2(humans) + 2(dogs) + 1(boat)

Goodbye for now

2012-07-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

After arriving in Charleston we were without a ride and needed to get to Bradenton, FL to pick up our car. Luckily we still have generous friends in town that were willing to chauffeur us to Budget car rentals where we rented this sweet 2012 Mustang:

After we picked up the suburban in Florida, we returned to Charleston and prepped Vitte for her haul out. It is truly amazing how much storage space she has. We filled the car with boxes and bags then set to work cleaning her up and readying her for storage.

It was hard to say goodbye, but I know more adventures await us aboard Vitte.

Florida to South Carolina

2012-07-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Now begins the long arduous journey home.

With a ripped mainsail and unfavorable weather, we were forced to travel up the east coast via the Intracoastal Waterway (or the ICW for short).

This is not a fun trip in a slow boat, especially on Saturdays and Sundays when the weekend warriors come out to play with toys they have no idea how to use.

In Ft. Lauderdale, for example, the ICW was churning with wake from boaters ignoring no wake zones and passing too close.

Se la vie…

Once the weekend was over and we got into more rural waters we were able to enjoy our leisurely pace and snag some beautiful anchorages each night.

On the 26^th of May we docked in Marineland, FL to ride out tropical storm Beryl with our dear friend, XBOX.

Calm before the storm

Beryl

After our extended stay in Marineland, we traveled to St. Augustine and decided to stay for a few days in order to enjoy this beautiful and historic city.

We rented scooters and visited the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, where they have every species of crocodile on site!

Albino alligator (looks like white chocolate)

Indian crocodile

St. Augustine lighthouse

Our sweet rides

We just happened to be in town for a reenactment of Drake's Raid, a bloody battle that occurred in 1586 when the British invaded the Spanish colony of St. Augustine.

From St. Augustine we continued north and on our second day out we decided to try an offshore jump using our reefed main and the jib.

Conditions were good, but just as we were nearing the St. Simons inlet to enter Brunswick, GA, the front we’d been watching on the radar decided to blow in. The winds and seas kicked up and suddenly we heard a violent flapping noise. We looked around, nothing…looked up…the mainsail had ripped again, but this time it was obviously beyond repair.

I quickly lowered and lashed the main under ominous skies and angry seas. However, the storm skirted us to the north and we made it in the inlet safe and dry.

The following day nature showed us what she could really do…

We had planned a long day, but about half way into our trip the clouds looked like a storm was forming and the radar confirmed that there was a LARGE storm headed our way. We decided to stop early and got our anchor set just in time. As Ransom was letting out chain I looked off our bow and exclaimed, “Is that a waterspout?!” Ransom looked up and confirmed that there was indeed a waterspout right off the bow and headed our way.

The storm rolls in...the waterspout is off the bow, but hard to see in this picture

The following pictures were intended to be a panorama, but without photoshop on my new computer I was unable to merge them. However, you can get the sense of the storm that surrounded us.

We hastily tied the canopy awnings down and just as we made our retreat to the cockpit the skies opened up and the waterspout was on top of us. The boat heeled to starboard, the wind screamed, and the water turned white as the waterspout passed over us. We watched from the cabin and let out a sigh of relief when it was over.

Phew!

Clouds over Georgia...looks like Rei

The weather cooperated for the final stretch, and four days later we were pulling into a slip at St. Johns Yacht Harbor in Charleston, SC.

After getting settled we took a moment to reflect on our journey and let our accomplishment settle in. We soon realized that we were exhausted! What an amazing adventure!!! It’s hard to believe it’s over and time to go back to work, go back to saving and planning our next voyage.

Coming to America

2012-07-05T16:43:00.001-04:00

We departed Nassau on the 17^th of May for Florida. Ransom had checked and double-checked the weather for our journey, so we were not discouraged when we woke to grey skies and a light drizzle.

Shortly after we left the marina, the skies opened up and unleashed a downpour upon us. However, the rain did not last long and we were soon on our way home.

Hans Otto Schteering did all the work for us and the overnight passage to Ft. Lauderdale was a breeze.

We each took shifts overnight, one of us keeping an eye on the charts and radar while the other got some rest.

It was kind of a bummer the skies were so cloudy, they blacked out all the celestial lights, casting gloom onto the seas.


Sunrise

Dolphins welcoming us home

We sighted Ft. Lauderdale around 11:30am on the 18^th. On our approach a Coast Guard vessel came along side and hailed us on the radio requesting to come aboard for a safety inspection.

The “mother ship” launched a tender with four officers aboard; two of them boarded Vitte while the other two remained on the tender.

After inspecting our safety gear and informing that we passed, the officers got a call from the ship’s captain and they walked to the bow for a conference.

The two coasties returned to us in the cockpit and bluntly asked us if “we knew anything about smuggling on this boat.”

WHAT?!

“No, we sure don’t officers. We bought the boat in 2010 and this is the first trip we have taken on her.”

We asked about the smuggling flag, and apparently we can’t find out what it was for, when it was flagged, or remove the flag. D’oh.

After that fiasco we continued on to the marina in Ft. Lauderdale and called customs to inform them of our return and schedule our check in the following day.

Ft. Lauderdale in sight

Back to Nassau

2012-06-27T12:23:00.000-04:00

All good things must come to an end, and it was time for us to come home to the U.S.

After leaving the company of Aslan, we made a bee line back to Nassau.

Our first stop was Allen’s Cay, and along the way Ransom took another look at the auto steering system, determined to get it rigged and functioning for our trip back.

Some zip ties, rubber, hose clamps, and some twine later we were in business!

Hans Otto Schteering!!!

Autopilot interface

Bugs be gone, Otto's on the helm!

We were well aware the system will have some bugs, but we quickly fixed the issues and had our very own jerry rigged autopilot. We named him Hans Otto Schteering.

We departed Allen’s Cay for Nassau on the 15^th of May. There was a bit of a debate on whether or not we should try, conditions were not ideal. The skies were cloudy and sprinkling and the seas were rolling. We needed sunshine and relatively calm seas so that we could spot approaching reefs on the Yellow Banks.

We decided to give it a go and try and get to Nassau, but a strong gust hit our mainsail and ripped it along the lowest batton.

Fail.

We returned to the anchorage and lowered the main to the first reefing point, reducing our sail area but allowing us to keep using it.

We decided to heed the warning nature sent us and delayed our departure for the following day.

Determined not to waste the day we went to shore and explored Leaf Cay. We found some ruins, saw tons of iguanas, and found some beautiful shells on the beach.

Coarse grained carbonate conglomerate.  Geology in action!!!!

The next day we departed for Nassau and conditions were much better for the crossing. We were even able to use Hans Otto Schteering!!

Back in Nassau we reunited with other boaters we’d met along the way. Saying farewell to those we’ve sailed with for weeks feels a bit like the end of summer camp; exchanging information and promising to keep in tough. Somehow, though, I feel we will cross paths again, somewhere out there in the great blue.

With Aslan (5/5/2012-5/14/2012)

2012-06-26T11:47:00.000-04:00

We departed Big Majors on May 4^th for Hawksbill Cay. Once we cleared the anchorage we raised the mainsail and the jib and were cruising north with the engine off and the wind vane steering for us at a cool 4.5 knots, sometimes we reached 6 knots!!!

A good day of sailing does much to lift a land sick heart and encouraged us to keep going.

Hawksbill is part of the Exumas land and Sea Park, so there were really nice trails to explore.

The next day we did some hiking before setting off for Highborne Cay to meet Ransom’s parents on their boat, Aslan.

It was awesome to meet Bain and Curt in the Bahamas! We’d been in the islands for a month and had lots to share with them.

ASLAN!!!

View of the backyard

On the 6^th of May we snorkeled the reef off Highborne and then made preperations to travel to Shroud Cay.

We tied Vitte to Aslan for a tow, and after a few adjustments we were all aboard Aslan with Vitte following close behind. It was a bit surreal at first to see Vitte being pulled, but we soon relaxed and shook off our worries and enjoyed the day.

Towing Vitte

In Shroud we rafted the boats together for the night. It was so cool to step off one boat and onto another!

Aslan has a really cool toy, an air compressor that lets you scuba dive without any tanks. Ransom, Curt, and I went under to inspect our hulls and test out the equipment. I definitely want my diving license now!

The next morning we packed up the dinghy and headed across Shroud Cay via a salt creek for the beach.


Unearth the air, see it sparkle in the water

After lunch we loaded up in T/T Aslan (sans dogs) for Normans Cay to snorkel a sunken plane. In the 70s, a drug lord, Carlos Lehder, ran a cocaine trafficking empire on Normans Cay. Jets filled with cocaine from Columbia would land on the island and the supply was then divied up between small aircraft for transport to the United States. The plane wreck we snorkeled is a remnant of this time.

Sunken plane

You can't even imagine the beauty that lies beneath

Carlos's house

No lie, this was one of the most awesome reefs I have ever seen. Coral was growing all over the plane: on the nose, inside on exposed wires, and on the wings and propellers.

There were tons of fish too! Fleets of sergeant majors, french grunts, squirrelfish, grouper, angelfish, tubeworms, and more!!!

On the 8^th of May we departed Shroud Cay for Hawksbill and grabbed two mooring balls for the night.

The soles of Curt's shoes separated, but we were able to tie them back together using some twine found on the beach.

The next day we departed Hawksbill for Waredrick Wells. After getting situated on the mooring balls and checking in with Darcy at the office, we geared up for some snorkeling around Radar Rock.

Bain and Curt

Lionfish

Queen Angelfish

Grey Angelfish

Nassau Grouper

It was awesome to be back in Waredrick Wells and be activity directors for Ransom’s parents. We stayed at the park for 5 days and packed them full of activities!

Waredrick Wells

After 10 days with Aslan, it was time to say goodbye and part ways. We departed the mooring field, raised Vitte’s sails and peeled north and Aslan increased her speed and peeled south.

Until next time, Aslan

Big Majors

2012-06-25T12:44:00.000-04:00

We departed Black Point for Big Majors on May 2^nd, anchored, and loaded the dogs into the dinghy for a shore visit. Fun fact about Big Majors, there are wild pigs, yeah, giant spotted, look like they stepped out of Bedrock, giant pigs. They are quite the tourist attraction, because they will swim out to your boat looking for food! And fool tourists feed them!

The beach we chose to take the dogs to was clear but wouldn’t you know as soon as we got closer a pig emerged from the bush and onto the beach. The dogs spotted it and for a moment were confused, but soon Charlie started baying and howling and Rei whining and crying, both of them causing quite a scene in the dinghy.

Luckily there was another beach close by (but with people) so we took them there.

The following day we returned to Thunderball Grotto for a slack low tide snorkel. This time when we swam into the cave we continued through to the east opening and drifted north back around to the west entrance.

INCREDIBLE!!!

When I first approached the east side exit I was awestruck with how beautiful it was! The light shining on colorful fish and coral, framed by the dark interior of the cave…quite a nice effect.

The exterior of the island was encrusted with an exceptionally healthy reef; it was so beautiful we took three laps around until the current got a little too strong to swim in the area.

Black Point Settlement

2012-06-25T12:43:00.003-04:00

We departed Staniel Cay for Black Point Settlement on the 28^th of April to ride out a storm in their well protected anchorage.

Low tide

After dropping anchor and securing the boat, we took the dogs to shore to do some exploring.

We found an amazing blowhole that gets pretty extreme during rough seas.

Blowhole

We made a video of the blowhole, but for some reason I can't get it to post here, so if you follow this link you can view it on my You Tube page.

The town proper is a cruisers’ paradise. Restaurants, bars, a well stocked grocery store, and an inn that offers laundry and hot showers!

We stocked up, did laundry, and returned to the boat to wait for the storm to arrive.

The rain started that night and continued for two days, finally ceasing the afternoon of the 30th.

Everyone (dogs included) were getting stir crazy on board, so when we woke up to sunshine on the second day we were ecstatic! Time for a hike!

Black Point has to be our favorite town in the Bahamas. The island has a really good vibe to it. We made some friends, both locals and cruisers, and crossed paths with old friends from Waredrick Wells.

Beryl

2012-05-26T12:11:00.001-04:00

Tropical storm Beryl is headed for the east coast, but it looks like we will be well outside of the worst sections.

We've decided to hole up at Marineland marina just south of St. Augustine until Beryl moves west and takes the rain and wind with her.

Staniel Cay

2012-05-23T11:26:00.001-04:00

We departed Waredrick Wells 4/25 for Staniel Cay and had some great wind, so without delay we raised the main and the jib and were soon cruising without the engine at a cool 6kt. We even passed someone!!!

Two other boats from the park were also cruising to Staniel Cay, Winterlude and Big Storm, and we ended up lined up in a row at the same dock at the marina. ^_^

While we were chatting with the folks on Winterlude, we heard a “WHACK” and looked to see a seagull had flown into our wind generator while the blades were turning! The poor bird was bobbing in the water (very much alive) trying to shake it off. He attempted to take off several times, resting in between, before finally taking flight.

The bar at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club

After tying up and restocking some supplies, Ransom and I took the dinghy over to Thunderball Grotto for some snorkeling.

(FYI: They filmed scenes from the James Bond movie, Thunderball, here in Staniel and other locations around the Bahamas)

The snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto was AMAZING!!! Tourists come here and feed the sergeant majors, so when you swim up they crowd around you looking for a handout. They get so close you can almost touch them, but they always dart away before you make contact.

The best time to snorkel here is at a low slack tide, because you have to swim through an opening in the rock to get inside the island! There are openings in the ceiling and when the sunbeams shine in the light penetrates the water and you feel like you are in a postcard.

The following day we loaded up the dinghy with dogs and supplies and went exploring! We went to several beaches and the dogs got some much needed off-leash time.

We came upon a couple of wrecks, an airplane (intact) underwater and a portion of a sailboat hull on the beach, the boat wreck especially was a reminder of how wrong things can go and how important it is to respect the elements when sailing.

We met some great people here at Staniel Cay, some locals with great knowledge of the area, and some visitors from Canada and Ohio.

We went out with the locals a couple nights and one night we were treated to a whirlwind tour of the island. I even got to drive the car, something I haven’t done that since February!!!

Big Dog Bar

Taste and Sea Cafe, where to go for a tasty dinner!

"The Original Yellowman"

The couple from Canada was on their honeymoon. They got married at the yacht club and then stayed 2 additional weeks. We hung out with them on our last night and had them over to visit the dogs and see the boat.

It was an ego boost to have non-boaters on board oohing and aahing over little details we have become accustomed to. You get tired of being aboard (and sometimes confined in the cabin) so it was nice to have visitors to remind us that, yes, our boat is awesome!!!

After we checked out of the marina we ran into the couple from Ohio and after chatting with them about how the marina doesn’t offer showers and we’d been swimming in the pool to clean off; they graciously offered us a shower in their bungalow.

It was HEAVENLY!!! We hadn’t had a real running shower since Nassau (18 days prior), just the shower bag and the yacht club’s pool.

Waredrick Wells

2012-05-23T11:07:00.003-04:00

Waredrick Wells mooring field (view from atop Boo Boo Hill)

We moved to Waredrick Wells on April 17^th and grabbed a mooring ball close to the park headquarters.

To obtain a mooring you put your vessel on the waiting list the day before your desired arrival. The lady that runs the office, Darcy, is strictly business and comes across to most as being cold and crass.

There is so much to see and do here and since we’re in no rush we ended up spending 8 nights in the much protected mooring field.

To earn some instant karma and get on Darcy’s good side we picked up 3 XL bags, 1 Lg bag, and 4 med bags worth of debris (over 100 lbs. of plastics, ropes, and glass) from Bullion Beach, about a 45 min hike from the park office.

This volunteer work earned us the title of Darcy’s “new favorite people.” ^_^

Bullion Beach

Instant Karma

Debris found on the beach

Plastic doesn't go away, it just gets smaller and smaller

Curly tail lizard

If you don't make any sudden movements, these little guys pose for you  ^_^

There are some incredible hikes here on the island on somewhat treacherous trails composed of eroded carbonate rock (we geologists know it as “moon rock”), rock fragments, and “sinky” sand.

Trail marker

Ransom down in Murphy's Hideaway.  When he was 15 he and his brother, Stuart, filmed a James Bond home movie and used Murphy's Hideaway in a scene.  

Beryl's Trail to Davis Plantation Ruins

Restoring balance...just ignore the hutia...

However, we saw most of the island by foot and on the high spots we got some great vistas.

Unfortunately the island is infested with Hutia, a native and endangered (but also invasive) large rodent that looks like a cross between a wombat and a guinea pig. When skirting the island by dinghy the damage is obvious and it’s sad to see the habitat so out of balance. We think loosing Charlie on the island would reduce the numbers somewhat (he was built for chasing small furry things), but without a natural predator these rascally varmints have decimated the flora, eating just about every plant they can find.

The hutia have resorted to eating the bark off trees and are trying to eat the markers!

VARMINT!!!!

As for water activities, there are plenty of good snorkeling sites around the island and you get to see lots of exotic fish.

The Land and Sea Park serves as a renourishment area for the Bahamas and is protected by both land and sea. This means no fishing, shelling, conching, or lobstering within the park grounds…and there were several times when you would spot a giant spiny lobster and think, “DINNER!!!”

We spent an entire day in the water and saw over 25 different species of “sea critters,” including Spanish Hogfish, Tube Worms, Elkhorn Coral, Queen Angelfish, a Nurse Shark, Snappers, a Pufferfish, Sea Cucumbers, Hamlets, Wrasses, Parrotfish, and the invasive lion fish (underwater photos coming soon!).

AWESOME!!!!

Since the dogs were only allowed on the beaches on leashes (eat your heart out Dr. Seuss), we got permission to let them loose on the sandbar at low tide. Apparently this was a source of entertainment for the other boaters to watch us chase the dogs, and Charlie and Rei chase each other.

A park tradition is to hike up to Boo Boo Hill and deposit a piece of driftwood with your boat's name written on it. We found a great piece of treated wood on one of our clean up days and used an industrial strength liquid Sharpie to ensure our mark would not fade.

Contributions to Boo Boo Hill.

Our boat sign...see if you can spot Vitte in the background  ^_^

On our fifth day in the park a westerly front started blowing and that night we got buckets of rain dumped on us. There is something to be said about experiencing a storm on a boat. Outside lightning flashes, thunder crashes, water slaps your hull, and rain beats heavy on all your windows and hatches, but inside its comfy cozy and dry.

The other boaters that hunkered down in Warderick for the storm quickly became our friends, even Charlie and Rei met a new acquaintance, a 9 month old lab mix named Jib who gave them a run for their money on the sandbar one day!

This is the kind of cruising I looked forward to when planning our trip, the experience of felling like a part of a community and sharing the thrill of living on the open sea.

Sunrise 

Sunrise hike to Boo Boo

Back yard

Highborne to Shroud Cay

2012-05-21T13:02:00.001-04:00

Exumas Baby!!!!

We departed Nassau on April 11^th for the Exumas!! We traveled in the company of another boat, Le Bonne Vie, from St. Pete, FL!

Crossing the Yellow Banks was fun; I sat up on the bow as lookout and pointed out the coral heads to Ransom. It is truly amazing to see straight to the bottom in water up to 30ft deep and spot a sea star on the seafloor.

We made a pit stop at Allen Cay to see the iguanas and say adieu to Bonne Vie before moving on to Highborne Cay.

The anchorage in Highborne is nice, lots of room, good holding, and plenty of room ashore to let the dogs have some off leash time.

I took this picture at dawn, the sky and water blend into one;  the line you see is our anchor chain under water.

Highborne sunrise

There were a lot of big boats here and for the first time Vitte looks very small to us.

Spyboat

There is a nice reef off of Highborne with a healthy ecosystem. We spent the better half of our second morning here swimming with the fishes and identifying the different species with our reef guide cards.

We moved to Shroud Cay on Friday the 13^th and our jinx for the day was realizing our holding tank was leaking (YUCK!!!). Probably the worst job on board is fixing a stinky, smelly, leaking holding tank. However, we got the job done and hopefully this will be the last time we have to work on that.

Shroud Cay, an uninhabited island, is part of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The island itself is a rocky archipelago that surrounds mangrove forests and is bisected in several places by tidal creeks. We packed little Freyja for a day trip and went exploring, but we didn’t hit the tide right and ended up pulling the dinghy on foot most of the way across the island.

Salt line

Not much wildlife at shallow tide, but we did see a juvenile shark that freaked out at sighting us and erratically swam away. Charlie was very surprised as well and wanted to give chase…I had to wrestle him to keep him in the boat.

For my geology friends

We eventually made it to the east side of the island and picnicked on the berm under Australian pine trees.

The dinghy ride back was a lot smoother since we could actually float and use the engine. The dogs were so pooped; they slept the whole way back!

Nassau

2012-05-21T12:49:00.003-04:00

Entering Nassau Harbor

Nassau Harbor

We traveled to Nassau on Easter Monday and tied up at the Nassau Harbor Club. We walked out to the street and were surprised to find bumper to bumper traffic and pedestrians crowding the sidewalks. What’s going on? Turned out there was a political rally and half of Providence Island turned out to attend it. I regret not getting pictures of the mayhem…but here's a link to a picture of the rally, so just imagine all those people in red shirts clogging the main street.

The next morning we re-provisioned the boat, and after stowing everything we put on our swim suits and hopped a cab to Atlantis to experience their water park,"Aquaventure."

Atlantis is a lot like Vegas, except relaxed. They both have glamorous shops, casino games, and overpriced drinks; but at Atlantis everyone is in resort wear or bathing suits.

The water park was awesome!!! Lots of slides, a (not so) lazy river, multiple aquariums, and delicious rum punches.

Our ride back to the marina was quite entertaining as well. Our driver was HILARIOUS! He had some good jokes an infectious laugh. He even taught us some Bahamian phrases to try out. ^_^

Crossing the Banks to Chub Cay

2012-05-21T12:35:00.003-04:00

The trip from Bimini to Chub Cay required an overnight passage across the banks so that we would have daylight when both departing and arriving for navigation purposes.

The forecast was promising, good wind and light seas, but around 1am the wind built up and so did the swell and we were soon getting soaked with spray. Inside the cabin water was dribbling down the walls and one wave crashed right into the starboard dorade vent, giving the illusion that it was raining inside. I was kept pretty busy below with towels mopping up and noting where water was coming in.

We had been caught in the early arrival of a frontal system that brought with it two squalls and 8' seas. Pointing hard into the seas we passed the entrance to Chub Cay, then doubling back we ran with the sea as we entered the harbor.

We made it to the Chub Cay Marina around 10:30am and the stability of a floating dock was most welcome. After rinsing the boat and showering we took a much deserved nap. ^_^

We spent the next day recovering from the passage, washing salty sheets, rinsing sails, and cleaning water from under hatches.

After two nights at the marina we decided to travel in the company of another sailboat and try anchoring to save some money (Chub Cay Marina is $$$$). We tried out two anchorages, but neither had good holding so we continued on to the Berry Island Club’s mooring field and grabbed a ball. We were gearing up to take the dogs to shore when Ransom said, “I think our mooring just snapped!” “You’re not serious,” I replied, but after looking around and getting my bearings I realized we were indeed adrift. We started the engine, detached the ball and grabbed another mooring. However, after sitting on the second mooring for an hour we realized we were better off at the marina, so at 6pm we untied and hauled back to safe harbor. Imagine if our mooring snapped while we were sleeping!!!

S/V Bye Polar

Charles Squintsanblinks

It was a wise choice to leave that mooring field, turns out we were the second boat to snap a mooring that week! Further down the islands we ran into other sailors with similar stories concerning uncomfortable conditions in the Berry Island Club’s mooring field. One couple remembered us from that day and congratulated us on leaving; they said their night was filled with the sound of mooring ball banging on their hull. Another said that he was constantly doing 360’s around his…a bit stressful.

We spent Easter Sunday on the beach with the dogs and good books…not a bad way to celebrate the rebirth of spring.

Chub Cay beach

Prints in the sand

Relaxing in the shade with a good book

Beach Debris

Miami to Bimini

2012-05-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

Sunrise over the Atlantic

Oh Miami, thank you for the hospitality, but it’s time to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini.

We woke at 5am and by 6am we were out of the marina and on our way to the Bahamas!!!

Goodbye Miami!

We left Miami before the sun was up!

The crossing was easy, a nice long period swell with a light breeze made for a comfortable ride.

We weren’t able to fully sail, but the mainsail caught some wind for stability.

We arrived in Bimini ~2:20pm and Captain Ransom went ashore to clear us with customs and immigration.

Before leaving Bradenton we jumped through some hoops to get papers for the dogs and ensure that they could come with us. However, when Ransom produced the “required paperwork” the lady at customs waved him away and said, “I don’t need to see that.” Oh well, if we didn’t have the proper documentation it would have been horrible to be turned away after traveling so far.

On our second day we packed a cooler with ice and Kaliks and headed to the beach. The sand is so soft and there is a nice berm on the beach, so we dug out some chairs and watched the ships go by.

I cannot express how great it feels to finally be here in the islands! We set a goal and attained it and now we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Rei in front of some ruins

Wrecked ship

Bimini beach...There are a lot of ruins on the south side of the island that are probably a result of a hurricane.  I don't know why we didn't get pictures of the town...

Wrecked ship

Silhouette

Bimini sunset

Bimini sunset

Miami

2012-04-06T17:08:00.002-04:00

We stayed in the marine stadium for 3 days and then moved over to the Miami Beach Marina in South Beach.

Sunset

The anchorage in the marine stadium had both pros and cons.

The best part about staying here was Virginia Key, an island to the east that no one goes to with a beautiful trail. It was perfect for the dogs. ^_^

The downside of staying here is it isn’t easy to go to shore to the west. There isn’t a dock and the beaches are a bit sketchy since the tide flux is extreme, you could either end up high and dry far from the water’s edge or floating a short swim away.

Also, the boat was constantly besieged by crew teams training, so there was a lot of shouting and wake from the coaches in their john boats.

So annoying

We were able to make it to shore, however, and spent a day at the Miami Seaquarium, one of the most awesome places EVER. Better than Sea World, seriously, take your kids, they will love it.

They had two shows featuring atlantic bottlenose dolphins flipping and leaping out of the water, a show with an orca whale and pacific white-sided dolphins with lots of splash action, and a seal and sea lion show with hilarious antics. In addition there were lots of critters to look at: fishes, manatees, gators, crocs, turtles, sharks, tarpon, and even some deer!

The "Flipper Show":

"Top Deck Dolphin Show":

"Killer Whale Show":

"Golden Dome Sea Lion Show":

Critters!:

The South Beach marina was ok…they didn’t have floating docks and the sea wall did little to stop the surge of the passing cargo and cruise ships traveling through the inlet, sending us into a very persistent roll. However, it was easy to get around and we were able to get the things we needed before heading to the Bahamas.

Thursday night we headed west via taxi to the FIU campus to see our friend David and watch a taping of American Ninja Warrior. For those of you unfamiliar with Ninja Warrior it is a Japanese show where contestants compete for glory by racing through and obstacle course where upper body strength is ~90% of the challenge. It was awesome!!!

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were spent around the town collecting items for our trip and seeing the city. We even took in a movie! (The Hunger Games, go see it, it’s probably the best movie out so far this year)

Matacumbe Bight to Miami

2012-04-06T14:51:00.005-04:00

Matacumbe Bight was such an awesome anchorage, but all good things must come to an end and after spending a week there we started towards Miami.

Approaching the bridge

Passing under the bridge

Channel #5, not to be confused with the perfume

Our first stop was Key Largo and we had plenty of company at the anchorage.

Key Largo Sunset

We departed Key Largo at first light the next day and anchored in Card Sound later that afternoon.

The anchorage we chose in Card Sound was awesome! There was a deserted island to take the dogs to, snorkeling, and a gorgeous sunset to finish the day.

The island we named “Trash Island” since it was covered in bottles and other miscellaneous items washed up from peoples’ boats.

Bottles and cans

Gross

Barnacled mangrove roots

First bridge to the keys, Route 1

Rei rolling in something stinky

After one night in Card Sound we headed for Miami and anchored in the Marine Stadium.

It was really cool to arrive in a major city by boat, no traffic jams, no misguided GPS taking you through the ghetto, just other boaters enjoying the beautiful day.

Approaching Miami

Miami harbor

Really awesome boat anchored nearby

Marine Stadium bleachers. They used to race boats here but now it's just an anchorage.

View of the city from the boat

Miami at night

Matacumbe Bight

2012-03-24T17:38:00.000-04:00

From Marathon we traveled in the Florida Bay to Matacumbe Bight, a beautiful anchorage behind Islamorada.

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts (deedely dee)

There wasn’t much to do here and as such we kept to our regular schedule with modifications suiting the environment.

Sunset in the bight

Pirate girl

There was a piece of privately owned land with only one (uninhabited) home built on it and plenty of “no trespassing” signs staked along the perimeter. However, because of the dogs, and lack of a public landing, we were somewhat forced to explore a small section of the land out of necessity. I do not enjoy, nor do I condone trespassing, but we all enjoyed going to shore here twice a day to stretch our legs, play, and observe the wildlife.

A pair of bald eagles had roosted in an Australian pine and we were lucky enough to see them in flight, hear their calls, and catch a glimpse of their eaglets.

"Noman" Island

Rei-skeroni-pony

Family portrait...no idea where Ransom's shirt went

Rei running...

...from dad!!!

Palm tree stump

Main St. at sunset

Coconuts, yum!  We need a machete!

Charles looking dashing

Rei looking a bit protective of her piece of palm

Eagle in flight

Eagles' nest

In the afternoons we would all go swimming. Ransom and I would snorkel a bit first, then the dogs would do a long lap with us for some exercise.

One day we took the dinghy over to the mangrove islands to the north of us for a change of scenery. Wow! Everything was so green and full of life. Lots of fishes and birds and mangrove roots as far as you could see.

Mangrove tunnel

Mangrove roots

Mangrove roots

Osprey

Don't they look like they are having just a horrible time?

Really, these dogs are soooo bored

Sea birds...smelly, smelly, sea birds

To the south of us we found a place to tie up the dinghy; and within walking distance we found a Cuban restaurant (delicious food), a “country store” (glorified convenience store, but we were able to restock some provisions), and a dock with a hose we could “borrow” water from (42+ gallons worth).

On our last day in the bight we met a kayaker who invited us over to the small resort (run by former sailors) he was lodging at for “dusk drinks.” We shared some tales and drank some beers among the company of other mariners. When the sun set a conch shell horn was blown to salute the close of another day and we returned to Vitte to prepare for our departure to Key Largo the next morning.

Key West to Marathon

2012-03-24T17:09:00.000-04:00

We finally left Key West after spending two weeks there and way too much money.

Finally leaving Key West!

From Key West we sailed (but mostly were forced to motor-sail since the wind continued to not cooperate) to Newfound Bay off Big Pine Key. The stars were brilliant at this anchorage!! Skies so clear you could see the Milky Way. ^_^

The next day we traveled up to Bahia Honda State Park and anchored right off the beach.

We immediately went to shore to explore and walk the dogs.

The park was beautiful! We walked through their butterfly garden and saw some indigenous plants and wildflowers (ironically no butterflies though).

There is a trail up to the old bridge where you can walk out on the maintained portion and get a gorgeous view of the park on the Atlantic side and the bay side. You can also look down the old Bahia Honda Bridge and imagine what it was like to see trains run on the lower portion (before the roadway was constructed above), and cars drive on the upper level (after the train track was decommissioned).

Old Bahia Honda bridge trail

View of Bahia Honda State Park from the old bridge.  See if you can spot Vitte  ^_^

The old bridge, note the paved road for cars above and the railroad trestles below.

The old bridge

Rainstorm on the horizon

Gorgeous sunset between the old and new bridges

That night we enjoyed more spectacular stars in the sky and a light show in the water. It was like being on some alien world!!! I first noticed a glowing neon green dot floating on the surface of the water and immediately thought I was seeing things, so I called Ransom over to confirm and there was a continuous flow of them passing the boat! We identified them as jellyfish, but don’t ask me what kind, I could not tell you (maybe a bit of research…). When one would get close to the boat at the surface the green dot would “smear,” creating a wispy trail of neon green. So amazing!!! Unfortunately we were unable to photograph this phenomenon. It’s nearly impossible to capture the true essence of phosphorescence, experiencing it firsthand, however, is incredible! It truly makes you feel as if you are on another planet.

Leaving Bahia Honda

From Bahia Honda we traveled to Marathon via the Atlantic, and seas were rough. Once again we were forced to motor-sail (the combined effect of which had us going 5.5-6 knots).

We’re pretty sure we hit some 7 footers out there. The dogs were not happy.

Seven mile bridge

Finally calmed after the rough seas

In Marathon we met up with our friends, Laurence, John, Jimmy, and Rankin, who were playing a gig at the Sunset Grille and Raw Bar.

After the show John and Laurence came out to Vitte and spent the night aboard. It was awesome to have friends from the Carolinas out on the boat! It was a pure stroke of luck that we happened to be in Marathon the night they played.

Anchored in Marathon (photo by Laurence)

Jah Creation (L to R: Jimmy Jam on keys and trumpet, "King" Laurence on drums, John Picard on bass, and Rankin on congos)

Poolside at Sunset Grille, not a bad place to chill and listen to some good reggae music.

Key West

2012-03-23T11:31:00.001-04:00

We stayed in Key West for ~~way too long~~ two weeks in the City of Key West mooring field and at Stock Island’s Sunset Marina.

While at the marina we rented some beach cruisers and then traded up to two single rider mopeds.

What fun it was to scoot around Key West on mopeds!!! (Don’t worry mom, we wore our helmets and never went faster than 30mph).

Those are ours with the "Moped Hospital" tags

We got to see and do so much: bar hopping downtown (aka the Duval Crawl), sunsets at Mallory Square, and live music wherever we heard it.

The bars of Duval:

The Bull and Whistle Bar

The Lazy Gecko

Sloppy Joe's Bar

The Smallest Bar in Key West


Slow shutter speed shot of Duval St from the Whistle Bar

Hot dog vender by the Bull and Whistle

Hog's Breath Saloon

Mallory Square was particularly interesting for us…at sunset the street performers come out and you can see magicians, escape artists, comedians, solo musicians, jugglers, etc., all for just a few bucks!

(Note: don’t go to Mallory Square, watch a show, and then not tip the performer, it’s just not cool)

Bush Man!!!  He basically hid behind some foliage and jumped out at unsuspecting passers by.  He was great to watch while waiting for other performances to start

Bush Man!!!

Mobile mojitos by Jimmy, a great place to score a beverage for the sunset shows 


The Red Trouser Show

"Rocket the Wonder Dog"

Rocket's show: over the teeter totter, through the short hoop, ending with a daring leap through a high hoop!!!!


Rocket's handler, what's his face, doing juggling feats

Key West history and culture:

Fort Taylor

Cannons!

Yeeeehaw!!!


For all you history buffs

Key West Aqarium

Lighthouse

Ernest Hemingway home

Southernmost point in the continental U.S.A.

We saw some good live music in Key West! Michael McCloud at the Schooner Warf, Pete and Wayne at Sloppy Joe’s, reggae at the Green Parrot, hard rock at Durty Harry’s, and a random cover band at the Lazy Iguana.

Michael McCloud

We also couldn’t resist taking in some “alternative” culture at 801 Bourbon Bar where we saw quite the drag cabaret show: hilarious pantomime lip synching and a sassy emcee that had us in stitches.

My favorite queen was, Boa, the silly one  ^_^

Us with the queens  

Our favorite bar, hands down, in Key West was the Green Parrot on Whitehead St. (one block from Duval St, mostly locals, and FREE POPCORN).

The Green Parrot

Inside the Parrot

Afternoon snack  ^_^

In 1975 the Green Parrot commissioned a painter to decorate the window shutters and the most notorious, The Smirk, is now the bar’s unofficial mascot.

The Smirk

It wasn’t all fun and games, though. We did manage to do some boat maintenance: painting (aka: rust control), swab the decks, wash the canopy, restock supplies, and fill all tanks (gas and water).

In the marina I finally saw a manatee up close!!!

My first up close manatee experience!!!

The marina's waters were full of GIANT tarpon! I swear we saw some that were at least 5 feet long.

Tarpon

We set out to leave Key West on March 12^th, but the water was too rough and the wind too strong for us, so we returned to the mooring yard to wait out the weather.

Glad we hung back, we encountered a group from Maryland on the beach we took the dogs for their “business,” and ended up hanging out with them that night.

Playing Mega Jenga with our new MD friends

It was nice to hit Key West with a crew instead of just the two of us…I can only hang out with Ransom so much, that guy can be so boring :P (just kidding!)

Mamasita!

Ransom is on fire!

Crossing: Fort Myers to Key West

2012-03-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

We departed Fort Myers around 9:30 am on Monday (2/27) and sailed through the night to Key West.

Ransom at the helm, Fort Myers Skyway in the background

There were storms over land, but we only felt a short sprinkle of rain.

The wind, however, was not cooperative…the NOAA forecast was for 10-15 knots from the east/northeast, but what we got was a teeny little breeze out of the southeast with 4ft side to swell.

Not fun…the wind was too weak to push us, and the swell was so strong we had to keep the mainsail raised to act as a roll stabilizer, so we ended up running the motor the entire trip (bummer).

Safety gear

The Gulf of Mexico is beautiful. We saw the sun set, transforming the turquoise waters into shades of orange; the stars come out, creating inky black water you can only hear; and then sun rise, gray skies and slate colored seas eventually returning to the beautiful turquoise I love.


Gulf waters

Sunset

Captain Ransom

Uncomfortable pups

First mate Lala


The most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen.

We reached the channel into Key West around 10:30 am on Tuesday (2/28) and immediately had a snip of rum in celebration.

The wind was strong and true to our course within the approaching channel and we were finally able to raise the sails, kill the motor, and harness the wind.

Yar!!!!

The Key West Express from Fort Myers...probably departed that same morning...show offs  :P

Mallory Square

Charlie looking at the Naval complex

Looking for a mooring ball

So glad to be in calmer waters

Happy New Year!!!

2012-02-29T14:14:00.061-05:00

Happy 2012!!!

I know it’s the end of February, but I’m a little rusty when it comes to writing blogs.

So far our year has been eventful!!

Ransom worked in Australia over the holiday season, missing Christmas and New Years, so to make up for this lost time we decided to have some fun with a portion of the earnings and met in Thailand.

We started in Phuket (pronounced poo-ket) and worked our way north over a period of 2.5 weeks, ending in Bangkok.

After Thailand we flew to Taipei, Taiwan to visit my brother for a few days.

We had a blast!!!!

Longtail boat in Phang Nga Bay

Baby Elephants at Siam Safari in Chalong Highlands,Phuket Island. (L to R: Hutchu, Lauren, Ransom, Punay) 

Macaque monkey (Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park, Phetchaburi)

  Look at that sleepy kitty!!!

(Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno,the Tiger Temple,Kanchanaburi)

Shihfan Lantern Festival, Taiwan (L to R: Mike, Ransom, Lauren)

National Theater, Taipei Taiwan

As soon as we got back to Florida our mission was clear: get Vitte in the water and sail south!

Without further ado we re-launched her, re-provisioned her, and moved out of the house and onto the boat.

Back in the water!!!

From Bradenton we motored* to Venice via the inter-coastal waterway (ICW) and spent the night at the Crow’s Nest Marina.

*(note: the only reason we motored was because the wind was blowing directly from the south and we were on a schedule)

Little Frejya  

Motoring along the ICW, aka the "miserable mile"

The next morning we motored to Useppa Island via the ICW to meet Ransom’s family who were travelling aboard Aslan.

Aslan (65' Fleming)

Aslan

We spent a weekend anchored off Useppa and got some last minute family time in before heading further south to Fort Myers.

Vitte under sail in ICW between Useppa and Fort Myers 

(Ransom at the helm)

Wing to wing!  (Lauren at the helm)

In Fort Myers Beach, we stayed in the mooring field waiting on a good wind to make the 24 hour sail down to Key West.

We found a colorful dive bar called Bonita Bill’s where the locals congregate, the beer is cold, the food is simply delicious, and the price tag is low.

The best part about staying in the mooring field for an extended period of time is we’ve been able to do some much needed boat maintenance. Ransom painted a few spots on the hull, put a back-flow (check) valve on the water tank hosing, and installed some LED lights in the cabin ^_^

Fort Myers Beach, FL

Apparently it was spring break,  because the 

beach was insanely crowded!

Performer at Bonita Bill's

Bonita Bill's

Walking over the skyway (L to R: Charlie, Rei, Ransom)

Fort Myers Mooring Filed

The building behind the dock with the shrimp trawler 

is Bonita Bill's 

The schooner, Wind Dancer, a steel hull, is at the end of the dock.  We wouldn't mind taking that boat off their hands  LOL

So far so good, spirits are high, the dogs are good, and my boat meals improve daily. I need to start writing my recipes down!

Black beans and rice with fresh avocado, YUM!!

On our last night in town my friends Ellen and Del met us at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar for dinner. It was the perfect ending for our stay in Fort Myers ^_^

L to R: Ransom, Lauren, Ellen, Del

Vitte at sunset

2011-04-22T20:36:00.001-04:00

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Sunshine Skyway

2011-04-09T16:31:00.001-04:00

Headed back to Bradenton

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First trip: Cabbage Key, Useppa Island, Gasparilla

2011-04-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

We have been working on the boat non stop for MONTHS!  Time to have some fun…

We went on our first trip with Vitte in mid March (sorry for the delay in posting).  Our desired destination was Key West, but since we were expecting a package for the boat we had to stay a little closer to home.  We decided to visit Charlotte Harbor, two days sail from Bradenton.  

(I must apologize in advance for the lack of pictures.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I only got a few shots and they are mostly from our first day in Charlotte Harbor and Cayo Costa.)

Our first destination was Venice.  We didn’t get in until ~1am and the designated anchorage was CROWDED, so we decided to anchor in an 8ft pocket between the North Jetty Fish Camp and Crow’s Nest Marina.  We were hoping that the dogs would have learned to go “bye-byes” on the strip of astro turf we put on the bow, but they were stubborn and held it until we took them to land at around 2am (that’s over 12 hours).

Full moon over the Gulf of Mexico

Since we got to bed so late, our departure was delayed and we didn’t get underway until around 10am.  The wind was absent at first, but once we got off shore it picked up and we were eventually cruising towards Charlotte Harbor at 5kts.  

When we reached the channel going into the harbor we made a rookie mistake.  We decided to lower our sails and motor in because it is a tricky inlet..…big mistake.  We didn’t take into account that the sea state within the channel was producing side-to swell ~2-3ft and our sails would make the passage a little less bumpy.  We were not in danger at anytime, we were just very uncomfortable and the dogs (Charlie especially) were panting and shaking a lot.  However, we made it into Charlotte Harbor and learned a valuable lesson: DON’T LOWER YOUR SAILS IF IT WILL MAKE YOU MORE STABLE!

Rei trying to make herself as small as possible during our entrance to Charlotte Harbor

Once in the harbor we made our way to an anchorage between Useppa Island and Cabbage Key.  There were other boats there, but we found a great spot with a deserted beach in sight for the dogs to go and do some business.  

After getting anchored and the dogs situated, we took the dinghy to Cabbage Key for dinner.  As we were pulling up, we saw the dock house had a sign that read, “Conserve water, shower with a friend!”  We thought this was an invitation, but when we got to the shower house it said, “For overnight guests only.”  However, it wasn’t locked and I think the other restaurant patrons would thank us for breaking this rule.  ^_^  

Upon entering the restaurant we spotted an old wall piano with a sign saying "players wanted"....duly noted!  On the way out Ransom played "that song I like" and showboated a bit for the crowd the couple at the bar whom were quite receptive to his musical advances (and quite sauced).

After a restful night’s sleep, we decided to visit Cayo Costa for a nature hike. 

Engine block...perhaps someone's mooring?

Engine block

Bath tub with mangrove tree

Bath tub...looks like a surprised alien face

Refrigerator

Cactus flower, a welcome bloom of color in an otherwise brown environment

Mariachi garden gnome

Sunlit path

I concur

After Caya Costa we went back to Cabbage Key for delicious lunch  ^_^

View from the water tower on Cabbage Key (roof of restaurant and golden tree)

Charred palm

Us after a full day and full bellies

On our second day we took the boat north to Gasparilla Island for some supplies and lunch.  Once we anchored Ransom shouted, “Look a manatee!”  Of course I didn’t see it; I’ve only seen a sea cow in captivity and thus believe that (in the wild) they live with unicorns.

We took the dinghy to shore, docked, and walked into town.  Gasparilla is a cool place, a bit touristy, but if you look deeper you find a sleepy little island town with an old Florida vibe.

Flemming yacht

After two days in Charlotte Harbor, it was time to head back north (or “less south” to my friends in New England) to Bradenton.  

Leaving Charlotte Harbor

We reached Venice around 6 pm, but decided to keep going since our last experience there was not ideal.

Ransom and Chuckles

Unfortunately after dark the wind did not cooperate and we had to lower the sails and use our motor.  Finally we were passing Anna Maria Island and about to enter Tampa Bay.  There was a dredging vessel in the main channel and so we decided to try and enter through Passage Key Inlet…big mistake.  

The charts were WRONG.  Where there was supposed to be 13 ft of water we observed 9, and it only got worse from there.  8…7…6…BUMP, BUMP, BUMP, CRASH!  4.3 feet of water, we’re aground, and in trouble.  

Eventually a tow boat reached us and in no time flat had us free from the sand bar.  Even the Sea Tow captain was confused by the lack of correlation between chart and transducer. 

Dogs suited up in life vests for safety

Running aground was not fun, but Ransom’s dad, Curt, put it into words the best, “There are two types of sailors; those that have run aground and those that haven’t run aground yet.”  

I guess we can check that off the list.

Overall we had a great first trip.  Although there was drama, we learned from our mistakes and will convert “should have dones” to “will do next times.”

No more overnights.  It’s too taxing on the humans, the dogs, and the boat.  Poor decisions are made when tired and fatigued.
NEVER enter an unmarked channel at night. 
Early to bed early to rise gets you to your destination at a decent hour and claims you a better anchorage.
Assess the sea state and plan your entry accordingly.  
The dogs are not going to go “bye-byes” on board, even after holding it for close to 18 hours.
Beans and rice are delicious!  

St. Petersburg channel

2011-04-07T14:38:00.001-04:00

Entering the St. Petersburg channel

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