The Parkinson’s Bahamas Adventure Mar. 16-31, 2009

Mar. 16^th:  Another super fantastic day weather-wise predicted today with a high of 78F.  We are waiting for our appointment on Wed. re the cutlass bearing, so we have definitely decided to take the Albury Ferry to Hope Town at 1030hrs. for the day.  When we were just about to leave we were hailed on VHF by Sandcastle, a boat that we have not seen since Jan. but have maintained contact with via email when at all possible.  They were on their way from Lynyard Cay to Hope Town.  We made arrangements to meet them there at 1300hrs., stay with them overnight & the next day they would take us back to our vessel in Marsh Harbour.  Celtic Cross agreed to look after Sweet Chariot ie running the motor & refrigeration during our absence.  They even took us to shore where we then walked to Crossing Beach to caught the ferry; one way ticket per person =$15.00 for the 20 minute trip, return fare= $22.00; there is a ferry every few hours from 0715 to 1830hrs.  It was a very warm, light breeze day, so when we arrived we first walked the south end of the island including South Beach & a number of people were swimming in the Atlantic Waters.  We walked Queens Highway (one must see photos to appreciate such a name), in & out of shops, built & gaily painted in the normal Bahamian architecture & colours.  After finding are friends we hugged & chatted  over beers & lunch ‘till the cows came home’.  When in Hope Town I had been advised to go to Vernon’s Grocery & purchase a Key Lime pie; not cheap, but the best one has ever tasted I’m told.  And so we did, to have with supper tonight.  Before returning to Sandcastle, we dinghied over to the lighthouse side; built in 1863, can be seen for 17 mi. & run by kerosene .  We climbed the 101 circular staircase to the top viewing deck.  On such a beautiful day as this, the view was breathtaking.  Again photos are necessary to appreciate the panoramic view, the colours of the homes, the vegetation, & the seas with the spectrum of aqua, teal, light & dark blues.  A beautiful evening, reacquainting with friends & getting caught up with their adventures in Eleuthera & the  Exumas, & a magnificent calm, quiet, clear, star filled sky.

Mar. 17^th:  Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!  A brilliant sunny, hot day (80F).   After breakfast we went ashore & walked part of Queens Highway to North Beach & along its shoreline.  We attempted to cross private property from the beach to the road instead of back tracking, when a caretaker explained this was not kosher, but then invited to give us a tour of a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom , 3 yr. old gorgeous beach house with a spectacular view of the Atlantic as well as the Sea of Abaco & meticulous gardens & yard, that rents out from a mere $9000.00 to $16,000.00 per week.  After lunch we detached from our mooring ball & motored to Marsh Harbour as there was minimal wind.  Happy Hour was planned at Snappas (beer & well drinks=  $3.00).  St. Patty’s Day feastivities were well publicized on Cruisers Net this morn throughout the Abacos.  Suddenly, very dark clouds, threatening skies & gusting winds + rain blew up as predicted at Happy Hour--- a weak cold front. At the gathering I learnt that the Cost Right (equivalent to Costco back home) closed down mid Feb., so that leaves basically one grocery store in Marsh.   It was a cool trip back to Sweet Chariot for supper, & a windy night.

Mar. 18^th:  E wind blew all night long & right into the morning.  High, gusting winds 20-25K were predicted for several days.  Today is the day though that we have an appointment to have the cutlass bearing repaired.  Due to the keel depth & Marsh Harbour Boatyard’s shallow harbour, it is necessary for us to arrive on a rising & near high tide, which today is at 1400hrs.  We up anchored & with the jenny half deployed we sailed the 10.7nm distance first on a beat, then beam reach as we rounded the land mass & finally a run towards the boatyard.  The journey was better than the conditions were described in the am on Cruisers Net.  The sea chop was only 1-2ft.  Gingerly, we entered the boatyard’s channel right to the travel lift channel & Sweet Chariot was lifted to have the cutlass bearing replaced; a tow line from the rescue had jammed so tightly in the shaft, that the bearing was pushed out & bent from the normal round circumference to an oval, with a scant remnants of the rope still present.  Graeme had done quite a good job at scraping the hull, but we went ahead & had the bottom pressure washed.  Sweet Chariot has been through so much & has withstood some harsh treatment, that she deserved some pampering to make her look pretty from the bottom up!  The job took 1-11/2hrs. only, but the bill was expensive.  We wished this problem was detected in Spanish Wells where the repair prices were very reasonable.    We did not want to take a chance & leave the boatyard now on a dropping tide, so we asked to stay overnight tied up to a dock.  The skies had opened up when we arrived & continued on & off the rest of the day & night.

Mar. 19^th:  An ugly grey, very rainy day with thunder & lightening in the am.  The locals are very happy to see this rain as they have had nothing for months & there is still 2 months left in their dry season.  We hope that the weather improves when we plan to depart this afternoon; high tide today is 1522hrs.  We had cleaned out the boat’s water tank & cleaned the water filter, so refilled the water tank ($0.10 per gal.) & dieslled up before we ventured back to Marsh Harbour at 1430hrs.  Winds were decent & we were on a beat at 4.5K in less than 1ft. chop, but that soon died rendering us to motor into the anchorage at Marsh Harbour at 1730hr.  The rains had slowed down with only an occasional sprinkle; in fact before sunset the sun poked its head out.  The night was calm, quiet even humid & some stars were out.

Mar. 20^th:  Sunny morning with a few clouds, but NE winds at 20-25K predicted for next 2 days.  It was laundry day today & at the same time we picked up a few groceries in anticipation of a departure to start heading north then across the Gulf to the Florida.  The boat looked like a Chinese junk with the laundry hanging from everywhere.  Winds had now increased from the NE to 8-10K driving the humidity out of the air & by sunset they were blowing 15-20K & cool.   We had a plastic insert sewn into our solid connector since we lost our see-through connector in the Feb. mishap & picked up some emails at the internet café.  Then we hit Happy Hour at not one, but two boats; I guess we are making up for lost time.  So it was a very late supper tonight.  Lots of stars in a clear night sky.  First day of Spring came in at 2347hrs.

Mar. 21^st:  First full day of Spring & not a nice day at all.  Winds howled from the wee hours of the morning throughout the whole day & evening, & heavy rain during the noon hour.  Lots of spray (salt) as one journeyed in the dinghy across the harbour to shore.  Celtic Cross was called an internet café at one point this afternoon as a few of us gathered & sat on the boat working away at our computers, because Ian & Sharon were tied up at Mangoes Marina with internet access & shore power to boot.  I received a lesson on how to copy & paste compositions created on Word 2007 & sent out as an email rather than as an attachment, so it is easier for people to open on their computers, as I have Vista which complicates things for my recipients.  Thank you Anne Wallace & Jim for the instructions; they worked!  We watched the DVD Benjamin Button this evening; it was good or well done, but very solemn & sad; I cried a lot thinking of my Dad, not an uncommon reaction for me most days.

Mar. 22^nd:  A cool sunny Sunday morning with NE winds at 15K as I went to shore to get the bus at Mangoes for Church.  Graeme cleaned & polished the stern combing, then rearranged the water & diesel & gas jerry cans tied to the lifelines after lunch.  A couple from Toronto came & introduced themselves to us & asked us if our boat was a Viking 34.  We were surprised someone recognized Sweet Chariot as a Viking, but corrected them on her size.  They had a Viking 34 in the past, & were impressed on Sweet Chariot’s condition.  In the mid afternoon we dinghied to shore so I might call Mom on Skype, do some internet stuff & clean out some stuff on my laptop.  It remained cold & windy all afternoon, evening & night.

Mar. 23^rd:  Repeat---cool, ENE 15-20K winds with sun & cloudy periods today, but still enough chop in the harbour.  I promised to serve Donald & France (Alto) a French toast with bacon breakfast & they supplied real maple syrup.  We chatted away the morning, I particularly interested in the communication system & the supporting power supply system they have installed on their vessel.  They have SSB (ICOM HF Marine IC-M802), computer hook-up to SSB with a modem & printer (Canon IP 100---ink cartridge is good & lasts a long time & produces good photos), 1-12V battery dedicated to engine only & 4-12V batteries for house ( they would like to change to 6V), Xantrex Battery Status Monitor, solar panel, 2000 watts generator, 2 inverters, 2 AC battery chargers, & a 11 gal. Webasto ST 90 water heating system that also provides warm heat into the cabin  via 4 heat vents on rheostats (they feel a 6 gal. is sufficient).  Alto gave us a hands-on tour of the systems this afternoon.  It looks as if Treasure Cay is where we will move on to tomorrow, so picked up fresh milk & breads & lettuce.  Fuel tank & one water tank was topped up.  We had a final gathering for Happy Hour at Snappas  from 1700- 1900hrs. & said our good-byes.  A very cool night, but at least the wind & harbour chop have finally settled down some.

Mar. 24^th:  A quiet & calm night until just before sunrise when the ENE cold wind increased, but the sun was in & out.  The weather forecast & the sea conditions are not sounding good for several days.  I am getting more & more anxious to be home.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my work-outs, I miss skiing, I miss my bike… I MISS OTTAWA!  Ten months is too long for me to be away. On a positive note, we did make our way up to Treasure Cay, a distance of 14.7nm with the jenny fully deployed on a beam reach at about 6K then broad reach at about 4K, leaving Marsh at 1000hrs. & arriving at our destination at 1315hrs. at low tide, but soon to rise.  On anchoring we went aground once again; it’s these small sand humps that we seem to find everywhere. Until the tide came up enough we had lunch & attempted to get on the internet but unsuccessful; others were successful, so I guess it depends  on your location in this harbour. Once we dropped the hook, we venture to shore & walked  the long 3 mile semi-circular powdery white sand beach for a few hours looking for shells & sand dollars, but the tide was already coming in where the sand dollars are normally found; maybe tomorrow at low tide.  The economy has hit this famous & popular tourist destination as everywhere in the Bahamas & the USA.  This is the common comment from everyone this year. Normally these beaches are packed with tourists especially at this prime time of the year, but the beach was virtually all ours;  only a few swimmers.  A beer at the bar & we were the only customers, then back to the boat to cook up a pot of chili.  Some reading & some journal writing then off to bed.  The wind continued to blow all night 15-20K.

Mar. 25^th:  The day started off very cloudy & windy & unfortunately my mood matched the day.  We filled the boat’s water & diesel tanks from the jerry cans, then refilled the jerry cans onshore in preparation tomorrows probable departure north.  After lunch the sun slowly started to poke it’s head through the clouds.  I needed to renew my laptop virus protection subscription & since I can’t get internet access here we went to shore.  After frustrating session with virus renewal reverted to their chat line & then left Graeme use the laptop as he so wished while I walked the wonderful beach once again at low tide with the ladies.  Emotionally I needed this.  On walking toward the beach we past some very lovely condos for rent & magnificent homes & their yards & gardens;  sure there is a nice price tag attached to these places.  There were more people on the beach today even though it was windy & cool.  The tide was a rising low tide.  It would have been a perfect day if the wind wasn’t so strong to have one’s bathing suit on & walk the shallows way, way out into the aqua waters looking for the infamous sand dollars that are in abundance.  On returning I was provided a quick but confusing computer lesson on saving emails into Word.  The best was the long awaited shower that followed; it was just too quick.  We BBQ’d tonight since the winds had subsided some.  Clear skies & millions of stars prevailed all night.

Mar. 26^th:  It was an early start this sunny morning as we were definitely leaving Treasure Cay on high tide to cross the Whale Cut.  Many boats had the same plan, but some took the short route in very shallow waters through Don’t Rock taking advantage of their shoal draft keels.  The cool winds were from the E at 10-15K with 5-6ft. rollers & the occasional 8 footer pushing us through the Cut (deep Atlantic waters meeting the shallow Abacos Sea).  We made the pass by 0915hrs. then had a run in 2-3ft. chop past Green Turtle Cay to tuck in behind Crab Cay by Manjack Cay at 1120hrs.  The nice thing about this location is the fact that the residents here maintain free WiFi.  Distance=18.1nm.  After lunch & some internet work we were off in the dinghy at a low rising tide to the beach on Crab Cay & the Atlantic coast for shell & sea glass hunting.  There were tons of sea muffins, conch of very size imaginable & starfish; you had to be careful where you stepped!  Lots of sea glass as well.  A very pleasant couple of hours spent in the warm sun.  After supper we were invited over to a boat that we had just met to play several fun rounds of Mexican Dominoes (4 couples).  A light & short rain shower had us disperse to our respective boats about 2200hrs.  A quiet & fairly calm night.

Mar. 27^th:  A rather lazy day.  It was sunny with cloudy periods & cool SSE winds at least 15K & higher in the afternoon as predicted.  Another cold front with high winds is expected to pass Sat. & Sun.   Since this will be my last internet possibility till somewhere in Florida, I took advantage of the situation & did a lot of email writing.  After lunch we got together with Celtic Cross & made tentative plans for moving on to another Crab Cay past Powell Cay tomorrow, then onto Great Sales Cay on Sun., Memory Rock on Mon. & crossing the Gulf to Lake Worth on Tues. weather permitting.  Then it was time to do some more exploring to the Atlantic beach on Manjack Cay, through trails cut , provided & well marked with colourful directional signs made from palms by the same residents who provide WiFi to us cruisers.  It was a nice hike to a wide, pink, mostly powdery sand beach with high rollers of aqua coloured waters crashing over the reefs, & large, eroding coral rocks at one end.  Ian & I found sea beans---travel from Africa across the Atlantic.  We had a well needed, quick shower from the shower bag to rinse off the salt.  A few people blew their conchs at sunset, but none were as good as Ian.

Mar. 28^th:  Sunny & warm with cool SSW winds in the am blowing 20-25K.  Before we up anchored at 0915hrs., I tried Mom on Skype as this is the last internet ability until sometime in Florida; great, I got her, so  she is well aware of our schedule etc.  We had a good & fast sail with the jenny alone heading W on a beam reach & averaging 6-7K. We picked one of few anchorages that would provide us with some protection from SW winds, that being Crab Cay on Little Abaco Island,  past  & across the Sea of Abaco from Powell Cay.  We travelled the 17.1nm distance anchoring in a strong 25+K  winds at 1245hrs.  The SW winds blew all afternoon & evening with gusts as high as 30K.  It was a little spooky at night here; very windy, no nearby settlements except a slight glow from Cooper Town & anchor lights from the 6 anchored sailboats here(Celtic Cross & Sandcastle travelling with us), therefore very black, but lots of stars in the sky.

Mar. 29^th:  A cloudy, warm, humid day with threatening skies, only an occasional sunny break but very windy---SSW at 25-30K & 1-2ft. chop.  The anchor was up at 0900hrs. & we deployed about 1/3 of the jenny averaging a speed of 4-6K.  We inched our way under motor only, through the shallow shoals into the east side of Great Sales Cay & hoping the winds will clock more to the W as predicted at 1900hrs.  This location is not good for a SW wind & the westward clocking is not to occur until very late.  It took us 5 tries to get the anchor to hook; there must be a shallow layer of sand over coral because others had difficulty as well.  Alto joined our little contingent here.  Distance= 35.9nm.   All night it remained warm & humid; the sheets felt damp getting into bed. The winds continued to blow 20K from the SW so all the boats rock & rolled; some did not sleep well.   At 0200hrs. there was a sudden onset of lightning & thunder--- scarry in a sailboat, followed by a good downpour of rain (good for washing the salty sailboats down).  Graeme told me the next day that he stood in the rain to rinse the salt off himself until he got too cold.

Mar. 30^th:   It is still warm & humid.  Alto is well equipped with a ham radio, a modem & a printer, & so they have been able to provide extensive weather forecasts for us boaters including wind directions & speed, & waves on a near hourly basis for a 7 day period.  This morning was no exception.  Graeme has now decided to put the dinghy on deck as Celtic Cross & Sandcastle have already up anchored. We depart an hour later.   Alto has planned to cross the Gulf Sream to Cape Canaveral today & through the night, were as the rest of us are overnighting at Memory Rock on the Little Bahama Bank, then will move on to Lake Worth Inlet tomorrow.  So we bide good-bye to our dear friends, wishing them a safe & good sail, hoping that our paths will cross in the near future.  It was cloudy at sunrise but in no time the sun shone in all it’s glory.  Winds had clocked W during the night & by dawn they were from the N.  Main &  jenny were fully deployed in lightish winds that picked up to 8-10K from the NW as time went by.  We were hailed by a 51ft. trimaran with twin masts heading south & had a nice conversation with him over VHF (we are monitoring 16 now); he has a sailing vessel on the west coast as he resides in the state of Washington & keeps this trimaran on the east coast---such a pity!  Winds are decreasing so we need to rely on the the engine for some speed in order to make our destination in daylight hours.  Approximately 6 miles from Memory Rock waypoint we are hailed by Alto.  They changed their plans due to weather predictions for the Cape Canaveral are---lightning & thunder.  Anchor was down at 1845hrs. in 8-10 ft. of water.  Distance= 49.2nm.  At  2000 hrs.  Graeme checked the anchor before he put his head down & discovered that the anchor was directly behind us yet we are not drifting . So what is happening here?  Well, the current is stronger than the wind & all four of us are experiencing the same thing.  As night approached,  the winds picked up to 12-15K & in the middle of nothing we were rolling back & forth, so little sleep for all.  Again tonight because of the complete lack of light, it is black & eerie but the stars are phenomenal in a clear sky.

Mar. 31^st:  This is the big day of our crossing!  Last night at 0340hrs.,  I heard a conversation from 3 sailboats that were doing a night crossing, knew that the 4 of us were a small community here at Memory Rock, identified by our mast anchor lights & doing the crossing as soon as there is some daylight.  At 0630hrs. the anchors came out easily as the anchors straightened out a decrease in current & we headed in a westerly direction on a broad reach.  SE winds were only 5-8K but the seas were calm with less than 1 ft. of chop & minimal swells; this is a very good thing.  The sun was in & out & the humidity was high.  Shortly after noon, the winds became more south & thus are boat speed increased.  But by 1400hrs. the clouds rolled in & the sky over the Florida coast became ominous. On the VHF 9 a weather warning signal blurted out the onset of a sudden rain storm with possible winds up to 60mph, heavy rainfall & possibility of tornado until 1645 hrs.  We donned our foul weather gear, life jackets, knives, flashlights.  We furled the jenny in a little, refueled the diesel tank just in case, prepared the strobe lights, the flares & safety equipment .  Lightning & thunder on the mainland; yuk!  VHF transmissions very staticky.  By 1700 hrs. the north was clearing & dark ugly clouds now over the south, but still little to no increase in wind & only slight raindrops for us way out to sea.  Inland the rain was very heavy causing flooding & zero visiblilty with 35-50K winds in Lake Worth, causing boats to spin 360 on their anchors.  The weather gods were with us as the winds & the seas remained the same.  By 1900 hrs. we spotted the bifurcation mark & the red/green channel markers into Lake Worth.  Winds now were SW & increased to 15-20K, the sea chop increased to 3 ft. & hitting us at our port quarter, so we downed the sail.  We rock & rolled our way into the channel & thankfully no freights or big cruise ships were coming out of port.  Dark was fast approaching as we anchored well down the anchoring field  at 2000hrs.  Distance= 67.4nm.  It was a hotdog supper at 2100 hrs. then to bed.   The Parkinson’s Bahamas Adventure Mar. 16-31, 2009

Mar. 16^th:  Another super fantastic day weather-wise predicted today with a high of 78F.  We are waiting for our appointment on Wed. re the cutlass bearing, so we have definitely decided to take the Albury Ferry to Hope Town at 1030hrs. for the day.  When we were just about to leave we were hailed on VHF by Sandcastle, a boat that we have not seen since Jan. but have maintained contact with via email when at all possible.  They were on their way from Lynyard Cay to Hope Town.  We made arrangements to meet them there at 1300hrs., stay with them overnight & the next day they would take us back to our vessel in Marsh Harbour.  Celtic Cross agreed to look after Sweet Chariot ie running the motor & refrigeration during our absence.  They even took us to shore where we then walked to Crossing Beach to caught the ferry; one way ticket per person =$15.00 for the 20 minute trip, return fare= $22.00; there is a ferry every few hours from 0715 to 1830hrs.  It was a very warm, light breeze day, so when we arrived we first walked the south end of the island including South Beach & a number of people were swimming in the Atlantic Waters.  We walked Queens Highway (one must see photos to appreciate such a name), in & out of shops, built & gaily painted in the normal Bahamian architecture & colours.  After finding are friends we hugged & chatted  over beers & lunch ‘till the cows came home’.  When in Hope Town I had been advised to go to Vernon’s Grocery & purchase a Key Lime pie; not cheap, but the best one has ever tasted I’m told.  And so we did, to have with supper tonight.  Before returning to Sandcastle, we dinghied over to the lighthouse side; built in 1863, can be seen for 17 mi. & run by kerosene .  We climbed the 101 circular staircase to the top viewing deck.  On such a beautiful day as this, the view was breathtaking.  Again photos are necessary to appreciate the panoramic view, the colours of the homes, the vegetation, & the seas with the spectrum of aqua, teal, light & dark blues.  A beautiful evening, reacquainting with friends & getting caught up with their adventures in Eleuthera & the  Exumas, & a magnificent calm, quiet, clear, star filled sky.

Mar. 17^th:  Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!  A brilliant sunny, hot day (80F).   After breakfast we went ashore & walked part of Queens Highway to North Beach & along its shoreline.  We attempted to cross private property from the beach to the road instead of back tracking, when a caretaker explained this was not kosher, but then invited to give us a tour of a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom , 3 yr. old gorgeous beach house with a spectacular view of the Atlantic as well as the Sea of Abaco & meticulous gardens & yard, that rents out from a mere $9000.00 to $16,000.00 per week.  After lunch we detached from our mooring ball & motored to Marsh Harbour as there was minimal wind.  Happy Hour was planned at Snappas (beer & well drinks=  $3.00).  St. Patty’s Day feastivities were well publicized on Cruisers Net this morn throughout the Abacos.  Suddenly, very dark clouds, threatening skies & gusting winds + rain blew up as predicted at Happy Hour--- a weak cold front. At the gathering I learnt that the Cost Right (equivalent to Costco back home) closed down mid Feb., so that leaves basically one grocery store in Marsh.   It was a cool trip back to Sweet Chariot for supper, & a windy night.

Mar. 18^th:  E wind blew all night long & right into the morning.  High, gusting winds 20-25K were predicted for several days.  Today is the day though that we have an appointment to have the cutlass bearing repaired.  Due to the keel depth & Marsh Harbour Boatyard’s shallow harbour, it is necessary for us to arrive on a rising & near high tide, which today is at 1400hrs.  We up anchored & with the jenny half deployed we sailed the 10.7nm distance first on a beat, then beam reach as we rounded the land mass & finally a run towards the boatyard.  The journey was better than the conditions were described in the am on Cruisers Net.  The sea chop was only 1-2ft.  Gingerly, we entered the boatyard’s channel right to the travel lift channel & Sweet Chariot was lifted to have the cutlass bearing replaced; a tow line from the rescue had jammed so tightly in the shaft, that the bearing was pushed out & bent from the normal round circumference to an oval, with a scant remnants of the rope still present.  Graeme had done quite a good job at scraping the hull, but we went ahead & had the bottom pressure washed.  Sweet Chariot has been through so much & has withstood some harsh treatment, that she deserved some pampering to make her look pretty from the bottom up!  The job took 1-11/2hrs. only, but the bill was expensive.  We wished this problem was detected in Spanish Wells where the repair prices were very reasonable.    We did not want to take a chance & leave the boatyard now on a dropping tide, so we asked to stay overnight tied up to a dock.  The skies had opened up when we arrived & continued on & off the rest of the day & night.

Mar. 19^th:  An ugly grey, very rainy day with thunder & lightening in the am.  The locals are very happy to see this rain as they have had nothing for months & there is still 2 months left in their dry season.  We hope that the weather improves when we plan to depart this afternoon; high tide today is 1522hrs.  We had cleaned out the boat’s water tank & cleaned the water filter, so refilled the water tank ($0.10 per gal.) & dieslled up before we ventured back to Marsh Harbour at 1430hrs.  Winds were decent & we were on a beat at 4.5K in less than 1ft. chop, but that soon died rendering us to motor into the anchorage at Marsh Harbour at 1730hr.  The rains had slowed down with only an occasional sprinkle; in fact before sunset the sun poked its head out.  The night was calm, quiet even humid & some stars were out.

Mar. 20^th:  Sunny morning with a few clouds, but NE winds at 20-25K predicted for next 2 days.  It was laundry day today & at the same time we picked up a few groceries in anticipation of a departure to start heading north then across the Gulf to the Florida.  The boat looked like a Chinese junk with the laundry hanging from everywhere.  Winds had now increased from the NE to 8-10K driving the humidity out of the air & by sunset they were blowing 15-20K & cool.   We had a plastic insert sewn into our solid connector since we lost our see-through connector in the Feb. mishap & picked up some emails at the internet café.  Then we hit Happy Hour at not one, but two boats; I guess we are making up for lost time.  So it was a very late supper tonight.  Lots of stars in a clear night sky.  First day of Spring came in at 2347hrs.

Mar. 21^st:  First full day of Spring & not a nice day at all.  Winds howled from the wee hours of the morning throughout the whole day & evening, & heavy rain during the noon hour.  Lots of spray (salt) as one journeyed in the dinghy across the harbour to shore.  Celtic Cross was called an internet café at one point this afternoon as a few of us gathered & sat on the boat working away at our computers, because Ian & Sharon were tied up at Mangoes Marina with internet access & shore power to boot.  I received a lesson on how to copy & paste compositions created on Word 2007 & sent out as an email rather than as an attachment, so it is easier for people to open on their computers, as I have Vista which complicates things for my recipients.  Thank you Anne Wallace & Jim for the instructions; they worked!  We watched the DVD Benjamin Button this evening; it was good or well done, but very solemn & sad; I cried a lot thinking of my Dad, not an uncommon reaction for me most days.

Mar. 22^nd:  A cool sunny Sunday morning with NE winds at 15K as I went to shore to get the bus at Mangoes for Church.  Graeme cleaned & polished the stern combing, then rearranged the water & diesel & gas jerry cans tied to the lifelines after lunch.  A couple from Toronto came & introduced themselves to us & asked us if our boat was a Viking 34.  We were surprised someone recognized Sweet Chariot as a Viking, but corrected them on her size.  They had a Viking 34 in the past, & were impressed on Sweet Chariot’s condition.  In the mid afternoon we dinghied to shore so I might call Mom on Skype, do some internet stuff & clean out some stuff on my laptop.  It remained cold & windy all afternoon, evening & night.

Mar. 23^rd:  Repeat---cool, ENE 15-20K winds with sun & cloudy periods today, but still enough chop in the harbour.  I promised to serve Donald & France (Alto) a French toast with bacon breakfast & they supplied real maple syrup.  We chatted away the morning, I particularly interested in the communication system & the supporting power supply system they have installed on their vessel.  They have SSB (ICOM HF Marine IC-M802), computer hook-up to SSB with a modem & printer (Canon IP 100---ink cartridge is good & lasts a long time & produces good photos), 1-12V battery dedicated to engine only & 4-12V batteries for house ( they would like to change to 6V), Xantrex Battery Status Monitor, solar panel, 2000 watts generator, 2 inverters, 2 AC battery chargers, & a 11 gal. Webasto ST 90 water heating system that also provides warm heat into the cabin  via 4 heat vents on rheostats (they feel a 6 gal. is sufficient).  Alto gave us a hands-on tour of the systems this afternoon.  It looks as if Treasure Cay is where we will move on to tomorrow, so picked up fresh milk & breads & lettuce.  Fuel tank & one water tank was topped up.  We had a final gathering for Happy Hour at Snappas  from 1700- 1900hrs. & said our good-byes.  A very cool night, but at least the wind & harbour chop have finally settled down some.

Mar. 24^th:  A quiet & calm night until just before sunrise when the ENE cold wind increased, but the sun was in & out.  The weather forecast & the sea conditions are not sounding good for several days.  I am getting more & more anxious to be home.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my work-outs, I miss skiing, I miss my bike… I MISS OTTAWA!  Ten months is too long for me to be away. On a positive note, we did make our way up to Treasure Cay, a distance of 14.7nm with the jenny fully deployed on a beam reach at about 6K then broad reach at about 4K, leaving Marsh at 1000hrs. & arriving at our destination at 1315hrs. at low tide, but soon to rise.  On anchoring we went aground once again; it’s these small sand humps that we seem to find everywhere. Until the tide came up enough we had lunch & attempted to get on the internet but unsuccessful; others were successful, so I guess it depends  on your location in this harbour. Once we dropped the hook, we venture to shore & walked  the long 3 mile semi-circular powdery white sand beach for a few hours looking for shells & sand dollars, but the tide was already coming in where the sand dollars are normally found; maybe tomorrow at low tide.  The economy has hit this famous & popular tourist destination as everywhere in the Bahamas & the USA.  This is the common comment from everyone this year. Normally these beaches are packed with tourists especially at this prime time of the year, but the beach was virtually all ours;  only a few swimmers.  A beer at the bar & we were the only customers, then back to the boat to cook up a pot of chili.  Some reading & some journal writing then off to bed.  The wind continued to blow all night 15-20K.

Mar. 25^th:  The day started off very cloudy & windy & unfortunately my mood matched the day.  We filled the boat’s water & diesel tanks from the jerry cans, then refilled the jerry cans onshore in preparation tomorrows probable departure north.  After lunch the sun slowly started to poke it’s head through the clouds.  I needed to renew my laptop virus protection subscription & since I can’t get internet access here we went to shore.  After frustrating session with virus renewal reverted to their chat line & then left Graeme use the laptop as he so wished while I walked the wonderful beach once again at low tide with the ladies.  Emotionally I needed this.  On walking toward the beach we past some very lovely condos for rent & magnificent homes & their yards & gardens;  sure there is a nice price tag attached to these places.  There were more people on the beach today even though it was windy & cool.  The tide was a rising low tide.  It would have been a perfect day if the wind wasn’t so strong to have one’s bathing suit on & walk the shallows way, way out into the aqua waters looking for the infamous sand dollars that are in abundance.  On returning I was provided a quick but confusing computer lesson on saving emails into Word.  The best was the long awaited shower that followed; it was just too quick.  We BBQ’d tonight since the winds had subsided some.  Clear skies & millions of stars prevailed all night.

Mar. 26^th:  It was an early start this sunny morning as we were definitely leaving Treasure Cay on high tide to cross the Whale Cut.  Many boats had the same plan, but some took the short route in very shallow waters through Don’t Rock taking advantage of their shoal draft keels.  The cool winds were from the E at 10-15K with 5-6ft. rollers & the occasional 8 footer pushing us through the Cut (deep Atlantic waters meeting the shallow Abacos Sea).  We made the pass by 0915hrs. then had a run in 2-3ft. chop past Green Turtle Cay to tuck in behind Crab Cay by Manjack Cay at 1120hrs.  The nice thing about this location is the fact that the residents here maintain free WiFi.  Distance=18.1nm.  After lunch & some internet work we were off in the dinghy at a low rising tide to the beach on Crab Cay & the Atlantic coast for shell & sea glass hunting.  There were tons of sea muffins, conch of very size imaginable & starfish; you had to be careful where you stepped!  Lots of sea glass as well.  A very pleasant couple of hours spent in the warm sun.  After supper we were invited over to a boat that we had just met to play several fun rounds of Mexican Dominoes (4 couples).  A light & short rain shower had us disperse to our respective boats about 2200hrs.  A quiet & fairly calm night.

Mar. 27^th:  A rather lazy day.  It was sunny with cloudy periods & cool SSE winds at least 15K & higher in the afternoon as predicted.  Another cold front with high winds is expected to pass Sat. & Sun.   Since this will be my last internet possibility till somewhere in Florida, I took advantage of the situation & did a lot of email writing.  After lunch we got together with Celtic Cross & made tentative plans for moving on to another Crab Cay past Powell Cay tomorrow, then onto Great Sales Cay on Sun., Memory Rock on Mon. & crossing the Gulf to Lake Worth on Tues. weather permitting.  Then it was time to do some more exploring to the Atlantic beach on Manjack Cay, through trails cut , provided & well marked with colourful directional signs made from palms by the same residents who provide WiFi to us cruisers.  It was a nice hike to a wide, pink, mostly powdery sand beach with high rollers of aqua coloured waters crashing over the reefs, & large, eroding coral rocks at one end.  Ian & I found sea beans---travel from Africa across the Atlantic.  We had a well needed, quick shower from the shower bag to rinse off the salt.  A few people blew their conchs at sunset, but none were as good as Ian.

Mar. 28^th:  Sunny & warm with cool SSW winds in the am blowing 20-25K.  Before we up anchored at 0915hrs., I tried Mom on Skype as this is the last internet ability until sometime in Florida; great, I got her, so  she is well aware of our schedule etc.  We had a good & fast sail with the jenny alone heading W on a beam reach & averaging 6-7K. We picked one of few anchorages that would provide us with some protection from SW winds, that being Crab Cay on Little Abaco Island,  past  & across the Sea of Abaco from Powell Cay.  We travelled the 17.1nm distance anchoring in a strong 25+K  winds at 1245hrs.  The SW winds blew all afternoon & evening with gusts as high as 30K.  It was a little spooky at night here; very windy, no nearby settlements except a slight glow from Cooper Town & anchor lights from the 6 anchored sailboats here(Celtic Cross & Sandcastle travelling with us), therefore very black, but lots of stars in the sky.

Mar. 29^th:  A cloudy, warm, humid day with threatening skies, only an occasional sunny break but very windy---SSW at 25-30K & 1-2ft. chop.  The anchor was up at 0900hrs. & we deployed about 1/3 of the jenny averaging a speed of 4-6K.  We inched our way under motor only, through the shallow shoals into the east side of Great Sales Cay & hoping the winds will clock more to the W as predicted at 1900hrs.  This location is not good for a SW wind & the westward clocking is not to occur until very late.  It took us 5 tries to get the anchor to hook; there must be a shallow layer of sand over coral because others had difficulty as well.  Alto joined our little contingent here.  Distance= 35.9nm.   All night it remained warm & humid; the sheets felt damp getting into bed. The winds continued to blow 20K from the SW so all the boats rock & rolled; some did not sleep well.   At 0200hrs. there was a sudden onset of lightning & thunder--- scarry in a sailboat, followed by a good downpour of rain (good for washing the salty sailboats down).  Graeme told me the next day that he stood in the rain to rinse the salt off himself until he got too cold.

Mar. 30^th:   It is still warm & humid.  Alto is well equipped with a ham radio, a modem & a printer, & so they have been able to provide extensive weather forecasts for us boaters including wind directions & speed, & waves on a near hourly basis for a 7 day period.  This morning was no exception.  Graeme has now decided to put the dinghy on deck as Celtic Cross & Sandcastle have already up anchored. We depart an hour later.   Alto has planned to cross the Gulf Sream to Cape Canaveral today & through the night, were as the rest of us are overnighting at Memory Rock on the Little Bahama Bank, then will move on to Lake Worth Inlet tomorrow.  So we bide good-bye to our dear friends, wishing them a safe & good sail, hoping that our paths will cross in the near future.  It was cloudy at sunrise but in no time the sun shone in all it’s glory.  Winds had clocked W during the night & by dawn they were from the N.  Main &  jenny were fully deployed in lightish winds that picked up to 8-10K from the NW as time went by.  We were hailed by a 51ft. trimaran with twin masts heading south & had a nice conversation with him over VHF (we are monitoring 16 now); he has a sailing vessel on the west coast as he resides in the state of Washington & keeps this trimaran on the east coast---such a pity!  Winds are decreasing so we need to rely on the the engine for some speed in order to make our destination in daylight hours.  Approximately 6 miles from Memory Rock waypoint we are hailed by Alto.  They changed their plans due to weather predictions for the Cape Canaveral are---lightning & thunder.  Anchor was down at 1845hrs. in 8-10 ft. of water.  Distance= 49.2nm.  At  2000 hrs.  Graeme checked the anchor before he put his head down & discovered that the anchor was directly behind us yet we are not drifting . So what is happening here?  Well, the current is stronger than the wind & all four of us are experiencing the same thing.  As night approached,  the winds picked up to 12-15K & in the middle of nothing we were rolling back & forth, so little sleep for all.  Again tonight because of the complete lack of light, it is black & eerie but the stars are phenomenal in a clear sky.

Mar. 31^st:  This is the big day of our crossing!  Last night at 0340hrs.,  I heard a conversation from 3 sailboats that were doing a night crossing, knew that the 4 of us were a small community here at Memory Rock, identified by our mast anchor lights & doing the crossing as soon as there is some daylight.  At 0630hrs. the anchors came out easily as the anchors straightened out a decrease in current & we headed in a westerly direction on a broad reach.  SE winds were only 5-8K but the seas were calm with less than 1 ft. of chop & minimal swells; this is a very good thing.  The sun was in & out & the humidity was high.  Shortly after noon, the winds became more south & thus are boat speed increased.  But by 1400hrs. the clouds rolled in & the sky over the Florida coast became ominous. On the VHF 9 a weather warning signal blurted out the onset of a sudden rain storm with possible winds up to 60mph, heavy rainfall & possibility of tornado until 1645 hrs.  We donned our foul weather gear, life jackets, knives, flashlights.  We furled the jenny in a little, refueled the diesel tank just in case, prepared the strobe lights, the flares & safety equipment .  Lightning & thunder on the mainland; yuk!  VHF transmissions very staticky.  By 1700 hrs. the north was clearing & dark ugly clouds now over the south, but still little to no increase in wind & only slight raindrops for us way out to sea.  Inland the rain was very heavy causing flooding & zero visiblilty with 35-50K winds in Lake Worth, causing boats to spin 360 on their anchors.  The weather gods were with us as the winds & the seas remained the same.  By 1900 hrs. we spotted the bifurcation mark & the red/green channel markers into Lake Worth.  Winds now were SW & increased to 15-20K, the sea chop increased to 3 ft. & hitting us at our port quarter, so we downed the sail.  We rock & rolled our way into the channel & thankfully no freights or big cruise ships were coming out of port.  Dark was fast approaching as we anchored well down the anchoring field  at 2000hrs.  Distance= 67.4nm.  It was a hotdog supper at 2100 hrs. then to bed.   The Parkinson’s Bahamas Adventure Mar. 16-31, 2009

Mar. 16^th:  Another super fantastic day weather-wise predicted today with a high of 78F.  We are waiting for our appointment on Wed. re the cutlass bearing, so we have definitely decided to take the Albury Ferry to Hope Town at 1030hrs. for the day.  When we were just about to leave we were hailed on VHF by Sandcastle, a boat that we have not seen since Jan. but have maintained contact with via email when at all possible.  They were on their way from Lynyard Cay to Hope Town.  We made arrangements to meet them there at 1300hrs., stay with them overnight & the next day they would take us back to our vessel in Marsh Harbour.  Celtic Cross agreed to look after Sweet Chariot ie running the motor & refrigeration during our absence.  They even took us to shore where we then walked to Crossing Beach to caught the ferry; one way ticket per person =$15.00 for the 20 minute trip, return fare= $22.00; there is a ferry every few hours from 0715 to 1830hrs.  It was a very warm, light breeze day, so when we arrived we first walked the south end of the island including South Beach & a number of people were swimming in the Atlantic Waters.  We walked Queens Highway (one must see photos to appreciate such a name), in & out of shops, built & gaily painted in the normal Bahamian architecture & colours.  After finding are friends we hugged & chatted  over beers & lunch ‘till the cows came home’.  When in Hope Town I had been advised to go to Vernon’s Grocery & purchase a Key Lime pie; not cheap, but the best one has ever tasted I’m told.  And so we did, to have with supper tonight.  Before returning to Sandcastle, we dinghied over to the lighthouse side; built in 1863, can be seen for 17 mi. & run by kerosene .  We climbed the 101 circular staircase to the top viewing deck.  On such a beautiful day as this, the view was breathtaking.  Again photos are necessary to appreciate the panoramic view, the colours of the homes, the vegetation, & the seas with the spectrum of aqua, teal, light & dark blues.  A beautiful evening, reacquainting with friends & getting caught up with their adventures in Eleuthera & the  Exumas, & a magnificent calm, quiet, clear, star filled sky.

Mar. 17^th:  Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!  A brilliant sunny, hot day (80F).   After breakfast we went ashore & walked part of Queens Highway to North Beach & along its shoreline.  We attempted to cross private property from the beach to the road instead of back tracking, when a caretaker explained this was not kosher, but then invited to give us a tour of a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom , 3 yr. old gorgeous beach house with a spectacular view of the Atlantic as well as the Sea of Abaco & meticulous gardens & yard, that rents out from a mere $9000.00 to $16,000.00 per week.  After lunch we detached from our mooring ball & motored to Marsh Harbour as there was minimal wind.  Happy Hour was planned at Snappas (beer & well drinks=  $3.00).  St. Patty’s Day feastivities were well publicized on Cruisers Net this morn throughout the Abacos.  Suddenly, very dark clouds, threatening skies & gusting winds + rain blew up as predicted at Happy Hour--- a weak cold front. At the gathering I learnt that the Cost Right (equivalent to Costco back home) closed down mid Feb., so that leaves basically one grocery store in Marsh.   It was a cool trip back to Sweet Chariot for supper, & a windy night.

Mar. 18^th:  E wind blew all night long & right into the morning.  High, gusting winds 20-25K were predicted for several days.  Today is the day though that we have an appointment to have the cutlass bearing repaired.  Due to the keel depth & Marsh Harbour Boatyard’s shallow harbour, it is necessary for us to arrive on a rising & near high tide, which today is at 1400hrs.  We up anchored & with the jenny half deployed we sailed the 10.7nm distance first on a beat, then beam reach as we rounded the land mass & finally a run towards the boatyard.  The journey was better than the conditions were described in the am on Cruisers Net.  The sea chop was only 1-2ft.  Gingerly, we entered the boatyard’s channel right to the travel lift channel & Sweet Chariot was lifted to have the cutlass bearing replaced; a tow line from the rescue had jammed so tightly in the shaft, that the bearing was pushed out & bent from the normal round circumference to an oval, with a scant remnants of the rope still present.  Graeme had done quite a good job at scraping the hull, but we went ahead & had the bottom pressure washed.  Sweet Chariot has been through so much & has withstood some harsh treatment, that she deserved some pampering to make her look pretty from the bottom up!  The job took 1-11/2hrs. only, but the bill was expensive.  We wished this problem was detected in Spanish Wells where the repair prices were very reasonable.    We did not want to take a chance & leave the boatyard now on a dropping tide, so we asked to stay overnight tied up to a dock.  The skies had opened up when we arrived & continued on & off the rest of the day & night.

Mar. 19^th:  An ugly grey, very rainy day with thunder & lightening in the am.  The locals are very happy to see this rain as they have had nothing for months & there is still 2 months left in their dry season.  We hope that the weather improves when we plan to depart this afternoon; high tide today is 1522hrs.  We had cleaned out the boat’s water tank & cleaned the water filter, so refilled the water tank ($0.10 per gal.) & dieslled up before we ventured back to Marsh Harbour at 1430hrs.  Winds were decent & we were on a beat at 4.5K in less than 1ft. chop, but that soon died rendering us to motor into the anchorage at Marsh Harbour at 1730hr.  The rains had slowed down with only an occasional sprinkle; in fact before sunset the sun poked its head out.  The night was calm, quiet even humid & some stars were out.

Mar. 20^th:  Sunny morning with a few clouds, but NE winds at 20-25K predicted for next 2 days.  It was laundry day today & at the same time we picked up a few groceries in anticipation of a departure to start heading north then across the Gulf to the Florida.  The boat looked like a Chinese junk with the laundry hanging from everywhere.  Winds had now increased from the NE to 8-10K driving the humidity out of the air & by sunset they were blowing 15-20K & cool.   We had a plastic insert sewn into our solid connector since we lost our see-through connector in the Feb. mishap & picked up some emails at the internet café.  Then we hit Happy Hour at not one, but two boats; I guess we are making up for lost time.  So it was a very late supper tonight.  Lots of stars in a clear night sky.  First day of Spring came in at 2347hrs.

Mar. 21^st:  First full day of Spring & not a nice day at all.  Winds howled from the wee hours of the morning throughout the whole day & evening, & heavy rain during the noon hour.  Lots of spray (salt) as one journeyed in the dinghy across the harbour to shore.  Celtic Cross was called an internet café at one point this afternoon as a few of us gathered & sat on the boat working away at our computers, because Ian & Sharon were tied up at Mangoes Marina with internet access & shore power to boot.  I received a lesson on how to copy & paste compositions created on Word 2007 & sent out as an email rather than as an attachment, so it is easier for people to open on their computers, as I have Vista which complicates things for my recipients.  Thank you Anne Wallace & Jim for the instructions; they worked!  We watched the DVD Benjamin Button this evening; it was good or well done, but very solemn & sad; I cried a lot thinking of my Dad, not an uncommon reaction for me most days.

Mar. 22^nd:  A cool sunny Sunday morning with NE winds at 15K as I went to shore to get the bus at Mangoes for Church.  Graeme cleaned & polished the stern combing, then rearranged the water & diesel & gas jerry cans tied to the lifelines after lunch.  A couple from Toronto came & introduced themselves to us & asked us if our boat was a Viking 34.  We were surprised someone recognized Sweet Chariot as a Viking, but corrected them on her size.  They had a Viking 34 in the past, & were impressed on Sweet Chariot’s condition.  In the mid afternoon we dinghied to shore so I might call Mom on Skype, do some internet stuff & clean out some stuff on my laptop.  It remained cold & windy all afternoon, evening & night.

Mar. 23^rd:  Repeat---cool, ENE 15-20K winds with sun & cloudy periods today, but still enough chop in the harbour.  I promised to serve Donald & France (Alto) a French toast with bacon breakfast & they supplied real maple syrup.  We chatted away the morning, I particularly interested in the communication system & the supporting power supply system they have installed on their vessel.  They have SSB (ICOM HF Marine IC-M802), computer hook-up to SSB with a modem & printer (Canon IP 100---ink cartridge is good & lasts a long time & produces good photos), 1-12V battery dedicated to engine only & 4-12V batteries for house ( they would like to change to 6V), Xantrex Battery Status Monitor, solar panel, 2000 watts generator, 2 inverters, 2 AC battery chargers, & a 11 gal. Webasto ST 90 water heating system that also provides warm heat into the cabin  via 4 heat vents on rheostats (they feel a 6 gal. is sufficient).  Alto gave us a hands-on tour of the systems this afternoon.  It looks as if Treasure Cay is where we will move on to tomorrow, so picked up fresh milk & breads & lettuce.  Fuel tank & one water tank was topped up.  We had a final gathering for Happy Hour at Snappas  from 1700- 1900hrs. & said our good-byes.  A very cool night, but at least the wind & harbour chop have finally settled down some.

Mar. 24^th:  A quiet & calm night until just before sunrise when the ENE cold wind increased, but the sun was in & out.  The weather forecast & the sea conditions are not sounding good for several days.  I am getting more & more anxious to be home.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my work-outs, I miss skiing, I miss my bike… I MISS OTTAWA!  Ten months is too long for me to be away. On a positive note, we did make our way up to Treasure Cay, a distance of 14.7nm with the jenny fully deployed on a beam reach at about 6K then broad reach at about 4K, leaving Marsh at 1000hrs. & arriving at our destination at 1315hrs. at low tide, but soon to rise.  On anchoring we went aground once again; it’s these small sand humps that we seem to find everywhere. Until the tide came up enough we had lunch & attempted to get on the internet but unsuccessful; others were successful, so I guess it depends  on your location in this harbour. Once we dropped the hook, we venture to shore & walked  the long 3 mile semi-circular powdery white sand beach for a few hours looking for shells & sand dollars, but the tide was already coming in where the sand dollars are normally found; maybe tomorrow at low tide.  The economy has hit this famous & popular tourist destination as everywhere in the Bahamas & the USA.  This is the common comment from everyone this year. Normally these beaches are packed with tourists especially at this prime time of the year, but the beach was virtually all ours;  only a few swimmers.  A beer at the bar & we were the only customers, then back to the boat to cook up a pot of chili.  Some reading & some journal writing then off to bed.  The wind continued to blow all night 15-20K.

Mar. 25^th:  The day started off very cloudy & windy & unfortunately my mood matched the day.  We filled the boat’s water & diesel tanks from the jerry cans, then refilled the jerry cans onshore in preparation tomorrows probable departure north.  After lunch the sun slowly started to poke it’s head through the clouds.  I needed to renew my laptop virus protection subscription & since I can’t get internet access here we went to shore.  After frustrating session with virus renewal reverted to their chat line & then left Graeme use the laptop as he so wished while I walked the wonderful beach once again at low tide with the ladies.  Emotionally I needed this.  On walking toward the beach we past some very lovely condos for rent & magnificent homes & their yards & gardens;  sure there is a nice price tag attached to these places.  There were more people on the beach today even though it was windy & cool.  The tide was a rising low tide.  It would have been a perfect day if the wind wasn’t so strong to have one’s bathing suit on & walk the shallows way, way out into the aqua waters looking for the infamous sand dollars that are in abundance.  On returning I was provided a quick but confusing computer lesson on saving emails into Word.  The best was the long awaited shower that followed; it was just too quick.  We BBQ’d tonight since the winds had subsided some.  Clear skies & millions of stars prevailed all night.

Mar. 26^th:  It was an early start this sunny morning as we were definitely leaving Treasure Cay on high tide to cross the Whale Cut.  Many boats had the same plan, but some took the short route in very shallow waters through Don’t Rock taking advantage of their shoal draft keels.  The cool winds were from the E at 10-15K with 5-6ft. rollers & the occasional 8 footer pushing us through the Cut (deep Atlantic waters meeting the shallow Abacos Sea).  We made the pass by 0915hrs. then had a run in 2-3ft. chop past Green Turtle Cay to tuck in behind Crab Cay by Manjack Cay at 1120hrs.  The nice thing about this location is the fact that the residents here maintain free WiFi.  Distance=18.1nm.  After lunch & some internet work we were off in the dinghy at a low rising tide to the beach on Crab Cay & the Atlantic coast for shell & sea glass hunting.  There were tons of sea muffins, conch of very size imaginable & starfish; you had to be careful where you stepped!  Lots of sea glass as well.  A very pleasant couple of hours spent in the warm sun.  After supper we were invited over to a boat that we had just met to play several fun rounds of Mexican Dominoes (4 couples).  A light & short rain shower had us disperse to our respective boats about 2200hrs.  A quiet & fairly calm night.

Mar. 27^th:  A rather lazy day.  It was sunny with cloudy periods & cool SSE winds at least 15K & higher in the afternoon as predicted.  Another cold front with high winds is expected to pass Sat. & Sun.   Since this will be my last internet possibility till somewhere in Florida, I took advantage of the situation & did a lot of email writing.  After lunch we got together with Celtic Cross & made tentative plans for moving on to another Crab Cay past Powell Cay tomorrow, then onto Great Sales Cay on Sun., Memory Rock on Mon. & crossing the Gulf to Lake Worth on Tues. weather permitting.  Then it was time to do some more exploring to the Atlantic beach on Manjack Cay, through trails cut , provided & well marked with colourful directional signs made from palms by the same residents who provide WiFi to us cruisers.  It was a nice hike to a wide, pink, mostly powdery sand beach with high rollers of aqua coloured waters crashing over the reefs, & large, eroding coral rocks at one end.  Ian & I found sea beans---travel from Africa across the Atlantic.  We had a well needed, quick shower from the shower bag to rinse off the salt.  A few people blew their conchs at sunset, but none were as good as Ian.

Mar. 28^th:  Sunny & warm with cool SSW winds in the am blowing 20-25K.  Before we up anchored at 0915hrs., I tried Mom on Skype as this is the last internet ability until sometime in Florida; great, I got her, so  she is well aware of our schedule etc.  We had a good & fast sail with the jenny alone heading W on a beam reach & averaging 6-7K. We picked one of few anchorages that would provide us with some protection from SW winds, that being Crab Cay on Little Abaco Island,  past  & across the Sea of Abaco from Powell Cay.  We travelled the 17.1nm distance anchoring in a strong 25+K  winds at 1245hrs.  The SW winds blew all afternoon & evening with gusts as high as 30K.  It was a little spooky at night here; very windy, no nearby settlements except a slight glow from Cooper Town & anchor lights from the 6 anchored sailboats here(Celtic Cross & Sandcastle travelling with us), therefore very black, but lots of stars in the sky.

Mar. 29^th:  A cloudy, warm, humid day with threatening skies, only an occasional sunny break but very windy---SSW at 25-30K & 1-2ft. chop.  The anchor was up at 0900hrs. & we deployed about 1/3 of the jenny averaging a speed of 4-6K.  We inched our way under motor only, through the shallow shoals into the east side of Great Sales Cay & hoping the winds will clock more to the W as predicted at 1900hrs.  This location is not good for a SW wind & the westward clocking is not to occur until very late.  It took us 5 tries to get the anchor to hook; there must be a shallow layer of sand over coral because others had difficulty as well.  Alto joined our little contingent here.  Distance= 35.9nm.   All night it remained warm & humid; the sheets felt damp getting into bed. The winds continued to blow 20K from the SW so all the boats rock & rolled; some did not sleep well.   At 0200hrs. there was a sudden onset of lightning & thunder--- scarry in a sailboat, followed by a good downpour of rain (good for washing the salty sailboats down).  Graeme told me the next day that he stood in the rain to rinse the salt off himself until he got too cold.

Mar. 30^th:   It is still warm & humid.  Alto is well equipped with a ham radio, a modem & a printer, & so they have been able to provide extensive weather forecasts for us boaters including wind directions & speed, & waves on a near hourly basis for a 7 day period.  This morning was no exception.  Graeme has now decided to put the dinghy on deck as Celtic Cross & Sandcastle have already up anchored. We depart an hour later.   Alto has planned to cross the Gulf Sream to Cape Canaveral today & through the night, were as the rest of us are overnighting at Memory Rock on the Little Bahama Bank, then will move on to Lake Worth Inlet tomorrow.  So we bide good-bye to our dear friends, wishing them a safe & good sail, hoping that our paths will cross in the near future.  It was cloudy at sunrise but in no time the sun shone in all it’s glory.  Winds had clocked W during the night & by dawn they were from the N.  Main &  jenny were fully deployed in lightish winds that picked up to 8-10K from the NW as time went by.  We were hailed by a 51ft. trimaran with twin masts heading south & had a nice conversation with him over VHF (we are monitoring 16 now); he has a sailing vessel on the west coast as he resides in the state of Washington & keeps this trimaran on the east coast---such a pity!  Winds are decreasing so we need to rely on the the engine for some speed in order to make our destination in daylight hours.  Approximately 6 miles from Memory Rock waypoint we are hailed by Alto.  They changed their plans due to weather predictions for the Cape Canaveral are---lightning & thunder.  Anchor was down at 1845hrs. in 8-10 ft. of water.  Distance= 49.2nm.  At  2000 hrs.  Graeme checked the anchor before he put his head down & discovered that the anchor was directly behind us yet we are not drifting . So what is happening here?  Well, the current is stronger than the wind & all four of us are experiencing the same thing.  As night approached,  the winds picked up to 12-15K & in the middle of nothing we were rolling back & forth, so little sleep for all.  Again tonight because of the complete lack of light, it is black & eerie but the stars are phenomenal in a clear sky.

Mar. 31^st:  This is the big day of our crossing!  Last night at 0340hrs.,  I heard a conversation from 3 sailboats that were doing a night crossing, knew that the 4 of us were a small community here at Memory Rock, identified by our mast anchor lights & doing the crossing as soon as there is some daylight.  At 0630hrs. the anchors came out easily as the anchors straightened out a decrease in current & we headed in a westerly direction on a broad reach.  SE winds were only 5-8K but the seas were calm with less than 1 ft. of chop & minimal swells; this is a very good thing.  The sun was in & out & the humidity was high.  Shortly after noon, the winds became more south & thus are boat speed increased.  But by 1400hrs. the clouds rolled in & the sky over the Florida coast became ominous. On the VHF 9 a weather warning signal blurted out the onset of a sudden rain storm with possible winds up to 60mph, heavy rainfall & possibility of tornado until 1645 hrs.  We donned our foul weather gear, life jackets, knives, flashlights.  We furled the jenny in a little, refueled the diesel tank just in case, prepared the strobe lights, the flares & safety equipment .  Lightning & thunder on the mainland; yuk!  VHF transmissions very staticky.  By 1700 hrs. the north was clearing & dark ugly clouds now over the south, but still little to no increase in wind & only slight raindrops for us way out to sea.  Inland the rain was very heavy causing flooding & zero visiblilty with 35-50K winds in Lake Worth, causing boats to spin 360 on their anchors.  The weather gods were with us as the winds & the seas remained the same.  By 1900 hrs. we spotted the bifurcation mark & the red/green channel markers into Lake Worth.  Winds now were SW & increased to 15-20K, the sea chop increased to 3 ft. & hitting us at our port quarter, so we downed the sail.  We rock & rolled our way into the channel & thankfully no freights or big cruise ships were coming out of port.  Dark was fast approaching as we anchored well down the anchoring field  at 2000hrs.  Distance= 67.4nm.  It was a hotdog supper at 2100 hrs. then to bed.   The Parkinson’s Bahamas Adventure Mar. 16-31, 2009

Mar. 16^th:  Another super fantastic day weather-wise predicted today with a high of 78F.  We are waiting for our appointment on Wed. re the cutlass bearing, so we have definitely decided to take the Albury Ferry to Hope Town at 1030hrs. for the day.  When we were just about to leave we were hailed on VHF by Sandcastle, a boat that we have not seen since Jan. but have maintained contact with via email when at all possible.  They were on their way from Lynyard Cay to Hope Town.  We made arrangements to meet them there at 1300hrs., stay with them overnight & the next day they would take us back to our vessel in Marsh Harbour.  Celtic Cross agreed to look after Sweet Chariot ie running the motor & refrigeration during our absence.  They even took us to shore where we then walked to Crossing Beach to caught the ferry; one way ticket per person =$15.00 for the 20 minute trip, return fare= $22.00; there is a ferry every few hours from 0715 to 1830hrs.  It was a very warm, light breeze day, so when we arrived we first walked the south end of the island including South Beach & a number of people were swimming in the Atlantic Waters.  We walked Queens Highway (one must see photos to appreciate such a name), in & out of shops, built & gaily painted in the normal Bahamian architecture & colours.  After finding are friends we hugged & chatted  over beers & lunch ‘till the cows came home’.  When in Hope Town I had been advised to go to Vernon’s Grocery & purchase a Key Lime pie; not cheap, but the best one has ever tasted I’m told.  And so we did, to have with supper tonight.  Before returning to Sandcastle, we dinghied over to the lighthouse side; built in 1863, can be seen for 17 mi. & run by kerosene .  We climbed the 101 circular staircase to the top viewing deck.  On such a beautiful day as this, the view was breathtaking.  Again photos are necessary to appreciate the panoramic view, the colours of the homes, the vegetation, & the seas with the spectrum of aqua, teal, light & dark blues.  A beautiful evening, reacquainting with friends & getting caught up with their adventures in Eleuthera & the  Exumas, & a magnificent calm, quiet, clear, star filled sky.

Mar. 17^th:  Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!  A brilliant sunny, hot day (80F).   After breakfast we went ashore & walked part of Queens Highway to North Beach & along its shoreline.  We attempted to cross private property from the beach to the road instead of back tracking, when a caretaker explained this was not kosher, but then invited to give us a tour of a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom , 3 yr. old gorgeous beach house with a spectacular view of the Atlantic as well as the Sea of Abaco & meticulous gardens & yard, that rents out from a mere $9000.00 to $16,000.00 per week.  After lunch we detached from our mooring ball & motored to Marsh Harbour as there was minimal wind.  Happy Hour was planned at Snappas (beer & well drinks=  $3.00).  St. Patty’s Day feastivities were well publicized on Cruisers Net this morn throughout the Abacos.  Suddenly, very dark clouds, threatening skies & gusting winds + rain blew up as predicted at Happy Hour--- a weak cold front. At the gathering I learnt that the Cost Right (equivalent to Costco back home) closed down mid Feb., so that leaves basically one grocery store in Marsh.   It was a cool trip back to Sweet Chariot for supper, & a windy night.

Mar. 18^th:  E wind blew all night long & right into the morning.  High, gusting winds 20-25K were predicted for several days.  Today is the day though that we have an appointment to have the cutlass bearing repaired.  Due to the keel depth & Marsh Harbour Boatyard’s shallow harbour, it is necessary for us to arrive on a rising & near high tide, which today is at 1400hrs.  We up anchored & with the jenny half deployed we sailed the 10.7nm distance first on a beat, then beam reach as we rounded the land mass & finally a run towards the boatyard.  The journey was better than the conditions were described in the am on Cruisers Net.  The sea chop was only 1-2ft.  Gingerly, we entered the boatyard’s channel right to the travel lift channel & Sweet Chariot was lifted to have the cutlass bearing replaced; a tow line from the rescue had jammed so tightly in the shaft, that the bearing was pushed out & bent from the normal round circumference to an oval, with a scant remnants of the rope still present.  Graeme had done quite a good job at scraping the hull, but we went ahead & had the bottom pressure washed.  Sweet Chariot has been through so much & has withstood some harsh treatment, that she deserved some pampering to make her look pretty from the bottom up!  The job took 1-11/2hrs. only, but the bill was expensive.  We wished this problem was detected in Spanish Wells where the repair prices were very reasonable.    We did not want to take a chance & leave the boatyard now on a dropping tide, so we asked to stay overnight tied up to a dock.  The skies had opened up when we arrived & continued on & off the rest of the day & night.

Mar. 19^th:  An ugly grey, very rainy day with thunder & lightening in the am.  The locals are very happy to see this rain as they have had nothing for months & there is still 2 months left in their dry season.  We hope that the weather improves when we plan to depart this afternoon; high tide today is 1522hrs.  We had cleaned out the boat’s water tank & cleaned the water filter, so refilled the water tank ($0.10 per gal.) & dieslled up before we ventured back to Marsh Harbour at 1430hrs.  Winds were decent & we were on a beat at 4.5K in less than 1ft. chop, but that soon died rendering us to motor into the anchorage at Marsh Harbour at 1730hr.  The rains had slowed down with only an occasional sprinkle; in fact before sunset the sun poked its head out.  The night was calm, quiet even humid & some stars were out.

Mar. 20^th:  Sunny morning with a few clouds, but NE winds at 20-25K predicted for next 2 days.  It was laundry day today & at the same time we picked up a few groceries in anticipation of a departure to start heading north then across the Gulf to the Florida.  The boat looked like a Chinese junk with the laundry hanging from everywhere.  Winds had now increased from the NE to 8-10K driving the humidity out of the air & by sunset they were blowing 15-20K & cool.   We had a plastic insert sewn into our solid connector since we lost our see-through connector in the Feb. mishap & picked up some emails at the internet café.  Then we hit Happy Hour at not one, but two boats; I guess we are making up for lost time.  So it was a very late supper tonight.  Lots of stars in a clear night sky.  First day of Spring came in at 2347hrs.

Mar. 21^st:  First full day of Spring & not a nice day at all.  Winds howled from the wee hours of the morning throughout the whole day & evening, & heavy rain during the noon hour.  Lots of spray (salt) as one journeyed in the dinghy across the harbour to shore.  Celtic Cross was called an internet café at one point this afternoon as a few of us gathered & sat on the boat working away at our computers, because Ian & Sharon were tied up at Mangoes Marina with internet access & shore power to boot.  I received a lesson on how to copy & paste compositions created on Word 2007 & sent out as an email rather than as an attachment, so it is easier for people to open on their computers, as I have Vista which complicates things for my recipients.  Thank you Anne Wallace & Jim for the instructions; they worked!  We watched the DVD Benjamin Button this evening; it was good or well done, but very solemn & sad; I cried a lot thinking of my Dad, not an uncommon reaction for me most days.

Mar. 22^nd:  A cool sunny Sunday morning with NE winds at 15K as I went to shore to get the bus at Mangoes for Church.  Graeme cleaned & polished the stern combing, then rearranged the water & diesel & gas jerry cans tied to the lifelines after lunch.  A couple from Toronto came & introduced themselves to us & asked us if our boat was a Viking 34.  We were surprised someone recognized Sweet Chariot as a Viking, but corrected them on her size.  They had a Viking 34 in the past, & were impressed on Sweet Chariot’s condition.  In the mid afternoon we dinghied to shore so I might call Mom on Skype, do some internet stuff & clean out some stuff on my laptop.  It remained cold & windy all afternoon, evening & night.

Mar. 23^rd:  Repeat---cool, ENE 15-20K winds with sun & cloudy periods today, but still enough chop in the harbour.  I promised to serve Donald & France (Alto) a French toast with bacon breakfast & they supplied real maple syrup.  We chatted away the morning, I particularly interested in the communication system & the supporting power supply system they have installed on their vessel.  They have SSB (ICOM HF Marine IC-M802), computer hook-up to SSB with a modem & printer (Canon IP 100---ink cartridge is good & lasts a long time & produces good photos), 1-12V battery dedicated to engine only & 4-12V batteries for house ( they would like to change to 6V), Xantrex Battery Status Monitor, solar panel, 2000 watts generator, 2 inverters, 2 AC battery chargers, & a 11 gal. Webasto ST 90 water heating system that also provides warm heat into the cabin  via 4 heat vents on rheostats (they feel a 6 gal. is sufficient).  Alto gave us a hands-on tour of the systems this afternoon.  It looks as if Treasure Cay is where we will move on to tomorrow, so picked up fresh milk & breads & lettuce.  Fuel tank & one water tank was topped up.  We had a final gathering for Happy Hour at Snappas  from 1700- 1900hrs. & said our good-byes.  A very cool night, but at least the wind & harbour chop have finally settled down some.

Mar. 24^th:  A quiet & calm night until just before sunrise when the ENE cold wind increased, but the sun was in & out.  The weather forecast & the sea conditions are not sounding good for several days.  I am getting more & more anxious to be home.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my work-outs, I miss skiing, I miss my bike… I MISS OTTAWA!  Ten months is too long for me to be away. On a positive note, we did make our way up to Treasure Cay, a distance of 14.7nm with the jenny fully deployed on a beam reach at about 6K then broad reach at about 4K, leaving Marsh at 1000hrs. & arriving at our destination at 1315hrs. at low tide, but soon to rise.  On anchoring we went aground once again; it’s these small sand humps that we seem to find everywhere. Until the tide came up enough we had lunch & attempted to get on the internet but unsuccessful; others were successful, so I guess it depends  on your location in this harbour. Once we dropped the hook, we venture to shore & walked  the long 3 mile semi-circular powdery white sand beach for a few hours looking for shells & sand dollars, but the tide was already coming in where the sand dollars are normally found; maybe tomorrow at low tide.  The economy has hit this famous & popular tourist destination as everywhere in the Bahamas & the USA.  This is the common comment from everyone this year. Normally these beaches are packed with tourists especially at this prime time of the year, but the beach was virtually all ours;  only a few swimmers.  A beer at the bar & we were the only customers, then back to the boat to cook up a pot of chili.  Some reading & some journal writing then off to bed.  The wind continued to blow all night 15-20K.

Mar. 25^th:  The day started off very cloudy & windy & unfortunately my mood matched the day.  We filled the boat’s water & diesel tanks from the jerry cans, then refilled the jerry cans onshore in preparation tomorrows probable departure north.  After lunch the sun slowly started to poke it’s head through the clouds.  I needed to renew my laptop virus protection subscription & since I can’t get internet access here we went to shore.  After frustrating session with virus renewal reverted to their chat line & then left Graeme use the laptop as he so wished while I walked the wonderful beach once again at low tide with the ladies.  Emotionally I needed this.  On walking toward the beach we past some very lovely condos for rent & magnificent homes & their yards & gardens;  sure there is a nice price tag attached to these places.  There were more people on the beach today even though it was windy & cool.  The tide was a rising low tide.  It would have been a perfect day if the wind wasn’t so strong to have one’s bathing suit on & walk the shallows way, way out into the aqua waters looking for the infamous sand dollars that are in abundance.  On returning I was provided a quick but confusing computer lesson on saving emails into Word.  The best was the long awaited shower that followed; it was just too quick.  We BBQ’d tonight since the winds had subsided some.  Clear skies & millions of stars prevailed all night.

Mar. 26^th:  It was an early start this sunny morning as we were definitely leaving Treasure Cay on high tide to cross the Whale Cut.  Many boats had the same plan, but some took the short route in very shallow waters through Don’t Rock taking advantage of their shoal draft keels.  The cool winds were from the E at 10-15K with 5-6ft. rollers & the occasional 8 footer pushing us through the Cut (deep Atlantic waters meeting the shallow Abacos Sea).  We made the pass by 0915hrs. then had a run in 2-3ft. chop past Green Turtle Cay to tuck in behind Crab Cay by Manjack Cay at 1120hrs.  The nice thing about this location is the fact that the residents here maintain free WiFi.  Distance=18.1nm.  After lunch & some internet work we were off in the dinghy at a low rising tide to the beach on Crab Cay & the Atlantic coast for shell & sea glass hunting.  There were tons of sea muffins, conch of very size imaginable & starfish; you had to be careful where you stepped!  Lots of sea glass as well.  A very pleasant couple of hours spent in the warm sun.  After supper we were invited over to a boat that we had just met to play several fun rounds of Mexican Dominoes (4 couples).  A light & short rain shower had us disperse to our respective boats about 2200hrs.  A quiet & fairly calm night.

Mar. 27^th:  A rather lazy day.  It was sunny with cloudy periods & cool SSE winds at least 15K & higher in the afternoon as predicted.  Another cold front with high winds is expected to pass Sat. & Sun.   Since this will be my last internet possibility till somewhere in Florida, I took advantage of the situation & did a lot of email writing.  After lunch we got together with Celtic Cross & made tentative plans for moving on to another Crab Cay past Powell Cay tomorrow, then onto Great Sales Cay on Sun., Memory Rock on Mon. & crossing the Gulf to Lake Worth on Tues. weather permitting.  Then it was time to do some more exploring to the Atlantic beach on Manjack Cay, through trails cut , provided & well marked with colourful directional signs made from palms by the same residents who provide WiFi to us cruisers.  It was a nice hike to a wide, pink, mostly powdery sand beach with high rollers of aqua coloured waters crashing over the reefs, & large, eroding coral rocks at one end.  Ian & I found sea beans---travel from Africa across the Atlantic.  We had a well needed, quick shower from the shower bag to rinse off the salt.  A few people blew their conchs at sunset, but none were as good as Ian.

Mar. 28^th:  Sunny & warm with cool SSW winds in the am blowing 20-25K.  Before we up anchored at 0915hrs., I tried Mom on Skype as this is the last internet ability until sometime in Florida; great, I got her, so  she is well aware of our schedule etc.  We had a good & fast sail with the jenny alone heading W on a beam reach & averaging 6-7K. We picked one of few anchorages that would provide us with some protection from SW winds, that being Crab Cay on Little Abaco Island,  past  & across the Sea of Abaco from Powell Cay.  We travelled the 17.1nm distance anchoring in a strong 25+K  winds at 1245hrs.  The SW winds blew all afternoon & evening with gusts as high as 30K.  It was a little spooky at night here; very windy, no nearby settlements except a slight glow from Cooper Town & anchor lights from the 6 anchored sailboats here(Celtic Cross & Sandcastle travelling with us), therefore very black, but lots of stars in the sky.

Mar. 29^th:  A cloudy, warm, humid day with threatening skies, only an occasional sunny break but very windy---SSW at 25-30K & 1-2ft. chop.  The anchor was up at 0900hrs. & we deployed about 1/3 of the jenny averaging a speed of 4-6K.  We inched our way under motor only, through the shallow shoals into the east side of Great Sales Cay & hoping the winds will clock more to the W as predicted at 1900hrs.  This location is not good for a SW wind & the westward clocking is not to occur until very late.  It took us 5 tries to get the anchor to hook; there must be a shallow layer of sand over coral because others had difficulty as well.  Alto joined our little contingent here.  Distance= 35.9nm.   All night it remained warm & humid; the sheets felt damp getting into bed. The winds continued to blow 20K from the SW so all the boats rock & rolled; some did not sleep well.   At 0200hrs. there was a sudden onset of lightning & thunder--- scarry in a sailboat, followed by a good downpour of rain (good for washing the salty sailboats down).  Graeme told me the next day that he stood in the rain to rinse the salt off himself until he got too cold.

Mar. 30^th:   It is still warm & humid.  Alto is well equipped with a ham radio, a modem & a printer, & so they have been able to provide extensive weather forecasts for us boaters including wind directions & speed, & waves on a near hourly basis for a 7 day period.  This morning was no exception.  Graeme has now decided to put the dinghy on deck as Celtic Cross & Sandcastle have already up anchored. We depart an hour later.   Alto has planned to cross the Gulf Sream to Cape Canaveral today & through the night, were as the rest of us are overnighting at Memory Rock on the Little Bahama Bank, then will move on to Lake Worth Inlet tomorrow.  So we bide good-bye to our dear friends, wishing them a safe & good sail, hoping that our paths will cross in the near future.  It was cloudy at sunrise but in no time the sun shone in all it’s glory.  Winds had clocked W during the night & by dawn they were from the N.  Main &  jenny were fully deployed in lightish winds that picked up to 8-10K from the NW as time went by.  We were hailed by a 51ft. trimaran with twin masts heading south & had a nice conversation with him over VHF (we are monitoring 16 now); he has a sailing vessel on the west coast as he resides in the state of Washington & keeps this trimaran on the east coast---such a pity!  Winds are decreasing so we need to rely on the the engine for some speed in order to make our destination in daylight hours.  Approximately 6 miles from Memory Rock waypoint we are hailed by Alto.  They changed their plans due to weather predictions for the Cape Canaveral are---lightning & thunder.  Anchor was down at 1845hrs. in 8-10 ft. of water.  Distance= 49.2nm.  At  2000 hrs.  Graeme checked the anchor before he put his head down & discovered that the anchor was directly behind us yet we are not drifting . So what is happening here?  Well, the current is stronger than the wind & all four of us are experiencing the same thing.  As night approached,  the winds picked up to 12-15K & in the middle of nothing we were rolling back & forth, so little sleep for all.  Again tonight because of the complete lack of light, it is black & eerie but the stars are phenomenal in a clear sky.

Mar. 31^st:  This is the big day of our crossing!  Last night at 0340hrs.,  I heard a conversation from 3 sailboats that were doing a night crossing, knew that the 4 of us were a small community here at Memory Rock, identified by our mast anchor lights & doing the crossing as soon as there is some daylight.  At 0630hrs. the anchors came out easily as the anchors straightened out a decrease in current & we headed in a westerly direction on a broad reach.  SE winds were only 5-8K but the seas were calm with less than 1 ft. of chop & minimal swells; this is a very good thing.  The sun was in & out & the humidity was high.  Shortly after noon, the winds became more south & thus are boat speed increased.  But by 1400hrs. the clouds rolled in & the sky over the Florida coast became ominous. On the VHF 9 a weather warning signal blurted out the onset of a sudden rain storm with possible winds up to 60mph, heavy rainfall & possibility of tornado until 1645 hrs.  We donned our foul weather gear, life jackets, knives, flashlights.  We furled the jenny in a little, refueled the diesel tank just in case, prepared the strobe lights, the flares & safety equipment .  Lightning & thunder on the mainland; yuk!  VHF transmissions very staticky.  By 1700 hrs. the north was clearing & dark ugly clouds now over the south, but still little to no increase in wind & only slight raindrops for us way out to sea.  Inland the rain was very heavy causing flooding & zero visiblilty with 35-50K winds in Lake Worth, causing boats to spin 360 on their anchors.  The weather gods were with us as the winds & the seas remained the same.  By 1900 hrs. we spotted the bifurcation mark & the red/green channel markers into Lake Worth.  Winds now were SW & increased to 15-20K, the sea chop increased to 3 ft. & hitting us at our port quarter, so we downed the sail.  We rock & rolled our way into the channel & thankfully no freights or big cruise ships were coming out of port.  Dark was fast approaching as we anchored well down the anchoring field  at 2000hrs.  Distance= 67.4nm.  It was a hotdog supper at 2100 hrs. then to bed.   The Parkinson’s Bahamas Adventure Mar. 16-31, 2009

Mar. 16^th:  Another super fantastic day weather-wise predicted today with a high of 78F.  We are waiting for our appointment on Wed. re the cutlass bearing, so we have definitely decided to take the Albury Ferry to Hope Town at 1030hrs. for the day.  When we were just about to leave we were hailed on VHF by Sandcastle, a boat that we have not seen since Jan. but have maintained contact with via email when at all possible.  They were on their way from Lynyard Cay to Hope Town.  We made arrangements to meet them there at 1300hrs., stay with them overnight & the next day they would take us back to our vessel in Marsh Harbour.  Celtic Cross agreed to look after Sweet Chariot ie running the motor & refrigeration during our absence.  They even took us to shore where we then walked to Crossing Beach to caught the ferry; one way ticket per person =$15.00 for the 20 minute trip, return fare= $22.00; there is a ferry every few hours from 0715 to 1830hrs.  It was a very warm, light breeze day, so when we arrived we first walked the south end of the island including South Beach & a number of people were swimming in the Atlantic Waters.  We walked Queens Highway (one must see photos to appreciate such a name), in & out of shops, built & gaily painted in the normal Bahamian architecture & colours.  After finding are friends we hugged & chatted  over beers & lunch ‘till the cows came home’.  When in Hope Town I had been advised to go to Vernon’s Grocery & purchase a Key Lime pie; not cheap, but the best one has ever tasted I’m told.  And so we did, to have with supper tonight.  Before returning to Sandcastle, we dinghied over to the lighthouse side; built in 1863, can be seen for 17 mi. & run by kerosene .  We climbed the 101 circular staircase to the top viewing deck.  On such a beautiful day as this, the view was breathtaking.  Again photos are necessary to appreciate the panoramic view, the colours of the homes, the vegetation, & the seas with the spectrum of aqua, teal, light & dark blues.  A beautiful evening, reacquainting with friends & getting caught up with their adventures in Eleuthera & the  Exumas, & a magnificent calm, quiet, clear, star filled sky.

Mar. 17^th:  Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!  A brilliant sunny, hot day (80F).   After breakfast we went ashore & walked part of Queens Highway to North Beach & along its shoreline.  We attempted to cross private property from the beach to the road instead of back tracking, when a caretaker explained this was not kosher, but then invited to give us a tour of a 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom , 3 yr. old gorgeous beach house with a spectacular view of the Atlantic as well as the Sea of Abaco & meticulous gardens & yard, that rents out from a mere $9000.00 to $16,000.00 per week.  After lunch we detached from our mooring ball & motored to Marsh Harbour as there was minimal wind.  Happy Hour was planned at Snappas (beer & well drinks=  $3.00).  St. Patty’s Day feastivities were well publicized on Cruisers Net this morn throughout the Abacos.  Suddenly, very dark clouds, threatening skies & gusting winds + rain blew up as predicted at Happy Hour--- a weak cold front. At the gathering I learnt that the Cost Right (equivalent to Costco back home) closed down mid Feb., so that leaves basically one grocery store in Marsh.   It was a cool trip back to Sweet Chariot for supper, & a windy night.

Mar. 18^th:  E wind blew all night long & right into the morning.  High, gusting winds 20-25K were predicted for several days.  Today is the day though that we have an appointment to have the cutlass bearing repaired.  Due to the keel depth & Marsh Harbour Boatyard’s shallow harbour, it is necessary for us to arrive on a rising & near high tide, which today is at 1400hrs.  We up anchored & with the jenny half deployed we sailed the 10.7nm distance first on a beat, then beam reach as we rounded the land mass & finally a run towards the boatyard.  The journey was better than the conditions were described in the am on Cruisers Net.  The sea chop was only 1-2ft.  Gingerly, we entered the boatyard’s channel right to the travel lift channel & Sweet Chariot was lifted to have the cutlass bearing replaced; a tow line from the rescue had jammed so tightly in the shaft, that the bearing was pushed out & bent from the normal round circumference to an oval, with a scant remnants of the rope still present.  Graeme had done quite a good job at scraping the hull, but we went ahead & had the bottom pressure washed.  Sweet Chariot has been through so much & has withstood some harsh treatment, that she deserved some pampering to make her look pretty from the bottom up!  The job took 1-11/2hrs. only, but the bill was expensive.  We wished this problem was detected in Spanish Wells where the repair prices were very reasonable.    We did not want to take a chance & leave the boatyard now on a dropping tide, so we asked to stay overnight tied up to a dock.  The skies had opened up when we arrived & continued on & off the rest of the day & night.

Mar. 19^th:  An ugly grey, very rainy day with thunder & lightening in the am.  The locals are very happy to see this rain as they have had nothing for months & there is still 2 months left in their dry season.  We hope that the weather improves when we plan to depart this afternoon; high tide today is 1522hrs.  We had cleaned out the boat’s water tank & cleaned the water filter, so refilled the water tank ($0.10 per gal.) & dieslled up before we ventured back to Marsh Harbour at 1430hrs.  Winds were decent & we were on a beat at 4.5K in less than 1ft. chop, but that soon died rendering us to motor into the anchorage at Marsh Harbour at 1730hr.  The rains had slowed down with only an occasional sprinkle; in fact before sunset the sun poked its head out.  The night was calm, quiet even humid & some stars were out.

Mar. 20^th:  Sunny morning with a few clouds, but NE winds at 20-25K predicted for next 2 days.  It was laundry day today & at the same time we picked up a few groceries in anticipation of a departure to start heading north then across the Gulf to the Florida.  The boat looked like a Chinese junk with the laundry hanging from everywhere.  Winds had now increased from the NE to 8-10K driving the humidity out of the air & by sunset they were blowing 15-20K & cool.   We had a plastic insert sewn into our solid connector since we lost our see-through connector in the Feb. mishap & picked up some emails at the internet café.  Then we hit Happy Hour at not one, but two boats; I guess we are making up for lost time.  So it was a very late supper tonight.  Lots of stars in a clear night sky.  First day of Spring came in at 2347hrs.

Mar. 21^st:  First full day of Spring & not a nice day at all.  Winds howled from the wee hours of the morning throughout the whole day & evening, & heavy rain during the noon hour.  Lots of spray (salt) as one journeyed in the dinghy across the harbour to shore.  Celtic Cross was called an internet café at one point this afternoon as a few of us gathered & sat on the boat working away at our computers, because Ian & Sharon were tied up at Mangoes Marina with internet access & shore power to boot.  I received a lesson on how to copy & paste compositions created on Word 2007 & sent out as an email rather than as an attachment, so it is easier for people to open on their computers, as I have Vista which complicates things for my recipients.  Thank you Anne Wallace & Jim for the instructions; they worked!  We watched the DVD Benjamin Button this evening; it was good or well done, but very solemn & sad; I cried a lot thinking of my Dad, not an uncommon reaction for me most days.

Mar. 22^nd:  A cool sunny Sunday morning with NE winds at 15K as I went to shore to get the bus at Mangoes for Church.  Graeme cleaned & polished the stern combing, then rearranged the water & diesel & gas jerry cans tied to the lifelines after lunch.  A couple from Toronto came & introduced themselves to us & asked us if our boat was a Viking 34.  We were surprised someone recognized Sweet Chariot as a Viking, but corrected them on her size.  They had a Viking 34 in the past, & were impressed on Sweet Chariot’s condition.  In the mid afternoon we dinghied to shore so I might call Mom on Skype, do some internet stuff & clean out some stuff on my laptop.  It remained cold & windy all afternoon, evening & night.

Mar. 23^rd:  Repeat---cool, ENE 15-20K winds with sun & cloudy periods today, but still enough chop in the harbour.  I promised to serve Donald & France (Alto) a French toast with bacon breakfast & they supplied real maple syrup.  We chatted away the morning, I particularly interested in the communication system & the supporting power supply system they have installed on their vessel.  They have SSB (ICOM HF Marine IC-M802), computer hook-up to SSB with a modem & printer (Canon IP 100---ink cartridge is good & lasts a long time & produces good photos), 1-12V battery dedicated to engine only & 4-12V batteries for house ( they would like to change to 6V), Xantrex Battery Status Monitor, solar panel, 2000 watts generator, 2 inverters, 2 AC battery chargers, & a 11 gal. Webasto ST 90 water heating system that also provides warm heat into the cabin  via 4 heat vents on rheostats (they feel a 6 gal. is sufficient).  Alto gave us a hands-on tour of the systems this afternoon.  It looks as if Treasure Cay is where we will move on to tomorrow, so picked up fresh milk & breads & lettuce.  Fuel tank & one water tank was topped up.  We had a final gathering for Happy Hour at Snappas  from 1700- 1900hrs. & said our good-byes.  A very cool night, but at least the wind & harbour chop have finally settled down some.

Mar. 24^th:  A quiet & calm night until just before sunrise when the ENE cold wind increased, but the sun was in & out.  The weather forecast & the sea conditions are not sounding good for several days.  I am getting more & more anxious to be home.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my work-outs, I miss skiing, I miss my bike… I MISS OTTAWA!  Ten months is too long for me to be away. On a positive note, we did make our way up to Treasure Cay, a distance of 14.7nm with the jenny fully deployed on a beam reach at about 6K then broad reach at about 4K, leaving Marsh at 1000hrs. & arriving at our destination at 1315hrs. at low tide, but soon to rise.  On anchoring we went aground once again; it’s these small sand humps that we seem to find everywhere. Until the tide came up enough we had lunch & attempted to get on the internet but unsuccessful; others were successful, so I guess it depends  on your location in this harbour. Once we dropped the hook, we venture to shore & walked  the long 3 mile semi-circular powdery white sand beach for a few hours looking for shells & sand dollars, but the tide was already coming in where the sand dollars are normally found; maybe tomorrow at low tide.  The economy has hit this famous & popular tourist destination as everywhere in the Bahamas & the USA.  This is the common comment from everyone this year. Normally these beaches are packed with tourists especially at this prime time of the year, but the beach was virtually all ours;  only a few swimmers.  A beer at the bar & we were the only customers, then back to the boat to cook up a pot of chili.  Some reading & some journal writing then off to bed.  The wind continued to blow all night 15-20K.

Mar. 25^th:  The day started off very cloudy & windy & unfortunately my mood matched the day.  We filled the boat’s water & diesel tanks from the jerry cans, then refilled the jerry cans onshore in preparation tomorrows probable departure north.  After lunch the sun slowly started to poke it’s head through the clouds.  I needed to renew my laptop virus protection subscription & since I can’t get internet access here we went to shore.  After frustrating session with virus renewal reverted to their chat line & then left Graeme use the laptop as he so wished while I walked the wonderful beach once again at low tide with the ladies.  Emotionally I needed this.  On walking toward the beach we past some very lovely condos for rent & magnificent homes & their yards & gardens;  sure there is a nice price tag attached to these places.  There were more people on the beach today even though it was windy & cool.  The tide was a rising low tide.  It would have been a perfect day if the wind wasn’t so strong to have one’s bathing suit on & walk the shallows way, way out into the aqua waters looking for the infamous sand dollars that are in abundance.  On returning I was provided a quick but confusing computer lesson on saving emails into Word.  The best was the long awaited shower that followed; it was just too quick.  We BBQ’d tonight since the winds had subsided some.  Clear skies & millions of stars prevailed all night.

Mar. 26^th:  It was an early start this sunny morning as we were definitely leaving Treasure Cay on high tide to cross the Whale Cut.  Many boats had the same plan, but some took the short route in very shallow waters through Don’t Rock taking advantage of their shoal draft keels.  The cool winds were from the E at 10-15K with 5-6ft. rollers & the occasional 8 footer pushing us through the Cut (deep Atlantic waters meeting the shallow Abacos Sea).  We made the pass by 0915hrs. then had a run in 2-3ft. chop past Green Turtle Cay to tuck in behind Crab Cay by Manjack Cay at 1120hrs.  The nice thing about this location is the fact that the residents here maintain free WiFi.  Distance=18.1nm.  After lunch & some internet work we were off in the dinghy at a low rising tide to the beach on Crab Cay & the Atlantic coast for shell & sea glass hunting.  There were tons of sea muffins, conch of very size imaginable & starfish; you had to be careful where you stepped!  Lots of sea glass as well.  A very pleasant couple of hours spent in the warm sun.  After supper we were invited over to a boat that we had just met to play several fun rounds of Mexican Dominoes (4 couples).  A light & short rain shower had us disperse to our respective boats about 2200hrs.  A quiet & fairly calm night.

Mar. 27^th:  A rather lazy day.  It was sunny with cloudy periods & cool SSE winds at least 15K & higher in the afternoon as predicted.  Another cold front with high winds is expected to pass Sat. & Sun.   Since this will be my last internet possibility till somewhere in Florida, I took advantage of the situation & did a lot of email writing.  After lunch we got together with Celtic Cross & made tentative plans for moving on to another Crab Cay past Powell Cay tomorrow, then onto Great Sales Cay on Sun., Memory Rock on Mon. & crossing the Gulf to Lake Worth on Tues. weather permitting.  Then it was time to do some more exploring to the Atlantic beach on Manjack Cay, through trails cut , provided & well marked with colourful directional signs made from palms by the same residents who provide WiFi to us cruisers.  It was a nice hike to a wide, pink, mostly powdery sand beach with high rollers of aqua coloured waters crashing over the reefs, & large, eroding coral rocks at one end.  Ian & I found sea beans---travel from Africa across the Atlantic.  We had a well needed, quick shower from the shower bag to rinse off the salt.  A few people blew their conchs at sunset, but none were as good as Ian.

Mar. 28^th:  Sunny & warm with cool SSW winds in the am blowing 20-25K.  Before we up anchored at 0915hrs., I tried Mom on Skype as this is the last internet ability until sometime in Florida; great, I got her, so  she is well aware of our schedule etc.  We had a good & fast sail with the jenny alone heading W on a beam reach & averaging 6-7K. We picked one of few anchorages that would provide us with some protection from SW winds, that being Crab Cay on Little Abaco Island,  past  & across the Sea of Abaco from Powell Cay.  We travelled the 17.1nm distance anchoring in a strong 25+K  winds at 1245hrs.  The SW winds blew all afternoon & evening with gusts as high as 30K.  It was a little spooky at night here; very windy, no nearby settlements except a slight glow from Cooper Town & anchor lights from the 6 anchored sailboats here(Celtic Cross & Sandcastle travelling with us), therefore very black, but lots of stars in the sky.

Mar. 29^th:  A cloudy, warm, humid day with threatening skies, only an occasional sunny break but very windy---SSW at 25-30K & 1-2ft. chop.  The anchor was up at 0900hrs. & we deployed about 1/3 of the jenny averaging a speed of 4-6K.  We inched our way under motor only, through the shallow shoals into the east side of Great Sales Cay & hoping the winds will clock more to the W as predicted at 1900hrs.  This location is not good for a SW wind & the westward clocking is not to occur until very late.  It took us 5 tries to get the anchor to hook; there must be a shallow layer of sand over coral because others had difficulty as well.  Alto joined our little contingent here.  Distance= 35.9nm.   All night it remained warm & humid; the sheets felt damp getting into bed. The winds continued to blow 20K from the SW so all the boats rock & rolled; some did not sleep well.   At 0200hrs. there was a sudden onset of lightning & thunder--- scarry in a sailboat, followed by a good downpour of rain (good for washing the salty sailboats down).  Graeme told me the next day that he stood in the rain to rinse the salt off himself until he got too cold.

Mar. 30^th:   It is still warm & humid.  Alto is well equipped with a ham radio, a modem & a printer, & so they have been able to provide extensive weather forecasts for us boaters including wind directions & speed, & waves on a near hourly basis for a 7 day period.  This morning was no exception.  Graeme has now decided to put the dinghy on deck as Celtic Cross & Sandcastle have already up anchored. We depart an hour later.   Alto has planned to cross the Gulf Sream to Cape Canaveral today & through the night, were as the rest of us are overnighting at Memory Rock on the Little Bahama Bank, then will move on to Lake Worth Inlet tomorrow.  So we bide good-bye to our dear friends, wishing them a safe & good sail, hoping that our paths will cross in the near future.  It was cloudy at sunrise but in no time the sun shone in all it’s glory.  Winds had clocked W during the night & by dawn they were from the N.  Main &  jenny were fully deployed in lightish winds that picked up to 8-10K from the NW as time went by.  We were hailed by a 51ft. trimaran with twin masts heading south & had a nice conversation with him over VHF (we are monitoring 16 now); he has a sailing vessel on the west coast as he resides in the state of Washington & keeps this trimaran on the east coast---such a pity!  Winds are decreasing so we need to rely on the the engine for some speed in order to make our destination in daylight hours.  Approximately 6 miles from Memory Rock waypoint we are hailed by Alto.  They changed their plans due to weather predictions for the Cape Canaveral are---lightning & thunder.  Anchor was down at 1845hrs. in 8-10 ft. of water.  Distance= 49.2nm.  At  2000 hrs.  Graeme checked the anchor before he put his head down & discovered that the anchor was directly behind us yet we are not drifting . So what is happening here?  Well, the current is stronger than the wind & all four of us are experiencing the same thing.  As night approached,  the winds picked up to 12-15K & in the middle of nothing we were rolling back & forth, so little sleep for all.  Again tonight because of the complete lack of light, it is black & eerie but the stars are phenomenal in a clear sky.

Mar. 31^st:  This is the big day of our crossing!  Last night at 0340hrs.,  I heard a conversation from 3 sailboats that were doing a night crossing, knew that the 4 of us were a small community here at Memory Rock, identified by our mast anchor lights & doing the crossing as soon as there is some daylight.  At 0630hrs. the anchors came out easily as the anchors straightened out a decrease in current & we headed in a westerly direction on a broad reach.  SE winds were only 5-8K but the seas were calm with less than 1 ft. of chop & minimal swells; this is a very good thing.  The sun was in & out & the humidity was high.  Shortly after noon, the winds became more south & thus are boat speed increased.  But by 1400hrs. the clouds rolled in & the sky over the Florida coast became ominous. On the VHF 9 a weather warning signal blurted out the onset of a sudden rain storm with possible winds up to 60mph, heavy rainfall & possibility of tornado until 1645 hrs.  We donned our foul weather gear, life jackets, knives, flashlights.  We furled the jenny in a little, refueled the diesel tank just in case, prepared the strobe lights, the flares & safety equipment .  Lightning & thunder on the mainland; yuk!  VHF transmissions very staticky.  By 1700 hrs. the north was clearing & dark ugly clouds now over the south, but still little to no increase in wind & only slight raindrops for us way out to sea.  Inland the rain was very heavy causing flooding & zero visiblilty with 35-50K winds in Lake Worth, causing boats to spin 360 on their anchors.  The weather gods were with us as the winds & the seas remained the same.  By 1900 hrs. we spotted the bifurcation mark & the red/green channel markers into Lake Worth.  Winds now were SW & increased to 15-20K, the sea chop increased to 3 ft. & hitting us at our port quarter, so we downed the sail.  We rock & rolled our way into the channel & thankfully no freights or big cruise ships were coming out of port.  Dark was fast approaching as we anchored well down the anchoring field  at 2000hrs.  Distance= 67.4nm.  It was a hotdog supper at 2100 hrs. then to bed.