BAHAMAS!!

February 6-15/17

The Ferry

Jim and Mimi, formerly from the boat Perfect Balance (they've sold it), flew down from Canada for a vacation.  Yay!! Seemed like a good excuse to visit the Bahamas. The four of us took the fast ferry over to Freeport to spend a week with Randy and Sherry, who are there on their boat Priorities.  Randy and Sherry's dockmates on a beautiful power cat, Time Out, were away for the month and very generously offered it to us to stay on in their absence.  What a wonderful opportunity.  Thanks soooo much Rolfe and Harriet!  I hope we meet someday so we can give our thanks in person.

Leaving Gran Vida safely docked in Cape Coral, we drove to Fort Lauderdale and met up with Jim and Mimi there.

Hurricane Matthew:

The six of us pitched in and rented a van for the week so Randy and Sherry were there to meet us at the ferry terminal.  As cars drive on the left side of the road in the Bahamas and the driver's seat of the van was on the right, we had a great laugh as Randy accidentally hit the windshield wipers every time he wanted to switch on the turn signals. It takes a lot of concentration to drive on the "wrong" (to us) side of the road from the "wrong" (to us) side of the vehicle.

On the drive to the marina, the damage from Hurricane Matthew was evident everywhere.  The west end of the island really got hammered and being a relatively "have not" nation, relying heavily on tourism, it is taking them some time to get things up and running again.  There are parts of the island that still don't have power.

Hurricanes are not new for the people of the Bahamas and despite the damage the people were friendly and laid back as they tackled the work.

Ocean Reef Resort and Marina:

Randy and Sherry are docked at a lovely resort and marina. What a great spot, with two pools, tennis courts, hot tub (which Jeff practically lived in), restaurants, and a beach a short walk or dinghy ride away.  We had a great week, hiking, beach walking, checking out the local establishments and sharing many great meals and plenty of laughs.  Here are a few highlights:

We visited some underground caves in one of the National Parks.  Unlike the caves we visited in Cuba, there was no swimming allowed unless you have a special permit and diving gear.  We were slightly alarmed for a minute as two divers bubbled up from the depths as we arrived.

 While we were down in the caves, forgetting that her prescription glasses were propped up on her hat, Mimi took it off and boom, onto the rocks and down into deep crevice they went.  Peering down with a light, they could be seen, a couple of feet down in a few inches of water.   Much to Mimi's relief and with the help of one of the divers, Jim and Jeff were able to fiddle around with sticks and get them close enough for Jeff to squish his hand down there (ewe) and reach them.  Great save, guys!  Hmm...  If you look closely at the picture, it looks like both guys have their sunglasses propped up on their hats as they hang over the crevice.

Next year....  we hope to take good 'ol Gran Vida over there....  if it all works out.

Fort Myers - December 2016

View of our marina from Firestone's rooftop bar.

We spent the month of December in the Fort Myers Yacht Basin. The goal:  work on the boat. Jeff had a few mechanical things he wanted to accomplish (getting the injectors rebuilt) and we had our eyes on that lovely shag carpet, circa 1979, glued to the walls.  I'll never understand why back in the day it was thought to be a good idea to glue carpet to the inside walls of the boat but it was way past time for it to go.  Ewe.

Even with the best of intentions, unfortunately there's a lot to distract distractible people in downtown Fort Myers. We had a great month hanging with friends, playing muckers (a ring toss game that we play on the lawn), and checking out the goings on downtown.  We, however, did NOT get much work done.

Jeff's son Mitchell flew down to join dear 'ol dad for a bit.  They enjoyed a hockey game in Fort Lauderdale, some golf and some good old fashioned father/son time.  It's always such a pleasure to have him  aboard.  We enjoyed several celebrations (seems there's always a good reason for a party in Fort Myers) including Leif's retirement (long-time Harbour Master) and Grant's (As The Crow Flies) birthday.

We drove home to Canada for a family funeral during the Christmas week and arrived back to the boat on New Years Eve just in time to enjoy a low-key celebration with our neighbours.  The next day we cast off and headed down the river.

We are presently at a lovely marina in Cape Coral, focused, and actually getting some work done on the boat.  We're enjoying a nice peaceful month, alternating between quiet recreation days and putzing/work days on the boat.  Peaceful.  Low-key.  Just what we need.

Sudden Trip Home

This December will not go down in history as a great month for us.

One of the things I love about cruising is the constant change of our tumbleweed lifestyle.  It feels a little like escapism.  Let's GO!?  SUUUURE!!!  We're outta here!!  What's around the next bend in the river?  The next one?  It's exciting.  A continuous supply of new places, people and adventures.

But life back home goes on.

This December we were blindsided. Things weren't going all that well on the boat anyway -- an injured back, taking turns with the flu, a run in with a varmint invasion (rat on board!!! Disgusting. We've moved marinas and dealt with it. All good now) -- just a run of bad luck that life hurls sometimes.  Unsettling.

Which is the state of mind we were in when we received the call.  Jeff's sweet mom had suddenly passed.

It's a reality for cruisers. Far away, events can unfold which will bring you to your knees, making you wish you could morph yourself home in an instant. The worst case scenario.

In our case we fired random clothes into a garbage bag (seemed like a good idea at the time), grabbed our passports, made arrangements with the marina, got a friend to watch the boat... and we were driving within the half hour. Twenty-four hours of adrenaline-driven road time.

The silver lining was, if you search hard enough for one, that we got to spend some time at Christmas around both sides of the family, which we haven't been able to do before. Nice.

So I'd like to borrow this forum for a bit to pay tribute to Jeff's mom and my good friend, Wilma. Anyone who knows Jeff is very acquainted with the mom stories.  Wilma.  Sharp witted, feisty, strong headed, willing to try almost anything, always full of laughter.  I'll miss our lunch dates, long afternoon drives and heartfelt girl talks.  Jeff's grief is on a whole other level.  His Mom.  His root. She was still living in his childhood home.

Watch over us Wilma as we navigate our way through and/or support your four adult children working together to take care of your business; through family bumps, shifts, changes and growth; all the while learning the new reality of finding our way without our Heron matriarch.  We already miss your guidance.

Back to Our Winter Boat...

Our flight from Cuba arrived back in Toronto around midnight.  We slept at an airport hotel and twelve hours after landing crossed into the States by car.  Three countries in one eighteen hour period. A bit of a whirlwind!

We both love a road trip and we chose a nice scenic route through the States.  On the way we took a very welcomed pit-stop in Charleston to visit with Dave and Michelle on the boat Just Us. This is a new boat for them and WOW, what a beauty, a fifty plus foot Viking.  Jeff was drooling all over the engine room with two big Mann Diesels and still plenty of room to move around comfortably. Thanks Dave and Michelle for the hospitality!  We look forward to catching up with you in Fort Myers.

The next stop was St. Augustine to have a visit with our buddies Connie, Joe and their sweet puppy Chase on board the boat Chesapeake.  Chase was rescued by Connie and Joe last year and they had a bit of an "adjustment period" with him as they all got used to each other.  He's like a new dog now.  So settled, relaxed and calm.  It was so nice to catch up with them.

We couldn't put if off any longer.  Gran Vida was parked in a boat storage lot for the summer which is located in the sugar cane region.  When we dropped her off we saw the burning of the stocks going on, with the thick, black smoke, and we knew she was going to be dirty.  Not to mention that Hurricane Matthew had just passed close by and had thrown up some wind.  We arrived to find the boat had been moved to the work area as requested, in one piece but very dirty!  After a quick survey we spun on our heals and headed out of there.

No, we weren't being lazy, Brian and Janice, our friends from Ontario and from the boat, Fugitive, were visiting their condo in Naples and had invited us over for a visit.  Their hot tub was very much appreciated after several long days in the car.  We enjoyed a great visit and a nice dinner out.  Thanks Brian and Janice for the warm welcome.

Back at the boat we put our noses to the grindstone and started in on the clean-up.  After a week of thorough cleaning, re-organizing, buff and waxing, mechanical repairs, washing/waterproofing of the canvas, bottom painting and a start on the metal polishing, we were launched and on our way.

The plan for this month is to stay in the municipal marina in Fort Myers and continue to work on the boat, cleaning, sprucing it up a bit along with socializing with other boaters.  Throw a little golf into the mix and what's not to love!  Sounds like a gran vida to us!

Check out the shine!

Cuba

Early November. The first snowfalls were beginning. Jeff had finished work for the season. The boat was hauled out of the water and about to be shrink-wrapped for the winter. The American election, which we really were preferring to avoid (no offence to our American friends!) was set for November 8th.  What to do?  What to do?We decided to treat ourselves to a week get-away at an all inclusive resort in Varadero, Cuba.  We'd never done anything like that and we weren't sure what to expect.

It was lovely. Most of the week was spent lazing or playing ball by the pool or on the beach.  There was a show every night which was actually pretty good!  One was a show in the pool with synchronized swimmers dressed in sparkly costumes.  Of course Jeff and I had a blast making complete fools of ourselves trying to replicate some of the moves the next day in the pool (not to mention sinuses full of water).

We took two excursions, one to Havana with a couple we met from a small town outside of Edmonton and their two teenagers, Christine, Peter, Korban and Kindra.  The other excursion was a jeep safari, where we got to drive our own little 4-wheel drive.  We shared our vehicle with a sweet young couple from Toronto, Taylor and Hamad.  On the agenda for the day was a visit to a spot for snorkling, an underwater cave with a natural, crystal clear pool for swimming that was absolutely beautiful and probably one of the most refreshing experiences in a long time, a little fishing boat we used to take a spin up a river, and a farm, where I got to ride a bull (Save a cowboy, ride a bull).

Here are a few highlights:

Every day was warm and sunny, with only a couple of very short rain showers all week.  

Days were spent playing ball on the beach or in the pool and chatting with other vacationers.

Many long walks along the shore were enjoyed.  One day we went out on little hobby cat, with feet dangling in crystal clear turquoise water. We even stayed up really late and danced a few nights away in the disco!!  And guess who was leading the congo line (Hint: Jeff).  It was a nice escape.

Summer Interlude 2016

Here it is almost the end of the season already.  It's been a busy summer but things are winding down and we're preparing for our winter in the South again.

Jeff's been working hard all summer with my son-in-law at his family business, Harbour West Marina, launching boats in the spring, then working part-time through the slower summer season, and now back at it full bore, hauling boats out of the water and closing things down.

Not being one to sit around idle, during the slower summer season Jeff joined a crew from our buddy Brian's (m/v Fugitive) company that installs arena board systems all over North America.   He's been on jobs in California, here in the Georgian Bay area and most interestingly, way up in Northern Labrador in a small Inuit community.  This place, with the whooping population of about 350 souls, has no road access and is only accessible by air or water. Pretty interesting !  Pictured are the work dogs, tied up, waiting for the snow to come so they can get back to work.

Me, I've been mostly spending time watching the grandkids, hanging out with friends and taking some painting lessons.





It's been a great summer with lots of friends/family time and work completed, but it's getting cold. There's not much R-value in a boat and I'm pretty sure that was little ice pellets I was hearing pinging on the boat roof early today. It's time to go. We've scheduled a little hiatus for the two of us at an all-inclusive resort in Cuba, which will see us on a beach but out of the States for

the American election (no offense to the our American friends but we'd rather avoid that one).

Then it will be back to Gran Vida and another winter adventure.  We're not sure where we'll end up yet,...   so stay tuned.