Boats big and small swarmed the waterways buzzing around at speeds that shattered our laid back island pace. It was an abrupt annoucement that we were back stateside.
1:15 – We dock at Harborview Marina to treat ourselves to A/C, a freshwater bath for Kaleo and a long night’s rest. First stop in the U.S. was “A Touch of Brooklyn” pizzeria where we overindulged in a gooey fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil Pizza Margherita.
6:30 – Matt finishes washing the boat, and Christie wipes the last surface inside clean. After long showers we crawl into the V-berth and are asleep before we can say goodnight.
After a brisk and beautiful sail from Treasure Cay, we weaved into White Sound, a protected lagoon on Green Turtle Cay, to make it our home for a few days.
Shortly after dropping the hook, we spotted “Three Penny Opera,” whom we met in the Jumentos. They had just sailed in from Cuba (they’re Canadian) and we dinghied over to hear about their experience. Soon thereafter “Honu Lele” joined us in the anchorage and met up on “Three Penny Opera”, making for great conversation as the sun set.
After dinner, we and “Honu Lele” headed into the Yacht Club Pub at Green Turtle Cay Resort and Marina to check out the local Rake ‘n’ Scrape band. This was an old world yacht club in the truest sense of the word – rich paneled walls, overstuffed ornate furniture, burgess and flags from every corner of the world. And every inch of the walls (and most of the ceiling) were covered with dollar bills (both Bahamian and American), each signed by yachtsmen leaving their mark along their travels. We, of course, decorated our own Bahamian bills and pinned them next to “Honu Lele’s.” The evening ended dancing to Green Turtle Cay’s own, Gully Roosters Band under the buttonwood tree on the deck at The Club.
Thursday was the captain’s birthday and we had a full day of celebrating ahead.
The morning started off with unwrapping a few gifts and cards that had been hidden throughout the boat from the admiral and her family. The celebrating continued with a visit from Owen and Ana bearing a shell necklace, bracelet, bookmarks and pirate treasure maps they had made for Matt.
Ashore we all jumped on our golf cart rental and set out to see the island. The first stop was scouting a pristine Atlantic beach then it was off to explore the historic New Plymouth Settlement. As the only town on Green Turtle Cay, New Plymouth was one of the first islands settled in the Bahamas by Loyalists from the United States who wanted to remain loyal to the British crown during the American Revolution.
In this quiet, 18th century village by the sea, we browsed quaint shops, passed by Ye Olde Jail and enjoyed an air-conditioned lunch at a Harvey’s Island Grill.
Before carting out of New Plymouth the captain requested that we stop into Vert’s Model Ship Shoppe to see the handcrafted models made by a Green Turtle Cay legend. Vert Lowe, a master ship modeler who has family roots that run deep on the island, hand builds ships modeled after sailing craft of old. His masterpieces reside on the mantles of kings, executives, and world leaders. Though Matt mentioned it would be a great birthday gift, the prices that reflect the time needed to create these works of art helped us decide to hold off, at least until the next time we pass through.
Rumbling down the skinny winding road, we turned off toward a beach that looked far too inviting to pass by. For the next few hours, we hunted for beach treasures, swam, snorkeled and enjoyed the cool ocean in the heat of the afternoon.
Water-soaked and sun-kissed, we migrated from the ocean to Lizard Bar and Grill at the Leeward Yacht Club & Marina. With great snacks, drinks and a freshwater pool it wasn’t hard to spend the rest of the day there. This is a hidden gem for anyone voyaging through Green Turtle! Matt played Marco Polo and “Treasure Hunt” (tossing Bahamian coins throughout the pool for them to find) with the kids, we all talked boats, Texas, and life while lounging our way through the captain’s big day. After we could swim no more, everyone piled back on the golf cart for a leisurely ride back to the Green Turtle Club where we had left our dinghies.
After showers, we stopped by “Honu Lele” to visit and say “see you soon” as we were heading out early the next morning to stage for our crossing back to the states. As we dinghied back to the boat Matt reflected that he was so blessed to have celebrated his birthday island-style, and that it would be pretty hard to top it next year.
N 26° 46.70 / W 77° 20.21
