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Year #3 Bahamas Run completed…

WE DID IT! We launched our boat from the Island Packet Yachts Factory Refit program on November 4, 2013. We trucked it back to Snead Island Boat Works where we rebuilt all systems and re-installed the canvas, solar panels, mast, new rigging and all reworked wiring. On December 30, we sailed south from near Tampa Bay on the west coast, heading for Biscayne Bay on the east coast of Florida. We based in Biscayne Bay for two months and learned the beauty and diversity of the Bay from South Beach to Boca Chita to Coconut Grove to Key Biscayne. We sailed and enjoyed great anchorages and beautiful sunsets. On March 5th, we set sail for the Bahamas along with two new buddy boats, IP32 Morning Grace with Dixie and Julie and IP38 Moondance with Bob and Nina. Together we all three explored the Exumas south to Black Point, focusing on the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Moving north we sailed to Eleuthera and on to Abaco where we enjoyed relaxing for the month of April. In May, we blasted for home, running offshore legs from Ft. Pierce, FL to Charleston, SC and then onto the Outer Banks of North Carolina. From there we traveled the ICW north to the Chesapeake Bay to our home dock in Rock Hall, MD.

This is our SPOT Trip map, Click to Enlarge https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=880352c229a6c9074

We traveled 2,100+ nautical miles in five months. We had a slip in Bimini for 3 days and a dock in Charleston for 4 days, otherwise we lived on anchor or an occasional mooring ball and loved it. It was another wonderful season cruising and reviewing the Bahamas and learning Biscayne Bay. We will now take a one month break, to work on the boat and visit family and friends.

Our next voyage will begin on June 26th when we depart Rock Hall for New England.

Thank you for sailing along, it was a great trip!

Mooring Ball #50, Spa Creek Bridge, these are our home waters

Good Boat Buddies and Friends: IP40 TINTEAN Sara and Ken invited us for a BBQ Steak dinner!

An Annapolis MD tradition, Chick & Ruth’s Delly Of course we went out for breakfast!

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge north of Annapolis, MD….HOME

Spring Cove Marina, Rock Hall, MD is our home dock

This is the place where we built our cruising dreams, we love it here

The loop is closed….time to run home for a quick break

Please take a look at our SPOT map here:
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=880352c229a6c9074
This map allows you to zoom in and see the beautiful islands, beaches and locations where we sailed. Spotwalla.com picks up where the SPOT company dropped the ball by not allowing users to easily save their pins.

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Blasting up the Chesapeake Bay in 22 hours….

We decided to make an overnight run from Portsmouth, Virginia, to Annapolis, Maryland, due to an approaching front and torrential rains. We also decided to make this run because a full moon was rising 3 minutes after sunset and the winds were to be 10-15 knots for a lovely broad reach. So, we departed the South Ferry Basin at 0800 hours, only to find ourselves in pea soup thick fog. There was so much fog that we almost could not find our way out of the Elizabeth River and into the Chesapeake Bay. By the time we reached Hampton and Point Comfort, we were considering diverting and dropping a hook to wait for the fog to lift. But after studying the weather we saw this fog would lift and be clear by mid morning. WRONG….WRONG…WRONG! This fog was with us for the next 22 hours. At times, we could not see more than 1/4 mile. We have sailed in Maine for three summers, so we have run in fog before, but we have never run in fog like this on the Chesapeake Bay!

This is your nighttime view from the helm

We said good-bye to IP38 Moondance, who headed to Deltaville, and we pressed on with IP40 Tintean. At night we had nearly zero visibility with zero horizon and no full moon could be found. We thought the full moon might light up the fog, but even when 1/4 mile off Cove Point Light house, we could NOT see the beaming light, so we knew the fog was still thick and dense. We pressed on at full speed, 6-7 knots and navigated our way north. Our radar and our AIS (Automated Identification System) alerted us to ships and their paths. We stayed out of the shipping lanes and in the 30-40 foot deep water where ships cannot run. All we could was watch the radar at a 3 to 6 mile screen and look for anything solid on our course.

Radeen with little sleep and very tired

We looked for bell buoys, day marks, fishing boats and 1,000′ long container ships doing 20 knots. We convinced ourselves that we were safe and that we would not hit anything and we kept moving. It was very stressful, especially for 22 hours with little sleep. At the end of this leg, we navigated ourselves into the Annapolis harbor with almost zero visibility. We could not see the Navy Fields or stone walls. We could barely see the first row of mooring balls, so we simply stayed along the port side and hugged the docks as we crawled toward the Spa Creek Bridge.

The Spa Creek Bridge at 6 am in fog

We passed under the bridge at 0600 hours and secured our favorite mooring ball #50 and crashed for a few hours! Later that day, we met good friends Ken and Sara of IP-40 Tintean, with whom we had traveled overnight from Virginia. They invited us to the Eastport Yacht Club for cocktails and snacks with friends. Then we moved on to Backyard Boats where we enjoyed happy hour snacks, more drinks and some dancing. It is great to be back in these waters and Annapolis. Thank you, Sara and Ken, for a great evening of celebrating our safe arrival!

One more leg and we will call this trip a wrap. Saturday morning we will sail the final leg to Rock Hall, MD where we will see friends and dock at our home marina, Spring Cove Marina. It is great to travel, but it is also wonderful to be in our home waters once again!

How to lift a Navy Ship and paint the bottom!

Imagine being stationed on a LIGHT SHIP. These were lighthouses anchored at sea with 8-15 crew members, anchored year round off the coast!

With IP38 Moondance, the South Ferry basin where we love to dock

IP40 TINTEAN with Sara and Ken and crew Trish the day before running the fog together

Portsmouth South Ferry Basin with our sun shades up. It was 93 degrees and sunny! Notice the high tide goes over the dock

Morning fog as we depart Norfolk, VA

Navy ships looking ghostly in the fog

This was our best visibility of the day

This was our radar view from 2000 to 0600, all night long

The Eastport Yacht Club new deck and view out to the Bay

Radeen and Sara enjoying the Eastport Yacht Club. Thank you, Ken and Sara!

One last leg home to Rock Hall, MD and this Bahamas Year #3 will be completed. What a great year it has been. Thank you for sailing along.

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IP38 Moondance rounds a tree lined bend….

Note to All: The Dismal Swamp is not dismal, matter of fact, we find it interesting, beautiful, peaceful and photogenic!

After locking up 8-9 feet at the South Mills Lock, you run the 22 miles of the swamp canal where you enter the Deep Creek Lock and drop back down 8-9 feet. Exiting the Dismal Swamp northbound you are then presented with the massive commercial activity and Navy Ship Yards of Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia. We find this contrast most interesting, challenging and exciting. That is why we always stay a few days in Portsmouth, VA and enjoy the waterfront town, the Commodore Theater, and the peaceful historic streets and homes. Welcome home, you are almost back to the Chesapeake Bay!

Here are the photos of this section:

Hayden and Radeen at the Rose garden of Elizabeth City, NC

“Cappuccino Girl” Radeen enjoys breakfast out in Elizabeth City

Tug-A-Long heads north for the Dismal Swamp

Tug-A-Long rounds a corner in the Pasquontank River

Buddy Boat IP38 Moondance heading north in the Pasquontank River

A turtle basking in the warm sun

Bob and Nina, IP38 Moondance in the South Mills Lock, entering the Dismal Swamp

Locking up 8-9 feet at the South Mills Lock, entering the Dismal Swamp

Radeen the expert line handler in the South Mills Lock

Welcome to the Dismal Swamp Canal. Thank you ARMY CORP of ENGINEERS

Welcome to VIRGINIA, here is the state line sign in the swamp

I always LOVE this photo shot

The Deep Creek Lift Bridge

s/v ROMANO waiting for the lock to open

IP38 MOONDANCE waiting for the lock

IP38 MOONDANCE in our new anchorage at Deep Creek Basin

Deep Creek Basin is a great place to drop a hook

The Gilmerton Railroad Bridge lifting in front of the lowered Gilmerton highway bridge

Commercial Traffic everywhere in the river

FUNNY: A Lone Canada Geese wonders where he went wrong 🙂

Tugboats moving an empty ship in the river as we pass by

My Favorite Sailor model, Radeen off the Navy Ship Yards

Our next leg will take us home into the wonderful Chesapeake Bay where we have sailed since 1984. This is when and where we feel at home, these are the waters we know, this is comfortable. We have traveled 1,917 nautical miles since December 30, 2013 from Tampa Bay via the Bahamas to the Chesapeake. We are glad to be here!

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Buddy boat IP38 Moondance runs the canal…

This is our 5th passage through the waters of the Neuse River, Pamlico River, Alligator River and Pungo River and we never seem to get tired of taking in the diverse scenery and wild nature of this beautiful waterway. This trip was unusual in the fact that we could sail the entire area and some boats even ran a full jib, on a beam reach, while running the 22 nm Alligator River-Pungo River canal. From beautiful sunsets on anchor in the Alligator River to beam reaching across Albemarle Sound in 1-2 foot chop to a custom ultra light sea plane doing fly-bys and Marine Corps jets making practice flights, this leg is always so interesting.

IP38 Moondance Crossing Albamarle Sound

Along the canal we spotted many turtles and a few birds and one deer along the water’s edge. When heading north, this leg ends in the CITY OF HOSPITALITY, Elizabeth City, NC where the famous ROSE BUDDIES host a free wine and cheese party for the visiting boaters. Former Mayor Steve Atkins and Charlotte Underwood, Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau were our gracious hosts. There is no other town on the entire waterway that makes cruising boaters feel more welcome and more at home than Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Imagine giving away free docks and free water and free wine and free WiFi and free snacks just because we stopped in and visited. NO OTHER CITY does this! It is always a joy to spend time here and to support the local town by shopping, dining and spending money here. We will spend two days doing just that with our buddy boat friends Nina and Bob on IP38 Moondance. (Good-bye to new friends Dave and Suzy of IP37 Cay Paraiso who took the Virginia Cut route to Norfolk on their way home to Maine.)  Welcome to Elizabeth City, NC!

Here are some photos of this section

Alligator River-Pungo River Canal, 22 nm long

IP38 Moondance reaching across Albemarle Sound

R. E. Mayo Shrimp Dock and fishing fleet, Hobucken NC

Beautiful colors reflecting on the waterway

Jeff and Susan, of Active Captain website, passed us with their 53 footer named A Capella

It has been a VERY WINDY year. We needed to strike this flag, 1,875 nm so far

View from the helm while running the canal

Cypress tree stumps along the waters edge are so photogenic

Sunset over the Alligator River after our first 90 degree day this year!

Alligator River Bascule Bridge, notice the flags blowing in nice 20 knots of beam winds

We got buzzed by a custom ultra light sea plane, how cool!

The pilot waved at us!

Our two day runs, about 50 miles each day

From Beautfort, NC we sailed north up the Neuse River to Bonner Bay where we anchored out. This map begins at Bonner Bay where we crossed Bay River and then motorsailed through the Alligator Pungo Canal and anchored in the Alligator River. From there, we sailed north on a nice west wind of 15-20 across Albemarle Sound and up the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City.  We have had 3 days of great sailing – so much fun!

Here is our Spotwalla Trip Map
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=86e952b4252ab9f2e

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Suzy, Radeen and Nina on Island Spirit….

I love when a plan works out as planned. We identified our Bahamas exit while at the Jib Room on anchor in Marsh Harbor. We planned 4 legs. #1 Green Turtle to Fort Pierce, Florida. #2 Fort Pierce to Charleston, SC. Then #3 Charleston to Beaufort NC. Then #4 into the ICW and north to the Chesapeake Bay.

Well….that is exactly what we did, just as planned. Lucky for us, we had the weather windows to make the legs, and we also studied the legs and the weather to make sure we were making the best runs at the best times. Sure enough, we did, and we feel very lucky. We are now on the ICW north of Beaufort anchored out on Bonner Bay. Tomorrow we will run 50+ miles into the Pungo Canal and on north. If all goes as planned, we will be in Portsmouth VA in a week, then onto the Chesapeake Bay and home to Rock Hall, MD completing year #3 of our Bahamas explorations.

We are having fun running with our boat buddy IP38 MOONDANCE, Bob and Nina who are very positive and lively friends. We also are now running with IP37 CAY PARAISIO, Dave and Suzy who are just as fun and lively so we have a fleet of IPs running north. What a great life out here cruising and exploring. Everyone is experiencing the same challenges and new discoveries of travel. It is a great way to travel, explore and live. We count our blessing of good health and a positive attitude every day.

Here are some photos of the days from Florida to North Caroline….

Gulf Stream Sailing on watch off Florida running north

Set the whisker pole sailing dead down wind

Refueling 100 miles offshore

Good bye Florida, on to Georgia and South Carolina

Blue Water Sailing in the Gulf Stream

Sunset offshore

A WELCOME SIGHT, these are the range lights the guild you into Charleston Inlet You drive towards the lower light. When they line up vertically, you are in the channel.

IP38 Moondance watches a container ship pass by off Charelston Maritime Center

While in Charelston, we tore apart the motor and brushes on the autopilot

Our B&G Autopilot torn apart….not a good thing

Sunset offshore heading north

Sunrise offshore heading north

A beautiful reflection out the galley port hole window

Cape Lookout as seen at sunrise

Sunrise at anchor in Cape Lookout, a beautiful view

Beaufort NC shrimp boat working the bottom

Beaufort NC, maritime center

Boat buddies, Nina IP38 Moondance and Dave IP37 Cay Paraiso

Snacks at our cocktail party

Boat Buddies, Bob IP38 Moondance, Suzy IP37 Cay Paraisio

Radeen with boat buddy Nina

Hayden with boat buddy Bob of IP38 Moondance

Check this warning my nav system warned me of while offshore! WOW

Follow our SPOT maps

 Remember…..You can follow our passages and our trip using this near realtime SPOT map. When we are out of Internet connection, or when we are moving the boat, we place a pin location onto this map.

To see our trip, drop down the HISTORY button and select as many days or weeks or ALL and then click GO. Then zoom the map out to see the trip.

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We are planning to make some ocean runs this year on our run from the Bahamas to Rock Hall, MD. Our current plan, launching Thursday, 0700 April 24, 2014 will take us from Green Turtle Cay to Fort Pierce Florida where we will anchor by Friday 1900. There we will stage up for a run from Fort Pierce Florida to Charleston South Carolina, a 400 nm leg. We plan to spend a few days there taking in the great town of Charleston and then we will make a 200 mile jump to Beaufort North Carolina where our great friends Greg and Kate will NOT BE :-(.  From there we will run north into the ICW and up to Norfolk to our free dock at Portsmouth and then into the Chesapeake Bay.

So, Our Bahamas 2014 trip is drawing to a close with one last party at Green Turtle Club with our boat buddies as we enjoy the music of THE GULLY ROOSTERS. They start playing at 9 pm, “cruisers midnight” but we will dinghy in and enjoy the music. In the AM, we will derig the dinghies, taking off the motors, and fuel tanks and anchors and lashing them into the davits for the gulf stream crossing. Lucky for us, the winds and seas are calm, and the passage will be a casual motor run.

The weather fronts are not giving us the best sailing winds, so, we are taking this calm to run to the coast and stage up there for the next front to sail north in the Gulf Stream. Who knows, if our weather router, Chris Parkes says tomorrow night that it looks for for a go to Charleston, then we may just hang a right and keep going norht. WHO knows????

For, now, it is off to the Gully Roosters…..PARTY

Island Spirit at anchor off Green Turtle Club

NOTE😐
You can follow our LIVE map via SPOT and SPOTWALLA, here. This is the best and most live data we can publish from sea…
http://islandspirit35.blogspot.com/p/spot-maps.html

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Stephen and Jason, the best Bartenders in Abaco…..

Here we are spending a week based out of Marsh Harbor anchored right off our favorite place, THE JIB ROOM. We have completed our boat services preparing for our exit north and run back to the US coast. We have been studying the weather every day at 0630-0730 with Chris Parker on SSB 4045 mHz. Then we look at NOAA weather, trying to keep up with the frontal progressions, watching for an exit window for our crossing. Meanwhile, life around here is really fun and easy. With Wednesday night RIB NIGHT, Saturday night STEAK NIGHT and toss in Thursday night with Cruisers POT LUCK, the Jib Room has it figured out. Great people, great atmosphere, great family, great food, great drinks, great friends, The Jib Room is one of the reasons why we are here! Thank you Tom, Linda, Stephen, Bradley, Jason, Desmond, Marvin, Latasha and the rest of the staff. What a fantastic team!

The Albury Brothers Boat Building, Man O War Cay

From Marsh Harbor, we motored over to Man O War Cay, anchoring off the island and taking the dinghy into town for a review of the shops and great businesses. It was fun to show our boat buddies, Dixie and Julie, the Albury Brothers Boat Building business, Albury Sail Loft, and Edwin’s Boat Yard. Of course a stop at the ice cream parlor was a must and a walk to the ocean beach observing the beautifully kept homes and gardens of Man O War.  The residents of Man O War are very industrious and hard working. What a great island.

The Nipper’s Easter Egg Hunt in the surf for ages 12 and up

Finally, no trip to Abaco would be complete without a trip to NIPPERS, especially on Easter Sunday. This year we traveled by Albury Ferry due to northhwesterly winds. The famous Nipper’s Easter Egg Hunt on the beach and in the surf on Great Guana Cay is fantastic. Johnny has been doing the Sunday Pig Roast Buffet for 20 years and it is very well attended. Toss in the delicious NIPPER JUICE, and a beautiful beach, a gorgeous pool, great music, dancing and swimming and you will see the fun of Nipper’s. Thank you, Johnny, for hosting a really great Easter Day!

Here are some photos of the week…

The Albury Brothers rolling resin onto fiberglass mat for an Albury 24

Varnish work on Island Spirit, coat #6 of Epifanes

The Jib Room: Marvin the master of the Grill, and Latasha the hostess

The Jib Room: Bradley and Latasha

Boat Buddies IP420 TRUE NORTH: Debi and Denny

Boat Buddy: GLASS SLIPPER, Mary and Radeen

Boat Buddies IP38 MOONDANCE, Bob and Nina

The Jib Room all smiles: Bradley and her good friends

IP 38 ALPENGLOW, Tim and Susan, with Hayden and Radeen at the Jib Room

The Jib Room: Steak Night, we cut these in half for Steak n Eggs in the AM 🙂

THE LIMBO KING #1, Desmond at The Jib Room

OFF TO NIPPER’s for EASTER SUNDAY

Hayden is holding 6 crumpled fishing boat stickers he peeled off The NIPPER’s sign! This idea of fishing boats slapping their stickers all over public spaces is really frustrating. We see it as vandalism. We peel off every one we can. Hayden would love to find one of these fishing boats and put 1,000 stickers on its hull.

The NIPPER’s Beach Bar on Easter Sunday

Easter Egg Hunt at Nipper’s on the beach. Some eggs were hidden in the seaweed.

Nipper’s Easter Egg Hunt on the Beach for ages 11 and under

Boat Buddy Colleen on GLASS SLIPPER holds her Nipper Easter Egg Prizes

The beach on Great Guana Cay is so beautiful

Radeen strikes a pose on Great Guana Cay off Nipper’s

Happy Easter 2014 from Great Guana Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas

Our Boat Buddies, Debi & Denny and Julie & Dixey, walking the beach

Boat Buddies: IP420 TRUE NORTH, Denny and Debi

Radeen and Hayden, appreciating the sun after a windy, rainy Saturday.

Hayden with THE MAN, JOHNNY, owner of Nipper’s Beach Bar. Thank you, Johnny!

Of course, the day is not complete without a walk to GRABBERS

So, our time is drawing to a close here in Abaco. We are looking at moving north of the Whale Cay Cut on Tuesday, heading up to Green Turtle Cay. There we will make a final study of the fronts and weather patterns and set our exit for the coast. We are looking at making a run from Great Sale Cay to anywhere in north Florida or South Carolina. We are thinking of trying a 2-3-4 day ocean passage with a few other boats, but it will all depend on if we can find a good weather window.

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Wind and waves shape the sands on Tahiti Beach….

Cruising the Abacos is so wonderful and so easy. Most anchorages and popular destinations are 8-10 miles apart. The Sea of Abaco is protected and almost always calm as it is only about 3-4 miles wide and maybe 20 miles long. With the much of the orientation of the sea north and south and the trade winds blowing from the east, we can beam reach nearly everywhere. Many times, we are lazy and simply roll out a jib and sail the 8 miles under jib only. There are so many places to anchor and find protection, it is easy to see why so many cruisers make Abaco their only destination.

Radeen taking a break on Tahiti Beach

Hayden walking the sand bar

We brought our own shade this year, it is HOT here

Island Spirit anchored off Baker’s Rock, Tahiti Beach

The rocky shoreline of the Bahamas

Tahiti Beach, a perfect place to kite board

Boat Buddy Dixey, found the largest HERMIT CRAB ever inside a conch shell

Exploring Lubbers’ Landing, a great beach resort with cabins accessible only by boat

Colorful Bahamian Money, front, with dark shapes embossed in foil

Colorful Bahamian Money, back

Radeen, ready for steak night and limbo at The Jib Room

The anchorage at Marsh Harbor is fantastic, lots of room with great holding

Yacht services, Fuel Filters and Oil Filter change, ready for sea

Good friend Linda, owner of The Jib Room, poses with Hayden

Boat Buddy, IP38 SLOW FLIGHT, Steve and good friend Mary of GLASS SLIPPER

Boat Buddies IP32 MORNING GRACE, Julie and Dixey

THE GIRLS at The Jib Room. MARY, RADEEN and JULIE

STEAK NIGHT at the JIB ROOM…..as perfect as can be

Desmond the KING of the LIMBO performs at the Jib Room

Local landscaping, Hibiscus in bloom

Stupid us! It was windy and we ran the inflatable dinghy into a sharp propeller that was tilted out of the water! This is the 4 inch cut with glue applied and drying. It went through the rub rail, too.

We made it back to the mother ship and quickly hoisted the dinghy up for repairs, before it sank!

The final repair and finished patch. Great to know how to glue on a patch and to have all the necessary supplies!

We are now living on the hook in Marsh Harbour, walking the town and visiting with boat buddies. We are beginning to look at weather windows over the next two weeks to make an ocean run for the USA coast. Time is running out here in the Bahamas for our 2014 trip. Soon we will return to the land of connectivity, marketing, shopping, and conveniences….

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Photos show the first few days of our Hope Town, Bahamas Vacation. (Wait, we are always on vacation, but this really does feel like a vacation.) We love it here! When you look at these photos, you will see why….

Radeen and Hayden in the shade under umbrellas on the beach

The harbor view from the Lighthouse

Lighthouse keeper, ELVIS, lights the wick and adjusts the gas flow

Every two hours Elvis turns the hand crank to raise the weights that make the lenses rotate

Sunset as seen from a window on the Hope Town Lighthouse

Hayden and Radeen overlooking the beach at Hope Town

The beautiful beach on Elbow Cay at Hope Town

Crowds do not exist on these beautiful Bahamian beaches

Elbow Cay and the beach behind the church

St. James Methodist Church where we enjoyed Rev. Vernon’s sermon

Typical home on Elbow Cay

IP 380 Packet Inn owners, Tadd and Lynn stopped by for a fun visit

The newly completed Hope Town Inn and Marina

Radeen love to swim in a pool, she is a Pisces

Julie and Radeen Sunday morning in Hope Town

I love taking architecture photos in Hope Town, the homes are so beautiful

Rum Punch at the Hope Town Inn and Marina pool which is open to the public

The Lighthouse at night. It is wonderful to see the keeper light this by hand

So, it was getting old, the mustache and the goatee, plus they are all gray! I don’t have gray hair, but my mustache and goatee are. They are gone now. Here are photos to show the options.(Radeen likes the last one!)

Mustache and Goatee, option 1

Mustache only, option 2

No mustache and no goatee, option 3

Living on a boat in Hope Town Harbor on a secure mooring ball can really spoil a boater. There are many cruisers who make this their winter home and I can see why. The town is a dream, the facilities are beautiful, the lighthouse is a world treasure and the mooring balls are secure. Hope Town, Bahamas, add this charming village to your must visit locations…..

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