Revi on the Hard

It's hard to imagine that 5 months has gone by so quickly!  It's even harder to imagine that we have traveled 5756 KM in 463 hours under way.  If you do the math it works out to 12 KM/H - not exactly a blistering pace by any means!

However, the good side of spending time going slow is that you really do get to take time to see what's going on around you.  You get to see places and meet people you would not have otherwise had a chance.  Little communities in out-of-the way places.  Friendly people living lives whatever way they can.  Everyone has a story and is living life differently according to their means and circumstances. 

As we reflect back, we can think of so many little vignettes, each a reflection of the people and towns they live in .  Perhaps we can share a few of them a little later once the best ones have had a chance to percolate to the top.

In the mean time, we have put Revi up on the hard, and have prepared her for long term storage until we get another chance to enjoy a vacation cruise.  It was quite a process to get her ready for storage, but we finally got to the bottom of all the little things we wanted to do over the last 4 days and she's now looking good and running in peak form.

Revi on the Hard

We have arrived home to Ottawa and are looking forward to meeting up with friends and family again.  I have said many times that a boat is a list.  Well, so is a house.  We have a few things to take care of over the next couple of weeks before we return to work - and we're looking forward to having the time to do that too!

So for now our adventure has come to a successful conclusion. 

• Sue and I got enjoyed each others company and love each other dearly
• No one got hurt
• We have memories that will last a lifetime
• We have gained a new perspective on life and the value of enjoying it

Cheers!


All in all - a great success!

Still a little more to come!

The Lighter Side of Boating

Duringour 6 month adventure on the boat we have learned a few very valuable lessons that we thought we would share. In no particular order:

• Every anchorage is like a new pair of shoes, if it's uncomfortable when you arrive, it will be much worse after 12 hours!
• Gravity is greater over water. Guaranteed, if you throw a line to tie off, if you have a screw in your hand, if you are carrying a fender, or are using a walkie talkie, it will end up being pulled down as an offering to Posidon! 
• The lesser known law of magnetism states that Rubber mooring balls will repel an aluminum boat hook when you are in a windy crowded mooring field laying on your belly reaching 7 feet down to the line!
• There is a positive correlation between how full your holding tank is to how badly you have to use it. Conversely, there is also a negative correlation in that when the holding tank is full you can be sure the alternative facilities are a great distance away!
• When you receive directions into a marina they are guaranteed to make sense only after you have arrived and tied off.
• The dingy will give you a lovely dry ride IF there is absolutely not a gust of wind, the water is dead flat, you are not carrying anything that needs to stay dry, you are both sitting on the floor with your head down and there is a full moon (preferably blue). Otherwise you will curse through the salty spray!
• If you can imagine something going wrong it is absolutely going to happen. Place a heavy oil filter in a cut down milk jug - it will fall over and spill it's contents. Pour water directly in your battery, it will glug all over the place. Forget to turn a valve off, it will be on the other side of a hot engine. The moment you decide to use both hands to carry something you will hit a wake or wave. You get the idea....
• When you most need to rely on the help of other boaters, or dock hands, you can be sure they are neither interested nor skilled.
• If you are in a rush, or on a schedule - you are out of luck! No matter how slow you want to go, there is always someone who will only go half that speed.
• The channel markers make perfect sence, once you have passed them by and backed off the sand bar you just ran up on.
• You have plenty of gas - right up until you don't.
• When you are walking for your errands, guaranteed, everything is "just" two miles away.
• If you see 1 mosquito on the back deck, 1000 of his closest friends are just about to crash the party.
• On the lighter side of of our relationship: Scott has learned that non critical items still require some attention and detail for Sue. Sue has learned that unless the boat is on fire or sinking, Scott's just not that inclined to provide it.

• Sue's perspective on navigation. First check the plan for the day through consultation with the Waterways Cruising Guide for destination and accommodation. Then check the Lewis charts for directions, waypoints and navigational hazards. Then set a cruising itinerary and input GPS waypoints. Lastly cross reference compass, autopilot and GPS in the event of multiple systems failures.
• Scott's perspective on navigation. "It's that way right?  Let's go!"

 

 

All good!

Back in the USA - video post

As promised - our video of the first half of the trip.  Second half was a bit too rocky for video, but this should give you a taste of the action.

Back in USA - FLA!

Well our Bahama days are behind us - for now!  We spent a week hanging out in Green Turtle in Black Sound near New Plymouth waiting for the weather to get nice on the Atlantic.  As in all things, timing is everything and I really wanted at least one crossing to be smooth.  After waiting for 5 days, it looked like we would have at least a short window of OK weather.  OK is loosely defined in this case as 2-4 foot waves.  Since the rest of the week after that looked worse we dropped lines and made a 13 hour run to West End with the intention to leave the following morning.

On the Morning of June 2nd the forecast window of OK seemed to close and there was another week of 3-5 foot waves.  Screw it, we can do it!  I know Revi was up for the challenge and if we could keep our cool I was sure we could make an 8 hour run.  Sue was game, so off we went.

The day started well, 3 foot swells from the SE and one foot waves from the NE.  Four hours in we had 3-5 foot swells from the SE and 2 foot waves from the NE.  By the time we got to USA waters, the swells were piling up the waves and the 5 second interval meant that they would push us around at the stern giving our Autopilot fits, so I started to steer Revi by hand for the last 2 hours.  The trick was to steer down  the 6-8 footers and not slew out the back end or drop the nose in the back end of the wave as it went under us.  It sounds worse than it was, but it was not exactly a day in the park either.

When I was punching in the last hour I had my hands full so I was not taking any video, and since Sue was kinda holding on with both hands you are going to have to miss out on the action at the back end.  Oh well, no big deal, but I will say that we were both very pleased to see the Lake Worth harbour that afternoon.

Now we are off to Stuart to store the boat and arrange travel back home.  Our major travels are behind us for the time being - but we still have a month to enjoy before the end of our adventure.

More to come!

Video to be posted shortly.

Happy Anniversary Revi!

What a difference a year makes!  As we left Hopetown last Thursday and made it into Black Sound, in Green Turtle Cay, we realized that Revi's first year anniversary was upon us - quite a milestone.  We bought her on May 27, 2010 in Penatang after a grueling 6 hour test run.  Two greenhorns with exactly 14 days of experience in trawler chartering, we had more enthusiasm than actual boating competence.  Well, at least speaking for myself anyway.  Scott was born to do this really. 

If poor Revi could talk.  The things she's been through:  testing her limits as we were discovering ours at the same time.  She was on the hard for 2 years (i.e. dry storage out of the water) and hadn't left the safe confines of Georgian Bay in many years. 

I wonder how felt as we began our first travels by locking up and down 74 locks in 21 days along the Trent-Severn Waterway, Oswego and Erie canals.  Oh the bumps and bruises she suffered on that leg of the journey as we desperately tried to sort out bumpers and lines.   The days were indeed long as we pushed to New York City before summer holidays were over and before hurricaines Earl and Fiona could find us.

She was a real trooper and showed how "salty" she was on the NYC to Norfolk leg - a merciless, sometimes terrifying journey with two boys, no cook, no GPS, and lots of chocolate. 

Revi likely never felt snow or ice along her hull.  She certainly didn't expect to feel it in Virginia or North Carolina, but her strong heaters kept her crew safe and warm (at least when they were sensible enough to be inside the boat).  What a sigh of relief she must have expelled when we finally reached Florida end of January.  How she must have delighted at the dolphins who frolicked in her wake.

And in March, when she finally crossed the cerulean blue waters of the Atlantic to The Bahamas, she was free to breathe lighter still, with crystal clear waters beneath her and ample space to roam.

Revi's been a busy girl, entertaining family and friends.  She's tolerated her juniour crew in good humour.  As the miles have gone by, she runs better and better.  She seems to thrive on the journey.  She's kept us safe while we've built up our competence and confidence.  That's a good girl! 

Revi with her brand new owners

Revi bonding with her new capitan

Revi takes the Peterborough Plunge!  She's not afraid of heights

Revi grabbing a well-deserved rest after completing TSW

Revi guides us along the foggy Erie (eerie!) Canal

Revi NOT impressed in Morehead City, North Carolina

Revi's first sight of The Bahamas

Revi catching a glorious sunset

You in Da Bahamas Now Baby - Part II: Grocery Shopping

While en route from Fort Lauderdale to Staniel Cay during my brief visit home, I had 15 minutes to shop for "meat". Fifteen pounds later and a bag of frozen veggies to keep all cool in my trusty Coleman cooler bag, we were set. Judging by the amount of extra weight coming on board our small charter plane to Staniel, I was not the only one doing her groceries before entering Bahamas.

Finding "clean" meat is not easy, especially on the smaller islands. Often meats are repackaged on store counters or cut by the local vendor before repackaging. We've witnessed this practice. Good fresh produce is not easy to come by either and you need to shop often to find. Many visitors to Bahamas expect to gorge themselves on tropical fruit. Sadly, most of the islands are arid and nothing of substance grows. The majority of pineapples, mangos and all citrus fruit come from Florida or California and are shipped by a mail boat from Nassau, usually weekly. And, you pay handsomely for each item. I guess that's the price of living in paradise.

The best time to go grocery shopping, then, is the day the mail boat arrives. Everyone keeps a close lookout, as if waiting for the second coming. Your day revolves around your trip to the store. If you time it right, you can be in the store as the items are being unpacked in front of you, so you get your pick of the produce. Pineapple and mango go real fast.

Shopping for non-perishables is interesting too. If you see an item that’s close to what you’d pay at home, inspect closely for the expiry date. Chances are the item has long expired. Most times, you can expect to pay 2-3 times more than what you’d pay for most essentials (lettuce, cereal, flour, sugar, chips, chocolate and Donna’s skittles), and a whole lot more for other items. A stick of deodorant can cost upward of $10!

What's interesting is that in Canada, you have unlimited choices.  You shop where you can find the best deal or your favorite items.  Customer loyality can be fickle.  In Bahamas, your choices are limited.  You make decisions about where you shop based on the reputation of the store, and if you stay long enough in one area, the relationship that you develop with the vendor.  Customer loyality is crucial to their survival.  You don't necessarily get any bargains, but you trust what you're getting.  And, you can order ahead special items that aren't normally carried by the store.

Produce and prices aside, grocery shopping is really part of the adventure. You chat with the locals about goings-on, pick up the local paper, and meet fellow travellers from around the world who have a story to tell.  You don't curse the line-up ahead, you simply find a chair, patiently wait your turn and enjoy the experience.

Busy Vivien, owner of Isles General Store SC

 

Here it comes!  Mailboat arrival is announced on VHF



Mailboat has docked!

Flurry of activity at the city dock unloading the  mailboat



Interesting sunset anchored off Highbourne Cay



Back in The Abacos - Little Harbour Settlement

We left The Exumas last Thursday for Spanish Wells, en route to The Abacos.  Using the traditional "pilot" or local water guide, we shaved 1.5  hours off the trip as we meandered through the less travelled and more tretcherous Spanish Wells northern crossing.  We crossed the Atlantic with a minor swell and chop accompanied by an easterly wind and made it to Little Harbour Settlement on the southern tip of Great Abaco Island.  All in all, a lovely day and a successful crossing.

Little Harbour has an interesting and unique history.  The sculptor and art professor Randolph Johnston from Massachusetts' Smith College was disgruntled with what he called the "Megamachine" of industrialized countries.  He was witness to the Great Depression, WWII, and rise of fascism and wanted to isolate himself and his family from what he perceived were societial constraints and negativity, squashing individualistic expression.

He sought out paradise with the intent of devoting himself to his art and allowing his family to blossom under more positive and natural influences of the islands.  He found his paradise in Little Harbour, a relatively isolated part of The Bahamas in the 1950's.  While their life was less than idyllic to begin, they created a paradise which now encompassess a foundry for bronze casting using the ancient wax method, a studio for Margot, his wife, for ceramics, a gallery featuring art from Randolph, his family and local artisans, a full service eatery on the beach (Pete's Pub) and with a beautiful Atlantic Ocean Beach a brief stroll away.   His life is captured by his autobiography "Artist on His Island:  A Study in Self-Relience".

One of the most amazing aspects of their story, was living in a cave while planning and builiding their paradise home and studios.  Yes, a cave, with 4 kids and 2 adults and likely innumerable little critters scurring about.  We enjoyed our visit to the cave and the other natural and man-made wonders of the island.  FYI, the cave is for sale for those who may be interested.

Our next move is to Hope Town to restock then along the northern Abacos en route to West Palm, Florida.  Hard to believe we are now near the end of May.

Trusty pilot Jock leads Revi on to the Atlantic

Land ho!  First view of Little Harbour

Johnston Gallery entrance greeters

Revi likes it here

Lovely path to Ocean Beach

  

Impressive waves crashing on coral

One of 40 modern, colorful homes

Less modern home - entrance to Johnston cave dwelling

Time-out room for bad little boys!

Sleeping quarters, perhaps?!

Treated to a lovely rainbow that evening