Good bye Bahamas, hello Provo

I can't tell you how many people have told me that the Bahamas were the best cruising grounds. Unfortunately, I have this need to see things for myself, a trait that has had its miss fires. Our 3 day stay at Clarence Town morphosed into a 2 week stay. Boy, can we milk a clock?

These crabs come out of their borrows in the rainy season, millions of them. The natives eat them.

We were looking at a nice 3 day weather window. That's enough to get us to the Turks and Caicos. We really wanted to have more stops along the way, but lets get serious, the way we cling to each stop, there just isn't enough time. Provo is about 180 miles away, and those are nautical miles. With our "speed demon" of a boat, that's about 48 to 50 hours of sailing. Staying up 48 hours was nothing in my college days. I think I did it once a week, which would explain my grades, but no seriously, I am quite witty with 8 hours of sleep. After little to and fro we decided it was a go. We squared up with the marina, and backed out unceremoniously.

Bye bye Clarence Town. Look at that water!

At first the wind was on our nose, but light. We motored at about three and a half knots. The waves were small, but there were these swells that rolled the boat, up the hill, and down the hill. I promised Marie things would be better in about 8 hours. For once, I didn't lie. The swells diminished and wind switched over to our port side. We motor sailed for about 16 hours at a nice 5 knots. And then it all died. I mean it went flat. Here we were in 10,000 feet of water, and it was all becalmed. So, we motored, the whole 48 hours, we motored. Now, when I put this boat together, I didn't think much of sound insulation, I mean, it is a sailboat right? Man was I wrong, when we motor we might as well just put a saddle on the engine and ride it! Anywhere inside the boat, it is so loud that we have to scream at each other. Imagine, if you will, 48 hours of this.

Looks like a lake!

Eva and Hadrian looking over the calm ocean.

A foot puppet can make life interesting.

Actually, after a while you can sleep quite well with the engine noise. That is if nobody plays with the throttle. The kids may not have noticed that anything had changed. They just went about their day and slept through the nights. For Marie and I, things were a bit different. We would take turns at the wheel, about 4 hour shifts, though I take longer shifts because she tends to the kids too.

From 30 miles away you could see the sky glow over Provo. We were a couple of miles away at about 8 am. I had read that the entrance to the harbor was so tricky that it was best to use the complimentary pilot service.

Hadrian helped guide me through the harbor. The pilot boat is in the background.

A pilot is a guide that escorts you into and out of a harbor. We called the marina, and after a little confusing garbling back and forth a pilot appeared  to guide us in. It was a winding trail through the reefs, and yet again we left stripe in the sand. 

Eva sitting with the Customs agent at Turtle Cove Marina. I think we got half off the regular price!

Onward to Clarence Town

We plowed out of the Redshanks anchorage on a low tide, literally plowed. Our draft is 7 feet and the depth sounder read 6...I believe the depth sounder. I am sure we left a stripe in the sand. We left at 4:30 pm, on a low tide. Why? I had this need to draw closure to the George Town experience. I have come to realize that we tend to just get too comfortable in an area and just dwell, and it was happening again. Don't get me wrong, we have had the time of our lives. We have met many great people, and forged bonds. Some I am sure will last a lifetime. Call me the incredible barbecuing party bear.

These lobsters think I am their friend!

Eva and Hadrian lookout for coral heads as we leave Elizabeth Harbor.

The truth be told, we are way behind schedule. Yes, I know that this may sound like an oxymoron, but even out here, there are elements that dictate a schedule...like say "hurricane season". We should be down by Grenada no later than August to avoid hurricanes.

Our next destination is Clarence Town on Long Island. It is a 10 or 12 hour sail, so we must sail over-night in order to arrive in the morning, with enough daylight to navigate around the coral heads at the entrance of the harbor.

We had a pretty nice sail, but there were times that the depth of the water went from 3000 feet to 30, and the waves kinda build up in these areas. The seas were so rough at times that I had to hold on with both hands.  Everything on the boat got rearranged. We did not however, have to steer the boat the whole way through. Otto Mann, our wind vane steering system drove the whole way there. The only problem is he doesn't have any eyes so we must always be on watch for any other boats.

The aftermath of an easy sail, a view of the main salon.

A view of the galley.

A view of the main salon, port side.

 The entrance to Clarence Town was a scary proposition with 2 out of 3 buoys that mark the entrance, missing, and the depth of the water again went from 3000 feet to 30. Needless to say, we made it. My guess is that we have a team of guardian angles working on our case, constantly.

After a brief scare from the marina, saying that they didn't have room for us, they found an empty slip. and we were soon nestled in, and connected to shore power for the first time in a month. The first thing on was the air conditioner. I sat there with my mouth wide open over a vent for a while. It's the little things!

Every place has it's unique and endearing characteristics. Clarence Town and Long Island has it's churches, and many, many cemeteries. In fact, someone needs to enlighten them to the cremation alternative as space is running out.

We were planning on staying here for about 3 days so we rented a car to run up and down the 80 miles of roads. We stopped to see Hamilton's cave. I wasn't too sure about this but Marie was playing tourist so I just followed, not expecting much. That cave was impressive. The mere scale of it! It must have been about 100,000 square feet, like a "Home Depot". There were 5 species of bats that called the cave home. Lenard the owner and tour guide told us that they would play hide-n-go-seek there as children, many decades ago. My guess is they must have used dogs to sniff the hiders out?

One of many chambers inside Hamilton Cave.

We continued our drive up the island, and stopped at the Stella Maris Marina. Well not really stopped, but more like slowed down. There is not much there. Next was Santa Maria Resort, the northernmost destination. Not quite what we were looking for, we were back in the car after a brief walk. Marie had read about some 18th century plantation ruins that seemed promising so we went searching. There was a decent sign off the main road, Queens Highway, that pointed the way. The road went from paved to dirt to over grown with foliage, about a mile altogether. It got rougher, and then just dead ended at the waters edge, no place to pull-over, it just ended. We got out and followed some tracks on the beach that looked like they came from somebody better informed than us. As we walked along the beach we came across a distinct row of conch shells that led to a path in the woods. So, we followed that path. We came across very well produced signs that assured us that we were on the right path. It was about a half mile walk in the woods before we arrived at the ruins, a rock wall and 2 small roofless sheds so overgrown with brush that you really couldn't make out much. The mosquitoes had us where they wanted us. We had to run out of there.

We stopped at a not-so-super "supermarket" on the way back home. The need for a semantics police becomes really apparent at times. We bought a box of pasta that turned out to have more protein than carbohydrates, maggots!

The following day we drove to "Deans Blue Hole". Right off the beach, I mean 3 feet off the beach, there is a 600 foot deep hole. It is about 70 feet across. Free divers come here to practice and compete. It's amazing and eerie at the same time, it's amazingly eerie.

Marie and Hadrian in front of Deans blue hole.

Later that same day we drove up to Stella Maris Resort. Different than the marina by the same name. They had two pools, one was a tidal pool, quite cool. The kids really enjoyed their time at the resort, and I enjoyed my time at the resorts bar, You see I had to consume so that the kids were allowed to use the facilities...a win-win if you will.

Back at the Flying Fish Marina, our neighbor is quite the fisherman. He returns each evening loaded with wahoo, tuna, and dolphin, more than he could ever use. I am more than happy to take some off of his hands. In fact, I'm so happy with this arrangement that I bake him bread, it's the least I could.

Wahoo by the bag full, what a treat!

I bake bread for my generous neighbor, to keep my conscience clean.

Never Never Land

We were cruising for a couple of months before we ran into another boat with children on board. I was feeling a little like Columbus must have felt as he looked for India all the while his crew murmured of a mutiny. My crew doesn't murmur, it's more of a beller.

Elizabeth Harbor is a kids mecca. There are about 50 children in the "City of Lights" (refer to previous post). The adults are constantly looking for ways to keep them busy, myself included. We constantly have play-dates, it's just a mass shuffle of kids. We send one that way, and they send two this way. There seems to always be the pitter-patter little feet every where. They climb in one hatch then out of another, like meerkats. They swing from the lines and rigging. They really use all of the space they are confined to, all 3 dimensions of it, up down, and sideways. I have learned to tune them out quite successfully. 

Eva and Hadrian are starting an herb garden.

Eva with Lily in the background. They're going to grow gills.

Hadrian in a kayak race.

We are seriously close to checkout time here. In another month the trade-winds will blow strong, and it will be too hard to head south. I honestly have some reservations about leaving the flock, and for several reasons.
Just a minute ago two dolphins came by the boat and the kids put down their pencils and jumped in the water to swim with them, is that cool or what! How many people experience that? They are beautiful animals...the dolphins, not the kids.
I have never been one to leave a party early, but it's time, it's time to leave Never Never Land.

Are we making progress?

For centuries we wrote on paper, and for the most part we have had a decent survival rate, some book burnings aside. If you write something down on paper, chances are it will be around for a long time. Now some of you may not remember this, but back in the 90's I put a lot of information on what they called 5.25 floppy disks. Later came 3.5" floppy disks, but these were not floppy at all, they were quite ridged. For at least whole decade I stored things on floppy disks. When is the last time anyone has seen a floppy disk reader? It's a good thing I have had nothing important to say. It seems my creditors did not use these, that, or they have very good memories?

I have also had very bad experiences with televisions. I do not own one, but over the past few years when I find myself as a guest at a place with a television I find that I cannot even turn the thing on. I mean there are three controls on the coffee table, and you must press the correct buttons on each of these controls or you get nothing. All the controls have the same buttons, more or less. Only the true owner can start the system, if this is not so, somebody throw me a bone here. Is it only me, has the world moved on without me? I think not.

I thought things were changing, back in 1985 I had a cell phone. It came in a briefcase, and weighed about as much as I did at the time. Not long afterwards came the Motorola cell phone, we called it "the brick" because it had the uncanny proportions, and weight of a red clay brick...we're making progress. Back at the turn of the century someone went too far, and made a few cell phones so small that you couldn't even dial, the numbers were too small. Then came the "smart phones", these phones allow you to upload your life. You no longer have to remember any numbers. You can access your email, bank account, electric bill, and yes your phone bill. Do not lose one of these babies, or you'll be set back ten years. 

So, here we are, it's 2014, it seems that satellite phones have come of age, it's their turn, they have waited patiently. With a sat phone you can make phone calls from even the most remote places on earth. They do not require land based antennas hence the name, satellite phone. They have come so far that you can even use it to get on the internet...or so they told me. What a novel idea, I can use this sat phone for calling home from any location the winds might take me, and download crucial weather reports. I was sold. I have had my sat phone for a year now. I have had 4 different tech geeks (sorry bout this guys) trying to accomplish what the company says you can do, data, and no one has been able to receive a byte! So now I find myself way far from home with no way to get weather other than to ask my neighbor on the boat next to me, who bought a HAM radio instead. 

Not all is fun

Just in case some of my readers may come to think that the trials and tribulations of life do not apply out here, let me set the record straight. Out here, we strive against all manner of challenges on a daily basis. It is only our disposition that defines a good day from a bad one, and as I have mentioned before "a good disposition is the greatest gift of God". For example, some of you may have noticed that the text on my blog has gotten larger? Well, it's not you, it's me. I have been pushing the computer farther and father away from me in an effort to see. This is a progressive thing that started, maybe 7 years ago. Well, I'm running out of arms! My arms aren't long enough to reach my "focus point" anymore. Lucky for me, everything looks bigger underwater.

Out here in paradise we must home-school the kids ourselves. If this last sentence didn't send the fear of God racing up your spine...well you just need a little more elaboration on the matter. We do not own passive, obedient, or industrious children. Oh no, we have the defiant, hedonistic variety, nothing like me. Most mornings are set aside for school.

An unhappy Eva...doing school work.

The kids completely refuse any interaction unless fed first, and they want what ever takes longest to prepare. With breakfast behind us, Marie starts trying to get the kids on subject and making progress on whatever subjects must be covered that day. At about his time we start getting defiant outbursts like, "I hate my life!", or "I wish I was never born!".

Marie has to spoon feed Hadrian.

Marie starts out really supportive and patient, but starts to wear down with all the resistance. About 2 hours into our little classroom, Marie is like a pressure vessel about to blow. She lets out a little steam, "do your work!". The tone and volume just keeps getting stronger and louder. At about this time we start hear broadcast on the radio from the children who actually do posses some of the attributes mentioned earlier, "I'm done with my homework, wanna go to Hamburger Beach?". Upon hearing this the kids just start crying, begging, and promising to make-up any work they have failed to finish, at a later time of course. By now at the edge of her sanity, Marie starts to scream at the top of her lungs. I mean we're talking trailer park loud! I poke my head out of a hatch to see if any of the neighbors are alarmed by this burst of decibels, wondering if perhaps we will ever be invited to another social gathering. However, so alarming is this screaming that the kids hunker down, and reach a point in the schooling somewhere between less than they are suppose to do, yet beyond  child neglect, which all we really want anyway. The following day we start this process all over again! If abnormal is in fact normal, yeah, we got that.

The kids are building a sandcastle.

Eva and Lily putting on a modeling show with very limited resources!

Hadrian and his model boat.

City of Lights

Flip-flop beach is located towards the northern end of Stocking Island, on the west side. The sand is soft, like cotton candy, and the water is clear, and tranquil. Someone has built a bar and a gazebo complete with furniture there, out of materials found locally, driftwood, small logs, and palm thatch. There is a fire pit with a section of metal grating that makes a great BBQ. Add some friends, and a birthday, and you have the recipe for a great night.

Flip flop beach resort.

Early staging at "The gazebo at Flip-flop beach".

The entertainment was great, so much talent. Any requests?

As the self-proclaimed "Grill-Master", I man my post zealously. All manner of meats were on the grill. We had Chicken wings, sausages, pork chops, and pork tenderloins, the bounty was piled high on the grill. I moved and rotated the meats in and out of the fire, timing the cooking so that all would be done together, and each properly cooked. At the bar the libations included beer, rum, and wine. Those more musically inclined, played guitars, and sang. We all laughed til our sides hurt. The kids enjoyed building a bonfire in the pit after I was done with the food. It's hard to imagine being so at home, so far from home. A sense of camaraderie bound us together that night, well that and a few drinks. 
The night sky sparkled like jewelry, so far from any city lights. As we all headed back to our boat, everyone on there dinghies, the anchorage seemed like a city in the distance, a city of lights. I wish that I could somehow save this night away to later share with our friends back home. It saddens me that some may never experience such a night.

This rustic grill only enhanced the setting.

The "Grill-master"!

The kids had egg races, but the sand is so soft you can drop your egg, and it doesn't break.

.

I think we have pyro-babies?!

It is hard to pull away from Elizabeth Harbor, to continue on our journey. We are doing exactly what I said we would not do...Why does this sound soo familiar? I said that we would not be staying at George Town for the sailing regatta. I said we will just stop there for a week, get the feel of it, and then be on our way. Yet, here we are, it has been a month, albeit a wonderful month. We have made many friends. Every day is a party...oh right, we are at adult summer camp! We have had lobster and conch every which way I could think of, by the way, my conch chowder will change your religion. I heard one girl complain, "I'm tired of lobster, I want chicken". 
We have raced anything that we could get to go in a straight line, and some things that just wouldn't. 
At this point my back is against the wall, I don't like to do this, but I have to name names! Ben & Sylvia on "Whisper", thank you, our kids are into compact gardening. Tyler, Pam & Cyrus on "Mirage", you are so easy to over-serve, we love you. Joe, Marketa, Oliver and Martin on "Anticipation", thank you for being there for us. Nathan, Wendy, Lily, Eli, & Jedo on "Whistling Cay", thanks for the hospitality. Green, Jen, Caitlin, & Juliana on "Lyra", Thanks for all the help.   Doug, Kathleen, Abe, Jack , & Ella on "Wonderful Life", we had fun. Shane, Mary, & Franklin on "Sea Change", we missed the mutton! Mary, and Coleen on "Glass Slipper", you really did a great job with all the kids events. To the many other collaborators that I did not get personally acquainted with, but whose contributions have been essential to this gathering, I thank you.
Our time here at Elizabeth Harbor has been a celebration of life, and proof in my heart that "people" are intrinsically "good". Now, I knew this to be true even before, but all concepts need reinforcing.

Haridan and Spider

Our son Hadrian has been a real handful every step of the way. His dread of finding himself without access to the internet and subsequently his games has made him pessimistic and bitter. Nature does not offer him the rewards that computer games do. I have to say that computer games can be a parents curse. They are the modern replacement for tobacco addiction. With enough dedication, kids become larger than life in this cyber world. The more they play, the better they get at the game, but more they slip away from the real world, and truth. I find myself frustrated at times, trying to compete with the euphoria that he finds in these games. I could possibly be providing him with the opportunity of a lifetime, something that he may never have the freedom to do again, sailing the Caribbean, and he has almost no appreciation for what is at his grasp.

We are currently in the southern Bahamas, and the landscape is amazing. The waters are crystal clear, and teaming with life. I cannot convey the beauty around us, it simply has to be experienced, yet reaching the next level in his game is his obsession.

Hadrian, captain of Spider, a Bauer 10 dinghy.

Lately we have had a small breakthrough. A few months ago, Hadrian would try to start the small outboard on our dinghy "Spider", but he just didn't have the strength. Now, it has taken a while, but he has slowly developed enough strength to get the little motor running. We try to place the responsibility of running the dinghy on him, and he is proud of this task. Other kids watch as he pilots the vessel, making the decisions that one must as you weave through traffic and to the dock.

God, give me the wisdom, and strength to capitalize on this little window.