Belhaven to Maine

Sean, James, Brent, Scott, Joshua and Daniel - The Garren Men

We returned to Bel Haven, N.C. after James' graduation and some time at Tall Timbers in Vermont. I was alone at the house when a serious thunderstorm struck. Scott had called me to warn me and a minute later I heard a roaring sound. I ran to the front of the house and saw the wind come across the lake, creating a wave, and then the tall pines at the waterfront started to crack and fall. I ran to the other end of the house fearing the ones closest to the house would fall on it. They didn't.

James' Graduation from Marlboro College, VT

It took quite a while for Scott and the boys to get back as the roads were closed and the telephones and electricity were out. They were a bit worried. I was alright and so was our house, but trees fell on the boathouse and canoe.
It took a while to clean up the mess. But we had fun visiting Montreal and the Barns in Essex, NY with Sean for a week.
Then we headed back to the boat to get it north before hurricane season. A few days in Bel Haven to prepare the boat and we tried to leave early in the morning but couldn't get out of the slip - stuck in the mud. Finally after an hour of rocking back and forth we pulled out. After two nights at our favorite stops we entered Norfork, VA where we had an exciting Fourth of July celebration anchored just off the hospital. The fireworks went off right over our head.
The next day we sailed over the tunnel section of the Chesapeake Bridge and started a three day journey to Newport, R.I.

with good weather. It didn't hold however and we battled wind and rain as we tried to round Long Island. The wind was coming straight at us and so were a group of fishing boats we could see on our radar (no visability outside and it was the middle of the night). They wouldn't answer us on the VHF and we had a hard time getting around them. Meanwhile the boat is bashing up and down.
"Do we need to get to Newport tomorrow", I said.
"What do you mean?"
"How about heading west to NYC and getting in the shelter on Long Island"

"You don't have to say it twice" He was out at the wheel and I trimmed the sails for a much easier reach and we said good-bye to those nasty fishermen. It meant 2 additional nights before reaching Newport but they were in comfort. And we got to sail into NYC at dawn - a beautiful sight.
It was an easy trip up the East River with the correct timing and a nice sail up Long Island Sound. We had friends waiting there - Roger and Francoise on "Starship Annie" and we took turns having dinner aboard both boats. My ski instructor buddy DeeDee  and her husband Eli Watson-Simon came aboard for dinner one night and she treated us to a great lunch out.

From there we sailed to Quisset Harbor where we took a mooring for a few days to visit Karen and Ted in Falmouth. Then off to Nantucket in the heavy fog. It was eerie and a little scary to hear the high speed ferry pass close to us in the channel and not even see them a bit. We made our way into the harbor slowly and carefully and picked up an empty mooring. Nantucket was a beautiful sight the next morning in the sunshine. We rented bikes and toured all over the island for a few days.
We returned to Quisset for a few nights. Russ and Ted joined Scott for a day trip over to Cuddyhunk and then through the Canal. We planned to stop in Scitate

Bel Haven has many lovely homes along the waterfront

The sun hits a skyscraper in Portsmouth
just across from Norfork.

once more but we "stopped" right outside the harbor when the engine cut off. No luck getting it restarted, it was getting dark and we aren't comfortable with sailing through a narrow channel and into a packed harbor. So Boat US to the rescue and thank goodness. They put us right on a mooring.

Sunset at anchor Duck Island Roads, N. Clinton, CT

Next day Scott replaced the impeller and we were off, back to Boston Harbor Marina. It was 7/22. We left Bel Haven on 7/2. Six days later after making some repairs we left and headed overnight to Portland, Maine. We left Scott Free at the Portland Yacht Services while we attended Sean's Family Weekend at Dartmouth (Sophomores spend the summer at Dartmouth). Once back we set sail again north at 6:45am 8/1 and by 6pm that night were anchored in Kent Cove, Fox Island Thoroughfare after a day often in thick fog.
More on our month in Maine in the next posting.

Russ and Marty Wolf on Ted and Karen's beautiful
front porch in Falmouth

All Good Things Have to Come to an End!

Our time in the Bahamas was coming to an end. We needed to head north towards home. We stopped for a several nights back in Fisher's Bay and had Starship Annie, Myasotis and Dulce 3 over for a pot luck. We loved spending time at Nippers and on the beach during the day and joined a big pot luck at the Sunset Grill one night. On April 21 we made our way around the Whale again with good weather with Starship Annie leading the way.

Green Turtle Cay felt like an old friend and we had two good nights there before setting off again. Our next anchorage, Manjack Cay, was our last few nights with Roger and Francoise. We swam, snorkeled, ate & drank together. Scott and Roger shared computer knowledge and we all studied the weather. At this point we were waiting and searching for a good weather window ahead for the trip across the Gulf Stream and north.

We finally said our good byes and motored with no wind over to NW harbor on Great Sale Cay. This is a deserted island with good protection and a favorite spot to wait for weather before leaving the Bahama Banks. We planned to travel with Myasotis, Adagio, Renaissance and Sea Eze. Herb Hildergard is the weather guru for this area and we signed on for a week before getting weather reports. He gave us the green light for the passage but warned us that a big storm would be coming in with northerly winds the next morning.


We needed to be out and along the coast by then. So on April 26 at 6:10 AM we left Great Sale with 20 knots of SSW winds and made great time with genoa and main fully out. There was wind chop on the banks but once we exited at 3 PM into the deep sea the wind increased to 25 knots and big rollers combined with the wind chop to make a sloppy sea. We put a reef in both sails as it grew dark. We could see Myasotis and Adagio behind us but the other boats parted company. At 10 PM the wind dropped and the temperature went down suddenly. It was eerie. Then the wind came out of the north and howling. We saw wind up to 45 knots in gusts and it was steady in the 30's.

Fishing boats line the channel up to the Brunswick Marina

We took in additional reefs and sailed until the winds came around further forward at midnight so we took in all the sails and motored. When the northly winds hit the Gulf Stream current heading the opposite way mayhem occurs. Then the rain came in torrents. We couldn't see beyond the bow sprit. Scott was glued to the radar and I sat outside in my rain slickers peering into the darkness. Thunder and lightening seemed all around us. Of course several cabinents opened up and distributed their contents around.

By dawn we were off the Florida coast near Cape Canaveral. The rain had lightened up and we could see Myasotis and Adagio off our stern again. Talking to them during the night was a huge relief. Jeanette on Myasotis was a school teacher and had the kind of voice that commands respect. She called the big ships for us and made sure they knew we were there.
By 6:30 AM it was light enough to enter the channel and all three boats tied up at the Cape Marina. Sea Eze joined us shortly afterwards. Their jib had torn during the storm and all the other boats had their auto pilots fail to handle the tough conditions. Our's happily did! But we were all really tired. Never the less Customs and Immigration insisted on our taking a taxi to them immediately - no clean up or breakfast first!

Jeanette, Bill and Heather aboard Scott Free for dinner.

The next morning while we were sitting in our cockpit the tugboat and barge working across the channel backed up towards us. It hit the concrete piling only 12 feet from us and knocked it over. At that point someone on the boat finally looked back! We had to give statements to the marina before taking off at 1 PM. We had another night ahead of us but this time with much better weather. We had clear skies that afternoon and night with 12 knots allowing us to sail close hauled. A small bird hopped aboard and made himself at home. He went below and hung out on our stove for hours. Scott gathered it up eventually and sent it off, hopefully well rested.
Later the wind calmed down and we motored the rest of the night. In the morning the wind started up again and by the time we reaching Brunswick, GA we were in the 20's with choppy seas and long rollers. It was rather frightening to enter the long channel in those conditions sharing the space with enormous car carriers and other ships.
Myasotis had fallen behind us some time before as they continued to sail while we motored. Adagio called one of the ships coming out and politely asked their intentions (so they could move to the correct side). The response was "we're heading right down the middle and suggest you move way over to either side!"
The ICW crosses the Brunswich channel just inside and the huge numbers of different markers made it hard to find our way. Happily we sorted it out and arrived at the Brunswick Landing Marina at 4:30 PM. Happy hour was a treat and a good dinner. We helped Myasotis tie up when she arrived at 8:45 PM. Brave folks to navigate in the dark.
On May 2, after a few days relaxing there we were on a mission to get north of our insurance "line" before the start of the hurricane season.  We left the channel and sailed north with "Myosotis" and "Oz". It was a lovely evening to start but then the wind picked up and increasingly was on our nose so in the early morning we ducked into Charleston. We continued up the ICW all the way to Georgetown, exhausted and working hard to keep our focus as shallow spots were everywhere. I had a bad bout of cramps during the night but we were off again early in the morning and made it to the Coquina Yacht Club in Little River, S.C. We enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner in their restaurant.
Off again early and this time in gray, rainy, gusty weather all the way to Southport where we pulled into the Southport Marina and stopped four feet from the dock (they assured us there was enough water). Deckhands managed to pull us in close enough to get off the boat after the tide came in.We stayed two nights in bad weather, walking the town in full foul weather gear. We waited for the weather to clear and then made it to the Beach House Marina - a favorite spot of ours. Our slip was again next to a pristine, schooner, shown above left. It was a beautiful day - we walked the beach and ate at a local seafood place. The next day continued fine up to Morehead City. And again the next day up the ICW, joined by Myosotis who had caught up to us by sailing offshore from Charleston. They joined us on the trip to Bel Haven and we had dinner on their boat that night.  This sleepy little town had the Forest Marina with a nice restaurant so that's where we tied up our baby and flew back to Boston on May 10 for James' college graduation from Marlboro.

Marsh Harbor

Anchoring in 8.5 feet of water with a 1.5-2 foot possible tide feels a little crazy but we didn't feel the boat on the bottom during our stay in Marsh Harbor. We were surprised to see another "Scot Free" anchor beside us! Their last name is Scot and he is of Scottish descent. Their boat name has a tam-o-shanter perched on it. We had heard them on the SSB net several times and had VHF calls from boats thinking we were them. It was nice to finally meet.

The first night we had Roger and Francoise over for dinner and made plans for a day's visit to Hope Town.The ferry leaves early in the morning to this lovely spot. The channel into the harbor looked very scary on the charts so it was nice to see it on someone else's boat the first time.

The town is a kaleidoscope of pastel colors and white trim. Houses crowd around the large enclosed harbor with the red and white stripped lighthouse guarding it's entrance. A beautiful sight! We walked all around the area and beaches. The swimming was terrific with nice waves to play in.

We found a great to place to eat lunch and admire the view. In the afternoon we climbed up the lighthouse and took panoramic pictures from the top. It was a lovely day.
Tomorrow was Heather's birthday and Roger & Francoise invited us over to their boat to celebrate.

And they know how to celebrate... There were streamers, a sign and a marvelous birthday cake with candles. Of course this was after the wonderful dinner Francoise cooked. She makes a homemade chicken liver pate to die for and it's beautifully presented with tiny cornichons fanned out. Of course, she's french! It was one of my most memorable birthdays. A great way to turn 60!

Marsh Harbor is the largest community in the Abacos and has a small commercial airport. We decided it would be a great place to have friends down to visit. There are lots of islands easily reachable while staying in the protected inside banks. Even the most timid friend would enjoy this. We'll talk it up at home this summer and see who bites!

Friendship, Friendship...

We met a number of terrific cruising couples on our trip to the Bahamas but three of them remained friends over the next years. Doug and Sandy (left) on "Interlude" we met at Green Turtle Key and cruised with this year and next in the Bahamas. We met again our friends from the Annapolis Boat Show, Roger and Francoise (below right and in the center below left)

on "Starship Annie" and had some wonderful times here in the Bahamas and then later down the island chain for several years to come. The third couple are Bill and Jeannette on "Myasotis" (below left on the right and left) who we met here and have visited back and forth at their home and ours. They sold this "Myasotis" and have since bought another one.

We went around Whale Cay Cut with "Interlude" and anchored in Baker's Bay off the now deserted Disney Cruise Ship playground. This was a beach/bar "Pirate Lair" set up for their cruise ships but proved too difficult for them to access in all but calm weather. It was fun to explore here and enjoy the deserted beach and the atmospheric "movie set".


Next day we anchored at Fisher's Bay and had a miserable time getting the anchor to set. A helpful cruiser suggested laying much more chain to get a horizontal pull and that worked. Immediately we headed over to "Nippers", to this day the coolest beach bar we've ever seen. Multi color pastel chairs and tables on a big deck overlook a

perfect white sand beach. Two small pools are linked by a little waterfall and the BBQ is served at lunch and dinner. Of course the drinks were tall and fruity and often contained coconut cream. Painkillers, first tried in Annapolis at the Boat Show, are our favorite. Heaven! We swam in the pool and in the ocean. We drank and we ate - and laughed a lot! It was our imagined Caribbean destination to a "T".

That night we ate a great meal at the "Blue Water Grill" with Doug & Sandy. The next day we headed for Man-O-War Cay and hit a rock trying to anchor - no damage visable thank goodness. The north end of Diskie's Cay was a better spot. Man-O-War Cay is another lovely community with a number of art/crafts galleries. They

make baggage/pocketbooks of all sides and colors in quilt like patterns. We bought several for gifts. Woodworkers make boat models and half models that command some big prices. My Dad made these years ago of individual boats for sail racing trophies and proud owners. They were beautiful and so are these.

We had a fun time shopping followed by drinks on Interlude that night. Coming back in the dark we didn't tie the dinghy securely for the night. Each probably thought the other would do it. Of course those drinks might have been the culprit. In any case

the next morning it was gone! We had just watched "Interlude" pull anchor and head off back towards the U.S. but a frantic call on the VHF radio brought them back. Sandy stayed with the boat while Doug launched their dinghy and picked Scott up for a search. Luckily it wasn't too far away, bumping around on the coral and rocks. Our "Port-a-boat" is made of indistructable material so it survived. An inflatable proably would have had severe damage.

indistructable material so it survived. An inflatable proably would have had severe damage. We thanked our rescuerers profusely and then we headed off in different directions. Our next destination was Marsh Harbour. The wind was fresh and the waves choppy on the way and the harbor, very shallow and crowded. It was a challenge to find a good spot.

Green Turtle Key then through the "Whale"

We managed to anchor safely in White Bay, Green Turtle Key and it was lucky as a squall soon arrived in the middle of the next day that tested everyones' holding. Winds into the 40's howled through the anchorage and a few other boats began to drag. Luckily not in our direction. We turned the engine on and stood at the wheel ready to respond.





Later we met a number of cruisers in the Bay; Peter & Leslie, Bob, and Karen & Greg. But it was Doug and Sandy Cox on their Grand Banks "Interlude" that we clicked with right away. That's them with us at the top and their boat at anchor on the left.
The next few days the weather improved and we walked all over this island. This section of the Bahamas is called the Abacos. It was originally settled by indians mostly wiped out by early Spanish explorers, used by Pirates and finally settled by Loyalists fleeing from American Revolution. They brought slaves with them and tried to duplicate their plantations, but the soil and lack of rain ended that. The races are mixed and seem to get along quite well in this area of the Bahamas. Further south there are keys that are "white only", still to this day.
There was a school fair we enjoyed one afternoon with food and entertainment for the children. The library is charming and tiny, run by volunteers and had a nice book exchange.The houses look like cottages and have Victorian trimmings. They are in all the pastel shades and surrounded by small but pretty gardens. We found the grave yards interesting and very picturesque. There aren't a lot of last names here. Everyone must be fairly closely related!
After five lovely days we moved on with "Interlude" through the Whale Cay Cut on a light wind day. This is a difficult passage in any poor conditions and often strands people on one side or the other for days.

Key West to the Bahamas

We drove our rental car down to Key West for the day, leaving our boat in the Marina at Marathon. This was our first visit to this offbeat community and we loved it. We played the real tourists, taking the tour "train" around town, visiting the Winter White House, and of course joining the party at sundown.
The next day we fueled up nearby and then motored down to Duck Key. Our good friends Marty and Russ Wolf and their children were visiting Frank Wolf at his lovely home there.

It was too shallow for us to come into the marina so we anchored way off the island in eight feet of water - all alone. I found this very intimidating and especially since our dinghy motor hasn't been very reliable. Happily the Wolfs ferried us back and forth several times. We stayed there three nights visiting. The days with them were great but our nights were sometimes uncomfortable with rolly choppy conditions.

On March 27 we had a nice broad reach back to Rodriquez Key. We had Easter dinner with Diane & Mitch Korbey and their friends Gene & Shirley at their condo nearby. After a few days there we left again, this time for the overnight sail to the Bahamas. After spending some time reading the guide books and pouring over the charts we'd decided to go to the West End and the Abacos. So March 30 we left at 3:10 PM, went through the off shore reefs and entered the Gulf Stream.

We had light winds from the east and large rollers. We were able to sail until 9 PM when the wind died down . There wasn't another boat in sight that night - rather a relief for me. At 10 AM the next morning we tied up at the Old Bahama Bay Marina in the West End. My log notes that it was a gorgeous day with unbelievable (underlined) water colors. It was our first experience with customs and immigration and very pleasant.

We had a wonderful time at the marina. They had only recently opened after being destroyed by a hurricane. Everyone was so welcoming and there were complimentary cocktail parties every evening. The beach and the pool were very lovely. We met a very nice couple from New Jersey staying at the hotel, Michelle Butler and Peter Liguory. He is a District Attorney there. We hung out together and had them over for drinks.

That's them on our boat to the right. We stayed there four nights and only paid $268 - a great deal as it was a first class resort! Bahia Mar by contrast was $279 for two nights. We went into Freeport one day on the bus and had lunch in a pretty marina complex with a largely decorative lighthouse.

That's me in front of one of the casinos at the bottom. There are several shots of the sunsets at the West End here. That's "Scott Free"'s bow on the left.
We exited early on April 4th and sailed on the outside of the banks, entering at Memory Rock. It was 9 feet of water at near low tide over the entrance and then not much more than that over the banks.

It was a totally new and rather scary experience to sail fast over such shallow water. Our GPS auto pilot was also giving us occasional problems. We kept a close watch on our track. Our destination was Double Brested Key an almost deserted island northeast of us. We anchored in 10 feet with no wind and a clear sky. This was everything Scott wanted - no people, beautiful scenery, clear water (no bathing suits)...

He would have stayed there for days, but the weather was changing. Small craft warnings were posted for the next day. So we sailed on to Green Turtle Key and into the almost land locked White Bay through a narrow, shallow channel - with white knuckles. It was quite difficult finding a safe spot to anchor as the Bay was packed but finally we succeeded.