Pixie Dust

[s/v Faith]

THis is the last update I got;

Hi everyone.  We arrived back at Sampson Cay yesterday from down island at Samana.  We had planned on being gone another 2 wks, but we kept listening to the weather and decided we needed to head back pronto and prepare for Hurricane Hanna.   

  I found my first glass ball on Samana!!  What a treasure.  It is a beautiful green glass that was used by the Portugese on their fishing nets.  This old green glass ball made it across the ocean without getting broken and I found it mostly buried high up in the dunes.  I was thrilled to have found one of these.  I saw some cannons and found some really cool old anchors off of wrecks.  One was off a boat from the 1700-1800's based on its design.  It was lodged in some reef.  We did lots of towing which I love. 

  The reefs in that area are spectacular and you see so much marine life including sea turtles and yes, even sharks.  The anchorage was beautful and conch were in abundance right under the boat.  We ate seafood of some sort most every night.   

  Now, about this storm.  We are listening faithfully to Chris Parker at 6:30 am and 7:00 pm for the Carribean weather updates, so we were up on all the storms from the beginning.  We had not planned to leave Samana until Sun, thinking that would allow us plenty of time to get back to the Cay (20 hrs running time at 9 knots), but then his Sat evening forecast changed and we left first thing Sat morning.   We have been working all day preparing boats and the Cay. 

  Pixie has 2 bow and 2 stern anchors set and they are heavy ones with extra heavy lines and lots of chaffing gear on. I have all canvas down, solar panel down and all lines taped.  Everything I could remove has been removed and stored below.

  Tomorrow morning we are taking Grace to a mooring that is a huge anchor of about 9000#.  We are going to ride out the worst of the storm on Grace, since we feel that is the safest place to be.  She is steel hulled has huge bilges and lock down doors for several compartments.  We will also be able to run her generator so we can hear weather updates, eat, have AC, eat, take hot showers, eat.     We are not expecting it to be above a Cat 1.  Hannah is currently where we just left.  It sounds like she may pass on our East side which is great.  This morning the wind was 18-22, now it is blowing 25-35 and we have had a few rain squalls today, but not too bad.  We have moved the yellow Maule into the hanger with the chopper and all the whalers have been pulled up into the bush.  Hopefully she will not circle around and hang out here a few days.  I really feel that it is all going to be fine and we will not see the maxium winds, not that 75 isn't a lot, but we only have to worry when the wind is coming out of the N, NW during that part of the clocking.   All other directions are very protected.   I feel pretty secure here and we have worked hard to be as prepared as possible. Wish us luck and I will send updates when I can get on internet. 

  - Connie "We must be willing to let go of the life we had planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."[/size]

[Frank]

Wondering if anyone has heard whats new?

[Pixie Dust]

Hi everyone!  I am so excited to be able to do a little catching up on Sailfar.  I am currently in Ft Lauderdale taking a Medical Person in Charge Class.  It ends 12-12 and then I will head back over to Pixie Dust and the Exumas.  YEAH!! This class is really good, especially to refresh me on emergency trauma, suturing etc.   Hopefully I will be better equiped for any possible emergencies that may arise both on job locations, local island emergencies and regatta events. 

The advantage to being stateside is having internet working and fast so that I can see what is new in your worlds!   It really is good to see your familar names again.  I have to tell you though, I still love being out there.   The Exumas are wonderful!!  I can honestly say that I just do not see myself coming back stateside to "that" life again unless finances force me in.

I hit this area in the Exumas and I just feel like I have found paradise.    The folks in this area are really warm and friendly too.  Life is still outstanding.  If any of you are cruising the Exumas, please look me up!  Carl at Staniel Cay still makes the best pina colada's around.  If any of you hit any of the regattas, shoot me an email.  We finally got the internet up and running again on the Cay although it is slow, at least it works!!!
Smiles!!

[Lynx]

Cool. If you are comming to the Keys, I am in Marathin for a while. Let me know.

[Pixie Dust]

I just wanted to wish my SailFar team a wonderful and blessed holiday, filled with happiness, health and love.  May your holiday be peaceful with time to reflect and give thanks for all your blessings. I am spending my Christmas here in the Bahamas.  The Cay is quiet as far as people are concerned, but everyone will be returning the day following Christmas.  It has rained all day today and the wind has been howling at around 20-30 knots for the last few days, but I am hoping for a little sunshine tomorrow and 18 knots  .  This quiet time affords me the opportunity to reflect on what a wonderful life I have and how lucky I am to have so many caring and kind friends and safe places like Sailfar to come to for info, support and humor...Not to mention I am living in Paradise in so many ways.  Hugs and smiles to you all. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!  Pixie wishes all her little boat friends a happy holiday too. 
Connie
s/v Pixie Dust

[dnice]

Merry Christmas Connie!!

I don't know you, but I'm very happy for you to have found your paradise. You are on the top of my list of heroes (this list is becoming huge )
Are you planning on staying there indefinately? Keep in touch... I hope I can run into you 2-3 years from now when I can finally cut loose  and head down that way

[Joe Pyrat]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Connie.

I'm here in Charleston, but will start heading for the Keys again around the second week in January.  Hope to meet up with you down there some day.

Fair winds,

[Frank]

        Hi Connie. Best of the season to you.Hoping 09 brings you continued health and happiness.I'll be in the blue/green water in a few weeks...see ya there 

[AdriftAtSea]

Connie-

Hope you and your family had a merry Christmas.  And I'd like to wish you and yours a happy New Year. 

[Chattcatdaddy]

I have just been reading almost this entire thread and what an adventure! A real inspiring story that just gets better with each update. Its so rare on some of these forums to get a chance to follow a individual from the start of the process to actually out there cruising. So many times a member will post their dream adventure and then nobody ever hears from them to see how it turned out. Way to go PIXIE DUST...and keep going!

[CapnK]

Spoke with Connie today on the tele. She is doing great, full of life and lovin' it. She said that they have had a crazy busy summer down there, told me a few tales.

One was about a 80' power yacht that someone took out into the Tongue of the Ocean, tied open all the ports, doors and hatches aboard (including the garage door), opened the seacocks and unbolted the strainers, and took off. It sank all the way 'til just the tip of the bow was showing above water, thanks to a honeycomb-cored hull. A fisherman spotted it and drug it over to the side of the Tongue. Seems that some rich fella (or formerly rich fella...) decided he'd rather have insurance money than a yacht. Now's he's got neither, and another set of worries, too. 'Connie's crew' floated it, stabilized it, then towed it to the Miami seabuoy, where a US company took over.

She took Pixie down island for a little while late spring, knocked off the cobwebs and unwrinkled Pixie's sails. She said to tell everybody "Hi!", and that she's looking forward to see some sailFarer's Scooting in to the Bahama's next spring, some time after CJ and L have made it over there.

[CapnK]

Remembered this as I was racking out last night, another bit from the conversation...

Connie said that they have had a lot of work due to boats that have been hit by lightning this year. That a bunch of these have been sailboats rendered unsailable because the winches or furlers or whatever were electric, and the lightning took those systems out.

So remember, when you "upgrade", make sure your winches have that little socket on top, no matter how big they are.

[Chattcatdaddy]

Good to hear she is doing well. Really enjoyed reading thru her story and seeing her cruising take shape. Keeps me Inspired.

[newt]

That brings up an interesting question Capt K. Will a in mast furler become unusable from a lighting strike?

[CapnK]

If it was electrically driven, sure could. Until you get to very large, posh boats, though, most of the in-mast furlers are mechanical, so short of the lightning 'welding' something together, those would keep working. I've worked on up to 50-60'ers that were using mechanicals.