Year: 2013

…Reflecting on the bow in Hope Town…

Wendy and Craig sadly departed the fun on Island Spirit and headed back to the cold rainy north for some house work, landscaping work, and of course that bad four letter work…W O R K….we had such a great time and it flew by as it always seems to with close friends. We sailed nearly 100 nautical miles and that is a lot in the little Sea of Abaco. We covered from Treasure Cay to Tahiti Beach and all sights in between. We all agree our favorite was Hope Town and the beautiful Lighthouse and quaint town. We shared simple meals of spaghetti with homemade meat sauce and homemade “Dough Boy” bread! We had ham and eggs for breakfast most days, unless the team selected French toast or oatmeal.

Dough Boy homemade bread for sandwiches

Then there were the great sandwiches and snacks for lunches and let’s not forget the red wine and Island Spirit drinks at five o’clock along with “Music Man’s” beautiful guitar playing and crystal clear singing! We shared fun parties on Island Packet Yachts FLATLANDER, and TRUE NORTH along with SLOW FLIGHT. We enjoyed the SOJER DAY on Man-O-War, and then made sure we returned back to the JIB ROOM for STEAK NIGHT. I do not think we could have fit more into 8 days in Abaco and as they say…..We Did it ALL….and had a blast. Thank you, Wendy and Craig, for taking the time to come down and join Team Island Spirit and share in our adventures. As Wendy would say, “It was big fun!”

Here is a Google Map of our 8 days. Click on the pins to see PHOTOS….

View Wendy and Craig Abaco 2013 in a larger map

The Source URL to this map is….

http://TinyURL.com/WendyCraigAbacos

 Here are a few photos as Wendy and Craig head home….

Wendy and Craig head home via a dinghy ride to the Jib Room There goes our Music Program 🙁

Our Friendly Cab Driver picks up for a trip to the Airport

Light Packing: Wendy with one bag and a laptop backpack Craig with one bag, one snorkel bag, and our MUSIC Program with the Back Up Band

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If It’s Gonna Happen….It’s Gonna Happen Out There….
Captain Ron

Very lucky for all of us, the alternator decided to short out two days AFTER Wendy and Craig left. Sparks were flying and the positive lead was shorting out INSIDE the alternator, so we shut down the motor and SAILED back to Marsh Harbor from near Hope Town. This problem had to be developing for a long time. The last fix two weeks ago was the positive lead wire, so I should have pulled the alternator then. Lucky for us, we found it during a routine engine check so it did NOT start a FIRE!

Here is how we got back into the harbor. Pull the Alternator. Make a mock up short belt using cable ties to run the coolant pump. Sail to the harbor and motor in the last mile. (Credit: Greg M. IP420 Anywhere for this brilliant quick temporary belt! )

Here is the problem. The positive post on the diode plate was not seated well. This was a rebuild only 18 months ago by a shop in MD…..a questionable job!

The galley countertop makes a good workbench! Where is are the guests now? We need HELP 🙂

Fortunately, the alternator did not cause any problem while Wendy and Craig were onboard. Thanks to our training with Tom Tursi at The Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship, www.mdschool.com, we do ENGINE CHECKS while running, otherwise this could have turned into a boat fire. We are glad we could sail back to Marsh Harbor where the unit was repaired in only one afternoon with cannibalized automotive parts. Let’s hope it holds…..if not…..a new rebuild kit will be shipped in…..

From Nippers on Great Guana, we sailed up to Treasure Cay and enjoyed one of the top ten beaches in the world, according to National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine. While here, we flew the stunt kites and visited with good friends Kathy and Alan of IP420 Flatlander. Look how beautiful this beach is and look how crowded it was….

Our other mission in Hope Town was to walk up the 101 steps to the top of the light house. From the top, you can enjoy the beautiful overlook into the harbor or the opposite side where you can take in  vast views back over the Sea of Abaco. Here are a few photos from the Hope Town lighthouse.

After a wonderful “Sunday Dinner” on Tuesday (this afternoon) at 2-3 pm, we then enjoyed a very happy hour with music and singing and great friends aboard IP420 True North. Steve on IP38 Slow Flight joined us with his guests Wendy, Eric and Susan. Here are some fun shots..

At sunset, our special treat for Wendy and Craig was to meet the lighthouse keeper, Jeffrey. THIS IS A MUST ATTEND EVENT to experience while here in Hope Town. Jeffrey has been one of the two lighthouse keepers for 8 years. His father was the lighthouse keeper at 3 other lighthouses in the Bahamas, which are now automated. He shared with us the history and the process of lighting the kerosene mantle. What an experience to witness Jeffery inside the lens when he first heats the burner with alcohol. When it is hot, he can turn on the pressurized gas, lift a light up to the spewing gas and the flame ignites. AMAZING TO SEE… Here are some great photos of Jeffrey lighting the Elbow Cay Lighthouse

Hope Town, a very special place…and even more special to share with Wendy and Craig!

…These GoPro pics are so cool….

Of course we sailed Wendy and Craig to one of the greatest beach bars and burger joints in the Abacos….NIPPER’S on Great Guana Cay. Departing Marsh Harbor around 1130 hrs, we raised the mainsail and killed the engine before even leaving the harbor. With a very nice close reach, we sailed on the wind vane set at 55 degrees on our autopilot. Whenever we approach Great Guana Cay, the winds always seem to go more aft so we can easily reach along the shore up to Fisher’s Bay. We dropped anchor and took our time getting a good solid set. This harbor is full of grass and it takes patience to dig the anchor into the firm bottom.

Craig working the stunt kite on the Nipper’s Beach

Once set, we immediately hit the road for Nipper’s with stunt kites in hand. When we arrived, the party was well underway and that crazy Nipper Juice was kicking in for many in attendance there! From dancing to beach walks, even to gymnastics on the beach, the Nipper Juice was working it’s magic and all were having a blast!

Photos of the day at this great place…
( I shot 151 photos today, here are 15)

Hayden holding the GoPro out on a boat hook

GoPRo camera held up high over the bow

GoPro pic with the camera just inside the jib on a close reach

IP40 NAVIGATOR sailed with us to Nippers, Cliff single hands this 40

The scene at Nipper’s

Nipper Juice kicking in, with head stands on the beach….cool

Craig hits the beach with his stunt kites

Launching the stunt kite over the beach

Craig doing aerobatics with the stunt kites

Radeen and Wendy walking the beach

Back on Island Spirit, we enjoyed a great sunset

Solar Panels really work so well down here, right up to sundown

….Nipper’s….a must-visit place in the SEA of ABACO!

…Hayden and Craig work the Rake n Scrap w/Jason….

Team Island Spirit has been exploring from the Jib Room in Marsh Harbor, out and about on the Sea of Abaco. With fun and easy day sails to Man O War Cay, Hope Town and Tahiti Beach, we have crossed the vast Sea of Abaco four times now and we have sailed every single leg! Life is so easy when you base out of Marsh Harbor because every location is within seven to ten miles, so there is never a long trip to any of these great locations. Over at Man O Way Cay, we anchored off the lee side in 10 feet of water where our manly 55 lb ROCNA Anchor (named “ROCKY”) securely watched over the yacht while we explored the biennial Sojer Day festivities on the Island. 

The Abaco Rage, local race boat

We enjoyed meeting Mr. Albury of Albury Boat Works, makers of the finest runabouts in the Abacos. The girls enjoyed the handcrafts of the talented sailmakers and canvas makers of Albury Sail Loft. Lifting anchor, we deployed a full 135% jib and sailed right back into Marsh Harbor, returning to our Jib Room dock! Tonight was Saturday night, and that means STEAK NIGHT at the Jib Room. Marvin is THE BEST CHEF in Abaco and his 24 hour marinated steaks are THE BEST. This is a must visit event when in Abaco. After dinner, it was time to work on our RAKE n SCRAPE skills along with JASON who is our teacher. Following Rake n Scrape we were entertained by the amazing DESMOND, the KING of LIMBO! Life is great in Abaco on a cruising sailboat, and Wendy and Craig are fitting right in…..

Here are a few photos of the scene

Team Island Spirit walking home from the grocery store

Wendy and Craig sharing their music on Island Spirit

Homemade bread and red wine compliment a simple dinner

The cold front arrives!

IP420 True North Debi and Dennis explore Man-O-War with Wendy and Craig

This is the SUN HAT Parade…..on Man-O-War

Overlooking the reef ocean side on Man-O-War Cay

Another crowded day on the beach

Wendy enjoying the beach and the beautiful blue water

Radeen working the sun hat with a smile

Jib Room Chef, MARVIN, grilling the steaks….that’s 50 steaks at a time!

Stephen and fiance, Bradley, share a photo for Team Island Spirit

The Jib Room is such a wonderful place! Great atmosphere!

Desmond teaching Destiny how to Rake n Scrape

Jason teaching Craig the Rake n Scrape technique

Desmond warming up for the limbo challenge

Yes….sailing from the Jib Room is simply a great life. I can see why so many cruisers base out of here for an entire season. Our next leg will take us over to NIPPERS for the Sunday Pig Roast and some stunt kite flying on the beach. Looking forward to that….as soon as we check out of the docks at the Jib Room…..

…Sailing shot via GoPro on a Boat Hook..

…And that is exactly what we did, we sailed off Tahiti Beach to Hope Town, dropped anchor, then sailed from Hope Town back to Marsh Harbor where we returned to the Jib Room for another “Cruisers Gathering” and musical jam session. What a great time, we are so blessed with such great friends and a great cruising lifestyle….

My best story is always via photos…

The beauty of HopeTown

Wendy and Craig take in the view, looking out to Island Spirit

Let’s play the Hope Town Architecture Game….find this…

….and find this vista…..

Did I tell you Craig loves to sail…..Wendy says, Hey, it is WINDY!

THIS is NOT windy…..this was downwind from Tahiti Beach

Wendy, Craig, Debbie, Steve, and Wendy enjoy the Jib Room

Cruisers’ Jam Session, How Much FUN!

Linda, the Owner of the Jib Room also enjoyed the Cruisers’ Jam Session

I told you we sailed, and sailed lazy, Jib only

Sailing north from Tahiti Beach, beautiful morning rush hour!

Tomorrow….we are expecting a storm front to arrive from Florida. This front has a serious record of damage and high winds and even hail. For that reason, we returned to a slip at the JIB ROOM and we will wait it out there…..Thanks for following along….

…Team Island Spirit storms Tahiti Beach…..

We sailed Craig and Wendy, ahhh, rather, Craig sailed all of us to Tahiti Beach, just south of Hopetown. Of course, this was directly UPWIND, so we tacked 4 times until we finally had to add the “iron jenny” to reach the corner where we could turn south for Tahiti Beach. Dropping anchor around 1230, we immediately deployed the tender, and hit da Sand Bar. Yes, we knew it would be near high tide, but hey, this is TAHITI BEACH, and it matters NOT what the tides are, as it is still really cool to play here.

Taking the tender up onto the sand bar is always fun, and then you toss out an anchor and jump onto the sand. We walked out to the point of the sand bar and then all the way back and around the east side to the ocean cut. Along the way, we found beautiful conch shells and enjoyed spectacular vistas across the jagged rocky shore and into the deep blue ocean. Walking back to the sandbar, we reclaimed the tender off her anchor and returned to the “mother ship” for relaxation and reflection. The galley soon was cooking and by 1800 hrs we enjoyed a delicious pasta meal with Wendy’s homemade sauce, salad and homemade bread. Pay no attention to that red wine, but I heard Wendy had one! After dinner, the live band arrived, and it was concert time once again with some of the finest guitar riffs and crystal clear lyrics sung by our Team Island Spirit musical director, Craig! What a great day. Does it get any better?

Here are a few photos of this special place…..

Craig is a great sailor!  We sailed upwind for several tacks, as our destination was…  DIRECTLY UPWIND!

Wendy explores the Tahiti Beach sandbar

Radeen taking in the view and sporting the sun gear

Radeen, maxing out the sun protection on Tahiti Beach

The tender, BUNS II, with Island Spirit in the distance in the deeper blue water

Wendy and Craig, good buddies enjoying Tahiti Beach

The Captain, Hayden taking a break on the tender

Wendy and Craig, walking back from the ocean side

See, you don’t need curlers and a blow dryer, your hair looks GREAT!

Chinese Laundry Boat?….nope….just post-shower time

The BAND and Craig jam out on Team Island Spirit

Enjoying the sunset, and a glass of wine

Rock on Craig, you are soooooooo talented, thank you for the great music

Another fun day sailing, beach combing and walking Tahiti Beach, made even better with good friends. Tomorrow, we will poke our bow into Hopetown, or anchor off and dinghy into town, for a quick pre-tour. Then we will move back to the Jib Room and prep for this next cold front. Our Weather guru, Chris Parker, says it could be a very strong one. Can’t think of a better spot to be stuck than the Jib Room…..

It is true, it really is BETTER in Da Bahamas, mon….and it is honestly FAR better when your friends show up with a full backup band, guitar, tons of lyrics, great songs, and a cheerleader! Yes, Wendy and Craig have made it to Island Spirit and the fun began within SECONDS of their arrival. Boarding around 1530 hrs, we loaded their gear, and by 1700 hrs Craig was entertaining a group of good friends and fellow boaters at the JIB ROOM.

This location, the Jib Room, is really a great location to take on your guest, and to enjoy the beautiful facilities, pool, restaurant, bath house, laundry and bar. Tom and Linda and son Stephen have really built an outstanding cruisers’ home. Bartender Jason will really look after you and makes a wicked drink called a BILGE BURNER from a secret recipe of five different RUMs in it and a little juice.

By the way, here is proof that I really DID clean da boat before Wendy and Craig arrived. Look, I even washed the “Company Seats” as evidence by this photo below….

In the morning, we had a BREAD BAKING lesson, with “Blondie” our good buddy on IP420, True North. Here is Hayden and Debbie after the bread backing lesson by “Dough Boy!”

Lucky for us, we are docked to the massives Jib Room Piers, which at low tide are about 3 feet above the boat deck. We will come and got from this dock as we wish, allowing for us to sail into the Jib Room for Rib Night, and or Steak Night if we can work that out. There also is a major front arriving Friday with projected winds and squalls of 40-70 knots! What? Yes, they actually said 70 knots!

The fleet gathered on the deck at the Jib Room and we all enjoyed the music by Craig and Bob.

Look, this is an aft cabin, and IT IS EMPTY! This may not seem like a big deal, but ask any cruiser what they aft cabin looks like and they will tell you….NOT LIKE THIS. Where is all the STUFF?

 Craig, using his best talents, playing guitar and singing….

Craig our Music Man and Wendy our Cheerleader….

“We are NOT in KANSAS any more!” This is Alan, IP420 Flatlander from Kansas, and Radeen.

Bob, IP40 Voyager, playing guitar and singing along with Craig. What an added treat. Our Island Placet Fleet has so many interesting members. Thank you, Bob, for your added music and harmonica playing…

Dennis and Debbie, i.e. Blondie of IP420 True North, enjoying the music and the fun times…

Steve, IP38 Slow Flight and good friend Wendy pose for photo boy….

Cliff, IP40 Navigator enjoying the music with Craig and asking for requests….

What a FANTASTIC night, as usual, when Wendy and Craig join Team Island Spirit. Tomorrow, we plan to sail directly to TAHITI BEACH and play all day on the sandbar and beach swimming and kite flying. After that, we may move up to HOPETOWN for a walk in town and a chance at getting some of Vernon’s Coconut Bread……

…Island Spirit’s first dock in nearly TWO MONTHS!….

We are excited for our good friends “Cheerleader Wendy” and “Music Man Craig” to arrive for a week of fun and relaxation. These good buddies met us in Key West last year and we really had a wonderful time. This year, they will explore the Abacos with us. In preparation for their arrival, we have taken a dock at the JIB ROOM. We are so excited to stay here for a few days, at the best spot in Marsh Harbor. This is the location of the famous Wednesday RIB/BBQ CHICKEN NIGHTS and Saturday STEAK NIGHTS. They have a nice laundry, swimming pool, bar, and very friendly resident owners and staff. This makes it a great place to take on guests and to move bags onboard. It also is the center of the beautiful Sea of Abaco.

Nipper’s Easter Egg hunt in the surf and on the beach

Yesterday was EASTER, so Radeen and I sailed over to Nipper’s for their Sunday PIG ROAST and their yearly Easter Egg Hunt which happens in the ocean! After the young children hunt for eggs in the sand, everyone else puts on snorkel masks and fins and, at the start gun, swims out to the reef to find hidden eggs. These eggs have numbers on them that match prizes posted up on the overlooking deck. Last year it was too windy to swim, so the eggs and prizes were buried in the sand and the various age groups dig within identified sections. We enjoyed the buffet with Mark on IP40 Down Island and his family, Debbie on IP29 Illusions, and John and Elise aboard non-IP Spunky.

Radeen made Hayden a nice Easter Basket

Radeen made me a special Easter Egg Basket, with two eggs, and one ZINC EGG in my tool bag. I think she was trying to tell me I need to dive the boat and replace the missing EGG ZINC on the propeller shaft. Some of the tools are new – what a treat! Notice the York Peppermint Patty, too. She really know how to spoil me, how fun :-)!

Kids always enjoy the beach egg hunt

Hayden and Radeen sporting their EASTER Hats at Nipper’s

The sail back to Marsh Harbor was a SALTY one!

Nipper’s, looking over the deck and the beach

In our slip at the Jib Room,we enjoyed a FUN gathering of Island Packet Buddies Kathy IP Flatlander, Debbie IP True North, Radeen IP Island Spirit Not pictured are Alan, Dennis, Hayden and Steve on IP38 Slow Flight

Radeen happily says, OMG, look at this store…..

We have returned to Marsh Harbour in the Abacos, sailing in from Eleuthera and the Exumas, where we were lost in the beauty for over a month. We tried to sail into Spanish Wells on the north side of Eleuthera and hoped to spend a few days exploring there with friends on IP420 Flatlander, but the weather called for us to press on to the Abacos before the north winds began to blow.

Now that we are here in Marsh Harbour, we are thrilled once again with the many conveniences and services provided in this town. We are amazed by the massive grocery store, Maxwell’s and the large hardware store, Standard Hardware. These stores match any we would find in the USA, yet we are reminded that we are in the Bahamas, mon! Coming from the Exumas, where a store may be a room in a house with three shelves of limited supplies, and now being presented with such large retail establishments, is quite overwhelming. Commercialism and marketing are everywhere, and it is honestly a SHOCK.

Along with this marketing we also have noticed the different attitudes of the store workers. In the Exumas, the people are calm and so happy to see you visiting their store. Conversely, in Marsh Harbour, they really don’t seem to care if you are there or not. Reminds us of the attitudes of marketing in the USA. We all can learn a lot from the people of the Exumas, how polite and calm and honestly helpful they are. That is a beautiful place in the world, with genuinely friendly people.

Desmond is the LIMBO KING, no one can go lower

While here in Marsh Harbor, we are participating in all the standard activities. Wednesday Night means RIB NIGHT at The Jib Room, a real local treasure. Tom, Linda and son Stephen provide a great meal and fun atmosphere, where 75 to 100 cruisers will gather and share stories and tales of the high seas while eating one of the best meals in Abaco! After dinner, we enjoyed the fun entertainment of Rake and Scrape by Jason and the amazing DESMOND with his ability to limbo lower than anyone else. Check out the photos…

Another thing we all do in Marsh Harbor is head off to Maxwell’s Grocery Store nearly every day. We take our rolling luggage carts or back packs and go shopping for provisions. We wheel them back to the dinghy dock where we load them up and take them out to the mother ship on anchor. Once at the mother ship, we hand the items one at a time up into the cockpit and then move them below decks where they are stored in the lockers.

A typical grocery store run

This task of “going to the grocery store” is almost an all day task, but it is actually fun. You walk 1.5 miles to the store, chatting with other cruisers along the way. Once in the store, it is fun to find items that are unfamiliar. You must only buy just enough for your carts so you can walk it back to the dinghy dock and get it out to the boat. It really is a fun task, so much more fun than getting into your garage kept car and driving to the store and then driving back. Here, you actually have to walk and carry all you buy, in a round trip of about 3 miles. This makes it a good activity!

A full moon over the harbor with IP40 Navigator on anchor

Currently, there are at least 8 other Island Packet Yachts at the Jib Room or anchored in Marsh Harbour. They include IP38 Slow Flight, IP40 Sunkissed, IP40 Navigator, IP420 True North, IP440 Grand Cru, IP40 Down Island, IP420 Nederluft and IP35 Island Breeze. We enjoyed meeting many of them at The Jib Room’s Cruisers’ Cocktail Party on Thursday.  The sailing community is an amazing group where people help each other and are sincerely interested in each other. It is truly different than on land. I guess it is the fact that we all are living the same challenges and the same adventures that brings us all closer together. One thing is for sure….it is an interesting and adventurous lifestyle, where even going for groceries is fun!

Desmond preparing to limbo low. He has been performing for more than 15 years!!

Hayden working on his Rake and Scrape skills Rake and Scrape is percussion via a screw driver and a saw!

One grocery store run for the HEAVY items

Yes, life on a cruising boat is SIMPLE. Imagine walking for all your food, never driving a car, jugging water to your boat, living in a space the size of your closet…..and some how…..it really is fun :-)!

Our fuel system totally torn apart…..

What a diverse and challenging passage of 68 nm from Current Cut in Eleuthera to Buckaroon Bay off Abaco! First off, we had NO PLANS to make this run now. We had planned to move 1 hour up to Spanish Wells, and spend 3-5 days exploring and discovering that great area and enjoying the company of IPs Flatlander, True North, Charbonneau and others. BUT….the weather demanded us to move on north, taking the 20-25 knots of south winds. We are excited to stage up in Abaco for our good friends Wendy and Craig who will arrive April 2. Our concern of going to Spanish Wells was that all next week, it will be blowing NORTH and, even after that passes, the sea state will be 6-9 feet, making getting into the Abacos very difficult through the cuts. So, at 0600 we decided to GO FOR IT. This required us to quickly remove the dinghy motor (in the dark), the dinghy fuel tank, lift and strap the dinghy down, enter some waypoints and raise the anchor and get underway. It was a rapid “Chinese fire drill” but we have done this before, so we knew exactly what to do. Unfortunately, our text message to Flatlander did not arrive, so they did not know our change in plans.

Radeen sailed on the downind 135% while I worked the fuel repair

Once under sail, we were able to set a full 135% jib on a starboard whisker pole. We could have set a main for a full wing on wing, but with a forecast for serious SQUALLS, we decided that the main was just too much to deal with on this leg. So, we ran the motor at 1500 rpms, hoping for higher winds, and sailed the beautiful jib on the pole. I must say, a whisker pole is a great set up for dead down wind. We were easily making 7 knots and the passage looked quick…..until……THE MOTOR STALLED OUT!

WHAT….no motor….yup, it simply stalled. This is always a FUEL problem, so naturally we thought we calculated the fuel burn wrong from Georgetown, so I poured in two five gallon jugs of spare fuel. This was not fun as we were rolling gunwale to gunwale. It was a trick keeping me and the fuel jugs onboard. After adding fuel, we started up, and sure enough it ran….for 1 minute and then stalled. OH NO…..no motor. OK, it has to be the fuel pick up tube. I pulled it and checked it,, no problem. Nope. Next I changed the Racor primary fuel filter, and now we had a NEW problem….I could NOT refill the Racor using the electric fuel pump. The RACOR WOULD NOT FILL……OH no….NOW WHAT? Ok, this means we must have a fuel pick up issue, or a fuel tank vent problem or a broken fuel pump. So, I kept tearing down the system and all fittings.

THERE IT IS….the plug of crud at fitting #2 from the tank. I really should have found this sooner, but it took me 3 hrs

Stupidly, I did not start at the tank and go upstream. I kept thinking: The Fuel pump died, the Racor was plugged, the de-bug magnetic filter was clogged, and I kept tearing down these systems. I even tore down our dinghy fuel line, and used the hand bulb pump which I installed into the diesel fuel system in place of the electric fuel pump. With this, I thought I could easily fill the Racor by pumping the bulb and sucking fuel from the tank to the Racor. NOPE…..this did not pump fuel either…..so….I kept moving this bulb hand pump upstream toward the tank. Of course, when I got to the second fitting from the tank, I FOUND THE PLUG of crud in this fitting! I was so happy to find it, and so frustrated that I DID NOT START THERE!

Plenty of water depth….13,000+ feet deep….no worries mon!

Radeen did a great job running the boat downwind in what developed into 4-5+ foot rollers and 20-25+ knot winds. She sailed while I worked on the engine for 3 hours. Lucky for us, we were in deep water, 13,000 feet, so no worries of hitting anything. We also had about 5 hours to go until the entrance. The winds were such that we could have sailed into the cut, not a good idea, but that was our only plan if I could not get the motor running. The bottom line is…..you really need to know your yacht systems so that when a break down happens, you can at least take a shot at fixing it.
There’s no one to call out here!

This is where we broke down, about 40 miles out of Abaco

The sea state NEVER looks a large in photos. This is 3-4 foot following seas. Notice the foam, that is 7 knots of speed

Radeen, ocean sailor girl, clipped on with her harness

Happy Hayden AFTER the fuel line repairs

Then, to top it off, as we turned the last mile into the anchorage SALT SPRAY ALL OVER THE BOAT…..errrrrrr…..give me a break!

We had sailed downwind and dry all day, no salt, until we had to turn into it for our anchorage

….and so it is, another adventure…..another story…..another day of Island Spirit sailing. Life is Good, especially on a boat with a WORKING fuel system. 🙂