Sorry we haven’t posted anything for so long! It’s been pretty hectic over the last few months.
In the beginning of November, we moved back on to the boat from housesitting and began to wait for a weather window for sailing east to Puerto Rico. The right weather is important, since the prevailing wind in the Caribbean blows from the east at 15 to 20 knots. Our little 20 horsepower engine (Yanmar 3ym20) would have a difficult time pushing us against it and the ride would be really wet and bumpy!
As the wait for weather wore on, we began to make a list of boat projects to work on in Puerto Rico. Although we were in the Dominican Republic for a long time, we didn’t get that much done. A big part of the problem is the availability of parts. In Puerto Rico, parts are easier to get but are still marked up significantly over mainland US prices. The good boatyards are on the far side of Puerto Rico, over 400 miles away. Florida is only a little further and has many other advantages, chiefly among them cheaper marinas, cheaper boat yards, as well as cheaper and more plentiful parts.
We decided to return to the US for refitting. Since the weather was not going to cooperate for a while, we flew back to the US to look for places to live while we work on the boat (and also to visit Florida theme parks). We decided on Titusville, FL. It is on the same latitude as Orlando for easy access to the theme parks (we do love theme parks), cheap airport and plentiful (non-boat) shopping. It also has the best marina deal we could find. Cindy’s Island will be berthed at Westland Marina while we work on interior projects and then in their boatyard for painting and hurricane season lay up. We rented an apartment nearby since living on a boat while doing major work is kind of a bummer.
Gray went back to the DR alone to get the boat ready for the trip and to recruit some crew for the journey. Cindy stayed in Florida to get the apartment ready. Gray found some reliable crew, got the boat ready and began to look for a weather window. It is difficult to get a safe weather window in the winter due to the cold fronts that sweep down from the north. They stir up the seas and make the winds unpredictable. The weather looked like it was going to be nasty for quite a while, so he flew back to the US. Gray flew to the DC area, rented a U-Haul, and began collecting furniture from our various storage locations (the basements, spare rooms and attics of generous family and friends). Once the truck was full, he drove down to Florida to meet Cindy and we moved into our new apartment.
Near the end of December, the weather began to cooperate. Gray flew back to the DR and on New Year’s Eve he and his crew (a husband and wife team with lots of experience) left the DR in the mid afternoon. The trip was almost cut short when the engine stopped exhausting cooling water. Marine diesel engines use ocean water (raw water) for cooling rather than a radiator like a car. Gray shut down the engine and tried to open the raw water filter assembly to clean it. After inflicting some minor damage and failing to get the assembly open, Gray decided to try starting the engine again to see what would happen. Just like a computer, all it took to fix it was to turn it off and on again. The problem was most likely a piece of plastic bag or jellyfish got pulled over the raw water intake and it fell off once the engine was shut down.
The weather window was so good that the seas were flat and the wind was calm. That’s great for a powerboat, but for a sailboat that only carries about 30 gallons of diesel it is less than ideal. We motor-sailed (sails up, motor running at low RPM) for two days until we got to Rum Cay in the Bahamas. We planned to pull into Rum Cay to refuel. As we approached, we radioed the fuel dock for instructions. They informed us that there was no fuel on the entire island. Our tank was close to empty, so we decided to motor a little longer until we had rounded the tip of Long Island and then to sail as best we could to George Town where there had to be fuel. As we rounded the tip of long island, we shut down the motor and began to sail at a stately 2 knots. At that rate, we would reach Georgetown by the time the fuel dock opened the next morning. The winds picked up a little overnight and we were able to sail at over 4 knots. We made it to the entrance of Georgetown harbor (actually called Elizabeth Harbor) at about midnight and dropped the sails. We motored tensely through the narrow, twisty, poorly marked channel. Gray was on the bow with a spot light to illuminate the few markers and many obstacles and the crew was manning the helm and charting software (with realtime GPS!). We made it in, dropped the anchor and enjoyed snifters of fine Haitian rum.
In the morning, we motored over to the Georgetown Fuel Dock (actually called Exuma Docking Services) and were informed that they had no fuel. Since we were running on fumes at this point, this was bad news indeed. Luckily, the automotive service station nearby had some diesel (but no gasoline). We were able to refill the tank using jerry cans and be on our way. Once out of Elizabeth Harbor, we were able to sail again and made for Highbourne Cay. The next morning, we transited Highbourne Cut and started across the Banks for the Tongue of the Ocean. We made the Tongue by early afternoon and headed north-northwest for Mackey Shoals. Gray was on watch alone as we entered the Banks on the western side of the Tongue. The entrance was narrow (although wider than Elizabeth Harbor and straight), but he had his trusty spotlight and several powerboats to follow (although they move at about 5 times the speed of a sailboat and disappear quickly). The next morning, we were able to get a weather report from the US. The forecast called for a strong front to pass over the area during the evening of the next day. We decided we should try to make Florida by the next morning to give us plenty of extra time. Rather than head for Titusville, we headed for West Palm Beach. We motorsailed through the pre-frontal calm into the Gulfstream. Around midnight, the edge of the front caught us (quite a bit earlier than predicted) and the winds picked up to 25 knots (out of the south, fortunately). The seas got choppy, but everything was fine (just more exciting). As we left the Gulfstream and approached Florida, both the winds and the seas calmed down. We entered the Lake Worth Inlet about 4am. We almost collided with a poorly marked jetty (there really ought to be a big flashing light on it), but made it inside safely. By this time, all hands were on deck since entering an inlet (particularly one you have only entered once before) in the dark is always dangerous and more eyes to spot hazards are always better.
We set the anchor and called Cindy (at 5am) to come pick us up. By 9am, we had cleared customs, docked in Riviera Beach Marina and Cindy arrived to pick us up. We dropped our crew off with some of their relatives and headed back to Titusville. After a few days, Gray and Cindy went to move the boat to Titusville from Riviera Beach. The weather was less than ideal (20 knots of wind from the north), so we motored up the Intercoastal Waterway. It took us 4 days to motor to Titusville with stops every night. We stopped early in the day a couple of times due to the availability of anchorage space. Cindy’s Island draws more than 6 feet of water, so sometimes it is difficult to find an achorage deep enough in the shallow waters of the ICW. We made it to Westland Marina, so the major work can begin.
What major work? Well, the list is (of course) still growing. Our battery system still needs work since we don’t have a start battery and the house battery bank is big enough to melt the 60 amp alternator in a couple of years. We don’t have a good interior shower set up (important for crowded harbors). The autopilot needs to be replaced, the windlass quit working again, and two of our winches have locked up. We are also going to explore some add ons like SSB radio, a bigger inverter, a portable generator and maybe even air conditioning. Cindy has a long list of canvas work too.
Fair winds,
Cindy and Gray
