Blog Season 4. 2015 – Our new year plan is return with mates to the Bahamas and beyond.

Why do Aussie tennis players get to play & live in the Bahamas (besides no income tax)? 

We know the drawcard- 100's of magic sandy cays stretch from just off the coast of Florida all the way sth to Cuba. Our plan is to tag team with our friends on Tactical Directions (TD) Tony & Michelle- go island hopping.     Once the boat jobs are done!

In winter at St Augustine, Florida’s Spanish town, Bruce did the hard yakka cleaning black mold in & outside, hauling out Wyuna to berth at the marina. A favorite place under the Bridge of Lyons. Great views of a Spanish galleon & stunning xmas lights. 

Glad to meet TD, and Phil & Trish berthed close by we shared in fun xmas festivities;Kris kringle, traditional Colombian lunch out and a cosy NYE on board.

Keen to getaway – with a forecast of low winds & swell,on 5 Jan.TD and Wyuna sailed sth at 7+ knts overnight past NASA Cape Canaveral but missed seeing a spaceship Blast off. Then on to West Palm Beach a golf mecca.  Hungry, we 4 dinghied ashore to the yacht club for a Mahi Mahi grill & a stroll of historic grand mansions. 

Ahoy Gina winched the main sail up at 4.30pm for our next overnight sail,of 3 hr shifts on watch, across the Gulf Stream to Great Harbor Island. 
Bruce caught his first fish- a Cero Mackerel & said “look up we’ve a torn headsail”. 

Imagine how Exhilarating it is arriving, after 5 weeks of boat jobs & supermarket expeditions (no matter how tired we felt)….. Sailors heaven is on anchor seeing miles of beach and a clear water bottom! Knowing we can rest at our 1^st destiny!

Bahamian people are warm, friendly close-knit and like a chat. The customs officers gave us a 6mths visa to stay for $300 us and told us “don’t eat Barracuda, beware of low tides, and try the Beach Café for lunch”. It felt SO good to walk on land after being cabin bound and eat a burger after vegemite on rice crackers for 24hrs.

Life happens here from chatting- like a guy in the Telco office telling us “go to the Blue Hole on Hoffman Island, no signs, go ashore follow a track til you see the opening past an old ruin”. So we did & snorkeled the rocky edge.  Boys grow up here learning freediving for crawfish to 100ft- descending with only flippers & snorkel- it’s very dangerous even if you train to breathe deeply, to not look up & concentrate intensely to ascend safely in the dark - to the surface.  Especially in 600ft deep blue holes.

Still seeking island remoteness, sunset vistas, soft sands and turquoise sparkling water- we chose Bond Cay (Shakira’s island) for our next stop & landed in shallow water of 3ft. on sand banks away from boats & people. 

Until next day, Roy a local visited us by jet-ski to invite us for drinks. We soaked up sun, swam, saw baby crawfish,kayaked then took the dinghy to be met by 3 barking pot cakes (dogs).  
Steve the caretaker and Roy warmly welcomed us with a Kalik beer and said “plenty steaks on the grill, stay eat with us”. Cheers.  Laughing all night we swapped stories like best bush foods- here it’s YES ; love vine, sore back, five fingers, stiff cock, are the names of plants to make tea from- for real.

Next 7 of us snorkeled,3 with spears. Roy patrolled for sharks on his jet ski, Tony did see the pet Lemon shark circle him underwater but No crawfish were caught for the grill.

After a windy night, a dragging anchor, we got up early - under sunny skies & good breezes we headed Sth West for sail and electrical repairs (port battery wasn't charging) to Nassau, capital of the Bahamas.

Never a dull sail? 

Not long under passage TD’s spinnaker tore into shreds in seconds, instantly they ran to fore-deck, kept sailing, pulling the huge sail into a sock. Sh*t happens even in lighter winds of 17kts. Tony radioed to say (#$$%”!!) & all else was ok to keep sailing.

Our return to Nassau Harbor was glorious.  Good friends of Tony’s live here on the harbor and kindly let them moor outside their house. We happily tagged along for happy hour on their balcony with other friends, hearing of local life, tips for repairs and Michelle & Gina joined them at Boot camp.

While we waited days for repairs TD motored to Green Cay where reefs, turtle and fish are colourful. Leslie and Terry on Orient Moon, we met last year, waved us ashore for her birthday drinks. 

Our early morning vhf radio call from TD was miserable- “we‘ve hit a reef, badly damaged the propeller and shaft and most likely will have to return to ST Augustine- end of our season!

They grimly motored back to moor next to us and after discussions Tony reassessed the damage, by diving. Clever Dave (friend from Nassau) arranged for same day repairs at his business and they needed to get the rudder off to fix.  Meanwhile we waited days for a new alternator to be fitted and head sail repairs by the sailmakers.

The winds are up this week in Nassau Harbor, to 20+knts, we've watched boats dragging anchors closeby til Bruce decided at 5pm Australia Day we needed to re-anchor too. Thankfully Tony & Michelle were on board. Anchor up, Bruce tried to steer forward seeing engine smoke and no movement.  Tony picked it! A rope from a mooring bouy wrapped around the propeller. Anchor Down! Quickly Michelle jumps in their dinghy towing ours to avoid more tangles.

Tony dives in with a knife til he ran out of breath, then Bruce. Oh no Gina yells “we’re 6ft from a yacht, with a man in the water to warn them. Fenders Out! Anchor up again! til the rope is cut and the buoy floats free.  Finally we re-anchor away from others.
ALL 6 boats crews closeby anxiously watched our team in action- Brilliantly getting out of trouble.

What a way to celebrate Australia Day, at 6pm our guests arrived for a BBQ and beers and helpers too who watched the turmoil of “Sh*t that happens: even on anchor”.  

A stiff drink calmed our nerves, and fuelled a night of stories and laughs amongst us- knowing we were well dug in with of 150ft chain out. To our mates-we raised our cans to celebrate great team rescue efforts!

Good news next morning our engine is charging. Tony and Michelle are trying to get the rudder off with some difficulty and the wind is still blowing. Thank goodness for good mates who help out when the going gets tough – and stay around for the next episode!!!

Tonight at happy hour while we are recounting our mishap with the mooring ball- a 40ft yacht motors past 10ft away, turns inshore and Bang their 6ft keel hits the sand bank at low tide- Sh*t- just like Captain Ron’s movie. Bruce & Tony jump in the dinghy to help,but they're stuck til midnight til high tide comes.

AS we say Go with the winds, drift with the tides–just watch out for ?


We do recommend Captain Ron film for a laugh.

Which famous Tennis star is playing without a big toe? a Nassau rumor.

WYUNA… we’re heading to COLUMBUS’S New World Colonies ……on to the BAHAMAS 600 Nms

 

Like Columbus, in the night sky we see the northern star with Jupiter and Orion the brightest but we can watch google sky to spot planets.  For night sails a full moon gives us vision on watch but we use AIS (vessel locator) to spot ship lights.  We lifted anchor at 2am, SW tip of Puerto Rico, 10 Feb. and motor sailed 13 hrs. to arrive at Cap Cana Resort a 5*marina in DR. Only to be tied up by a dusty building site!

  Escape we did to Santo Domingo the 14c capital of Dominican Republic(DR) a 4 hr. drive, for a weekend at old Hotel Palacio in the heart of rustic Zona Colonial.

 

The first urban town built in the Americas, it’s now under rejuvenation - of worn cobbled streets, forts, churches, tapas bars and art stalls.  Lucky for us a live gig by Latin legend Victor Victor playing “Por Favor” was on. Adoring fans slow danced the bachata-merengue style ,oh so HOT. 

A morning Latin cafe hit the spot, before wandering 11sq blocks of colonial museums- inside were fine Spanish conquistador artifacts, Columbus Palace furnishings, armour, carriages on display alongside Cuban & Haitian art.

We got a lesson in military rules at the Resistance Museum..stories of independence, people fighting for liberation from colonial occupation & then corruption til 1960’s…sent chills up our spine.

Let's go with Roni & James- to the celebration of DR Independence Day. After an overnighter to the Nth coast, with SV Harlequinn- we tied up at Ocean Water World marina part of a dolphin/seal show - we didn’t see. Instead we went inland to La Vega Carnaval – where Limping Devils in satin costumes lash out hitting spectators with filled animal bladders- reminiscent of slavery, ouch Bruce got Whacked.

We set sail at 5pm from DR, desperate to find uninhabited sand cays to swim and chill out.

On arriving next morning whales were breaching in the distance.  Yes, Sandy Cay has stunning deep blue sea to turquoise sands.  Excited, we launched our new Sunny 2 person kayak to ride the wave break to the beach.

Next after dodging reefs and shallow water, the Turks & Caicos police boat visited us at 5pm, while we anchored for the night on the Caicos bank “10 NM from land” to ask us our names and destination (looking for drug runners?). After a BBQ meal and rest we woke by 7am to sail the sth & west coasts of Providenciales Island in 1 day to reach Turtle Cove Marina.

NEVER has Bruce helmed so nervously, Wyuna’s 25ft. width/ 5ft keels missed all reefs and beaches, by steering a route in currents, over and between wave breaks – luckily Gar min Navigation route plan was spot on – “Ah a cold Presidente beer” went down the hatch well at HHr.

We were glad to meet Sandy who arrived 10^th March at postcard perfect ‘Provo’ – snorkels on, underwater we saw a Scrawled filefish!  We stocked the fridge, ate fresh grilled lobster and cracked fresh conch shellfish, (yum local treat) and it felt great to stretch our limbs. All Dive boats were booked, so offshore we go. No sleep in for the crew, at 3.30am the main was winched up.

We entered the lagoon of Mayaguana, an outer BAHAMA island and exNASA base (John Glen dropped in the water one time). On our dinghy ride to town, in mangroves, we spotted native Flamingos feeding at sunset, then spread their pole legs to fly.

A local man Reggie, a very friendly restaurant owner, cooked us conch and we ended up hiring his own truck (no rentals here) with Roni & James to Pirates Well (dug by pirates) & lagoon.  Bruce drove dodging potholes.

 

Small Samana Cay is sublime for water lovers.  After a tricky entrance, we knew why we love cruising off shore. Wyuna floated on deep blue water, we untied the kayaks, jumped in to snorkel reefs under white cliffs- til Bruce lifted a large Spiny lobster from its hole. We cooked it and shared it with Roni & James, Leslie &Terry on the fly bridge of Orient Express and wash it down with vino, watching the sun go down!!!!!! Cruisers paradise eh.

Next route, we rounded the Bird Cove Lighthouse for a night stop only. Sandy read, slept, winched, on watch on her final passage to Long Island, a quiet secluded island harbour.

We’d read about but have never seen Blue Holes, and the world’s deepest Deans is 600ft here, where freestyle divers compete. Our attempt was 5 secs. A farewell treat for us all was lunch at Seaside Village lagoon bar before waving goodbye to Sandy after 2 weeks of sun, hectic fun, endless miles of sailing, underwater excursions and adventures.

We can confidently say WYUNA's found her home – where the water is SO clear we can watch the stingrays glide past the boat and the barracudas DO follow you when swimming or scrubbing the sides of the boat-

"Oh the BAHAMAS islands (means low water)- are SUBLIME."

 

WE will continue to tag team with our mates Roni & James on SV Harlequinn and  leave Long Island 3 April, after Kathy and Brian land here.

Wyuna -sailing north in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico(PR)

Hurricane season is June to Nov.- let's SPLASH WYUNA in the waters of Puerto Rico
(PR, Spanish virgin islands).

We had a short stay in LA, to wander the art and sculpture garden of the stone galleries of the Getty Museum plus take an historic architectural tour of the stunning hand built Craft Houses of Pasadena - a movement of the early 1900 to bring back rustic living in cities!

Gamble House 1908

Anxious to climb aboard WYUNA on the hard stand, we arrived the 6 Dec. in Fajardo, at Puerto Del Ray Marina to don gloves for the clean up and restarts; 5 days later we tired of doing jobs so booked the enormous travel lift . To our relief the driver took WYUNA to the dock with 3 belts under her hull, after a visit by police about our missing dinghy outboard engine.

Ahhh, deep breath. Bruce helmed her with 2ft either side, to the marina berth. Hurray! 
Our first night we partied free with 100 boaters at the marina to PR music and pig on a spit.  Then headed next day to BIG US supers; Sam’s Club, Costco and West Marine to stow WYUNA with 6mths food, 6 new batteries and a new 15 hp outboard– in 26c humid winter heat!

Cruisers step 1: share the adventures

We cracked the local Don Q rum for Mojitos to celebrate with our sail mates Roni and James, for them helping us get back on water.  The very good news for us is they’re cruising a similar route like to share ripping yarns, have sailed the Bahamas banks and reefs and can duck dive snorkel til they DROP in the Caribbean Sea.

Step 2:  : be friendly to strangers

Our season begun in familiar seas, sailing to Culebra Island before Xmas, with no plans for January.  Within 24hrs of mooring in Honda Ensenada, instead of feeling lonely, we met other cruisers and invited our neighbours by dinghy (who to our surprise came) for Xmas eve drinks.

One joy of cruising for us is meeting liveonboard workers, kite boarders, NASA IT programmers, peace corps adventurers and die hard sailors who believe living on water is even better than Noah’s Ark.  US ‘seasonal blow-ins’ had a warm welcome from Culebra cruisers, who are chilled out unless a storm is coming.  Thanks again to Roni and James we joined them and their friends for a fun Xmas BYO lunch on our back patio.  Between 8 of us we drew on 37 years of Caribbean yachting tales, true or hearsay, of shark sightings, romances, natural wonders ...yes you can guess the rest!

Happy New Year *

Step 4: carry a torch at all times

"It's TOO good to be true, NYE fireworks are exploding around the bay." When the lights went out at Susie’s restaurant we lit the bar with torches for the barmaid to mix our margaritas. Along with others we waved hands to the music and went off to the street party for live Latino dancing. They love fast beat , loud, non- stop salsa with hips bouncing – (better we tap than attempt daggy dancing) - and we loved being amongst them.

 

 

Step 5 : snorkel slowly so not to frighten the fish

After a month we were desperate to jump in for a swim at a peaceful anchorage. Culebrans are proud of their natural wildlife, working hard to regrow marine reefs and fish life with water temps rising, so offer free moorings.  We sailed 5 miles, moored and duck dived at Pt Tamarindo a beach with idyllic vistas of small islets. The water shone under the moon-light, coral gardens with soft leaf fans wavered in the current.  Coloured blue tang and stoplight parrot fish fed in the day.
Yeah this is the cruising life …afloat on blue water ringing reefs.

 

Step 6: sail off the beaten route

Our next island hop was to Vieques another Spanish island, til 2003 it was a US military bombing practice base until a local was killed and protesters gained agreement for closure.  Thus not surprising it's not a popular sail destination.  The new Garmin blue chart did help with unusual navigation - umm where do we drop the anchor away from unexploded ammunition?
 "NO l'm definitely not swimming where the 27yr old got bitten by a 6ft shark swimming in the world’s largest  bioluminescent bay.” Our first swim was a brush with a large 15 inch moonlight jelly fish. Out we quickly jumped!

Culebrita island national marine park is a favourite bay we revisited for a few days to swim, hike, snorkel and see the old ruined Spanish lighthouse - it's beautiful, uninhabited for 500 years and a P.Rican weekend place to escape to.

 

Step 7: go where the wind takes us

 

On our longest passages so far, to Vieques and ST John’s, US Virgin Islands, winds have hit over 20knt sailing to windward.  Damn it we don’t like tacking ALL day, and not reaching our waypoint because of wind changes.  The US national parks are pristine here and so are the dreamy turquoise white sand beaches. Below we swim with beautiful spotted eagle rays as they glide past and stay away from big southern rays….....much prefer to shadow a green turtle any day! 

Next .....Sail along new coasts for the thrills of open waters and skies

At last we’re on route, getting excited to sail hop the 100 mile south coast of PR next week, and make the passage west to the east coast of the Dominican Republic where we will meet R&J to arrive for the whale season in February.   That’s of course if we are in the lap of the easterly winds and can scream along running with the headsail full and even lay the waypoint.

Wish us luck on that one!!!

 

24 Virgin Islands (VI'S), reunions, wet tropical rains here ……… May 2013

Wet is wet is wet on a boat, close all hatches, stay inside, no going in the dinghy ashore- it’s “ pissing down” buckets in ST Croix, US Virgin Islands-thunder day & night today!    

Locals speak American English here on the street; Good morning or some say Good mahnin! Check yoh latah, t’anks. We say Hello, how are you? see ya later crocodile!                                    

Reunion with friends in the British VI’s

Keeping in touch with sailing friends on the radio/email network is fun. For weeks we heard Steve & Carol, on Innamorata and John & Linda before our rendezvous in BVI's Great Harbour. 

Kool Kat leaving..

 J&L plan to sell their home of 6 yrs, Kool Kat (sistership to Wyuna) and head back to Houston.  


Since we came to Grenada they've adopted us and taught us about sailing a Leopard.  Sharing their Texan spirit, Xmas lunch, music jams, dinners and playing Mexican trains- lucky us! Sadly, we waved them goodbye.

Surprising us Steve and Carol, English mates we met last year, sailed in the next day with Ian & Wendy on Outsider, lifting our spirits. 
We were excited to catch up on their year’s adventures to the Bahamas, US east coast and Haiti. 

Carol, Gina & Wendy ?

Next day we moved bays, going to Carol’s birthday in the rain.  

We hired cars to tour Tortola island with steep switch back turns but worth it for dramatic sea vista's.                 

Bill’s arrival party

The welcoming party for Bill’s ferry arrival in Roadtown,16 April was us and the BVI sports team, home from the Caribbean Games.

Great seeing him looking relaxed and hearing his news & RMYS Dalliance, Mt Gay crew tales.

We sailed to meet S&C and spent the week snorkeling, exchanging sail tips, dived the Pinnacles, BBQ’d (this word comes from the Caribs - Kalinago's), showing our fish videos and telling hilarious sailing stories.  

Steve & Carol with kanga

Like any campers, on water, we had What international flag is this? happy hr.  Afterwards Bruce decided to fly the Boxing Kanga, our torn red ensign is relegated to the upper stay. Relief too, we now have a new sun cover expertly made by Carol. 

We had a last farewell dinner with S&C to wish them many fair winds and cheers. Unfortunately they're sailing home crossing the Atlantic to Brighton UK, back to work and to save for their next cruise!  

Bill & Bruce after lunch

Bill was yet to see tell tales fly so we headed for Marina Cay to visit Pussers Rum bar and put our feet in the sand.   

Lunch on The Royal Mail Steamer Rhone                                                 

Our last lunch destination with Bill was snorkeling on The Wreck of the Rhone, a 310ft ship that hit the rocks in 1867 in a hurricane on Salt Is.!  All 260 passengers drowned as it sunk, except the only guy who wasn't tied into his bunk!

It’s enormous steel hull, broken in half, is now home to fish, coral, some relics – a porthole, rum bottle & biggest steamed propeller ever made.

Rhone stern - Gina dived the next week inside the bow- "it,s haunting but exhilarating to swim in"- with a dolphin watching!    

Hawksbill Caneel Bay

USVI’s parks and turtles
The US bought the USVI’s for $25mill from the Danish. The National Parks Service & Lauren Rockefeller have re-created marine reserves on ST Thomas, ST Croix, and especially ST John’s. Protected beautiful sandy bays, turtle breeding & fish sanctuaries and walking trails make for a peaceful and very expensive getaway (an island home is $400k-4m).

In the 1800’s the Danish colonised all 3 islands into sugar plantations, bringing slaves from Africa later burnt or destroyed by hurricanes.

Only wind mills & crushes remain - which we hiked to see.

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Friends Roni and James, of Harlequinn were luckily in the harbour when we arrived to clear customs and met us in town. We tagged with them to quiet bays, after hearing how gr8t their time ashore was we took the guided hike in Rain, rain, rain!

Reef Bay trail rock carvings- Taino people

          


Wise sailors haul out in Puerto Rico in May, they go home to Seattle. They gave us a wave passing by til next season, (we haul out June at the same marina).  

Harlequinn crew

May 2up cruising around ST Thomas

Ready for a slow down (from moving every 2-5 days for 6mths.)  We chose ST Thomas for a break, anchoring off town for a week to shop for food and a TV screen for watching movies. Saturday night we caught the local bus to the hills, to a small community theatre, wooed by  a black jazz singer performing Billie Holiday’s songs and life stories.

The windguru site warned us go Nth to escape the swell, so we did. In Magen’s Bay 1 mile deep harbour we dropped the anchor, content to “do what we do well”, (no dinghy dock).

We donned our masks and flippers to go ashore and dropped our kayak in to explore the surrounding cliffs. On the back deck we cracked champagne for Gina’s birthday, no other boats nearby- only stars, lovely!

Columbus in St Croix – Danish history & turquoise sea reefs

We had a fantastic sail for 4 hours for 35nm’s at a speed of 7knts to ST Croix.  Arriving at the harbour we saw no other cruisers, only the largest coral reef in the Caribbean, a 1200 ft. wall drop off. A little nerve-racking for Bruce on the helm!

Christiansted is the historic Danish sea port we moored in and a National Park. The whole town is full of 18c buildings, seafront fort, steeple tower, churches, governor’s house, auction yard for slaves and cobblestone streets line the waterfront.

How did Columbus navigate to come ashore across the reef in the 14c to look for water? Our guess is he ordered crew to row ashore to find the opening. Too bad if they washed up on the beach. 

Really it’s so like South Pacific islands without the palm trees. Except roosters & chicks roam the streets & parks freely.

The cane plantations run by the Danish for sugar and molasses ceased in 1848 after a long struggle for liberation.

On our visit to the old Whim Estate House plantation run from 1735, which had 103 slaves working 130 acres, we saw a collection of slavery photos and records.  Over 11 million people from West Africa were enslaved by Europeans & English, were brought by boat and auctioned in Caribbean market squares. 

Today cruise ships, resort guests and divers make up most visitors.

We sailed to the east coast to get out of the winds & swells & snorkel the Fredriksted cruise ship pier. Next we'll try ST Kilda pier on a hot day!

Our favorite backstreet transport & bar - local creations!

Last stop is Spanish Virgins, 40 miles away, then haul out time is June 20....in Puerto Rico.