Archive for the Category »Provisioning «

Visiting Friends in Florida
Sunday, June 05th, 2011 /

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.

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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

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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

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Ready for a little trim

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

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“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”

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Mexican Train!

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

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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).

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Venturing along Vero Beach

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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
Dinner & A Movie Aboard SYL
Monday, February 07th, 2011 /

Matt awoke for the usual routine of listening to Chris Parker weather then did a few dinghy trips in for gasoline (for the generator) and jerry cans of water. While he was out, Linda came on the radio to invite us, Storyville and Guiding Light over for spaghetti “lupper” (lunch/supper) around 2:00 and for a movie aboard SYL.

We spent the rest of the time before lupper walking through “town”, taking in the sights and sounds of Staniel Cay. Envision paved one-lane roads turning through small hills with modest but brightly colored houses perched here and there. You can hear the wind blowing through palm trees, the sounds of the ocean and the occasional whine of a golf cart motor (their main mode of transportation) passing by.

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Christie at the entrance to the yacht club

The main reason for the trip was to check out the three grocery stores and pick up some freshly-made coconut bread. Each building is a converted small house with its room holding about a dozen shelves (see pictures and prices below). Despite their small footprint, these three stores (the Blue Store, the Pink Store nearly next door to each other and the Isles General Store further down the 2 mile island) were fairly well-stocked with basic staples (e.g. flour, sugar, canned goods) and quite a few luxuries (e.g. ice cream and sodas). Our overall preference is the Blue Store as it seemed to have the most fresh foods, was well organized, and stocked and was within easy walking distance. The biggest delight was how friendly and helpful the proprietors were. In each store we were told that if something wasn’t on the shelf, they would try and find it. Another cruiser told us how the owner of the Blue Store sold her milk from her own personal fridge. Everyday we are reminded just how warm, caring and giving the Bahamian culture is and we are even more grateful for being here.

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An idyllic place to rest on the way back from the store

Soon enough it was time to head to See Yawl Later, where we were greeted by the always delightful Rusty and Linda and a spaghetti feast to rival the best of them. Everyone enjoyed an excellent meal with real plates, settings and cloth napkins in an air conditioned cabin. Real settings alone are impressive but with the A/C we could hardly believe that we were at anchor near a beautiful island instead of their land home.

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Linda’s fresh bread made aboard SYL

The meal turned to dessert, a fabulous Sopapilla Cheesecake made by Deana, and then it was on to game time. Out came “Catch Phrase” and the teams were split girls vs. guys. A few practice rounds to get the hang of it and then everyone was shouting clues and trying to avoid the dreaded buzzer. The girls nearly ended up winning with a two game lead but some quick mime work by Troy and creative clue giving by Rusty, Shane and Matt and the boys ended up winning.

The sun was setting and Rusty said it was the perfect time to watch a movie. He set up the projector and we were ready for watching a movie on a 60″ screen that pulled down from the cabin top. Aboard Kaleo we watch movies on our 15″ laptop screen so this was really “going to the movies”. The group’s choice was “Wind” (awesome sailing movie – surprise, surprise) and we all settled into a relaxing evening.

It was such an enjoyable day and we’re both delighted that SYL has joined us in the anchorage.

Category: Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Friends, Provisioning  One Comment
The Grocery Game
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 /

How much would you expect to pay for your average bag o’ Hersey Kisses in the Bahamas?

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Well in Nassau, the correct answer would be $7.49

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Produce in the Bahamas can be expensive

Today we made our first Bahamaian grocery trip to the City Market about 1/4 mile down from the marina. We needed a few items and were also curious about the prices as we had been cautioned to “bring as much as you can from the States because it’s so expensive in the Bahamas.”

For the most part, that is good advice but here in Nassau, we found that while on average, prices were about double that of typical grocery stores in the states, there were a few things that were on par with the states or a bit more and some that were alarmingly higher. For example, the almond milk that we drink was only $.30 more than what we pay in the states and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was still about a buck a box. On the flip side, items like cereal were $6-$10 per box (and we’re not talking the family size) and a 24 oz jar of peanut butter was $13.39. Toiletries were all around very expensive as toothpaste was $4.79 and boat-friendly toilet paper was $7.59 for a four pack.

Here are some other staples and what they ring in at:

  • Cherry Tomatoes -$2.89 each
  • Wheat Thins – $6.59
  • Limes – 2 for $.98
  • Mayo (16 oz jar) – $3.59
  • Organic Baby Spinach – $4.99
  • Bottled water – $9.99
  • Pretzels – $4.59
  • Dozen Eggland’s Best Organic – $3.65, Bahamian brand eggs – $1.67

One surprise was the availability of a wide range of organics, from milk to mac n’ cheese (Annie’s brand) and even Boca Veggie Burgers. We expect prices to get higher as we move further south to more remote islands and have provisioned accordingly. A few things that we already wish we would have brought a bit more of are healthful cereals, granola for yogurt, healthful cookies and chips, dry roasted sunflower kernels and of course more produce, but we look forward to transitioning to more local fare as we go.

Here’s our master provisioning list for download in case it may save other cruisers some time (less for our food choices, more for the template shared with us).

That’s it for now. It’s off to cook some of this food for dinner.

Category: Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Provisioning  5 Comments
Looking Forward While Celebrating 2010
Tuesday, January 04th, 2011 /

As we look forward to what 2011 has in store for us, we reflected on our blessed-beyond-belief 2010. This has been a year of big changes, new beginnings and celebrations galore.

Looking forward to a walk like this soon

The first part of our year was filled with starting more projects than we finished on Kaleo, learning as much as we could aboard, as well as through Seven Seas University courses, and spending a few freezing weekends planning for warmer weather projects.

Spring brought warmer weather, some great sailing in Galveston Bay, the wedding of our dear friends, Amy & Jeph, and Christie’s parents’ 35th wedding anniversary in April.

May was a landmark month as we became officially debt free, gaining financial freedom. We also moved from our 1,400 square foot townhome to a 650 square foot studio apartment to better prepare for our life aboard Kaleo. And, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary at The Joule, were we stayed on our wedding night. Of course, we spent a few weekends completing some boat projects along the way.

With the Texas summer heat came lots of family and friends visiting the boat, marina BBQ’s, and more boat projects. And in June, the “Cyclin’ Sailors” geared up for our 4th annual Urban Assault Race in Austin!

The Fourth of July was shared with the Wilborns by sailing and watching incredible fireworks shows while anchored out in the bay. Then, we jetted to Coeur D’ Alene, ID to celebrate the newest Butchers, as Matt’s brother Jeff married his bride, Meloney. We topped off the trip to the Northwest with an incredible experience of sleeping 50′ off the ground in the boughs of a giant, old Washington Red Cedar Tree at Cedar Creek Treehouse and touring Mt. Rainier National Park. Of course, we spent a few weekends completing some boat projects along the way.

While the summer heat continued to bake us, we enjoyed a shakedown cruise to Galveston with the Kryzaks and a sailing weekend with The Powers. Of course, we spent a few weekends completing some boat projects along the way.

The fall brought a trip to Minneapolis to celebrate Grandma Butcher’s 90th birthday, visit with family and to Trader Joe’s to stock up on our favorite snacks. The realization that we were now within one month of tossing the docklines helped us get a lot of boat projects wrapped up almost every weekend.

October was a big month as Matt took his leave of absence from work, Christie resigned from her job, we moved out of our land home and aboard Kaleo full-time, sold a car and put another one in storage along with our belongings. We soaked up treasured time with loved ones and were given three outstanding Bon Voyage parties. We also got to celebrate the marriage of Ben and Carly (Matt’s cousin) and spent time with family in San Diego. Of course, we managed another trip to Trader Joe’s for more provisions.

November 8th marked the beginning of our cruising life. Before leaving the dock, we met up with some cruising mentors, The Sittons, and celebrated Christie’s birthday with family and a dear friend, Crystal, aboard. The month was filled with a host of new experiences – from adjusting to life aboard to overcoming unknown challenges and navigating new waters to connecting with new friends along the way. We topped it off with a roadtrip from Mississippi to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with family.

The year wrapped up by crossing the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and into Florida. It was on those passages that we learned to love the open ocean, more fully appreciate warm days and spent time digging our toes into our first white sandy beach. Christmas with shared with family and friends in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida and we were back home aboard Kaleo on New Year’s Eve.

We welcomed the new decade with the most unusual of celebrations for us at this time of year. The clock struck midnight as we pushed two carts down the isles of a 24-hour Walmart. We laughed and shared a little “Happy New Year” smooch in the canned goods aisle and continued provisioning in preparation for the Bahamas and beyond. Yes, really. Oh, the cruising life ;o).

Thank you for joining us as virtual crew along this adventure. It means a lot to us. We wish you peace, blessings and togetherness in your new year!

We’re ready for 2011 and believe the best is yet to come. God has even more amazing things He wants to do in and through our lives so we’re straining to what is ahead. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Category: Alabama, Boat Life, Coeur d' Alene, Cruising, Education, Family, Finance, Florida, Friends, Galveston Bay, Inspiration, Louisiana, Mississippi, Passage, Provisioning, Refit, Resources, Sailing, Seattle  2 Comments
Finding Our Pace in the New Year
Tuesday, January 04th, 2011 /

Happy New Year! We wrapped up the decade by spending the past couple weeks with family and friends in Dallas, Houston, Crowley, LA and Clermont, FL. It was a whirlwind of visits to their beautiful and warm Christmas-adorned homes, our favorite restaurants, pampering appointments that helped transform us from salty sailors to our recognizable selves, and provisioning trips at every type of store from Target and Whole Foods to West Marine and Elliott’s Hardware. All those business trips paid off in miles for the ideal, direct flights that allowed us to be close to loved ones and bring the maximum amount of gear back with us (both in number of boxes and weight!).

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There’s no missing our airport pick-up. Thanks Maurice!

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Playing Cornhole Toss with the Breens and a few new friends

Returning to the boat and getting back into cruising mode punctuated just how different the pace of life is out here versus on land. While cruising, we typically do one or two things a day that take all day. Transiting from one place to another may take all day, if not longer. Sometimes we add in grocery shopping or laundry if we’re docked, but not often both in the same day. And exploring a new place will certainly take a full day on its own. While on land, we seem to do over forty things a day, everyday. Staying up as late as it takes to get it all in.

After just two months of cruising, we were surprised by how much we were affected by this intense pace that in our former land life, we could have run circles around.

Yesterday is when it all caught up with us. After getting several months worth of provisions organized and stowed away, we drafted an aggressive transit plan from our Christmas dockage to the Florida Keys with the goal of catching up with our cruising friends and making the crossing to the Bahamas by week’s end. While we felt a little worn out, we were motivated to get going so we set out for the Gulf.

After a late start waiting on bridges (Florida has strict bridge opening schedules) and two groundings, our ambition was trumped by exhaustion. While it was absolutely worth traveling back to the “real world” for Christmas, the pace had gotten the best of us so we made the prudent decision to anchor nearby in Sarasota and get some rest. We’ve dusted ourselves off and are now en route south to Fort Myers.

As we’ve learned over the past couple months, plans are always subject to change so we’ll continue on our course to the Bahamas as weather and our cruising pace permit.

N 27° 07.16 / W 82° 28.06

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Category: Boat Life, Cruising, Family, Florida, Friends, Provisioning  3 Comments