s/v Kaleo

7 Simple Recipes to Keep a Boat Shipshape

Monday, June 20th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

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

1 cup water
1 teaspoon tea tree oil

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

50% water
50% white vinegar

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

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

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

1 teaspoon tea tree oil
1 cup baking soda
Oil absorbent cloth

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

Boil 1 tablespoon of vinegar in 1 cup of water to eliminate unpleasant cooking odors
Baking soda is excellent for absorbing odors in the fridge or icebox

Laundry Detergent

4 cups of water
⅓ bar of natural soap, grated  (this is where the scent will come from in the detergent, so go with something you like)
½ cup washing soda (not baking soda)
½ cup of Borax (20 Mule Team)
5-gallon bucket for mixing
3 gallons of water
(optional) A few drops of scented oil such as tea tree or lavender which will overpower the soap (especially if you choose unscented)

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.

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 drops of dish soap

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!

Category: Boat Life, Cruising, Education, Galley, Head, Resources 2 Comments

Amelia Island, FL to Charleston, SC

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

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.

Looking out over the Fernandina Yacht Club and Harbor

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.

Fernandina Beach welcome center

Lots of pirates roaming Amelia Island

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.

Enjoying the music of Hofmann’s Voodoo

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!

Captain, er Pirate-in-pain Matty

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.

“Kaleo” at harbor in Charleston Maritime Center

N 32° 47.39 / W 79° 55.42

Category: Boat Life, Charleston, Cruising, Florida, Friends, Passage, Sailing One Comment

Sights From St. Augustine

Friday, June 10th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

After a few day hops up the ICW we landed at Hidden Harbor Marina to explore the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine, FL.

Historic downtown St. Augustine from the water

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:

Hiking to West Marine for a few project parts and the grocery store to stock up on fresh foods
Making Chicken Tiki Masala dinner which before joining “Captain Peppers” (who lives at Hidden Harbor) for a sundowner aboard his cruising boat. We had a nice time hearing about his cruising plans and sharing some of our experiences.
Exploring Old Town St. Augustine, with its narrow cobblestone streets, quaint cafes (snack break at the Spanish Bakery for empanadas), unique shops, the grand Flagler College (the former Ponce de Leon Hotel of the 1890’s) and the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in America

St. Augustine City Hall

The east cannon wall of the fort

Just checkin’ things out

Lunching at Carmelo’s Marketplace, home to the best pizza in town and only a short walk from the marina
Touring San Sebastian Winery, where the vintners make several varieties of sweet wine out of the native Florida muscadine grape. The gratis tour included an extensive tasting session and all sorts of wine-related recipes and entertaining tips from our enthusiastic guide.

The winery on the San Sebastian River, across from the marina

Casks full of Port

Listening to Hawaiian Jazz music at a complimentary concert in the plaza with a wine smoothie – yes, a frosty wine smoothie (!) to top off the night

Concert in the Plaza

Checking off a few boat projects like changing the oil, topping off fuel, replacing a deck fill and housecleaning
Baking a stuffed artichoke to share with sundowners

Stuffing the artichoke to steam/bake

Driving, yes driving, to run a few errands as David let us borrow the marina truck (another perk of a cruiser-managed marina)
Hanging out with new friends, Gregg and Jo on “Simpatico”, who were in the Bahamas this season but we had just met while anchored in Daytona Beach. They’re a lively couple from Nebraska and we enjoyed talking all things cruising and which boats are mutual friends.

Overall, St. Augustine is a city filled with rich Spanish history and was a great way to wrap up our sail through Florida.

Category: Boat Life, Cooking, Cruising, Florida, Friends, Galley, Resources 2 Comments

Visiting Friends in Florida

Sunday, June 05th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

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.

Kaleo resting in Vero Beach

After getting Kaleo secured and packed up for our week ashore we:

Visited with cruising friends from the Bahamas, Jan and Karl of “White Pepper”, who happened to also be our mooring neighbor in Vero Beach. They were kind enough to ferry us from ship to shore so we could leave our dinghy onboard and watch Kaleo while we were gone for the week.
Returned the favors by driving them in our rental to a nearby boat yard to snap insurance photos of their friends’ boat. Cruisers truly take care of one another.
Made our way down to Cooper City, a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, to stay with Ted and Mili (of “Morning Glory”), in their beautiful land home where they welcomed us like family
Celebrated Memorial Day weekend pool party style at Aunt Bev’s (Ted’s sister) and had a blast meeting their family, swimming and dining on BBQ ribs and chicken

Memorial Day BBQ Party

Toured Ft. Lauderdale with Ted, Mili, and Bonnie (their youngest daughter) and hit up stateside favorites like Target, TJ Maxx, and West Marine. Thanks for showing us around town!
Stopped into a salon for the captain’s first haircut since leaving the country over six months ago

Ready for a little trim

Tuned into their wise counsel as we contemplate our next steps and life back in the states

“Morning Glory” and “Kaleo”

Feasted on an epic Surf ‘n’ Turf dinner at Chateau Cook, played Mexican Train (our signature entertainment), and watched game 1 of the Mavs/Heat finals as a sendoff before Ted and Mili head north on “Morning Glory”

Mexican Train!

Drove to Pompano Beach on Wednesday evening to stay with Sean and Erica, longtime friends from Dallas who now live in Florida

Visiting Erica and Sean! Wish we had a group pic from dinner.

Dined at the hip Rocco’s Tacos with the Bakers (unbelievable margs, fresh tableside guac, seafood entrees!) and toured A1A Beachfront Avenue in the evening lights
Raided the local Target, Fresh Market, and Walmart to fully reprovision
Checked out the beach and A1A in the daylight on a trip to Bluewater Charts and Books to pick up Skipper Bob’s East Coast Guide
More dining, this time at Greek Island Taverna with the Bakers and stayed up late visiting (on a school night for Sean and Erica)
Raced back to Vero Beach to return the rental car on time while managing to pick up a whole new house battery bank for “Kaleo”. Whew.
Stopped by “White Pepper” to say hello, thank you and farewell-for-now as they were heading north early the next morning.
Joined Ted and Mili for dinner and Mexican Train as they had pulled in to Vero for the night on their transit north. (It felt like months since we’d seen them but writing this we realize that it was only a couple of days).
Spent Saturday touring Vero Beach by way of their free well-kept, air-conditioned bus system. Enjoyed sushi lunch at Siam Orchid and a movie on the big screen (our first since December).

Venturing along Vero Beach

Vero Beach

Organized and packed all the groceries and supplies into the cavernous storage compartments on “Kaleo” and prepped to head north in the morning
Started Sunday with a Lifechurch.tv service, “I Quit Comparing“, before getting underway for our next anchorage on the Banana River.

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

Category: Boat Life, Cruising, Florida, Friends, Maintenance, Provisioning One Comment

Bahamas to Florida Passage Timeline

Saturday, May 28th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

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.

Kaleo pointed toward the homeland

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.

Fishing false alarm with a barracuda on the hook

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.

Casting message in a bottle #1

Tossing over message in a bottle #2

10:30 – Matt lowers our tattered and torn Bahamian flag as we sail back into U.S. waters.

Kaleo has seen many Bahamian isles under this flag

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.

Welcomed under double rainbow

And escorted in by playful friends

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.

1st stateside dinner, classic Pizza Margherita

A clean Kaleo resting after returning us safely stateside

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.

Category: Bahamas, Cruising, Florida, Passage, Sailing 2 Comments

Celebrating in Green Turtle

Thursday, May 26th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

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.

Birthday wheels to tour the island

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.

Decorating our dollar bills to hang in the Yacht Club Pub

Neighboring bills in the Green Turtle Yacht Club Pub

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.

Birthday morning treasures for the captain

Birthday treasures from our little friends, Owen & Ana aboard “Honu Lele”

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.

New Plymouth Settlement on Green Turtle Cay

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.

Checking out Ye Olde Jail

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos

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.

Master ship modeler Vert Lowe’s model ship shoppe behind his home

Listening to the grand stories from Master ship modeler Vert Lowe

Admiring the craftsmanship

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.

Trail to Gillam Bay Beach

Gillam Bay Beach

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.

Birthday celebrating at the Leeward Yacht Club & Marina

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

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Friends, Green Turtle One Comment

Treasure Cay

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

We sailed into the protected yacht basin of Treasure Cay, Abaco on Sunday afternoon and dropped the hook in calm emerald waters as turtles peeked above the water to check out their new neighbors.

Sailing from Great Guana to Treasure Cay

Monday morning we sauntering around the small resort-style village, stopping into a very well-stocked grocery store and small bakery before heading for the beach.

Treasure Cay Marina

From the deck of Coco’s Beach Bar we stepped down onto a seemingly endless crescent beach that is unrivaled in the Abacos and easily one of the top five beaches we’ve seen on this trip. Powdery white sand beckoned us down to azure waters that stretched into the horizon. There we drifted along the shoreline in conversation and discovery of tiny sand dollars dotting the tide line.

Playing on the beach

After playing at the beach, we returned to Coco’s for lunch and met back up with some fellow Kemah cruisers aboard “Stray Cat” who recommended frosty mango daiquiris to compliment our cracked conch and grouper sandwich.

Just after a mid-day siesta, our favorite cruising family from Austin joined us at the beach and the boys spent the rest of the afternoon digging a sand fort while the gals floated in the ocean.

Lounging under a Tiki Hut overlooking The Sea of Abaco

A dip in the marina’s freshwater pool, long land showers and a glass of wine over sunset wrapped up our evening.

Tuesday we woke up with a healthy to-do list and a full day of plans. Before we could head to Coco’s traditional Tuesday night beach bonfire and BBQ, we needed to knock out some boat chores to start preparing for our crossing back to the states. We topped off fuel and water, though making water should hardly count as a chore since installing the Cruise RO watermaker. While the CruiseRO made a quick 75 gallons of water, Matt refueled the boat and jerry jugs, then cleaned the bottom.

For our non-boating friends, “cleaning the bottom” means donning snorkel gear and grabbing a 4″ wide plastic paint scraper to remove all the fuzzy marine life that grows on the underwater part of the hull. After two and half hours of methodically scraping every inch, Matt had cleansed “Kaleo” of her slimy beard. With the fresh “shave”, she should glide through the water a little faster and look better while at it.

After chores were wrapped up it was off to “Honu Lele” for appetizers before heading into the beach BBQ. Though the landscape was a bit different, the BBQ style was straight out of Texas. Oil drum barrels cut in half hosted bellies full of charcoal briquets that roasted ribs, jerk chicken and pork, steaks, burgers and hot dogs. After overindulging on the medley of meats and sides and sipping a few mango daiquiris, it was time for the live music.

“Kaleo” and “Honu Lele” at Coco’s Beach Bar & Grill

Matt dancin’ it up in a game of adult musical chairs

To bring the dance floor to life the DJ and singer launched a game of adult musical chairs. Games set to some local live music? Matt was immediately front and center. With the crowd rolling at the antics, Matt was the third to last person standing before he was outpaced by a local for the chair he was eyeing. Other than a break to watch the bonfire be lit, we all danced to a varied playlist of favorites from Rake ‘n’ Scrape to “YMCA” to “New York, New York.” We lived the night up, finally laughing and dancing our full bellies back to our boats to get some rest.

Ms. Florance making breakfast in her cafe

Wednesday morning we were out and about early to enjoy Ms. Florance’s must-have warm cinnamon rolls before setting sail for Green Turtle Cay. We’re slowly savoring our last week in the Abacos as each new destination brings us closer to our crossing back to the states. What a ride!

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Friends, Treasure Cay 4 Comments

Great Guana Cay

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Since Thursday we’ve been enjoying the beaches of Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas.

Poolside at Nipper’s

With Kaleo secured in Fisher’s Bay, it was a short walk into the settlement. Located at the center of the Abacos Islands, Great Guana Cay features miles of pristine white beaches and is home to the legendary Nipper’s Beach Bar and Restaurant, perched on a forty-foot sand dune, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Nipper’s overlooking the Atlantic

Nipper’s is a cruising crossroad with visitors from around the world stopping in for the view, pools, lively conversation and frosty signature drinks. Another draw to Nipper’s is its close proximity, just a few stair steps away to the world’s 3rd largest Barrier reef that can be reached by swimming right off the shore.

Matt doin’ a little island farming on the way to Nipper’s

Enjoying a signature Nipper

Friday, we headed to Nipper’s to make a day of the beach, pool, and restaurant. Surprisingly uncrowded, we had our pick of a “dune front” table overlooking the Atlantic where we spent lunchtime enjoying grilled Mahi ceasar salad, a chicken Waldorf Salad wrap, signature Nippers and visiting with fellow cruisers. We spent the heat of the afternoon swimming in the ocean before heading back up to lounge poolside.

Swimming in the Atlantic at Great Guana Cay

Enjoying the Abacos

While at the pool, we met a family vacationing on the island that we would soon learn we have a lot in common with. Their daughter and son-in-law (our age) live in Dallas, not far from where our townhouse was in Lakewood. Christie also went to the University of Texas at the same time as their son-in-law AND their son is a copywriter at an ad agency in North Carolina with a guy Matt used to work closely with at The Richards Group. Small world.

And to add to the camaraderie, our friends from “Honu Lele” walked up the path to the pools at about the same time. With so many great people hanging around, we tabled our plans to sail to Treasure Cay that day and stayed another night in Great Guana to continue the fun well into the evening.

“Honu Lele” dancing the night away

We returned to the beach on Saturday afternoon to meet up with Honu Lele and to snorkel the Great Abaco Barrier Reef. An easy swim out brings you atop a well-developed reef system that starts less than fifty feet from shore, and rises from a depth of about forty feet to within inches of the surface.

Diving the world’s 3rd largest Barrier reef

Tossing the football with “Honu Lele”

Amidst swimming, snorkeling and sunning we made plans for a taco dinner aboard “Honu Lele”. On the way back to our boats in Fisher’s Bay, we all stopped into Grabbers, the other beach bar and grill on the island, for snack time appetizers and a dip into their pool before returning to “Kaleo” to cook up our contributions for the Mexican Fiesta dinner.

Aboard “Honu Lele”, we dined on ground turkey and pulled chicken tacos and sipped Mojitos in the cool breeze. After a radiant sunset, the kids brought out glowsticks to light up the night and Sheri baked delicious chocolate chip cookies. We laughed over the light show performance in the cockpit and indulged in the warm cookie treats.

Our neighborhood from the porch of the dinghy dock

Sunday we watched an excellent Lifechurch.tv message titled, “I Quit Living in Fear” and lazily prepped the boat to head for Treasure Cay. After sailing off the anchor, we drifted by and briefly visited with our friends aboard “Fishhead” who had just arrived to explore Great Guana. We waved good-bye to them with plans of our courses crossing again in Green Turtle in a few days and to “Honu Lele” with plans to meet back up in “Treasure Cay” the next day.

N 26° 39.99 / W 77° 07.10

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Cruising, Friends, Great Guana Cay, Sailing One Comment

Peaceful Man-O-War

Thursday, May 19th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

We’ve been livin’ it up marina-style over the past couple of days on Man-O-War Cay.

Dock & Dine Restaurant at Man-O-War Marina

Man-O-War Marina was offering a special dockage rate of two nights for the price of one, a deal that fit it perfectly into our anniversary week celebration. Deep water with easy access into the slips, beautiful freshwater pool overlooking the marina, clean spacious shower facilities, well-kept laundry room, on-site Dock & Dine Restaurant … done deal. Bonus: Within minutes of securing our docklines, a young cruising family hailing from Austin, Texas that we briefly met in Marsh Harbour, pulled into the slip next to us.

Texan neighbors in the Abacos

With plans to meet up later, we set off to explore this quiet, picturesque settlement. Home to Abaco’s finest boat builders, and to the famous Albury’s Sail Shop tote bags, Man-O-War (named after the bird) retains strong influences of its Puritan past. Full of hardworking, Christ-centered residents, the streets and homes are immaculate and the island is “dry” (though we were allowed to bring our own dinner wine to the restaurant).

Hand-built Albury sailing skiff

Albury’s Sail Shop and Studio

Yes He is!

We spent the afternoon winding our way through golf-cart-sized streets, stopping into local shops and boat yards, over the hill of the island and past a baseball field with the best view of a peaceful Atlantic-side beach. After the tour of the town and a stroll on the beach, we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in and around the marina pool.

Lounging poolside at the marina

Freshwater swimming

Tuesday evening we hung out with our new friends aboard “Honu Lele“. Their cruise began out of Kemah not long after ours, so we enjoyed laughs over shared situations and favorite stops along the way. We shared many treasures between our boats. From us, sea beans and an empty bottle for the kids to create a message in a bottle. From them, freshly caught Blackfin tuna sushi for dinner. It was incredible! Thanks Scott.

The next morning, we met two missionaries who were on the island for a conference hosted at New Life Bible Church. They invited us to come by for lunch and meet the other missionaries who were in for the conference. We had plans to drop off Fellowship Church Elevate Kids materials at the church anyhow so our visit worked out perfectly. We were able to share several sets with not only the church in Man-O-War, but with the far reaching hands of the missionaries who were attending the conference.

Later that afternoon, we hung out at the pool and then took advantage of long showers before having dinner at Dock & Dine with the crew from “Honu Lele”.

Dinner with “Honu Lele” at Dock & Dine

Dinner turned into a gathering aboard Kaleo where we visited and gave the kids sailing books we had on board for just such an occasion.

Thursday we awoke to a dreary sky but the morning was brightened by gifts from the kids on Honu Lele. Their daughter made Christie an anklet with a seashell and beads and both kids shared a couple of their pristine white sand dollars for our collection.

Thanks for the stylin’ shell anklet, Anna!

Just before lunch we untied the docklines and headed for our next island destination of Great Guana Cay. Shortly after leaving and right after unfurling the jib, it started pouring rain and we had a short but soggy motor sail over to Great Guana. The weather cleared as we picked up a mooring and we set off to explore this new-to-us cay.

N 26° 35.70 / W 77° 00.34

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Great Guana Cay, Man-O-War Leave a Comment

Hope Town Harbour

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

We spent the beginning of this week celebrating our second anniversary in the quaint village of Hope Town on the beautiful island of Elbow Cay,a boomerang-shaped barrier to the mainland of Abaco in the Bahamas.

Kaleo resting in Hope Town Harbour

With Kaleo secured on a mooring ball in Hope Town Harbour, we dinghied over to the lighthouse dock and climbed 101 spiraling stairs up to the top. After crouching through the Alice In Wonderland-sized doorway leading out the observation deck, we were greeted by a breathtaking, 360° view of the deep blue Atlantic ocean, the turquoise and green Sea of Abaco and the lush cays dotting its surface.

Elbow Reef Lighthouse

Probably the most recognizable landmark in Abaco, the Elbow Reef Lighthouse was built in 1862 and is one of only two manually-operated kerosene-fueled lighthouses left in the world. Towering at about 120 feet tall, its light can be seen from 23 nautical miles away. And every two hours each night the lighthouse keeper must climb to the top to hand crank the weight and pulley systems that maintains a sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds. Click here to take your own video tour up through the lighthouse courtesy of a fellow Hope Town visitor.

Towering at 120 feet tall, its light can be seen from 23 nautical miles away.

Looking out over Hope Town Harbour from inside the Elbow Reef Lighthouse.

Crossing out of the lighthouse chamber onto the outer observation deck.

Enjoying the view of Hope Town Harbour from the top of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse.

After taking in the gorgeous views, we returned to our dinghy and putted over to the town side of the harbor. There, we strolled the narrow, flower-lined streets past brightly decorated cottages and into small (air-conditioned) gift shops. Naturally, after spotting the ice cream shop, we stopped for a cone of “Carmelicious” and to take refuge from the heat of the day.

Hope Town Harbour Lodge overlooking the Atlantic

Overlooking the Atlantic from the patio of Hope Town Harbour Lodge.

Later that evening, we dinghied to the waterfront deck of Harbour’s Edge Restaurant and chose a cozy table overlooking Kaleo resting in the harbour with the lighthouse stately standing in the skyline behind.

Harbour’s Edge Restaurant

We treated ourselves to a dinner of lobster and BBQ ribs with a variety of classic Bahamian sides and then ventured over to another recommended restaurant’s deck, Capt’n Jack’s, for an after-dinner drink and a decadent piece of silk chocolate pie.

Under the light of a radiant full moon, we motored back to Kaleo with gratitude for such an adventurous year of marriage and excitement for what the next year will bring.

N 26° 32.22 / W 76° 57.55

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising One Comment

Eleuthera to the Abacos

Sunday, May 15th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Over the past week we’ve made the jump from Eleuthera to the Abacos enjoying the company of fellow cruisers on the same route.

Dinner aboard “Fishhead”

Tuesday evening we staged in Royal Island Harbour to make the 55 mile jump north to the Abacos. While there we enjoyed a feast hosted by Cindy and Michael of “Fishhead” and were joined by Sherry and Wayne from “Wine Down”. A full roasted chicken dinner with a multitude of sides filled the cockpit with hunger-inducing aromas.

“Guiding Light” also happened to be staging in Royal Island for a trip to Nassau. Delighted and surprised to see Shane and his guest Micheal, we stopped by after dinner to catch up on all their adventures since we last saw “GL” at Rum Cay.

Wednesday we had a long and somewhat uneventful motor sail toward the Abacos. That is until we were about a half mile from the Little Harbour cut entrance into the Abacos. We saw a rainstorm on the way and prepared the boat but were welcomed with a 40 knot squall. Within 15 minutes the wind escalated from a mere 10 knots SW to a raging 40 knots N. Since the wind was simply too powerful on our nose to make headway in, we turned the boat around and ran downwind until it passed over us. About 15 minutes later, we turned back around, raised the sails and continued on our way. As Captain Ron says, “It’s just a little squall. They come on you fast and leave you fast.”

Entering Little Harbour in a 40 knot squall

The following day we anchored off of Tilloo Cay and had “Fishhead” aboard for a spaghetti dinner. As it was Michael’s birthday, Cindy baked a celebratory banana cream pie for us all to enjoy. Thanks for having your birthday dinner aboard Kaleo, Michael!

From Tilloo, we sailed into the “big city” of Marsh Harbour, the hub of the Abacos. We were able to get laundry done and more importantly, met up with “White Pepper” whom we met at boat church back in George Town. We also bumped into “Mango Groove”, a really lovely and fun cruising family we met in GT.

The giant Maxwell’s grocery store

On Saturday morning we did chores with “White Pepper” by walking to the bakery for fresh coconut bread, to the bank for the ATM, and to the grocery store. A grocery store is an understatement after months of cruising the lightly-stocked markets of the Exumas. With a parking lot the size of Costco and the actual need for a shopping cart, Maxwell’s is the equivalent to a full-sized Publix or Kroger. We bought fresh fruit and veggies, organic pasta, chips, salsa, cereal and even a watermelon. The only very minor downside was that Matt had to tote the watermelon in our backpack back to the boat.

Hanging with some mermaids

Later Saturday afternoon, we set out to check out the 1st Annual “T’ings Bahamian Craft Show”. With cold Kaliks and crispy conch fritters in hand we browsed tents filled with a variety of artisan crafts such as sea glass jewelry, local paintings, Androsia fabric purses, and mirrors framed in shells. I found a really fun bright orange Androsia catch-all bag that was perfect for helping relieve Matt’s pockets of our camera and water bottle.

1st Annual “T’ings Bahamian Craft Show” in Abaco Town

Amidst the live Bahamian music, ten contestants from “Miss Teen Abaco” paraded through the show introducing themselves along with the islands they represent and then modeled some of the local wares for sale.

“Miss Teen Abaco” contestants

Later, “White Pepper” joined us for watermelon aboard and then we all headed into Snappa’s for happy hour. As the evening settled in, “Fishhead” joined us at Snappa’s for dinner and we relished mouthwatering grilled Mahi-Mahi with caesar salad and baked potato.

Entering Hope Town, Abaco

Kicking back during our first Hope Town sunset

On Sunday we wrapped up our time in Marsh Harbour by watching a LifeChurch.tv service and then motor sailed over to the beautiful Hope Town to kick off our anniversary week!

N 26° 32.84 / W 77° 03.37

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Eleuthera, Friends, Weather 4 Comments

Harbour Island, The Nantucket of the Caribbean

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Harbour Island is located just off the tip of Eleuthera and is home to a colorful New England-style community and a world renowned pink sand beach stretching over three miles across the entire length of its eastern shore.

From Spanish Wells, the only way for Kaleo to reach this alluring island would be by traversing a treacherous and twisting route through coral reefs and shallow banks known as “The Devil’s Backbone.” Some boaters take the risk, others hire a local pilot to come aboard to drive them through, and many leave their boats in Spanish Wells and hop aboard a fast ferry for a trip over. Since hiring a guide is about the same price as two roundtrip tickets on the fast ferry and the ferry being less than a quarter of the time to get across (45 min. vs. 4 hours), we opted to hop aboard, kick back and let someone else be the captain for the day.

So, Tuesday morning we boarded “Bo Hengy II”, a giant 396 passenger catamaran, for an exhilarating ride through the Devil’s Backbone. Looking down from the towering top deck, we felt the boat almost lift out of the water as it lunged for its course. The captain expertly jetted through the backbone at upwards of 35 knots! as we could feel the slight maneuvers and see the unusual course he took. At one point, we hugged the shoreline so closely that we could have tossed our own message in a bottle right onto the beach.

After docking, we hopped off and headed up picturesque flower-lined streets eventually bound for the famous pink sand beach. Meandering through a maze of brightly colored cottages, shops and restaurants, we noted how built up and polished this island is compared to the rest of the Bahamas.

Soon enough we found ourselves traipsing down a sandy path that opened up to the powdery soft pink sand beach. A few visitors lounged in nearby chairs and the surf rhythmically lapped up on the beach. The pink beach was, as claimed, not a bright pink, but a gentle hue made up of bits of coral and broken shells.

After walking along the beach, we made our way up an inviting staircase to explore the grounds of the Pink Sands Hotel, a gorgeous beachside campus with bungalows, pools and two highly-recommended restaurants. The menu and the view from one, the Blue Bar, was enough to convince us that we should come back to enjoy lunch overlooking the ocean.

We spent the next few hours wandering the paths and small streets crisscrossing the village to see more quaint villas, the local all-age school, and “Uncle Ralph’s Aura Corner” where dozens of foreign license plates and signs have been hung by island visitors. Back at Blue Bar, we chose a quiet corner table shaded by sky blue shutters and cooled by the cresting ocean breeze. First up were a frozen mango daiquiri for the admiral and a Heineken for the captain. Soon to follow were 1) Blue Bar’s famous fish tacos with seasoned local Mahi, cabbage slaw, fresh guacamole, pico de gall salsa, and fresh fruit and 2) blackened red snapper served alongside crisp Arugula salad filled with sweet peppers, tomatoes, and red onions with a lemon vinaigrette. It was one of the most mouthwatering meals we’ve had in a long time and was capped with the traditional Bahamian dessert of Guava Duff (a guava flavored plum pudding in a rolled pastry and drizzled with a brandy sauce).

Fighting a strong urge for a beachside nap, we strolled the pink sands to the far end then winded our way through local neighborhoods. We casually drifted along the waterfront street, admiring island founder’s original homes and the local conch bars as we made our way to the ferry dock.

Often times, people ask us where they should vacation in the Bahamas. Until now, it’s been difficult to pinpoint a particular island as we traveled here in our floating home and have no experience with the local hotels. Harbour Island is now our recommended destination for those seeking a comfortable, restful stay in the beautiful Bahamas. It offers a Bahamian experience among luxurious hotels and bungalows that many people want when going on a beach vacation. Harbour Island has superb dining, beautiful beaches, local flavor and easy airport access.

We would have liked to experience more of Eleuthera but are grateful for our stay in Spanish Wells and Harbour Island. Next stop … The Abacos!

Category: Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Eleuthera, Harbour Island Leave a Comment

A Clear Shot to Spanish Wells

Monday, May 09th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Saturday marked the first time in a long time that we were sailing somewhere as a fleet of one.

Kaleo and crew’s shadow on the ocean floor

Having left “SYL” in Hawksbill, we headed to Ship Channel Cay, a long rock in the northern tip of the Exumas. It was a 20 mile motor sail up to a wide open spot of shallow sand on the ocean floor where we set the hook. In front of us was the low-lying rocks of the cay and behind us open ocean. There wasn’t another boat to be seen, further proving we were in transition between the cruising grounds of the Exumas and Eleuthera.

Taking in the fresh air and clear water

After a short swim and quick dinner, we spotted a yellowfin tuna hanging around the boat. It seemed to be attracted to the spaghetti scraps we had thrown overboard. And, always looking to fill the freezer, we baited a hook with a small meatball and tossed the line over. Moments later it went taunt as the tuna swam away unspooling yards of line from the reel. After a brief tug of war on the line, we had the large tuna right up to the boat. With gaff hook in hand (a large hooked pole used to pull a fish onboard) it bit clear through the wire leader on the line and escaped to freedom. It returned soon thereafter, much wiser to our fishing attempt, and circled us (possibly in mockery) waiting for another course in its dinner.

Just before sunset, we were treated to a figurine-sized fireworks show on the clear ocean’s horizon from the Atlantis Resort in Nassau almost 40 miles away. Over the distance, the colorful explosions looked about the size of a quarter and the boom made its way rumbling across the water to us about a minute later.

Backyard sunset over the Tongue of the Ocean

At sunrise on Sunday, with the wind gauge reading 0.0 knots, we motored for Eleuthera cutting through the ocean’s glassy surface along our way.

The trade-off for no wind was the spectacular and unique view down to the ocean floor at depths up to 50 and 60 feet. With no wind to create ripples or waves, we felt like a toy boat being pushed along an aquarium’s surface as we peered overboard to take in the magic of the exposed sea world below. Within it, we caught glimpses of radiant starfish resting against the white sand, colossal-sized sea turtles lazily cruising by, sea cucumbers vegging in their ocean gardens, and our lone sailboat’s shadow clearly trailing our progress.

By late afternoon we sailed into Royal Island Harbour in northern Eleuthera and set our anchor in a protected cove for a good night’s rest.

Kaleo amongst neighbors in Spanish Wells

Spanish Wells, Eleuthera

Monday morning we moved Kaleo a few miles over to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera to grab a mooring ball and to meander about the town. Spanish Wells is quaint well-kept settlement with many boat yards and an industrious waterfront. It’s also the stopping place for the Bahamas Fast Ferry, which we planned to take to Harbour Island the next day.

N 25° 30.90 / W 76° 50.72

Category: Bahamas, Cruising, Eleuthera, Exumas Leave a Comment

Returning Through The Exumas

Saturday, May 07th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

The past week has been punctuated by the sweetness of revisiting some of our favorite Bahamian islands and the inevitable departure of good friends.

The sands of Hawksbill beach

Over the past week, we’ve:

Sailed with “SYL” up to Little Farmers Cay and met back up with “Morning Glory.” We hiked across the island to walk along the Atlantic beaches, went to boat church and explored Oven Rock Cave.
Set the hook at Castle Beach near Black Point, where we first met “Morning Glory” a few months ago. Ranking as one of our top anchorages on the trip, we swam off the back of “SYL”, snorkeled and spearfished the nearby rock walls and conversed well into the night over highlights of the trip so far.
Docked for the day at Regatta Point in Black Point to do laundry and visit Lorraine’s cafe for Internet, home-baked bread and above all, her famous cracked conch.
Glided up to Staniel Cay on Thursday for groceries and more snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto. It was just as spectacular as before but this time the water was much warmer. In the afternoon we moved the big boats over to pig beach at Big Majors Cay to anchor for the night and see our grunting swimming friends one more time.

A colorful reef fish in Thunderball Groto

These folks didn’t know the pigs were hoping for a dinghy ride

Hugged goodbyes with “Morning Glory” as Friday made their departure for Florida.
Sailed with “SYL” up to Hawksbill Cay as Rusty radioed sail trim tips over to Matt. He was ecstatic at having Kaleo sailing so sweetly and grateful for Rusty’s advice.

Marveled at the most magnificent oceanside beach we’ve seen yet. A long hot hike over Hawksbill led us to a vista overlooking electrifying turquoise water with a powdery white sand beach that can not be done justice through pictures or words. Rusty even found a message in a bottle from a 5-year-old Bahamian boy named Truman. That’s two message in a bottles found on this trip so far!

The crescent beach at Hawksbill Cay

Reminisced with “SYL” about first meeting them one cold November day back in Kemah. Over dinner and Mexican Train we laughed at all the trials “SYL” encouraged us through as we made our way down the Gulf Coast, Bahamas bound.
Motored away from “SYL” on Saturday morning as we made our way north for Spanish Wells, Eluthera and The Abacos.

Overall, it was an enjoyable way to wrap up our time cruising throughout the Exumas. And while we will dearly miss “SYL” and “MG”, plans to meet back up while cruising the east coast have already been discussed.

Category: Bahamas, Black Point Settlement, Boat Life, Cruising, Exumas, Friends, Hawksbill Cay, Little Farmers Cay, Sailing 3 Comments

Kaleo Has Been Newly Salted

Wednesday, May 04th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Newly Salted is a project created by fellow cruiser, Livia Gilstrap to showcase a series of interviews with cruisers who’ve been out less than two years. She reached out to us to answer a few questions about our journey so far and we were happy to participate, especially given all that we’ve learned from more seasoned cruisers sharing their stories on the companion site, Interview with a Cruiser.

A quick background:

Matt was born in San Diego and spent his formative years feeding cattle and mucking stalls on the family farm in northern Idaho. After graduating college Matt migrated south to Dallas to start his career in advertising. Where as fate would have it, he met an explorer like himself and that’s where this story truly began.

Christie grew up in a small town near Houston, Texas where she discovered big dreams and a lot of spirit can take you pretty much anywhere. Following grad school, Christie immersed herself in exploring other cultures by traveling worldwide. After which she landed in Dallas to start her career in advertising. Where as fate would have it, she met an explorer like herself and that’s where this story truly began.

Along the way they fell in love with each other and with sailing through adventures aboard a little Fireball Skiff, a week aboard friends’ cruising boat in the Chesapeake, and as part of a local race team. Soon thereafter they bought Kaleo, a 1984 Aloha 34, with a dream of cruising and were married 2009.

Early last November they took sabbaticals, cast off the dock lines and cruised down the Gulf Coast bound for somewhere warm and tropical.

Kaleo has since carried them across the Gulf Stream, throughout the Bahamas and as far south as the remote Jumentos islands. You can read more about their travels and contact them on their website.

What did you do to make your dream a reality?
We woke up and went for it. The fastest way to make any dream happen is to take action. So we started turning “what ifs” into “what’s next”. We made a plan, set dates, worked hard, made sacrifices and celebrated along the way.

Our advice for any dreamer (unless you’re independently wealthy) is to get your finances in order. Before we were married, we lived like most people, with some debt and no significant financial plan. Regardless of going sailing or not, neither of us were content with our financial situation. So, we changed that by following the financial principles laid out in the Bible which were made easier by using Crown Mvelopes Software. The biblical principles helped us pay off all debt, empowered us to be more generous with what He has provided and save enough to live this dream.

Why cruising now?
The notion of breaking free, living simply and exploring the world in our floating home captured our imaginations. Since we decided to go now, we haven’t had time to acquire much. In fact, that’s part of the point of this adventure, being liberated from stuff and free to enjoy experiences and life at a different pace.

What’s cruising been like for you so far?
Christie :
It’s humbling and exhilarating. Incredible and intense. Vivid and scary. It’s punctuated by exceptional highs and lows and all very real. It is not easy. And it is not for everyone, but we’re grateful to be experiencing it.

Matt:
I guess with a dream you tend to only envision the good parts. But cruising is just like living any lifestyle. There is a balance of good and bad. The boat doesn’t magically fix itself and the wind isn’t always blowing the direction you want. But the feeling of actually living something you’ve dreamed of makes the challenges worth it.

What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising?
That there will be days that your heart melts at how much you miss the presence of family and friends but that your heart will be equally filled with the joy of new experiences and connected with amazing people along your journeys that will touch your lives forever. Bonus is that Skype will bridge the miles to loved ones while you’re taking in these new adventures.

What do you miss about living on land?
– Family and friends
– Our home church
– Our own washer, dryer and dishwasher
– Instant connectivity
– Access to organic, fresh produce

Tell me your favorite thing about your boat?
Christie:
How we’ve made it our home. All the little modifications that make it as livable as it is functional. From adding a large double sink with modern home-like faucets in the galley and refinishing the head countertop with granite to resting more soundly on a custom v-berth mattress and sheets.

Matt:
Kaleo is very forgiving. From running aground to having up too much sail. No matter the situation she gets us through it despite our steep learning curve.

What are some of your favorite pieces of gear on your boat and why?
Christie:
– Bullet 2HP WiFi booster – Internet access on the boat when there are unlocked signals within about five miles
– Honda Generator Eu2000i – nearly as much shoreside power without having to be shoreside
– Cruise RO 20 GPH watermaker – more leisurely showers as often as we’d like, no worries when the tattletale water pump kicks on
– Lavac electric toilet – no looking, pumping or flipping a valve from wet to dry bowl. Just lowering the lid and pressing a button takes the guesswork and campingness out of going to the bathroom.
– Adventure Medical Marine 1000 Kit – the ideal cruisers’ first aid kit designed for short offshore adventures. Well stocked to tend to the crew if medical care is 12 – 24 hours away.

Matt:
– Autopilot – other than anchoring or docking, R2-D2 pretty much pilots us everywhere
– SSB receiver – thanks to this and Chris Parker, what to expect for weather is rarely a question
– Handheld VHF radio – in the cockpit, in the dinghy, on the bow or ashore, this is like a cruiser’s cell phone
– Forespar Dinghy Motor Crane – I can’t imagine having to lift the dinghy motor up on the rail each time without the help of this device
– Cruise RO 20 GPH watermaker – freedom from the dreaded blue jerry jugs

What are some little things that made a big difference in your cruising experience?
Albeit not critical gear for cruising, these are a few things that we didn’t know to bring when we tossed the docklines but got as we were underway.
– Waterproof backpack – great for packing a change of clothes or the laptop on a wet dinghy ride
– Platypus PlusBottle – great for toting water on the go. It clips on a backpack and rolls down when it’s empty
– Lookie Bucket – a clear bottom bucket used for checking the anchor or looking at reefs without getting wet
– Hawaiian sling – a slingshot type of device used for spearfishing
– Clear dome umbrella – an easy way to stay dry on a wet dinghy ride while still being able to see in front of you
– Jump drive – for sharing photos and other resources with fellow cruisers
– MSR Packtowel Personal XL – Ultrasoft, compact, quick-drying and Anti-Microbial towel makes drying off easy in humid enviroments
– Smith Polarized Sunglasses – they look good and cut the glare on the water, making it easier to spot reefs and fish
– Canon Powershot D10 Waterproof Camera – known as the cruiser’s camera, it takes beautiful shots and stands up to the hard life of living in saltwater

What piece(s) of gear would you leave on the dock next time? Why?
Cape Horn Windvane – This is a superb piece of self-steering gear built for sailing around the world. Since we’re not crossing oceans during this cruising season, it’s underutilized and we could easily live without it.

How are you giving back to the communities you visit?
Kids have a big place in our heart. So, we’ve volunteered as tutors at a local all-age school and have taught kids’ church in the community. In addition, we connect with local churches to share resources that support children’s Christian growth. Our home church, Fellowship Church, donated DVD’s with lessons, songs, bible stories and kids’ gear for us to give out and so far they’ve been warmly received.

What are your plans now?
With hurricane season approaching, our route has taken us as far south as we will travel this season and we’ve now pointed the bow north. We plan to continue exploring the Bahamas until the end of May, then sail back across the Gulf Stream to Florida. But, we’re not ready to end our voyage just yet. From Florida, we’d like to sail up the east coast for a few months before stepping back into land life. And probably start planning our next cruise.

Category: Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Inspiration, Resources 6 Comments

National Family Island Regatta in GT

Saturday, April 30th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Tuesday marked our return to George Town for the 58th Annual National Family Island Regatta.

Racing for the windward course mark

The best sailors from every major island in the Bahamas converge to compete for the “Best in the Bahamas” title and a year’s worth of island pride.

The frenzied A Class starting line

Racers hiked out on the prye. Notice the name?

Criss-crossing the course

We’ve met many of the locally-built sloops’ crews and were cheering for the No. 5 boat from Long Island, “Running Tide” and the No. 18 boat from Black Point, “Red Stripe”! Along with these fiercely competitive races is a built-up Regatta Point with brightly-colored booths serving delicious local food, frosty rum drinks, and DJ’s pumping lively music, all Bahamas style!

Intently watching for No. 5

The Black Point favorite, “Red Stripe”. Go Lundy!

“Barbarian”, a little off course

A few of the days, we anchored Kaleo in the thick of the action near the finish line. It was close enough to Regatta Point that we could literally feel the music and smell the BBQ roasting. Hot and sunny afternoons were spent meandering through the huts at Regatta Point with throngs of Bahamians and the ever fun crews of “Storyville,” “Morning Glory,” “Pipe Muh Bligh” and “Palaola.”

A race boat heading out to the start line. Up close and personal with “Kaleo”

The market with hand-woven straw baskets and batik fabrics

The streets of Regatta Point

Que romantic race moment

In the evenings, we would move “Kaleo” to a more peaceful anchorage on the east side of the harbor and unwind from the frenetic but fun energy of locals still swaying to the music in George Town. Of course, we took advantage of the well-stocked Exuma Market, propane truck, bank and such before leaving the harbour.

Though planning to leave Friday morning, we ended up staying an extra day to catch a few more races and spend more time with Deana and Troy of “Storyville.” With heavy hearts, the time has come for us to take diverging routes but can’t thank them enough for all their friendship, advice and encouragement over the past several months. They have truly become part of our family on the water and we look forward to visiting them somewhere down island soon.

The crews of “Kaleo” and “Storyville”

With fond farewells we prepped “Kaleo” for an early Saturday morning departure bound for Little Farmer’s Cay.

N 23° 30.39 / W 75° 45.88

Category: "Texas Navy", Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Friends, George Town, Racing, Sailing Leave a Comment

Cruise RO 20 GPH Watermaker Up & Running

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Life aboard Kaleo has reached a new level of liberation.

Longer, more leisurely showers. Hair washing daily if we’d like. All fresh water dishwashing. Full rinse outs of snorkel gear, swimsuits and wetsuits. Fresh water deck and dinghy wash downs. And last but certainly not least, a less irked captain when the tattle-tale pressure water pump kicks on frequently.

All the SeaMaker 20 components ready for install

With the installation of our new Cruise RO watermaker, we’re now transforming seawater into our own fresh water. And a lot of it.

While we didn’t leave the dock with a watermaker, we quickly learned that having one meant the difference between camping and a more comfortable life aboard. The first half of our cruise involved carefully rationing our water use, jugging it aboard six gallons at a time and being dependent on marinas, local supply or friends with watermakers. Huge thanks to Storyville and Morning Glory for keeping us hydrated.

But not all watermakers are created equal. After much research we chose the Cruise RO model because:

It makes a lot of water, fast. While most 12 volt watermakers pump out 4-8 gallons per hour, the SeaMaker 20 far outpaces the competition by producing 20 GPH (they also have 30 and 45 GPH models).
It’s designed for cruisers by a cruiser. Rich Boren of s/v Third Day, who has cruised extensively with his family throughout Mexico, set out to create a high capacity unit within reach of the average cruiser. We can only imagine that having more than two people onboard might have been his single greatest source of inspiration for these high capacity units.
It doesn’t use proprietary parts. Meaning, everything for maintaining or repairing can be found at most local hardware stores leaving choice in the hands of the capable cruiser rather than forcing a single branded solution from a manufacturer. This transparency is a welcome countercurrent to the marine market which almost always limits choice and charges extra for it.
It’s powered by the cruiser-ubiquitous Honda 2000 generator. At 100 gallons of water for less than a gallon of gas, the Honda we already have onboard is a simple, fuel-efficient way to make a lot of water quickly.

Installation was fairly straightforward:

All of the components are separate, allowing them to be conveniently installed in different lockers within the boat.
The installation manual was detailed and easy to follow. The hardest part was determining where all the components would go. I was able to install the pre-filters and boost pump under the galley sink and the high-pressure pump and RO membrane under the quarter berth.

Test fitting the reverse osmosis membrane

Other than bolts, screws and wiring, the kit came with everything needed to install the unit, including extra plumbing fittings to plumb into our water tanks. A bonus since we did the install in a remote Bahamian anchorage with the nearest marine supply store several days away.
The color-coded plumbing uses very easy to connect fittings and included more than enough piping to run product water into Kaleo’s tanks.
Cruise RO includes a remote panel as a standard feature. Our control panel is mounted on the starboard side of the quarter berth and makes running and monitoring the unit far easier than having to access the lockers if we didn’t have the panel. Plus, for boat geeks, it looks really cool.

Back of the remote panel and instructions, easy to follow

The remote panel

Now every company claims customer service but often falls short when it’s time to deliver. When we received our unit, the high-pressure pump motor had a fault that wouldn’t allow it to start up from the Honda. After a quick phone call and a few emails, the guys at Cruise RO delivered on the customer service by having a new motor waiting in George Town, Bahamas before we could even get back there to pick it up. They were more dedicated to making the situation right than worrying about if I had done something wrong or incurring additional cost on their end.

For us, the greatest feature of having a watermaker is invaluable independence. But, the greatest feature of having a Cruise RO watermaker is independence from constantly running it. Producing 20 GPH means that we run the watermaker for about two to three hours, twice a week. Yes, even now with our new found liberal water usage. If we had a 12-volt watermaker, we’d need to run it four to five hours at least four times a week just to keep up with usage, let alone “stockpile.”

Our first round of water pouring into the sink

I didn’t include many technical details of the install in this post as most of the information can be found at the Cruise RO site but I’m happy to answer any questions about the unit itself, installation or our continued use of it.

Category: Boat Life, Cruise RO, Cruising, Gear, Watermaker 3 Comments

Easter Weekend in Thompson Bay

Monday, April 25th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

The flat calm of Thompson Bay was a welcome sight after having spent most of Thursday motoring up from the Jumentos at a wobbling pace slower than most people walk.

Long Island Breeze Resort

Exhausted and covered in salt, we anchored “Kaleo” just before the sky opened up with a boat cleansing rainstorm. We took the next day to recover, to catch-up with friends and family on Skype, and to enjoy being “back on the grid.”

On Saturday night Long Island Breeze, a local resort, hosted a pool and pizza party with an invite to the cruisers in the anchorage. Two of the two boats in the anchorage (“Kaleo” and “MG”) dinghied up the dock as the sound of tropical tunes floated from the pool deck.

All cleaned up for the party

While kicking back by the pool, enjoying conch fritters, rum drinks and pizza, we met a couple from Ohio. John and Penny live on Long Island six months out the year in a self-built house overlooking Thompson Bay. We became fast friends and were soon invited to visit their home during our stay.

Easter Sunday we walked to the church that we had attended a few weeks ago. During the opening announcements the paster mentioned that the day’s service would be seven hours long! He then shared that guests should not feel obligated to stay for the entire service but could if they felt led to do so. After two hours, we quietly excused ourselves back to our boats but had to commend their dedication.

Easter Dinner aboard “Morning Glory”

Easter Dinner

The gals planned and prepared a celebratory Easter dinner of deviled eggs, tomatoes in olive oil, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and Christie’s homemade chocolate chip cookies (lovin’ the new Betty on board). With tummy’s full, we lounged around and played a game of Mexican Train. During one particularly quiet moment, the VHF crackled to life with a familiar and welcome voice, “Kaleo, Kaleo, this is Sea Yawl Later.”

Ted and Mili had spoken to them the night before by cell phone and told us of their plans to try and make it to Thompson Bay for Easter but it wasn’t a definite. “SYL, this is Kaleo, wanna go 18?” “18 Copy.” We switched the radio channel to 18 with excitement. The VHF only has a range of 25 miles, meaning that “SYL” was somewhere within 25 miles of us.

Matt: “Hey Rusty, where are ya’ll?”

Rusty: “We’re at Comer West (a GPS waypoint we all know from our charts), trying to decide between going straight for George Town or bashing into the headwinds to come your way.”

Matt: “Well I understand not wanting to bash into the wind, it wasn’t fun for us. But … if you decide to come on over, we have plenty of Easter dinner and warm chocolate chip cookies.”

Rusty: “See you in a few hours.”

Matt: (With a cheer in the background from everyone else) “Alright! We’re looking forward to it. Holler if you need anything in the meantime. Kaleo back to 16”

Rusty: “Back to 16”

Another round of Mexican train, a trip back to the boats to clean up and before we knew it, “SYL” was anchored off our port side. Everyone quickly gathered aboard “MG” for a reunion dinner where we swapped stories until well into the evening.

Monday came with gray clouds and a day of off and on rain. We timed a break in between showers to visit our new Long Islander friends, John and Penny. They opened their incredible home to us as we took in their breathtaking view of Thompson Bay and learned more about living on Long Island.

Later that evening, upbeat Bahamian music drifted curiously over the water to our boats which reminded us of the Easter Monday festival at the nearby Regatta Point. Within minutes, we were on our way to join the occasion. Our ears were filled with dance-worthy Bahamian tunes, our eyes with local Long Islanders enjoying themselves, and our noses with the savory smells of chicken, grouper, steaks, Bahamian mac n’ cheese, peas n’ rice and tons of other side dishes.

Some new friends who gave great advice on what to have for dinner

We ran into some locals we had come to know, sampled our way through the Bahamian fare, and to the entertainment of everyone, Matt jumped on stage to dance to the Rake and Scrape band. A Bahamian woman showed Matt a few moves and he was soon bouncing to the beat with the best of them. We all laughed, cheered and encouraged his dance antics to songs like “The Polka with Juanita” and “Dinga-a-linga-ling.”

A peaceful dingy ride home wrapped up our time in Long Island, as we had plans to sail for George Town the next morning. Tuesday marks the start of the Family Island Regatta, an annual Bahamian sailboat race event, and we have a local Long Island race boat to cheer for! Go No. 5, Running Tide!

N 23° 21.18 / W 75° 07.79

Category: Bahamas, Boat Life, Cooking, Cruising, Long Island 2 Comments

s/v Kaleo

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