On Islan' Time

Greetings from Sampson Cay, Exumas!

High winds continued, and except for a few days of lighter winds, have picked up again with another giant cold front (that's 75 degrees down here;-) ) passing over us last night. Every morning at 6:30 we listen to the master of Bahamas weather, Chris Parker, on Single Side Band (like ham radio for sailors) 4045kh upper side band. He comes in loud and clear and gives the overview and day by day forecast for the northern, central and southern Bahamas for the next six days. So we don't need Internet access to get the weather - we receive Chris wherever we are.

Anyway, Chris says he can't remember such a steady march of cold fronts and strong north winds, now lasting since we arrived in Florida on October 21. Just our luck! But we've made the best of the weather and since arriving in the Exumas have been able to sit and relax in quiet water, getting in to "Island Time".

After our last post we spent 4 more nights at the Exuma Park exploring the island's trails and educational information about flora and fauna, geology, reefs and history. We also volunteered for a day and helped the warden effect some repairs on the main dock. Got to use power tools!! We found out later that the volunteer day saved us one night's mooring cost - $20. We also took the dink and snorkeled on some fantastic reefs. At the suggestion of Swabby Jim, we bought a waterproof fish identifier card so we can identify all the beautiful fish we're seeing, including crawfish (Bahamian lobster without claws), thousands of sergeant majors, foureye butterflyfish, yellowtail damselfish, grouper, yellowtail snapper, juv, yellow jack, blue chromis, queen angelfish and nurse shark!

STRANGE HAPPENINGS. On the 17th we were enjoying libations in the cockpit when we spotted a float plane coming right at us for a landing. After landing he circled around to a mooring ball, stopped the engine and jumped out on a pontoon as the plane came to a rest at the ball. He picked up the ball and we assumed he was going to moore the plane. But the next thing we knew he was starting the engine and taking off over our heads. Was this a drug pickup or dropoff? What was this guy doing? Later that evening just before dusk a US Coast Guard helicopter flew low over our heads and disappeared below the ridge of the island on the sea-side (Exuma Sound), apparently landing or making a low pass of the beaches. We asked the warden the next day about these events but he had no ideas. Strange happenings out here in da eye-lands.

On the 19th it was time to recharge our batteries as we'd been parked for so long without running the engine. We have a nifty diesel generator on board which we can fire up whenever we need to charge the batteries. It sips 1/4 the diesel that the engine takes (about 1/4 gal per hour) and is quiet compared to the main engine. We can compensate for two days operating just on batteries by running the generator for 2 hours. j

ANOTHER MECHANICAL OPPORTUNITY (you can skip this part if you're not into boat mechanics) About 5 minutes after starting the generator it shut itself down. This is typically due to overheating due to lack of circulating sea water through the heat exchanger (like the radiator on your car). And as we've learned all to often this is usaully caused by worn out rubber pump impellers (you've seen past postings discussing these vital parts). So I tore the sound shield off the generator and inspected the sea water impeller. It was in great shape as I'd just replaced it this spring. The cover plate seemed a bit loose, however, so I put it back on and tightened it down. A loose cover plate can cause air to leak into the pump and break the necessary vacuum.

This completed I fire up the generator again with great confidence. Another 5 minutes, it shuts down again. I open the end plate of the heat exchanger expecting to find old impeller blades like I found on the engine. It was clear. I disconnected the output hose leading from the heat exchanger and turned the generator over -- gushing sea water. So the problem turned out to be on the "fresh water" side of the cooling system. There's another pump with another impeller which was in bad shape (see pic). So I installed a new impeller and again, with great confidence, fired up the engine.

Another 5 minutes, another shutdown. Fortunately, we still had good Internet access so I called the generator manufacturer using Skype. I was told it had to be a blockage in the fresh water circulation. So I took apart some fittings where the coolant enters the engine and, Voila!, several rubber impeller pieces were clogging up a "T" fitting. Dug those pieces out and put the whole thing back together. Again with great confidence I fired up the generator and listed to her hum for the next two hours. Ahh - how little it takes to make one completely satisfied and fulfilled out here! But it took up almost the whole day to fix just this one problem. Jan read another book and offered assistance and sage advice when needed.

OFF THE MOORING HEADED SOUTH. On Thursday the 2oth we dropped our mooring and headed down the chain in amazingly calm conditions. We stopped at Bell Island and snorkeled the wall off O'Brien's Cay. It's called the Sea Aquarium - and for a good reason. ItThis has to be the most spectacular reef we've ever seen diving. As soon as we slid off the dinghy into the water, hundreds of sergeant major fish were swimming with us, passing very close and filling up the vision from our masks with fish only inches away. The coral dropped from near the surface all the way down to 25' deep so there was a great 3D wonderland spread out before us. South of Bell Island there was a tricky tight passage down to Pipe Cay and Compass Cay where we bumped bottom twice. Fortunately it was mostly sand and no harm was done. We anchored in an isolated spot for the night.

On Friday, another beautiful mild day, we took the dink into a small marina on Compass Cay. Instantly we were surrounded by nurse sharks and other fish - obviously trained to expect food handouts. We wanted to stop here because we'd read wonderful things about the Bahamian guy who has fixed up and run this marina and resort for the last15 years. He's very ecologically conscious and offers recycling. We've learned that this is a rare thing here in the Exumas. He also has set up an elementary school in Black Point, his home island, with computers so children could learn how to use them. There was a cute little store and a gathering spot for cruisers to share pot-luck dinners (as soon as there are more cruisers down here). We walked across the island to a picture-perfect crescent white sand beach where we snorkeled on more reefs. We were the only people on this whole stretch of beach. We enjoyed lunch after swimming at this little gazebo.

You can see some detritus from the beach hanging here with my fist for size comparison. This neoprene rope is used by fishermen around the world because it's cheap and it floats. The problem for us sailors is that strands of line or netting can get caught in our propellers, bringing an engine to a sometimes catastrophically sudden halt. We've known others who've been stranded at sea in a storm with no steerage and with an engine yanked off it's motor mounts. Nasty stuff which floats just below the water surface so it's very hard to see in advance.

Now we're anchored off Sampson Cay in a tight cove which is protecting us from yet another cold front with its 20-25kt winds (30mph). More reading, relaxing and catching up with the blog. Last night we took advantage of the nearby restaurant by taking the dinghy in for supper. We were the only people eating so we had a great time conversing with Anishka, a gal from Nassau who has worked at this upscale resort for two years. She told us a lot about Bahamian cooking and spices used. And also how they prepare the resort for hurricanes.

We be cruzin' now

It was so great to wake up at anchor off an almost deserted island Thursday morning. The weather had moderated from the day before although it remained humid and squally for the next few days. We lounged around in the morning and cleaned up the boat.

We set out for Allen's Cay, home of prehistoric iguanas who have inhabited the island forever. Each island's iguanas have different DNA which means they're pretty much unique to that island. When we anchored for lunch and took "Fun Fun", our dinghy, ashore there were about 40 iguanas who came out on the beach to greet us and look for a handout. They would come right up to you and then hang back when they didn't get a scrap of food from you (see pics). They're kind of scary and have been know to bite, so we were very careful.

The water colors, coral, beaches and small islands strung along this Exuma chain reminded us of the Abacos last spring, but these islands are less populated and there are many more small islands, most of which make great anchorages or snorkeling stops. We finally felt like we were actually cruising and relaxing into that lifestyle.

That night we anchored at Norman's Cay, home of an infamous drug running operation in the '60s and '70s. Now it's inhabited by two people and one runs a famous beach bar called McDuffs. We took "Fun Fun" out to a snorkeling spot and then went into McDuffs for drinks and dinner. We were the only guests and sat at the bar and heard many interesting stories from the owner who had grown up on the island before going to Canada for his education and settling in Nassau with his "well to do and privileged family" (read drugs?). His girlfriend lives in St. Louis and works two weeks on there, then flies to the island to spend two weeks with Stephan. Then back to St. Louis. We dinghied back to the boat in the moonlight and light breeze for a great night sleep.

The next morning we went to weigh the anchor and the windlass did not work. Reminded us of last spring in the Abacos where we (read Andy) had to manually haul the anchor and chain for several days. Fortunately we only had 17 miles to go, so we stopped the engine and I went to investigate, and once again get familiar with, the anchor locker. It's a triagular shaped compartment in the bow where the chain and rode from our two anchors is stored and wherein lives the infamous windlass (electric motor). I found 3 broken wire terminals and connectors so proceeded to spend the next hour fixing these. We have no idea what brushed against these wires to cause them to break, but the old terminals and connectors were very weak because they live in a constantly wet and salty environment up there. If you ever want to test anything for corrosion resistance, just put it in an anchor locker!

Fortunately the fixes worked and we proceeded on our merry way down to Shroud Cay, our first stop in the 44 mile-long chain of islands that constitute the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, part of the Bahamas National Trust which manages 25 national parks throughout the Bahamas, covering 700,000 acres of land and sea (www.thebahamasnationaltrust.org). The Exuma Cays park is about as pristine as a setting like this can get. The islands are very sparsely inhabited. There is absolutely nothing that can be put into or taken from the park, including no fishing. The ecology has been thus protected for over 40 years, so the reefs are beautiful and there are thousands of fish on every reef.

At Shroud Cay we dinghied through a mangrove flats to the other side of the island and climbed up to Camp Driftwood, a spot where sailors have left trash momentos found washed up on the beach. From the top of this hill you could see the whole island, and Mystique at anchor on the other side. There is also a fresh water well on the island where people have replentished their boat's water supply for almost a century. We didn't try it.

Saturday we sailed in light winds down the banks 17 miles to Warderick Wells cay, where the park headquarters is. On the way down we were just relaxing in the cockpit when I noticed something floating about a quarter mile away. It turned out to be a small skiff in very bad condition with an old outboard motor that had gotten away from a fishing boat about 40 miles south of us, and was just drifting north in the breeze. We called the park ranger on the VHF and asked if anyone was looking for a missing skiff. He said yes, and could we please take it in tow and bring it with us to the park HQ. So we zipped over, tied it to the stern rail of Mystique and towed it with us the rest of the way.

The ranger is a great guy from Louisana who has been here for seven years. He and his wife manage the park with assistance from a revolving group of members of the Bahamian Guard force which also keeps a boat here. The police protection is primarily for drug runner control and poaching fishermen. The park is now such a rich fishing ground that it's tough to keep the locals away. The rest of the Bahamas, as in the rest of the world, are so over-fished that the fishing industry has a rough time making fishing financially viable.

This morning (Sunday 11/16) we took a mooring ball instead of anchoring because a strong cold front as brought 20kt winds and is supposted to last until Thursday. We're in a well-protected cove safe from the N - NE winds blowing outside. This afternoon we've been relaxing, making a few Skype phone calls, updating software, downloading pictures to Flickr (see link at left) and reading. Oh, and catching up with our blog!

We are still amazed at the lack of other cruising boats. Apparently the cruising high-season doesn't start down here until after Christmas and New Years. So we've got these islands pretty much to ourselves. However, several nights there have been other boats with which to share a little rum and many tall tales of high seas adventure. We dinghy over to introduce ourselves or they to us and instant friendships are formed.

This next week has no agenda!!! We're going to go with the wind and tide and see some more islands before we meet up with Megan and Jeremy next Monday. Wish you were with us!!

Exumas at Last!

Our last post had us waiting out Hurricane Paloma in Nassau. This post finds us in the Exuma Land and Sea Park headquarters on Wardwick Wells cay and it's beautiful.

As we were 'stuck' in Nassau now awaiting Jim's flight on Wednesday we did the mandatory tourist thing and went across the bridge to Paradise Island where the Atlantis Resort is. It's a huge pink monstrosity out in the middle of these flat islands. You can see it for miles before you see land as you sail toward New Providence Island. It's lavish and creatively designed around a large (& empty) casino (Jan won $10 and treated us to lunch) and an extremely large seawater aquarium. We could have docked in their marina for a mere $250 per day along side the 150' mega yachts like we saw at the Ft. Lauderdale boat show. We asked several of the workers about the lack of people and they all said, and newspaper accounts supported this, that the economy was having a devastating effect on their business. Several days later, Atlantis announced the layoff of 800 workers. Bummer for the economy down here.

The next day we took the local bus to Cable Beach where Megan and Jeremy will be staying before boarding Mystique the Monday before Thanksgiving. Another set of large resorts and another big casino. We find it curious that Bahamians are not allowed to gamble. That night we cleaned up and went to dinner at Sailor's Choice just down the street - very authentic Bahamian food - we enjoyed grilled and curried/coconut grouper.

Wednesday morning, Nov 12, Swabby Jim flew home and we stopped to load up on diesel before heading SW over the banks to the Exumas. We had heard from another boat that Brown's boatyard was the place to go, with diesel at $3.80/gal (vs. the usual $4.75-5.75). You know how you should pay attention to your first impressions about a place? This fuel dock was run down and dirty. And we later learned that the fuel was also. We took 30 gal. aboard, about half a tank since our last fill-up in Ft. Lauderdale. As we crossed the banks straight into the 15-20kt winds and very large choppy seas, the diesel filter began to fill with water and dirt from Brown's. It ain't easy sticking your head deep into the engine compartment when both it and the outside temperature are hot and the boat is lurching and pitching and sunscreen soaked sweat is dripping into your eyes! But I had to check the "Raycor" fuel filter/water separator about every half hour and in all drained about two-three cups of dirty water during that long day of bashing upwind. From now on we'll check a sample of fuel in a glass jar first, and use a "Bahama Filter" as the fuel is being pumped aboard. You'll appreciate that we took no photos of this particular crossing!

At several points we debated turning around and running downwind back to Nassau, but the prospect of sitting for more days awaiting good weather wasn't exciting. It looked as though we could make the closest point in the Exumas, Ship Channel Cay, just at sundown - so we pressed on knowing that the closer we got to the islands the calmer the seas would become. We found that to be the case and the last hour was the easiest. We dropped anchor in a protected area just off the beach just as it was getting dark and the full moon appeared, and slept very well that night! How wonderful it felt to finally be in the Exumas!!

Hurricane Paloma - the strategic game

When we awoke in Bimini the next morning the morning weather report via Single Side Band (SSB) radio and the internet was that a hurricane was developing south of Cuba called Paloma. GREAT! This was the last thing we wanted to hear.

So we had a pow-wow and decided since the forecasters didn't really know what would develop, or how long it would last, we would head across the Great Bahama Banks toward Nassau, anchor for the night out on the eastern edge of the banks in the mild NE breezes, and listen the next morning for the forecast update to see whether:
a) We would head back to Bimini because the hurricane was headed our way (with the option to head back to Florida if it got bad)
b) Stay on the banks for a second night if the forecast was too iffy
c) Sail onward to Nassau the following day because the hurricane would go further east, or
d) Sail the next day down the Tongue of the Ocean (a deep channel that runs south from Nassau) and the next night and land right in the heart of the Exumas because the hurricane was no threat at all.

We left Bimini at sunup Thursday and motor-sailed all day in beautiful light conditions across the 15' depths of the banks. It's very eerie to see the bottom so clearly all day and not hit anything. And, as in the Abacos this Spring, we were also amazed to travel for 50+ miles and see so little evidence of sea life. Just a lot of white sand with a few grassy areas.

Thursday night we pulled up north of the NW Channel Light at the eastern end of the bank and found a sandy spot with 11' depth to drop anchor about an hour before sunset. This is a very unusual experience because there was NO sight of land anywhere - just water 360 degrees around us. We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset But the shallow waters and light winds kept the waves low and we had a wonderful night to sleep except for a few hours when the wind picked up and we bounced around a bit.


The next morning we listed to the Bahamas weather forecaster, Chris Parker, on 4045mh on the SSB radio. Swabby Jim took copious notes about the hurricane's path. Paloma was forecasted to head right over George Town, Great Exuma -- our planned destination where Jim had booked a flight out to the states this coming Tuesday. So scratch plan d! But because it was not headed toward Nassau we decided that would be a good place to go that day and hole up at a marina pending further developments.

We motorsailed closehauled into an easterly wind all day, arriving in Nassau harbor around 3:30. A marina which had been recommended by several people had plenty of space so we took a slip at a dock at Nassau Yacht Haven. We have been very surprised at the lack of other cruisers on our route this year. We assume it is because we are ahead of the southerly flow of cruisers coming down from the Chesapeake and north, and because of the economy. We hoped that would leave us some bargaining room on slip rates but we haven't found that to be the case.

One piece of advice from the guidebooks which we've taken to heart: In case of an approaching storm, head for the most populated harbor you can find because there will always be plenty of services and things to do. Also having an airport will mean that crew can come and go.

You'd be proud of us (or disappointed). This marina is home to the famous Poop Deck bar, but after three days here we have yet to step into the place! We've toured all over Nassau by foot, participated in free rum and vodka tastings at local duty-free shops (the latter with free hors deoeuvres), bought fresh lobster right off the fishing boat and enjoyed them for dinner just as there were fireworks going off over Paradise Island, home of the dominating Atlantis Resort.

We attended a Methodist church this morning and happened to be in town to watch the Day of Rememberance ceremony with bands, parades, ALL the local dignitaries including the Prime Minister and cabinet and representatives from the Red Cross, Boy Scouts and about every other organization with a uniform. The most impressive uniforms were those traditional British startched white outfits with the pith helmets. The day is set aside, as is our Veteran's Day, to commemorate those who have given their lives in the service of their country.

Now Paloma is forecasted to quiet down and stay around Cuba as it runs out of steam. So it looks like we could have made it to the Exumas after all before Jim's departure on Wednesday. However, with just two days left and a rainy forecast for tomorrow, he won't see the Exumas with us after all this! We've decided it would be pointless to head the 30 miles across to the Exumas in wet weather only to have to turn around and return to Nassau for his departure. Swabby Jim has been a great crew. When he's not out swabbing the decks, he's serenading us with his guitar and songs!

Tomorrow we'll walk over the very tall bridge to Paradise Island and tour around the Atlantis Resort. Can't complain too much about another day in a very interesting and warm location.

Don't forget to look at more of our pictures on our Flickr photo album (link to left).

Oh! 'Til I go down to Bimini

Hello from Alice Town, Bimini, Bahamas from the crew of Mystique.

After many days of hard labor in Ft. Lauderdale at the wonderful Casa del Sol, we saw a break in the weather that might allow us to head across the Stream. Theoretically we would wait until the wind blew from any direction but north so we wouldn't have to buck the previously mentioned waves stacking up like elephants in the Gulf Stream. But even the locals said they couldn't remember so many days of northerly winds, and the forecast was for more of the same for the next week. But there was a moderation in the forecast from the typical 15-20kt northerly wind to a milder 10-15 knot wind with waves in the Stream of only 4-6 feet.

With all of our "critical" repair jobs done and at least 10 trips to the grocery store to load up the boat with supplies, we headed down the ICW under three bridges to the Ft. Lauderdale inlet. On the way we passed the boat show area again where all the maga-yachts were also trying to exit out to the Atlantic. So we joined a parade of 15+ yachts worth probably $45M, (not counting Mystique). We jumped down to Miami (motor sailing "outside" in the Atlantic) and then headed to the south of Key Biscayne where there is a perfect little harbor, "No Name Harbor", to anchor in with a bar/restaurant at one end. We wanted to get far south so crossing the north-bound Stream would be easier.

We headed out at first light this morning and crossed the the shallow banks out to the Atlantic. Our course to Bimini was 90 degrees magnetic but we had to steer 110 to counter the effects of the Stream. We were expecting very rough conditions because of the NW wind blowing 10-15kts. We raised the sails early on for speed, and to steady the boat in anticipation of choppy seas. We did encounter 10-12' waves once we entered the Gulf Stream, but Mystique handled them very well. There was a 9-second period between waves and we rode the waves way up, then way down. At the crests we could see out to a far horizon and an occasional freighter. In the troughs we could only see our immediate wave and the sky.

It took us seven hours to go the 50 nautical miles today, averaging 7kts (about 8 mph). We lost an hour because the Bahamas are in a different time zone. So we got into Alice Town harbor around 3:00. We were advised we could tie up to a dock while Jan took all our passports and documentation to the Customs Office. After she returned we hoisted our Bahamian cruising flag on the starboard side of the mast. Alice Town is a pretty low-key, laid back kind of place where there didn't seem to be much going on. On our walk around town the main activity seemed to be road repair of the asphalt road with dirt shoulders. The high season is apparently summer!

Tonight, Jim offered to fix us dinner aboard and we readily agreed. He started messing about in the galley and after a while I smelled an aroma that reminded me of childhood. Turns out, Jim had brought a can of SPAM with him for a surprise. He had told us many times of the wonders of SPAM for cruising meals, and he proceeded to provide proof with his potatoes au gratin a la SPAM. Delicious!




Tonight it's very quiet in the harbor and about 70 degrees with clear skies. Feels pretty good to be back cruising again after all the preparation! Tomorrow we'll head out over the shallow Bahama Banks 70 miles toward Nassau. The shallow waters keep the waves low and the sailing should be magnificent. From the eastern edge of the bank we'll either anchor in open (shallow) water for the night, or proceed on an overnight sail down the deep "Tongue of the Ocean" and then cross the banks to the Exumas the following day (Friday).

Having a great time! And thinking of all the snow falling in Colorado;-)

Northerly Winds Force Mechanical Repairs

What a week! We have spent six days and nights in Fort Lauderdale at a dock at Casa del Sol condominiums, the place where we spend two weeks outfitting our new boat right after purchasing her in April '06. Back then we learned that our "work" day stopped at 4:30 for cocktails and snacks on the patio by the pool, no matter how urgent the work to be done. Some of the friends we met then are here now and the same rule has applied: no work after 4:30!

Jim Powell flew in last Wednesday and we met him as we pulled Mystique into our slip on a beautiful, sunny, warm day (as they all have been). We had a few "mechanical opportunities" to attend to the next few days before the boat would be ready to cross the Gulf Stream for the Bahamas. The winds had been blowing out of the north at 15-20 mph since we got to Jupiter which prevented us from contemplating a crossing anyway.

When north winds meet the northbound Gulf Stream head-on flowing at 3-4 mph, the waves get stacked high and very close together and make for very rough and bouncy conditions. It's been described as a parade of elephants in a circus, or like putting a toy boat in a washing machine.

So I took every advantage of having an engineer aboard with tons of experience on his own boat, Chez Freddy, cruising full-time on her for two years from the US to Trinidad and back. Jim has been a fabulous helper and teacher for us. Because we were "stuck" in Ft. Lauderdale with a world of yachting stores and supplies nearby, we have been tackling a long list of to-do items, including but not limited to:
- repairing the forward (guest) head
- cleaning old broken pump impeller pieces out of the engine heat exchanger (see picture)
- fixing the shower drain sump pump using plan A, then B, then back to A to save $$ which still didn't work, to plan C.
- replacing the grounding zincs in the diesel engine and the electric generator
- fixing the water flow problem from fresh water tank #2
- repairing a broken drawer latch
- replacing a frayed reefing line on the mainsail
- rigging a lashing board to the side rail so that spare diesel, dinghy gas and water containers can be safely secured
- fixing the problem of a bent motor mount on the dinghy outboard caused by an attendant at the Charleston City Marina last spring
- finding out where the water goes from the new shower faucet in the forward head (into the bilge, not into the shower sump mentioned above!)
- blowing out the mud packed into water tank vents over the summer by bees
- finding spare pump parts and engine parts for the "tool room" inventory

So while the weather kept us in port, we've taken full advantage of these days to get the boat in fine shape for the upcoming cruise. Not that we've worked full time. We continue to enjoy cocktail "hour", have great food, enjoy meeting new friends and have also spent an afternoon at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show - probably the largest collection of super-yachts ever in one place. We went aboard one boat for sale that we could have had to call our own for $12M. Not including crew. We also enjoyed a great Halloween party here at the Casa. Jim went as a pirate with a cut-off airlines eye mask and a handkerchief, Jan went as a ghost using one of our sheets and I went as a Colorado skier wearing my ski mask, gloves and Gore-Tex jacket. Jim also brought his guitar and fantastic voice and repertoire so he's been entertaining the cocktail and after-dinner crowd here with his singing.

Sunday was another beautiful day and we took advantage of the need to untie our dock lines to change docks to orient Jim to actually moving the boat. We motored down the ICW through the maze of pleasure boaters and boat show boats, awaited 6 bridge openings, and actually hoisted and adjusted sails in the large basin at the entrance to Port Everglades which is the main ship channel from the Atlantic.

Now all the critical to-do's have been done and the weather has quited down so we're heading down to Miami tomorrow in preparation for a crossing Wednesday. Sailboats travel at around 7-8 mph and the Gulf Stream 3-4. So the Stream is a significant factor when vectoring a crossing to the Bahamas. We really cannot make for a point in the Bahamas which is south of our starting point in Florida because of the strong northerly current. Even to go straight east we must point the boat south east to counter the current. To make our Bahamas landfall just south of Bimini we therefore must leave Florida around Miami, where we're headed tomorrow.

Although we've enjoyed our time here at Casa del Sol and have crossed many things off our to-do list, we're excited to get to the Exumas and real cruising! We'll try to keep you posted as we go, but will be limited in our internet access in the remote anchorages.

Best Wishes,
Steve, Jan and Jim