New York City Photos

Good times in NYC :)
Nicole.

Home at Last

Just a quick note to say that we officially made it home today. Dad was unable to sleep last night and decided to cast off from Oswego at 4 am, so we arrived in Kingston just after noon! A quick hello to friends and relatives later we packed the car and headed home to Ottawa. It feels a little strange to not be returning to the boat tonight, but refreshing to start the next chapter in all our lives.

Thanks again for reading! I will post some pictures of the last few weeks soon.
Nicole.

Nearing the End of an Amazing Journey!

Hi Everyone, We finally have internet again as we wait for our mast to go back up at the end of the Oswego Canal. We are so close to home! Our trip up the Hudson River was beautiful and quick. Outside New York City the countryside becomes very hilly and pretty. The river was brown and not so appealing for a swim after so much time in tropical waters.

We spent a few days motoring and dodging debris to get to Catskill where our mast came down. With the masts strapped well onto the deck we continued with Raftan up to Troy, where the Erie Canal begins. Traveling through the locks was a different experience from any other part of the trip yet. To get to Lake Ontario we had to pass through 31 locks! A whole lot more than those on the St. Lawrence River. Also, we experienced going up on most of the locks, which proved to be more tricky that going down. As the water fills the lock it swirls around a lot and we found ourselves being pushed onto the lock wall quite hard, so we were forced to exercise our arm muscles in new ways.

After three speedy days through the Erie locks we turned north onto the Oswego Canal. And 7 locks later, here we are at Lake Ontario once again! It feels so good to be close to the end of our journey. It's been so long since we were last here. Tomorrow will be our final day on this amazing journey as we cross Lake Ontario and make for our home port of Kingston, completing our giant loop at last. And so, this post will likely be my final one of the trip. (We may post pictures in a few days though).

I want to take this chance to say thanks so much to everyone who has been following us for the past 9 months. It has been a pleasure having a place to share our experiences and wonderful to hear that people have been keeping up with us all along. Having a project like this throughout the trip kept me more attuned to what we were seeing and I've enjoyed working on my writing skills.

I also want to say a HUGE thank you to my amazing parents, who have tolerated us kids being along on the journey for so long. None of this would have been possible without them and I will carry so many amazing memories of this trip with me for the rest of my life, all thanks to their bravery and generosity.

It's been quite the adventure, and so lovely to share it with my parents and Sarah and Jamie. Being in such a tight space was challenging at times, but we all weathered through together, and became much closer because of the all the challenges we've faced.

Through this journey I have gained a greater respect for people who travel the seas and live on boats on a full time basis. (I certainly couldn't live on a boat permanently!) There are so many obstacles in such an adventurous life, and the sea is such a changeable lady, but living this kind of lifestyle for a time has many benefits. Through the dangers and excitements of this trip I've learned many things, not only about myself, but about the world around me, and I will always cherish the experiences of the past 10 months.

I hope that Mom and Dad will continue to use the blog in their future journeys, whether long or short. But for now, this is it for me :) Thanks so much for reading and all the best!!
Nicole.

New York City!

Arriving in New York City on Thursday was an eye-opening experience. Weaving our way around barges in New York Harbour, we coasted past the majestic Statue of Liberty and into the mouth of the Hudson River along Manhattan Island. I couldn't help but stare at the fabled New York skyline in awe. I have never seen or imagined anything quite like it. What a bustling, vibrant and beautiful place Manhattan is! It was the first time in downtown NYC for all of us.

Cruising past piers along the waterfront and the skyscrapers of the financial district, we watched as people made their morning commute to work by ferry or car. The most outrageous commuters came in on helicopters-which landed along a waterfront landing pad-and stepped quickly into black town cars complete with private drivers.

Docking at the 79th Street Boat Basin gave us wonderfully easy access to Manhattan. A waterfront path constantly busy with cyclists, runners and walkers ran past our marina and continued around almost the whole island. The first day, being tired from an overnight passage, we simply walked through a beautiful area with apartments, shops and restaurants to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. On a hop-on hop-off bus tour the next day we learned that this area was the Upper West Side or the "new money" district where people like Regis, Madonna, and Catherine Zeta Jones live.

The bus tours of downtown and uptown were an easy and effective way of seeing as much as we could. We rode the subway to Times Square and after being overwhelmed by the lights, stores and crowds, rode the buses around for most of the day. Our day of sightseeing also happened to fall on my birthday, making for a pretty fabulous way to spend the day! One of our tour guides was a classically trained opera singer between jobs who ended up singing an operatic rendition of "Happy Birthday" to me (to my embarrassment at the time).

The most memorable part of our whirlwind day was taking the night tour, which started beneath the flashing billboards of Times Square, went downtown, and crossed into Brooklyn. The view of the sparkling Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn was one of the most fabulous and breathtaking sights I've ever seen. Having not visited New York before, and my only knowledge being from the multitude of tv shows and movies set there, I was amazed at how clean and lovely the streets were. Everywhere we walked felt safe and there were always people on the streets enjoying spotless public parks and spaces, even in the middle of the night.

I am not sure what I expected to discover in NYC, but I am certain that it has successfully dazzled me with its splendour and vibrancy.

After a brief but memorable two days in NYC we are now on our way home again, traveling up the Hudson River. Visiting New York certainly renewed my enthusiasm from traveling, but it is unquestionably time to be getting home. We can't wait to get back, visit with family and friends and share all of these crazy experiences.

Tonight we are anchored about 25 miles upriver from the city and were happily reunited with Raftan! It's been so long since we were traveling together (December in the BVIs was the last time), but strangely it doesn't feel that long since always we followed along with their blog and were sometimes within a day or two's sail of them. It will be nice to sail together once again as we all make our way north towards home.

All the best,
Nicole.

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Arrived in NYC

We arrived in New York City this morning after a great passage with good wind and no thunder storms. We are tied up at the 79th Street Boat Basin and plan to tour the city over the next couple of days.
Jon

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Sailing to NYC

We left Cape May NJ this morning and are currently sailing to NYC. We expected to be motoring so sailing at 4.5-5.5 knots is a bonus. We should arrive in NYC around noon tomorrow.
We look forward to meeting up with Patrice, Julie and the boys on Raftan tomorrow at 79th Street Boat Basin.
We will be spending a couple of days in NYC.
Jon

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Cape May NJ

Arriving back at the boat on Saturday after a wonderful week in Cape Hatteras (one that was over far too quickly), we left Annapolis Sunday and traveled to the top of Chesapeake Bay and through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. We intended to go through the night to Cape May at the mouth of Delaware Bay, but thunderstorms convinced us to anchor for the night. Monday we traveled the length of Delaware Bay to arrive at Cape May in the afternoon. The weather is not being cooperative for a passage to New York over the next few days, so it looks like we will be sitting here waiting for a favourable wind shift. It feels good to be on the last leg of the journey after a well-needed break in Cape Hatteras, but being stuck somewhere because of weather can also be frustrating (especially at this point when we are all anxious to get home). It is definitely hard to go back to such a small space again after getting a taste of living in a roomy comfortable house last week, but we are all coping as best we can. Getting to New York and doing some tourist stuff will be a welcome change and feel all the more rewarding after a little struggle along the way though.
It is hard to believe we're into June already! This year has certainly flown by. Strangely, after spending the winter in warm places it feels to me like it should be fall right now. The air here certainly has an autumn chill to it, though it is quite sunny and nice.
That's all for now,
Nicole.

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Cape Hatteras Again!

Apologies to anyone still following our journey for not posting in a while. This past weekend we left the boat in Annapolis for a little tlc and to go to Cape Hatteras for a week of kiteboarding and to enjoy living in a house again. So far it is awesome to be able to sleep in a real bed and do laundry and shower whenever we want!

The wind was gusty yesterday, but people managed to get out kiting a bit, though today was rainy in the morning and light in the afternoon.

That's all for now,
Nicole.

Moving up the Chesapeake Bay

We have spent 3 days at Antipoison Creek a spot on the Western Shore of Chesapeake Bay. It has nice sand beaches and has been a great spot for kiteboarding with the strong winds we have had the last 3 days. The weather here has been quite chilly for the last few days, hopefully it will warm up soon.
Tomorrow we will move up to Solomons Island on our way to Annapolis, weather permitting.
Jon

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In Chesapeake Bay

We have completed a very smooth passage from Beaufort, around Cape Hatteras and into Chesapeake Bay and are now anchored in the East River off Mobjack Bay. We feel a sense of accomplishment having completed a huge loop from this anchorage that we were anchored in around mid October last year, to Bermuda, down to the Caribbean, to the Bahamas and back up to the mouth of Chesapeake Bay 7 months later. We will spend the next week and a half cruising leisurely up Chesapeake Bay to arrive in Annapolis, MD next Friday , May 25. In Annapolis we will haul the boat and get the bottom painted along with having our new depth and log transducers installed. While the boat is out of the water we will drive to Cape Hatteras to rent a house with the rest of the family and friends for a week to kiteboard.

Jon

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Rounding Cape Hatteras to the Chesapeake Day 1

We have had light winds and small seas since we left at around 8 am on Saturday morning. It is very comfortable sailing and motor sailing.
Right now we are about 10 miles off the outer banks off Rodanthe. Yesterday we passed Cape Lookout, Ocracoke Island, Hatteras inlet and Cape Hatteras. It is interesting to see the Outer Banks from the sea as we have spent so much time ashore here. We are fortunate to have nice weather as we have seen this area be very rough this time of year. We plan to be in the Chesapeake Bay early Monday morning.

The SPOT will be on periodically to track our progress real time.

Jon

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From Staniel Cay to Man-o-War Cay to Beaufort, NC

     Here are a few more details from our time in the Bahamas. One of our last days in Staniel Cay, we decided to see the wild pigs for ourselves. Approaching the beach in the dinghy, a fleet of seagulls escorted us in as we excitedly pointed out a small pig scavenging in the sand. As we got closer and looked for more pigs we were astounded as a monster of a pig emerged from the trees fringing the beach. Wow was it big! And I don’t mean just fat, I mean BIG! The pig started to trot and ran straight into the water to swim out to us. I have to say, it was one of the strangest and funniest sights I’ve ever seen. Two slightly smaller pigs soon followed and several little ones stayed behind on the sand. We tried to feed the big ones carrot shavings (our guidebook said they really like carrots), but they couldn’t seem to see them in front of their oversized snouts. The big one started snorting in annoyance at us and moved on to another approaching boat.

     Following Staniel Cay, we spent several overcast days in Man-o-War Cay, a very quaint and unique island community. Many of the houses have nautical decorations (old fishing nets, colourful buoys, and ocean-themed knick-knacks) artfully organized in lovely tropical gardens, and residents drive heavy-duty golf carts around the tiny path roads that turn from cement to sand in the outskirts of the small town. Docks line the waterfront along with various boat services, making it clear that the water is the main focus of this community.

     Now we are currently in Beaufort, North Carolina and enjoying the lovely amenities available here. After the remoteness of the Bahamas it feels a lot like returning to civilization. Beaufort is beautiful, quiet and interesting, with numerous well-maintained houses dating back to the late 18^th century. There are many nice shops and being near large supermarkets again is convenient. Over the weekend we stayed at the Town Docks along the waterfront where an Annual Wooden Boat Show took place alongside the Annual Beaufort National Boatbuilding Challenge. Under a large tent, teams of boat builders worked quickly throughout the day to build small wooden boats to race later on in the day.

      The local museum also offered free admission and was interesting to explore with its intense focus on local boating history and an exhibit on Blackbeard, who once prowled these waters. Compounded with all this happy activity, we were all excited to have shower and laundry facilities at our disposal (silly sounding, maybe, but after weeks of bathing in the ocean and doing laundry in a bucket these become highly valued luxuries!).

     We are now anchored just off the town docks and plan to remain here until a good weather window appears to get us to the Chesapeake. So far the weather is warm and sunny, and although there is crispness in the air at night, it doesn’t feel much cooler than the Bahamas.

All the best,

Nicole.

Staniel Cay Photos

Man-o-War Cay Photos

Bahamas Video

Here is the latest video of our adventures with most of the footage from the Bahamas.

Arrived in Beaufort, NC

We arrived in Beaufort on Saturday morning after a good passage from the Bahamas. Beaufort is a pretty cool place and as one local said where else can you see wild horses and dolphins near the boat at the same time. It looks like we won't get a weather window to move north past Cape Hatteras into The Chespapeake Bay until early next week.
Jon

Passage to the US Day 4

We have had nice winds and seas since about 9pm last night. It is very comfortable sailing, making good progress.

Right now we are about 50 miles off the North Carolina coast just off Wilmington and are currently at 33 degrees, 15 minutes N, 77 degrees,18 minutes West. We are 90 miles from our destination of Beaufort, NC and should arrive early on Saturday morning.

The SPOT will be on periodically to track our progress real time.

Jon

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Passage to the US Day 3

The last 24 hours have brought light winds and decreasing seas. We are currently motor sailing and the seas are almost flat.
We are getting close to crossing the Gulf Stream. The Sargasso Sea on the warm side of the Gulf Stream has been great. We have been in the Sargasso Sea since mid November and it will be sad to leave. We will probably have to wear more than a T-shirt and shorts for the first time since mid November starting tomorrow. :(
We will celebrate Terri and my 26th anniversary at sea today.
Right now we are about 180 miles off the Georgia coast just south of Savannah and are currently at 31 degrees, 25 minutes N, 77 degrees,52 minutes West. We are 210 miles from our destination of Beaufort, NC.

The SPOT will be on periodically to track our progress real time.

Jon

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Passage to the US Day 2

We had a good first 24 hours with winds on the beam and a pretty big sea of 6-8 ft. Today the winds have dropped and we are presently motor sailing.

The weather in the Bahamas over the past 5 days was cloudy and rainy and much colder than we had been used to. We are now north of that bad weather in a high pressure ridge that is giving us clear weather but with little wind. Once we cross the ridge we expect the wind to come around to the west and we should be able to turn the engine off.

Right now we are about 200 miles off the Florida coast just north of Daytona Beach and are currently at 29 degrees, 30 minutes N, 77 degrees,28 minutes West. We are 325 miles from our destination of Beaufort, NC.

The SPOT will be on periodically to track our progress real time.

Jon

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Passage to the US

We left this morning from Man-O-War Cay near Marsh Harbour in the Abacos islands of the Bahamas.
We are planning to arrive in Beaufort, NC on Saturday a trip of about 500 miles.

Right now we are heading due north about 180 miles off the Florida coast and are currently at 27 degrees, 46 minutes N, 77 degrees,11 minutes West. The wind is about 20 knots from the East with 6-8 foot seas.

It is difficult to accept that we won't see the beautiful islands and water of the Caribbean again on this trip but we have lots of memories to bring home with us.

The SPOT will be on periodically to track our progress realtime.

Jon

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Arrived in Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas

We are anchored off of Man-O-War Cay near Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas after a 180 mile passage from Staniel Cay in the Exumas.
In the southern Bahamas the Exumas are the main cruising grounds and George Town is the main town. In the northern Bahamas the Abacos are the main cruising grounds and Marsh Harbour is the main town. It is another place with thousands of places to anchor and travel can be done in the protection of the barrier reef and the Cays that lie to the north of Grand Abaco Island. In fact the barrier reef is the 3rd longest in the world.

After we explore the area for a while we will be ready for the jump up the east coast of the US.
We are right now due south of Kingston and need to go from 26 degrees north to 44 degrees north or about 1100 miles due north. The next passage will be to one of Charleston, SC or Beaufort, NC or right to the Chesapeake Bay inHampton, VA depending on the weather.

When we get a good Internet connection we will upload the latest video and pictures.

Jon

Staniel Cay, Bahamas

     Here’s a recap of the trip through the Exuma Islands so far. After leaving George Town last Wednesday and spending the first night at Lee Stocking Island, we did another short day sail to a spot called Cave Cay Cut. Many of these small “cuts” exist along the long stretch of the Exumas (the shallower western side of these islands is known as “the bank” and the deeper eastern side as “the sound"). The water is dazzling everywhere along the bank side; always a clear and sparkling tropical blue. That afternoon spent at Cave Cay Cut, Sarah, Jamie and I donned our snorkel gear to explore the shallows along the shore, which had a long rocky ledge worn away underneath by the constant motion of tides. Small fish, corals and other sea life clung to the rocky walls, magical as always.
    
     The next morning we left CCC through large choppy waves created by the wind pushing against a receding tide and sailed to Staniel Cay, where we’ve remained since. For the first time in ages we’ve experienced strange currents created by the rise and fall of tides. Sometimes we look above to find the boat facing a strange direction and the water moving slowly by, which makes it feel like we are moving despite being firmly anchored. When Jamie went swimming back at Lee Stocking Island he almost floated away with the current and had to swim fairly hard to get back to the ladder.


     Staniel Cay has several spots to anchor and protection from different wind directions. Dad chose it primarily because some bad weather came through last weekend and it offers protection from a west wind. We had an unsettled night on Saturday when a barrage of rain and lightning came through. It was the only lightning we’ve seen on the trip that felt close and threatening. The anchor alarm was set to a short distance that night, so as we swung around with the wind and changing tides it went off at least three times. The next morning, our dinghy was half full of rainwater, which had poured down in a constant, pounding stream all night long. Since the storm the weather has been fairly good, but with stronger winds so we plan to stay here until Thursday or so.


    Staniel Cay is an interesting spot to visit. First, it is the site of “Thunderball Cave,” a beautiful snorkeler’s delight where scenes from the James Bond movie “Thunderball” and the movie “Splash” were filmed. With its wonderful variety of fish, various crevices to explore, small openings to swim through, and lots of colourful coral, it quickly became our favourite snorkel spot of the entire trip. With the strong currents created by tides in this area we had to be sure to visit at slack low tide, and even then a fairly strong current flowed through the opening on one side, through the domed central area, and out the side facing "the bank" where the dinghy moorings sit. Holes in the domed ceiling of the cave allow light to filter through, making everything sparkle like colourful crystal.


     A second feature of Staniel Cay is a section ashore with hiking trails. These trails meander over crumbly limestone that has been formed into some interesting patterns by wind and waves. In some spots the rock resembles the flaky, layered inside of a pastry, in other spots it looks like a dusty white moonscape. One beach over from the hiking trails has a whole area covered in white rock that has this moonscape feeling as well. The rock is incredibly soft and crumbly, so climbing up the hills sides in sandals felt a bit unstable, but the view of our anchorage and the water in the distance was spectacular.


     Staniel Cay also has a small town with marinas and an airport with daily charter flights. Doing a serious re-provisioning here isn’t really an option, but there is a small bakery and a few shops to peruse. The island beside us (Big Majors Spot) supposedly has freckled pigs on it that will swim out to a boat for scraps on occasion, but the beach on our side doesn’t have any trails leading across it and the bushes would be hard to trek through.

That’s all to tell for now, so until next time.

Nicole.

On George Town etc.

The passage overnight to George Town in the Bahamas was okay. After arriving, our thoughts always quickly turn to the surroundings and the details of the passage fade into the background. We motored a long way in behind a long reef and Stocking Island to an anchorage across the bay from George Town, a small community that caters largely to cruisers. Days passed quickly in that anchorage, where we were surrounded by many other cruising boats, some of which had been there for months.

George Town is well known in the cruising world for being the last anchorage before the open ocean must be faced to travel into the Caribbean. Our guide mentioned that many people sailing in the Bahamas have ended up in George Town and decided to stay in this haven much longer than planned, often giving up entirely on traveling any further south.

After visiting the beach on the ocean side of Stocking Island I have to say that I certainly can't blame them. The entire well-protected shore of the island was dotted with anchored boats, and three small coves shelter boats on mooring balls, including many that look like they've become permanent fixtures in the area. For long-term cruisers the area offers many things: lots of eccentric fellow-cruisers for company, good provisioning and amenities in George Town, gorgeously clear shallow waters, and miles of amazing beach.

Every Wednesday the propane truck pulls in promptly at eleven. It only comes once a week and we were lucky enough to ask a jolly cruiser on the dock about where to get propane on Tuesday, or else we might have missed it completely (he also happily supplied the information that one can grab a beer to pass the time while waiting for the tank to be filled). Jamie and Dad went to meet the truck the next day and Jamie found it incredibly amusing to watch as a multitude of white haired male cruisers (who all looked alike with their sun-bleached, salt-stained, button-up shirts)started to line up their propane tanks. Every third guy smiled and asked where the front of the line was and would then jokingly put their propane tank at the front of the line and laugh at his own cleverness. It would seem that the boys took part in what is likely a weekly ritual for those long-term eccentrics who spend months kicking it back in the lazy waters around George Town. It's funny to say, but a lot of the full-time cruisers have started to look alike to me, and this little encounter perfectly portrays their laid back attitude.

The beach on the ocean-side of the island was by far the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. Pink-white sand stretches for several miles, backed by large sand dunes covered in tiny palm trees, mangroves and rustling grasses. It reminded us of the beaches in Cape Hatteras, but with the added benefit of incredibly soft sand and perfect, crystal clear turquoise water that we couldn't seem to get enough of. Every time I looked up at the layers of blue and green extending out from the golden beach I felt a renewed sense of awe at its beauty. I wish I could capture those colours and take them home with me.
Surrounded by such loveliness the days passed swiftly while we swam, sunned, walked, and tried to soak it all in. Dad and Jamie even got out kiteboarding in the surf when the wind picked up. They had a great time boosting off waves and riding the choppy surf over reef and sand alike.

This beach was strangely empty during the majority of our time there. The occasional person would pass us while taking a beach walk, or would come down for a swim and some sun, but compared to the large number of boats anchored in the area it was starkly empty. We found it baffling that people wouldn't want to spend more time on such an amazing beach. The sheltered side of the island had a few small beaches that other cruisers appeared to frequent more often, including 'Volleyball Beach,' where people gathered to play volleyball and enjoy refreshments from the beach bar. Swimming ashore on our first day there we discovered that several large stingrays happily swim right up to your feet in the shallows off the beach. I suppose this beach offered more social opportunities, but for us it was far outclassed by the pristine beauty of the ocean-side beach.

Other than enjoying the beach and the friendliness of people in George Town, we spent a lot of time relaxing and trying to keep busy in our own ways (sometimes reading, sometimes watching movies from our movie collection, which is becoming quite sparse lately since we've pretty much watched everything already and have no way of refreshing it). We've all quickly realized that having a hobby like reading is essential to survive the cruising lifestyle, and everyone has started to read a lot more than they ever did before. Although we have all had an amazing time on this trip, most of us are definitely ready to be heading home. I find myself daydreaming about all the little luxuries and conveniences of home more and more over the last weeks. But we will soon be passing out of these amazing blue-green waters into the sadly less-exciting dark blue waters of the east coast, so for the next few weeks we will do our best to enjoy them as we explore the beautiful Bahamas.

Today we left George Town and did a day trip to a lovely spot behind another Stocking Island (this one is Lee Stocking Island). The water colour is just as nice here, although the tides create strange currents that leave us facing in random directions. Tomorrow we will continue to make our way along the outside of the Exumas to another spot further north called Rudder Cut Cay. I will try to keep up with posts as our journey northwards continues.

All the best,
Nicole.

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George Town, Bahamas

 Here are some pictures from Mayaguana and George Town. I will write about George Town soon, but have to say that the beach on Stocking Island, behind which we are anchored, is the most perfect beach I could ever imagine!

Nicole.

A nurse shark, a barracuda and a starfish

Going ashore at Mayaguana

Stocking Island, Bahamas

 

Tales of Mayaguana

     Arriving at the remote island of Mayaguana last Thursday was a relief. The passage was smooth, but four days and nights at sea with not much to do but sit and think random thoughts can be very tiresome. The water inside the reef was the clearest of blues, like the most perfect sandy pool imaginable. We tucked in behind the reef several miles from the small town and far from the beachy reef-strewn shoreline. While Dad made the trek to town to check into the Bahamas the rest of us set about tidying the boat. There's something about cleaning and eliminating all traces of a passage that is so necessary for us after arriving. Lee cloths go away (sling-like pieces of fabric that keep us from falling out of bed during a passage), life jackets and harnesses are stowed, smelly clothes are washed, and we start to feel like normal human beings again.

     Over the passage we celebrated our second birthday at sea when Jamie turned 20 on April 4th. We had a belated celebration with some of Sarah's perfect brownies instead of a cake. I don't think many people in the world can claim to have turned 20 while at sea…it certainly makes for an interesting story!

     We spent the next few days swimming in the perfect blue water and trying to ignore the messy swell that came over the outlying reef at high tide. While snorkeling around the boat one day Jamie spotted a nurse shark slowly circling towards us. The water was so clear that Mom and Sarah could see it perfectly from the boat deck. It swam closer and closer until it passed us by about 15 feet away! It was my first shark sighting and although I was calm at first, as it got closer I tried to scramble into the dinghy. Nurse sharks are basically just fish and not thought to be dangerous at all, but still, when a 5 foot-long sea creature starts swimming towards you it is pretty unsettling! Funnily, a huge barracuda kept following the shark around, hovering right behind it. I couldn't help but wonder if it was just hoping for handouts or trying to irritate the shark. Maybe they're buddies?

     On the second day, Sarah, Jamie and I were determined to go ashore, despite the reef that blocks the entire shoreline. I mean, what's the point in having an island that is basically just one huge white beach when you can't even get to it! So we ended up weaving through coral heads, past a nurse shark in the shallows and the fastest turtle that ever lived, and pulled the dinghy up onto some crunchy turtle grass a few feet from the beach. Along the shore rocky coral rose from sand composed of colourful corals broken down by the sea and beyond the beach was a forest of scrubby bushes and trees, empty of life except for the sound of distant birds.

     Savouring the sense of freedom at being on land after so many days we wandered along the beach and picked through all the debris that had washed ashore in storms. So many random objects were scattered everywhere: old sinks, fishing nets, colourful frayed rope, glass bottles, wooden bits, plastic bins and even old rotting shoes. I tried to imagine being shipwrecked here and thought about how useful all these objects could be for someone lost on an island. We kept an old piece of wood carved in the bowl-like shape and enjoyed lying in the sun for a while. While on the beach the tide went out so our dinghy was completely beached by the time we wanted to leave. Having grown up around lakes and rivers makes us so unconscious of tides sometimes.

     That night we were all compelled to go up on deck as the sun set to gaze at the golden glow of a full moon. On looking in the water we were shocked to see the dark and ominous shape of a nurse shark sleeping right below us! As the sun set the shark remained shockingly visible lurking below on the white bottom- a testament to just how clear the water is here. The shark was back again the next day and we couldn't help but wonder if it was the same one returning again and again. I guess they like hanging around boats and with so many shark sightings already I have a feeling we're going to encounter more interesting sea life in the Bahamas than anywhere else.

     While at Mayaguana only two other boats arrived to anchor beside us, so we were often the only people for miles around (any other boats there anchored over by the town where we were wary of going because of the depth). It was a strange place, being so empty of people and civilization, but a beautiful one for its untouched remoteness.

More to come soon on our time in George Town,
Nicole.
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George Town, Bahamas

We safely arrived in George Town, Bahamas this afternoon after a 190 NM passage in very nice conditions. The water colours are amazing. I think we will like the Bahamas!
Jon

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Passage - Mayaguana to George Town

We are on passage from Mayaguana, Bahamas to George Town, Exumas, Bahamas. George Town is the most popular cruising destination in the Bahamas. We plan to spend a couple of days there re-provisioning the boat and then plan to cruise north in the more remote Exumas. The passage is about 190 NM and we are down to 145 NM to go. We have a beautiful day with 15-18 knot wind from the East and 7 foot seas. We should reach George Town some time tomorrow afternoon.
Jon
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Fourth Day - Mayaguana, Bahamas

We are approaching the anchorage on Mayaguana, Bahamas. This is a very remote island with a population of a couple of hundred people. The anchorage (Abrahams Bay) looks like a paradise behind an almost completely enclosed reef. On the fourth day out of the BVI's we managed 120 NM with some nice sailing and 12 hours of motor sailing. There was a 7 foot north swell combined with the chop from the SE winds making for a rolly sea that was better to travel in by motor sailing.
Its nice to put the 530 NM behind us and we will rest for a few days looking for a weather window to move to George Town in the Exumas.
Jon

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Third Day

On the second day out of the BVI's we managed 136 NM with some nice sailing and about 3 hours of motoring. So far we have been doing much more sailing than expected. We are located about 20 NM NE of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos. The possible stops are Providenciales (Turks and Caicos) about 70 NM to the NE, Mayaguana (Bahamas) about 130 NM to the NE or George Town (Exuma, Bahamas) about 310 NM to the NE.
The water is currently calm and we are expected the wind to fill in from the E in the next few hours.
Jon

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Second Day

On the second day out of the BVI's we managed 128 NM with a combination of a very nice upwind sail into an unheard of west wind and motoring overnight after the wind dropped to nothing. We are located about 125 NM NE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
The water is currently calm and we are expected the wind to fill in from the NE in the next few hours.
Jon

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Good First Day

We have been able to sail the entire first day doing about 125 miles in 24 hours, not bad considering the light winds. We flew the spinnaker for much of the day before nightfall.
We are just passing the western tip of Puerto Rico about 70 miles offshore.
Jon

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Trip to Turks and Caicos or Bahamas

We will be on our way this morning from the BVI to either Turks and Caicos or the Bahamas. The weather is expected to be very light so it will be a long, slow trip. We may turn the SPOT on just once a day to update position if the conditions are really slow.
I will let you know how the trip is progressing via email.
Jon

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Farewell to the BVIs

     This morning we sailed for Road Town with the intention of getting a slip at a marina for the night to spend time provisioning and enjoying the laundry and shower facilities (these amenities have been non-existent over the past months and are now a special treat for us!). But it wasn't meant to be. Our plan quickly disintegrated when the marina staff told us over the radio that they have no space until after Easter! We didn't realize it would be so busy here at this time of year. There is an increased amount of charter boats sailing about, most of them American, and a large regatta going on this weekend, so the Sir Francis Drake Channel had over one hundred boats sailing on it today. It was quite the sight to see.

     We continued on into Road Harbour, which was very busy with boat traffic, and anchored just outside two marinas in rolly ocean swell. A substantial grocery trip and failed attempt at getting propane later (apparently the main gas station in Road Town isn't open on weekends...talk about "island time"!) we headed off for Soper's Hole. Now we are fully stocked with provisions, water and diesel and are planning to check out of customs tonight to leave for Mayaguana tomorrow. The weather forecast is telling us that in a few days there will be no wind at all, and over the next two days light winds and small seas, so we will take advantage of all the wind we can get and be content with motoring the rest of the way.

     Well, it's time to be off for somewhere new. We are all getting to the point where heading homeward feels right. So next time you hear from us we'll be in the Bahamas. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our second experience of the BVIs.

Wish us luck,
Nicole.

Norman Island

Hi everyone, we've been anchored at Norman Island for a few days now and have been without Internet, so here's a quick update. We must have caught a cold back in St. Martin and gradually each of us has caught it over the last week...the first illness of our trip. There's definitely something to be said for living in open, fresh air constantly. Dad and I got a scuba dive in before the cold set in at Great Dog Island on our way from the North Sound earlier this week. Other than that we've been snorkeling a bit and recovering while the weather is calm.

Tomorrow we plan to sail to Road Town for a serious provisioning trip and then leave for the Bahamas sometime early next week. After a bit of discussion we decided making for the Bahamas is the best idea because there are so many islands to explore there. Plus it gets us further north so that a favorable passage can be made to the US near the end of April. The passage to Mayaguana in the Bahamas will take about three days we think. I will update the blog with pictures before we leave.

All the best,
Nicole.

Video St. Martin and the BVI's

Jamie put together a new video of our last weeks of travel in St. Martin and the British Virgin Islands. Enjoy!

Photos from St. Martin

Here are some photos from our time in St. Martin earlier this month. Enjoy! The BVIs have been surprisingly rainy the last few days, but Dad and Jamie have managed to get a few brief kiting sessions in the north sound.

All the best,
Nicole.

Snorkeling at Rocher Creole

Squid look like aliens!

Fort St. Louis