Blogs from Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Central America Caribbean - page 2

Another early morning so we could get all packed up and out of the apartment by the check out time of 10am. With all the bits that we have bought in Miami, we have had to use the suitcase we bought in addition to the ones we brought with us. We had planned to replace one of them with the new case. Managed to get everything packed in well within weight limits. Stopped off at Denny’s’ for traditional breakfast rather than buying it at the airport. Got to the airport with plenty of time and proceeded through a very smooth checking. The gate at Miami Airport today is right at the very end of the satellite. This is where American Airlines launch all their small plane Island hoppers. It was such a small plane, they could ... read more

This is us, balancing our BLUE WATER overload with some GREEN EARTH 'get our feet on the ground' time. Step inside, hide in the shade and enjoy the deep earthy smells at the Garden of the Groves. The $15 fee, $10 for seniors, is worth it. But just for you, on the blog ... FREE! : ) Now we've started videoing a little, we're amazed at the hussle-bussle of nature. If it works, try our video of crazy hummingbirds diving into the last call of afternoon nectar. After that, check the waterfall video, complete with ducks on the edge. This park was privately owned by a couple who donated it to the public. Coincidentally, the family's name was Groves. It's located almost in the centre of Grand Bahama Island, near the Grand Lucayan Waterway that dissects ... read more

Remember the old Pennsylvania Dutch expression: "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get"? Well we're working on a corollary of that, something like: "The less we do, the less we do-dee-do-dee-do". Hmmmmm? That's catchy. Maybe there's a song in that. See what I mean...? Since we've taken to indulging ourselves as dock-huggers at the Grand Bahamas Yacht Club, we have had more time to do what we do most willingly... hanging out in good company. So we find ourselves relaxing as we had hoped to do, when we started the boat project years ago. There are no worries about dragging anchor or being mowed under by a mega-yacht although we do have our big red fender balls out to prevent being shoved up against the dock by wind and wakes. Ultimately, finding company can be ... read more

If you're saying 'finally' bite your tongue. Time to celebrate and say thanks again to the loyal folks who helped us over the years, so we could get here! After turning back from the crossing Wednesday night, due to extra choppy seas, last Thursday we left Lake Worth at 7 a.m. and aimed south west to cross the Gulf Stream. It was a sunny, relatively peaceful crossing. Beginners need this kind of good luck to keep them going. We got to West End, the nearest north western port in the Bahama chain of 700 islands and scooted into the marina before 4 p.m., for an @ 9 hour crossing. Once we passed the midpoint we seemed to pick up speed as the Gulf Stream gave us a boost. Note to Pat and John... we were startled ... read more

Heading South -2010, part II After a quick trip to Baltimore and a long weekend in Atlanta visiting with our daughter Julie and her husband Dan, we returned to Charleston to get Double-Wide ready for an offshore trip to Florida. Monday November 8th dawned clear and cool. The weather report called for high temperatures in the 60’s and an offshore wind from the NW at 12-15 knots. It looked like an excellent chance to sail on a beam reach down the Carolina and Georgia coast. This section of the coast does not run North/South but more NE/SW until Georgia meets the Florida border. We started out motoring out of Charleston harbor then were able to raise the sails and begin a beam reach as soon as we cleared the long jetties that extend past the mouth ... read more