Ok, So I dropped the ball.

Well I will admit the it is easier to post on Face Book but we had had friends request that we need to continue our blog. As I start this seasons out your probably all tucked in nice and warm. Well I am wrapped up in a dam sleeping bag setting in one hell of a messy boat. Hence Jeannie is not on-board. We got down to MutualFun just before Sandy arrived off the east coast of Florida. All we got was around 35 kts of wind for a couple of days straight and very little rain. Over the summer I had built a new hard bimini as our canvas one was getting to the point it was needing to be redone. So we took the frame work home in the spring and made a new hard bimini. It is on and so far we love it. When we arrived to the boat we had discovered that when the boat as stored for the summer they had positioned it so the bow was higher and not level. Well in doing that the water we get down our mast inside was not able to drain as it should have and we ended up with our main salon floor damaged and mold all over the main section of the boat. Black mold that was. Could of grew mushrooms the way it looked. So after a long day of a lot of bleach and washing, it all came out way better then we figured except the floor. As usual there is the standard projects and just getting the boat back in shape does take time. Our teak looked really good when we left in the spring but it sure sucks now. The sun takes it toll on it as we can not get at it for 6 months. Our plan this years is to try and get to down to the southern end of the islands this year and just hang out for a while. Our biggest issue will be water as we do not have a water maker. With what we carry we can last 3 weeks at least before we need to go resupply with water. I am also itching to get back in the water and go fishing as this year should prove to be better then last year for fishing. So we will see what happens as we splash on the 13th and then a few days for systems check then a depart from Green Cove Springs.

Crossing Over and Beyond

Ok we are doing the blog via Kindle maily this year until we get a good wifi connection then we will add pictures. After sitting in Lake Worth Fl. for a few days we decided to head further south as this year we wanted to to try and cross over from either Key Biscayne Fl. or the Miami area. The weather has been totally different this year then last year. Much more wind and around a steady 15 to 20kts out of he north. Which makes it impossible to jump out in the ocean. So once again we have went the route of the ICW. The good thing is we have covered all but 45 miles of the 1000 plus miles of it. Going down through Ft Lauderdale was something to see as we seen how the not so normal people live. Like the song Money. Where does it all come from.You can tell they do not play much as the yachts are setting out in front of their homes. It is almost like the Jones's. Who can out do each other. Mile after mile of mega yachts. Ok enough about that and onto the average Americian. Getting down to the inlet at Ft Lauderdale we deided to jump out and do a ocean run down to Ket Biscayne and into the national park. A place called No Name Harbor. We stayed 2 nights in the harbor as it is small but only 8boats were there so pleantly of room. As the guide books say it is party central on the weekend we decided to move outside Fridy morning and oh did it fill up. Saturday night it had to be emptyed as we got to see our 2nd xmas prade of boat lights It was interesting but nothing like Lake Worth's. After sitting there a few days and no weather window in sight we decided to head up up South Beac Miami and anchor right downtown in the harbor. I have to say that it is not a bad place to hang out waiting for a weather window. There is so much to see and do and water is easy to get. We ended up sitting there for a few more days as we met a few other crusers that we had heard on the SSB last year. After missing the last weather window to cross we finally have a 24 hour window once again and we are going. We moved over to the south side of Fisher Island along with It's About Time. About Time. Kismit and MutualFun. We had intended to go to Bimini but with hearing the weather forecast we decided head to Frazer Hog in the Berry Islands. Bimini is asmall set of islands and it is easy to get stuck in them while waiting for a weather window. We just did not care to go in there and be stuck at a marina for days. So after a 25 hour sail and some motor sailing we arrived in Frazer Hog Cay in the Berry Islands. This is where we spent xmas last year. Once we got there we found out that the club was closed down due to dealing with drugs. Oh well tis hard to make a living in the Bahamas mon. The mooring balls were still still in place from last year so we picked up one as well as the other we had crossed over with. Like everything else we backed down on it and dove on it to inspect the chain. Our first night of what I thought would be a long night of needed sleep. At about 3:30 am I hear a loud bang bang bang on the boat and then a call for help our mooring ball broke and we are washed up on shore in the strom we are riding out. S#$t like A fireman when the horn goes off I am in my clothes and in the dingy I go to start helping. No moon and dark as dark can be. Wavws a crashing we work to secure the grounded boat from going further ashore as we only had about 30 feet left from the iron shore of death. I had wwent back and got a couple of 3/4 inch anchor rodes and one of our anchors to help secure Sailaway which was aground and the tide tide going out. All we could do is to wait about 10hours till high tide again.As the tide went out all we could do is watch the boat slowly lay on its side and keel. They had removed a lot of things and stored them on our boat just incase it went bad. I kept telling Ken we are going to get you back floating as he was not to sure. As daylight came and other cruisers awoke to find one boat missing . Sally from It' About Time blew her air horn 5 times. I bolted up from our compainion way fully in rain gear and life vest. She thought dam now that was quick getting dressed untill she found out I had been up sense 3:30am. With the luck of Howard who is tending the closed down Berry Island Club,he had a 25ft whaler with a 225p on it. We ended up attaching a lin to the main halyard and as the tide was about high tide we leaned Sailaway back over and raised the keel off the rocks and away she went back floating. The only damage was a crack in the rudder . After getting our 2nd weather window to get to New Providence Island we left with everyone else as Kismit and MutualFun decided to head for West Bay as the rest went into Nassau to stay at a marina. After 2 nights in West Bay we moved on and to the Exumas. We spent a couple of rolly nights anchored there with a few walks a shore. This year we are waiting and sitting and waiting for the right wind and sail a whole lot more. What a year will do for experience. We left Normans and sailed all the way to Big Majors. In that day we had all type of wind from hang on to your ass to nota much wind. But hey we did sail. At Big Majors we hit is well on lobestors and a few fish. Stanel Cay which is around the cornner had a priate party which we heard one had to see. So MutualFun and Kismit went and ooh it was a sight to see. Must I say more. Jim and Randy loved it.One of the days we were at Big Majors which was around New Years I got to crew on Different Drummer in a cruising race. I will have to say it is the closet I have ever come to being hit at the start line. We were all screaming at the other boat Starboard but zi wonder if that is on the left as they drive on the left in the Bahamas. No damage done but I was in race mode and it killed our start. Good news is we beat tht boat that stalled us at the start line. After riding out a cold front in Big zmajors which brought 2 days of 20 plus kts of winds with tops to 35 kts we got to move and went on down to black point. There we met up with many other cruisers and had a few happy hours and dancing at scorpios bar. They laundy mat is adding on showers