Year: 2014

Blue Blue Blue…

With very limited Internet, and uploadoing via their Satellite Feed, from Warderick Wells, I will try to share a few photos. This has been another destination/goal for this year. We will re-explore this area and swim, snorkel, hike the trails, and play on the sand bar and beaches. With a $15/night mooring ball in the north field right off the Park Headquarters office, why leave? It does not get any better than this. The Bahamas are so beautiful and the water is so clear, you have to see this to really believe it. These photos show the blue water and the various colors, yet I never can capture the true beauty but I will keep trying.

Sailing Close Hauled in 20-25 knots with a reefed jib

Boat speed and wind speed and wind angle

Mooring Ball #15 at Warderick Wells right off the beach

To our port bow is a sandbar that dries at low tide

We have a full moon

The Mangroves on Shroud Cay

Our position in the park, look for the arrow, that is us

NOTE:
Internet here costs $15 for 100 megabytes of data. It is also timed for 24 hours of use. so we have very limited communications here. No cell tower means no phone, no WiFi, no BTCbahamas data. The park is sending this data out via Satellites so that is why it costs so much. I am on the networtk here aat 3 am so I have less competition the feed. 100 megs is still alot of datat if managed properly. One of these re-sized photos is 200 k, so 5 photos is 1,00 k or 1 meg.

The LONE PALM ISLAND….

We are anchored off the south side of Norman’s Cay, thanks to good friends Jim and Laurie of IP350 KISMET who suggested we come here for the upcoming high winds and cold front passing. There are about 12 boats anchored out here, waiting for the blow that will arrive over night, of course. What was so fantastic was the gift they gave us on our first day here. Jim and his good friend, Michael, are great hunters and fisherman and they came back with some lobsters after a day of successful hunting. They shared TWO, not one, but TWO LARGE lobster tails.  On the beach, Laurie demonstrated to all of us how to clean a lobster and how to de-vein the tail. She is an expert! These tails must have been 1.5 lbs each because 6 of us shared these and we all had plenty! Boat Buddies Dixey and Julie of IP32 MORNING GRACE grilled the tails to perfection following Laurie’s directions. We all were amazed and thrilled with this generous gift of fresh lobster. What a joy to share and eat. THANK YOU JIM and LAURIE and MICHAEL!

The GIFT of TWO large Lobsters! THANK YOU

Island Spirit and IP38 Moondance anchored off Norman’s Cay

Boat buddies: Julie and Dixey of IP32 MORNING GRACE

Boat Buddies: Bob and Nina of IP38 MOONDANCE

After four full days of pushing the boat EAST from Miami, and laying up for two days in Bimin for weather, we have finally reached the Exumas. We have now made it here just in time for the next big cold front and high winds and squalls! A storm moving off the east coast will drag a very strong cold front across Florida Wed and Thursday that will reach us here in the islands. So our first mission is to find a place to anchor safely from the projected 20-25 mph winds. Our good friends Laurie and Jim connected with us via VHF and we may have a place to go to ride it out. We will up anchor here off Highborne Cay and head down to Normans Cay in the AM and see if there is room for our fleet of three Island Packets. If so, it will be a MINIVOUS of IPs. If there is no room then we will have to find another place with protection from SW, then W, then NW then N then NE 20-30 knot winds with chance of severe storms/squalls! WHAT….come on, give is a few days of rest and a break before we get whacked!

For now, this is our plan. We plan to stay centered around Warderick Wells and the Exumas Land and Sea Park. We will reach south to Little Farmers and North to Shroud Cay, all within 30 miles. In April we will be up in the Abacos based at the JIB ROOM. For now, we need to find shelter for Thur….

Our March, April and May 2014 Plan

That is all coral heads you need to avoid

This is the true color of the waters in the Exumas

Do you see the orange and black range makers guiding me over the reef?

Anchor down in 20 feet, look at that chain going forward. I have out 125 feet 20 feet of water + 5 feet to the bow = 25 feet times 5 = 125 feet of anchor for a 5:1 scope

OK, this Open Free WiFi rig is really really slow, but I find it amazing we can connect out here.

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AM WX Update and Study from:
http://passageweather.com/index.htm?http%3A//passageweather.com/maps/florida/mappage.htm

West Winds 20

NW Winds 20+

N winds 20

N winds

This is what effects the weather in the Bahamas, storms up north!

Running onto the Bahama Banks….

We dropped the hook on the Great Bahama Bank one hour before passing onto the North West Channel and into the Tongue of the Ocean. The banks are 10 feet deep so it is easy to anchor in there. The Tongue of the Ocean is 8,000+ feet deep, so there is obviously no anchoring there! Lucky for us, the winds were light and the seas calm and we arrived at our longitude of 078-15.00W about 2 hours after dark and tossed out the anchor. The concern with anchoring on the banks is mailboats and shipping traffic, so we dropped south of the route by 2 miles. With 4 yachts, we all made a good lighted space 1/4 mile apart, so we were sure we would be seen and that we would not get hit by fishing boats or mailboats. Then we went to sleep and and let our anchors and lights protect us. In the AM we picked up anchors at daybreak and ran for the North West Channel and then the 45 nm to West Bay.

The blue water of the Bahama Banks

Running from Miami to the Exumas will take 4 days if you plan to sleep at night and not run over night. If you run over night then it will take 3 days. The run looks like this. 1. Miami to Bimini, and dock at Browns Marina for $1/foot. 2. Bimini to the Banks and anchor if you can near the NW Channel. 3. NW Channel to West Bay where you will anchor, swim and enjoy a beach. 4. West Bay to Highborne Cay where you will load up on fuel and water as there is not much available south of here. So that is 4 days of travel, about 50-65 nm per day, about 10-11 hours per day of travel, and then you reach Highborne Cay, the start of the Exuma Chain. From there all runs are day hops and short easy days.

Here are some photos of the Banks and West Bay…

Sunset on the Great Bahama Bank looking over the stern

Navigator Radeen, she does a great job with the charts, books, and sightseeing

Salty Boat, very salty. Sea spray and sea salt is all over the boat

Sailing with the Island Packet Yacht Flag flying off the port spreader

Check the water depth, it is 8,000+ feet deep in the “Tongue of the Ocean”

Calm day at sea, motor sailing 50+ nm

We walked the beach at West Bay and boat buddy, Nina, IP38 Moondance took our photo

Sailing the banks

Anchored in West Bay, New Providence Bahamas

Happy Ocean Sailing Girl, Radeen at the helm

Sailing was great

 Our next leg is off to Highborne Cay where we will anchor and then take on fuel and water. Fuel is $5.80/gallon and water is $0.50/gallon! We need about 25 gallons of fuel and 20 gallons of water. Then it is onto the Exumas Land and Sea Park, Warderick Wells and more…..

PS:
??? How are you online????
We use a Bullet2hp from www.ubnt.com with a 12 db+ gain WiFi antenna placed up on the solar roof bimini frame. There are many OPEN WIFi networks here so we simply select the best one. Then once connected, we VPN into our www.Astrill.com account so we have security and encryption, thanks to Lamar, IP420 Winterset owner. Once we are secure and connected, I go to blogger and create these posts …..

Look at all the open WiFi in West Bay as seen with my Bullet rig

Departing Key Biscayne off Bill Baggs State Park….

We took a flyer and went against our weather router’s advice and decided to make the run from Miami to Bimini where we could then wait out this upcoming high wind forecast. If we did not go today, then we would have been waiting for the next window, possibly Sunday or next week. This way, we hope to wait out the winds here at Browns Marina for $1/foot or $35/night until we can sail on.

Today we awoke at 4 am and began to work on the weather information. What are the winds at Fowey Rock? what are the waves? what does NOAA say for the high seas forecast, what is our weather router saying?

IP32 Morning Grace raising the Main Sail

By 7 am we were about nuts and overloaded on information that we all decided to just go. If it is that bad out there, then we can always turn around. Four Island Packet Yachts took off for Bimini at 0730 and made landfall at 1700-1800 hours! We had squalls, rain, winds up to 24 knots, seas of 2-3, then the swells that built to 4 feet later in the day. We had many rainbows and some beautiful rain to wash off the salt spray. Overall, it was a nice day at sea, but we sure would have liked to sail all the way. This  motor sail in 10-15 30 degrees off the starboard bow was OK.

Radeen raises the Q flag, we need to check into the Bahamas

Now we are here, we can check into the Bahamas and get our cruising and fishing permits and our passports stamped. We are running with IP37 EOS, Wendy; IP38 Moondance Nina and Bob; IP32 Morning Grace Julie and Dixey, and our Island Spirit IP35. We are a fleet of four and we plan to explore the Exumas and then sail up to the Abacos for April.

Here are more Gulf Stream photos…

Squall #1 with winds and rain

Just rain and a beautiful rainbow

The seas get so calm in a rain storm

Salt spray all over the windshield and boat

The course from Miami to Bimini is 50 miles due east

Hook in and latch on

Working the mast and the halyard

Course 115 to 120 degrees magnetic…but you make 90 degrees! see next

Here is our COG, Course Over Ground, at 092 degrees. We are actually making 30 degrees of side slip The northward flowing gulf stream sets the boat this much!

We fish…..we do not catch any …yet!

If we do catch something, it will be LARGE, this is the rig

Water depth, check this: 2000 to 3000 feet deep!

Typical thermal cloud formation over the gulf stream

The most beautiful BLUE WATER you will ever see

One tough inlet at Bimini with 2-3 knots of current running. Docking in this was also no easy feat, many boats wreck and crash when docking in this!!!

Now we are in “da Bajamas” as we say and we can slow down and take it easy. We will stay here a few days and let the winds blow through. Then we will sail on over the Bahama Banks and into the Tongue of the Ocean and onto the Exumas. Thanks again for sailing along………..

Red at night….

Fishing rig for big game.. .

5am UPDATE…we may wait this out: Fowey Rocks is at 20 knots SE which is 15-20 degrees off the starboard bow! Our Weather service, Chris Parker said DO NOT GO if Fowey is over 10 knots!
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We have said for many many years, that the hardest part is leaving the docks and actually getting underway! Deciding to actually depart safe harbor. Deciding to set sail. Deciding to leave our beautiful Biscayne Bay that we love so much. Deciding to sail over the horizon. Off we will sail, Wed morning at 6:30 am. The yacht is fueled up, ten gallons of extra fuel is tied up on deck, the tender is taken apart with the 15 HP Yamaha removed and placed onto the rail. The 6 gallon fuel tank was removed and stowed on the rail. The 110 lb tender has been ratcheted into place and cross tied to prevent swinging.

Extra diesel fuel on deck

The life raft has been pulled out and tied to the helm (Thank you, GREG!!!). The ditch bag has been placed at the mast base and the EPRIB radio has been checked. The SSB communications are working well and we are checking into the Cruiseheimers network at 0830 and at 1700 on frequency 8.152 mhz. The Verizon Cell phones will be suspended in the AM and the SIMM card for the Bahamas will light up when we see a Bahamas cell tower. The WiFi Bullet 2hp rig has been checked and accessedWiFi services, so that will give us a distributed network onboard when connected. Full provisions, food, drinks, paper products, and wine have been bought and hand trucked back to the boat and stored. All spare parts have been checked, the engine oil and transmission oil have been changed as well as all filters. In the last two days, the head pump was rebuilt, the exhaust system was re-worked due to a leaking anti-siphon valve, and the aloft rigging of the radar reflector was installed.

Yes, leaving the dock (or safe anchorage) is the hardest part, as it seems like you are NEVER ready to go. So, you simply set a date and then you go. Once underway, if nothing breaks, it is usually a BIG relief to get to sea and to get away from the continual shopping, repairing, and stowing. By the time you read this, we should be in the Gulf Stream, i.e. The Florida Current, and well on our way. Thanks for sailing along. Bahamas run #3 begins NOW….

Beautiful Key Biscayne

Radeen making a great dinner

Birthday Radeen, heading out to her birthday dinner

The new replacement vented loop on the exhaust system

What a great birthday present. This could top the anchor Christmas present I gave Radeen 🙂

The tender gas tank full and stowed on the rail (notice the new helm seat!)

Our last sunset on Biscayne Bay, until next winter. Biscayne Bay could become our new favorite place.

Bahamas run #3 begins now and we are ready! We planned March in the Exumas and April in the Abacos. Since we are running a little late into the Exumas, we may spend most of our time there in the Exumas Land and Sea Park area. BLUE WATER here we go…..
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More UPDATE 5am:

Our Weather has changed significantly since last night.It is begin effected by this large gale up north. Look at this view of the entire Atlantic and how it is pulling the winds into these lows. Look at the storms and then look at the inflow of the winds from all the way down here in Miami…

Full Gale mid Atlantic pulling the winds SE

Second Gale off NC coast pulls the winds south in the Bahamas

Here are the NOAA South Weather Zones http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/south/stheastmz.htm

the challenge of crossing….

We are looking for a sailing exit window to make the run from Miami to the Exumas. This run is only about 200 miles but it is nearly due east. The trade winds normally are blowing from the east and that makes it impossible to sail east. The winds will shift to the south when a storm up north in PA, VA, NJ, etc develops and then drags a cold front across Florida and out to sea. When this happens, an approaching cold front, these SOUTH winds develop and that lays down the northward flowing gulf stream and makes for even a better crossing. With south winds we can sail all the way east up onto the Bahama Banks and then keep sailing all night long into the tongue of the ocean and onto one of the three customs and immigration check in points. These are: Chub Cay, Andros Island, or Nassau. We like Andros or Chub.

Here is a south wind, but this has now changed

Waves in the gulf stream can be 5-10 feet when the north wind is blowing against the north flowing waters. The other situation is that an approaching cold front also means approaching strong North West and North and North East winds as the front moves through the area. That too is a bad situation because many of the hiding places are not good in North winds, most are protected from East winds. This weather timing game is a real challenge. You can have a calm peaceful passage if played right or you can beat yourself up and break your boat by getting the decision wrong or by having the winds and cold fronts advance faster than expected.
We have our boat loaded, fully stocked up as planned for a March 1 exit. All systems have been checked, and we are waiting. Waiting for a good weather window. Waiting means enjoying the Biscayne Bay beaches, anchorages, South Beach, Key Biscayne, etc. We visit with boat buddies, share plans and routes, have cocktail parties, and walk the Coconut Grove town. It is not a rough job to wait for a good weather window especially when here in the Dinner Key area. There is plenty to do and plenty to entertain yourself with, so we have no problem waiting. Remember, our goals this year are two: #1, Biscayne Bay area for at least a month; #2. Block Island for the summer, everything else is a bonus. So let’s wait for a good weather window….

Here are images we are studying and tools we are using.

www.PassageWeather.com http://passageweather.com/index.htm?http%3A//passageweather.com/maps/florida/mappage.htm

NOAA Chart Viewer Online http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11013.shtml

Our own summary of the courses and the legs, distance and times

This is a calm before the storm winds one feather is 10 knots, 1/2 feather is 5 knots Here you see 5 knots for our crossing Then you see 25 knots up north coming our way Can you beat this?????

This is the NORMAL east trade winds. You cannot go east in this If you are in the Exumas, you can sail north and south

Sail along with us, use these tools and study the weather. When would you make this run? What looks good to you. See the winds and the waves here:

http://passageweather.com/index.htm?http%3A//passageweather.com/maps/florida/mappage.htm

We are living a dream….

People ask, “What do you do all day?” and many times we are not really sure. We are simply living each day with friends, sunshine, warm weather, boating, and exploring the area. This month we have spent on Biscayne Bay based out of Dinner Key Mooring field and accessing Coconut Grove. Miami, Miami Beach. South Beach, Key Biscayne, Elliot Key and Boca Chita Key. We walk many miles exploring the area, we ride the excellent public transit system north to Miami and we boat over to Miami Beach when we want to walk Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive. We sail, we anchor out, we swim and we walk beaches. We visit with boating friends new and old and we try to keep up with communications via our SSB, email and Facebook. The really crazy aspect is that we seem to be too busy enjoying the above that we wonder….”What are we doing? Why are we so busy? We can’t get anything done!” So, when asked, “What do you do all day?” we LIVE…..ENJOY….and HAVE FUN.

Recent fun that we sadly do not have a photo to share was our great visit with a former PVHS colleague of Hayden’s, Gordon and his wife Pat. They kindly met us for a delicious Mexican lunch and many laughs. Thanks again for making time for us!

Here are some photos to show our dayz…

We never get tired of walking Ocean Drive on South Beach

A great time with our North Carolina buddies who camped nearby

Love the DOODLES

Visit with great friends Greg and Kate, Lucy and Gracie

Model shoot on South Beach, Gracie on the left

Photo Credit: Greg http://eilean350.blogspot.com/ Coconut Grove Art Festival

Photo Credit: Greg http://eilean350.blogspot.com/ Our Selfie on Ocean Drive Radeen, Hayden, Kate & Greg

Doing laundry, the endless laundry

Replacing salon bottom seats foam with new foam…very comfy!

Staying out of the sun with full boat shade…essential

Playing Dominoes

Watching sunsets

Sailing any day we want

Visiting the neighbors

Watching sunsets

When Boat Shows and Art Shows get together!

Touring the triumvirate of Miami Boat Shows for days

Sailboat show

Weather Seminar by Chris Parker

Spending time with boat buddy, Carey, of SP Catspaw

A new mattress….note the hinge to flip it over for to access storage underneath

Enjoying the best Cat/Dog on earth…TILLER CAT on Catspaw

Passing the neighbor

Weekends are wild with jet skis and small boats everywhere

Touring Miami by water

Again, living this cruising life on a sailboat is a real joy. It is easy, peaceful and adventurous. Soon we will move on, leaving Biscayne Bay behind as we sail to the Bahamas. We plan on March and April in the Bahamas and then back to Maryland in May. Thanks for sailing along….

Bobbi and Debbie, our dear friends…

We have lost two very dear cruising friends whom we love so much. Bobbi and Debbie are friends that we have spent ten New England summers with and shared many destinations, sunsets and passages. As my good friend Carey says, “You never know what the future holds, so you need to get out here and go cruising while you can!” and that is exactly one of the key reasons why we are out here cruising. For 18 brave months, Bobbi battled breast cancer and Debbie fought ALS, passing away only 4 months apart. It was our privilege to celebrate their lives at beautiful memorials, for Bobbi in Rhode Island and for Debbie here in Florida.

We miss Debbie and Bobbi immensely as they both are such beautiful friends, inside and out. When we see dolphins, we think of Bobbi, and when we see butterflies, we think of Debbie. We will treasure their loving friendships always.

We have taken comfort in this poem given to us when Radeen’s father passed away in 1984. Once again it brought us peace during these sad times.

The Ladies at Green Turtle Key, Abacos, March 2012

Girlfriends aboard Island Spirit in Ft. Myers Beach, FL Bobbi, Debbie, Radeen, Patricia and Mary Ann

Debbie and Craig, Greenport, NY, Merry Go Round IP Rendezvous

Debbie and Hayden aboard IP 440 CHAMRED

Here is news I posted to our IPYOA Community Site, please see it below the questions: Hayden joined the Whiteaker Yacht Sales Team!

This news may bring up some questions:

#1. Will you stop cruising?

• NO, we will not stop cruising. We plan to continue sailing the East Coast from New England to Florida and into the Bahamas. Owning two Island Packet Yachts since 1991 gives us a unique perspective into the fleet of boats and the IPY community. We look forward to helping others buy and sell their Island Packet Yachts.

#2. How can you work from the boat?

• No problem! Team Island Spirit earned new online Master’s Degrees from Drexel University in 2008 while living on this boat, 45 graduate credits total. We are fully connected 24/7 in the USA and in the Bahamas with our onboard networks of WiFi, 3G and 4G.  Helping owners list, sell and buy their yachts should not be a problem. With the support of Debbie and Ed at the WYS home office in Palemtto, Florida, we will have plenty of support and guidance. 

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Dear IPYOA Member:

I wanted to share with everyone that we now have two Island Packet Yacht Owners and IPYOA members who have joined Whiteaker Yacht Sales (WYS) in Palmetto, FL! These brokers are William Mayberry, owner of IP-37 Optimystique based in Palmetto, Florida and Hayden Cochran, owner of IP-35 Island Spirit based in Rock Hall, MD. William has been with Whiteaker Yacht Sales for many years and Hayden joined WYS in December, 2013. Ed and Debbie Whiteaker, owners of WYS, were also Island Packet live aboard cruisers sailing their IP 40 Sea Dream for many years before launching WYS. Please read about all WYS team members here:

It is a real benefit to have long-time Island Packet owners and live aboard sailors working with Whiteaker Yacht Sales. William and Hayden can offer their insights into the various Island Packet models and help people find their dream yachts.  If you are an existing owner of any yacht model thinking about selling, we encourage you to place your listing with the Whiteaker Yacht Sales Team. Everyone there will work very hard to sell your yacht in a timely manner.

Whiteaker sells more Island Packets than any other broker and has been awarded a new Legacy Island Packet Yacht Dealership. This dealership covers the Gulf Coast, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. If you are thinking about purchasing a new Island Packet, then please alert us to your plans and we will begin a discussion about new IP models and factory production schedules.

Thank you for considering William Mayberry, Hayden Cochran and the entire team at Whiteaker Yacht Sales for buying and selling Island Packet Yachts. We know and love Island Packets and look forward to helping you!

William, Ed and Hayden at the 2013 St. Petersburg Florida Boat Show

Sincerely,

Hayden Cochran, Island Packet Owner since 1991

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