February 6, 2000
Had a great day with Caroline and Gerry aboard "Gato." She is a 43ft. Catamaran built by the two of them. I was a little afraid of a "cat" as they don't have a huge fixed keel on the bottom like a monohull (ours) but they have a drop-down dagger board which makes them stable. But, not as stable as a monohull. It was blowing up to 24 knots yesterday and I knew I was in for some excitement. Catamarans are fast and theirs is extremely fast, as Gerry as a background in racing. They also don't move around like a monohull, but stay very upright. We had a great time with good company, sandwiches and wine.
Last night I met up with friends Holly and Bruce from home. They were in Miami with a big group of friends, awaiting a cruise ship to come sweep them out of reality. We borrowed Caroline and Gerry's car and drove to their hotel and met the whole group for dinner. It was a pretty funny but exhausting experience. We thought the drive would be a 1/2-hour and it turned out to be and hour and a half, with traffic. The car overheats and so we had to keep the air conditioning on and it was one of the coldest nights in Miami this winter. Traffic was terrible, being Saturday night in Miami Beach. We were very late and very cold when we arrived at the FountainBleau. We pull up to valet parking and there are all of these expensively dressed people in formal gowns and tuxes. Even the valet guys had on tuxes. And there we are in this beater Volkswagen that Bob has to explain to the valet guy, doesn't have reverse. So, there we are, Bob in painter's pants and short sleeved shirt and me in sweats (my nicest ones) and sandals. We had a drink and then sat down for dinner. Two hours later we were absolutely starved and no dinner. Everyone started getting pretty ticked off and refusing appetizers, etc. We had a nice visit but were happy to be on our way since we had a long ride ahead of us (and not used to driving) and a cold dinghy ride back to the boat. 
Today is Sunday and we are resting up from our ordeal. It's warm and sunny and beautiful here today. Halleluya! We were just hailed on VHF radio by friends from Vero Beach, Elizabeth and Dillon, of "Greensleeves." They are here now and we may make the crossing together. They are a very young couple; very nice and knowledgeable. We look forward to spending a couple of days with them before we go.
Still waiting for a weather window out of here.
February 11, 2000
And what a great day it was! We got our weather window, at long last and here we sit anchored in the Great Bahama Bank in 12 feet of perfectly clear turquoise water. It's so clear that you can see the bottom 50 feet down. From this vantagepoint, I can see starfish on the bottom.
We were up at 5:30am before daylight. We had our coffee, tea and toast and pulled anchor at about 6:30, along with our friends, Dillon and Elizabeth from "Greensleeves." The channel out was very tricky with unmarked shoals and is very hard to do in the light let alone dark. We were soon out of the first worry and into the second. What is the Gulf Stream going to be like? Well, what a beautiful day we had out there! There were rollies, but at the most they were only 6 feet and the seas were 2-3 feet, subsiding throughout the day. It was sunny and warm and we were bright and cheerful to match. The crossing took about 8 hours and it was heavenly. For those who are not familiar with the crossing of the Gulf Stream, it can be, and is more often than not, horrible. The stream kicks up fast and is easily affected by winds and carries a 1 ½-4-knot current, in the northerly direction. Going south against it is difficult in itself but if you don't have the proper winds, it's nasty. We did not have the proper winds but the wind we did have was light and mostly variable so the crossing was fine.
Our next headache was getting through the Gun Cay Cut. Once reaching the 
Bahamas, about 3:00pm, we had to get through this nasty little cut, between Cat and Gun Cays. There are shallows and shoals all over and we have a very large keel, meaning we go deep. The Bahamas, in general, are made up of very shallow waters, a reason some boats like ours choose not to sail here. We wound our way through the cut, Bob at the helm and me on the bow, looking for shoals. We had walkie-talkies and I told him what I saw and he steered accordingly. No problem; once again the captain navigates us to safety.
Once through the cut, we turn right and work our way over the Great Bahama Bank. This is a stretch of about 75 miles that we will take from Gun Cay to Chub Cay. Today we only made about 10 miles across the bank before sunset. We dropped the hook about 6:00pm in water so clear that you can see the anchor lying on the bottom. The sunset was exquisite. Popping our heads out now is really kind of eerie. All around us is; nothing. Just miles and miles of flat, calm, shallow, turquoise water. We had a nice pasta dinner and here we relax, exhausted but so happy to be here! Tomorrow we will try to make it to Chub Cay, where we will check in and become official, but it's 63 miles away and we may not make it. We may have to anchor again along the Bank.
February 12-13, 2000
So tired last night after another gorgeous day in Paradise that I couldn't write. We motor-sailed across the Bank to Northwest Channel, a marker denoting shoals at the end of the Bank. There we set the anchor, had dinner and I was asleep by 9:30pm. At 11:30pm, I was awake. Something just didn't sound right. Bob and I both got dressed and went above to check the anchor. Everything looked perfectly fine so we came back down, got undressed and got back in bed. It wasn't ½ hour later that the anchor sounded funny again. So, we got up and got dressed and went to have another look. I stayed up there with a flashlight for about 15 minutes and heard nothing strange so, back down and back to bed. About 12:30am, I am awakened again and I really can't stand the sound. It sounds like the boat is taking a beating. I suggest we let out more chain for the anchor and readjust the snubbing line (safety catch for the chain.) Aaaaahhh. The sweet sound of regular noises. The current in the Bank and the wind were at odds and going in opposite directions, pulling hard on the anchor and the boat. Next thing I knew it was 7:00am.
Our original goal for today was to sail to Nassau, about 50 miles away. That meant about a 12-hour day and to tell the truth, we were pooped. We decided instead to sail to Chub Cay, a popular place to check into the Bahamas and then anchor out on Bird Cay, about 2 miles away. Chub was only a 3-hour sail from where we were. The interesting part is when we left the Bank, which was 16 feet in the deepest spots, we immediately were immersed back into the Northwest Channel into, get this, 900+ fathoms or 5500+ feet! Here in the Bahamas, there are no day markers and no night markers and no shallow markers. You have to steer visually therefor; most do not sail at night. The color of the Bank was turquoise and the Channel, a deep, dark blue. We pulled into Chub and set our anchor and thought we could dinghy in. No way. We had to come back out to the boat and bring the boat in and wait 3 hours to check in and then take the boat back out and reanchor. Who could possibly complain? It was about 80 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. You just can't believe this water. It's pure turquoise! Thought I was going to get to swim and snorkel today but by the time we got back out, it was too late. We treated ourselves to a wonderful restaurant meal of grouper, dipped in coconut with chutney. Out of this world. Tomorrow we head for Nassau, about 35 miles away. Weather is supposed to hold so it should be another day in Paradise. I'm so happy I can't stand it! Somebody pinch me.
February 18, 2000
Everyday is a different story. This day started early and loudly. Yesterday a boat anchored too close to us. I asked Bob to tell him but he wouldn't and I wasn't happy. This morning I awoke about 6:15 to the sound of banging halyards. They sounded awful loud and I lay there fuming for a few minutes and then got up to tell them to tie them down and found their boat INCHES away from ours and a man in a dinghy. The man in the dinghy was a neighbor and he was untangling the other boat's anchor line from our rudder. Their bowsprit was INCHES away from our new 5 million-dollar steering vane. Boy was I mad! How nice of our neighbor to come and fix the situation. It would have cost us thousands to fix and I'm guessing they had no insurance. And not only that, the time it would have taken to get the parts and fly them here and have them stolen and fly some more in, ad nauseum. We moved our boat up and this guy on the other boat was just having a terrible time reanchoring. Turns out his wife couldn't do anything but scream at him. Finally, after at least an hour, with the guy running back and forth trying to set the anchor and then run back and take the wheel, he almost hit another 2 boats. Bob and I had both asked him if he wanted help and he sad "no." He was nearing the exhaustion point when I called over to him one more time, "Please, let Bob dinghy over and steer while you set the anchor." He said, "OK" and off Bob went. Bob took his boat way far away from ours, and the other boat that they almost hit (all hands on their deck watching, petrified), and got them anchored. This poor guy was exhausted, embarrassed and this wife of his just kept screaming at him in this high shrill voice. While Bob was on their boat, she had to run down and throw up several times, from being so worked up. Whew! After all was said and done, Bob dinghied back and came up to me and gave me the biggest hug. He was so thankful to have a nagging, control freak of a first mate instead of a screaming one.
The day got progressively better. I sanded and stained the handrails while Bob was helping the other boat. Did a bunch of boat chores and then we dragged laundry a half mile or so and did 3 loads. After, we brought the laundry back and I went and got my hair butchered while Bob had a cold one and read the paper. We both had lunch upon my return and then did some walking chores. When we got back to our dinghy, we ran into Finn. Finn is the guy in Ft. Lauderdale who rewired a new electric outlet for me for the computer. He and his wife are working as captain and first mate aboard a 60-ft. powerboat. It was great to see him.
Here we sit with the clouds rolling in, the winds backing to the north and the wind speed increasing. I think we're in for a very rolly night. But we're in Paradise!
February 27,2000
Best day ever. Today was dedicated to fun. We have been either on the run or sitting in harbours and the fun meter was running low. Yesterday we sailed to Norman Cay. It was only about 12 miles or so and we left late and set anchor at about 4:00pm. We decided that if today was a pretty day, we would stay in Norman's and relax. It turned out to be a beautiful day. After listening to the "net" and talking to
Eric and Susan in Georgetown, we packed up towels, sunscreen, snorkel gear and snacks, threw it all in the dinghy along with our new dinghy anchor, and off we went exploring. Our first bit of happiness was upon leaving in the dinghy, looking back at Mutual Fun, floating on that turquoise water and looking like a picture postcard, with the blue sky and white sand in the background. We tooled our way around the tip of the Cay and into another anchorage with only 4 boats. There were little islands and lots of white sand and a sunken airplane in the middle of the anchorage. Of course there is a story behind that and it involves some houses on shore and it all has to do with some famous drug runner, now imprisoned. We dinghied around the airplane and then went to a more protected (from the wind), shallow area where we had to get out and walk the dinghy to shore. The water was perfectly clear and the sand soft and white. There was conch all over but they were too small for the taking. I actually skipped along the beach. We then went to the other side of the anchorage and checked out the drug houses on land. They were all empty shacks that nobody bothered to rebuild. We then met some other cruisers that we had run into some ways back, along with some new people and all had lunch at McDuff's. This is a rather famous shack of a restaurant known for the best hamburgers in Bahamas. They didn't have a bad cranberry/vodka, either. We had a nice lunch and then all decided to go for a swim. There were 8 of us and only 2 of us were not wooses and went in. The water was a tad nippy at first but was really nice once you were numb. Bob and I then went back to the boat for a siesta. I decided to have an ocean bath and once in and clean, I decided to try out my snorkel gear. Clad in fins, snorkel and mask, I set about looking at the bottom before I thought it might be more beneficial to look at the underside of the boat. Upon doing that, I found that the propeller had a rope wrapped around it. Bob passed me down a knife but I just couldn't hold my breath long enough to do any good. Bob then came down and we duct-taped the knife to the end of the boat pick and he worked away at it for about an hour. I then came down and tried my hand at trying to unwrap it by hand but not much luck. Bob worked at it a little more and by then, he was cold and tired. The water temperature is apparently 76 degrees. About half-hour is all you really want to be in there without a wet suit. So, we have a line wrapped around the prop and probably have for some time. We'll ask someone with a tank and wet suit to help us out in Georgetown.
We finished off our salt-water baths with a fresh water rinse in the cockpit and boy did we feel refreshed! A great day with the promise of many more to come.
Gerry is in Ft. Lauderdale taking classes to obtain his captain's license. We were all telling stories and having snacks and drinking wine while Dillon and Bob were fixing our running lights. The guys rejoined us and every once in awhile one of us would go above and check on things. Caroline popped her head out once and came back in and said, "guys, my dinghy is gone!" Caroline and I jumped in our dinghy and Elizabeth and Dillon jumped in their dinghy and we searched for awhile. By now it's totally dark out and we need to regroup so we came back to Mutual Fun for sweats, flashlights and portable VHF radio. We set out again and were out there for about 1-½ hours and came up empty-handed. Dillon and Elizabeth also came back to their boat to get more clothes and gear and set back out. We searched Biscayne Bay but Caroline's dinghy is dark and we just couldn't find it. Even using a spotlight, that dinghy could have been 30 feet away and we could have missed it. After our engine stalled out and a cruise ship almost ran us down, we searched a while longer and came back to the boat. We called Elizabeth and Dillon back in and we regrouped on Mutual Fun. That dinghy and motor are worth about $4,000.00. We are all just sick about it. They don't have any insurance. 
Caroline went back on her boat and called it in to the Coast Guard. We are all sitting around our VHF radios hoping that some honest person found it and will put out a call. This is the Miami Beach area though and honest isn't predominant here. Stay tuned to see if it turns up.
windows and filth in the streets. We came home and felt depressed. My brother, Gary was due to visit us and we thought he could meet us in Staniel Cay but e-mailed us to tell us he couldn't find a flight. We needed to spend another week in Nassau and didn't like what we saw. We met some cruisers from Vero Beach and they told us that Nassau is great and we'll love it. I was exhausted from 3 nights of not sleeping so well so I just crashed for the night at 9:00pm. Slept straight through till 6:15am.
in order. We dinghied over to Atlantis, which is right up the creek, and tied up at a fancy-shmansy dinghy dock and walked over. The infrastructure (I don't even know what that means) is massive. There is a huge hotel, rooms starting from $400.00 a night and up to $2,000.00, which is attached. First there are a bunch of casinos of which we saw one, which was huge and noisy and full of action. Then we walked over to the outdoor pools and beach. There, they have this huge, 70-ft straight down slide, which whips its occupant through a clear tube, through shark-infested waters, to a jolt at the bottom. Even old folks like us were doing this. Next to that was a tamer and not-quite-so-steep slide that you go down with an inner tube. These both looked like great fun but you have to pay the $25 each to do this. We also saw this huge aquarium area overlooking an eating area with these big, silver, ugly fish, a bunch of smaller fish and a few shark thrown in for the scare tactic. It was huge and quite lovely. We had fun but weren't sure if Gary wanted to see Atlantis so we decided to save some for later.
Gary arrived last night in time for homemade stew, catch up conversation and a good snooze. The weather was rather poopy today, so we ran a couple of errands and took a bus downtown so Gary could do the rounds of shopping for his little girls and his bigger girl. While shopping for a bracelet for Linda, I found one that I really liked but Gary decided he really liked it, too so it will be on its way to his wife in a couple of days. My pocketbook is all the happier but my wrist all the sadder. We're trying to steal Gary for a few more days since we won't be able to do any sailing with us because of the cold front approaching. It's cool, rainy and the winds are supposed to pick up to 20-25 by tonight. We shall have a good time, anyhow and if nothing else, the newly named vice president of Magellan will get lots of badly needed rest. 
The morning of Gary's departure. The weather did not cooperate very well, the cold front came and dumped rain and cloudy skies on us, along with winds too high to sail (for fun, that is.) I'm sure Gary was quite disappointed but he did get some good R & R, some semi-decent cooking and even a little fun. He had a nice day at Atlantis yesterday in the gym and the spa while Bob and I hung out there. I'm sorry he's leaving today without enjoying a sail or even a swim. He promised to come back and sail with us.
Another day in Paradise! We decided at about 8:15am to sail to Staniel Cay. It took about an hour to get the dinghy motor hoisted up to the boat, oars, gas can and locks stowed and the rest of the boat battened down and ready. We sailed on the "outside" today, meaning Exuma Sound instead of the Bank. This is a more direct route and usually a bit kickier but today was light winds and pretty calm. It was beautiful with rocks all along and cays here and there. The water on the Sound side is much, much deeper and darker blue. It looks a little like sailing Maine, with the rocks, but about 30 degrees warmer. We arrived and were anchored in Staniel Cay before 2:00pm. We got the dinghy all put back together, had a salami, cheese and cracker lunch and went into the village for exploring, a little gas for the dinghy and trash. I was itching to go snorkeling before it got too chilly so off we went to the world famous Thunderball Cave; home of the James Bond movie. We were told that we must go at low tide because the higher water sort of seals the mouth of the cave. We thought we would just snorkel around the cave because we arrived an hour or so after high tide but another couple there said there was no problem. So, daredevils that we're not, in we went. It was really beautiful. There were sergeant major fish and big grouper and a bunch of others I couldn't identify. The cave's entrance was quite narrow and we actually bumped up against the coral walls. Once inside a little ways, you swim right into a kind of eerie area where the ceiling of the cave meets the water and then it opens up into this huge dome. The ceiling of the dome is about 30 feet high and there are 2 holes up there so sunlight streams through. The water that you see from the inside out is bright turquoise and there are fish and all sorts of things swimming around. It's a strange feeling and if you are at all claustrophobic, as I am, you don't spend hours in there. We went in and out twice for a total of about ½ hour. I am finding that about ½ hour is all I am comfortable in the water without a wet suit, which we will probably buy in Georgetown. We went back to the boat and had cockpit showers, made reservations at the Happy People restaurant and vegged for a bit. Dinner was a very good grouper, dark rice, corn, salad and ice cream affair for $14.00. There was only one other couple and we ate together. They were from Vermont and had rented a cottage here that they found on the Internet. They thought we were quite interesting. We have only been with other cruisers for so long that nobody has found us interesting in a long time. We invited them to see the boat tomorrow. And speaking of tomorrow, it will be groceries and laundry for us. And, OK, maybe a little snorkeling in the afternoon.