Rum and Island exploring..............

Sarah and Dave in front and Capt.Dave in back

Between yesterday and today it has been very interesting to say the least. We have been socializing with cruisers we've met along the way and new friends we've made here in GHC since we started coming three years ago.
New cruising friends Dave and Sarah left yesterday to go back to Halifax where they live, so we went to the Beach Bar which is perfectly planted right across the road from the airport to have some rum drinks and beer with them for a few hours while they waited for the plane. This was a great time just sitting and laughing about all the fun stuff we have done this past week with them. The view is just breathtaking and we pinch ourselves every time we stop there.

Today we got together with Jeff,Lana,Jim and Sue all homeowners here to dinghy to a remote island called Haines Cay and explore the beaches for treasures.




 We had to take the dinghy up into some mangroves and find a path that has been taken over by the mangroves, then once we found the dinghy spot we had to find the path to the top of a range which was very challenging but we found it and Jon marked all spots so we could find our way back to the dinghy later on.

While we were walking the far side of the island we noticed some kite-surfers rounding the Cay  and thought this was funny as hell because its such a far distance from anywhere. These guys surfed right up on the beach with in ten feet of me and sat down for a break. I said where the hell did you come from and they just laughed and said they flew into the airport on GHC and would go all the way around the Islands in this area and have a small boat pick them up on the backside to get them back to the airport to fly out later. Very Cool.........................    

Relaxing ....

Jeff coming to play with us.

Jon snorkeling

the catch of the day

Nice place to swim

Lots of hiding places

Lion fish-they get killed first thing.

Merry Christams 2012

We had a great Christmas Dinner at Jeff and Lana's house last night. Her table arrangement was beautiful and the food was outstanding. We are all blessed with what we have and we do know it......

Blue-Christmas eve

The Libby Family in Connecticut

Our kids- Jill,Jeremy and Amy

Christmas Day at Jeff and Lana's house

Just hanging

We have had a cold front go through so we have been doing some visiting and site seeing these past two days with friends on the island.






We were invited last night to a birthday party for Mark who owns and lives on this tugboat. Sara had two play mates for the day and Blue even got down to check things out for a bit. Marks tug is very cool and has lots of living room. We brought Haufmann hotdogs(a Syracuse hotdog) over and they were a huge hit, so much Mark is ordering 30lbs for the next party.







We went snorkeling yesterday on a plane wreck which was very interesting and reminded us of some of our trips to the Caribbean diving years ago.

The end of the world never came..........So I guess I can keep writing....

The marina had their Christmas Party last night and invited all of the cruisers to attend. The problem was it started after 8 pm and most of us were ready for bed before we even got there. We all had a fun time and hitched a ride back to the marina from Denise a landowner.


We have been to a few beaches and found that Sandy really made a mess of my favorite ones. While at the beach today Sara caught five crabs and only one got away.
 





We bought bikes in the states and have been riding around the island this week which is a lot of fun and good for our health, so this will be our means of transportation for now.

Jon has been having fun with his friends here working on motors and boats whenever he gets a chance.

Ya Baby............Bahamas and lovin it

Leaving Lake Worth

We left Stuart on the 15th and headed to Lake Worth with no issues and even the bridge tenders were pretty nice considering what we usually hear on the radio. When we travel we listen to three different weather forecasts before deciding to do the crossing, so it looked like the 16th and 17th would be the best over all, even Chris Parker our SSB guy said it was a perfect time.

Cuda

It was  our 7th time making this 30 hour crossing and this was quite a tough one. The boat worked great, it was the wind and sea prediction that was off. It was suppose to 10-15 mph winds and 2-4 Ft. It was easily 20 mph winds and the waves were 5 to  7 with the occasional 9 or 10 footer. With the wind nearly on on nose, as it always is when your trying for a destination, and bucking a 2 knot current our speed over ground was down to only 3 -4 knots at night with these conditions. There was no heading up or falling off the wind for more speed, the waves were just too big for that. I (Arline) said at least it was night time with the big waves coming over the bow, so we couldn't see them. The wind turned to south just before dawn with 8 hours left to go, which put the wind just forward of our starboard beam. This wind change also flatted the sea a bit because it was blowing across the Bahama bank and not the Atlantic  where it could build big waves. Our boat loves to see this wind, and with all sails out she started to act like a freight train running through snow. So now with better wind and seas at 3 ft we were screaming along at 7 knots to our paradise.

Almost there

With the bow of the boat under water most of the nigh any little leak found its way its way into the V-Birth which was not good because it ended up on our clothes and some bedding. We can deal with that after hearing stories of huge fishing boats taking on water and just trying to get here without calling in a mayday.

Sunrise

We are traveling with a couple Steve and Judy of S/V Hey Jude that we traveled with two years ago when our motor overheated and we ended up staying in GHC for a month, and at that time fell in love with the place.








Jon said to me that all good things come to those who wait and to look for that kind of thing on this trip over, I understand what he was talking about(maybe this is where we were suppose to be?).











We have been cleaning the boat and getting our Bahamian stuff  out to do some fishing,conching, lobstering and all that good stuff.

We may be here a month before moving on because of interests other than vacationing and we will let you know what that is later.

Great feeling

All I can say is life is good.......................  

Just waiting..............

This week has been very busy with all sorts of things.

First off: Jon flew back to New York to settle any last minute things and to totally remove our stuff from our RV that was at the marina we use to work at. He has been away since Friday.
Next, Sarah had to have more surgery to remove some very ugly spots and bumps off of her body. She is now recovering. I am still waiting for my test result to come back to find out if I have the okay to leave next week for the Bahamas.
When we first got here Jon landed jobs instantly to work on boats and motors. One of which he has already completed, he fixed an old Evinrude motor for a nice Canadian couple Don and Sue. He made enough for us to have a very nice dinner one night, drinks included. When he returns from New York he has arranged to install and work on some new gauges and electronics for Chris and Louise, who are also from Canada. He decided to decline on any of the other work for now, or we will never make it to the Bahamas.














 The weather here has been very warm and sunny, and the water in the morning is very calm. Almost every morning there have been dolphins swimming next to the boat. 

an afternoon storm

I can't wait for Jon to show back up so we can get on with our adventures!

Stuart at last........................

 The trip over to Stuart only took about 4 hours and the weather was wonderful all day.
All systems came up and worked fine. Kasidah ran as well as she could and we were glad to be back on her and moving. Indiantown is a nice place to keep your boat when your away but it gets really expensive and insurance in not cheap to leave it in Florida for hurricane season. The other thing is you end up with a boat that need lots of attention when you return.
We are seeing lots of cruisers from the past that we have traveled with, some are heading to the Bahamas,some are going to southern Florida and a few that we got together with last night are heading out for two years down to the lower Caribbean.
We are still not sure what we are doing, but this week we all have doctor appointments and then will decide where, when and how long.

Traveling on the St Lucie canal with friends

Blue being a "smarty pants"

We are on a mooring ball in Stuart

Happy Thanksgiving

We have been here at the dock for a week now getting Kasidah ready for traveling. Here at Indiantown marina each year they put on a week long party which includes activities everyday and at night they go all out on food,drinks,bands and all kinds of fun stuff to do. This year during their dinghy poker run I came in third place with three duces and won a gift certificate worth $25.00. Thank you very much Indiantown.
I did not sing karaoke this year but we did get our table to be back up for a few singers which was pretty funny to say the least. We also joined in to stomp grapes but did not stomp enough to win, however Jon managed to get a nice sliver under his nail from the grape barrel and as of today its still there.

Thanksgiving was awesome with everything you could imagine to eat. The nice thing that I always think about is how cool it is to see all these cruisers here from all over the world celebrating our Thanksgiving with us, and right in the middle of all our round tables is a long table with the owners and their family sharing this day with all of us (Thank you) .       

Working on Kasidah at Indiantown Marina

Getting ready for Thanksgiving.....

We are very busy getting Kasidah ready to splash on Friday. This is the first chance I have had to sit down and write something because we are either outside working on her or so exhausted we just want to crash.
 We left Connecticut just after Sandy and just before the first snow storm so I would say we lucked out and dodged the snow altogether. We made a quick stop in to see some FPM customers- Doug and Denise then off to Jeremy and Amy's house in Dover for a few nights.
Next we made our way down to Beaufort NC to visit cruising friends Mark and Lynda and stayed two nights on their new Hauns Christian boat. They have been working on it for a few months so Jon thought he would help out with some issues and stay an extra day. Lynda and I went shopping in Morehead City and got to catch up on all that stuff woman talk about.
When we finally got to Kasidah we decided to head to Stuart and have dinner with Mel and Carol who have a winter place down here. It was great to see them here.

Don and Betty (from Licoln Maine) family friends.

For the past week we have been cleaning and fixing things on the boat. It really takes a toll on her to sit for six months in the Florida heat. I think she was made to live on full time.
Jon has been really happy with all the electronics, engine,genny and other items firing right up. He even was pleased at how well the fuel filtering went this year.

Guatemalan Restaurant in Indiantown 

We are seeing a lot of cruising friends pulling in now and we are all starting to talk about where to go this year. I would like to head south to Miami then cross to the Berry's maybe head to the Exuma's for a month and  then back to The Berry's to spend some time there. This place is great and we know so many wonderful people there, I feel like I am at home there.   
     

Waiting out Sandy in Conneticut

Our first stop on our trip south was only an hour away from Fair Haven. We stopped in Tully to visit our very good friend Diane and to pick up our mail. The sun was out both days and in the 70s.
Jon went into town to say hello to a few old friends and wouldn't you know it, there at the stop light in the center of town was Thomas from the marina. He was out on his bike that day and decided to ride through Tully.
 We are now in Middletown Ct. at our Daughters place waiting out Sandy. it is noon and the wind is just starting to pick up and places are starting to close down for the day.
I am so glad we are not on Kasidah traveling the ICW like some of our friends who have taken slips in marinas for the storm. 

The season is almost to a close....

The cold weather is starting to set in here on Lake Ontario and Kasidah is starting to call for us.
We have been busy this summer and realize how quick life can pass you by.
We have seen a few good friends leave us for whatever may be on the other side.
We have watched our youngest daughter graduate with her masters' and for her to see that the world is hers to conquer, but only if she wants it.
We have seen our oldest daughter pack a small duffel bag and depart for a place that war is all they know, but for her it's a place she goes to protect the ones she loves.
We've seen our son-in law go from a busy life with his wife and happy home to an even busier life, but an empty house and still manage to be positive about it all.

Next month we will leave here and make a few stops to visit our family in Connecticut and Delaware. Then we will be off to Annapolis to visit a cruiser we met a few years ago before we head out with Kasidah. We have been in contact with them for sometime and have arranged to stop by the marina he runs on our way through. We will then head down to North Carolina to visit some other cruisers we met in the Bahamas last year. They bought a newer boat and have it on the hard currently at a marina getting some work done on it.












Kasidah here we come!

Thanks for Visiting our Blog.

We hope all of you that have been keeping up with the blog have enjoyed reading some of our adventures and looking at the photos of the wonderful places we've been.  It was the best winter so far on Kasidah in warmer weather. It wasn't trouble free,..but it wasn't like work. The boat worked GREAT and we had a Blast!! Jon and I are now back at Fair Point Marina for the summer. Jon and I are working for the summer there (which helps the cruising kitty) and I am trying to just keep warm, I'll visit with our girls they both are having a busy summer, traveling, deployment to Afghanistan, and moving maybe. There is dog sitting in my near future. We'll try to keep a few updates through the summer as we write our plans for next winter. Our plans are written in sand at low tide so you never know.

Thanks for looking and following.

Back in the States.

Last beach day of the season

Nothing like this beach

Our catch on the way home "Skipjack Tuna"

A visit with Great Aunt Virginia (She has forty years on me) I can only hope I look that good at her age.

We had a great time in the Bahama's but it was time to head back to the states and take care of a few things.
We really wanted to do some exploring in Florida and visiting of friends and family too.
Our crossing went well and we even managed to cast the line out a few times. Jon caught a Skipjack Tuna which was dark fleshed but ended up being delicious.

Yesterday we took a ride down to Boca Raton to visit with Jon's Great Aunt Virginia, she is such a wonderful person to talk with and the stories she tells of the Pacific Islands and all her worldly travel are amazing.

We will sit here for a bit before moving the boat to Indiantown where she will be stored till next season.

Bird Island trip and some history

We took a trip to Bird Island to look at the potential of owning some property but it was just a little more than we could afford.

This was a beautiful island but the place had been left for a few years and the houses have been ransacked,

 the peacocks have taken over and the hurricanes have left their number too.. 

Sitting room "before"

Sitting room  "now"

Dinning room   "before" 

Dinning room  "now"

Smaller house on beach

View from the pool

 
We ended up there a little longer than we had

Buildings on south end of island

planned so low tide started to come in and before we could make our exit the sand was under us and the day there ended up into the late evening. It was a very exciting trip even though it was a long one.

Thanks to Jeff and Lana not only this trip but many other adventures and fun times will be remembered forever.