Home & Another Road Trip

With a little apprehension we crossed back into the US as we had been in and out of the country several times in the last few weeks. No issues and the drive home to Aura was over and so was our holiday away. We had a few more days catching up with Rob & Cathy. The largest USA boat show was happening in Annapolis. A few of our Barbados 50 friends (Kerpa, Tourterelle, Lady Rebel, White Ibis) and a few others from our travels (Perigee, La Perle Noire) were all there for the event. We had a lovely surprise when we ran into Earl and Joan (Wanderer). Earl and Joan date back to Turkey and our first day out on Aura….not the best of days……anyway it was great to see them. We even had a catch up with Jimmy Cornell, the man who wrote the book that Kim frequently uses to consider our ocean passages and the man behind the Barbados 50 event.

The week of partying continued with a party at Peter & Patty’s (Serendipitous) Annapolis home with a cast of fellow OCC members. Kim attempted to make a pavlova but the humidity meant that the nice crusty bit didn’t form…it was still well received and very yummy.

We extended our break to explore Washington DC for a couple of days. We stayed with Brian and Danni (Chinook). OCC members who we had briefly met at Hadley Harbour. They gave us an extremely warm welcome and spoiled Kim with pink champagne. We explored the tourist sites during the day and enjoyed their company with great food and wine in the evenings.

Then it was back to work….as we had Aura in a marina it was time to utilise the endless supply of water and the convenience of the dock. Our batteries that we purchased in Turkey had failed…..they were only 1.5 year old …we concluded they were dual start/house not the ideal product for house batteries. The same physical size wasn’t available in the US so we ended up with golf cart size batteries, giving us a small increase in the capacity of the bank (now 600amp hour). We also had a road trip to collect our re-galvanised anchor and chain. Tourterelle had kindly taken our chain with theirs so it was our job to do the collection and road trip to Baltimore.

Somewhere in the week we also caught up with Keith and Emily. Keith is the US Beneteau broker and we had met Emily during the AC in Bermuda. An indulgent and memorable night, thank you!

We’re now back on anchor, the weather is cooling and we contemplating our return to the Caribbean. We had planned on heading to the BVIs with the Salty Dawgs but due to the hurricanes we had been thinking of returning to the Windward Island….maybe we should return to the Bahamas and make our way to Central America…..Aura hasn’t sold so we are still sailing……the time away has provided a little rejuvenation

Holiday Away

We’d planned a break from our nomadic ocean life to catch up with friends further afield. The plan was Johannesburg then Chicago then Toronto, a cottage at Halls Lake and then Niagara Falls before returning to Aura. We did post some pictures of our travels on FB, this is the blog account with a few more photos.

Aura was tied up at Pier 7 Marina and our Aussie yacht broker Keith kindly took me to the airport. The drive from Annapolis to the Washing DC airport (Dulles) is one and half hours on the freeway and if I was to take public transport that would have been 3 buses and a train…..in the States a car is a necessity.

It was an easy flight to Johannesburg; my first stop was to catch up with Rob and Nora. Since our last visit they had moved to a secure golf course estate. It was great to catch up, I don’t want to think how many years had passed but it was easy, fun and just like old times.

Kim had to rush home to Australia after her dad got sick and later passed away. She was soon on her way to JNB albeit via Singapore on a longer flight so she could spend a little extra time in Australia. She did get a chance to catch up with Paulie and Becfor a quick celebratory birthday lunch for Bec in Canberra before her flight.

I was able to join in the start of Steve’s birthday, “somethings to try before you die”. Yep as is fitting, lets brush up on our firearm skills and shoot a few guns. The catch up commenced, Milly and Will (Steve’s kids, well they are now adults…..time does get away), Dave from Brisbane and Bernice, Sean and Connor from Perth Plus many of Steve’s friends from SA, UK and Australia. Bang bang bang with a pump action shot gun …..Let the weekend begin! And just to name a few Glock, AK47 and the R5 Carbines.

Simulator

Kim arrived early Saturday morning and we toured the grounds of the golf course estate, of course this was in golf cart. It wasn’t long before we found the 19th and with the time zone differences it was declared “its 5óclock somewhere”. As we do, a special restaurant was selected for lunch. We shared some fantastic Italian fare and SA wines. After a short nap we headed to our next engagement,  a birthday braaie. We had such a great time and we soon realised how much we missed our “Perth” friends Khatiza and Steve.

Early the next morning, I wasn’t feeling the best. What I initially thought was over indulgence actually took me several weeks to recover. We were soon Ubering our way to Black Head, well Zwartkop sounds better. On route, there was a water stop and an emergency vomi stop on the way. On our arrival, there was a helicopter and Milly bailed out. We watched the take off with the open van door that  filled the van with dust and grass….. Will that effect my Uber rating? While Steve is taking the scienic view of the track, Kim and I took the photo opportunity with his Ferrari 488. Ok let’s hit this, I jump in Steve’s GT3 with Will at the helm. We are hunting! Now last time I had seen Will he wasn’t old enough to have L plates. He is fanging this car around the tight track with just enough grip n slide to realise that know one is truly alive. He knows the car, the track and fortunately he has had a few lessons and many race track hours. I think Porsche needs to consider upgrading the seat belts as I’m lurched forward when Will hit the breaks to make each hard corner. Ok enough, time for me to purge………yesterday was fun but nothing like a catch up with one of the Barbados 50 yachts……what did I eat? While I took time to drink more water and loose it again, Kim was flying around the track in another Porsche. What model was that? Kim was then shooting around the track with Steve and his Ferrari. Next , Kim was the aerial view in the chopper. At least one of us is having fun. Oh and our Uber driver also had a great day, he had a few laps in the fleet of cars plus he took my spot for the helicopter ride……he will be talking about this Uber day for many years to come.

That evening we celebrated Steve’s birthday with the same race car theme. We had a wonderful time with Steve, Khatiza and their friends. It was great to see Di & Dave. We hadn’t seen them since a random encounter at our local Rosalie cinema. We had a surprise visit from Derek and Leanne(Ocean Blue) who so happened to be in the neighbourhood. We’d only just said bye to them in Rhode Island…..small world, he was close by visiting this Johannesburg office. Khatiza and Steve kindly invited them to join the celebrations.

There was a final farewell lunch and we were back at the airport……(Now if you sail and if haven’t heard the story next time you see Kim ask her about the Maltese Falcon).

Next stop Chicago with a stopover in Heathrow. I really didn’t need to reset my body clock as I’d only been in SA for 4 days. Kim needed a hard reset but she slept and she was perky when Rohan collected us at the airport. Sal & Rohan are friends from Brisbane; we first met in 2008 at the end of our last sailing adventure. Subsequently Kim worked with Sal, we’d go 4WD beach camping and boarding/skiing in Japan. Now these guys with little Maggie and V are living in the States. We settled in for some home-style family time and then explored the local neighbourhood including the mandatory brewery and gym. It was great to do a work out, something I hadn’t done since the marina in Barcelona. We felt at home, with such comfortable hospitality plus a chance to catch up. As every trip needs a high light, we headed into the city for our first base ball game. Beer and really bad hotdogs and nachos with a chemical type cheese…..ah it was about the game and we soon realised it was actually a social event for people to catch up that just so happens to have a  game happening in the background plus  great crowd watching…..similar to a game of cricket. A post game bar was in order. A few locals gave Sal and I a few shots at the “pong” beer cup game. It was a perfect setting for the one man band in the back ground. That day we ticked a few other boxes with a tapas meal followed by live blues music…….now that was a big day.

Got to be happy with this result

What a gym!

More of the gym

Basket & squash courts

Indoor & Outside

Pong !

Post game beers

We were soon on our way back to the airport, next stop Toronto. We were greeted by Rob & Cathy with a sign. It was going to be an all Canadian trip, starting with a steak dinner at Keggs that was accompanied with a Canadian red. The next day we took in the local sights, Rob gave us the hop on and not get off tour of Toronto. The place has a great feel. We soon headed north and we had a lovely dinner with their close friends. And after another hour or so driving we arrived at the cottage. Picture perfect, just like in the movies with the cottage on the lake. It was time to relax, chill and even a sleep in. Of course a game of Mexican Train was in order, there was a spot of gardening, a hill top hike and a trip to the local dump…..yeah well that’s where you find the bears. Kim was dying to see a bear and when she did, it was immediately time to return to the safety of the pickup truck :- )

Log Chute

Log Chute in background

Road trip! We’re off to the famous tourist town of Niagara Falls. The pictures say it all.

Next up, back to the USA

Chesapeake Intro

The Chesapeake waters are a lovely coffee colour and surprisingly warm, well that’s warmer than Long Island Sound. After making our way through the Chesapeake/Delaware canal. We headed for the Sassafras River where we were greeted with a plethora of crab pots. It was decided to dodge these under sail as any errors wouldn’t be exacerbated with a line around the propeller. We anchored with Tourterelle at Lilly Pad Beach and enjoyed our new tranquil surroundings. We were well protected from the forecast wind, that didn’t eventuate. We weathered the rain with aMexican Train day and enjoyed a farewell drink with Ian and Ann. They’re heading to Europe to see their family and they needed to get Tourterelle to a marina south of Annapolis.

After a sad farewell (we have been sailing together on and off once for 5 months) we went in search of water and provisions. This took Aura a little further upstream to Georgetown. We found a great restaurant "The Granary" and worked off lunch by walking a few miles to the next town that had a supermarket. Georgetown is a good size but is wall to wall or dock to dock marinas.  In the US it’s just expected everybody has car (or an oversized ute / pickup truck). After an easy walk passing several farms and corn fields, we found a small grocery store that sold a few basics including some fruit and veg. We were good for another week.

Sassafras River
 

Walk to the supermarket

It was time for a change so we motored our way back down the river to the Chesapeake and towards the Corsica River. More wind and rain was forecast so another protected anchorage was selected. The wind was fickle so it was a day of motoring…..another pleasant anchorage and even more remote. It’s surprising how sparse the population is spread around these water ways.  The rain poured down but no wind. We passed the time with cooking and baking fruit buns. Once the weather improved it was time check out Annapolis.

Corsica River

We made our way to Annapolis on the Monday of what had been a very wet long weekend. Fortunately the sun was finally out and so was every motor boat, yacht and dingy making the most of the labour day long weekend.  We dodged the traffic out of the river and crossed the Chesapeake. Our timing for anchoring in Back Creek was less than perfect. The creek is lined with marinas and the first anchoring area is about 90 meters wide in soft mud. Lady Rebel had passed us somewhere along the way and made it to Annapolis before us. They had anchored in a prime position and advised two other yachts had just arrived taking up the valuable space, let’s call it the channel. We dropped the hook with a steam of yachts making their way home dodging around us. We found it a little stressful but the locals must be accustom to the challenge of anchored yachts anchored in their path. “All Good” we eventual got a good hold and it was time for catch-up sundowners with Ken & Jen.

Annapolis

Annapolis Walk

Technically we anchored in Eastport, sometime way back this was separated as a town from Annapolis but in reality its all the same place. We took Helios to the Fourth Street dingy dock (choice also with Fifth Street dingy dock), crossed the bridge (Spa Creek) and wondered around Annapolis. It’s famous for the Maritime Naval Academy and the State House (parliament). Their State House was established in 1783 and it is the oldest that is still in legislative use. It’s also famous as its where George Washington resignation of his commission and also where the treaty of Paris took place for the revolutionary war (1784). Annapolis has lovely architecture with different coloured plaques to signify the buildings age.

Kim was taking an opportunity to pop down to Florida and catch up with Monique however hurricane Irma put a stop to that. Monique evacuated and took the kids to New England. We had concern that Irma may run up the east coast but that didn’t eventuate. We watched the news and Facebook reports of the destruction that took place in the beautiful Caribbean islands that we had only recently enjoyed. Very sad for the loss of life and damage to so many people’s homes in what are very poor countries.

As the Annapolis boat show nears, the anchorage filled up. La Mischief arrived, they are also have travel plans departing for California and Australia. Naturally a sundowner catch up was required.

We received bad news about Kim’s dad being very sick and she rushed home. Unfortunately he passed away before she got home. Kim is now there supporting her mum and making helping with the funeral arrangements. She’s written the eulogy that is a celebration of his life. Our lives are short. We should all make the most and live them to the fullest. We are trying our best.

Aura is now at a marina in South River, we’re soon heading to Johannesburg to celebrate Steve’s 60th and then back to the States to catch up with other friends.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the one you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sales. Explore. Dream. Discover” – Mark Twain

Back in the Atlantic

We farewelled New York and followed the Hudson River towards the Atlantic Ocean. Our plan was some beach time at Sandy Hook however the weather wasn’t favourable so we anchored across the bay, behind the breakwater, near the town of Atlantic Highlands.  It was a well-protected anchorage not far from the marina and dingy dock. We went ashore to explore the town. It wasn’t the typical tourist town that we had become accustom…no ice cream or souvenir shops. It did had a “drive and park” station for the ferry commute to New York City We enjoyed the walk to the local supermarket where we picked up a few provisions before returning to Aura. The next morning in light winds we motored passed the sandy shores line of Sandy Hook with Brooklyn and New York City in the distance.

Atlantic Highlands

Sandy Hook

The entrance to Barnegat was said to be challenging with a long entrance that at times is impacted by shoaling and waves when there is wind against tide. It was uneventful. We anchored for the night and had a visit from a few locals, a neighbouring yacht and two guys in power boat who were keen for a chat.

Barnegat

Our next hop was to Atlantic City where we anchored outside 2 large casino hotel complexes. This place had the feel of the Gold Coast but it was really broken. We went to shore with Tim and Nancy (Larus) and walked the famous boardwalk. Several of the huge casino hotels close to the beach had permanently closed, the board walk was wide and empty. We walked another kilometre before we reached a number of hotels that had remained in business. This place was lashed by hurricane Sandy and it really hasn’t bounced back. We felt sorry for the residents and comments were made that anybody who was able to leave had already done so…

Atlantic City

Another day another passage…this time we managed to sail with the wind directly behind us. We had originally planned to anchor for the night at Cape May but we continued on as we had such a good breeze, we set the whisker pole and our sails ‘wing on wing’. With a small following sea we passed Cape May and crossed the mouth of the Delaware River and anchored off the beach at Lewes. There was a bit of wind forecast the following morning so we did not have to worry about getting around the cape into the Delaware. From Lewes it was a straight forward sail straight up the river.

That night we hosted a few quiet sun-dowers on Aura with Tourterelle and our new friends from Maddy and John (Indy). We had a great night but had an early start as we had 50nm to cover while the current was flowing up the river. (We did take a few photos of Bob and friends on his yacht Seas the Day. Bob please confirm your email address).

Lewes

The Delaware is a busy river system that services industries and ports near Philadelphia. We saw plenty of big cargo ships making their way up the channel. We had a fast sail with good wind coming from 60 degrees…Aura’s sweet spot. With a favourable current, we averaged over 8 knots, faster than the other boats that were motoring. We passed the nuclear power station and noticed that the size of the sea gulls where considerably larger. Not sure if it was coincidental but why spoil a good story. We crossed the “Kerpa’s Dike” at through the channel and we’d only recommend this for a shallow draft yacht or at high tide. The dike runs for several miles just below sea level. That evening we anchored behind Reedy Island so that we could make an early morning passage through the canal. We had a lovely view of the power station chimney that glowed in the dark. Not quite the Statue of Liberty but it was something different.

Delaware River

We had another early start so to time our departure near high tide while being able to pick up a favourable current through the canal. I set our alarm for 5:30am...only to discover that it was totally dark, not even a glow on the horizon. By about 6:10am we could at least see the anchor so off we went. We followed Tourterelle out towards the canal as this area can shoal.

The canal was very quiet. We were the only two boats on it for most of the way. No commercial vessels to fight for space with. The winds were very light so we just glided through with the current. There are plenty of interesting bridges on the way and the canal is fairly windy so plenty to keep us occupied. Once out of the canal, we put the genoa out and sailed down to the Sassafras River. A tropical storm was planned to form and move along the coast so we found a lovely protected anchorage and caught up on some much needed sleep. After 5 days, we had finally made it to the Chesapeake.

C&D Canal

So back in the Atlantic, then the Delaware and now the Chesapeake

East River to the Statue of Liberty

This passage took us to the western end of Long Island Sound, the East River, passing Manhattan to the Hudson River. It was all about timing as the tidal currents rip through the narrow river channel. The most notable section is called Hells Gate. We had assumed its name is derived from the current however this isn’t the case but I’ll get to that. Most of the scenery is lush and green. Once we passed the impressive homes, the river became a little industrial with an airport, prison ship and numerous chemical looking factories. It returns green along the water front and then it’s dominated by concrete and glass buildings.

Kim’s passage planning was perfect, so with precision timing we transited the East River and at times we had a favourable 2 knot current. This pushed us along at 7 to 8 knots (SOG). Our friends Larus set off at the same time as ourselves. The passage was rather uneventful, minimal traffic upstream with the only notable event being a barge that met us on a bend under a bridge…..ah plenty of space.

Hell Gate was named Hellegot by the Dutch who first navigated these waters in 1614. It was so calm that we did not even realise that we had passed through the treacherous body of water. Prior to the 1850’s, it was believed that one in fifty ships trying to run the gauntlet of Hell Gate was sunk or damaged due to the potential large whirlpools, standing waves and sharp rocks. During the late 19th Century engineers from the US Army blew up the rocks and reefs that plagued the treacherous tidal straights. As we discovered, if you time it right, it is a pleasant passage.

We passed the United Nations Building, under the Brooklyn Bridge and then the Wall Street ferry terminal and helicopter landing field.

Larus

Prison Ship

East River

Financial District

POV with the Go Pro

The Statue of Liberty was a grand sight and we passed the island keeping the regulation distance from shore. As we were in full awe of this landmark we research its history. A project and gift from the people of France that commenced around 1865, with the statue built in separate parts with the help of donations and these parts shown in both France and the USA before it was assembled and completed in 1886. We anchored behind the Statue of Liberty, opened a bottle of champagne and waited in eager anticipation for the solar eclipse. New York was expecting 70% coverage. The day did seem to dull but nothing like the eclipse what we experienced as kids. That evening, the anchorage was a bit rolley but well worth it with an unobstructed view of the Manhattan skyline.  It was breath taking as the sky dimmed and the lights of Manhattan sparkled. Nothing like a billion dollar view for free.

The next morning in fog and a little haze we made our way down the Hudson and back to the Atlantic. A busy harbour that was dominated by fast moving ferries, we slipped past the many ships with almost all remaining stationary on anchor.

Morning Fog

Farewell New York!

Long Island and New York, New York

We bid a sad farewell to Newport, one of our favourite stops in New England and headed for Fishers Island. The plan is to make our way to New York with a few stops via Long Island. The first night we anchored in East Harbour on Fisher Island, just next to a world class golf course (Fishers Island Club). I was making chicken pie for dinner so we had plenty to go around when Tim and Nancy (Larus) and Ian and Ann (Tourterelle) arrived.  Later that evening Penny and Peter (Serendipitous) also appeared so they also came aboard for a couple of night caps.

Fisher Island

The next morning was an early start to catch the incoming tide to Mattatuck. There was no wind so we had to rely on the current to improve our speed. We had heard good things about Mattatuck, the anchorage is located up a river (more like a creek). We had to enter at high tide. At the entrance we saw 2.2 meters…not a good start. We wound our way through the river with Tourterelle not far behind us. It wasn’t until we saw Tourterelle come under a power cable that we gave ourselves an almighty scare…where did that come from? We must have only had a couple of feet clearance. There was no mention of it in the pilot book or active captain. Sure enough we did find it on our Raymarine chart and kicked ourselves that we did not see it prior to coming in. We made our way to the anchorage that looked to have a bit less water than we were expecting. The tidal movement is about 1.6 meters so even in 4 meters of water at high tide, we would only have 30 cm clearance at low tide. Not enough to for us to be comfortable so we waved goodbye to Tourterelle and made our way back down the creek. Even though we knew that we could clear the power cables, we still held our breath as we went under.

The next planned stop was Port Jefferson which was 26nm away. We still had a positive current and the wind was slightly up so we put the sails out and had a great motor sail. I think we even managed to sail without an engine for an hour...wohoo!! Port Jefferson was very much an industrial port with a big power station located in the heart of the bay. It was good enough to anchor for the night, once the ferries stopped running.

The next morning we picked up the anchor and headed to Oyster Bay. We had met some locals, Cindy and Neil in Newport who had recommended this place. Not only for its natural beauty but because you can also catch a train into New York. We arrived to lovely sunshine and calm weather. The anchorage lived up to expectations. We finally got the anchor to hold as it was soft mud and takes a little while to set. Shortly after arriving, we got a call from the broker that a guy from Boston was interested in looking at Aura. Considering it is a 5 hour drive from Boston we figured he might be serious so we got Aura nice and pretty for her first viewing.

Oyster Bay

We really liked Oyster Bay. We visited the local brewery and sampled their wares. We caught up with Cindy, Neil and Cindy’s mum with drinks on Aura. We waved hello to Billy Joel who had a big house across the bay and walked around Teddy Roosevelts place on Sagamore Hill. 

Sagamore Hill

While at Oyster Bay, we decided to visit New York. Although the train takes a bit longer, the walk is a lot shorter. Day one in New York involved a lot of walking. We caught the train to Penn Station and walked to the High Line. This was once an overhead train line that they have turned into a garden with interesting sculptures and good views of the city. From there we walked to central park via Time Square. What we had originally calculated as a 20 minute walk turned out to be over an hour. Once reaching Central Park, we found a nice tavern and shouted ourselves to a well deserved bottle of wine. We got talking to the bar attendant who pointed us to the John Lennon memorial (Strawberry Fields) then onto one of the best pizza places in midtown New York. I was so hungry I burnt my tongue :- (

Now that we had been revived with food we took the metro then walked to 230 on 5th Avenue. We found our way to a recommended roof top bar with great views of the Empire State building. We were not disappointed so had a glass of wine, took a few happy snaps and made our way back to the train and home.

Day 1 photos of New York

Just for the record, the fellow who looked at Aura decided to pick this day to drive back up to look at Aura for a second time. As we were not home, he bought a Sense 55 instead. A very keen buyer but it obviously was not meant to be.

The following day we picked up anchor and moved to Port Washington. This was to be our base for several days as we continued to explore New York. Port Washington is very cruiser and transient yacht friendly. We received a welcome pack from the local commerce association. They were extremely friendly and helpful. A short 15 minute walk to the train station, cafes, restaurants, pubs, good shopping and even a chandlery (West Marine) in walking distance from the dingy dock (equipped with phone charger station, rocking chairs in a shady area and water bottle refill station).  Note to Simon…be careful of the vicious swans. The harbour was also surrounded by a number of larger homes for the wealthy. Speaking of wealthy, we did note the 8 am morning overhead rush hour of helicopters ferrying the working important people to Manhattan…we assume Wall Street.

Port Washington

Day two in New York saw us explore downtown New York including the 9/11 memorial, Wall St, China Town, Little Italy and a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The sun was out and we had some great views from the bridge…we even saw Trump fly out from the helicopter station near the Wall Street pier. For lunch we enjoyed Dim Sum at Jing Fong and really enjoyed the food and the whole experience.  It was just like being back in Singapore, a huge dining hall and we were one of only a few tables that were not Asian. After walking across crossing the Brooklyn Bridge we wondered through the nearby water front area then took a ferry to Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange was kindly flying the Australian flag. Si was in search of the bronze bull statue however that we a few blocks away in the opposite direction… something for next time.

Day 2 photos of New York

While I was having a rest day, Si went on a mission to find a super Walmart to replace our laptop that might have had a little bit too much red wine. He caught a bus to New Jersey via Manhattan. During his travels, he stopped at Time Square for a bit more of a look around.

More photos of New York

The following day was rainy so Si, Ann and I went into New York to go clothes shopping. We spent most of the morning at Century 21 going through rack after rack of discount clothing. Ann and I picked out about 20 items to try on but only came away with a few random items. Ann did find a dress for an upcoming party in Palm Springs so she was happy. I bought a new bikini so Simon was happy :- ). We once again stopped for pizza before heading home. On our return we were shocked at the amount of rain that had fallen, Si had to bail out half a dingy worth of water.

The following day we had planned to head into town again to see a Broadway show but I was worn out after a very busy week. Instead we organised a pump out of our holding tank, we then took Aura to the town dock to get water and went grocery shopping. Unfortunately Si who had been nursing a sore back had a relapse so back to square one…so easily done when you start feeling better.

On Sunday, we headed into New York for the last time. We would have liked to have seen a show but Si would not have been able to sit for three hours, even with intervals. We headed to the East Village which had a very different feel to mid and downtown Manhattan. We walked around until we came to a Moroccan café that was recommended for its great brunches. We were not disappointed.

Brunch

From there we jumped on the sub way and visited Grand Central Terminal. Big and grand packed with people…great people watching venue. We started walking towards Times Square and decided to go via the New York Yacht Club. Unfortunately we were not able to take any photos but the architecture of the model room was impressive, very much an indication of a by gone era. On display, they have a model for every yacht that participated in the Americas Cup right from the beginning. We were even given the key to the library…everything old and stuffy but interesting. Thank you to RPYC for kindly organising the letter of introduction.

New York Yacht Club

As the yacht clubs food and bar facilities are closed for the month of August. Our next was a quick drink at the roof top bar on 5th Avenue before heading to Masey’s to see what bargains could be found. By now, we were both tired so there was not much in the way of shopping, more just looking. As we headed home for the last time we felt a sense of sadness to be leaving this impressive city and only scrapping the surface of what there is to do and see. Here’s hoping that we will be back some day.

More fun

Our next blog, we transit the East River and make our way to the Hudson where we anchored behind and anchor at the Statue of Liberty.

Mansions, Jazz & a Road Trip

As is always the case, the wind dropped and the sun came out. It was time to leave Martha’s Vineyard and head back to Newport so we could collect our cabling for the solar panels and our water maker. On the way back we stopped off at Cuttyhunk and caught up with Tourterelle. It had only been 10 days since we had seen them but it was still great to catch-up. They headed into the village and purchased some locally caught sword fish and the yummiest scallops I have tasted.  Ian cooked up a feast as always and had a lovely dinner.

The following day we set sail for Newport. Much to our excitement we managed to sail just about all the way. We found a nice anchoring spot and settled in. We had a couple of the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) yachts come over and say hi. This turned into sundowners…great way to meet new friends.

The next day we met up with Tourterelle and visited the Vanderbilt mansion called “The Breakers”. The Vanderbilt’s made there fortune through the railway. It is one of the many mansions that were built in Rhode Island in the mid to late 1800’s. Simon and I were both impressed with the opulence and the level of detail that was built into the walls and ceilings. Sadly the fellow who built this impressive house died within a year of it being completed. It continued to be occupied by Vanderbilt’s until 1948 as their lifestyle caught up with them and they could no longer maintain this beautiful house.

Mansions Tour

That night a few of the OCC crew and Tourterelle went to a concert at Fort Adam’s. It was a fusion of Indian, African and Jazz music. They were also accompanied by two Indian dancers who were fantastic. The final piece brought all the music together with both India and African dance. It was very different but a great night out.

On Saturday, we headed to Boston with Ian and Ann and their friends Karen and Michael. There were heading back to the UK so we decided to tag along. The drive there was wet but fortunately as we arrived the rain stopped. Si selected a lovely Italian restaurant where we enjoyed some fresh pasta and Italian wine. We also caught up with Steve and Dee who were anchored off Boston. After lunch we walked the Freedom trail and learnt some of the history of the American Revolution and the Boston tea party. We visited the Italian quarter, went to the fruit and veg market. A dollar sale was on, two punnets of blueberries for a dollar and the same for a pineapple. We spent the remainder of the afternoon visiting several Irish bars. The second bar that we visited was the oldest Irish bar in Boston (maybe the US but I would be making that up).

The following day was Ken’s (Lady Rebel) birthday so we all headed to the park for a picnic and a few celebratory beverages. The park has music every Sunday and this weekend coincided with the Newport Jazz Festival, we enjoy the sunshine and grass with two different Jazz bands playing in the background. It was relatively uneventful until it was time to go home. Ann was helping Ken into his dingy when he gently slid into the water. He only half went in but Ann and Jen struggled to get him back into his dingy. Fortunately we were going past at the time and Si was able to assisted with getting him back into dingy…incident diverted or so we thought. We had left a bag on the dock so Si went and retrieved it only to slip on one of the dingy’s on the way back and somehow managed to scissor Ken around the head (not sure how he managed to do it) and they both went crashing into the water with Simon landing on top of poor Ken. Ann was able to grab Ken by the collar and get his head out of the water. Si managed to get himself and Ken back out of the water. No one was hurt but poor Simon felt really bad and that was the end of the evening’s frivolities for him. I went over to Lady Rebel and poor Ken had also put himself to bed. As you could imagine it provided plenty of entertainment for the rest of us. The following day, every time I thought about it I would burst into fits of laughter.

Jazz in the Park

So Newport ended up being a very social time but we also managed to finalise the cabling for our solar panels and we are making lots of electricity. So much fun watching it trickle into our batteries. Si also re-installed the vessel for the water maker and it no longer leaks.

All good things must come to an end and it was time to more on once again….this time our destination is New York soo stay tuned for the next exciting chapter as we make our way through Long Island Sound to the Big Apple.

Farewell Newport

Marion & Martha

We waited for high tide to navigate the Red Brook channel and motored across the bay. Our life isn’t just turquoise water, sandy beaches, rum and margaritas. It was maintenance time and we had been referred to a long established boat yard business “Burr Brothers”. It is located at the end of the inlet in the seaside village of Marion. The harbour is totally full of yachts on moorings. We weaved our way through the many classic wooden yachts and motor launches. This boat yard is set in one of the most picturesque locations. Now, if you’re not interested in the technical stuff, skip the next paragraph.

Once docked and in no time at all, the work commenced. We had Aura in the slings and out of the water, the sail drive lube was being drained, inspections of the rudder, anodes and antifoul were underway.  Next we had our rig checked as we had covered a few miles since it was last inspected by a professional. They used a crane to hoist the rigger for the inspection. Our generator showed signs of a leak and I needed a little professional advice. I was told that we needed to replace the pump rather than just change the bearings….mmmm I guess that’s the world we live in today, throw that away and install a new one. I removed the old pump and made it ready for the replacement.  Our water makers membrane also had a minor leak. I removed the unit and as I hadn’t worked on this part before we sent it to a local professional (Burr Brothers do not work on water makers) and we hope to have that back soon. We had purchased 500 watts of solar panels and the plan was to have our bimini modified with Sunbrella and Velcro flaps to hold them into position. The sail maker made the measurements, the bimini was removed and a few days later we had it back in place. While the bimini was being modified we took the opportunity to polish the steel work. A few minor changes took place and we now have the panels installed. With some online guidance from Ryan in NSW and a hands on review by Gary (Takamoana) and with a loan of a crimping tool from Ken (Lady Rebel) I completed the controller/battery cabling. As Burr Bros didn’t have the required connector, we are now waiting for cable to arrive in Newport to complete the job.

That about covers the technical jobs.

Marion Boat Yard

Tourterelle was also at Burr Brothers having a technician work on their electronics that had been damaged by lightening when we were in the Bahamas. Lady Rebel (Ken & Jen) were also close by, they had a new track installed on their mast. Ocean Blue also popped in and joined everybody for Ann’s birthday celebrations, a fun night at Marion’s newest restaurant “Atlantic”.

Ann’s Birthday

We spent a week in Marion getting work done however we had a few outstanding jobs to be complete. It was the weekend and we had to vacate our dock space as the owner returning. We received an email from Gary and Louse (Takamoana) that they were heading our way so we agreed to meet them at Hadley Harbour. An easy 12nm sail (motor) across the bay…also one of Kim’s favourite spots. It was great catching up with them as we had not seen them since Christmas. As what always seems to be the case in New England, we had some cold, wet weather come through on the Monday. In an section of the harbour that is known for poor holding we dragged our anchor twice so decided to pick up a mooring and wait out the bad weather.

On the Tuesday we headed back across the bay to Marion to get some alterations done to the bimini. We spent a night on the dock before heading back across the bay to Martha’s vineyard.

Martha’s Vineyard is an island just off the coast south of Cape Cod. We anchored in 3.5 meters of water just outside of breakwater and town of Vine Haven.  After wondering the main street of the town, a road trip was in order. We caught a bus to Oak Bluffs where we wondered the streets then caught another bus to Edgartown. They are all lovely seaside villages, full of tourists with plenty of shops selling knickknacks, souvenirs and t-shirts. I played spot the Black Dog general store, bakery, bar and clothing shop (see photos). And as for the vineyard, misrepresentation! There are no grapes and no vineyard to be found. In the 1600’s the island was named such as it had a lot of wild vines on the island (not sure about Martha). We’re still at Vine Haven, the weather has changed from sunny summer back to winter. Strong winds are forecast so we’ve moved inside the lagoon. Lady Rebel and White Ibis are anchored behind us and another yacht nearby has laid 3 anchors. It’s time to rug up with a good book and later we’ll catch up with the others for some Mexican Train.

Martha's Vineyard

The Black Dog

Exploring New England

Time flies.…it has been two weeks since we arrived in Newport…where has the time gone? We did some exploring around the Newport area including the 4th July in Bristol. We did the 5km cliff walk that takes you in front of all the massive estates at that are perched on the water’s edge overlooking the ocean. Some are impressive…some are just gaudy. We did a lot of socialising with sundowners on a different yacht most nights. Aura hosted about 12 people one evening that included both old and new friends.  We worked on our plans for exploring the New England coast, Long Island sound and New York (thank you Cindy & Neil). We also worked on our recently replenished wine stocks (big thanks to Ken for helping out when we ran out!).

Newport Sundowners

Newport Sun Rise

We treated ourselves to lunch at the New York Yacht Club that has an impressive club house in Newport. The club is grand building on the hill that overlooks Newport harbour. We enjoyed a casual lunch of lobster rolls and wine with Tourterelle (Ian and Ann) and Ocean Blue (Leslie and Derek). The day was picture perfect with not a cloud in the sky. Perfect for enjoying the incredible view over Newport and walking through the gardens.

It was time to leave Newport and explore some of the anchorages on the Elizabeth Islands. We had booked Aura in for some maintenance work in Marion the following week so had a few days to do some exploring with the first stop Cuttyhunk.

We decided on a 6am start…keeping in mind that the sun rises at 5am. What started as light fog turned into rain with very little visibility. It was cold…Kim in her musto and socks and Si wearing his beanie. I’m sure our friends in Grenada and BVIs are enjoying a warm summer in the Caribbean. We’ll acclimatise soon enough and on that note, swimming in these waters for us is a brief experience.

We made it safely to Cuttyhunk outer harbour and anchored in 3.5m of water. The inner harbour is a marina and mooring ball/buoy field. Fortunately the fog lifted by the time we arrived but was back again by late afternoon. We had a lovely fish curry on Tourterelle and the fog gave the harbour a very eerie feeling. The next morning water droplets dripped from our insect mesh dripped onto our bed. It wasn’t raining, just an excess of moisture in the air. That morning we heard (Channel 16) of two incidents with yachts colliding with fishing boats.

We eventually braved the fog and took the dingy to town for a walk around the village…not that we could see much. We still had a pleasant walk up the hill and then across to a rugged beach. The fog lifted soon after lunch. On our way back to Aura we stopped by Ocean Blue who told us of an anchorage near Woods Hole, the aerial photos looked gorgeous. We picked up the anchor at around 3.30pm in light wind and set sail (with the motor running) for Hadley’s Harbour.

Cuttyhunk

Hadley Harbour is special as it is a natural harbour with incredible beauty. On arrival we anchored in the outer harbour but the following morning we ventured into the inner harbour and dropped the anchor south of Bull Island.   The entrance to the outer harbour is protected by a reef and the inner harbour is flushed clean with a smaller entrance that is protected by a dog leg. The morning was gorgeous…even ventured in for a swim and managed to stay in for longer than a few seconds. We took the dingy for a ride around the harbour only for the weather to quickly change to cold and rain. One minute I was in my bathers, the next I am in long sleeves and socks. We did host a sundowner with Ocean Blue (Derek and Leslie), White Ibis (Billy and Jade) and Perigee (David and Leslie). Si made expresso martinis and margaritas. These did help warm everyone up.

We enquired with the ferry man about taking a short 1.5nm trip across to the mainland village of Woods Hole but we were advised that the ferry is for private use only as they only service the local home owners. So that put an end to our plans for a visit to the town’s bakery and to access some free Wi-Fi.

Hadley Harbour

A new day and a new plan, well as we say each plan is written in the sand at low tide. We lift the anchor and motored towards Red Brook. Inside the inlet we found a comfortable 4m depth on the lee side of Bassetts Island. For us, the channel is not to be navigated at low tide. We entered on a rising tide and the same for the exit. Inside is a small anchorage and ½ a mile across the bay are two marinas with a large mooring field. We had read about a seafood barge/restaurant, it wasn’t what we expected so burgers and beer it was. On our return to Aura we were stopped by the Harbour Police as Helios, our dingy wasn’t registered. I made it clear that we were foreigners with a loud greeting “G’ Day”. They were understanding and kindly informed us that we needed to have life jackets (PFDs) in the dingy. We acknowledged his request and told them that we’d comply. A little over an hour later, we needed some extra Wi-Fi so I ventured back to shore, to send some documentation by fax to Customs. Oh yeah, on entry we didn’t receive our “Cruising Permit” from Customs and after multiple emails etc. we’ve trying the old fashion FAXing of documentation. Our friends have now being successful with this method so we’re also giving it ago.

Well on the return to Aura guess who gets stopped by the Harbour Police…again. I see the same officer and smile nicely. He asks “do you have a life jacket?” I reply “yes and I have my handheld VHF and a personal EPRIB!”. ”Great,” he says “it’s a no wake zone; it’s a 5 to 6 knot limit in these waters”. “OK, sorry about that”, I reply (yep I had some wake as I wasn’t on the plane and doing less than the speed limit). He goes onto saying it is about being an excuse for stopping the noisy jet skis. I think he just wanted to bail up the Aussie for another chat and make sure I’d complied with having a PFD. Anyway he smiled and replied “Stop breaking the law, this isn’t doing any good for Australian & USA relations” I smile and waved and I toddled even slower back to Aura. How popular am I?? On return we watch multiple other dinghy’s on the plane, motor launches in displacement mode creating a wake, that only a wakeboarder would enjoy ……not that it matter…the sun is shining and the chilly north wind has gone. Time for a quick swim ;- )

Passage to Red Brook

Floating Birds Nest !

Bassetts Island

Happy Forth

We cleared customs in time to celebrate our wedding anniversary at the Black Pearl  restaurant that is renowned for its clam chowder. Newport has an annual clam chowder festival that the Black Pearl would win each year. So the organisers changed the rules so that the winner could not enter for the next three years…..mmmmaybe the organisers had borrowed the tactics from that famous yacht club? Anyway, lunch was great and the celebrations continued well into the evening on-board Lady Rebel. A fine night was had by all with only a few minor incidents with someone getting stuck in the companionway stairs and somebody else accidentally feed the Canada geese. We also caught up with Derek and Lesley (Ocean Blue) who had made passage from Bermuda.

As you do, we backed up the 3rd with the 4th. The plan was a 7:30am dingy ride to town and then we’d take the bus to Bristol. The parade was to start at 10:30am  and we’d be there by 9ish. Bristol is most famous for having the longest running 4th July parade in the world, well really that should be noted as “in the USA”. People travel from far and wide to see the Bristol parade with some even camping out overnight on the foot path to ensure they get the best position. We woke that morning feeling a little dusty from the night before and decided we could not miss the parade. It all just fell into place and we found ourselves on route with La Mischief and Lady Rebel.

Bristol and Newport are both picture perfect, they are pretty American towns something just out of a movie film set. Bristol’s was blocked off from the main road so we walked the last few miles. Every house looked manicured and proudly had at least one stars and stripes flag with many having additional decorations. A few entrepreneurial kids had set up a  home-made lemonade stand.

We had time to walk the parade route and look around the town centre. Everybody was in high spirts, with strangers greeting us with “Happy 4th!”. Strangely it was difficult to find a coffee for breakfast or anything substantial. Kim found a stall that sold pizza by the slice while the others…. believe it not, found a bar. How strange that our friends would find a bar at 9:30am so we settled down to have a glass of prosecco and a beer! The sun was now shining bright and we ventured back to the parade route where we found an elevated position on the steps of a town hall building. Let the parade begin. It started with police on motorbikes clearing the street, followed by marching police, parade committee members and a guy wearing period clothing ringing a bell. It just flowed from there…countless school bands, flag twirling, a bagpipe band, vintage fire trucks, vintage and current model sports cars. The floats included “Miss Newport”, a kids billy-cart (orange create) winners, US Coast Guard and much, much  more. There was frequent chanting “USA USA USA…” proud and happy people.

I’ve neglected an honourable mention of the tall man waving the flag (maybe a symbol of President Lincoln?) and we also had a photo taken with a real life Sheriff (who was on duty).

Once the parade finished we found ourselves a crowded Irish Bar to pass the time, letting the crowds dissipate and the roads reopen. We met a few Ocean Cruising Club members and a few Australian couple David and Linda, SY Perigee.

That evening with the usual crew, we reconvened on La Mischief for a BBQ and to watch the spectacular fireworks. I’m sure we should have had a dinner of burgers, fries and hot dogs but with our recent arrival we were not that organised. Earlier that day on the bus we had met Long Islanders, Cindy and Neil (Sea n Me), who also joined the festivities. We had a good American turnout on board as DeAnne had friends Barb, Joe and Richard who had also been with us in Bermuda. Steve put together all American playlist, fun was had by all.

Hope you had a “Happy Fourth”

On our way to the USA

Sailing Aura to the USA was never something that was on my sailing “to do” list. With the hurricane season fast approaching, it seemed like the logical thing to do. It also gave us the opportunity to visit the beautiful islands of Bahamas and Bermuda. Two places that had not initially been on our radar but we are very glad we went.

Getting ready for passage requires more mental preparation than anything else. Yes you need to ensure that you have sufficient food, fuel and gas but the thought of being at sea for five days, heading to one of the busiest countries in the world can be quiet daunting. Also picking that weather window can be tricky, especially when you are heading to a continent the size of America as weather systems can develop quickly off the mainland.  Oh and there is this thing called the Gulf Stream that we have to cross. This fast flowing body of water that can run a current of 4 knots can cause you grief if you cross with wind against current as the seas would get big and choppy.. There are also adverse currents that flow off the Gulf Stream that you also want to avoid. Did I mention an increase in marine traffic that means avoiding big cargo ships and surprisingly, a large number of sailing yachts. So this passage should be a walk in the park :-)

Day one was fairly uneventful except for the occasional squall and wind right on our nose. I woke after an afternoon nap to find Simon staring at a few black clouds behind us. “Can you hear the thunder?” he asked. I had a look and was not too concerned as it appeared that it had gone around us. I popped my head around the front to see if there were any other boats near us and had a “Holly Cow” moment.  While Si had been peering at the stern of the boat, some big scary black clouds had developed and we were heading right for them. After I had a moment of panic, we furled the head sail and continued on our way. Fortunately it was not as scary as it looked and we sailed through it. Only issue is that it left us with a wind shift with the wind very close on our nose so the next few hours we had to adjust our course so we could continue to sail.  Eventually the wind dropped out and we spent the night motoring.

The wind kicked back in on day two. I woke to find myself wedged against the side of the bed…a good indication that Aura was sailing at full speed at 60 degrees to the wind (otherwise known as her sweet spot). Definitely not my favourite wind angle as it makes everything on the boat a challenge as you have to continually hold on with one hand or alternatively, you can wedge yourself in a corner for support.  So as you can appreciate, going to the bathroom, putting on deodorant and getting dressed is a major undertaking and results in a few new bruises. I wondered out into the cockpit later that morning only to notice that we had caught a fish. My first thought was how the hell are we going to manage to land a fish in these conditions. Fortunately Si was slightly delayed and by the time he came on deck, the fish had fought its way to freedom. Must say I was slightly relieved to see an empty hook.

As day two progressed, the wind dropped out and it was back to motoring. It is a hard call to decide which is better…having to put up with background engine noise or moon walking around the boat. I would vote for the former but don’t tell Simon!! Day three put on one of the prettiest sun rises I have seen. The sea was flat and it mirrored the spectacular colours that were reflected by the clouds.

We had a great day enjoying the calm waters. We even had a couple of visits from dolphins that put on a display practising their breaching techniques.

By sundown, the wind was up again and we were sailing. Although the wind was at a better angle (90-120 degrees) the waves had increased in frequency and hitting us from the beam. Aura was all over the place so we reduced sail to try and stabilise her. Even with a reefed genoa and reefed main sail, she was still cracking 9 knots. It was shortly after that we took a turn north to commence the crossing of the Gulf Stream. As soon as we entered the Gulf Stream, the waves seemed to flatten out. We only saw an increase of 1 to 1.5 knots of speed due to the current. It was all rather non-event…not that I am complaining.

Day four started saw us leave the Gulf Stream at approximately 9am. We continued sailing north with good wind. A low front was expected to bring strong winds but we didn’t really see much more than 20 knots. The wind was at a broad reach with a following sea…a very comfortable sail. We were making such good speed over the last four days we hoped to arrive in Newport a day earlier but possibly at night. This is something we are usually careful to avoid especially a busy harbour like Newport but the prospect of a good night sleep is too much of a temptation and we decide to make a run for it.

The final day of our passage had squalls scheduled at dawn. I was on watch and Simon kindly helped me reef the genoa before he headed to bed. Fortunately it was light by the time the rain hit us. There was very little wind just lovely cleansing rain that washed the salt from the decks. It was not long after the rain stopped that we received a call from Lady Rebel who were approximately 10nm ahead of us. They had just hit fog. Si and I looked at each other blankly, can you have fog with wind and isn’t it summer? It was my turn to have a nap but when I got up, sure enough everything was wrapped in cold, damp fog. You could see the sun trying to burn through so we both decided that the fog would not be around for long. Wrong again, it stayed with us all day as we got closer to the USA. Fortunately we have our trusty AIS and could see that both La Mischief and Tourterelle where still close by. Not that you could physically see them.

As night fell we were still 5nm from Newport. We had good wind and calm seas so Aura made better speed than expected. Apart from trying to avoid the occasional fishing buoy and fishing trawler there was very little traffic. We were greeted by some spectacular fireworks to celebrate the 4th July holiday. We finally arrived at Newport harbour at 11pm and made our way to the anchorage avoiding the numerous crab pots and high voltage cable danger buoys. It was cold…we were both wearing several lays of clothing and reality hit that we had left the tropics behind. We got the pick down and were very proud of our anchoring ability in the dark. So it was only appropriate that we enjoyed a glass of wine to applaud our successful passage and safe arrival in the US :-)

Bermuda part III – Let the finals begin

The more time we spend in Bermuda, the more that we love the place. The biggest appeal are the locals. They are always friendly and helpful, wanting to ensure that you enjoy beautiful island. Now we are into the finals with Oracle Team USA and Emirates New Zealand battling it out on the weekends, we have had more time to explore Bermuda.

The Americas Cup has been great but maybe not as exciting as the L.V. Challengers Cup. New Zealand has shown their supremacy throughout the finals and now they have raced home in the lead for all but one race.  They appear to be a much faster boat and hold it together while Oracle USA make mistakes and put themselves further behind. We have had lots of fun on La Mischief with a range of different guests join us.  Here are some more pictures of our time on La Mischief.

The Annapolis crew….our yacht broker from Annapolis’ wife Emily, daughter Katie and three friends (Sharon, Gregg, and Kelly) joined us for a day. Great people and lots of fun.

During the week, we spent time at a few different anchorages around Hamilton. One of our favourite is Mangrove Bay. The anchorage is located between several small islands and reef. We had a couple of sundowners on the small local beach with Dee and Steve on Le Mischief and then another night with Tourterelle and Tina and Russel from Hugo. We also had a fabulous curry night on Tourterelle with all the Barbados 50 yachts. We were also introduced to Peter “Brush” who is Jen’s (Lady Rebel) brother who is now a Kiwi and the build manager for Softbank Team Japan.

One afternoon we decided to explore the local beaches…well maybe they weren’t that local. We followed the now disused heritage rail line, over the hill, through a nature reserve and after 6 km’s finally came to a beach. We walked another 2 km’s exploring the different beaches and coves until we finally arrived at Horseshoe Beach. It was pretty underwhelming for one of the world’s most beautiful beaches were full of people, seaweed and beach chairs and umbrellas taking up most of the beach. A popular spot for the guests of visiting cruise ships. We’re just no longer accustom to crowds! The good news was that it had a beach bar that sold Bermuda’s national drink, Dark and Stormies…after the long walk we definitely felt like they were well earned :-)

We also met super cool local Dwayne who has a part time job as caretaker of an island property. He invited us all over for a BBQ…though I don’t think he knew what he got himself into. He did warn us prior that sound travels and to be conscious of our conversations. Our entry to the island was via a channel with the world’s smallest drawbridge. Dwayne’s made sure we had a fun filled night, we enjoyed drinks off a sandy beach, a great BBQ and turtle spotting by touch light and a midnight swim.  Other highlights included our first visual of a Portraguese Man-O-War Jelly fish.

The next day we found the disused rail way path, then hiked the hill to a British fort. In the good ole days, multiple forts were built to protect the British commercial activities of the Caribbean and for protection against the USA. Just a minor point in history is that Bermuda was a strategic military point during the American War of Independence. While walking around the old fort we met a few locals playing cricket in the car park, Steve and I joined in. Dad and the local kids were pleased to play with a few Aussies. In a country that's so close and influenced by the USA they appear to still hold on to some of their history.

We took a little time out by ourselves and found a secluded anchorage at the base of the fort. Everywhere and anywhere that takes your fancy or is special can be an anchorage in Bermuda…so much for restricted anchorage zones.

The week was over and the AC finals returned for the weekend. As is now history, Team Emirates NZ concord. It was over and so was our time.

We savoured our last few days including a final BBQ at Clem's Whispering Pine. We sadly lifted our anchor at the Hamilton anchorage for the last time and spend a few hours in a small anchorage cleaning  Aura’s hull. We returned to St Georges to clear customs and took in the sites.

Beautiful Hamilton

St Georges

Next up : Our first 4th July in the USA and a little bit of AC history in Newport, Rhode Island…

Bermuda part II

Where does the day go?

So this is blogging with the camera.

Here are a few snippets of our days watching the AC on La Mischief.

1 June

2 June

4 June

8 June

We checked out the America’s Cup Village, there was plenty of space to chill and watch the action on the big screens. We had a good view of the NZ and Artemis teams. In between races Team NZ changed their wing and later that day broke it…..(pitch pole).

AC Village

To coincide with the celebrations a large fleet of tall ships is visiting Bermuda.  There was marching and a military band for the Queen’s Birthday. Plus a BBQ and Bonfire event on the water front.

Hamilton Harbour - Tall Ships 

We spent a little more time anchored across from the RBYC and then moved back to the “AC designated anchoring area”. We still had the bay in between the island to ourselves. One morning we could hear a banging noise on our hull, it was a school of fish herding smaller fish. The water was boiling! A few days earlier I had seen a similar event take place the yacht club and I watch one of the staff do a little fishing.

While at this anchorage we had time for Mexican Train and to enjoy a few “Dark & Stormy’s” the national drink of Bermuda.

Designated Anchor Area 

Local Fishing @ RBYC

Designated Anchor Area – Part 2

In addition to the beautiful Bermudan beaches we also enjoyed an outing to see the Crystal and Fantasy caves.

Crystal Caves

Before Eric and Annie (El Gato) flew home, we had a farewell dinner and Eric showed me a few rigging tips with our spinnaker halyard.

We’re looking forward to the showdown, Oracle Team USA v Emirates Team NZ. Who will go home with the cup? We understand that if NZ wins the next event will be 4 years away in Auckland and if USA wins they bring the event back to Bermuda in 2 years.

More to come……

America’s Cup Action

Bermuda is a buzz with the America’s Cup (AC).  In 2013 Team Oracle USA won the 34th America’s Cup and selected Bermuda to host the 35th event. The prize is the Auld Mug and the winner is determined by one on one match races between the holder of the cup, the Defender and a Challenger. The Challenger is determined by a series of fleet round robin races and then match racing type playoffs. At present we’re enjoying the semi-final playoffs.

I believe Bermuda is best known for the said mysteries of the “triangle”. This area is the water between Bermuda, USA and the Bahamas. Statistically speaking there has been no increase in number of the unexplained loss of ships or aeroplanes in this area compared with other geographic regions. That said, Bermuda is an archipelago of more than 180 islands with the main island joined by a network of bridges. While technically is a British territory, it became an English colony in 1684 and thus the oldest British Colony. The population is a mere 70,000 and we’ve found the people so helpful and friendly. We love Bermuda with its clean, neat 1800 type English architecture, the village laneways and practical gardens. These are all set in a near sub-tropical environment and surrounded by beautiful beaches.

America’s Cup (“AC”) Day 1 – We had anchored in the designated area, a secluded group of islands that are less than 2nm from Hamilton and little further to the AC Village and only a less than 100 meters to the race track. It was perplexing to find that it was just Aura, Tourterelle and Jiyu. No other yachts… we wondered if we’d anchored in the correct place or had the triangle teleported everybody to another reality. Anyway, we jumped on board Jiyu’s dingy and watched the day one action while bouncing around the Official Sponsor boats.

AC – Day number …..um not sure now, yep we’ve lost track of it. We started with watching the race from the yacht club (RBYC) and then from an acquaintances (friends friend) garden on the top of the neighbouring island beach house. La Mischief arrived; we hadn’t seen Steve (from Perth) and DeAnne since Australia Day in Martinique. Lady Rebel (Ken & Jen) arrived before us and had anchored at White Island just off the Hamilton harbour. Clem the manager of RPYC Annex and his partner had also arrived. El Gato (Eric & Annie we met at Guadeloupe) were due to fly in and join us. The scene was set for the AC action.  

La Mischief is a Lagoon 421, perfect for watching the AC. Steve’s guests Kev (and partner Di) would kindly be our Uber dingy driver, collecting us each morning for another day on the water. Each day we anchored on the edge of the course, close to the race marks so to position ourselves at the optimal viewing positions. We have cheered and supported all the teams, now we are backing NZ.

Our next few blog posts will be more images and less text, self-explanatory.

Bermuda Passage

For most people the idea of making a six day off shore passage is a chilling concept, some may choose the comfort of an ocean cruise liner while most will select the speed and comfort of an aeroplane. For us, it’s just about securing our home and moving it to the next interesting destination. Bermuda wasn’t on our “must do” list as it is 650nm off the coast of the USA, just a spec in the Atlantic. At present Bermuda is hosting the 35th America’s Cup and we thought how often would we be in this neighbourhood for the oldest international sporting trophy in the world? It is the pinnacle of yacht racing.

So we set sail in stronger than forecast winds, tacking towards the USA coast rather than a straight line to our destination. We had two solid days of windward sailing and then the wind stopped. We used our satellite phone to download GRIB data to our computer. These are raw weather models that we overlay on our chart (map) with a GPS showing our current position and our desired direction (waypoints). The weather forecast wasn’t a surprise as the weather gurus (Predict Wind and Chris Parker) had forecast light wind so we powered up the iron sail and made a direct line for Bermuda.

The colour and texture of the ocean changed with the time of day, it resembled a silk sheet lifted so gently over a bed then it turned to molten steel grey metal. Our AIS navigation overlay would alert us of the potential danger and we would watch these massive ships power past. Well this was the case with the exception of Gas Leo, a 1000’LNG tanker that was crossing our path. When they were a few miles ahead of us it just stopped and turned as if it was waiting for us to catch up. How strange is that? Maybe they wanted to offer us a tow :- ). We had fun coming up with a number of different reasons why they would just stop dead in the middle of the ocean. As we approached we contacted the ship using our VHF radio. They acknowledged our presence and we passed close by their stern. A few hours later they turned and headed north, we never did discover why they had stopped.

After nearly two days of motoring the wind strengthened and we set our sails and maintained our direct course for Bermuda. Easy downwind sailing, our visual contact with our friends Tourterelle was at time stretched as they set a gennaker sail that would deliver more power. Our daily routine continued, nights of 3 to 4 hour watches. Kim would set the fishing lines each morning and we spent the day reeling them back in to clean the seaweed. This was our first ever long passage with no fresh fish. Our fridge and freezer we’re well stocked so there was no chance of us going hungry. The early morning watch would often include the baking of bread or as a special morning treat banana bread.

We arrived in Bermuda to a light drizzly rain. We contacted Bermuda Radio, the Coast Guard, not to be confused with the local radio station. We advised them ofour arrival and they notified the customs services. We were granted permission to enter. They directed us into the cut that saw us safely into St George Harbour. After six days at sea, all we wanted to do was drop the anchor and catch-up on a few hours’ sleep but this was not to be the case. Bermuda Radio directed us to the customs dock for check-in rather than the usual anchor and dingy to the shore.  The dock was a little broken with a bend in it. With the strengthening wind it was a challenge to tie up as they didn’t provide any shore side docking assistance.  Fun with only two of us onboard but we managed with the assistance of a passing cruiser that took our lines. Once checked in we made our way to the southern anchorage just as two yachts were leaving. Perfect timing as we finally put down the anchor with plenty of chain in preparation for the big blow that was forecast the following day.

That afternoon after lunch and a nap, we had sundowner on Tourterelle with Ann and Ian along with Kelly, Jerome and Mia from Jiyu. The excitement of the America’s Cup was building as we planned our move to Hamilton, closer to the race course.

Bahamas (part IV)

For us it’s about meeting the people and exploring new places, the Exuma beaches and turquoise waters is now high up on our list of favourite cruising grounds in the Caribbean. I fully understand why so many people return year after year to these islands. Eleuthera is totally different and yet it’s only half a day sail from the Exuma chain. It has charm, isolation and some unique elements including another pink beach and an island hideaway frequented by the rich and famous.

We left the Exumas early so we could make it through the cut at high tide, then sail the 50nm passage to Rock Sound. The fishing gods were with us and we caught a good size Mahi on the way. Rock Sounds isn’t on the typical tourist map. It has a big protected bay with a small village. The locals live a relaxed lifestyle and during the winter season a few tourists call in, though they typically arrive in their own boat. The settlement may be in need of a coat of paint but the people are incredibly welcoming and friendly. Like all of the Bahamas it has a strong Christian community, as we walked around this small town we counted 8 churches.

The last couple of weeks we’d spent in a national park so our fresh fruit and vegie supplies were running low. Our first mission was to find a supermarket, outboard fuel and cooking gas. The town was very quiet, with no other visiting yachts ashore. Our first stop was at Dimbles Garage. We had read that although they are a petrol station, they also provide great tourist information for cruisers.  We learnt about the two tourist attractions, the caves and the Ocean Hole. The latter is an inland pool that’s linked to the sea via underwater caves. We were pointed in the direction of the hardware store for gas bottle refills, the supermarket and most importantly, a good restaurant. It had been awhile since we had been out for dinner and I was looking forward to my cooks night off.

The hardware store took our gas bottles and enquired as to where we’d docked our dingy. The store was a combination of hardware and homeware items with some of the stock being on the shelves for so long they had started to rust. When we inquired about how long it would take to fill our gas tanks, they said they will be ready once we had done our shopping and that they would  drop them at the dock to save us lugging them back. We were impressed with the friendly service although just a little concerned that they would make it back in time. We popped next door to the supermarket that was  well stocked  with the best provisioning since  George Town. We found a good selection of fresh and frozen supplies including a tub of Simon’s beloved vanilla ice cream. We filled our back packs and carry bags and made the trek back to the dingy dock where our gas bottles were waiting on the dock. There was no dawdling as we had to get the precious frozen items back to Aura before they started to defrost. As it turned out, it was a very successful morning with all our tasks ticked off the list. Now that is rarity.

That evening we went to Sammy’s restaurant for dinner. Simon and I ordered the ribs that included three sides. It was a feast with a couple of glasses of red wine to wash it all down. Needless to say we went home very content without damaging the budget. The following day was Sunday so we joined Ann and Ian for a day of exploring. We visited the caves, the Ocean hole and walked around the other half of the settlement. We decided to head back to Sammy’s for a light lunch. We figured that as their ribs were so good, we had to try their burgers. They were good but Black Point settlement still won the best burger award.

The following day we decided it was time to move on. Both Simon and I wanted to go for a swim but we could not see the bottom. Also Si had seen something that resembled a shark when we had first arrived…I just think it was our resident sucker fish swimming away. I don’t think he was all that happy with his new home. We sailed north to Ten Bay which had good protection from the wind but not the best of holding. It took up a couple of attempts to set our anchor. My first swim off the back of the boat was short lived due to a fair number of jelly fish. I then sent Simon in to check the anchor. He reported back that the jelly fish were harmless.

The highlight of Ten Bay was sundowners on the beach at low tide. We were able to walk 100 meters offshore in very shallow water. We found a nice spot in about 40cm of water. Placed the rum cocktail jug and carry bag on a nearby sand bar and enjoyed the warm, shallow water. Si wandered back to the shore to check on Helios only to run into a fellow Aussie who owned one of holiday homes located on the water’s edge. It puts a smile on my face as you never know where and when you will run into an Aussie and how quickly you manage to find some common ground (he’s a fellow Saints supporter).

The next bay we visited was Alabaster Bay. Strangely enough, it was located very close to the Eleuthera airport. Not that it was a problem as you might have three to four 12 seater planes arriving and departing throughout the day. We went for an early morning walk on the beach and saw plenty of marine life including reef sharks, turtles and barracuda. We took the dingy around the small island that promised good snorkelling. After seeing the large number of sharks and barra, we decided to admire the coral from the surface. We all agreed that this was a wise decision when we saw a number of big dark silhouettes lurking on the ocean floor.  Later on that day, the wind was calm so we pulled out the lilo’s. Ann swam over on her killer whale providing plenty of entertainment. That night, I tackled a fish curry recipe. Thanks to Ian and his collection of spices, the curry was a success. Ian and Ann brought over onion barge and dahl which were equally delicious.

As is always the case, the weather dictates when and where we have to move on. A south westerly wind was forecast so we decided to head to the protection of an island close to Spanish Wells. We safely made it through Current Cut and made our way to Meek Patch. Island.  Si had been in touch with Jerome from Jiyu and Paul from Kerpa. They had departed Nassau and were heading our way. It was a very happy reunion…must have been over a week since we saw them last J. We decided to head to the island for sundowners where we were greeted by the local resident…three little piggies. They were very friendly but did not hang around long once they realised they were not going to be fed. It looks like the locals are replicating the Staniel Cay swimming pig tourist attraction.

The following evening we all went over to Jiyu for a lovely  dinner. Si and I decided to be adventurous and make a bannoffee pavlova roulade complete with caramel sauce and toffee. Must say it was our best dessert yet and very well received. It was a fun night and we all got to appreciate how spacious and comfortable a catamaran is when accommodating eight adults for dinnerJ.

The following day the wind had dropped slightly so we took Helios and Kerpa’s dingy across the channel to Spanish Wells. Si had gone in the day before to check out the grocery store and fuel dock and said the town was very different to any place we had visited in the Bahamas/Caribbean…he was not wrong.  The first thing you notice is how clean and neat everything is. All the houses are well maintained and the gardens are well kept.  The next thing is that the population is predominantly white and they are all driving golf buggies. Everyone is extremely friendly and you find yourself waving to everyone that drives past. We had come to shore to find a place for lunch. After a bit of a walk around while having a look at our options, we stopped at The Shipyard. It was really nice with great company, good food and view looking over the devils backbone (reef).

Once again. It was time to move as a strong easterly was forecast. We said goodbye to Kerpa the night before as they were heading to the USA, Chesapeake Bay near Washington. They plan to leave Kerpa in the Chesapeake for a few weeks while they head home to Sweden. We hope to catch up with them again in the US.

During dinner and after a few bottles of wine, we discussed our options of where to get protection from the easterly wind while waiting for a weather window to make passage to Bermuda. Ann and I both fancied visiting Harbour Island, it is recommended to engage the services of a pilot to navigate the complex reef system otherwise known as the Devils Backbone. We decided that the passage exiting Spanish Wells via the start of the Devils Backbone looked relatively straightforward. We would then take a route around the outside of the island then enter at a cut located south of Harbour Island. We also had the extra advantage of being able to follow Tourterelle to ensure that all the depths were sufficient for Aura. We left on a rising tide with light winds and plenty of sunshine. All went to plan with the exception of a ferry that had parked across the channel that took us past Spanish Wells. Tourterelle went first and squeezed past the ferry…keeping in mind they are not as wide as us. They reported back that the depths were sufficient for us to get past. Si and I held our breath and went for it…me providing the distance between us and the ferry so that we did not hit our stays on the way past. Once that challenge was over, the rest of the 15nm trip was easy with the destination being a very protected anchorage. It was not until later that Ann told me that her pilot book highly recommends not attempting the cut without local knowledge…whoops.

Harbour Island is very nice with lots of big holiday homes and pink beaches. We later read that it is a bit of a celebrity hideaway as it is difficult to get to (which I can confirm). We spent a day exploring the island and a few days preparing for our passage to Bermuda.

After careful consideration of the weather forecast we decided it was time to head to Bermuda. Our departure time was also dependent on the tide as we could not leave our anchorage until close to high tide. That morning I was busy in the galley preparing 4 days of meals. I knew the first two days would be a windward sail; meaning we’d be leaning over on an angle and bouncing directly into the swell. I don’t enjoy these sea conditions, cooking is difficult as are simple tasks such as visiting the bathroom. Just after lunch, we cleared the cut and I made myself comfortable on the couch as we ploughed forward with stronger than expected winds. The wind direction was directly on our Bermuda course therefore our direction was shadowing the northern Bahamas. In 4 days we could expect a southerly wind that would support our easterly heading to Bermuda, 800nm off the USA coast. A dot in the Atlantic Ocean. This would be our longest passage since November when we departed Mindelo off the African coast. On that day we set sail with Tourterelle and Jiyu and coincidentally these same three yachts are leaving together for Bermuda.

Bahamas (part III)

The call was made; Game 3 of our international rugby water polo was set to play out on the beach next to us. Kerpa (Sweden), Jiyu (France & Korea), Tourterelle (England) and Balanec (France) had now all moved to the protection of the two cays; Big and Little Major. We also had guest players from Trinidad and Scotland join us, the new friends who the previous day we helped out with the dingy tow. This match was a little more physical due to deeper water and the unknown if this might be the final round. The newest team members caught on fast getting into the spirit with a few dunkings, including their own team members. Another rule change was added to stop players running with the ball along the beach. We continued to ignore the odd forward pass. After the match, we recovered in the sand, watched the sun set and enjoyed a new rum punch mix, as we have used most of our juice supply. At least we still have plenty of rum…for the time being.

We moved on, leaving Staniel Cay cut on a high tide. After a fast passage, we anchored a mere 6 nautical miles north at Thomas Cay. Friends Rob and Cathy (BnG) had helped us map out our Bahama route had said that the neighbouring Little Pipe Cay was great for catching lobster. We set off in Tourterelles’ electric powered dingy with our snorkelling gear to find underwater ledges that lobsters would favour. The sun was shining, a little breeze and beautiful Bahama waters had us all smiling. Kerpa followed in their new powerful dingy…yes I do have dingy envy. The cay was marked with a small navigation light that appeared to be a restored ruin. As we circled the cays edge, we got close up and personal with a sea plane that had just landed and was turning towards us. We were not in any danger, just not what you were expecting.

We did not have any success in finding lobster but did find a great place to snorkel with colourful fish and coral. Jiyu, and Balanec were anchored at Little Pipe and were joined by Sir Henri, another Barbados 50 yacht. Later Jerome reported that they sighted a lobster however it eluded them as it took safety in the back of a small cave.

It was Kirsten Birthday and a fest was prepared. Foie gras pate was the starter, Ian cooked a whole filet of mahi-mahi with a herb crust and roast vegetables. Kim made birthday cake with Ian’s homemade icing sugar. It certainly looked the part as we sang Kirsten happy birthday. Everybody’s wine cellars were raided, ours is now non-existent, while the others still have a few special bottles that they had carried from Europe!

Later that night, we were woken to brilliant white flashes of light though our hatch. We had time to close the hatches, stow the cockpit cushions before all hell broke loose. In the last year, I do not recall a storm that blasted rain past our bimini covered cockpit and into our saloon. We had storm cell after storm cell, each time the lighting and thunder was closer. Our laptop and hard drive was moved to the protection of the oven, we hope that if we were hit it would act as an Faraday cage. The lightening was all around us, you could literally feel the electricity in the air. Two forks appeared to strike each of Kerpa’s masts, only 30 meters away. We ensured that we kept clear of our masts’ compression post while hoping that we would not be struck as we have the tallest mast of the three yachts. 

After the initial storm past, we went back to bed for a short time before being woken to more thunder and an increase in the wind. Our depth alarm sounded as the current and mixed winds dragged us towards shallow water. We started the engine and using just our instruments for navigation, we motored forward in total blackness with no stars or moon to guide us. We moved into deeper water and took up a little chain, the anchor held. Kerpa swang towards the shore and they did the same. The strong wind continued but we could do nothing but wait until daylight. As dawn approached, we could see Tourterelle had also dragged and had re-anchored. We all escaped relatively unharmed, both Kerpa and Tourterelle now have some issues with instruments but no major damage. A yacht anchored close to Jiyu and Balanec suffered a direct hit, they lost all instruments, the electrical system was damaged that includes the operation of their engines….. a very sad night for these cruisers. On a positive note at least nobody was injured.

After the nights events we were all keen to move on and find a better anchorage. We had to leave the same way we arrived, back out the cut as the other channel was to shallow for our draft. Low tide was approaching and it was lower than usual, a negative depth on our charts. I took the dingy to inspect the cut and found it rough but “do able”. My concern was the low tide with waves, our chart detailed less water than our arrival. Ian and Ann had consulted their professional weather forecaster on the SSB – single side band radio. He indicated that we were more than likely to experience more of the same, another night of squalls with a high probability of lightening. Kim and I decided to stay, we had plenty of space the only issue was the current that would turn us against the direction of our anchor and that we could drag once again. All three yachts stayed and our catamaran friends on the neighbouring cay decided the same. We re-anchored (second time happy) allowing additional space between the three yachts and settled in for the evening, with an alarm set so I’d be on deck for the tidal change. Getting up to do my watch, I found a star filled sky, not a cloud to be seen. Our anchor had held firm. Fortunately we didn’t have a repeat of the previous night.

In calm seas and once again flying only our genoa we made passage to a small cove at Bell Island. A grand home sat on the hill top above the beach. The beach was full of toys and sunbeds; it looked more like a mini resort. The staff must have laid out the play things for the guest or resident. The bay was smaller than we expected due to the central location of a floating swimming platform. Several of our charts indicated that we had reached a dead end, our Explore Charts indicated a small sand bar. While we circled and discussed the options we were greeted by the owner on his jet ski, enquiring as to our plans. He was pleased once we communicated that we were not staying. Tourterelle’s forward sonar indicated we could easily cross the section in question and we continued a final mile to O’Brien’s Cay. Our high light at O’Briens was snorkelling in the coal garden and the low tide sand flats (these would have made the perfect pitch for our rugby/polo game).

Exploring O’Brien’s Cay

O’Brien’s Cay - Crashed Aeroplane

Our next stop was Wadrick Wells, the head quarters of the Exumas marine and wildlife park. We anchored off Emerald Rock which was a fair distance from the main island. After a lovely evening with Torterlle and Kerpa onboard for lasagna, we decided that we had to reanchor further out as there was a bit of swell and we did not have much water under our keel. A negative low tide was expected so it was better to be safe than sorry.

The following day, Kim enjoyed a few hours of hiking the trails with Kerpa & Tourterelle while I toured the shore in Helios. They had only been gone for a couple of hours and I got a radio call to meet them on the beach with pineapple and rum. It was another beautiful Bahamas beach with white sand and turquoise water. So we all sat around dunking our pinapple into our rum…very civilised J

Pineapple & Rum @ Wadrick Wells

A picnic at Pirates Cove was planned. Another hike, this time across the island along volcanic type razor sharp rocks with random shafts. I found this challenging in tongs! I thought the plan was to take the dingy to the picnic spot not risk breaking an ankle crossing the island on a rock hopping trail. The path weaved its way to the next beach then another and then we crossed to the ocean side. This was still protected by another island. The effort was well worth it with everyone sharing fish pasties, quiche, pasta salad and coleslaw. Kim and I planned on an alcohol free day but the cold beer presented by Ian was too much of a temptation.

The final stop in the Exumas was Shroud Cay. It is one of the bigger islands in the chain with an extensive mangrove system. Kim and I had an initial look and were amazed at how beautiful and clear the water was, very unlike the muddy mangrove waters from home. The following day, Kim went exploring with Torterlle and Kerpa. They followed a passage through to the Atlantic ocean. Along the way they saw a few fish, birds and a very surprised tor turtle who had not heard the electric driven dingy sneak up behind him.

Shroud Cay - natural colours, no post production photoshop

Shroud cay - mangrove trip

A southerly wind was the weather window that signalled it was time to depart the Exumas and make our way north east to the island of Eleuthera. This limestone archipelago with sandy beaches and sheltered shallow water had been a special part of our journey. We’d spent the last month with both Paul, Kirsten (Kerpa) and Ian & Ann (Tourterelle). After a final game of Mexican Train and pizza, we said a sad farewell to Kerpa they as they were headed to Nassau. We hope to see them again in New York however they have plans to spend more time in Europe. It was not goodbye, just au revoir.

Reflecting on our time in the Exumas, Kim and I noted the uncrowded anchorages, the space and convenient proximity between anchorages (less than 10nm). We have barely touched many of the incredible cays and a fraction of the snorkelling spots that the Exumas has to offer. It was also a change to see an increase in motor yachts. The motor yachts styles ranged from trawlers though to super yachts, again it was different than other places that we had visited as their isn’t a supporting infrastructure (for their clientele) of high end bars and restaurants. It is a perfect place to explore and to make your own fun, especially with good friends.

A few motor yachts, these are for Leo :-) 

Bahamas (part II)

Our plan was to head north, up the Exuma chain of islands and in the general direction of Nassau. Kim plotted an itinerary of easy day sails, that could all be completed before lunch. A pace giving us opportunities to stop, explore and enjoy this remote archipelago. That reminds me, I need to check if the Bahamas is technically part of the Caribbean and if it falls under the definition of an archipelago.

With Tourterelle and Kerpa we departed George Town towards Lee Stocking Island. We motored our way along the sound and out through the cut (gap in the reef). We had our main reefed as the wind was brisk, the seas were calm. A catamaran could make the same journey on the inside of the sound but as we have a keel we took the ocean route. Passing through a cut always has an air of exhilaration, the unknown condition of the sand on the bar, the breaking waves and the knowledge that reef and total destruction is only meters to both our port and starboard sides. Anyway, enough drama, we cruised through the cut and once again we followed Tourterelle through the shallow water to a sheltered bay and our anchorage with only one other yacht. A few hours later we were joined by our Barbados 50 friends, Jiyu and Balanec. I’m sure we crushed that lone yachts feeling of paradise, with the arrival of 5 yachts and 13 people. 

Sundowners were called on the sandy and sheltered beach nearby. We hadn’t seen Jiyu and Balanec since Barbados and even back then our non-existent French language skills made it difficult. Our communication skills had improved and we shared stories. Jerome and Kelly (Jiyu) demonstrated the art of cleaning a number of conchs that they had collected. A task that is not without risk, it requires a good technique and an understanding of this mollusc’s anatomy.

Tourterelle leading the way

All following Tourterelle

Our anchorage was next to an abandoned marine research station. We walked through the facility, past the lab with dozens of fish tanks, past the sea water ponds, though the accommodation and office facilities. The buildings were still intact, some needed some basic roof repairs but all needed some attention. It was like a small ghost town that included an abandoned F250 ute, a truck and other broken machinery. The desalination plant had been removed and items of value such as copper wires and the generator wiring had also been taken. It would have been a very expensive facility to build.

A group picnic was called on Easter Sunday. It was held on a large deserted beach located in the next bay, just a short dingy trip around the corner. Simon was perched on the front of Kerpa’s dingy to try and keep the bow down. Paul slowed down to ensure that my back was ok, only to have Simon topple overboard. Simon’s sunglasses went flying and he was rather concerned about finding them until he realised that he could stand up. Once we knew he was ok I could not stop laughing as it was rather comical. The whole area is very shallow.

To keep the children entertained a water polo type game was organised. The kids picked the team members and we started with a basic set of rules, get the ball into your sides dingy and stop the other team from doing the same. After a few time outs, the rules evolved further, we found some common ground by applying several principles of rugby with a line in to start the game and no forward passes (unless you’re a child). We now had a full contact game plus the added bonus of drowning ones opponent in a tackle.

We did plan to anchor off Leaf Cay to visit the swimming iguana’s but the wind was up and the anchorage was untenable. We made the call to head to our next island, Rudder Cut Cay. Jiyu and Balanec also joined us but anchored around the corner in shallow water. At least the one other yacht did not feel too overcrowded. The following day we headed to the beach to explore the nearby cave and to have game 2 of our rugby water polo match. Unfortunately the game was postponed as both Mia and Jerome had trod on a small sea urchin requiring the removal of splinters from their feet. There was nothing obvious in the water so they must have been very small.

Later that afternoon, the boys decided they wanted to go searching for lobster. They did not have any luck but they did find a magical snorkelling spot with great coral and loads of colourful fish just 30 meters behind Aura. The following day was windy and overcast but we were determined to snorkel of the mermaid and piano statue that was commissioned by David Copperfield. Afterwards we snorkelled on the coral reef and I was amazed at how good it was. Even though the day was overcast, the clarity was amazing. I was happy snorkelling along until I spotted a big barracuda to my side. Having caught a few of these, I know how big there teeth are so I headed back to the dingy.  As I got closer, Ian was telling me to hurry….I know that barracuda are scary looking but not dangerous unless you annoy then. As I was propelled out of the water into the dingy, Ian explained that he saw a big shark behind one of the coral heads. Good call Ian :-)

The following day we set sail for Black Point, this time taking the route across the Exuma bank. We had a great sail with good wind and flat water with depths between 2.5 and 4 meters. We were sailing along at 6-7 knots in turquoise water…a truly amazing experience. We found a lovely anchorage around the corner from Black Point Settlement and the following day decided to walk into town. It was about a 7km round trip but it was good to stretch the legs. The intention was to do some provisioning and more importantly, have lunch prepared by someone else. The settlement was small with very little in the way of fresh provisions. We had an awesome cheese burger, the walk was well worth it.

Next stop was Big Majors and Staniel Cays. These islands are probably more touristy than the others we have visited as it is the home of the swimming pigs and the Thunderball grotto that was made famous by a couple of James Bond movies. We anchored off Big Majors as we were expecting strong winds and squalls from the south. We got up bright and early the next day and went and visited the pigs. We tried to feed them from the dingy so they had to swim out to us. We only managed one taker while the rest stayed ashore. We figured that they are too well fed so why swim for your supper when tourists go to shore and feed them. Later that day I noticed something big and dark swimming around Aura…on further inspection I noticed it was a shark. Maybe something to do with the chicken juice I had put down the sink. Si got to GoPro and took some cool underwater shots. After some research we confirmed that it was a nurse shark…relatively harmless but he didn’t know that when he had his hand in the water.

Later that afternoon, the wind increased with some rain. We decided to call a Mexican Train game with Kerpa and Tourterelle. To go with the “Mexican” theme, we made margaritas and fajitas while Ian and Ann made nachos with homemade salsa, fried beans and a relish made out of plantain’s (oversize bananas). Great fun with the Simon winning...or so we think.

After a night of pitching back and forth due to the wind coming from the the south, Tourterelle decided to move anchorages. On the charts it showed only 1.7 meters at low tide in a small section. As it was high tide, we decided to follow them around with the expectation that it was likely that the depths would be closer to 2.5 meters (we have a 2m draft). It was an easy motor around where we anchored between the cays, Big and Little Major. A lovely spot with very few boats. That afternoon we took the dingy to the Thunderball Grotto. It is another one of those must do’s and we weren’t disappointed. It is a cave that you swim into with light that filters through a hole in the ceiling. The fish were amazing and come right up to you expecting to be fed. After leaving the Grotto we noticed a yacht (Oyster 62’) that appeared to be dragging its anchor as a result of a strong current at low and high tide. The water was ebbing and the current was fast flowing. We tried to assist by using Helios to push them around but we didn’t have the power to budge it. Si dived on the keel to confirm that it was aground. After a few stressful minutes, the lady onboard was able to engage the engine and get the yacht out of the shallow sandy area and away from the rocks.  Later that day, Simon had to tow a dingy back to their yacht as they had run out of fuel…all part of a days work on Aura.

More to follow...

Bahamas

Several of our Barbados 50 cruising friends are heading to the Americas Cup (Bermuda), Europe, the US or somewhere in between. This meant that the Bahamas was the perfect place to catch-up with good friends. We were excited about exploring the Bahamas as we’d been told many stories about the crystal blue water, the white sandy beaches and the quiet anchorages. Our friends on Kerpa and Tourterelle were nearby in the BVI’s and Puerto Rico, respectively. As per usual our departure was dependant on a suitable weather window which also coincided with our friend’s departure. We had a loose plan to meet in a few days at the Bahamas island of Mayaguana. The passage started with speed, calm seas and a fresh breeze. This changed and we did have to motor for a 24 hour period. The remaining two days was text book downwind sailing with a south easterly wind. We found it an effort to reduce our speed so that we arrived at the entrance of Mayaguana with a high tide and the sun high overhead. Apart from the good sailing conditions, the passage was about the fishing, on the second day we landed a good size mahi-mahi and as we approached our destination we landed a small tuna. Just as Kim was putting out the line, she felt a strike… another good size mahi.

A few days into the passage, we were able to communicate with Kerpa on the radio. Tourterelle arrived a few hours ahead of us and kindly waited for us just inside the lagoon. We had 5nm of shallow water, reef and bombies to navigate to reach the town anchorage so we could clear customs. Tourterelle is equipped with forward looking sonar plus they have a lifting daggerboard keel that gives them a catamaran type draft. Tourterelle kindly led the way, making a zigzag course around the underwater dangers and calling depth changes on the radio. An hour later we all safely anchored in sand and the turquoise water. Paul kindly took Ian and I to the very small settlement of Mayaguana, it was a good nautical mile from our anchorage.

We hadn’t seen Kerpa since Martinique and they hadn’t seen Tourterelle since Barbados so we had plenty of catching up to do. As we had caught the beautiful mahi-mahi that morning, we hosted the rum punch and sashimi sundowner followed by pan fried mahi-mahi. The next day a few of us felt a little dusty, maybe that was due to some sleep deprivation during the passage? The following day we went to shore to stretch our legs and walk along the jagged rocks that lined the beach. Not one of the prettier beaches we have explored.  Our stop over and catch up was brief as we had Monique and kids (Eamon & Ainsley) joining us in Georgetown. The next morning we lifted anchor at 7am and followed our GPS breadcrumb tracks that we made as we entered the lagoon. Not the easiest of tasks…there is a reason why it’s suggested to navigate these waters when the sun is high. Fortunately we made it out without incidents although there were a few calls that we made where I held my breath.

Arriving in George Town after an overnight passage, we were greeted by black clouds, lightning and thunder. This storm seemed to have magically appeared. Storms like this give us reason to be concerned. We altered course by 45 degrees hoping we could skirt around the edge. The seas were calm and there was little wind in this cell, it is the possibility of being struck by lightning that is our greatest concern as we have a very tall lightning conductor. Fortunately we only received a fresh wash down, cleaning the salt spray from our decks. We navigated our way through the pass into Elizabeth Harbour and we soon set our anchor across from George Town.

Monique, Ainsley and Eamon were joining us the following evening for a few days so the next day was all about provisioning and getting Aura in ship shape condition. We had not had guests since early January. It was great to catch up with Monique, she is first repeat visiting crew member. We had a blast during her visit in Ibiza Spain. Our time in George Town was lots of fun as we enjoyed a few margaritas, visited several beautiful deserted beaches, swam in the crystal clear water and collected all sorts of coral and shells that had been washed up. One day we went to Chat and Chill for lunch. It’s a very basic beach bar but with plenty of activities for the kids including coconut painting, volley ball and the friendly string rays. We even had the lilo’s out. At one point the kids on lilos drifted off a fair distance, they were no longer attached to Aura….somebody untied the safety line. Thankfully before they floated to the next island we were able to rescue them with the faithful Helios.

Their time with us went way to fast and before we knew it, we were waving them goodbye. Ok so maybe not as they were picked up by the water taxi at 5.30am. We are looking forward to their next visit (not so far if you live in Florida).

Kerpaand Tourterelle caught up with us in George Town and we started making plans for exploring the Exumas…Jiyu and Balanec were also in town, stay tuned for our next update “Beyond Barbados 50, The Bahamas”.

USVI’s & Home Coming

It was great to be back in Oz and to catch up with the family. It was strange not going back to Queanbeyan where I grew up, rather to Cootamundra where my parents have recently relocated. My father’s dementia has progressed to a stage that he now requires full time care. It is such a terrible disease that has robbed Dad of his memory and removed his ability to communicate. Fortunately Dad seems happy enough with his new accommodation. He now has the security of having people constantly around him. Mum is doing well and loves her new home, chooks and all.  Cootamundra is a lovely little country town, this time of year it was very hot, dry and windy. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. My sister Rachael lives on a property nearby with her husband Steve and their three boys. I met my newest nephew Jax who is five months old, he’s very cute with lots of giggles and smiles.

My 12 days flew by with regular visits to see Dad and what seemed like never ending appointments to see the doctor, dentist, chiropractor, hair dressers etc. I did manage to spend time with my sister and her family going to watch the boys play football and an assembly that included a presentation from Beau’s kindergarten class…so cute.  Mum, Rachael and I even managed a girl’s night at home with homemade pizza, a few glasses of very tasty pinot noir and a chick flick.

After a sad good bye to Dad, Mum drove me back to Canberra the day before my early morning flight to Sydney. We had a lovely lunch with my brother Pete at the Arboretum. That evening I caught up with good friend Paulie, Becs and their adorable three year old Charlotte. After a couple of bottles of bubbles and what seemed like only a couple of hours (probably more like five hours), a sad farewell and I headed to my airport hotel. I caught a few hours’ sleep before my early morning flight. It was going to be a very long Thursday.

The flight home was a lot quicker than my trip home as I had less time in transit. I was concerned about getting through the LAX airport customs in time for my connecting flight. Fortunately my flight was one of the first to arrive so it all went fairly smoothly. I did get pulled aside and asked some additional questions by border control but I was the only one in the queue so it was fast. After 4 flights I finally made it back to St Thomas and I found my gorgeous hubby waiting for me in his rental car. It was late Thursday night local time, my longest Thursday ever.

Aura was still anchored in Christmas Cove so it was a dingy trip across the passage in the dark. Fortunately the sea was calm. It was great to be home and to catch up on all the goings on. Si was very busy while I was away between socialising and doing boat jobs. Si had also done a major grocery shop (and just a few bottles of $7 rum) in preparation for our trip to the Bahamans.

Now that I was back on Aura we started looking at the weather window for our five day sail to the Bahamas. Unfortunately there was a big tropical low that formed over the Bahamas that brought windy, raining weather to the Virgin Islands. After a few days, the wind dropped and swung around from the south. Not good sailing weather. I was not too concerned as it meant that I had a few days to catch up on sleep and enjoy being back on Aura.

Over the weekend, we had the opportunity to watch the St Thomas Regatta that was hosted by the St Thomas Yacht Club that was located on the other side of the passage. On the Saturday night we went across to the yacht club to join the fun and to catch up with the Australian crew that were racing on Tas (with the Tasmanian Devil as their logo). They were also anchored in Christmas Cove and had previously come over to say hi. We also had a fun day sail fishing trip sail on El Gatto (Annie & Erics’ Catana 471) trawling for fish. Si had caught up with them while I was away however I didn’t get to see Annie as she was on a short trip back in the USA. 

Kim & Alan ("Lets Go" support Tas)

With the southerly wind, Christmas Cove was getting some swell resulting in Aura rolling back and forth. We rolled through two nights before we agreed that we had to move anchorages. Not to mention that a change of scenery would be nice. With the seasonal north easterly trade winds, Christmas Cove is well protected by a reef. On Monday after Si finally returned from a final shopping trip (which took him several hours as the buses were not running and he had to leg it most of the way), we finally picked up the anchor and moved to Magens Bay.

Our friends Ian and Ann on Tourterelle had recommended it as it has a lovely beach, lots of space and very few boats. We were not disappointed. We arrived at approximately 4pm and anchored close to the beach. There were a couple of other sailing yachts and a motor yacht that we anchored nearby. It was great people watching as the beach was crowded throughout the day by visiting cruise liner passengers. By 4pm, the beach was close to deserted and we could walk the beach while watching the pelicans dive bomb for fish.

After a few days the wind swung around to the North East and the anchorage started to get rolley from the swell. We returned to St John and “checked out” in Cruz Bay. We enjoyed an American BBQ lunch with a couple of cold beers. Of course there was that last minute provisioning. The next day at 7am we set sail for the Bahamas.

USVI's