Okeechobee then Home Sweet Home

We took the now familiar route through the Okeechobee Waterway back to our boat storage yard, Glades.  Many speak disparagingly of "the ditch" but we've come to enjoy this route for the off-the-beaten-trackedness of it, if that's a word.  It is quite remote with much wildlife.  There were enough birds around to bring Alfred Hitchcock to mind.  In one stretch, from Clewiston to Moore Haven, we saw a baby alligator every hundred metres or so.  Steely little eyes upon us as we approach then slowly submerge as we pass by.

Well, at least I saw them.  This was still Jeffy's birthday week and the big thing for him on his birthday weekend is to kick back and watch the Masters golf tournament.  So I shooed him away from the helm for the day and banished him to the salon to watch tv.  Every once in awhile he'd come up stressed, I had turned a corner and he lost reception.  Occasionally, he'd have to follow the news feed on line for a bit until the course straightened out again and the tv reception came back.

We enjoyed several quiet nights at anchor on the Waterway, watching the fish jump and the birds dive and keeping an eye on where that pesky alligator had slinked away to -- there always seems to be one around us when we anchor on the Okeechobee.  After a few days out we nipped into River Forest Yacht Centre for a pump out and ran into friends Kent and Jane (M/V Rising Tide). They were in the final stages of selling their boat and switching to RV life.  It was pretty emotional for them. Our boats often get to feel almost like family.  It was interesting to us as we're thinking Gran Vida may be next in line for the broker.

Our boating buddy Michele (M/V Just Us) generously offered to pick us up from River Forest and drive us into Fort Myers so we could pick up our car and do the visiting circuit of our friends. It was so nice to catch up with our boating buddies in the area. The next morning Jeff moved the boat up river to Glades Boat Yard on his own and I met him there with the car for our last night aboard Gran Vida for season five.

First thing in the morning we were hauled and we tucked her away for her summer's nap, which is feeling pretty routine after five years.  We were on the road headed North by noon.

On her hurricane stands!

We hear it's still cold up home in Canada.  We've got jackets ready and boots packed in the car.  To be honest, I'm looking forward to swapping them out for my flip flops for awhile.  We are so blessed.  Not a bad gig we've got going but I do love the early spring as the ice goes out and everything turns green again.

Driving home through the mountains of West Virginia.

 The gears are shifting. We're getting our "home jam" on. Until next season, wishing you a Gran Vida.

Crossing Back to Good 'ol U.S of A.

We pulled out of our slip at six-thirty a.m., just as the sky in the East was starting to glow.  It was plenty light enough to see.  We had our course set to head slightly WSW for awhile then turn WNW so we weren't fighting the gulf stream as much.

Knowing we'd be nursing our sick engine and travelling slowly (even more so than usual) we pulled out ahead of the other trawlers to get a head start.  We were surprised by the size of the waves.  Oh no!  This was not what we had bargained for.  We knew they were supposed to lay down in a few hours but it still was not a welcomed experience.  It would not have been the first time the weather forecasts were wrong. With our guts tied up in knots we made the decision to ride it out as we felt it was important to get that head start on the faster boats to ensure they were in radio contact with us for as much of the crossing as possible.

Then the sun brightened, the day turned warm, and everything finally laid down as predicted.  Ahhh.  Soon, we were enjoying an absolutely glorious day at sea.  How wonderful!  Pearl the Perkins Engine chugged away like a champ even though she wasn't feeling her best.

There is something so very awe-inspiring about gliding over long, soft, milky-blue swells - the motion of the ocean - as you bask in the sunshine on the bow of your own little boat, far out of sight of land.  We are so fortunate.

At one point I spotted a dolphin jumping in the distance,  Then another.  Then another!  We watched as an entire group of them approached and surrounded us, jumping in our wake and playing with the boat.  There must have been at least thirty or forty of them!  We've seen lots of dolphins in our travels but never a pod like this before.  Jeff tried to video tape some of it but to be honest, we were just too mind-blowningly excited living it to worry too much about filming.  How utterly magical!

OK, we admit, we borrowed this photo from the internet, but this is pretty much what it looked like.
Add to this that we could CLEARLY see the under water antics as they cavorted and frolicked about,
diving over each other, playing with the boat.
We tried to film some of it but we were way too busy freaking-out with delight to catch it on film.
We always consider ourselves lucky when dolphin comes to play with us.
Knowing that this is likely the last time we'll be out here on Gran Vida, it was a special gift.
Thanks Dolphins!!

Well into the afternoon buildings started to take shape in the distance.  The Bahamian flag came down and up went our yellow quarantine flag.  We entered Lake Worth inlet, dropped the hook in pretty much the exact spot we had lifted it from a couple of months before, and called in to the United States Customs and Border Control to report our arrival.  The crossing took nine and a half hours with an average speed of about six knots.  Slow and steady.

The next day we dinghied into the customs office as instructed and got our new cruising permit from an unbelievably rude officer.  Jeez, are basic manners not required by CBP officers?  He almost got a school-teacher scolding from me but Jeff eyed me down.

It was Jeff's birthday so we had lots to celebrate.  We grabbed lunch at the tiki bar, where they offered Jeff a free birthday shot, booked our haul out for later in the week, and started inching along our journey to Glades Boat Yard, our storage facility.

Happy birthday Jeffy!!

Old Bahama Bay

The trick for taking an older, slow, putt-putt trawler like ours off-shore to the Bahamas is patience.  To make our crossing both safe and comfortable, the weather has to be perfect.

We were a little behind schedule but we waited patiently (and had a great time doing it) and finally the forecast for a reasonable weather window was falling into place.  The plan:  Head to West End, the closest point to the U.S. in the Northern Bahamas, and the next day head out for our crossing to the U.S.  Jeff had pieced the exhaust system together as best as he could without the proper parts.  We waited for high tide to make our way out the shallow channel and off we went.

Well, that lasted for about five minutes.  The cabin filled up with exhaust and it didn't take long for us to realise that more work was needed.  Back to the drawing board, MacGyver.  We turned around and headed back into the marina with our tails beneath our legs.

After assessment and a new plan, we called our handy-dandy driver and he delivered some JB Weld and another case of beer.  Jeff spent the day in the hole in the floor in the sweltering heat.  I had every available fan on him. Another couple of days waiting for the weld to cure and the weather to settle down again.  Ugh, boat repairs are a bummer at the best of times but in the Bahamas, where parts and services are hard to come by, they're an even a bigger bummer.  At least we were in Freeport, one of the larger cities in the Bahamas.

Freighters outside of Freeport.  

So in a few days off we went again.  Headed to West End to wait for our ocean crossing. By now we were well past our targeted departure date and getting a little anxious to get going.  We had had it with the hurry up and wait scene.

The sea was a little bouncy, but doable.  We bopped along, happy to be finally moving, when suddenly we felt a big hiccough in the engine and it began to run oddly rough.  We looked at each other.  Now what?  Jeff checked it out while bouncing around in the cabin and  he could see that a seal had let go and diesel was spraying out of a fitting.  Ugh! Seriously?!

By now we were feeling pretty exasperated.  We were out there bouncing around, the boat was running rough, we weren't sure just which seal it was or even if the boat going to make it to port (or was safe for that matter).

I began to run back in my memory trying to remember where I saw the phone number for a tow in the Bahamas.  I eyed the distant shore.  Miles of deserted beach.  Distances can be deceiving on the water but I was pretty sure I could swim it if, heaven forbid, we had a fire.  Not a great image though. We'd get to shore and then what?  It looked like a completely unpopulated area (although the thought of sitting on a beach and watching the boat burn up and sink was getting to be a little appealing at that point!)


We finally limped into Old Bahama Bay at West End and Jeff began to research and talk to his mechanical contacts.  He figured out it was a return line that was leaking (which was good news).  All preliminary advice was that if it was wrapped tight with a rag it should be okay.  A reasonable looking crossing was up the next day.  We didn't really have any buddy boats going the same way we were.  Should we attempt it?


By two in the morning I had decided even if Jeff hadn't.  No way was I going out there in the Atlantic in a boat we weren't confident in, on a day with iffy weather at best, and no buddy boats.  I was so relieved when he immediately agreed with me.

Pool by the pool. 
What's not to love!

A great place to be "stuck"

So we hunkered down.  We spent a week or so just relaxing at Old Bahama Bay Marina while the wind and waves carried on out on the sea. The next weather window would arrive when it arrives and fretting wasn't going to help it.  Jeff sought out further confirmation from all his buddies in the know and the consensus was that even though the boat was running a bit rough it was safe to run if we wrapped the leak tightly, but we'd have to take it really easy.


We focused on enjoying the resort we were stuck in and loving life.  We took solace in the fact that, even though we felt badly for them, the folks that had crossed on the day we missed had all said it was a rough day out there.

And, Old Bahama Bay was not a bad place to be stuck (even if it was blowing our budget sky high).  There was a beautiful pool with a billiards table on the deck.  What's not to love about that! Pool by the pool! We played shuffle board.  There was lots of wild life around and a nice little beach with kayaks available. We saw tons of sharks, a manatee visited every day for a rub down and some lettuce, great big turtles were frequently sighted.

One day we rode the loaner bikes into the little settlement, which is very poor and run-down.  There is still much damage from Hurricane Matthew that ripped through there two or three years ago that they can't afford 

to fix.  It put things in perspective. We just accepted our fate and enjoyed.  We were not that hard done by.

My Little Lady.  She visited every day.

Feeding frenzy. These are very shark infested waters.
Shallow and warm.  Local fishermen were throwing
scraps into the water right in the marina.  We had
seen the odd shark around but wow, suddenly there
were lots of them!  Hmm... and to think I was swimming
just outside the marina last year while we were at anchor.

Out for a walk to check on
the blustery sea.

Eventually a new weather window appeared.  A boating buddy hooked us up with a group of trawlers who were crossing that same day and on the same course as us.  We met a sailor who had engine trouble and TowBoat US was coming to tow him all the way across to the States, so we knew a tow boat would be out there with us likely within easy radio range.


The stars had lined up.  It was time to go home.

Ocean Reef Yacht Club

This is not our first time here at Ocean Reef.  We came to Freeport by fast ferry a couple of years ago with our buddies Jim and Mimi (formerly from M/V Perfect Balance) and stayed with friends Randy and Sheri (M/V Priorities) on a boat.

Ocean Reef should probably be claimed as an honorary territory of Canada.  It is a time share complex with townhouses and apartments, encircled by boat slips.  They offer very reasonable monthly rates and many Canadian snowbirds come over from the States on their boats and just settle in for the winter.  It's close and cheap and pleasant.  Three very desirable features.

Gran Vida at her slip at Ocean Reef Yacht Club

There are two pools, tennis courts, a hot tub, a nice restaurant, a daily free shuttle to different beaches or markets. tons of activities including a weekly free orientation dinner, movie nights, billiards, bike rentals, loaner kayaks, karaoke, nature walks etc. etc.  Folks are friendly and it is a great place to hang out if you're a Canadian with the mission to just get your boat out of the States for awhile, as required.

This pretty little guy swam
past our boat.  Later we
saw it with two larger
identical looking spotted
rays. Cute family!

Hitler, the dock cat.

We spent a few days here relaxing, socialising and watching the weather. Jeff changed the oil and filters and while doing that noticed an exhaust leak.  Ugh.  Not good.  We got on the phone looking for the required clamp and unfortunately there were none the right size available on the island.  A two week delivery date was required.  Ugh again.  Also not good.  So my MacGyver got busy and after a trip into Freeport for some parts and a case of beer, grease-monkeyed away in the hole in the floor.  He's a handy guy to have around.

Pearl, the Perkins Engine is scheduled for a little make-over next fall when we come back.  She's a great engine and has served us well over the years.  But she's ageing (I can relate).  Her update will include new hoses, clamps, pumps, do-hickies, whatever has become worn and brittle over the years.  She'll appreciate that.  (I wonder if I could sign up for one too!)

They are building some sort of structure over the outdoor restaurant area.
Curious to see what they end up with.

What's that thing on the roof? They were on each unit.
We wondered what they were. Water heaters??  

Greg and Nola, new friends from upstate New York that
we got to know. They joined us for some dinghy 'sploring.

Lucayan Waterway

It's been an especially windy spring here in the Bahamas and we're still waiting for suitable, safe, calm seas to head back to the States.  Our last trip across was way too bumpy for our liking and it was hard on our old bodies...  not to mention our old boat, so we're planning on being quite picky.

It is a three day trip in our trawler from the Abacos to the States.  Our plan was to get day one and two out of the way and finish our wait in the West End of the Bahamas, ready, in case a single day comes up.  We chose to wait at Ocean Reef Marina, as it was cheap and familiar.  We were here with friends a few years ago.  They have a nice pool and hot tub, and most importantly, it's close to our jumping off point for our trip across the gulf stream to the States.  To get here, the most direct route was through the Lucayan Waterway.

The Lucayan Waterway is a canal that runs from the North side of Grand Bahama Island to the South.  Once inside the canal it is well protected and quiet but the North entrance, where we would enter, is quite shallow and silted in.  It is recommended to only go through on high tide.

Unfortunately for us, we figured high tide was either first thing in the morning or just as the sun was setting, either case didn't suit well.  We'd either have to anchor overnight at the entrance, which is quite unprotected, and enter the canal first thing in the morning, or feel our way through in the dark.  We planned on an overnight anchor at the North entrance and early morning passage at high tide.

Lots of rocks to watch out for

The approach to the entrance channel can be a little confusing!
Wheredawego??  Ah! From right to left.
But this did not impress as an appealing anchorage.  Ugh.

We arrived late in the afternoon.  There are no tide charts for the area so a bit of guess work is required.  By our calculations we figured it was likely rising, not too far past low tide.  And yuck.  The anchorage was windy and unprotected.  This is a very unpopulated area and we just didn't have a good feeling about anchoring here.

Sometimes you just listen to your gut.  We have a very shallow draft boat so when Jeff suggested we just inch forward very slowly at idle speed "and see", with a hand on the gear shift ready to give a shot of reverse if necessary, I agreed, somewhat reluctantly.  It looked like a hard coral bottom down there.

It turned out he was right.  We were probably pretty close to that hard coral bottom at some points but we made it through the short entrance channel unscathed and we were on our way.  Whew!

We draw just under three feet.  We were not as close as it looks.
We know to add a foot or so to this reading.
...Still, I don't enjoy seeing it!  Way to close for my comfort.

Long, straight channel in.

Once inside the waterway there is plenty of depth.  It is quite desolate, especially the Northern portion.  There are many houses in various stages of construction that look like they've been abandoned.  A cab driver was explaining today that this is very common in this area. They are not abandoned at all.  Most people don't want to (or can't) get a mortgage, so once a lot is purchased, people just build in stages as they get the money.  It may take longer that way but they eventually end up with a completed house at less cost and no mortgage.  He said it can often take eight to ten years to get a house built.

Lucayan Waterway

This entire hotel is half-completed.
I'm thinking this one has been abandoned.

We arrived at Ocean Reef Resort and Marina just before sunset and safely tied up at our slip.

B-Bye Abacos

All good things must come to an end, and spring is around the corner.  It's time to start inching towards home.

Marsh Harbour Marina and Jib Room Restaurant & Bar

Wednesday is the weekly Rib Night Party.  That's Desmond our dock hand
winning the Limbo contest while lighting a cigarette from the flaming limbo bar.

We left Marsh Harbour with the intention of slowly inching towards home, stopping here and there on our way to check out a few new anchorages and a few favourites.  But the first challenge was going back through the shallow Don't Rock channel without scraping our bottom or hitting our prop on a rock.  We had our departure time calculated to hit Don't Rock Pass at the high end of a rising tide, factoring in a quick fuel stop and two hours of travel.  Unfortunately, the boat sitting on the fuel dock had different ideas and decided to just sit there for an hour and a half, taking up the only spot available for fueling, thus putting us more than an hour behind schedule.  I don't understand why people do these things.  Aggravating.  It was a bit of a nail-biter when we finally went through the channel as the tide was reversing but we made it through, with a little unnecessary stress.

First stop was supposed to be Treasure Cay but unfortunately the winds had shifted and our selected anchorage had become too bouncy to be comfortable. This day was NOT going as planned at all.  But that's the beauty of the Abacos, there are so many wonderful anchorages so close together.  We hopped over to No Name Cay, tucked in the lee of the island and dropped the hook.  We hadn't had a chance to say hello to the wild pigs yet this year so this worked out fine.  By sunset, all the other boaters left and we had the anchorage to ourselves.  We dinghied into a little cove and there saw a huuuge ray.  He came right up to the boat and as I leaned over to get a close look, I swear, we made eye contact and he smiled at me.  Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  A quiet night was spent rocking gently at anchor under a glorious canopy of stars.

The wild pigs at No Name Cay

Next, we needed a place to find shelter from a big blow that was forecasted, so back to Leeward Marina at Green Turtle Cay we went.  We spent three days there hanging with friends and taking in some night life at Pineapples Bar, where we danced the night away and took an evening swim.  "Sooo-zan is in the house!" The deejay would shout into his echo box as I merengued by.  He had learned a bunch of our names. Too much fun!

Deejay Kevin

Dancing Fools

That pool looks refreshing!

And of course, as we were making absolute dancing fools of ourselves, I was introduced to a fellow boater named Peter.  That face was so familiar but so out of context it took me a few minutes to connect the dots.  I finally blurted out "Hey, you used to be my boss!"  It was Peter Gumbrell, a retired Principal of Special Education that I had worked with back home in Canada.  The boating world is indeed small!

The wind died down and we knew it was time to start moseying home.  With sad farewells to Green Turtle Cay and our friends there, we pulled away from the dock and pointed our bow to the North.  We spent a night anchored at Manjack Cay, where we walked the trail to the beach on the Atlantic side and cleaned up plastic.  This is a huge problem in the area. We dinghied the mangroves there and saw a ton of turtles.

Sooo much plastic washes ashore here with every tide.
Eye-opening!!

 Next, we spent a night at Little Sale Cay.  As we pulled into Little Sale we were greeted by a friendly dolphin who came out to swim in our wake.  The water was so clear that we could see every detail.  He had a white nose!  Being greeted by a dolphin is always a good omen in my books.

Two quiet and relaxing nights in a row, enjoying swimming, dinghy 'sploring, cockpit barbecues and watching the stars.  As much as we enjoyed visiting all the popular hotspots in the Abacos, these quiet anchor days, we both said, are our favourite.

We had the whole anchorage to ourselves.
I was so much hoping that dolphin would come back to swim with me,
but he didn't.  It just doesn't get any better than this.
Living Life Large.
Gran Vida!