Buddy boating with Dream Weaver thru Eleuthera

On Friday, Nov. 18th, we dropped the mooring in Spanish Wells to head for Eleuthera through Current Cut, where the Explorer charts say the current can run up to 10 knots and should not be attempted by sailboats against the tide. In other words, we needed to time our exit precisely! From the picture above, you can see that it is narrow but fortunately, we got thru uneventfully with good light on a flooding tide around 9am.

It was a clear, sunny day and we had plenty of time to get to our ultimate destination 16 miles away, so we took the time to anchor off of the Glass Window, a distinctive geological feature in North Eleuthera, where a bridge now breaches the narrowest part of the island that separates Exuma Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. After a perfectly timed squall, we could see from our dinghy, the waves crashing up against the rocks on the Atlantic side and creating a small waterfall into the Sound.

We arrived at Hachett Bay around 1300 and anchored off the Cafe Bar & Grill next to Mike & Mary on Dream Weaver, some Salty Dawg sailors we had met in 2019. Andrew and I took the dinghy into town to see what was there when we ran into them walking around with $3 beers from the Cafe. There and then we decided to make it our mission to stop at every bar we saw (since that was about all that was open) to get the Friday afternoon special. On the far end of town, we found a restaurant called Twin Brothers Seafood & Steak with lovely outdoor seating, where we made reservations (as if we had to) for that evening. The food was simple (conch fritters, fish, rice & peas) but very good!

Since it was supposed to be inclement the next day, we got up late, lazed around, went into town to the tiny grocery store and stopped by Dream Weaver on the way back to confirm dinner plans. We had a beef stew in the freezer that was made for our trip down and would have taken us days to eat so we were happy to share it with them. They had a nice, big covered cockpit which was important given we were expecting rain. And did it ever! Around 3pm the squalls started. We saw 20-25 knots on the instruments and lots of rain. Around 5:30, we saw a break in the squalls and made a run for it to Dream Weaver in the dinghy. We had a great evening telling sea stories and fishing tales and before retiring that night decided to make the ~ 45 mile run to Rock Sound together the next day.

We were up at 0800 and off the hook by 0900. Dream Weaver might say they gave us a head start but we think they just wanted to see if we would get out the narrow cut. They rolled out their in mast furling sails and we took the usual 30 minutes to hand crank our main up but it made for a beautiful sailing day in a steady 15-20 knots on a reach, the best yet! We went along for miles on the same pace and around lunchtime, decided to slow up and take pictures of one another, since we rarely get pictures of ourselves under sail. 

We arrived in Rock Sound and took a short walk about town but once again, not much was there. We had Mike & Mary over to reciprocate drinks and dinner, and revell in the great day we had and the new friends we were getting to know. 

Navigating cuts & currents in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera

On Sunday Nov. 14th, we left Man 'o War channel in the Abacos and motored for ~70 miles in dead calm seas for about 10 hours to arrive at Egg Island in Eleuthera. From there, we had to take the great circle route (with which we will be becoming very familiar) around Egg Reef, past Rocky Bar and around a wreck to arrive just before sun down in a quiet & protected anchorage at Royal Island, which we shared with one local fisherman. 

The next day, we crept (at 3 knots) into the harbor at Spanish Wells, a small fishing town at the north end of Eleuthera, where we saw 7 1/2 feet under our 7 foot draft boat! Once inside, we picked up a mooring from Bandit (a local pilot) and took a dinghy tour down the channel to find our friend Will's house and his favorite fisherman, Bernard. We didn't find the house. We found Bernard but he didn't have 'no fish' so we settled for frozen grouper from another fish market. 

On Tuesday, we rented a golf cart for $30 to tour the island and continue in the pursuit of finding Will's house. Our first stop was at Wood 'n Stuff Art Gallery, where a handsome, blue eyed Irishman named Austin, runs an arts & crafts program for the island kids. He teaches the kids how to carve wood (or copper when he can afford it) into the shapes of fish & coral and then nail them to pieces of wood to make these fabulous displays. We couldn't resist designing one ourselves and getting a signed artifact for the boat.

We eventually found Will's house tucked away in the causarina trees and some beautiful ocean views from the eastern end of the island.

Our original plan was to stay in Spanish Wells for 2 nights and then head off to other parts of Eleuthera but on the morning that we intended to leave, there was a cargo ship blocking our only way out! The evening before, a catamaran named Valentin with a German couple we had met at the Salty Dawg dinner in Marsh Harbor, had showed up at the mooring next to us and stopped by in their dinghy to say hello so we though we'd check in with them the following morning see what they were up to. After a brief radio exchange, we all decided it would be fun to ferry to the main island, where we would take a cab to the harbor taxi which would drop us off at Harbor Island, a supposedly bustling New England style village with renowned pink sand beaches.  

We never found the bustling village but we enjoyed a boisterous ride in the harbor taxi, an excellent coffee shop called Sweet Spot Cafe, the famous for some reason drift wood stuck in the sand and a stroll about town and on the beach.

On Thursday (11/17), we were still on the mooring in Spanish Wells waiting out some weather. We kept ourselves busy; Andrew dealing with the latest boat issue (a clogged sink) and me walking to town for a plunger and trying to figure out how to update the blog since my iPad died. We'd gotten to know Bandit (Jock) and his wife Caroline, with our daily visits to pay for the mooring ball. On our last day, after Andrew and I had a nice lunch of fish tacos and rum drinks at the Shipyard Restaurant on the point, they gave us some of their home grown avocados and invited us to come back and visit their beloved little town.

Our mission to support rebuilding The Abacos

We decided to make it our personal mission to spread what little money we can spare around the Abaco Islands to help with their rebuilding efforts after hurricane Dorian. Our first three days in the islands we did quite well with the mission by staying in a slip at The Abaco Beach Resort & Marina and enjoying the pool, beach, bar & restaurants. We celebrated the safe arrival of all of our great group of Salty Dawgs friends with an excellent dinner at The Bistro (on site at the resort).

On Nov. 8th, we made another significant contribution to the mission by filling our tanks with 105 gallons of diesel and headed off on an island tour. First stop was Man of War Cay, where we anchored outside of the harbor and took the dinghy in for a tour. There were sunken boats in the harbor and wrecks still tied to docks. Note: the boat name in the picture below... "Breakaway"!

We had dinner that night on the hook and the next day went into town to walk around, see the ocean views and visit the only two shops that were open: Albury's Sail Shop and a small grocery store. At Albury's, we made our contribution to this island with the purchase of one of their extraordinarily colorful and well made canvas bags. The ladies, who used to sit at their sewing machines in a large loft built over the water, now work tirelessly in an inland hut, still producing their wonderful products.

Next stop was Great Guana, about 7 miles away, where we appeared to be one of two visiting boats and the only non-islanders at the one open restaurant. Grabbers has been able to rebuild and  restart their bed, breakfast & bar business so we paid for the expensive (but good) Grabbers Rum Punch and conch fritters with a nod to our mission.

On Nov. 11th, we motored from Great Guana, back to Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco Island. We had to drop anchor twice to find a sandy spot that would hold. That evening, just as I was serving dinner, Andrew hollered for me to turn on the engine. A bright white light was pointed straight at us and we could see the port & starboard lights (never a good thing) on what appeared to be a large ship with it's engines going full throttle! Andrew tried to hail him over the radio and the calls went unanswered. We turned on the AIS to confirm that the ship was a little more than 1/4 mile away when the captain finally got on the radio and said he was aground in the channel. Phew... that explained the angle of his boat (pointed straight at us instead of in the channel) and the gunning of the engines!! Crisis averted, dinner was served. 

The next day we motored back to Abaco Beach Resort for some good old internet service (to download weather files), laundry facilities and a farewell dinner with Jon and his girlfriend, Marlina before they flew out the following day.

All in all during our mission to support The Abacos, we found the docks, grocery stores and private homes around the islands appeared to be the main things that have been rebuilt. Otherwise, there is very little infrastructure in the three islands that we visited but we did our best to help in some small ways.

Going south for the 2021 season

Oct. 27, 2021 we left Oxford, Md with our newest crew recruit, Walter L. Started out with 2 reefs in 20 knots of wind at 1630 but had both reefs shaken out before dark. Walter and I took watch, alternating every two hours with Andrew, while mostly motor sailing and dodging tugs or cargo ships. We arrived at Bluewater Yachting Center in Hampton, Va. at 10:30 am on 10/28 to join the 2021 Salty Dawg Rally to The Bahamas. 

Walter’s wife KC picked him up the next day and they proceeded to drive down to Florida making coastal stops along the way. Andrew and I continued preparations for the offshore segment to the Bahamas. We had two more crew joining us and all kinds of COVID protocols to go thru, not to mention getting the boat ready. We had to get negative antigen tests elevated to the Bahamian government website along with all of the passport & vaccination information for each crew member. Then each crew had to apply for a Health Visa on the site which was elevated to their personal page and had to be downloaded and re-posted on the Click to Clear site where we would apply for our cruising permit. Ugh, I can’t imagine the process for having animals on board!

Meanwhile, Andrew replaced the bilge pump that had crapped out on us and we re-packed the spinnaker which was twisted in a messy takedown. We did the last minute grocery shopping and technology testing and had identified a good weather window for our departure. All we needed now was crew. Our crack crew, Jon S.and Dick R. were scheduled to arrive the day before departure but the weather window was moved up and we were now planning to have them jump on board and leave immediately. On 10/31 at 1500, we left the dock for Marsh Harbor, Abaco, and got this picture of Norfolk, Va. just as it was getting dark.

We had an easy sail, averaging 7.5 knots during our 3 hour, two man shifts that night. Day 1 of our southbound adventure, we had the chute up and we’re passing boats that had departed the day before us. We saw lots of dolphin pods and enjoyed watching them play chicken with the bow of the boat. All was going well until the wind dropped out. That evening we motor sailed all night and saw only two other boats on the radar.

Day 2, we were still motoring! Caught a tuna around 830 am, filleted and ready to cook for dinner by 9am. Boat speed was averaging 7 knots and we were headed straight for the Abacos but still no wind. It was so calm, Andrew was hoisted up the mast to retrieve a batten that was coming out of its sheath (due to the flogging mainsail).

Day 3 was a beautiful sunny day with white puffy clouds and calm seas. Unfortunately, along with that came even less wind. Jon was so bored, he made himself a huge breakfast! That evening we saw the most amazing pink & blue sky!!

During the evening we played ring around the Rosie with another Salty Dawg boat on the rally. Taste of Heaven passed us on our starboard motoring at 9 knots, then we passed her on our port when she was sailing 3.5 knots and around and around it went all night. I think someone was bored. 

Day 4 - Flat calm. Still motoring. Everyone is bored! That night we creeped thru the cut at Man of War channel in the dark and dropped anchor in Marsh Harbor around 11:30 pm. The next day we motored around Point Set Rock and into a slip at Abaco Beach Resort & Marina. And so begins our next season with Billy Ruff’n sailing in the islands.

6 days puddle jumping from Jamestown, RI to Atlantic City, NJ (and 1 1/4 hour to get back)

To cap off our summer adventures, Andrew and I hopped and skipped our way down the northeast coast from Jamestown, RI to Atlantic City, NJ and one of our favorite crew mates (Jon Sauer) joined Andrew from there to Annapolis, Md. It took 6 days going south and 1 hour and 15 minutes to get back! Here’s the story…

After surviving the hurricane in RI, Andrew and I left Jamestown on 8/24 for Mystic, Ct. We had a 2013 Cruising Guide to help us identify reasonable day voyages but few of the marinas listed had moorings available or could take our 7 foot draft. Our first over-night was in a slip at the Mystic Harbor Marina. Following a narrow and winding harbor channel, we found the marina deep in the harbor. Our slip was just inside the gas dock and a pretty swift current was pushing us away from it. Andrew gave the boat a little acceleration to turn the corner and slide in. Just as he switched into reverse to stop the boat, the engine cut out! Fortunately, a quick and well trained dock hand, instantly took Andrew’s instruction to wrap the line I had thrown him around a piling and stop the boat. He did exactly that and Billy Ruff’n came to a stop inches away from taking out the dock!! I’ve never been so happy to provide a generous tip!!!

The next day we picked Clinton, Ct. as our destination. This spot was designated a “ must see” in the 2013 Cruising Guide so even though we’d never heard of it, we thought it would be worthwhile. We had an easy motor sail with no issues except another winding channel to the Town Dock where we were put on the T just down from Aqua restaurant. After a nice lunch there we walked around town and other than a quaint residential area, didn’t find much that had to be scene. Back on the dock, we visited with a local sailor who had a bunch of kids on board to hang out on his boat. We invited them over to see The Billy since one of the young girls had ambitions to sail around the world when she graduated high school. It was fun to show her the ins and outs of a boat that has been 3/4 of the way around. Good luck to you, Julia!

The locals in Clinton informed us that there was a 5 foot spot in the channel at low tide and we would have to wait till 11am the next morning to leave so we woke up late and had a nice banana pancake breakfast (to use up the always instantly rotting bananas). Once we got going, we had an easy sail to Northpoint Bay in Long Island, where we arrived just in time for this ‘butterfly’ sunset.

Our next stop was Larchmont Yacht Club in NY to visit with our lovely niece, Lauren and her beautiful family. Our youngest son, Drake joined us as we hung out on the boat and at the brand new Club pool, topping the day off with a fantastic Italian dinner in town and some spoon balancing challenges with the kids.

The next day was too rough for us to leave (or land at Liberty Landing in New York City) so we hunkered down and had Jon, our crew for the next leg, drive up to meet us. A 36’ sailboat crashed on the rocks that day and the Larchmont launch was not operating most of the time but eventually we got Jon on board for a good nights rest. 

On 8/29, we arrived at Liberty Landing after the always exhilarating ride thru Hell’s Gate and the East River to the Hudson. It fantastic to watch the skyscrapers fly by and capture the night views on the city.

After a good (but expensive) meal and respite in a slip at Liberty Landing, we headed offshore for Maryland but it wasn’t long before we realized we were going to be diverted by a hurricane for the third time this summer. We slipped into Atlantic City in the middle of the night, following a fishing boat into the harbor since there weren’t any lit bouys.

The next day, I jumped ship since I had to return to Jamestown to pick up my car and had someplace to be the following weekend. I called our buddy Dick, who lives in NJ and has a place in Newport, to figure out the logistics and it turned out he was flying back (in his own plane) the next day. We flew back in 1 1/4 hours, right over the very path that we had just taken 6 days to sail! Pretty surreal and makes you realize life isn’t necessarily about where you go or how you get there as much as it’s about enjoying the ride!!

Surviving a hurricane!

On the same day that we paid our boat insurance premium and were making plans for a trip South to the Chesapeake, we had to rethink everything to avoid hurricane Henri. We tried to secure a mooring at Dodson’s Marina in Stonington, Ct. but when we called to confirm, they said their regular clients were filling up the harbor and nothing was available. That turned out to be good news for us when we found out that Henri was going to make landfall near Stonington! 

Sitting on the mooring in Jamestown, it looked like no one was too concerned about the impending storm, until the day before it was to make landfall. Boats were being hauled and secured while Andrew and I removed and stowed our jib & staysail; lifted, deflated and stowed the dinghy; wrapped the mainsail and double up our mooring tackle. It wasn’t looking like Jamestown would be a good place to be so we called half a dozen marinas trying to secure  for a slip or a moorings but nothing was available. A local friend suggested we anchor up the Narragansett in Potters Cove but we would have to dig out of the bilge and put together our Fisherman’s storm anchor and deploy our Sarca Excel (regular anchor).

The morning before Henri reached Rhode Island, we were preparing to make a run up the Narragansett when once again our hero Jim, called to let us know that another Safe Harbor Marina (JBY’s parent company) up the river in Wickford Cove, was hauling boats and opening up moorings. We signed up immediately on Dockwa (the online registration system) and waited to hear if they could take us. Around noon, we found out they had pole moorings available (which Andrew and I had never heard of or seen before) and by 3pm we were secured between two telephones poles sunk in a quiet, sunny cove. The presence of sailors, kayakers, tubers and all other manner of boaters enjoying the beautiful day, belied the approaching storm. 

By noon the next day, we saw a steady 45 knots, gusts to 60 and 2-3 foot white caps in what had been a flat calm harbor!! Fortunately,  the storm started to calm around 2pm and after a really good night’s sleep, we motored back to Jamestown and returned to planning for our trip to the Chesapeake.