Month: February 2016

…Our sailing into George Town…

We sailed the 20-25 gusting 30 knot North Northeast winds and ran for George Town. This was a 36 nm leg and we sailed all of it with just enough motoring to get out and set sail and to drop the anchor. What a great say of sailing. We use the B and G autopilot set to wind vane steering so the boat will hold a given angle to the wind. This allows us to set sail and the boat will follow the wind. On this leg, it was set at 115 degrees. We started the sail with 110% jib out and ended up with the full 135% jib out as we sailed into George Town. Island Packet Yachts love 20-25 knots of wind as they are full keel, heavy displacement boats that need lots of wind to sail well, the trade off is that in this condition they are also very, very comfortable because this is what the boat was designed for, ocean sailing. We are always pleased with the way Island Spirit will sail in heavy winds, she is a great boat.

Under sail in 20 knots+ comfy

Once in town, we sailed to Kidd Cove, dropped the anchor and dinghy and headed off to jug 30 gallons of water as we were totally out of water. Over the next day, we jugged 100 gallons of water, 5 gallon jugs, 10 gallons of diesel, and 6 gallons of gasoline. We needed services and in George Town there is free water, you just have to jug it out to your boat. It is the same with diesel, we jug fuel her as well. George Town is a cruising mecca and there are over 300 boats anchored in the harbor. We plan to stay through Regatta week and then move back up into the Exumas Land and Sea Park. For now, it is beach hikes, beach walks, Chat n Chill with buddies, volleyball beach, Beach Yoga, Water Aquatics, and cruiser lectures. So many people and so much going on. We can see why so many yachts make this their winter destination.

GoPro photo out the port side

GoPro Sailing photo

Sailing at 7 knots

Blue water off the stern

Radeen manages the log book

7 knots and sailing well

Hooked on

Island Spirit is very comfortable under sail

This is our course from Miami

Boat Buddies at George Town Regatta Radeen & Hayden. Leslie & Tim, Kathy & Eric

Running into Dinghy Dock at George Town

Anchored off Chat n Chill

Our boat as seen from Chat n Chill

Chat n Chill selfie

Chat n Chill signature drink, Goombay Smash with a floater

My favorite model

Chat n Chill sign post

Great friends, Suzy and Dave on 37 Cay Paraiso

Sunset off Island Spirit

The beautiful church on a high hill in George Town

Anglican Church of George Town

Beautiful sanctuary

Radeen

My favorite model and photo subject

Peace and Plenty cafe in town overlooks the harbor

Refrigerated containers are the way cold food gets here

Refrigerated containers are delivered by mail boat and lifted off by cranes

The generator on a refrigerated container

The entire set up, genset, diesl fuel tank and refrigerator

This is $35.00 of food, now you know why….delivery is very expensive.

Whiteaker Yacht Sales flying off Chat n Chill

Our beautiful home, IP35 Island Spirit

That is us, Island Spirit

What can can be seen from Chat n Chill, THE IP FLAG and WYS

Bubble Bath beach with Suzy and Dave

Radeen and Suzy floating in crystal clear waters

Selfie in the Bubble Bath

Exumas, such clear waters

Look at the fun

Cruising Life is great with good buddies

George Town is such an easy place to live on the hook, and we can see why there are 300+ boats anchored here for the winter. Beautiful beaches, fun people, lots of activities, trails to hike, and crystal clear waters. From here we will move back up to the Cambridge Cay area, where we hope to break in our new dive gear! It’s about time!

…440 Sea Star, 35 Island Spirit, 380 Gotta Jibboo…

Thank you to Dan and Kathy on IP 440 Sea Star, who lead us and Karin and Carl of IP 380 Gotta Jibboo from Little Farmers Key south around Musha Cay and into Rudder Cut Cay to a private pond through a deep cut. Dan and Kathy have been here before and we all went there to ride out an approaching front. While there for three days, we swam (finally!) and cleaned the water line. Then we dinghy-explored the various islands in the southern Exumas chain. Six of these islands are owned by David Copperfield and they are all marked no trespassing, so we could not go ashore. One night we had a popcorn and movie night aboard 440 Sea Star with terrific homemade popcorn and delicious snacks. We watched a documentary from Mystic Seaport Museum “The Voyage of The Peking” and Nicholas Cage in “The Family Man.” The second night we had a casual dinner aboard Island Spirit with Radeen’s Blue Water Chicken Salad, Kathy’s yummy carrot salad, appetizers and candies from Karin and a pumpkin cheesecake.

Island Spirit at Sunset

380 Gotta Jiboo at Sunset

440 Sea Star at Sunset

The three of us at Sunset

380 Gotta Jibboo

Homemade Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies

Radeen prepares dinner for six aboard Island Spirit

GoPro looking out from Island Spirit

Fast Island Packets with raked masts 🙂

Carl gets close to David Copperfield’s Piano / Mermaid sculpture

David Copperfield’s Piano / Mermaid sculpture

Hayden, selfie with Mermaid

David Copperfield’s resort on Musha Cay

David Copperfield’s resort

David Copperfield’s resort on Musha Cay

Our fleet in Rudder Cut Cay pond

My swimming fish, Radeen

Rudder Cut Cay Sunset

The Island Packet Battle Flag

Dinner aboard Island Spirit

We are also grateful for the willingness of friends like Dan and Kathy to share what they know with other cruisers. We look forward to seeing Sea Star and Gotta Jibboo somewhere soon!

…IP440 Sea Star shows us Little Farmer’s….

With the lead of Dan and Kathy on IP440 Sea Star, we motor sailed from Black Point to Little Farmer’s Cay into the slot of water between Little Farmer’s and Great Guana Cay. There we dropped the anchor on the sand bar in about 8 feet of water at low tide. The charts show 3 feet of water here, but like so many places we have noticed, the water is actually deeper than the charts show. This turned out to be a great spot with good protection for almost all directions. We enjoyed snacks aboard Carmen and Chuck’s Fontaine Pajot Soul Mates.

Hayden, Radeen, Chuck, Carmen, Kathy and Dan Head into Ocean Cabin for Dinner

The winds were calm and we were still a few days before the front, so we enjoyed the island scene the next day. We took our dinghies around to the other side and had mid-day refreshments at TY’s Sunset Beach Bar. Wow, what a beautiful place that is. Then in the evening, Dan and Kathy made reservations with Terry Bains, owner of OCEAN CABIN, where we had steak, lobster, fish and conch dinners. While anchored here, we were treated to beautiful sunsets and full moon rises two nights in a row. Fifty-five people live on Little Farmer’s Cay and you can walk the entire island in about 45 minutes. From here, we headed farther south into the less populated Exumas to Rudder Cut Cay.

Here are some Little Farmer’s Photos

Anchored on the sand bank off the channel at Little Farmer’s Day

Full moon rising off Little Farmer’s

Full moon settting at sunrise over IP440 Sea Star

The simultaneous sunrise off Little Farmer’s Cay

Our boat bow is pointed SE as the sun rises

Porthole view. IP 440 Sea Star, IP 380 Gotta Jibboo

Ernestine and Terry at Ocean Cabin. Happy anniversary and happy birthday!

Moon setting day two over the bow of 440 Sea Star

Just too interesting, full moon in the rigging of 440 Sea Star

Full Moon in the rigging at dawn.

Sunrise on day two.

Ty’s Beach Bar on Little Farmer’s, so beautiful

The team gathers for mid-day refreshments

The harbor near Ocean Cabin

Beached ship on Great Guana

Our late afternoon shadow on the sand bar

Little Farmer’s Cay needs to explored more thoroughly. We want to return to try the Little Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club for dinner. The lower Exumas, so much to discover and so little time….

…Hayden, Radeen, and Lee…

We had another one of those dream sailing days, sailing 50 nm from Highbourne Cay to Black Point in 25 gusting 30 on a broad reach. Island Packets love this wind, so we simply sailed a full 135% jib only and did 6.5 to 7.0 knots all day long. That is why we sailed right past all the great spots we wanted to re-explore like Warderick Wells and Cambridge Cay. We will hit these places on our way north, we think, but with the strong fronts and high winds and it being February, we wanted to get as far south as we could. We sailed all day and reached Black Point by 3;30pm with less than one hour of total engine time. Black Point is a fantastic harbor in any winds with EAST in the forecast; once it goes SW, W and NW, you need to find another place.

Gifts from Lee to Team Island Spirit

While here we were lucky enough to reconnect with two other IP owners, Lee on 440 Nautilee and Dan and Kathy on 440 Sea Star. We had a great night aboard Nautileec catching up with Lee as she single hands her 440 from Maryland possibly back to Sydney, Australia! YES, by herself. She is amazing. We also reconnected with Dan and Kathy on Sea Star. These experts know the Exumas very well and were kind enough to go over the charts and to show us very interesting new places to explore. Another terrific evening was spent aboard Long Gone Hunter 45 with Chuck and Stuart, our friends since 2011…wish we had a photo of the fun. We had a peaceful time living on the hook under full wind power and solar power while at Black Point.

Here are some photos:

Radeen fills out the logbook

Our first sunset in Exumas 2016 at Highbourne

Perfect sailing day 25-30 broad reaching

Radeen loves to sail

Rounding the corner for Black Point

Reaching under jib only

Black Point Post Office

The fantastic Rockside laundry and WiFi area

The water is so blue as it reflects off the sandy bottom

Our friendly local tour guide, six year old Shontell did a great job.

The nurse stops at the settlement once a week.

The large sand flat dries at low tide at the head of the harbor

Looking east to the sand flat

440 Sea Star

Living off wind and solar 100%

IP 440 Nautilee arrives

IP 440 Sea Star and  IP440 Nautilee

The Dinghy Dock

Hiking over the hill looking east at the Atlantic

From the same hill, looking back to the west into Black Point Harbor

IP 440 Nautilee is so beautiful

440 Nautilee on her way to meet friends in George Town

Island Spirit and 440 Sea Star in Black Point

Typical scene and looking for shade

Cruising the Exumas between Norman’s Island and Rudder Cut Cay must be some of the most beautiful waters in the world. Coral reefs, pristine beaches, friendly people, and not crowded. Who could ask for more? We cannot. That is why we sail the Exumas.

…This is $125 of food with no meat!…

We usually do not re-provision in the Bahamas until we get to Abaco because the cost of food, especially as meats, crackers and paper products are very expensive in the Bahamas. You do not want to plan to buy meat or chicken or cheese or crackers here. If you do then be ready to spend 200% more than you are used to spending for these items back in the states. Every thing is shipped in usually once or twice a week via mail boats from the USA. We were in Nassau for 6 days and this provided us an opportunity to re-provision after happily having guests aboard for 13 days and eating most of our meals together on board.

Parmalat is $1.75 in the USA

Once you leave Nassau and head down island into the Exumas, there will be almost no supplies until you pull into Georgetown. There you will pay even more for food. As you sail north out of the Exumas, you can re-provision in Rock Sound, Eleuthera and Spanish Wells and then up in Abaco.

While we were shopping in Nassau last Sunday and Monday, I took photos of common items to show the prices. The yellow price is the price paid with the new government VAT tax added. Take a look at these items and you will have a very good idea WHY we loaded up in Miami at Costco, Walmart and Publix. Fortunately, we needed no paper products or meat or crackers.

One roll of toilet paper is $2.03. A box of Wheat Thins is $7.00, Lunch Meat is $15/lb+, Beef is $25/lb+, Cheese is $10/8oz, and Dove Chocolate is $20/lb!

Click on these photos to see the prices.

Shopping day 1 of 2 at Super Value Foods, south of Nassau

Surprisingly Coke was the best deal, only $12/case! Not a good deal for us, as we rarely drink it.

Lunch meat $13.69/lb

Modern store in suburban Nassau

Dove $9.99/ 8 oz bag!

A jar of peanuts, $7.69

A can of mixed nuts $9.50

Box of Wheat Thins $7.19

SPAM $7.73 OMG, yup, it is meat but we didn’t buy it.

Baked Beans $3.54

Kraft Mac and Cheese $2.14 Bahamian mac and cheese is much better!

Small jar olive oil $11.28 This was shocking.

Scott Toilet Paper $2.03/roll (this is 1 individual roll)

Box of tissues $5.15

Roll of Paper Towels $3.99

Ice Cream $9.99

Salmon 4 oz $15.99

Salami $10.74

Box of cereal $7.19 for 23.5 oz.

Fresh Tuna $39/lb WHAT!!!!!?

Boneless Turkey Breast $11.59/lb.

Hamburger $6.99/lb…more affordable than other meats

Veal $24.99/lb NO WAY!!!

Chobani Yogurt $2.14 each, these are $1 on sale in the USA

Jumbo organic Hillandale eggs are $6.12 per dozen We were glad to find our favorite Eggland eggs. An 18 ct. carton was only $4.86.

Deli Lunch Meats, Roast Beef $14.99/lb, Ham $9.99

Laughing cow cheese $7.51

Feta Cheese 4 oz $10.74 OMG this is crazy!

Swiss Cheese $9.68 for 8 oz

Cabot Cheese $9.99 for 8 oz…OMG HELP!!!!

Milanos, for $5.36, are worth the price! Chuck and Jeanne Berrington of IP40 Relationship always stocked them on board. They established a noble tradition to which we happily adhere!

We left the neighborhood store (NOT the fancy Fresh Market downtown) wondering about the grocery bills of some local residents. Of course, Bahamian staples such as dried peas and rice and beans in bulk sizes were affordable. The store had plenty of upscale items that seemed to be selling. The cars in the parking lot and the surrounding homes were very nice and well-maintained. On Sunday afternoon, everyone was better dressed than we were! So, the residents of that neighborhood can apparently afford these items.

After a little research, we learned that the Bahamian federal government instituted the new VAT tax of 7.5%  on all goods effective January 1, 2015. On July 24, 2015, the government raised the minimum wage substantially, from $150 to $210 per week, or $5.25 per hour for a 40 hour week. Over the years, we have observed that many marina workers seem to work more than 8 hour days and more 40 hours per week and do not know if any over time wages are paid to them.

Welcome to the Bahamas, the weather is beautiful, the beaches are the best, the waters are clear and the food is expensive, so plan ahead!

…Palm Cay Marina is fantastic…

THIS IS THE PLACE to dock on the island of New Providence. We think this place is perfect. Beautiful facilities, beach, pool, beach bar, cabanas, restaurants, and a loaner car to run to town to re-provision and re-stock for the Exumas. Like most Bahamian Islands, the people are what make it so special, and here, the Dock Master is great. His name is Demaro Demeritte. He has built a team of dock hands, including Brayden, that are focused on making the marina exactly what boaters want. Outstanding, Demaro, you do a wonderful job!

Stopping here means you do not have to deal with Nassau harbor or any of the issues that may be associated with staying there. This marina is also a Point of Entry so you can check into the Bahamas from here as well. Some docks have no water or no power and there are 200 slips but only 30 transient slips as of Feb 2016. This marina has a waiting list now, and soon, I am sure it will be nearly impossible to get a dock here. If you are passing through Nassau, a place we have previously avoided, then stop here. This is a great place to drop off guests or to pick up new guests and it is a good place to turn around the yacht with laundry, boat washing, and shopping. If we come to Nassau ever again, then we will try to dock here. Check out their web site.
http://PalmCay.com

Here are my Photos of Palm Cay Marina:

The beach bar

The first floor dining area

The second floor set up for a meeting

Looking over the beach from the second floor

$300K was spent creating these beaches which did not exist before!

The man made marina was excavated to 8 feet deep.

The wedding gazebo on the point and the pool

Cafe serving Starbucks

Townhouse condos sell from $620K

A pool with the beachfront condos

Nighttime lighting over the pool area

Beautiful lighting at night

The BLUE X’s represent the transient slips, NOT many!

Palm Cay is located on the SE corner of New Providence

For security, the entrance/exit is chained from 7pm to 9am

The dinghy dock near the pool and inside the chain. Boats on the far side of the marina may dinghy to the pool, office, showers, laundry, bars, beach, etc.

The Cafe and docks

Docks are fixed, this is high tide and it drops 4 feet.

Palm Cay Marina is a great place to stop on your way to the Exumas from Bimini via New Providence. We are very glad we did.

…We did it, WE DEPARTED…two days early…

Jeff and Sharon, IP35 Lucille owners, took time off to join Team Island Spirit to celebrate Jeff and Hayden’s big 60th birthdays! Ten years ago, we had chartered a catamaran in the BVI’s with their son and daughter. It was time to go adventuring again! They met us in Miami and we pushed hard across the Gulf Stream to Bimini, Bahamas. After waiting out 30-35 knot winds there, we sailed 130 nm to the SE corner of New Providence where we docked at Palm Cay Marina. This sailing leg from Bimini onto the Great Bahama Banks, then through the North West Channel at 0200 into the Tongue of the Ocean and then to New Providence will be remembered as one of our greatest sailing legs in 25+ years!!

Champagne Celebration

Here are a few details. We sailed 120 nm and motored about 10 nm. Winds were 20 knots with some gusts to 28 knots. We sailed all night long with couples taking shifts at 1500, 1800, 2100, 2400, 0300, 0600, 0900, 1200, 1500. It took us 26 hours to sail the leg, which treated us to a calm sea, bright stars, and a beautiful sunrise. This was Sharon’s first overnight leg and her first offshore leg, too. She did great and I think she really liked it. Island Spirit sailed great under reefed main and a full 135% jib with autopilot driven by the wind vane which kept a perfect sailing angle all night and all day long. The wind turbine powered the electronics all night long, too. Shortly after day break, we needed to add 1500 rpms on the engine to push the 3 foot chop as the winds dropped to 10 knots but the waves kept running. It is funny, at home on the Chesapeake Bay, 10-12 knots is a great sailing day, but out on the ocean, 10-12 knots is just NOT enough to keep the boat moving and pushing at 3 knots into the swells. What you really want on the ocean is 15-20-25 and that is perfect. That is what we had for 120 nm, nearly perfect conditions which Island Spirit sailed very well.

Bimini Sands, South Bimini Dock, 6 days!

This trip was different than most because we ended up in marinas to safely wait out weather. We docked in South Bimini at Bimini Sands Marina with floating docks, which was a joy with the high winds and 3-4 foot tides. We were docked there 6 days. Then we sailed directly to New Providence, sadly skipping the Berry Islands. We took a slip at Palm Cay Marina on the SE corner of the island. There we needed to stay 6 days, too. We celebrated Valentine’s Day, toured Nassau and said good-bye to our crew. We turned around the yacht and waited for our next weather window to sail southeast to the Exumas.

Highlights of our time together:
1. Sailing 120 nm overnight and introducing Sharon to offshore overnight sailing
2. Jeff and Sharon provisioned the fine red wines, two cases of deliciousness from Total Wine in SOBE.
3. Radeen’s amazing meals of Lamb Shanks, Artichoke Chicken, Pot Roast, Chili on the Bahama Banks and many more!
4. Super Bowl 50 at Bimini Sands Beach Bar with conch fritters and Sands Beer.
5. The tour of the facinating Shark Lab on South Bimini.
6. “Captain Ron” Movie Night & trivia questions, “If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen out there!”
7. Golf Cart Adventures and being “Pushed” home by friendly, helpful locals.
8. Having great friends onboard and sharing these adventures together!

At 1152 on departure day, we said “Forget it, let;s turn around”…NO, we cannot easily go back!

Gulf Stream bashing, 30 degree wind angle, 2500 rpms on the engine.

Staysail and a reefed main with 2500 rpms to keep moving.

This shows the result of sailing wind vane at 30 degrees and the effect of the Gulf Stream Note: At the end, we came out of the Stream and the boat turned, still 30 degrees to the wind

Happy arrival photo. Welcome to the Bahamas!

Delighted to clear in to Bimini, Bahamas, 2016

Jeff and Radeen hoist the Courtesy Flag

Touring the Bimini Sands property with an inifinity pool on the beach

Our first big decision, Kalik or Sands? Both are delicious Bahamian Beers.

We were safe in the marina on floating docks. Look out the inlet. It is calm for now.

We took the ferry to explore North Bimini

Selfie as we walk to the inlet in the AM.

Curly Tail lizards posing everywhere

Radeen loves a pool. That is her (alone) in the 60 degree water! Brrrrrr

A beautiful sky that day at the pool. Another cold front is coming.

Fine red wine with Artichoke Chicken Dinner

We knew the inlet would be too rough, so we waited.

Winds blew at 35 to 42 knots for days.

Huge waves shut down the inlet. This is our exit to sea. This is a “no go.”

So, we set out to explore Bimini.

The GrLs walking Alice Town on North Bimini. The next day we rented a golf cart which lost power on the way back.

Jeff and Sharon enjoying the new modern casino bar at Bahama Bay Resort.

Onboard Island Spirit we have a 32″ Samsung. Perfect for Movie Night with CAPTAIN RON and trivia questions from IP420 Amekaya.

Yup, the inlet is still not passable, Oh well, we will wait.

PARTY TIME with IP 420 Pura Vida at the Petite Conch Cafe. J-M and Kimberly are so much fun.

Roasted LAMB shanks for Hayden and Jeff’s Birthday Dinner Celebration Great Job, Radeen! Thank you, COSTCO!

Happy 60th Birthday to Hayden and Jeff, with fine Italian DOCG Amarone Red Wine.

Team Shirts thanks to Sharon who designed them for us. “Sea, Sun, Sail, Celebrate Sixty” We are ready to head to sea on Hayden’s birthday, after a serenade from IP 420 Pura Vida.

Taking the helm offshore

Jeff trims the jib. Fantastic blue water as we head out below South Bimini.

Perfect sailing conditions. We sailed 120 nm like this! A passage worth waiting for!

Sunset on the Great Bahama Banks as we sail EAST.

This is your view of the helm at night. Let the boat run and watch as best you can. AIS helped us avoid a close encounter with a ship at narrow Northwest Passage at 0200. Island Spirit will take care of you.

Heading EAST. The lights are red to maintain our night vision.

Sunrise, what a spectacular event.

One more sunrise photo on a beautiful day.

Approaching New Providence, we sailed well south of the coral heads and then turned northeast.

WE DID IT, we arrived in New Providence.after 26 hours of sailing!

Popping the champagne to celebrate our successful passage.

Team Island Spirit and Whiteaker Yacht Sales up and running. The office is open.

The Palm Cay courtesy car we can use for 2 hours each day.

Happy Tourists! The Queen’s Staircase, carved by 600 slaves, leads to Fort Fincastle, the highest point of land in Nassau.

Bahamian Night and JAZZ Night at the Palm Cay Club, Jeff Gabor takes the drums and amazes the crowds. Truly one of the highlights of our entire trip!

Walking downtown Nassau. Traffic police are everywhere.

Cruise ships and horse drawn buggies

Valentines Day aboard Island Spirit

Happy Valentines Day

Departure time, the Gabors are heading home. It certainly was a memorable way to celebrate Jeff and Hayden’s special birthdays!

Jeff and Sharon say Good Bye. Thank you for making the effort to cruise with us!

Team Shirts, but, we sailed right past the Berry Islands…missed them all, due to the winter weather.

What a fun time and a busy time, preparing to leave the US 2 days early, docking, waiting weather, and being rewarded with one of the best sails in 25 years! Sharing this all with lifetime friends? Priceless!

After returning to Miami from Marathon and sailing Biscayne Bay we spent five full days shopping, loading and stowing our provisions for our 90 days into the lower Exumas. We also spent time preparing the boat for sea and for the arrival of our good friends Jeff and Sharon, IP 35 Lucille owners from our home port of Rock Hall, MD. It is always exciting when you are on the launch pad to a trip like this. You never feel like you are ready and there is always so much to do. The days are busy, you work all day and then crash into your bunk at the end of the day. When you finally deaprt, you are relieved because you actually left, you departed and headed out on your voyage. You would think with all our years of doing this, it would be easier, it is not, it takes a ton of effort, time and money to load up.

Our process went like this:

Day 1 Sat:
Pick up Rental car Coconut Grove, $9.99/day Sat Sun weekend special booked months ago, drive to South Beach for Total Wine, load up thanks to Jeff and Sharon!
Drive it back to Dinner Key, load all into the dinghy, take to anchored boat behind Dinner Key Moorings. Soak Radeen with a bow wave over the the dinghy because we are so over loaded and I took a powerboat wave wrong. Not a good thing.
2pm Up anchor, drive boat 1.5 hours back over to South Beach, anchor off Belle Island,
5pm head into town and attend our 7th Wallcast with boat buddies.
11pm crash

Day 2 Sun.
Anchor up 0800, drive the boat back to Dinner Key, re-anchor it and continue shopping! Drive 30 minutes to a Costco, load up one large cart.
Drive back, load into Dinghy, take out to anchored boat behind Dinner Key Moorings
Stow items until 10pm,
11pm crash into bed

Day 3, Mon,
Drive 40 minutes to a Walmart Super Center, load up one large cart
Drive back, load into dinghy, take to Mooring 168 now in Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Stow items until 9pm,
11pm crash (Note: We keep the rental car another day)

Day 4, Tue,
Note: We keep car another day!
Drive 20 minutes to Publix Grocery Store, West Marine, CVS, Back up to Miami for Yanmar parts, etc, etc, etc… load up
Drive back, load all into dinghy take out to moored boat,
4pm Stowe remaining items as Jeff and Sharon just landed and are on their way.
5pm Jeff and Sharon arrive and move on board yacht
5:30 Go into club for visits with Ron and MaryAnn,walk up to town to Lo Kal for burgers
11pm crash into bed.

Day 5, Wed,
Note: We keep car one more day, this is three extra days, and we needed it.
Jeff and Hayden Service Yacht. Get propane, gas and diesel jug. Tune the Standing Rigging, pull the impeller, pull heat exhanger end cap, find broken impeller blade, reassemble and run engine.
De-rig dinghy, take off 15 hp Yamaha and fuel tank. Return Rental Car.
Move boat to dock, water up, pumpout and wash the boat.
4pm Gather at the club for an Island Packet MiniVous, very fun gathering
6pm Walk up to town, celebrate Sharon’s Birthday with Jeff, Sharon, Ron MaryAnn and Radeen
11pm crash

Day 6, Thur
DEPART 7am Miami/Dinner Key for what was to be a 6-7 hour run to Bimini. It turned into an 11 hours bashing into the wind making Bimini Sands Marina inlet at 1800 as the sun was setting!.

WE DID IT. 
We loaded and actually departed for the Bahamas. I will always say, the hardest part of any trip is simply LEAVING. Then  if you try leaving close to your target date it is even harder. Move up your date by a few days, even harder, but we did it.

Here are some photos…

Service Yacht

It was a full five day prep, but we did it, and we actually did it 3 days earlier than we have planned due to a small weather window opening. The gulf stream crossing was NOT a good on, but that is another story. Thank you for sailing along.