Our Beneteau First 405 is for Sale. Its About Time for a change

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We’ll tell you more later in the blog about our plans to sell About Time, but for now I’ll give you an update on what we’ve been doing this winter and where we’ve been cruising.

In December, after crossing to Nassau, from Miami, we spent a few days waiting for the right weather to sail down through the Exumas, to George Town. We stopped at Normans Cay, then at Staniel Cay where we met up with some friends, and stayed there for Christmas. As it happened we were headed for Blackpoint feeling a little “Blue” as we were going to have to spend Christmas by ourselves, without our family, and of course those adorable grandkids! As we passed Staniel Cay, another Canadian boat that we know Dejarlo, called us, and suggested we stop at Staniel Cay and have Christmas (next Day with a bunch of other cruising boats that we know). It was an easy decision, and we enjoyed Christmas day and dinner with boating friends. Still we missed our family. After all, Christmas is for family! After Christmas we carried on to Blackpoint, and then an easy ride down to George Town.

As you may recall, last year we bought a houseboat in George Town in partnership with Sharon’s brother Brian and his wife Karen. Our sailboat was stuffed with stuff for the houseboat so it was really nice to unload our sailboat and get our space back. After Hurricane Irene, and leaving the houseboat all summer it needed lots of work just to get it back to where we left off last spring, so Sharon and I spent lots of time working on the houseboat “Joy Bells”. We tried to work mornings and enjoy the life at Volleyball beach in the afternoons. Brian arrived in late January and we then started our major projects on the houseboat for this winter. Brian’s background as a house builder really shows as he just knows how to plan building projects and getting them done efficiently. Karen arrived a couple of weeks later, and in short order, we had ripped out the old fuel tanks, put a new roof on over the cockpit, and Brian did an incredible job of redoing all the bulkheads in the cockpit.

At the end of February it was time for Sharon and I to leave George Town. Brian and Karen stayed in George Town and continued working on the houseboat and enjoying George Town for much of March.

Knowing that this might be our last year with the sailboat , Sharon and I were determined to take our time heading north to the Abaco’s. We are leaving the boat in the Abaco’s this summer, so leaving at the end of February, gave us lots of time to enjoy our favourite spots, and explore new ones. After a couple of weeks of unsettled weather in the Staniel Cay/Blackpoint area we stayed at Hawksbill, Highbourne Cay, and a week in Spanish Wells. We were travelling with our friends Ingrid and Gary on Tamaki, and had lots of fun exploring and playing music.

On the way from Spanish Wells to Abaco, Tamaki had some engine trouble, and had a “nail biter “ sail (without engine) into Little Harbour Abaco with some pretty big rolling seas coming in the entrance. We stayed the first night in Lynyard Cay, then went on to Man of War Cay. We met up with some down east boats and had a traditional Nova Scotia pot luck with salt Cod and things, and played some music. Tamaki is getting their engine fixed in Man of War Cay, and like most things in the islands,, that takes “awhile”. They have a comfortable dock with electricity in Man of War so they are safe and comfortable there. The only hardship is that Man of War is a “DRY” island so they are hoping someone will come over with a spare bottle of rum.

Sharon and I went on to Marsh Harbour, spent a couple of days there, then moved on to Treasure Cay where we are anchored now. Our son Steve, and his fiancée Audrey joins us tomorrow for a week. They are attending a wedding at Treasure Cay so it is nice to get to see them. After Steve leaves we will take the sailboat on to Green Turtle Cay Abaco, where we will haul and store the boat for the summer. If we don’t sell “About Time” by next year we will sail her back to Canada in the spring of 2013.

After putting About Time to bed for the summer we’ll fly back to Florida, drive home, and then fly over to visit our daughter Dawn and her family in Malaysia. By mid May we will be so happy to be back in our home in Guelph!

Now about selling our sailboat, About Time ….. After 5 years of incredible experiences on our sailboat, we think it’s time to move on. With our partnership in the houseboat, we will spend part of the winter in George Town on the houseboat. We have lots of ideas, on what else we’d like to do , but for now we will first focus on selling About Time. It is a hard decision to sell your boat, especially when it is such a good boat. We have done lots of things to make her a comfortable cruising boat, so she has become part of us. If you know anyone who wants to buy a good cruising boat, have them give us a call.

This may be the last blog of this set, especially if we do sell About Time. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and look at the pictures. This blog is always a big team effort, with me writing the blog, Sharon correcting my mistakes, and Sharon doing all the pictures. Note we include lots of pictures which can be accessed at the bottom of this page.



Take Care and please if you are near Guelph, give us a call.



Sharon and Doug

Aboard Sailing Vessel About Time in Treasure Cay Bahamas

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Photos

Stocking Island Beach
The best beach in the world.

Columbus Monument
My sister Patti visited and we got to sail over to Long Island.

Blue Hole in Long Island
It is the deepest ocean hole in the world. People free dive over 100 feet here.

Iguana
They inhabit Bitter Guana Cay.

Waves in Distance
We were held up in Staniel Cay with strong winds in the ocean.

Lincoln Rental
With Tamaki we rented a car to tour Eleuthra. Car was so big a few people could fit in the trunk.

Library at Governer's Harbour Eleuthra
This building was built in 1897.