What a Contrast!!!

We didn't leave our beautiful Marina till about 11:30. Phil was doing some troubleshooting with the AC unit that cools the stateroom and V-berth. He fixed it temporarily. .also the watermaker shut off. Thank goodness it was just a reset button. I do think Phil is tired of always having to troubleshoot something!!
 We headed toward Miami by way of the Atlantic Ocean. Phil put a Tuna rod out in hopes to catch one.... no sushi tonight. Maybe tomorrow!
  A thunderstorm started heading our way so Phil turned in toward the ICW by way of the Port of Miami.  Geeze what a contrast to where we just were!!
 We headed into Biscayne Bay. There was thunder and lightning all around us. Jessy went down into the cabin and came running back up to the upper helm yelling  "I smell somthing burning!" So I went down and smell it too and went back up to the "Lido Deck" and yelled the same thing! So I take the helm and Phil ran down and smelled it too and he turned everything off! Sometimes it takes a village to run a boat!! Turns out we have a window leak in the front of the boat and I had put our computer there. The transformer for the computer was laying in water and fried!!! On a good note our computer is still working! We gotta fix that leak....
  We are making our way towards the Fl. Keys  then up the west coast. Still an adventure every day!!!

One freighter after another!

Freighter worker saying "Hi"

Miami skyline

Jess and Chewdog

Sunset over Miami! 

Notice the boat under the helicopter! !

Back to Reality!!!!

Crossing the Gulf Stream was beautiful. It was calm and very busy with freighters! The current from the Gulf Stream actually got us up to 10.8 knots!!! We usually run 7 to 8.
It took us 8 hours to cross from Cat Cay to Ft. Lauderdale.  That's when reality hit!!!!!!
OMG so many boats..it was like Grand Central Station only with boats!!!!
  The "plan" was to come into the channel here to Pier 66, a nice marina that has been here for years, to get fuel and spend the night at a slip. Go to the pool and relax!  We kept calling the dock master but no answer...we tried hailing them on channel 16... nothing. All we got was a lady saying...If you would like to leave a message. ..etc
  When we finally got under this huge bridge we saw a sign saying Pier 66...yea!!!
Then another sign saying....closed for renovations!!  Boo!!!   They could of left some sort if message saying they were closed!   We had passed another sign saying Sail Marina and Fuel Dock. So we had to turn the Pearl around in the middle of a boat highway!!!! Finally got that done and pulled into the fuel dock....As we were getting fuel I asked if the had any slips available.  He said yes so we paid for the night...$99.00. Not bad!  I asked him where the pool and facilities were....Oh, we are just bare bones right now, he says!   No pool...actually nothing but a parking lot!! The Marina hasn't been built yet just the docks. We weren't about to go back out in that mess so here we sit... at our "slip" about 10 feet down from the fuel dock.....Reality sucks!!
  Only good thing about this place is Nancy brought Jessy down and met us here. She gets to ride the rest of the way home with us!!

Sooo many boats!!!

The fuel dock and marina

The facilities..picnic tables with a potted plant between them!!

Last Day in the Bahamas!

It was a another 10 hour day!! Went across the Great Bahama Bank. ...depth is 15 feet max sometimes 8 ft!
  We are anchored in front of the Cat Cay Yacht Club.  This is a private island and some of the homes here are massive! Private planes and helicopters have been coming and going all afternoon.
We took our last swim in the Bahamian waters...gonna miss watching the bottom underneath you....without using a mask!
The Florida waters are clear...but not like this!!
 This trip was a childhood dream of Phil's ever since he and his family went to Bimini back in the 60's. To travel the same waters that pirates have....we anchored in Kidd's Cove, where Capt. Kidd has his home base for a while!  A lot of the islands look the same as they did back in the pirate days.   He respects the navigational skills it must of took to navigate these waters before there was GPS!!!
  The Exumas wasn't has isolated as we thought it was going to be and there is very little crime here especially with cruisers. There are cell towers at every settlement so you can choose to stay where you have service.  Or you can go to the isolated islands and not see a soul.  In the Exuma cruisers anchor out they don't use Marinas.
We liked the Far Bahamas and hope to go to the Ragged Islands next time.
 There are so many islands here!!! We  have just scratched the surface! We still have a lot of exploring to do....

Cat Cay Marina

Last Bahimian sunset......till next time!!

Last Day in the Exumas

Thursday we spent our last night in the Exumas at Shroud Cay in the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Service there was very poor.  We got here around 1 pm and of course put the Dink back in the water... for the last time!
  There is no settlement on this Cay. Just rock and mangroves. The beaches were breathtaking! We went all over and through the island. Storms started brewing so we took the Dink back to the Pearl and put her up top for the rest of our journey.  Poor Dink...she's had a rough go of it. Front all banged up, cleats coming out, and her bottom is blistering! When we get her home she will get some much needed TLC from Phil...she was good to us and got us where we wanted to go!

Amazing!!

It was a breathtaking last day in the Exumas

Hitching a ride on the Dink

Friday we pulled anchor at 6:15 am....long 10 hour day of running!! The thunderstorms were all around us but we managed to stay clear of all but one little one. We  went all the to New Providence and then turned to go to Chub Cay. At the beginning of our journey we made that a 2 day run. Anchored  at Chub Cay and also anchored at New Providence.
  As we were leaving New Providence we saw something in the water about 1/4 of a mile ahead of us. It was crossing in front of us...Phil got the bonaculars out and saw it was a submarine!!! This thing was huge...at least 400 ft. One of those big Navy ones!  The Captain wanted to hail them on the radio!!! But the Admiral nixed that idea!! We are still reeling from seeing the Sperm Whales. ..now a submarine!!!
The ocean has amazed me this trip.  I can't believe all of the beautiful and unusual things we have seen.  It's like good ole' Jimmy says...."In your belly you hold the treasures few have ever seen!" We have been so blessed to be able to make a trip such as this!!!    Still pinching myself!!!
 Next on to Cat Cay.

Submarine!!

Chub Cay. ..looks like Useppa Island!l

It was a WHALE of a day...no kidding

Pulled anchor at 9:30 am and said our thanks and goodbyes to Sue and Elizabeth Harbour. The seas were about to 3 to 4 foot chop.  We were right off Rudder Cay in about 2,000 feet of water! Phil spotted them 1st.  We think there were 2 but maybe more....Sperm Whales!!! They were at least 40 feet long!  We tried to get closer but they went down.  We got about 100 feet away from them. It was so exciting!! I got a video but this is the only picture I got.

Sperm Whales!!

Going into Little Farmers was quite intense.  It was a narrow passage going right up next to land and the current there had us going 10 knots plus!!
  We anchored in Galliot Bank on the south side of Little Farmers at 3:30 PM and immediately put the Dink in the water to explore. We went into Little Harbour where there were turtles popping their heads up everywhere.  We beached the Dink and an old gentleman named Johnny told us were we could eat. He told Phil to follow the music up the hill! It was very loud music! Sure enough we found the Ocean Cabin Restaurant.  Great place...we had cracked conch of course!
 This is a cute little settlement.  The lady at the restaurant told me that the children here are sent away to Nassau at the age of 12 to finish their education.  They only come home for the summer and holidays.     Right by the restaurant was a 100 year old house they were working on. I'm glad we stop here.
It was a great day full of adventures!!

Little Harbour

Phil talking to Johnny

Restaurant up the hill

Cleaning their catch!

One Particular Harbour!!

   We have finished up the laundry, defrosted the ice maker and refrigerator, went to town to make a trash run, and got provisions for a 2 week journey. We also bought a Conch Cookbook to keep on the Pearl.
   We came back to the boat and relaxed for a little while and then took the Dink for one last exploration in Elizabeth Harbour! We went to the other side of Stocking Island. Chewdog got to do her dancing on the beach! Boy is she gonna miss that when we get home!! I can't understand why they won't let dogs on the beach....they pretty much let them anywhere else!!! Not fair...
     We had blackened Mahai Mahai for dinner.  Now we are listening to SIRRIUS radio....classic vinyl and watching the sun set having a drink.  Not a bad way to spend our last evening in Elizabeth Harbour!
  We have spent about a month here and it has been magical! We have never gotten board! There is always something to do and best of all there is always something new around every corner (island)!
 We have had some major engine set backs that have put us down for a little while and the people George Town has been a wonderful help to us!
  We will miss Sue on the S/V Wind Dancer doing the Cruiser's Net every morning at 8 am to give us our weather/wind  report and to see if anyone needs a help in the harbour. ...we have received help and given help. It is very comforting to know there are other cruisers out there that are willing to go that extra mile for ya!!
I like  watching boats come and go...I like looking at all the different names people have thought up to name their boats. My favorite so far is a Catamaran named Lost Cat...please don't help.
 Tomorrow  we will be heading to Little Farmers which is about a 5 to 6 hour run.
We have not been there yet......let the adventurers continue!!!

Chewy doing her Snoopy Happy Dance!

The Captain Relaxing!

Other side of Stocking Island

Saying Goodbye

It was hard saying goodbye this morning and has been a long quiet day. Phil worked on finishing up cleaning the bottom of the boat and the dogs and I have been moping!
We did have the people in the sailboat next to come over for a visit.  Nice couple...have been cruising the carribean for about 2 years! They said they can hear our conch horn every night. They have been trying to conch back but their horn isn't working right.
  The thought as of right now is.... go to town tomorrow for provisions and then maybe start our journey home on Wednesday.  :( We will see!!

 Waiting to hear from the boys and how their trip home was.

Phil and his cleaning tools!

Getting ready to start cleaning

Last Day with Family

At Chat n Chill everyone hangs t shirts up with names and sayings on them... so we had to do it!!! Jaden gave up one of his Bent shirts and we all signed it! Kirk found a great place to hang it.

We left our mark at Chat n Chill

We made our way back to the Blue Hole and then beached it for awhile at a beautiful beach . We found a big starfish in the flats....1st one we have found in the harbour!

Footprints in the sand. ..Jaden's and Chewdog's

Back at the boat the boys all pitched in and helped Phil clean the bottom of the Pearl which was well overdue!! Phil anchored right over a coral reef so while the boys were snorkeling to clean the bottom they also kept an eye on the reef. Jaden found another big starfish! The calmer the water got the more visible the reef got! We all snorkeled and swam around the boat. Later that afternoon the boys went fishing of course.

Calm water!!

It was a warm evening...not a breeze at all. We all ended up eating inside with the air on!!
 We couldn't let them go home without one more last late night fiasco. ...at midnight Kirk and Jason heard a bad noise and woke Phil up. He jumps up (in his whitey tightys of course) and tries to get into the engine room, but Jaden had the front hatch shut! Half asleep it took Kirk and Phil together to stumble through trying  figure out how to open it! The half of a 220 volt breaker had trip and the AC salt water intake shut off. It took the Captain about 20 minutes to figure it out! There is always something on a boat to figure out and fix...just wish it wouldn't happen in the middle of the night so often!

  I'm gonna miss the boys!!!

Exploring the Atlantic Ocean!!

The winds have laid down and the Atlantic side is super calm so off we went!! We moved the boat to Man of War Cay. I love that island! So remote and has such a beautiful view of the harbour! We explored the fort and Jason found his way to the old cabin! We collected flat rocks and made an island monument in honor of Mom.   Then to Pigeon Cay in the Atlantic Ocean.  1st time we have been able to anchor on the Atlantic side!!!! The water is so crystal clear! We spent the day swimming and snorkeling then on back to the old anchorage at Sand Dollar Beach.  It was a wonderful day trip.
  Phil made us cracked conch for dinner and I made conch salad.  There was another beautiful sunset. There has been 3 magnificent sunsets in a row!!! Mom must be a happy angel!!!

I love this island....

Island exploring

Jason looking for sea glass

Our monument to Mom

Jaden fishing at sunset

3rd gorgeous sunset in a row

Fun in the Sun

Wednesday we snorkeled the reefs and found more conch. Phil saw a boat with some local guys hand lining and asked them if they would clean our conchs. It took them about 5 minutes!! The boys fished off the boat in the evening. ...which they have done almost every night!

We had a town day on Thursday.  Phil had to pick up the 2nd set of alternators from Reggie's. He had to go in at 9:30am and then again at 4:30. We made about 5 trips into town in 1 day!! Ate lunch at Da New Eddies and hit the Straw Market.

  Friday we hit the trails while Phil worked in the engine room putting in the new alternators.  We almost got to Monument Hill...but we pooped out and only got to the 2nd hill! It was a beautiful walk across the island to the Atlantic Ocean.

When we got back to the boat Phil told us he needed to find a welder. Seems the other side of the bracket for the alternator broke....so off to Rolle Town he, Jason and Jaden went.  This whole alternators thing has been going on since the beginning of the trip!!! With mission accomplished Phil finished all the rewiring and putting on the new alternators at around 5pm ...then it was test time!!
He started the engines and the alternators started charging the batteries!!!! After almost a month of having to run the generator to charge the batteries we are finally back to normal!!
YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!