Abacos 09/10

[Frank]

I've always maintained it's the people you meet that make it interesting. This pretty 1937 Sam Crocker design of 35ft has been around a few days. Met the owner....amazing guy. He is a shipwright....has worked at Shannon, Benjamin-Gannon and wooden boat school. Crossed the atlantic and been all through the Carribean. On windy days...he hand carves Violins. He has restored the ole Crocker over the many years he's owned her. Amazing boat. Very low freeboard, deep cockpit, HUGE side decks and a coal burning stove. Had a great afternoon drinking hot tea with rum and talking boats.

[Frank]

He built the rowing tender as well. Very fast lil boat. Note the deep cockpit on the Crocker

[Frank]

His skills show with the violins...all made with simple hand tools. Note the one in the works on the table....and check out the wood stove

[Frank]

Andy is a very laid back and extremely understated guy...but sure loves wooden boats

[Tim]

Frank, you are a lucky guy 

But then again I guess meeting people like that is one of the reasons for cruising

[AdriftAtSea]

When I see this photo I have nightmares of varnishing endlessly...

[Frank]

Painted outside....varnished inside...out of the sun 

[AdriftAtSea]

still, it has to be refinished eventually... 

[Gerald A. Gotts]

Frank,  What a  lot of fun you are having.  I am now in Key West !  I know , I know  You probably think I made a wrong turn as I said I was heading for  the Bahamas but I got a call from an old college friend who has just gotten into Key West for some repair work on his Wharram (sp) catamaran.  I have not seen him in over a decade so I'm having a blast helping him with his boat repairs and catching up.  He ran into  some problems (the two legged kind) who vandalized his boat in Mexico.  Same old,same old.  He was away from the boat for the day and got a surprise when He got back.  It is irritating enough to have things taken but did they have to destroy half the interior woodwork doing it ?

     Anyway, guess I'll have to suffer with 75 degrees and sunny.  I know it is a strange town but I really like it here.  Great bars and lots of grog.  This is the life I was meant to lead !!!

     Well, farewell from the southernmost city in the U.S............

P.S.  The weather is greatly improving !!

[CharlieJ]

How're you getting 75 degrees ?? We're in Marathon and were in Flamingo before that and haven't seen anything out off the mid 60's in a week. Laura is so sick of cold she could spit!!

[Frank]

A few things:

CJ...It has been 60's here too long. Not bad , but with 25+ knt winds it sure feels cold. Seems that things should lay down tomorrow (hopefully)

Haidan...Yep, Andy hand carves the fancy stuff on all pieces. The 'cut outs' on the body are done with an exacto knife.

Gerald...my best memory's of Key West are a 'locals' type bar with a parachute attached to the cieling.It was on a corner lot and faced 2 back streets. Funkie and GREAT draft beer. Forget the bars name??

Dan.....Looking at my compac....I've got nearly as much interior finished wood as Andy,  I don't get it?? Anyway...great boat, talented, experienced guy. Loved meeting him. ...thats what really matters...the people ya meet, the stories ya here.  BYW...hot tea and rum is great on a cool day  

[Frank]

Back home. Returned to 'no snow' and reports of a great winter .
A few notes on the past few months in the Abacos:

  The ole folks said last winter was the worst in many many years
  A new front every 2 1/2 days on average
  only had shorts on 3 times
  poison wood isn't fun
  locals, once they know you are kind and giving
  foul language is rare...even with young men
  saltwater spray in the mornin keeps ya damp all day
  oil lamps are great
  the people ya meet are greater
  charter boats offer the best entertainment....if not anchored near you
  

  Manjack is a wonderful island that seems to attract adventurers. At one bonfire there was Lulu and Gigi-circumnavigaters,the young french couple that sailed in from France, Lancy and Emily-Lancy crossed the Atlantic 3 times and raced a "Great Dane 28" in the Ostar against Hasler, Annie and Neville- 2 atlantic crossings, and others who built boats etc.  I love to sit and listen. Just ask the odd question and add rum....the stories flow.

  We worked on the cottage and didn't get out to cruise much. I miss it.The good news is it is near done and next season will offer much more time to play. We haven't been up to Walkers Cay in 6 yrs or down to lil Harbour in 3 or so.  Next year we will  

 

[CapnK]

Great 'trip report', Frank. Sounds like even greater conversations.

  The ole folks said last winter was the worst in many many years
Same here! Had an eight day stretch where they even shut off the dock water. No particular hardship, that - but prior to this year, the longest stretch was 3 days in the last 5+ winters.

  A new front every 2 1/2 days on average
We got 'em a couple days before you did, and colder! When did you first arrive down there this year? Did it get a bit worse after that, or was the front timing the same the whole time you were there?

  only had shorts on 3 times
Closer I came to wearing shorts this winter was my Spiderman undies. Belowdecks and after hours, of course.

  poison wood isn't fun
Don't imagine it would be! 

Not a lot of those Great Dane's around that I know of, but they're a nice lookin' boat, to my eyes.

Question: Now who around here wouldn't give their eyeteeth to be able to say: "Yeah, I raced in the OSTAR against Blondie..."

(I'm looking, and I don't see any hands waving out there...) 

-------------------

Doing my best to take Katie and come sit there next to you and the missus, this coming year.

[Frank]

I just checked my notes....it wasn't Blondie...it was Chicester that was in the same race. (co-founder). He was on "Gypsy Moth" and could not finish.  Lancy finished 26th out of 55 starters (many did not finish)
 He had just sailed from Europe the year before but had a buddy along. To qualify, you needed 500 miles 'solo' offshore, so he sailed back alone to race.
 CJ...if you make it to Manjack any time soon...Lulu and Gigi are in the Halberg Rassey ketch out front, Lancy and Emily in a power boat anchored in the shallows up the creek out back and "Jazz" out front is the young French couple. Annie and Neville are back home now too. Anytime spent with Lulu or Lancy will be very enjoyable.

Capt K....I went down around Nov. 8th to Dec 16th ....GREAT, calm, warm. I returned Jan 6th and WOW...what a difference a few weeks made. It simply never seemed to let up. Mostly NW...usually NE and way lighter with less of it.

PS...you in Spyderman undies is NOT a good visual 

[Captain Smollett]

  locals, once they know you are kind and giving

  the people ya meet are greater
  charter boats offer the best entertainment....if not anchored near you
  

Frank, thought of you this morning when I read an article in a mag that contained the following quote:

"...you never have to leave your yacht to enjoy your charter."

Kind of hard to get to know the locals and meet those great people this way.   

(Of course, this was a fully crewed 124 ft motoryacht, so it was more of a cruise-ship setting that what we think of as a charter).

I'll take the small-boat (so ya WANT to get off the thing) lifestyle over the floating luxury neighborhood any day... shoot, their tender was bigger than our boat!

[s/v Faith]

  locals, once they know you are kind and giving

I always appreciate hearing you say so Frank. 

  Rose and I found this to be the case most everywhere we went.  I simply can not recall the
negative experiences others report.  We went looking for friends and found them EVERYWHERE.

[Frank]

Craig... I showed up in town on my birthday. You know how expensive food is there. Two places had cakes made (one had 2 cakes) with "happy birthday Frank" on them and trays of food prepared. I was embaressed by their generosity. Locals have often gone out of their way for us, lending tools,boats or a hand when possible. "Nassau" in my opinion is not "the real Bahamas" and is so tourist oriented that it could be a mini Vegas. Once in the "out islands"...the real Bahamas....you get to experience what its really like.  There is good and bad all over but I have never had anything stolen in all our times there and truly love the people. Glad you found the same.

[Frank]

If anyones just killing time...check out you tube..."Billy Currington" (singer)...song "people are crazy".  It was filmed at Green Turtle cay. Fun for me to watch as I've sat on the same walls and know the streets. The one shot where he's sitting on a wall is where I sit at times to get wifi from a locals house.

[skylark]

When does the hurricane season start?

What is a an appropriate hurricane season strategy?  Head north? Stay there and find a hole if the hurricane comes?

[Frank]

Basically its from june till november. The last 3 in the Abacos were in late sept or october. Stategy....mangrove lined hurricane holes    There are a few.