Breeze On

It was time to run the watermaker again. After the trouble we had early on this season, we are especially grateful when it works. While the watermaker was running George filled a bucket for me to use for hand-washing a few clothes. After we finished those chores we went for a walk across the island to the beach on the other side.  The gathering at the tiki hut this afternoon was much more like those we remembered from prior years. It is one of the things that make this anchorage special to us.  Atlantic-side Beach on Hog Cay.  Gathering at the tiki hut. 

Today we had a great day of sailing 50 nautical miles from Water Cay to Hog Cay. We tried something different for this trip. We sailed “outside”—meaning we sailed in the deep water on the east side of the islands rather than in the shallow, more protected water in the west side of the islands. Sailing “outside” cuts out some miles and we thought it was worth trying at least once. The seas weren’t bad— nothing more than three feet—and the wind was perfect for sailing.  We arrived at Hog Cay just in time for the afternoon gathering at the tiki hut on the beach. There were six other boats here when we arrived and we believe every one of them has children on board. There really wasn’t much of a gathering at the tiki hut. Adults and children of all ages were coming and going, milling about here and there. It wasn’t the usual circle of people sitting and chatting as the sun sets. This promises to be a very different experience at Hog Cay.  Sunset with a squall on the horizon at Wate...

We left Thompson Bay, Long Island at 7:30 this morning—destination Ragged Islands. Our first stop is Water Cay, 44 nautical miles away. The route takes us through the Comer Channel—a shallow area—so we timed our departure to avoid going through the Comer Channel at low tide. On our way out of Thompson Bay we went through a squall and were treated to a rainbow (shown in the photo.) The Water Cay anchorages are usually bouncy and/or rolly. Today is no exception. There is no cell service for most of the trip to the Ragged Islands so I am sending this post through the Iridium Go satellite phone.

Yesterday was Christmas Day. In the morning we chatted with family members. Later on we went to shore for a walk then ate quiche—we dubbed it Christmas Quiche—for dinner on Breeze On. After dinner we went to Desiderata II for dessert. I brought frosted brownies and Jean made chocolate chip cookies. The sun set while we were on Desiderata II, after which I looked over at Breeze On and noticed that our anchor light was not on. For non-sailors, the anchor light is a light at the top of the mast that is turned on between sunset and sunrise when the boat is at anchor. George remembered turning the anchor light on before we left Breeze On and I remembered checking to make sure it had been turned on.  Once we returned to Breeze On George checked everything he could check—fuses, connections etc.—without going up the mast. The anchor light still did not work so he put another light out on the bow and we went to bed. This morning he had to make yet another trip up the mast. Fortunately, the ...

We left George Town at 8:00 am this morning and motored 36 nautical miles to Thompson Bay, Long Island. George and I don’t like to stay in any one spot for very long when we are living on the boat so we were happy to put the anchor down in a different place. Shortly after we got settled we put the dinghy in the water and motored to Long Island Petroleum for 2 cans of diesel. Then we went back ashore to go to Hillside Food Supply for a few more fruits and vegetables. We have been shopping more frequently than we usually do because I am trying to balance buying more fresh fruits and vegetables with limited refrigerator space. Also, we hope to go to the Ragged Islands soon and won’t be able to shop there.  Sunset at Thompson Bay, Long Island. 

This morning we dinghied three miles to town to check out the Farmers Market and pick up a few things at the store. Since we were going to be in town we took a bag of trash—never miss an opportunity to dump the trash.  When we are traveling by boat we always try to follow a chart, watching to see that we are in deep enough water. In the Bahamas we can also watch the color of the water—the color changes according to the depth. As we approached a bridge on the way to town we were a little alarmed that the color of the water was the color of sand, which indicates very shallow water. Although we knew it was just a reflection it did cause us to be momentarily alarmed.  One of the things I bought at the store was a bag of carrots. They will be my next fermentation project. The sauerkraut turned out well, if I do say do myself.  This afternoon we took another walk on the sandbar with Jean, Michael, Dee, and Ron. We just love it there—it is so beautiful and interesting.  The...

Today was laundry day. Part of the reason we moved to this anchorage the other day was that we wanted to be able to dinghy to a laundromat that is about 1.5 miles from here. We have to go over some shallow areas to get there so we planned to get over and back before low tide. Last year we recorded a track on my phone so today I used the track to act as the navigator while George drove the dinghy.  The most challenging part of the trip was maneuvering the dinghy around a skiff that was tied up near the boat ramp steps, but George managed to get it done. It is always interesting finding a place to tie up the dinghy here. In the past we used a cinder block or a tire. The cinder block is now gone and the tires are full of empty cans. George tied the dinghy up to some heavy debris that was lying on the ground.  The laundry is done and George is using the line to maneuver the dinghy around the skiff that is tied up at the wall. I am standing on the top step to take the picture. We c...

This morning we started the day with haircuts. It has been seven weeks since our last haircuts in Brunswick and we were due. After that we cleaned the cabin and cockpit, sweeping up stray hairs from the haircuts. At mid-day we dinghied about a mile to the sandbar by Man O War Cay and walked the sandbar with Dee and Ron from Ursa Minor. We timed our walk to coincide with low tide and it was gorgeous. We never tire of the variations in the color of water at different depths. We saw sea stars, a sand dollar, and a small piece of coral sitting all by itself. By the time we returned to our dinghies there were several tour boats in the vicinity. It appears to be a popular spot.  Yesterday morning we attended the first water aerobics class of the season. George Town has an active group of cruisers who organize lots of activities, if you are so inclined. George was a good sport and participated in the class with me—one of about five men in a class of 15. Unfortunately, he tweaked his arm a...

Today we tried again to fix the excess movement in the boom. George removed the washer which was already in place—and seemed to be blocking the insertion of the new washer—and discovered it was much thinner than we expected, just 1/32”. There was an identical washer next to the nut so he tried inserting both of the thin washers—adding up to 1/16”—and even that seemed too thick. We dinghied across the harbor to visit Top II Bottom Marine and see if they had a washer that was somewhere between 1/32” and 1/16” thick. No luck. On our way back we stopped by Desiderata II for a short visit with Jean and Michael.  Sauerkraut update:  I apparently overfilled the jar. This morning I discovered brine bubbling up out of the small hole in the lid. So I took out about 1/2 cup of somewhat salty, not quite fermented cabbage and ate it. Now all seems to be well.  Last night’s sunset.  The small washer we are trying to replace.  Since we were going into town we dropped off a bag...

I have always loved sauerkraut. It must be my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. I remember rooting around in my mother’s canned goods when I was in high school and on occasion I would find a can of sauerkraut, open it, and eat it right out of the can. Sometime last year I read an article about how easy it is to make sauerkraut. I tried it and found that it was, indeed, very easy. I even made it on the boat a few times last winter. Before we left home this fall I bought a fermentation kit—along with a small mandoline—that makes it even easier. As it turns out, the  Zoe  program encourages frequent consumption of fermented foods. Between the yogurt and the sauerkraut, I am pretty well covered.  This morning we dinghied a mile across the harbor to buy a cabbage and a few other things. When we returned I started a batch of sauerkraut while George ran the watermaker. By the way, he was thrilled—and relieved—that the watermaker ran perfectly. After I finished the sauerkraut I m...

This afternoon we dinghied ashore to take a hike on a trail we have never explored before. Based on our experience, we will probably not try it again. It was barely cleared and had numerous hidden stumps on the path. In addition, there was one very steep, rocky section that was challenging for someone with short legs. The trail became even more dense before we got anywhere near the beach on the other side of the island so we gave up and turned around.  Before our hike we spent the morning attempting to fix an issue at the forward end of the boom. The gooseneck—the place where the boom attaches to the mast—has more play than we would like. We attempted to insert a washer to tighten it up but were unsuccessful. We may try again after we think about our options.  I am including photos that our friend, Jean, shared from our time at the Beach Club yesterday and another one taken at Williams Bay last week.  The trail to nowhere.  Panoramic view of the harbor from the top o...

This morning we got back to work. The first order of business was to lubricate (again) the aft end of the boom so it doesn’t squeak when we furl mainsail. We had done it once already but found it was still squealing when we furled the mainsail.  Today we collapsed the dodger and the bimini so that we could drop the boom even further and expose more of the spindle. We were close to being finished when a couple rode by in their dinghy, staring at us. They changed course and came over to us asking if we needed help. George later said—with the dodger and bimini collapsed, and the boom practically on the deck—it must have looked like we had had a terrible accident. We had a nice chat with the couple and finished working on the boom, then put the dodger and bimini back together. We were just considering starting a job on the other end of the boom when our friend, Jean, suggested meeting at the nearby Beach Club for a meal. That sounded so much more appealing. We had a great time with Jea...

Since George fixed the watermaker and solved the stray nut mystery we have taken a few days off from major boat chores. We still have a list of jobs that need to be tackled but we will get to those in a few days. It looks as if we will be staying in George Town for at least 10 days. There are several fronts forecast that will shift the wind to the west and George Town is a good place to wait out west winds.  Yesterday morning seemed relatively cool so I took the opportunity to bake cookies. The harbor was rather choppy so we decided not to go anywhere. Today was a bit calmer so we dinghied ashore and walked across Stocking Island. The swell in the Atlantic is supposed to be decreasing but there is still quite a bit of surf breaking on the beach. On our way back to Breeze On we stopped by Good Company to thank Richard for his help, tell him the good news about the watermaker, and tell him how impressed we were with the service from Yacht Rigger.  Windward side of Stocking Islan...

As George was lying in bed awake at 3 am last night it occurred to him where that nut may have come from. Last spring, when we were sailing offshore toward home, a  wire came loose  from the end of our boom. It had been attached to the boom with nuts and bolts. George believes that at least one bolt fell into the boom last spring and it took six months for it to work its way out from the other end. I like that theory.  Nevertheless, George decided to finish inspecting the mast. After going ashore and buying diesel and fresh foods, we raised the anchor and moved a mile across the harbor where we hoped it would be calmer. George made it to the top of the mast, tightened a few more loose connections, but did not find any missing bolts. That’s good news now that we have our new theory.  In the afternoon we dinghied ashore to St. Francis Resort to eat dinner at the Snappy Turtle. Afterwards we walked a short distance to look at the surf in Exuma Sound.  George at the...

This morning we left Williams Bay and motored in light winds 25 miles south to George Town. As George was walking back from the bow after finishing raising the anchor this morning he noticed a nut—as in nuts and bolts—on the deck. It wasn’t obvious where it had come from but he suspected it might have come from the radar—halfway up the mast. After finishing anchoring in George Town he went up the mast to inspect possible locations but wasn’t able to locate where it had come from. He did find a few other loose connections and used the opportunity to tighten them. While he was going up the mast the wind picked up creating more chop in the harbor, causing the boat to rock and the mast to sway. Any movement of the boat is amplified at the top of the mast. He decided to come back down before he was able to get all the way to the top of the mast. He will wait for better conditions before he goes up again. We have been trying to brainstorm where the nut might have come from if it didn’t come ...

We have been saying that a lot today. The watermaker is finally working!  This morning George spent several hours working on it, starting with pressure tests suggested by our friend, Michael. George made sure the system was mostly filled with water then taped the dinghy pump to the intake hose. The idea was that the pump would pressurize the system and we would be able to see water leaks which would give us an idea where air was leaking in. We tried it three separate times and never saw a leak. Nevertheless, George replaced the impeller again (for the third time); replaced the prefilter again; removed a brass fitting, cleaned it and put Teflon tape on the threads; put Teflon tape on the threads of the other (plastic) fittings; and cut an inch off of the intake hose and reattached it. We don’t know which of those things worked—George said he used my signature shotgun approach—but the watermaker now works with no additional air in the prefilter. The water tank is now full. Hooray!...

After a somewhat bouncy, rolly night at anchor we left Oven Rock to head south to Williams Bay. The wind had shifted to the north in the afternoon causing waves to roll into the anchorage. We knew that was possible, although the wind was a little stronger than we expected. Exiting the Galliott Cut to Exuma Sound was not a problem and we were pleased to find enough wind to sail the 20 miles south to Lee Stocking Island and Williams Bay.  Once we were anchored George installed the new o-rings on the watermaker* and started it up. He was disappointed to find that it was still sucking in air from somewhere and now it doesn’t generate enough pressure to filter water. So it is worse than ever. After working on that we dinghied to the beach with Jean and Michael from Desiderata II and walked to the top of the hill to see the surf from Exuma Sound. It is quite a view.  *I have been talking about the watermaker but have realized should explain what I mean by that. The watermaker is act...