St. Martin; Sean & Courtney arrive

We arrived in St. Martin's with plenty of time before Sean and Courtney's arrival. Our good friends Linda and Ed (shown here below right) were there on "Dreamtime" already. It had been years since we've seen them and had been planning to get together for some time so it was a lovely reunion.

We left Georgetown in the Bahamas together almost five years ago and sailed down the eastern Caribbean with them the first time. We had several days of visiting and then they came over for breakfast the first morning of Sean and Courtney's visit to meet them.
We anchored at Simpson's Bay on the dutch side just in front of the drawbridge to the Lagoon and then entered the next day.

We were in a line up of many boats, many of them super yachts (that's Heather skippering through the drawbridge above). The previous time we anchored in Marigot Bay on the French side, a cheaper alternative, but as Sean & Courtney were flying in to St. Maartin, we made the decision to pay up, about $70 including the bridge fees.
We anchored not far off the airport. During our whole time there we had many mostly short showers and a number of beautiful rainbows (see above left). Scott brought the dinghy into the Turtle Pier bar/restaurant and walked over to pick them up. It was an unusual experience for them to walk out of the airport with their baggage and into a dinghy!

Luckily it was a nice night and they were soon at the boat eating a good dinner. This was a four day holiday Easter weekend and we thought Customs & Immigration wouldn't be open so the next day we exited the drawbridge and anchored in Simpson Bay so we could swim and snorkel. The water wasn't very clear but we got to see quite a few fish and some fun squid! Of course our very pale guests slathered themselves with sun tan lotion but even that couldn't protect Sean totally. The curse of being a red head. Good news the next day when we found Customs open and were able to clear out. The anchor was right up and we were off.

We had planned to head to St. Bart's but the weather was looking so good as we set sail that we turned the wheel around and headed for Saba. Boats can only visit Saba when it's relatively calm as there is no protected harbor on the island. The land basically goes straight up from the ocean. Only about 30 years ago the islanders built a small protected landing

spot and built a road from there up to the four small villages; Bottom, Windwardside, Hells Gate and St. John's. Most visiting boats pick up one of the deep water moorings either off the landing or on the west side near the old customs house. Saba can be seen from St. Martin on a clear day

and it looks like you're going to get there any minute until you finally realize how tall and steep it is - and how far away. You can see the rugged cliffs here in the two photos. In the second look in the water on the left and see how small the super yacht looks in contrast. We anchored in the second area at first and in two shifts dinghied down

to the landing. This turned out to be a little too exciting! Going downwind wasn't too bad but the trip back was rough. By this time too the boat was bouncing around pretty wildly. We decided to move the boat down to the area off the landing site. Courtney and I waited on land while Scott and Sean went back to move the boat. There was only one mooring left and after they left we noticed two boats sailing over from Stacia. It was a race to the mooring.
We stared at the edge of the cliff willing "Scott Free" to show herself. The other boats were clearly winning. Oh no!
And then they passed the mooring by! Thank goodness they decided to check out the other moorings first - poor guys. Our men charged around the island (that's them passing the breakwater here) and grabbed that empty mooring. It was a much more protected spot and much closer for the dinghy.
More about Saba and the rest of our trip in another posting!

Fun Times with Guests

Sean and Sarah flew down to Curacao before Scott and I and opened up the boat. We stayed several days at the Seru Boca marina waiting for a weather window to sail upwind to Bonaire. We rented a car and drove around the island to several beaches, swimming and snorkeling - and of course, eating out! Once in Bonaire, besides the PADI course, we spent a day at the windsurfing Sorobon beach in Lac Bay. This was a first time for Sarah and she did very well.

That's her on the right while Sean looks on. Sean had done it only a little before but he really took off this time. Sarah celebrated her birthday during our visit. In the afternoon we played bridge at a friend's apartment and Honoree made a birthday watermelon boat as a centerpiece. We had a birthday cake for dessert. That night Sean cooked a special meal on the boat.
Brent and Wilma flew into Curacao the day Sean and Sarah left. We toured Williamsted and stayed both at the Seru Boca Marina and at anchor nearby. Later in Bonaire Brent and Wilma went horse back riding one day. The trip took them to the mangrove forest, the salt pans and swimming with the horses in the ocean.
Wilma too had a birthday with us. We stretched the celebrating over several days, having her cake and dinner on the boat at Klein Curacao and a great night out in Bonaire later. During our visit to Williamstad in Curacao we had a terrific time at the Kura Hulanda museum and hotel. The museum covers the history of Africa, the chronicles of the slave trade and then follows the people brought as slaves through their history in the Caribbean and north America up to the Second World War.

It is very comprehensive and contains the best African artefact collection of the Caribbean. Instead of a single musuem building the collection is spread over a group of restored houses and sculptures in gardens and patios. After spending hours visiting there we adjourned to the nearby hotel patio for cold drinks and luckily found a dance performance by a local dance group, "The Golden Dancers".
They started with native folk dances and those of the many cultures that influenced the island, then demonstrated South American and Caribbean dance styles, and ended with hip hop. During the performanced they took a break and brought four members of the audience up for a "dance contest" - Brent and Heather were two of them. You can see us trying hard on the right.

PADI Open Water Certification

Scott had done his certification in Carriacou last fall but when I checked one of the medical questions on the initial form "yes", they couldn't include me in the course without a signed letter from my doctor. I do take blood pressure medecine but it is under control. I saw my doctor when I returned to the States for the holidays and he encouraged me to dive. This spring I signed up for the course in Bonaire with my son Sean and his friend Sarah (here shown in the back of the pickup we rented for a few days).

The course takes on the average five days, although all of us completed it in four days, and our instructor said some people take much longer. It's an intensive four days. Before we arrived they suggested we complete the first three or four chapters in the book. We started two days in advance and I wish I'd begun earlier. There is a lot of material, self correcting quizzes throughout the chapters and a test at the end of each that our instructor corrected in class.
We took the course at the Carib Inn with Ralf Klug, a Dutch man who moved to Bonaire a number of years ago and is now a resident. He had a good sense of humour and carefully watched out for our welfare. Numerous drills and practices are necessary to really learn to safely dive and to instinctually handle any emergency. He watched us for signs of panic and happily didn't see any. The course alternates classroom sessions where we read, watched video instruction and discussed the material, with practical sessions in the water. The first day we used the fresh water pool, the second day the ocean off the beach and the last two days we dove at different locations off the boat, two dives a day. This picture shows me in my full diving regalia almost ready to fall backwards off the boat into the water.
Self corrected tests check for understanding throughout the course. A more comprehensive quiz follows each of the five chapters and is corrected in class. If anyone gets a question wrong Ralf went over the material until it was understood. Near the end of the program we took a final exam with 50 questions, a 75% score is necessary to pass. We all did very well on this and I believe that it would be impossible not to pass if you went through this process.

We started at 8:15AM in the morning, had a one and one half hour lunch break, and ended around 4:30PM. If you don't do all the chapters ahead of time, there's home work at night. I strongly recommend finishing the book before you begin - you're really tired after the long day. Diving is really different from snorkeling. We felt less like voyeurs and more like one of the fish. The hardest thing for me was managing my buoyency. At first I often felt I either was sinking, or more often, heading for the surface. Once my weights were adjusted correctly and I relaxed, it was effortless. There is so much to see the time goes by too quickly. Most of our dives lasted between 45 and 55 minutes. The deepest we went was 60 feet and we hardly noticed we had descended that far (although of course we were checking our depth meters and watches as instructed).

The week following our course Scott completed the PADI Advanced Open Water Certification. He did four Adventure dives and completed the course work - all still at the Carib Inn. His four dives were a night dive, deep dive, peak performance buoyancy and a navigation dive. He really enjoyed all of these, especially the night dive.
Several weeks later Scott's brother Brent took the "Resort PADI course", a one day introduction to diving. He had Ralf as an Instructor as well (picture shows Ralf on the left and Brent) and had a wonderful experience. He had a brief classroom introduction, a short time in the pool and then a shallow dive in the morning off the Carib Inn. That afternoon he did a dive from the boat off Klein Bonaire. Two days later he did another dive with Scott and myself. Because he is still not certified in any way, he had to dive with the same outfit and stay with the dive master at all times. He took this colorful shot of the corals with his underwater camera. PS UPDATE - over the next month and a half Scott and I did a lot of diving. Scott did several more night dives and I joined him for one. My record depth now is 96 feet and we went on a specially planned dive to the salt piers together. This was like an underwater cathedral. The pillars were covered with colorful corals and branches of plants. the light shining through the rows of columns was magical.

Christoffel National Park in Curacao

This park provides a protected environment for a large number of rare species like the white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbit, orchids and more. There are ruins of former plantations Savonet, Zevenbergen and Zorgvliet and an Indian site where Pre-Columbian drawings can be seen. The first of these was originally founded in the 1660s and rebuilt in 1806 after being burned down by John Murray, a pirate working for the British crown. Crops such as peanuts and sorghum were grown there but now it is all natural vegetation. We saw a number of interesting birds including the Crested Caracara (Warawara). Sean, Sarah, Scott and I got there as early in the morning as we could as we had a tough climb ahead, around 1000 feet up Saint Christoffel berg. Our rental car agreement stipulated that this park and the Beach parking lot at the Mambo restaurant were out of bounds for insurance coverage. We decided to take a chance with the park. The park ranger was surprised at this, informing us that they had good concrete roads installed, but we decided it was the car's low horsepower combined with the steep long ups and downs that caused the problems. At one point three of us had to walk quite a ways as the car couldn't make a hill.

The beginning of the trail was somewhat shaded and had lovely views (above left) but the top section was very steep and hot in the sun. The top was such a treat with 360 degree views and a stiff breeze. The hike took several hours and we all decided to take our lunch break in West Punt at the Playa Forti restaurant. Sean entertained us by jumping off the 40 foot cliff into the sea, several times. Caught here in mid space below right and in the water afterwards on the left.


After lunch we went back into the park and drove around the north side by the plantation house, Boka grandi (a north coast bay and beach where swimming is dangerous), and the caves, home to nectar/fruit eating bats and some insect eating bats (up to 600 mosquitos an hour - YAH!). The red Indian drawings found here (and in Bonaire) are calculated to be between 500 and 2000 years old (picture below left). A distant view of our "mountain" is below right.

Sean's Graduation

Sean's graduation from Dartmouth was on June 10 and our party at Josh's house in Newton the following Sunday. The weather wasn't perfect on graduation day but spirits were high none the less. Sean loved his four years in Hanover but looks forward to his two years ahead as a fellow with the Public Interest Research Group either in Washington or Boston. He'll know which later this summer.
Our daughter Zoe, husband George and sons Nicholas and Thomas flew out from California (picture below left). Scott's brother Brent, wife Wilma and her daughter Swandy came from NJ and my sister Paula from Maryland. Everyone is shown in the group shot below right.
After the wonderful party and family get together at Josh and Michal's home, Zoe and her family came up to Vermont for a visit. Nick and Tommy enjoyed the new tractor, walks and visit to the lake. We had a ball watching them.

Staniel Cay to Georgetown

It was a lovely sail down to a one boat anchorage off a white beach near the Galliot Cut into Exuma Sound. Scott and Sean circumnavigated the island snorkeling (until they saw a shark) and exploring the high cliffs on the east side. Then we sat on the beach and watched the sun go down with drinks and snacks. The next morning early we carefully went through the cut and sailed down the sound to Georgetown. The fishing was fun but again we caught only barracuda, a fearsome looking fish and unedible in this area due to cigatera contamination.
Conch Cut into Elizabeth Bay was easy and calm and the sail down Stocking Island pretty with over a hundred boats anchored all along the beaches for miles. The channel into Georgetown harbor was very shallow and no one seemed to know anything at the Marina. They didn't even know it was high tide (it was). We went aground just off the docks and after a very scary fifteen minutes managed to get off and find someone to point out a way into a slip. There were only inches below us, if that, at low tide. Still it was very helpful to get water, groceries and settle Sean's
flight. We found a travel agent to help us and discovered he couldn't leave the next morning as planned, the timing was too short. This was very disappointing and meant he had to leave in just a couple of hours and spend the night in Nassau. The agent made reservations at a motel that Sean later reported was his first experience seeing cockroaches where he was about to sleep. They didn't wake him in the morning as requested but luckily the cab driver whom Sean had befriended the night before came up to his room and woke him up (at 5:30 in the .morning).
We left the marina at high tide the next day and anchored off Volley Ball Beach. There are many volley ball courts there and at least one was in constant use. A small beach bar, Chat and Chill, and a conch stand round off the facilities. Many hiking trails wind all over the island and there are only a few small homes and one brand new tiny hotel. The beaches on the east side have breakers crashing on them and coral reefs off shore while the beaches on the west side are quiet - all are dazzling white and the water every shade of blues and green. We hiked up and down the hills in between - cruisers have placed benches facing lovely views and the vegetation in between is cool and restful out of the sun

James Bond and the endangered Iguanas

From Allen Cay we motor sailed down the chain of islands in brilliant
sunshine and light winds. We called the Exemua Marine Park officials on our VHF and checked in. Unfortunately the best anchorage there was filled up, so we continued to Emerald Rock and anchored. We were still within dinghy range of the park headquarters. Sean and Scott went in to the cocktail party on the beach later while I vegged out on the boat. The next day we hiked up Boo Boo Hill with Doug and Sandy from "Interlude". A collection of hand made signs painted or carved on wood or stone decorate the top of the hill.
Hundreds of cruisers have left their mark here and it's very picturesque. We went back to the beach for a swim and snorkel and then hiked all around the south end of the island. The views were amazing but we wished we had taken water by the end of the trip!
We left early the next morning for our next destination. The entrance into Staniel Cay was only guaranteed at 6 ft. so we timed our arrival for close to high tide. Near the yacht club the channel turns dark blue and deep. It winds around a series of small cays and into a harbor where an inlet empties into the Exuma Sound. The currents were very strong and we argued a bit about an anchoring spot. Sean pointed out a deep channel through two of the small cays which led to a good looking area surrounded by the pale blue sandy shoals. After setting the anchor Scott and Sean dove to check it.

One of the close by cays contains Thunderball caverns where the Bond movies Thunderball and Never Say Never were filmed. We explored them three times over the two days there, both at high and low tides. Several entrances on three sides lead into a series of chambers, one of which was lit dramatically from above by several openings. Under the water schools of fish surrounded us - many visitors feed them. Outside around the cay were some great coral heads. From under the water inside the caverns windows of light indicate the exits and highlight the underwater landscape. Next we walked around the island exploring and trying to do some grocery shopping.

This is a much different process here. There are three "grocery" stores here on Staniel. Each contains various canned goods, several each of medicinal and cosmetic products, a few potatoes, onions, carrots and occasionally a forlorn head of iceberg lettuce. A freezer contains some frozen meat and ice cream products. A refrigerator contains eggs, two types of cheese and butter. There is no fresh milk for example or any other vegetables. One big plus is freshly baked bread - a few loaves at each store. That's about it. The prices are very high naturally. We assume the local people do a weekly trip to Nassau or Georgetown for their shopping.
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club (really a marina) has some charming multicolor cottages for rent and several huge motor yachts are tied
up there - along with a classic wooden sailing yacht that took all of our breaths away. The restaurant and bar ceiling is hung with boat flags from all over the world. There is free internet service for customers so this evening we're going in for dinner with the computer. It's a single sitting and you order your meal in advance. Tomorrow we're sailing south around 20 miles and anchoring close to the reasonably deep Galliot cut through the islands into the Sound. We'll then sail 40 miles on Thursday down the coast to Elizabeth Harbor and Georgetown. Conch Cut into the harbour is a tricky entrance so we're planning to do it early in the afternoon and get settled in a slip at a marina. Sean has a very early plane flight to Nassau on Friday morning and we need to buy his ticket Thursday afternoon. It is going to be very hard to say good-bye.

Underway in the Exumas

Nassau was home for over week. We got lots of boat projects done. A hint: Don't take your outboard apart till you have all the pieces you need to put it back together again!
Nassau is the biggest population center in the Bahamas with over 100,000 inhabitants. With lots of resorts and cruise ships in port there were crowds of tourists. We heard the Sean Connery was in his home on Nassau recovering from surgery and I guess that's why we did not get invited over for drinks. Oh well.
Nassau is the cross road between the northern Bahamas and the Bahamas Out Islands and the Caribbean further south. As a result there were lots of cruising friends passing through while we were there including the Karen M, Interlude, Salty Paws and Sea Angel. Sean arrived on schedule Wednesday night and Thursday morning at slack tide we departed for the 40 mile sail to Allan's Cay in the Exumas in company with Doug and Sandy on Interlude. It is hard to imagine better cruising than the Exumas. The water is clear as glass. The coral is spectacular and very accessible in shallow waters. Our first stop was Allan's Cay, home to the only remaining Bahamas iguanas. They are an endangered species and strictly protected. However, they are thriving on Allan's Cay by approaching each boat that lands looking for food. It is a little unnerving sitting on a beach having cocktails surrounded by expectant iguanas! Never the less Sandy and Doug look might cool here in this photo. Saturday we reluctantly departed Allan's Cay for Wardrick Wells Cay. Wardrick Wells is the headquarters of the Exumas Land and Sea Park and hard as it was for us to imagine is even prettier that Allan's Cay. The turquoise blue color of the water over the sandy bottom is almost beyond belief. Sitting on the deck of the boat and seeing the blades of sea grass 25 feet underwater is astonishing. Snorkling, hiking and a Saturday night beach party are keeping us busy here. Tomorrow its off to Staniel Cay, home the the grotto where parts of the Thunderball James Bond movie were filmed. We are looking forward to snorkeling it.

Back to St. Augustine & Sean's Visit

Scott flew back to St. Augustine February 21st, a week before I did. I had to teach skiing through Washington's Birthday week and he had a lot of work he wanted to do on the boat. The biggest project was rebedding the master stateroom windows. St. Augustine Marine is a good place to do work and very protected but it's quite away from the town and shopping. When I joined him we walked around in the evening admiring the beautiful historical buildings and lively street life. We saw a classical music concert by the St. Augustine Symphony in a historic market building.

My first cousin Joanie (that's her at the wheel above) and her husband Kent (with Scott working with the sails) came over from Tampa for a weekend visit. They really enjoyed staying on the boat. We were only sorry it had to stay in the boat yard the whole time. It was great to head out the creek to the ICW and finally start south again on March 7th.

Our youngest son Sean was coming down for his spring break in just a few days. We stopped at the Halifax Harbor marina in Daytona Beach for a few days and drove to Celebration for a lunch with Eileen and Dick, friends who sailed their Nauticat 43 to Europe a few years before. On our next day motoring south we hit a sandbar at "34" Red just after the Cornarda Bridge. We backed off of it OK but couldn't find a way through. Sea Tow on our VHF recommended we take the Sheephead Cut Channel instead of the ICW and that worked.

We anchored in 9 ft. of water off the channel between "54" and "56" at mile 889 that night. On March 10 we woke to clear cold weather with the wind at our backs. We touched bottom again with much shoaling between "79" and "81" but chugged through. We pulled into Melbourne Harbor Marina in with lots of sun, picked up a rental and drove down to Ft. Lauderdale to pick him up.

Our first day together was in the 70's with lots of sun. We touched bottom once very soon after leaving and then had no problems until getting to Ft. Pierce. There we hit again on the shallow bar between the anchorage North of North bascule bridge and the ICW. Sean and Scott took the dinghy into shore and walked around a bit. The next morning we were off early, later having problems with the engine. After changing the fuel filters we were able to continue.

At lunch we pulled off the channel and took a break, swimming and eating a nice lunch. We anchored that night at the north end of Lake Worth. That afternoon we went through 6-7 opening bridges with tons of other boats. It was frightening at times waiting in front of the bridge with huge power boats crowding on every side (and a lot of idiots at the helms).
The next day we took a taxi into Palm Beach and had lunch with Mitchel and Uncle Dan.
Trying to find a bus for the trip back we met a nice couple who drove us all the way to our dinghy landing. We were glad to see our dinghy and engine unharmed. We were nervous because there were notices all over area regarding theft problems. Unfortunately there wasn't any other place to go.
On March 15 we went out the inlet and sailed off shore down to Ft. Lauderdale. It was a calm lovely day. That afternoon when Sean was seated up on the bow sprit, the pin on the anchor broke and it and hundreds of feet of chain fell unchecked. We were incredibly lucky it all missed Sean! What a frightening experience. Luckily we have a windless so we could recover quickly. The GPS also went on the fritz several times and Scott hooked up the portable GPS as back up.
It was lovely to pull into the beautiful and hugely expensive

Marina Del Mar right near the inlet entrance. This is where famous detective Travis Magee parked "Busted Flush", his beloved power boat. The author lived here himself on his trawler and there's a memorial plaque on his slip. It was the most expensive marina we've ever stayed at but the beach was right across the street and there was a nice pool as well.

Further south from there is a fixed 58' bridge. So we headed out the inlet and down the coast. It was a rough day with 4 - 6 foot waves, heavy rain early and 20 knots of wind, no problem really but right on the nose, so uncomfortable. We were afraid it would get worse, but it didn't! Sean and Scott tried fishing - no catching. The scene coming in the Miami inlet was really strange. A big luxury powerboat was up on the rocks right at the entrance. I hope they fired that captain!
It is very confusing as you enter Miami.

When you join the ICW there are two bridge going north and a myriad of channels and markers. We planned to anchor up behind Miami Beach off Sunset Island but the channel leading there was very unclear and shallow. When we finally had our destination in sight a dinghy roared up. The anchorage ahead was full and crisscrossed with anchor lines. It appeared to be a


permenant community. The "helpful" cruiser Rick led us a half mile away to a spot in the middle of nowhere. He pointed out the way to a dinghy landing and supermarket though and we stayed three nights there. Sean had a good friend in Miami that he called and spent a full day/evening with. We were a bit nervous about his making it back to our boat in the dark with the dinghy but it all worked out. Scott and I went into Miami to get mail and boat parts - had lunch too.

South Beach is a fun place. We enjoyed the architecture and the food. Our original plan was to leave from here and head over to the Bahamas. Unfortunately Sean had "misplaced" his passport so a change of plans was necessary. We decided to head down to the Keys. We left at dawn, were turned back from the main channel due to big ship traffic and at first didn't understand what we should do next. Happily a fellow boat told us to use the other, Commercial route. It was a nice sailing day. We stopped at lunch near a reef and snorkeled. That night we anchored at Rodriquez Key just south of Key Largo. It was a long wet dinghy ride into shore for a brief visit. Next day it was sunny and breezy. We averaged 7-8 knots with first reefs in the main and jib, both close hauled. Fun! We tied up at Burdine's Marina at Marathon Key at 3:50 PM.


The next day we drove Sean back to the airport. It was a great visit with him and we were really sorry to see him leave!