The weather has not been kind to Faraway these last few days and will not improve until Thursday so Faraway will stay in St. Simons and Juan and Mike will drive back. They both have a date with the Taxman that they can't afford to miss. So sometime in May we will go back for her.
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Moving along
Faraway and its crew spent the night in Palm Beach and will probably make it to Ft. Pierce tonight. According to the latest reports it's breezy but the weather clocked to the West. They cooked a great dinner last night and probably don't even miss me anymore!!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Faraway coming home
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Saturday, March 19, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Miami skyline in the distance
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Home stretch
We see Cat Cay in the distance (connected again!) Which means soon we will be on count down to arrive in Miami (a little past happy hour Joel!). Juan's cousin gerry will make sure we get either a slip or a mooring ball in Rickenbacker .Marina in Key Biscayne
We slept on the banks but it was windy and wavy, 3 ft on the bow, we really rocked. But all bad things also come to an end so at 7 this morning before sunup we had weighed anchors and are on our way. The wind is due east and definitely on the lower end of "sucking sonoodles". Let's hope it holds. Of course there is ALWAYS something to worry us (especially Juan), the banks are shallow and it's low tide, and we are still leaking oil, not a lot,just a little in fact, and not through the places Juan fixed. These weary travellers will be glad to see the Miami skyline
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We slept on the banks but it was windy and wavy, 3 ft on the bow, we really rocked. But all bad things also come to an end so at 7 this morning before sunup we had weighed anchors and are on our way. The wind is due east and definitely on the lower end of "sucking sonoodles". Let's hope it holds. Of course there is ALWAYS something to worry us (especially Juan), the banks are shallow and it's low tide, and we are still leaking oil, not a lot,just a little in fact, and not through the places Juan fixed. These weary travellers will be glad to see the Miami skyline
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Monday, March 14, 2011
Perfect night
Great anchorage, thanks Idette and Mike! We are now headed to the tongue of the Ocean and then the banks. It will be a long ride, 7 hours to reach the banks and then as long as we can take it. It''s cloudy and winds have not started to pipe yet. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We've had good and nasty passages here.
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Sunday, March 13, 2011
Arriving in west bay
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Saturday, March 12, 2011
The best laid plans...
As we entered the banks which were as flat and transparent as I'd ever seen them I pictured myself snorkeling in Thunderball Cave - the last of the season but it was not to be. We came in through Galliot Cay and motored for three hours to Big Major, in Staniel. It was dark when we dropped the hook. The night was perfect but the next morning it started blowing from the North very early and though we waited and waited to see if it clocked by midday we gave up and headed to Sampsom Cay Marina, very expensive and no internet. I was sorely disappointed. But we got rid of trash, bought a couple more gallons of water and added 25 gallons of fuel just in case. And this morning the internet popped up just in time for me buy my ticket to DC and take care of a couple of other things.
We left at 11:30 headed to Hawksbill where we will spend the night and then West Bay (by pass Nassau following Idette's advice) so that we can cross to Miami on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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We left at 11:30 headed to Hawksbill where we will spend the night and then West Bay (by pass Nassau following Idette's advice) so that we can cross to Miami on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Another rolly anchorage
Yesterday the trip was rough and rolly and the anchorage also rolled! We came into the anchorage South of Calabash Bay at twilight, so we just dropped the anchor as soon as we had 12ft of water. As it was too dark to see we chose not to choose a more protected spot because we know there are rocks and coral. It was very windy and while the wind blew we did not feel the roll, but early today it died down and the roll woke us up. So at 6 we were out of the anchorage, on our way to the Exuma Sound. Hopefully tonight we will sleep on the banks!!
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Fighting the waves
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Dodging the squalls
A long day yesterday, but the seas were near perfect, the winds picked up so we motorsailed at 7 knots a good part of the time. But we started seeing squalls in the afternoon and after a hot debate (I wanted to go on I must confess) we took what I think now was the right decision and anchored for the night in Pittstown, the westernmost side of the Crooked Islands. this meant we had to come in at night (past 7 pm) but we had anchored here before and followed our waypoints. We had several squalls go through during the night and Juan did not sleep too well, I did. All in all we did over 90 miles, so not bad.
Idette and Mike have been looking at our weather forecast and it should be 20 knots until midday and then we'll be sucking sonoodles all the way to Long Island, hopefully Cape Santa Maria or Rum Cay if we fall short. So no overnights for the time being.
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Idette and Mike have been looking at our weather forecast and it should be 20 knots until midday and then we'll be sucking sonoodles all the way to Long Island, hopefully Cape Santa Maria or Rum Cay if we fall short. So no overnights for the time being.
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Monday, March 7, 2011
Under the auspices of Batelco!
We are in the Bahamas!! In the end we decided to spend the night in Mayaguana and try the overnight tomorrow. We did not sleep well last night, Sapodilla was rolly, so we'll try rolly Abraham's Bay. Very calm passage, large rollers when we left but they gradually decreased. Florida feels much closer. We'll be looking out for you Joel!! We'll probably stay in Rickenbacker. (I am such an optimist, we barely made it to the Bahamas and I am making plans for Florida)
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Sucking Sunboodles: test for Spanish Speakers
In Puerto Rico NOAA gives the weather forecast both in Spanish and in English. If you don't speak Spanish you have to listen to the whole forecast in Spanish patiently until the English speaking robot comes on. When Linda, a Minessottan we met in the DR sailing with her husband and daughter in Opus, saw we spoke Spanish, she asked us if we could figure out what "sucking sunoodles meant". They kept hearing that all the time in the weather forecast and wondered what it meant. Needless to say they found it very funny. It took us 2 days to figure it out. But we did.
You have to remember the context, it's a marine weather forecast
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You have to remember the context, it's a marine weather forecast
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Anchors aweigh
At 6:00 our anchor was out and we are now heading for Sandbore Channel and out into the ocean. The breeze is very mild but we know the swells today will still be large. I don't know how much longer I will have signal. Probably another hour and then data silence until we approach Mayaguana.
We think we may have a leak in the fuel tank. We had noticed it the last time we filled it up and avoided doing so most of the trip. We'll have to monitor it. One more thing to monitor. Juan spends his time going down to the engine room to look at the shaft and the autopilot (replacing screws when they come loose), opening the engine to make sure there are no leaks, and now lifting the floor boards to monitor the leak!! Fun, right?
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We think we may have a leak in the fuel tank. We had noticed it the last time we filled it up and avoided doing so most of the trip. We'll have to monitor it. One more thing to monitor. Juan spends his time going down to the engine room to look at the shaft and the autopilot (replacing screws when they come loose), opening the engine to make sure there are no leaks, and now lifting the floor boards to monitor the leak!! Fun, right?
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Sunday, March 6, 2011
Another gorgeous day
We spent the night in South Side Marina, fueled up (47 gallons, we can now go all the way to Miami without refuelling), went to the hardware store to get some hoses (the hose from the water pump broke), got some more stuff at the supermarket and then enjoyed a great happy hour with all the cruisers. The marina is full so it was a lively party that went on until 11 (really late for us), pictures will follow. They are mostly going South. the only one going North like us is a 50ft Catamaran, no match for our speed, unfortunately. There is a Tayana 37 just like ours owned by a Canadian couple and their stories are even worse than ours: they got a new engine and are very happy about it.
Today we leave the marina as soon as the tide comes up (in an hour) and go anchor on Sapodilla Bay so that tomorrow bright and early we can leave for the Bahamas. The winds are not bad but the swells are very big (2 to 3 meters) but will have come down some by tomorrow. If the conditions are good we will do an overnight to try to reach Clarence Town on Long Island by Tuesday afternoon and possibly be in Georgetown by Wednesday or Thursday.
In the meantime we will enjoy this weather!
Today we leave the marina as soon as the tide comes up (in an hour) and go anchor on Sapodilla Bay so that tomorrow bright and early we can leave for the Bahamas. The winds are not bad but the swells are very big (2 to 3 meters) but will have come down some by tomorrow. If the conditions are good we will do an overnight to try to reach Clarence Town on Long Island by Tuesday afternoon and possibly be in Georgetown by Wednesday or Thursday.
In the meantime we will enjoy this weather!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
What a good call!! We are thrilled to be here!
We slept soundly for over five hours after a wonderful shower and a light sandwich and we feel good. We were planing to celebrate grilling some steaks but it looks too windy to cook out.
Of the 320 miles we did the worst were the last two hours over the banks from French Cay to Sapodilla. The winds were over 22, on a very close heading but we zoomed through with water that never went below 9 feet under our keel except at the anchorage. We anchored and it was still sunny and managed to get everything in place with no hurry. After one it started to rain on and off and it's been blowing non stop. We sailed a lot of the way yesterday and as soon as the sun went down we took two reefs on the main, while it was still comfortable and it was another good call. As the winds started to pick up we closed the jib and did most of the night with the reefed main and the stay sail. We turned the engine on mostly to warn off the whales I have to confess. The engined did not leak and the autopilot worked like a charm. We managed to sleep on and off during the night. Last night I was up the greater part of the night, which was good because Juan was able to do the last two hours which were the only ones that made us work harder and we did not want to leave it to the auto pilot. Under way Juan was even able to go down to the "engine room" and change one of the screws that had been loose and fell.
Choosing to go all the way to French Cay was another good call because this morning when we got to the banks we were only 13 miles away from Sapodilla through a clear route with plenty of water.
We have done a third of the way to Miami with these two overnights. Now we have to stay put until Monday.
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Of the 320 miles we did the worst were the last two hours over the banks from French Cay to Sapodilla. The winds were over 22, on a very close heading but we zoomed through with water that never went below 9 feet under our keel except at the anchorage. We anchored and it was still sunny and managed to get everything in place with no hurry. After one it started to rain on and off and it's been blowing non stop. We sailed a lot of the way yesterday and as soon as the sun went down we took two reefs on the main, while it was still comfortable and it was another good call. As the winds started to pick up we closed the jib and did most of the night with the reefed main and the stay sail. We turned the engine on mostly to warn off the whales I have to confess. The engined did not leak and the autopilot worked like a charm. We managed to sleep on and off during the night. Last night I was up the greater part of the night, which was good because Juan was able to do the last two hours which were the only ones that made us work harder and we did not want to leave it to the auto pilot. Under way Juan was even able to go down to the "engine room" and change one of the screws that had been loose and fell.
Choosing to go all the way to French Cay was another good call because this morning when we got to the banks we were only 13 miles away from Sapodilla through a clear route with plenty of water.
We have done a third of the way to Miami with these two overnights. Now we have to stay put until Monday.
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Racing to beat the storm on the Caicos Banks
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
24 hours
Almost 25 really! The night was very calm, but of course the flip side is that the winds died down and our speed slowed considerably so we are still almost four hours away from Puerto Plata. We have not yet decided whether to stop in Ocean World Marina or keep going. There is a front coming into the T&C early tomorrow (big front, green and yellow in Passage Weather) and we would still need 20+ hours to get there. The front is likely to arrive ahead of us and we would arrive in South Caicos in the dark. Juan went to sleep now. I guess we'll make up our minds when he wakes up. The sea is so flat that it beckons, but we have fallen for that siren song once before and we know it's not fun. Another look at the weather in three hours and we'll see...
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Twelve hours since we left
We left at 7 and for three and a half hours it was a nightmare, especially the 8 miles from Cap Cana to Cabo Engaño where you finally turn West. Big, big waves and we had to climb them head on, so of course they slowed us down. . But luckily after we were on our heading the seas settled and we were able to motor sail at 7 knots.
The wind has died down now so we have a long night ahead of us.
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The wind has died down now so we have a long night ahead of us.
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Getting ready, yet again
Our Cuban mechanic, Miguel, took away the filter cover, last Saturday, because the thread was worn and the oil was leaking from those screws. He's coming back at midday to install the cover and with that we hopefully should be done with the leaks for a while. Juan reinstalled the autopilot, this time on the quadrant, and placed the rudder sensor on the a platform he made with my bamboo cheese board. Hopefully this time it will be able to manage the big rollers which we hope not to encounter.
The weather is already better today, the wind is dying down and it's a beautiful day. So tomorrow very early we leave, hoping to make it all the way to Turks and Caicos. On Friday morning there is another strong front, so we hope to have arrived on the banks by then.
They have opened a big supermarket here in Punta Cana, so we should be able to survive. We filled our propane bottle and discovered they fill them in the gas stations - actually propane gas stations - where they fill the cars with propane, which makes life much easier. I have lost count of the times we've run around places trying to fill our propane tanks or had to wait a week for the truck to come in. Georgetown, was the worst.
Juan is going to dive today to clean the propeller and rudder, I think it's mostly green slimy stuff rather than barnacles. I feel like going to the beach but I am sure Juan will find lots of stuff for me to do instead...
The weather is already better today, the wind is dying down and it's a beautiful day. So tomorrow very early we leave, hoping to make it all the way to Turks and Caicos. On Friday morning there is another strong front, so we hope to have arrived on the banks by then.
They have opened a big supermarket here in Punta Cana, so we should be able to survive. We filled our propane bottle and discovered they fill them in the gas stations - actually propane gas stations - where they fill the cars with propane, which makes life much easier. I have lost count of the times we've run around places trying to fill our propane tanks or had to wait a week for the truck to come in. Georgetown, was the worst.
Juan is going to dive today to clean the propeller and rudder, I think it's mostly green slimy stuff rather than barnacles. I feel like going to the beach but I am sure Juan will find lots of stuff for me to do instead...
Monday, February 28, 2011
IMG-20110228-00364.jpg
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wild, wild Mona
We left Boqueron at 10:15, a lovely day (we saw three whales!) and a mild breeze from the Northwest, so although our sails were up we were not sailing. That was our main concern: we are always worried about over taxing our motor. But three hours later, as we left Puerto Rico behind, the wind shifted to the North and it slowly started building. For a couple of hours we sailed happily with 13 to 15 knots and 6 foot waves also from the North, but then both winds and waves started to build. We reefed the main and the jib, luckily before it became wild, because we could do it calmly. After that the waves were over 8 feet and the wind was over 22 gusting to 28. At about 4pm we decided we could not face an overnight to Samana (the autopilot stopped working, the bracket could not stand the effort) so we used our much maligned Sat phone and called Cap Cana to let them know we were coming in at 11pm). They said they would send a pilot out to meet us and gave me his cell phone. (I love this marina!)
We turned on the engine and headed to Cap Cana, which gave us a better heading against wind and waves which by now were NE. At 11:45 we were safely tied to our own slip. This morning before 7, the "authorities" were knocking on our door.
Juan's been assessing the damage to the bracket, he is not sure yet what to do. But we are not leaving till Tuesday so we have time before our next two long passages - Puerto Plata (maybe stop in Samana) and then Turks and Caicos.
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We turned on the engine and headed to Cap Cana, which gave us a better heading against wind and waves which by now were NE. At 11:45 we were safely tied to our own slip. This morning before 7, the "authorities" were knocking on our door.
Juan's been assessing the damage to the bracket, he is not sure yet what to do. But we are not leaving till Tuesday so we have time before our next two long passages - Puerto Plata (maybe stop in Samana) and then Turks and Caicos.
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Large Northerly swells??
It is very tempting to go out and try crossing the Mona and pay no heed to the warnings but having had the worst passage in our life on the North Coast of the DR, exactly where we are going, we will just wait
We tried to go to an anchorage 7 miles to the North of Boqueron, but there is a marina, it's shallow and there is no place to anchor. We thought of going on to Mayaguez, but the anchorage is not protected from the West, so we are coming back to spend the night in Boqueron. It's a lovely day, nice breeze, flat seas: perfect day for sailing....
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Facing the Mona, and hating it
The truth is that in spite of the mechanical issues, all the passages since we left Fajardo have been picture perfect. Maybe the wind could have been a little stronger but I'm not complaining.
Juan's seal worked and the engine worked well. Yes, we still see a little oil leak, and the injectors are not completely dry but we seem to make do.
We dinghied around our anchorage, got rid of the trash and at 10:30 left. The ride was calm, and we arrived before. 4.
Tomorrow is the day when we get big waves from the North and have to stay put. So we'll go to town, do some shopping and then on Wednesday we'll start sailing North so that by midnight or thereabouts we start crossing the Mona passage. We think we'll go to Samana and wait there till Saturday when we think we'll be able to make it to Turks and Caicos.
We saw dolphins yesterday as we sailed into our anchorage and again today here in Boqueron. I always think they bring good luck, so we should be ok.
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Juan's seal worked and the engine worked well. Yes, we still see a little oil leak, and the injectors are not completely dry but we seem to make do.
We dinghied around our anchorage, got rid of the trash and at 10:30 left. The ride was calm, and we arrived before. 4.
Tomorrow is the day when we get big waves from the North and have to stay put. So we'll go to town, do some shopping and then on Wednesday we'll start sailing North so that by midnight or thereabouts we start crossing the Mona passage. We think we'll go to Samana and wait there till Saturday when we think we'll be able to make it to Turks and Caicos.
We saw dolphins yesterday as we sailed into our anchorage and again today here in Boqueron. I always think they bring good luck, so we should be ok.
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
This boat is killing us!
After Juan fixed the shaft (he aligned the motor raising its feet) and repositioned the bracket on the auto-pilot we thought we were good to go. We stayed in Salinas, swam in the mangroves in Cayo Matias and decided to do a stop over in Caja de Muertos before coming to Gillighan's Island to spend the night.
As we were circling the anchorage in Caja de Muertos trying to choose the best spot, the alarm of the engine started to ring. We opened the jib and turned off the engine. The wind was really weak but from the West (it blew WSW the whole day), a very unusual pattern and the seas were very calm. So I turned the boat away from the anchorage and slowly sailed it while Juan went down to see what had happened. The seal he had placed on the engine had failed and ALL the oil had leaked to the pan. So he collected it and put it into a bottle, opened the cover, saw that the rubber seal was damaged and made a makeshift seal with the paste, covered it again and filled the engine with oil. Of course, now we need to wait to see if it worked. So we sailed all the way. I am sure the people in the anchorage thought we were showing off coming through the reefs and anchoring, all under sail, little do they know
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As we were circling the anchorage in Caja de Muertos trying to choose the best spot, the alarm of the engine started to ring. We opened the jib and turned off the engine. The wind was really weak but from the West (it blew WSW the whole day), a very unusual pattern and the seas were very calm. So I turned the boat away from the anchorage and slowly sailed it while Juan went down to see what had happened. The seal he had placed on the engine had failed and ALL the oil had leaked to the pan. So he collected it and put it into a bottle, opened the cover, saw that the rubber seal was damaged and made a makeshift seal with the paste, covered it again and filled the engine with oil. Of course, now we need to wait to see if it worked. So we sailed all the way. I am sure the people in the anchorage thought we were showing off coming through the reefs and anchoring, all under sail, little do they know
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Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Salinas
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
Palmas del Mar
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We're moving!
After poring over all the weather charts for the next few days we decided not to go to San Juan but rather to round the south of the island. As is always the case, the best days to move are the days when you can't move (waiting for the sail to be ready). If we had gone to San Juan we would have had to stay there until next Wednesday at least, before we could cross (and the marina in San Juan is more expensive). The northern coast of Puerto Rico is not boat friendly.
So we decided to go back from where we came and at least move, and in the meantime we could test the new autopilot(working great, completely silent).
Juan also changed the packing on the shaft because it was leaking more than it should. But he thinks now either the packing is too tight or the shaft lost the alignment with the engine because it's getting too hot.
So we turned off the engine and are sailing towards Palma del Mar which will be our first stop. We will try their new marina and say goodbye to Sugar Plum and its crew. After that if all goes well, Salinas, Boqueron, Mayaguez and hopefully by then we will be able to cross.
One more mechanical problem and I quit!
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So we decided to go back from where we came and at least move, and in the meantime we could test the new autopilot(working great, completely silent).
Juan also changed the packing on the shaft because it was leaking more than it should. But he thinks now either the packing is too tight or the shaft lost the alignment with the engine because it's getting too hot.
So we turned off the engine and are sailing towards Palma del Mar which will be our first stop. We will try their new marina and say goodbye to Sugar Plum and its crew. After that if all goes well, Salinas, Boqueron, Mayaguez and hopefully by then we will be able to cross.
One more mechanical problem and I quit!
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
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