Tentative 07 Cruise Plan

[Frank]

  I've been looking at charts with this extra 'down time'. Lookin like this is the 'intent' for this years cruise...always subject to change with weather or neat people/places ya meet along the way.  Indiantown to Stuart..to West Palm..to Ft Lauderdale...cross to West End Grand Bahama Isl ..to Great Sale Cay..to Double Breasted..to ManJack..to GreenTurtle...play around these waters a while..to Double Breasted..cut down between Grand Bahama and Little Abaco island hopping south...cross to Berry Islands..cross to Nassau..cross to northern Exumas.explore for 2 weeks..cross back to Nassau..cross to Berry Islands..cross to Port Lucaya -BIRTHDAY-..to WestEnd..Cross back to Stuart..to Indiantown..haulout. Judy will fly in to Nassau and do the Exumas and return time to the Westend before flying home.Having a trailorsailing buddy fly in to Greenturtle for a week and hope to connect with Connie 'somewhere' enroute for a 'small boat-long distance' drink/chat. Anyone else heading that way??

[s/v Faith]

Anyone else heading that way??

Yup.  ;)




;D

[CapnK]

Man, Frank, that doesn't sound like any fun at all...




;D

When does the cruise commence?

[Frank]

Happy new year to all....been 'out of the loop' since Dec 29th.  Capn K...I'm leaving monday (Jan 8th) to drive down. Hope to get there by late on the 9th. Gotta do a few things yet...new batteries,misc items...nothing too hard. Hope to Launch around Jan 15th +/- and GO !!!   I'll have intermitant internet access but hope to post a note/pic now and then.

[CapnK]

Bon Voyage. Senor Frank! ;D

Have a *great* trip!!!

[Pixie Dust]

Frank, so excited to hear you are on your route down to Florida!  Last day of work for me is Jan 27th, finish provisioning the boat, then I am right behind you.  I am heading down the West Florida Coast, will cross from Appalachicola to Clearwater. Spend some time there, then cruise down the coast to the Keys.  I will eventually get to Miami area and then catch a good weather window and cross to the West End.  I should definitely be able to catch up with you in the Abacos at some point on your journey.  If you are lower in the Abaco's, I may even clear customs in that area so we can make a happy hour.   :D
I feel like I should do my little shakedown cruise around the Keys prior to heading east to the Bahamas.  I can work out kinks, get used to living on the boat, and have a better idea of fuel, water, cooking fuels useage etc.  This is difficult to assertain when you are a weekender jumping into a liveaboard/cruising/year adventure.  I am so excited!!  Lots to learn, see and do. 
Be safe and stay in touch!!!

[Frank]

Connie...GOOD FOR YOU !!!!!!   I will be in the Abacos untill approx Feb 21st +/-...then heading to Nassau-Exumas. Judy flies in to meet me in Nassau March 1st.You may end up too far behind me to meet-up...BUT... I really hope we can. We'll have a 'sail far' meeting at some island anchorage. I launch next wed.  hope to cross next fri/sat weather permitting.

[CapnK]

Frank - I have an offer for you:

I will let you stay here and run the website, while I take your boat down island.

That way you won't have to deal with storms, supplies, Bahamian authorities, etc etc., and I can send you pictures of where we go so that you can live vicariously without having to deal with all the drawbacks.

Where should I pick her up?



Just trying to help out, friend.


;D

[Frank]

No problem....why not let me stay on board to help YOU deal with all those problems.I'm launching next wed. Come on down...there's room.Ya can fly home from Green Turtle Cay. Got a cockpit 'fold up' table made,an OB sternrail bracket made for the dingy engine and a few other things made up.The small size is kinda neat...although there is a LOT of storage for a 20fter...it IS a 20fter. I'm finding as I set things up...I'm asking myself  "will I REALLY use that?" and have been putting LOTS back into the truck. Kinda funny...Judy is 'low maintainance' and doesn't mind roughing it. All she asked was a bigger dingy so she wouldn't get soaked going to shore and to explore more. It never really bothered me.....huddled in BEHIND her to cut the spray !!!  So we've gone from an 8ft to almost 10ft with way bigger tubes. I had my sail/dodger making buddy do up a lil spray dodger for the dingy.Had a good but slow 20yr old 2HP but just got a new 3.5HP Tomatsu....only 29lbs !! It is discontinued as all their engines are now 4stroke.Only $629 !!!  (last one)  So we will have a bigger,faster and much dryer dingy to explore with.

[cubemonkey]

  I've been looking at charts with this extra 'down time'.

We've started looking at charts this past week, Frank, but our plans are not as extensive as yours, or as imminent.  :( I recognize some of the places you named since they come up in Norm's stories of his childhood. One day we will make it to the Bahamas, but the job still has its hold on me, at least for a while longer. Work, get money, get boat, stop working. That's the bigger plan simplified.

So far, we're working on 2 plans for this spring, at least 2 plans for us. (Norm is planning all sorts of trips for his students, but that doesn't count for me.) First will be a Memorial day long weekend, to get us back out together on the water. Second is a 2 week cruise to Maine end of June. We've got the charts spread out on the dining room table, and are having fun sailing our imaginary boat around all those islands and in and out of all those harbors. I don't see how we can do it all in such a short time. I know, I know, we can't. Sigh. So we'll prune the wishlist down and when the time comes we'll have a realistic plan that is doable in our timeframe.

This trip planning is almost as bad as when I had a huge vegetable garden. January was for seed catalogs and dreams of a wonderful harvest. Now I pore over charts, and yes, birding books, because that will be a big part of the cruise. At least I'm not spending money yet, whereas with the garden, packets of seeds would be arriving soon.

This year's tasks are to get sailing in as many boats as is practical, to give me some experience with different sizes and shapes and sail plans. Our Tortola delivery was a start, and last year's passage to Barbados was another. I am getting more data about what I want and don't want in OUR boat. We're also starting a spreadsheet of some of the key datapoints for various boats, so we can easily compare their features. Starting to make some sense out of all the boats that are out there. A good winter so far.

If anyone has been to Maine and has suggestions for "must see" harbors, I'd love to hear them. Also if you bird, any advice on Maine birding in June would be appreciated.

-elizabeth

[Frank]

Well.....I"M OFF !! Could have left yesterday, but that 'starting a voyage on friday' thing. Stuart tonight...WestPalm tomorrow night...WEST END GRAND BAHAMA ISL monday night !!!!! One front just went thru...another just behind it.Monday/tues look good to cross.Kinda excited.

[Cmdr Pete]

Grog for Frank!

Only one grog, since he's driving

[Frank]

Well...I'm back....vent to fuel tank sucked water in the 'bumpy' gulf stream. Made it 26knm out motorsailing and the engine coughed...back in Stuart learning to be a diesel mechanic.Getting the injector pump rebuilt...guess they don't like salt water.Leave again next window..next week. Surprising what ya can do..labour rate here is $95hr so I'm glad I used to race snowmobiles and am fairly handy with a wrench !! Notes on the boat.....quite tender/slow beating...crack it off a bit and it is way faster than I hoped for... 5.8-6.2 close reaching !!(20knt+ wind) Felt 'secure' in 6-8fters. Hobby horses a bit beating into the big stuff. Moral of story.....flickas don't like to be really close hauled..but they WILL go to weather... albeit grougingly. Whoever wrote 'gentlemen don't sail to weather' must of had a flicka ;-)  Great lil boat!! Not many or I guess ANY other 20fter that ya can feel as good about while being 26knm out in the gulf stream....guess I'll take a few degrees to weather as a penalty.

[Captain Smollett]

Frank,

Mixed blessing the engine woes....on the one hand, you had to return for repairs; on the other, we got to hear from you!!   ;)

Best of luck getting back out next week; Fair Winds to you, mate.

[Frank]

Thanks Capt S    'frustrated with dirty hands' here in Stuart. PS.. these guys at the closest marina are used to these 'mega yachts'...there is one for sale here for $7.3 million !! Yet..they have treated me extremely well (I'm anchored out NOT even docked here) given me lots of advice and made many calls for me ...all free. The Yanmar place here builds MEGA yachts..has a 3yr-78fter on the blocks now, YET gave me a service manual 1/2 price..had their mechanic explain what to do and where to take the pump to get rebuilt (yep..NOTHING in it for them) and then drove me back to the dingy!!!!!  There are still some FINE human beings out there...ya find them where ya least expect them sometimes. I am humbled and in awe of the hospitality all have showed me anchored here in Manitee Pocket !!!

[s/v Faith]

Frank,

  Sorry to hear of your difficulty.  I choose to look at such setbacks with the belief that you must have been spared from some other (more) unfortunate experience.  ;D

Yet..they have treated me extremely well (I'm anchored out NOT even docked here) given me lots of advice and made many calls for me ...all free. The Yanmar place here builds MEGA yachts..has a 3yr-78fter on the blocks now, YET gave me a service manual 1/2 price..had there mechanic explain what to do and where to take the pump to get rebuilt (yep..NOTHING in it for them) and then drove me back to the dingy!!!!!  There are still some FINE human beings out there...ya find them where ya least expect them sometimes. I am humbled and in awe of the hospitality all have showed me.....

  Thanks for writing and sharing that, it is always nice to hear.  I will say however, often nice things happen for nice people.

  May your stay be brief, and the rest of your trip go well.

[Captain Smollett]

I am humbled and in awe of the hospitality all have showed me anchored here in Manitee Pocket !!!

And ya just cannot beat that kind of advertising.  I'll keep them in mind if I find myself in their waters.

It reminds me of a contrast I once saw in Kentucky (sorry, not boat related).  We got some sandy gas in my truck in either North or South Dakota, and road all the way back across the country with a plugged fuel filter.  At one point, in there about Iowa, our top speed on the Interstate was about 45 mph.  Anyway, when it finally got so bad we had to stop and try to effect repairs (it was a Saturday).

So, we stopped in a little town in KY and went to the Ford Dealership - they appeared open.  Guys were lounging around the service department talking.  I asked them if they could help me out, and they said "nope, we are closed."  I tried to explain we were enroute from North Dakota back to South Carolina, and asked if they could just check it out for me.  No Dice.  Wouldn't lift a finger.

Across the street was a true Mom-N-Pop parts store.  The daughter worked behind the counter, even.  Anyway, I explained TO THEM my problem and THOUGHT it was the fuel filter.  I did not have any tools.  (Side track for a sec - the fuel filter on an '86 Ranger is a BEAR to change unless you have JUST THE RIGHT SIZE oil filter wrench - later, I ended up making one by cutting a section out of a larger one and braizing it back together - even with the right tool, it ain't easy to change).  They let me take tools out of the store, work on my truck in their parking lot and then just rung me up for what I used at the end.

They were very, very cool.  I have recorded somewhere the name of the place (don't have it handy), and I know I'll not willingly give Ford any kind of money ever again (not only because that, either).

[CapnK]

Well then, more Grog for Frank, and his oil stained fingers!!! ;D

Frank - I'm with Craig - I bet there was a whirlpool or UFO convention just a few miles ahead of where you turned back. You are a lucky man! ;D

[Frank]

Confirmed...injecter is SOL !!!    If ANY of you are going thru Stuart/St Lucie inlet...there is a great anchorage in Manetee Pocket , just before the inlet.Anchor near Pirates Cove Marina..great holding and short dingy ride to MANY bar/eateries "so i've been told :-)" ya can pickup wireless at the anchorage too. Kenn @ Pirates Cove has been a SAINT to me !! This is a huge hotel/resort type marina with a mega yacht fishing fleet at the docks and a 572boat 'rack storage' facility..yet ALL the staff..Kenn in particular ..has been just great.The Yanmar guys are 'Shearwater Marine' ..a sub of 'Whiticar Boatworks"...MEGA Yacht builders..(check out 'Whiticar Boatworks' on the web)..yet again,treated me like a king and drove me around (free).The injecter should be done by mid next week..just in time for the next weather window. I just hope they're not too late.Dumb ass here has to put humpty dumpty back together again ;-)

[Frank]

 I 'just' got humpty dumpty back together again....runs great. Off to West Palm tomorrow and wll try crossing again on wed. Light N wind but better than thurs when the E will be 'on the nose'.Hopefully my next posts will be Bahamas  ;)