MUTUAL FUN - A SAILING ODYSSEY

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FIRST MATE'S LOG - April 2002

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April 1, 2002

I’m pregnant! April Fools! Wow, we’ve had a full schedule here. I went horseback riding day before yesterday and had a blast. The countryside is beautiful and the people are so friendly. All Spanish speaking but you can’t pass by man, woman or child without a wave, big smile and “hola.” I rode for about 4 hours so you can imagine how this old body is feeling right now. Twice we rode to open pastures and got to go full throttle. It was great! We then came back and had fresh tuna caught by somebody or other and given to “Crusoe.” There were 8 of us and we were all full. I was so tired I almost fell asleep in my rice. If Robin on “Swan” hadn’t made fresh, warm cinnamon bread for dessert, I would have been a goner.

Meanwhile, back at the boat, we had gone aground in the morning because the tide was so low due to the full moon. While I was horseback riding, Bob was on the boat at a 25% heel at anchor. Once again, we were the talk of the harbour. The next day, our dinghy went aground while we were playing games. Yesterday was game day. Robin and I spent a bunch of time in the boutique, trying stuff on and being girls. The guys had fun at the flea market, drank beer and waited for us to finish our shopping spree and eat barbecue for lunch. I picked out 2 ankle-length dresses, one sexy and one fun, a bright yellow silk top and brown and yellow wrap skirt for 900 pesos. Grand total of $52.00US. Then the games began. Our bunch played dominoes but I couldn’t be lured from the poker table. I had fun but couldn’t get used to these cigar-smoking, beer-drinking guys playing roll your hole card. Jeesh. What happened to good ole’ poker? We bought in for 100 pesos and at the end, I played 4 hrs. and lost 88 cents.

Today is a workday although it’s still a holiday here. They call it Easter Monday. We need to take our laundry, pick up my new clothes, go to the other side of town and find me a dentist (I’m desperate for clean teeth) and find a money machine. And, of course, go to the Internet café and send this home to you.

We met up with a couple who couldn’t believe that “Mutual Fun” had pulled into the harbour. Turns out, they had been reading our web page for the last 1 ½ years and are now finally out here themselves. It was fun to talk to them.

April 5, 2002

Help! I'm stuck in Luperon and I can't get out! Cold fronts and more cold fronts are attacking the Bahamas and we are unable to leave. Last night we witnessed a magnificent natural light show. The lightning started right after dinner. I sat up on deck while Bob washed the dishes and then came down to watch a movie. We got about ½ way through it and heard on VHF radio that maybe this light show might be accompanied by high winds and we had better get ready. We put the movie on pause and went outside. There was an announcement that we should all turn our mast lights on so everyone can see where each other is. I sat in the cockpit eating Starbursts and watching and waiting. The winds were only at 15k so we weren't panicking. All of the sudden, I heard this train-like noise and looked over to see a huge wash of rain coming our way. I ran down and got on my foul weather jacket and Bob did the same. As I was on my way back up, the wind hit and knocked the boat sideways at a 20-degree heel. I looked up at the wind meter to see it hit 58 knots and a second later saw 44k. Boats were dragging all over the harbour and running lights were on and people were on the radio checking each other and some asking for help. Everyone was fine and no boats were badly damaged but at least half of the anchorage had to re-anchor. Turns out it was a tornado that hit us. We didn't drag at all and had no damage. Some boats lost dinghy oars and hatch covers. The boat behind us has been working on saving his dinghy all day as his dinghy and motor flipped over. It was quite an experience as we've never been at anchor in such high winds. It only lasted a millisecond but it was awesome.

Today I went swimming with the girls and the boys went to an authentic cockfight. Sue, Helen and myself were having a nice dunk, way out in the outer harbour where the water is clean when this big power boat, towing one of those inflatable bananas came in. They had about 15 people waiting turns to be towed on the banana and I kept shouting that I wanted a ride. At the end, as all of the people were aboard the powerboat, I climbed up on the banana all by lonesome and got a ride on their way back to the dock. He gave me a good ride, too but I had to hop off when I was in line with my dinghy or would have had a long swim. The boys had fun at the cockfight (gross) and then we all got together at the marina for a lasagna dinner. Les and Martine on "Honey Wild" came in this morning. They'll be going north with the rest of us. If we ever get out of here.

I had the most amazing guy help me with my computer and weather fax program. He is an electrical engineer specializing in computers. He writes computer programs in 3 languages but he's not the least bit boring. It was amazing to watch him work. He got me up and running and then some. Tomorrow the group is going into town for shopping but I'm going to stay behind and have a quiet day.

April 9, 2002

I just had a cantaloupe for lunch. I think I've died and gone to heaven. I haven't had cantaloupe in about a year. It was so sweet and delicious I almost cried. We don't eat much fruit. It goes bad so fast. Bananas are good and sometimes we can get Granny Smith apples but most of the fruit is rotten. Vegies we have more luck with although lettuce is usually half rotten. We just eat the good half. Cukes, peppers and tomatoes are usually good so we get our fair share of fresh vegetables.

Bob has gone off for lunch with the gang and I am sick of eating out so I had cheese, crackers and the cantaloupe. Yes, I do eat better than Bob as he guzzles a lot of soda and beer and I just drink bottled water. What's a girl to do? We went for a death-march up the side of a hill and walked all the way around the ledge to see the blowholes. It was kind of a nasty hike as the "path" was more like a jungle and I got all cut up. The seas weren't as kicked up as we thought so the view was only so-so. Bob commented that he had never walked so far for so little. I sure got my exercise today. We're hoping to depart on Friday but I will have to get a weather fax tonight and see if things are calming down yet.

April 10, 2002

Last night we went to Carlos' restaurant. Carlos is the agricultural minister/veterinarian for Luperon. He's the one that boarded our boat and told me I had a horse onboard. Well, Carlos' restaurant was about 10x12, had 2 tables and 10 chairs. That was fine; there were 8 of us. Carlos asked us what we would want for dinner. We said chicken, mashed potatoes and french fries. We ordered drinks and were surprised when Carlos left the restaurant and came back with our drinks, via the supermarket across the street. After he served us with much dignity, he left again and we saw him come back with a bag of potatoes. His "cook" began the preparation of our dinner while Carlos sat down at our table and tried to converse. We asked about his wife and children and he went into a tiny storeroom and came out with dusty pictures. He told us how the Haitians are crossing into the Dominican Republic daily and how they take the bad jobs because they charge so much less. When we got down to pesos, we were shocked to learn that the Haitians work construction for $8.80 per day, or 150 pesos. These are unskilled workers. The skilled workers make about double. Carlos holds down 3 jobs just to make ends meet. He has 7 children by 2 different wives. The dinner was quite tasty but at the end, Sue commented that she thought that maybe we were eating in the waiting room for his veterinary clinic. Sure enough, the sign outside was just that. We think they prepared our meal on the same table they use to neuter cats and dogs. This had us roaring and we asked Carlos but he said he only makes house calls. We didn't believe him but didn't dispute it. All the while we were eating, stray dogs and cats came strolling in and got shooed out by Carlos. After dinner, the cook came out and taught us the marangae. We just can't roll our hips like they do.

Today was the 2nd most fun day I've had in the Caribbean, next to renting motor scooters. We did an inland tour of a cocoa bean place (a few trees and a really old guy), the cheese factory (kind of interesting but stinky and the flies sitting all over the cheese didn't dissuade Bob from buying some), a good lunch and last but best, the waterfalls. Well, no one gave us a clue that it was quite strenuous. Once we got up to a small falls, we stripped down to our bathing suits and took off our shoes. We had no idea what was in store for us. I saw a wooden ladder going up about 15 feet from some rocks but we all waited for our tour guide. When he appeared, he instructed us to get in the water and swim, about 50 feet to the rocks. The water was somewhere in the area of 65-70 degrees. The air wasn't that warm as it was only about 9:30am and the sun was obscured by the trees. We swam fast! I was the 3rd up the ladder and ½ way up I had a very small, private panic attack, not liking heights at all, but made it just fine. Once up, I realized that that old ladder was going to be the least of my problems. More importantly, the least of Bob's. We were now at the 2nd level and we were going to level 7. Level 2 was a 3-minute swim in the cold water in a tough current. One tour guide was in front and one at the rear. I made it fine but it sure got my heart pumping. Once I reached the end, I became scared for Bob and got really nervous. I was pulled up to level 3 by the guide, about 6 feet on slippery rocks with white water coming down. I kneeled at the top and waited to see Bob's face appear. He swam hard but when he got to the end, we were all wondering if the guide would be able to pull him up. The guide was young and strong and got him most of the way and Gordon and I pulled him up the last bit. Level 4 was a longer swim but with less current. One by one we were pulled up another 6 or 7 feet. The guides were excellent and by now I had full confidence in them. I felt like a feather being hauled up and instead of fighting them, just let him guide me to the handholds and pull. The cave-like setting was exquisite. The water was fresh and cleansing. The next 2 levels were also tough but fun. Level 7 was a small pool with a waterfall coming down. This was a bit higher incline and when the guide pulled Bob up, they both fell laughing into the pool. Some got out their shampoo and had a nice bath, including one of the guides. By now, my teeth were chattering so hard I feared I might crack them but I had a huge smile on my face. This was the end of the line for us although there are a total of 22 levels. Level 7 had a vertical climb up to the next level of about 12 feet.

These guides are like monkeys but we would be stopping here. Later, I found out that you could indeed hire guides to go all of the way up. We're talking serious stuff here with helmets, life jackets and lines tied on. How we would make the return trip was yet to sink in. Obviously, we had to get back down and I didn't see any taxi stands. We sat at the top of the waterfall and one by one, we crossed our arms over our chests and slid down. Now this was fun. I always went before Bob so I could watch his face when he landed. There was no problem getting back down to level 2 but at level 2, our guides announced that we have 3 options. We can climb back down the ladder, slide or jump. I went 3rd and I was the first to choose the jump option. It was about 20 feet down with jutting rocks on either side but a deep hole in the middle. What a rush! At the bottom of this level I checked out how we would get to the bottom level while Bob waited his turn. He opted for the slide method and did great. The last level was a jump-only option. It was about 15 feet but only a very small deep hole, again with rocks on either side. Bob went up first, looked down and said, "no, I can't do this." He stepped aside; the guides didn't make a fuss, they knew he would watch the others and then jump. I went next. By now we had an audience with the new batch of tourists and their guides. I jumped and popped up deliciously thrilled, cold and exhausted. Bob went last and had to make the plunge. There was no other way down. He didn't think the water was deep enough for him and thought he may jamb into the rocks and break his neck.

Needless to say, he made it just fine. That was a blast. We were all tired and cold. We changed back into dry clothes and hiked the couple of miles, through rivers and streams, sometimes up to our knees, back to the vans. A great day and boy will we sleep good tonight. Actually, Bob is already zonked out on the couch.

April 13, 2002

Another long night but a very good sail from Luperon, DR to the west coast of Caicos. Total of about 24 hours and we averaged 5.8k. Not too shabby. The wind was mostly on the beam and although there were many small squalls, we never saw over 22k of wind. Seas were 6-10ft and it was fairly comfortable. There was no moon, unfortunately but there were many stars and it was a nice night. Here we are anchored in 45ft. of clear, bright blue water, a bit of a roll but I'm planning to be in bed by 7pm as we have to get up at 4am for a long, 60 mile sail to Mayaguana.

April 17, 2002

The sail to Mayaguana was great and we were in and anchored by 4pm. Up again at 6am for an 8am departure to Conception. I have to say, I was getting kind of tired. The first 3 hours were torture. We had 10-15ft seas and the boat was rolling 30 degrees to one side and back 30 degrees to the other. I was not a happy sailor and had to come down and take a seas-sickness pill. Then, the seas calmed down a bit and the roll became tolerable. We settled into our usual pattern and I even got an afternoon nap. Bob has a touch of tummy flu so he's barely eating anything. I had pre-made a salmon noodle casserole and we had it cold for lunch and hot for dinner. The rest of the sail was pretty nice. "Crusoe" was with us and we stayed within 4 miles (and visual sight) of each other all night. In the last 15 miles, we were actually side by side. We arrived in the anchorage of Conception exactly 24 hours from the time we left. Ben on "Side by Side" hollered over from their catamaran in front of us and asked if they could pop over. We said, yes, but come quick before we fall into our bunks. He gathered up Marilyn and Noah, along with their new addition, Sierra. Boy is she beautiful! Once aboard, Noah, who is 3 now, shed his lifevest and started walking around. Marilyn suggested that if he was going to walk on deck he should put his lifevest back on. Ben put it back on for him and it wasn't 2 minutes later we heard a splash and a cry and Noah had fallen overboard. He grabbed the dinghy line and hung there while Ben dove over and fished him out. Noah was crying but fine. They have nets on their boat for just that reason and of course, we don't. That was an interesting start to the day. We cleaned up the boat, put the dinghy motor on and fell into our bunks for a 2-hr. nap. Up again and itching to get into this gorgeous water, I put the ladder over, grabbed the Joy soap and went in for a much-needed bath. After lunch we called "Crusoe" and met up on the beach for a walk down the perfect white sand beach. Only in the Bahamas are the beaches this beautiful. We were all set to go to a bonfire and meet some other boats when "Shamal" called and said they had caught a 50"+ Maui and would we like some? Of course. They came over, along with beautiful kitty Bibi and we had a wonder meal and great catch-up with them. We haven't seen them for a year and a half. Today more exploring, walking the beach and snorkeling. I really need to start the teak work but I might wait one more day. I'm still pretty exhausted.

April 18, 2002

Poor Bob has the flu. It was going around in Luperon and he must have picked it up there. His temperature was 100.4 yesterday and he was weak as could be. He had to do everything I said so he had a day of chicken soup, tea and toast. Today he says he's a bit better and he's actually up and in the cockpit but I have a feeling he'll be back on his bunk before long.

I went snorkeling yesterday and saw some pretty fish. The water is a bit chilly, maybe 76 degrees or so but I'm putting off wearing my wet suit and just don't stay in that long. The sun is strong and we have to be careful not to stay out too long. Today we'll work on getting Bob stronger so we can sail tomorrow to Georgetown.

April 19, 2002

Bob's temperature is up a bit and now I have it as well. Poor us. We're sailing to Georgetown tomorrow, anyhow. The weather is mild and we want to get there before another blow comes and while I'm still strong. Bob is quite weak and tires easily. I think he's lost about 10lbs. Tonight I'm feeding him fish and pasta. Maybe we'll be weak, but smart.

April 20, 2002

A good run to Georgetown; we left at 7am and were in by about 3pm. We anchored near town, Bob hauled 30 gallons of diesel to the boat in 2 separate runs while I went grocery shopping and hauled 3 bags of groceries. Then we picked up anchor and moved to Volleyball beach where we cleaned up the boat, put on the sail cover, took showers and are totally exhausted. Bob especially. He's talking about eating potato chips and having a Coke so I think he's feeling better. He just told me what he wanted for dinner and I looked at him like he was crazy. I'm too tired to cook anything but the man must be fed.

April 22, 2002

Georgetown is known for fun and fitness. And the Family Regatta.

I started out the day sanding the "turtle", or the box that covers the slide for the companionway. I thought it would take about an hour but in fact I sanded for 2 ½ hours and got about halfway done. "Lady Simcoe" pulled in from Long Island and circled our boat with their big smiles and anchored. I stopped, swept up all of the trimmings and called it a day. I wore sunglasses and a rag around my nose and mouth, as the shavings are kind of deadly. It was a bologna sandwich for me and off to volleyball beach for, volleyball, of course. I played until I was dehydrated, drank a bunch of water and played some more. We met up with old friends Neil and Stephanie on "Rhapsody" and others we knew from cruising the East Coast and stayed for dinner at Chat and Chill. Well, actually the others ate but somehow I ticked off the owner, who is known to be quite moody, and I didn't get served. No matter, I was quite exhausted from the day's activities and not very hungry. The great thing about the Bahamas is that the atmosphere is conducive to much activity. Volleyball, swimming, snorkeling and walking tends to make us fit, healthy and a golden brown.

Today we're going across the harbour (about 2 miles) to check into Customs and set dentist appointments. We'll probably have lunch in town, as well, which is fine with me because I've been doing an awful lot cooking and washing up with this sickie aboard. And speaking of whom, he had a bit of a relapse yesterday but is doing much better today. I think he overdid it the last 2 days but he'll get some rest in the next few days.

April 24, 2002

Another busy day of sanding, sweeping, taking care of Bob, snorkeling and diving for sand dollars. Bob has had another relapse so I spent a good part of the morning talking to a cruising doctor and nurse, on 2 different boats. He's now on clear liquids and is allowed to sneak a cracker or dry toast but tomorrow he's going to the doctor. Then we'll have a clear idea of what we're working with and how to treat it. I sanded for a couple of hours and got the turtle done and also lightly sanded the hand rails and "eyebrows." Tomorrow I'll be ready to start staining. Bob and Sherri on "Shamal" picked me up and along with "Crusoe" we all went snorkeling. I forgot about my toe being bandaged from a volleyball injury so I could only wear one fin. That didn't stop me in the least from spotting a big grouper and barracuda. We then dinghied over to an area of shallow water and went diving for sand dollars. Back home and after a shower I'm going to fix myself a big salad and Bob chicken broth and dry toast. Poor guy; he's hungry, too. I might eat my salad in the cockpit.

April 29, 2002

After 10 days of fun and sun (and work), we made it out of Georgetown and motored 25 miles to Lee Stocking island. I tested Bob's (on "Shamal") repair job on my reel and she worked like a charm. After one hour of a red and black lure with no hits, I switched to my last new lure, which was green and yellow. I got a hit after an hour or so and when I picked up the pole to reel it in, I noticed it didn't feel too heavy so I knew I didn't have a mahi. I reeled in ANOTHER stupid barracuda. This one about 3 feet and teeth almost as big. I didn't want to lose my last good lure and I didn't want to kill him so I alternately dragged him and pulled him out so he didn't get air until he lost his energy. We then brought him aboard and I put on deck shoes, heavy gloves and equipped with pliers, I took one look at him and declared myself incapable. If he wasn't as tired as I thought, he may just thrash up and knowing me, I would scream and lose my grip and get bit. Bob finally donned the gloves and did the nasty deed. That fish was plenty tired and I figure plenty happy to be thrown back in. No more hits for me and I had to reel in and get ready to anchor. We went through the cut, which was pretty boisterous, considering there was hardly any wind or waves and motored in and anchored in about 18 feet. The current is pretty strong in here so I asked Bob to watch as I went in for a dip. After jumping in, I was back behind the boat in about 2 seconds and grabbed the dinghy before I went out the Exuma Sound. After a few laps of swimming halfway up the boat and drifting back, I released Bob to his book and took a cockpit shower.

Yesterday in Georgetown, we pulled right up to the beach and grounded ourselves at the water barge to fill up with water. Lots of people came over to see how it was done. Can you believe the price of water here is $.60 a gallon? Our bill to fill our tanks was $77.00. It will be nice to get back to the States for free water again. After another round of volleyball (my body is too old for this), we showered, had a bite for dinner and then went over to "Vagabond Tiger" for dessert. Dee served white cake with chocolate frosting and peach cobbler with a yogurt topping. It was delicious. Compliments to the chef as I had 3 helpings. Frank told war stores about being in the military and we argued some about morals and ethics. It was grand to talk about topics other than boat parts.

I don't think I've mentioned it before but we are on our last leg of our 'escapade." We will be returning to Fort Lauderdale in early June to finish the teak work, get the boat pretty and put her up for sale. Meaning, we have only 4 more weeks of the cruising life left. Many of the up and coming hours will be spent working on the teak but also snorkeling, swimming and visiting. It's a sad affair, but we have enjoyed immensely our 3 years of travels. We are starting to think of life back on land and are somewhat looking forward to it. My sister has been advised of our return and has bought a condominium and will be moving in as soon as we get home. But first, we have more fun, getting back to Florida, hauling and painting the bottom and sanding and staining the rest of the boat. Polishing, waxing, packing and a boat sale will all take some time and should be fun. I'm not real excited about going back to Ohio but I do miss my kitty.

April 30, 2002

What a great day! We set out for Stanielle Cay about 8:30am, with 30 miles to go. A nice day with very light wind, about 8k and the Exuma Sound was flat as a pancake. I put my fishing line in the water immediately and after about an hour, reeled it in to make sure there were no weeds and set it out again. About 11:30, I was getting hot and went below to read. Sitting all comfy on the settee, I heard the line go out and Bob calling. Up I shot, tightened the drag and at the same time, Bob saw it leap. Yes, it was a dolphin, or mahi mahi. He didn't feel huge and he didn't fight hard but I knew he was saving it for the end. After ½ hour or so, I finally got him close to the boat and Bob had gotten the camera, bottle of rum and gaff hook. I wasn't properly clad to have my picture taken reeling him in so he had to wait till we got him aboard. I was waiting for that final thrust at the end but he was tired (so was I) and by the time he gave his final thrust, Bob had him gaffed. Up unto the boat he came and Bob poured rum in his gills (it was good Bacardi, too).

His last moments were spent, I like to think, in a drunken stupor but we'll never know. It took Bob about 10 minutes to get the hook out of his mouth and then it was all bent but Bob straightened it out. I went below for the filleting knife and board, tape measure, pail and certain articles of clothing for picture taking. Mr. Dolphin measured in at 45". We don't have a scale but I'll just say that it took everything I have to hod him up with 2 arms for the picture. Bob filleted him while I hosed him down and then went below to wash off the meat, bag them and marinate 2 for dinner. Bob did the ugly clean up and I retired my pole for the day. The whole thing took more than an hour and we slowed the boat way down so we lost some time but gained many dinners.

This anchorage is beautiful. We actually anchored away from the crowd in Stanielle Cay and between Big and Little Major islands. Here we can sand to our hearts content and not bother anyone. Also, as of right now we have our own private beach where we have already been for a swim and salt-water bath. The town is a dinghy ride away and so is Thunderbolt cave where we can snorkel when the sanding gets boring. I must go now and see about that wonderful fish dinner.

- MORE TO FOLLOW -