YUCATAN, MEXICO  2008

April 15 to May ....., 2008

It took us several days the last few weeks to get the boat ready. The life raft had to be inspected again, that means we had to bring it to Tampa, where it will be opened and physically blown up and inspected with all the security material included like flares, medication, batteries, oars, the CO2 cylinder and the hydrostatic release device. This process has to be done every 2 years.

Then the 2 diesel engines had to be serviced, a messy job to change the oil and filter.

The diesel fuel tank replenished and so the water tanks. 6 new batteries replaced the common bank.

On the navigation part, new charts from Yucatan were ordered and the route was planned on the GPS.

Our Mexican adventure started April 15, 2008 in Cape Coral. We let the lines go by 9.00 am and headed to Isla Mujeres on a  straight line. With 25kn northwesterly and cold wind, that worked for some time until the waves became confused as the wind was variable veering 30 to 50 degrees. It became more down wind and we had to take in the main sail. With the Genoa sail we still could keep a speed of 8 + knots. The following day slowly the wind turned more to North and North East and started gradually loose on force. Not for long, but to our advantage became more easterly but stronger of 20kn gusting to 25kn. The second night we could see the lights of Havanna, Cuba, reflecting on the sky. Very little commercial boat traffic, so were alone under a partly cloudy sky. However the moon was with us all night and reflected its lights on the waves coming down on us, giving us a push or went straight under the boat leaving us sliding down on the other side. So we had roller coaster all the way.

Our heading was on purpose about 20 degrees towards south to compensate for the current in the Yucatan channel. Although to our surprise it only took place at a very late stage about 50 nm off our destination. But then very swift and strong we were carried north and we could use all our pre-calculated compensation until we saw the lights of Isla Mujeres the next night. At 6.30 am we approached the entrance light that was our waypoint, just on the day brake and we could find our way to our anchorage spot. On arrival we deserved our first breakfast in a normal sitting position around our salon table.

We took a little rest before preparing for customs, immigration and health department. Prepared our dinghy and motor to go ashore. Luckily we had a good connection with a Pia, a Swiss lady friend, married and living on the island and knowing all these officials in the various offices. That helped us lot and saved us time to fill in and process all the papers.

Later in the afternoon we finally went to the beach and we met with friends at the "Sunset Grill". No questions about the right drink and finally enjoy the rest of the day.

                                                                                                Isla Mujeres Beach and Bar.

        Grouper in Banana Leaves                                       Party Time                                    Original Carpenter Workshop                            

On Monday, our task was to clear in the boat. For this we had to take the Ferry to Cancun and process more papers at the Port Authority. I still needed 2 more copies of some documents and I had to go back to an Internet Cafe that had a copy machine. A ten minute walk in both directions on a busy bustling road with Mexican rule traffic. Tuesday was our first free day to do laundry, refuel with diesel and water at a gas station nearby. The gas station was in a narrow channel so I decided to approach it in reverse. Diesel was about half the price than in Cape Coral. Our city dock is selling the fuel at an all time high with $ 4.29 a gallon. In the evening our crew Michael and Verena came back from a land trip to Merida and Chichen Itza.

Wednesday, our crew was complete again and it was departure time day to head south to Cozumel. Weather perfect and we set sails and sailed all along the island Isla Mujeres. Good speed for about 4 hours and we calculated our arrival time about mid afternoon.  Not so fast --- all of a sudden we were hit by the current and doing only 1-2 kn over ground. For the remaining 12 miles, it would have taken us an additional 12 hours to our destination. So we had to change our heading towards the coast and take a long detour along the coast down to Playa del Carmen. Then cross over perpendicular to the current. We reached Cozumel just at sunset and it left us very little time to drop our anchor along the beach before it was pitch dark. The big reward were a group of dolphins following us for about an hour. Coming with high speed from behind and make jumps, go under the boat and show up on the other side. Swimming along the bow in waves of 3-4 feet, just amazing.

Thursday, knowing about the current we started early under engine down the coast of Cozumel, where 2 large cruise boats were waiting to come in to their docks. Down san Miguel we had to take the bite and cross over to our destination Puerto Aventuras. We made this passage  in good time and arrived at 12.30 at the entrance to the marina. We got advised to a nice dock spot along a wall, that is convenient for getting ashore. We registered at the harbor master and got orientated about all the facilities. It has just about everything here, including a dolphin school, feeding manatees and watch the clever sea lions giving their best performance. People can pet the dolphins, go out and 2 dolphins will pull them along. The highlight is to get 2 dolphins under your feet and they push one high out of the water. See some pictures below. On dolphin needed medical attention and they had to take it from the underside of his tail fin. One person kept him in this position and a nurse punctured the needle in the skin just as we do human blood tests looking for a vein. The dolphin was so patient although he had to turn around sometimes his forward body to get some air to breath. He was well awarded with his favorite food then swam away to his daily routine.

                                                 Petting                                                                                       Blood Test

   2 Dolphins pushing one through water                                        Mannatee                                                                    Sealion

YUCATAN and the remaining places of the MAYA's

We took a 5 day trip across the Yucatan peninsula by car. This was a challenge on its own to learn about the driving habits of the Mexicans.

The Maya civilization was one of the world's most advanced. They developed a high form of astrology and mathematics, similar to the Egyptians. No one knows from where they originally came from, but some archeologists maintain the Maya had developed an advanced civilization even before the Olmecs. Not only had they developed the mathematical concept of zero, which allowed them to calculate extremely difficult formulas to predict equinoxes, eclipses of the moon and even more complex cycles of the stars and planets. Many of their cites are dating back to around 800 - 1000 A.D. By the time the first Europeans arrived on the peninsula in 1511, only a few late-classic Mayan cultures existed around Chichen Itza.

Our tour started in Puerto Aventuras with a drive on a highway to Cancun and continued to EK BALAM on about a 3 hours drive.. This place was opened just recently and has unique features with relief's and ornaments cut in stone.

The next stop was CHICHEN ITZA with the famous pyramids. This place is now named one of the new 7 wonders of the world.

About 20 miles further is the city of the hills, IZAMAL. That may be the oldest city in Yucatan.  Izamal was conquered by the Spaniards and it was the monks in their eagerness to convert the Indians to Catholicism that gave the city its religious distinction. The convent was built from and over one of  the Mayan pyramids.

MERIDA was our destination for the day. The city was founded by the Spaniard Francisco de Montejo on January 6, 1542. Before Merida was a large Mayan city known as T'ho. The Spaniards dismantled all the pyramids and used the huge stones as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Idelfonso 1561, the oldest Cathedral on the American continent. Across the plaza is the City Hall, where there were folkloric dances on the street on May 5th.

The next day we had a short trip to the northern city PROGRESO with a very long pier for the cruise boats. On the way back we stopped at DZIBILCHALTUN that has a wonderful  ancient cite with a CENOTE, a water hole where we had a swim.

From Merida, we took the main road in direction Uxmal with a number of interesting stops like Oxkutzcab for the market, Lo Tun the fantastic caves, Labna Xlapac, Sayil, Kabah and finally Uxmal for the ancient Maya cites.All historical cites are different and have their specialty in various building styles. In Uxmal, the night we arrived there was a Sound & Lights show with all the stories going around whether real or fictious. The roads are very narrow with pot holes sometimes. The place Tabi we never found and we drove miles in citrus farms apparently finances by Coca Cola.

Compared to the previous sites, we liked the smaller places as they had more carvings and decorations on their buildings. Chichen Itza is the largest pyramid large palaces and is the most visited place by tourists.

Another place south of Cancun is Tulum. Well visited and well situated on the Yucatan Straight. The Mayan's used it as a port and came to shore by an opening in the coral reef.

This concludes our land trip to Yucatan. Will report on our trip back home if there is any good reason to do so. It will be on water for 3-5 days, or 500 nm with always the same horizon and we hope for good winds from the right direction.

November 30^th 2006 to January …. 2007

The crew flew into Cape Coral Nov. 29. We had all dinner at a friends house in Fort Myers. We all slept on the boat and were ready to go the next day. The first thing in the morning, we did was getting the boat ready below and above. This took minimum time as all the provisioning was already on board.

At 9.45 we pulled out of Cape Coral Yacht Club Marina and headed down the river toward Sanibel bridge. The new fixed bridge is under construction and clearance was reduced to 68 ft, 2 ft lower than the final clearance of 70 ft.

Spring Bird has a mast of 64 ft plus 3 ft of antenna that makes the passage uneasy and we also had to watch the tide. The tide was going out and was about 1.5ft. At the 11.00 o’clock opening of the old bridge, we passed both of them. One concern less on our mind. There was some wind SE of 10kn and our heading South was mainly by help of our motor with an average speed of 5.8kn. At 8.00 o’clock the wind changed to East and we were glad to make use of our sails. A steady 10kn through the night brought us down to Key West at daybreak to go safe into the Northwest Channel.

Our heading changed to east and the wind changes to Southeast. However a few degrees were missing to make this a sailing day. We took the Hawk Channel along the Florida Keys all day until Marathon. Thee we crossed the reef out into the deep water in order to make use of the Gulf Stream that would carry us over to the Bahamian Islands of Bimini and Cat Cay.

A passage not to easy as the elements did not fully cooperate. We made slowly progress during the night to be at the entrance between Gun Cay and North Cat Cay. We arrived there before noon on Saturday. Cleared in with Immigration and Customs procedures that requires a number of documents. The cruising fee of $ 300.00 was collected, we refueled and filled our water tanks.

We left early onto the Great Bahamas Bank to make as much distance as possible. The wind still out of the East was not cooperating that left us with motoring the whole day.

At 25degrees 25.5 minutes latitude and 78 degrees 26.9 minutes longitude we dropped the anchor to spend the night in the middle of nowhere. It was a relatively calm night.

Monday morning, we had a positive surprise as the wind shifted to the Northeast and that gave us a good sail of 7 kn for the full day. We passed the Northwest Channel Light marker at 11.00 o’clock and shortly after we were in very deep water. We passed Chubb Cay and continued to Bird Cay for an overnight anchorage. It was rather open except to the East where the island gave us some protection from the wind.

There were about 38 nm left to Nassau and finally the wind was from the East to get us between 7 and 8 kn of speed to be in Nassau early afternoon. We Requested the passage of the Nassau Harbor from the Port Authority and went straight to the Atlantis Marina. We had a tour of the facility and were surprised on all the extensions they added or are under construction since we were there 5 years ago. However the marina was almost empty and the big yachts have not arrived yet. They will fill the marina before Christmas until long into the New Year. The weather did change and e had strong gusts going through the marina and the forecast was not very good. Also the 2 bridges in Nassau Harbor were only 21 meter high and we had to make sure that we can pass as the tide is over 4 ft.

So we left at 11.00 and headed towards Allans Cay in the Exumas. Due to our late departure, we knew we would not make this destination by daylight. But in the Lee side of the island it is pretty shallow and one can anchor almost everywhere. We passed another boat and then dropped the anchor for the night

Moved the boat inside Allan’s Cay to watch the Iguanas, the only inhabitants of the island. We took our dinghy and went ashore and as we approached the beach, about 50 Iguanas were running towards us. A sign of civilization. Shortly after, a big roaring powerboat pulled up at the beach with about 50 guests from Nassau. They were provided with fresh grapes to feed the Iguanas.

After all the tourists left, we also lifted the anchor and headed towards Highborne Cay that has a very nice marina. We filled up fuel and water and did some shopping at a new little store. We continued to the next island just a few miles further south. This is Norman Island that made history with the big drug deals of Carlos Leder with a connection to the Medellin Kartell. They brought the drugs from Columbia and delivered them to the US by small airplanes. One plane landed in the bay and is half submerged in the water. Today is very little left over from that wreck.

The anchorage is a small passage between the Sound and the shallow waters West of the islands. We were 3 boats that night in the place. The Bahamian Coast Guard pulled in with a navy boat and the captain walked us over the island to the few houses left. Unfortunately all is falling into pieces and nobody seems to have any interest for investing.

Back on the boat, the wind started picking up and we were not sure whether this was now the cold front people were talking about. In fact over night the wind started building and gave us a reason to leave early and head for our next destination that is EXUMA Park.

Friday

This is a protected area by land and sea and fishing is prohibited. We had a wonderful sail over the bank with a little detour around the shallow sand banks. We had a mooring reserved and only figured out over night that this was a good idea as this cold front finally arrived with 20 + kn wind from the NE.

Also the seas were building and a dinghy ride to the park headquarter was a wet ride. Over night, the wind was gusting 25 – 30 kn .

We were stuck at the Exuma Park for several days because of heavy wind. But we were at a mooring from the park and it was good holding. We had some walks on the island that is kept pristine. Nice views into the Atlantic where the waves were pounding against the shoreline.

Finally we decided to leave in spite of some strong gusts. We took the route on the west side if the islands as they gave us some protection, although one has to take big detours because of many shallow sandbanks. I put all the waypoints into the system and we made it to Staniel Cay. This is the place where the James Bond film "THUNDERBALL"was taken some years ago. There is still the grotto one can snorkel in. However the weather was not so inviting to go into the water and we left this excursion pass by.

Slowly the weather improved and sailed another 30 miles south to an anchorage behind an island, ready to go out into the Sound (Atlantic) the next day. It was still blowing 20 kns but we tried it and took the 40 pounding waves for all day. Pulled into the harbour of Georgetown just before dark and anchored out at the monument bay.

Moved a bit closer to the island opposite of Georgetown, dropped anchor, called a water taxi that took us to town did laundry and had lunch at the hotel Peace and Plenty. Later the crew dropped me off at the boat while they stayed at the hotel because of an early morning flight the next day. Did some limited shopping and running up and down the town to find an internet connection.

Thursday

Moved a bit closer to the island opposite of Georgetown and dropped the anchor. The crew called a water taxi that took us to town. Unfortunately they did not put the fenders out and Spring Bird has now marks for ever. Not all ideas are good if they are executed poorly. We did laundry and had lunch at the hotel Peace and Plenty. Did some limited shopping and running up and down the town to find an internet connection. Later the crew dropped me off at the boat while they stayed at the hotel because of an early morning flight the next day.

Friday Dec. 15 and on live alone until Dec. 23.

Not exactly alone as there are about 30 boats at various anchorage bays. I am at the volleyball beach where a restaurant and a bar is located. There are daily games organized from volleyball, domino, bridge and whatever one wants to play with. I just have a short dinghy ride to the swimming beach.

But there was work to be done and the main thing is to adjust to the Bahamian pace of life. As of last Wednesday, I had a problem with my generator as the water pump broke off. A new pump was ordered from Entec in Portland OR and was shipped the same day by Fedex to Georgetown. Obviously this pump had the highest priority because I need 110V for my freezer and refrigerator. Everyday I called in at the hotel Peace and Plenty to see whether this priority shipment has arrived. Saturday of course is not a working day and forget about Sunday.

Monday morning I took my dinghy trip over to Georgetown to see where my little parcel is. I called at the reception first and nothing was known about my parcel. But there are always people around you and they try to help to solve a problem. Apparently there is a broker in town that clears all the parcel post with the name Forbes Enterprises. Walking through town again I found the place. However as of that day, they do no longer clear parcels for Fedex. Walking back to the hotel. Someone else mentioned that an agent at the Four Seasons hotel is now handling the Fedex business. After a while we found a phone number of this place. But the answering party was not Fedex, but gave us a new number. Finally I got the Fedex agent on the phone and after giving him my name and address, he said that the parcel just arrived this morning and he would deliver it shortly. Having learned a bit about the pace here, I questioned what means shortly. He said that the driver just left the Four Seasons and would be in Georgetown by noon. This gave me some time to have a haircut and do some grocery shopping and walk back through town again to be at Peace and Plenty after 12.By half past twelve I was almost sure that I would now get the parcel. Not so. So I had a reason to go to the bar and have a drink. Waited again 15 minutes and then the Fedex agent turned up with my parcel. This is so called overnight service in the Bahamas. From Wednesday to Monday afternoon!!

But I was happy to have this pump and I could go back to the boat and replace the broken pump. Time did not play an important factor anymore as most of the fresh food went over board long before. Just never be under time pressure here or one may go crazy. Keep smiling and be friendly and this is fortunately a very local tradition. It may take some time until one can find something, but everybody on the street is supporting someone’s problem.

Now to the Internet.

7 years ago, there was 1 landline in the marina and if one wanted to make a call, there was always a line of about 10 people in front of you. Today many people have cell phones, but have to run outside or turn in another direction in order to receive the call and

not being cut out. Many placed offer internet access, but one is lucky to go through a few e-mails before either the system crashes or the line is interrupted. By all means a lot of progress has been made, but again one has to be patient to find an operating computer or one that connects to the internet. Yesterday I sat 2 hours in a hotel while a guy tried to get the system working. Had lunch in the meantime and by 2 o’clock I gave up and went to the boat. If they cannot find the problem, they blame the satellite or something else. For me it gave me an opportunity to write a bit about life in Georgetown. Preparations for Christmas are in full swing as many places plan a party. We will see how this works out. We have daily a heavy breeze of 25 plus knots in the anchorage and for the past few days, no further boats arrived as the swells in the Atlantic are too high. Somehow unusual, but it should become better in 4 days. We hear that many boats are on their way in the upper Exumas and seeking shelter on the leeside of an island. Once the weather turns around, many more boats will be here in our anchorages.

Celebrities arrive

A large power boat of 150 ft length pulled up next to me in a good distance. It anchored but was moving and swaying quite a bit. Its name is “PRIVACY”. First we did not see much action on that boat as it was still flying the “Q” flag and needed to clear in to the Bahamas. Later on little information was floating around that they came from Puerto Rico. At night it was beautiful decorated with strong light illuminating the turquoise water. After another day the rumor went around that this boat belongs to Tiger Wood. This was confirmed after another day, but we are not sure whether he himself was on the boat also. Here is a nice picture of Tiger's boat.

 Christmas on the boat

Ursula arrived last night late and I was waiting for her at the hotel Peace and Plenty. By the time we were ready to go to Spring Bird it was after 9.00 p.m. Instead of using the dinghy at night, I ordered a water taxi over to shore and this taxi took us also back to the beach where our dinghy was waiting. It was better than take the dinghy at night for this long distance of 1 nm, or just about under 2 km. The waves were still rather high and we would have been very wet by doing this trip with our dinghy.

In the morning we took a dinghy ride to a small beach on Stocking Island. Walked over the hill to the windward side where a steady breeze of about 20 kn stirred up nice waves crashing to the sandy beach of about 7 nm long. We were alone and walked a part of the beach, took some pictures of the clear waters of all colors.

 On the way home we picked up some wood for a bon fire to be held on Christmas Eve. Stopped at “Chat and Chill” our little bar and restaurant on the beach. Had lunch on the boat and then back to the beach for some swimming and meeting some people.

Back on the boat we prepared our Christmas Dinner. Tenderloin Beef, cucumber salad, iceberg salad, fried plantation and home made cookies, Ursula brought from home.

The traditional gift exchange among us took place, in rather small boxes. The Christmas light decoration on the mast and a small Christmas tree on the bow I took along, were our efforts, as all the boats had something planned different.

At 7.30 the bon fire started on the beach and people from all the boats were gathering around the fire. A group of ladies founded a small choir and started to sing Christmas songs accompanied with a guitar player. Then the story of Christmas was read from the bible, some portions by various people. Some more Christmas songs and then a selection of cookies were offered from all the various boats. By 10.00 o’clock the tide came in and all the dinghies were floating and people were heading back to their boats.

So we had Christmas celebrated pretty much the same way as home and nothing was missing. It was just a bit different on the beach in summer dresses and sandals.

Christmas Day December 25.

Today all the boat pepole are gathering at a nearby little resort. They allowed us to make a Turkey in their kitchen and everybody will bring a dish to share. Our choice was Cranberry Sauce and Appetizers. As we have a lot of cheese and crackers on board, this should be an easy task. I found Cranberries in the grocery store in Georgetown last week.

One problem is parking the dinghies. We have now about 90 boats in our area and the dock of the resort is not very long. So some boats are offering a taxi service to resolve that issue.

So as one can see, Christmas is celebrated also here and instead being with our own families, we are among strangers from all over USA and Canada that also forms a family away from home. Some people will stay foe some time while others will depart in continuation of their cruise down the Caribbean Islands, Panama Canal and around the globe.

For all our friends who did not receive a Christmas card from us, here is the reason why the mail was not delivered. There was no mailbox on the island.

Boxing Day December 26

As a British tradition, December 26 is Boxing Day. In the Bahamas this means “Junkanoo” parade. Similar to a carnival, 3.00 o’clock in the morning the parade starts in the middle of Georgetown. This is a major event and gives the locals an opportunity to go wild. Some floats are sponsored from local businesses. The parade is in full colors with the various costumes, a wonderful event typical for the Bahamas.

After all the shops were closed for 2 days, we were in need of water as all of our 3 water tanks were empty. We have to go to the marina for this, where also diesel fuel is available. However the approach is rather shallow and with 6 ft draft, we have to go during high tide. The tide gives us an extra 3 feet of water. At the same time we will have to replenish our provisioning and about 10 gallons of drinking water. Otherwise we have to haul all this with our dinghy, and that is hard work

December 27

We were on the last drop of water last night, just enough to brush the teeth. We therefore needed to go to the Georgetown harbor to fill up with 120 Gallons of water and 39.1 Gallons of diesel fuel. It was a cloudy day with wind from the north of 20 kn. Not the easiest way to get to the dock, but at the same time we also bought more food and 10 Gallons of drinking water. Back to the anchorage on Stocking Island.

December 31

We are still on anchor at Stocking Island as the weather is consistent with 25kn winds and swells of over 6 ft. However the forecast is for smoother weather as of Tuesday Jan 2. We plan to sail to the island “Conception” about 40 nautical miles to the northeast of us. Besides of the strong wind, the weather is just fine around 28 C every day. We walk on the beaches and Ursula has her swimming exercise. Baking bread and making fresh Pizza is part of my kitchen duties. Then we spend some time on the beach where everybody spends the afternoon in playing games like volleyball, cards, domino, chess or whatever people like to play. Then comes the “Sundowner” drink with appetizers until sunset. Then back to the boat for dinner followed by a DVD movie and a relaxing evening in the cockpit.

Tonight the schedule is a bit different and we will drink some Champaign to all of you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

January 1^st, 2007

 Local activity. Went walking the beach with John and Ruth (a couple that is on the way around South America). Tried to find a reef for snorkeling, but the waves were too high. Visited a botanical trail for all the local plants growing on these islands. It is a wild brush and most plants are not over 6 ft tall. Later in the afternoon we prepared the boat for the next day. Took the dinghy motor aboard as well the dinghy and tied it to the deck.

January 2^nd, 2007

We left early in the morning for Conception Island. 40 nm away. Had good wind from the SE but we had to go hard on the wind to make our destination in one leg. Made good 7-6 kn for about an hour and then the wind slowed down and we had to motor for 1 hour. This gave us an opportunity to charge the batteries and cool down the freezer with the compressor. The wind came back and we continued towards the Conception Island. By mid afternoon the wind direction changed against us and we used the engine for the last 6 nm. Conception Island is not inhabited and it is a pristine natural reserve protected by law that one cannot fish or pick up any lobster. We anchor in the bay between coral heads.

January 3^rd, 2007

A bright sunny morning as we launch the dinghy to explore the island. Beautiful beaches and a lot of coral reefs of several miles long are on the north side of the island. After a walk to the east side beaches, we return to the dinghy and snorkel in our bay. Some very nice coral heads with big and small fish came in schools towards us considering us as intruders. Parrot fish and dark blue angel fish are around us. Good brain coral and a large area of fan corals are very unique.

January 4^th 2007

The weather report is not so good with winds of over 20 kn wind, but we have to return to Georgetown as our friends are coming in from Florida the day after. It will be a rough sail with 6 + ft waves in a broad reach. One more picture from this unique island.

Then came January 6

Ursula departed by plane back home and for me and my new crew, the return trip started also. However we had to wait until Monday January 8 when the conditions in the Sound were reasonable. The problem was to get from the Sound (Atlantic side) to the Bahamas bank. Because of the tide, there was a standing wave of 4 feet between 2 islands and we had to pass this cut. Spring Bird is well capable to manage such situations although it slowed us down from 7kn to about 2 kn of speed. It took about 20 minutes to make the pass until we were in calmer water. We looked for an anchorage behind the island and drop the hook for the night. Once ine is on the bnak on the leeward side of the islands, we could continue our trip through waters with a chop of 2-3 feet, but without ocean surge. Sailing around sand bores is also interesting although it did not allow any navigation errors. The route was much the same as on the way dawn. Stopped at Exuma Park again. Tried to take up a mooring, but missed it several times until a neighboring boat came with a dinghy for help. It was blowing heavily and as the mooring was a distance from shore, there was a chop on the water and one has a limitation to stay in the wind for some time to pick up the mooring line.

Staniel Cay and Highbourne islands were the next destinations where many boats were on anchor because of the strong winds. They were all heading south to Georgetown, but waited until conditions improved. We did not have the luxury to wait as we had to be home sometimes soon. Back to Nassau, the Great Bahamas Bank, crossing the Florida Straights and onwards along the Florida Keys. Cleared in customs and immigration in Key West. This was a special procedure. First I called the immigration department by cell phone and gave a guy all the information like passport details, boat documents, departure marina, etc. Unfortunately this man was not able to handle the computer and he erased all the data 4 times. It took 1 hour until I got an arrival number and instructions to contact the Key West office. Unfortunately this department requested to come ashore and bring all the papers with us. So we had to do the same thing again in our handwriting that took another hour. In addition, they charged us $ 25.00 for a decal fee. An additional problem was that we had to reinstall our dinghy and motor to go ashore. The whole process costs us 3 hours nonsense, a typical slow government transaction in shuffling paperwork.

Key West is still the same as ever. It is full of tourists from the big cruise ships.

 January 20, Saturday.

We left Key West in the morning on our last long leg home to Cape Coral. This is an overnight trip as there is no island in between to stop. A 120 nm stretch. Over night the wind blew straight out of the north, but turned to the NE in the morning. A wind direction Spring Bird can sail. However we had to bounce at every wave, still coming straight from north. So we had a rough ride until early afternoon when we all of sudden had no more wind. I caught a King Mackerel 3 ½  feet long and I had to cut it up as it did not fit into our freezer. We used the motor for about 6 hours until the wind came back from the east. This was a preferred direction and we started speeding towards home. Until a large wave drenched us in the cockpit and we were all wet as this was unexpected to all of us. I kept going towards Marco Island to avoid more of such waves, although a few managed to do the same. At that time we learned to wear our foul weather gear. We finally saw the lights off the coast and arrived at the San Carlos Bay Marker at 4 o’clock in the morning. To early as the Sanibel bridge opens only at 7 o’clock. We dropped the anchor the last time in San Carlos Bay. Had a few hours sleep and John prepared pan cakes for breakfast. Motored home up the river at a very low tide (nipp tide) and arrived in the marina after 10 o’clock.

Ursula and the harbor master Jim were waiting for us to take the lines and tie Spring Bird to the dock.

It was an eventful trip with number of surprises, minor problems with boat gear, but it is time to plan the next trip.

For those interested, be prepared in January/ February 2008 for a trip to the Exumas and beyond or across the Gulf of Mexico to Cancun.

Our trip  CAPE COD  to FLORIDA 2005.

Cape Cod to Cape Coral Trip Log   (Pictures at the end)

The unexpected adventure and highlights of a lifetime trip

May 26 to July 15, 2005

26. Departure finally took place in Cataumet, due to very unfavorable weather conditions the previous days. Coldest day since Cape Cod takes records.

    Visibility limited. Arrived in Newport after 5.00 p.m. Our reservation was cancelled and all of the other marinas answered by voice mail. Skip found a mooring, a guy directed us from home to find the mooring in a large marina. Tied up and went grocery shopping by taxi as nothing was on the waterfront. Needed a launch service that closed by 8.00 p.m.

27. Cloudy, but improved conditions. Sailed and motored to Clinton Connecticut. Nice little marina.

28. Left by sunny weather but no wind. At 13.30, a metallic sound in the engine room was brought to our attention. Engine heats up and we stopped it. We lost a V-belt. Replaced it but realized that there was another belt off the track. Position 10 NM off Stamford in the middle of Long Island Sound. Called Boat US tow service and we were towed into Stamford where we had a slip reserved. It was Friday before Memorial Day and no mechanic is available before Tuesday June 1. Old crew left early and new crew had to the rental car from New York to Stamford.

2. Departure in Stamford with new crew after all 4 belts were replaced. 1 belt unfortunately still touched a lower pulley and was wearing off. Took that belt off 1 day later as we did not wanted to go through the same procedure. This belt was installed off axis from the previous owner for additional cooling of the refrigerator. The compressor is in a wrong position and needs to be installed correctly later on. As we had a generator for 110V on board, we did not really need that belt. However going into the ICW later on, it would have been helpful to use the main engine for cooling than the generator. This problem will have to be addressed later on when the boat is in Cape Coral.

   Heading towards City Island of New York to stay overnight for the correct timing of the East River and its current. Could not get to the reserved dock and we ran aground. Were stuck in mud for a few hours until tied came back. Anchor did not hold either and we tied up at a mooring at one of the neighboring Yacht Clubs.

3. Left early at 6.45 to meet reasonable conditions at HELL GATE in the East River. Passed Manhattan to the Battery on a busy bustling New York day. Traffic on the roads and water.. Crossed over Hudson River to New Jersey side and tied up at the Liberty Landing Marina.
4. Left Marina, passing by Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty down the Hudson River. Changed bearing after the Verazano Bridge towards Sandy Hook. Met with many fishing boats on the way. Stayed on anchor at Sandy Hook Bay.
5. Continued along N.J coast to Long Beach. Entered the famous Barnagat Inlet under strange conditions because of swell and current in the passage. Caught a 7 lb bluefish, enough for a party of 6 people. Met with friends of John and Hillary for dinner. Stayed another day for grocery shopping as we had a car from John's and Hillary's friends. Wonderful on shore service.

             6.-7. Atlantic City was our next destination. Sponsored D. Trump in the most expensive marina so far. $ 141.00 a night.

8. Atlantic City.

9. Ursula is leaving us as a crewmember. We depart in thick fog. Could not see 50 yards to the next marker at the inlet. Continued strictly under Radar and GPS and did not see anything all day until Cape May.

    

10. Clear conditions but 20KN wind from the SE. Raised the sails and tacked all day towards Ocean City. Mid afternoon we were half way there but realized that we could not make our destination by daylight. Decided to return to Cape May down wind and anchored for another night.

11. With continued strong winds from the SE we changed our itinerary and went up the Delaware Bay. Entered the C&D canal to stay at a little marina about 10NM into the canal.

12. Continued in the canal until it opened to the Chesapeake Bay. Followed some routes on the chart but hit a sandbank near marker "G15". Sandy Point was our anchor spot for that night. The bay is full of crab traps and we dropped the anchor in between 2 lines.

13. Motored mainly against SE wind all day. Anchored at Salomon Island Marina for the night.

14. Finally sailing conditions were in our favor. Anchored off Gwynn Island.

15. Arrived at Little Creek Marina in Norfolk, just opposite a large Navy Base. Cleaned up the boat and organized a rental car to return home for 1 week and organize a new crew.

22. Arrived the day before departure to commission the boat again. Had to replace another belt, as we had to go under motor for the next few days in the ICW.

23. Departure in Norfolk and entering the ICW. We pass a fleet of of navy Ships and an aircraft Carrier just pulled out to sea behind us. Great Bridge Lock and Great Bridge Bridge were our next 2 challenges. Slow lock and slow bridge service. We decided to tie up on a dock just before the bridge. Stayed over night.

24. Passed Albemarle - Chesapeake canal. Crossed most crucial bridge listed at 60 ft clearance but we had 65 ft at low tide. Both VHF antennas did touch the bridge at Pungo Ferry. We do now know our mast height is 64 ft and some inches. Anchored at Sandy Point for the night.

25. Still on anchor. We tried to heel the boat by loading the dinghy and 2 crew to the spinnaker boom. Not enough to clear a 64ft bridge that day. We took a chance and hoped for low tied at the Fairfield - Wilkinson bridge. Both antennas touched again but without damage to my wind instruments, installed only 3 inches below.

26. Continued the ICW over Pamlico River to Adams Creek. Visibility down to nothing and we had to drop the anchor for about 45 minutes at marker "G17" until we could see the next marker, entering a very narrow channel. Reached Beaufort N.C. later that afternoon. City Creek Marina gave us a berth on the phone, but after 5.00pm nobody was available to pull into that narrow space. Tied up at a mooring next to the marina.

27. Grocery shopping. Walking 2 miles to the next store. Took a cab back to the marina as it was hot and we had to many goods to carry. We depart at 2.00 p.m. into the open Atlantic. We had enough of ICW motoring and we sailed off shore for about 30NM. Were surrounded by several Thunderstorms. Sighted a waterspout. The Navy had an aircraft carrier off shore and planes took off all the time. They tested nightvision equipment all night long around us. Continued over night and arrived in Charleston the next day. At the entrance channel, a pilot boat warned us that we had to stay outside the channel as a Canadian nuclear submarine was entering Charleston at the same time. Interesting traffic as also a large container ship left Charleston about the same time. Called friend Al Straub and he met us for dinner on the boat. Refueled diesel and water and were surprised about the rip current going through that marina.

28. 9.00am. Departure in Charleston, heading for the St. Helens Sound and Morgan Island. The coast is very shallow and we had to go a long way offshore before entering the Sound. Challenged navigation into the Sound as the markers were quite far apart. Located a rescue operation of a fisherman that signaled help, but was in shallow water. Rescue boat did not see him for a long time, but eventually spotted him. Relayed to them the position by radio, but they did not hear us. However they got to him and towed him ashore. Anchoring at Morgan Island was another task. It was all marshland and the anchor did not find solid ground. We lifted the anchor and at that time I had no more propulsion with the engine. My folding prop did not open anymore.

29. So we drifted by the strong current into the river where my prop worked again. Dropped anchor in the river with high current. Changed direction 2 x over night to continue the next day up river. The tide is about 8 ft as water is pushed into this Sound.

30. Destination Beaufort SC. This time. Interestingly we were close to the ICW again and had to follow this canal to the marina in Beaufort. Signed up for 2 nights as Juergen, one of my crewmembers had to leave back home.

            7-1  Beaufort, SC. Interesting historical city with a full service marina. Had a courtesy car to go shopping. 8ft tide at the dock.                            

3. Departure to sea, but before we had to clear another 65ft bridge. Due to the high tide, we had to wait until 11.00am for the tide half way down in order to clear that bridge safely. Took a 360 degree circle before passing and we had good clearance. After exiting the Royal Sound we raised the sails and went to sea for about 10 NM. Heading was St. Augustine.

4. At sea. In the middle of several Thunderstorms but very little rain. Passed St. Augustine as we were late at night for entering the channel. We have seen many fireworks along the shore. Especially the finales with a lot of boom rockets flashing in the sky.

5. At sea. No wind. All under motor around Cape Canaveral. We could see the space shuttle scheduled to go up in a few days from a safety distance.

6. At sea. Heading South. Caught nice Spanish Mackerel of about 5 lbs. At night we see all the lights along the coast to West Palm Beach. The Gulf Stream is against us. We sail 6.5 KN through water and make 2.7 KN over ground.

7. 8.00am. We are at the entrance of Ft. Lauderdale. Have a reservation at Bahia Mar Marina, a fully-fledged marina with hotel and pool. Filled up with diesel and water and tied up Spring Bird at the dock until hurricane Dennis has made up his mind on where to go. Booked a rental car and drove back home. Will continue itinerary to Key West and Cape Coral once conditions permit.

12. SPRING BIRD is dodging 2 hurricanes Dennis and Emily.

    Dennis was right in our path as timing would have been perfect to meet him in Key West. We let him pass and returned to Ft. Lauderdale today. Prepared Spring Bird and left 2.00pm to meet the 17^th street bridge opening at 2.30 p.m. Sailed due South outside the reef encountering the Gulf Stream in various strengths. At 2.30 a.m. the following day we made over 6 KN through the water and only 3.7 KN over ground. It was time to start the engine to make some headway towards SE, first to race the new hurricane Emily and second the natural force of the Gulf Stream. We drop the anchor in Marathon.

13. Very little wind from the E. Today, we stayed inside the reef in the Hawk Channel and reached Key West at 3.00 p.m. Marinas charge top price of $ 3.00 per foot with no service on the dock. The town is filled with tourists. Had some Margaritas at Jimmy Buffets place, walked to the most southerly point of the USA. Hurricane Dennis did very little damage to the houses but the trees lost some branches.

14. Left Key West through the NW channel with 5-10 KN wind from the East. Ideal conditions for the first time on our trip to let Spring Bird perform at its best. We averaged between 7-8 KN for some hours until heavy thunderstorms came our way. Passed Marco Island and Naples during the night and arrived at the Sanibel bridge for the 8.00 a.m. opening. Continued to the Cape Coral Yacht Marina and docked Spring Bird at 9.15 a.m.

15. A long journey of 1623 NM (3006 km) came to an end. It was challenging and exciting to all the crew and the owner.

Creative Sailing Corp.

5008 SW 17^th Ave.

Cape Coral, FL 33914

Phone: 239-542-5138

e-mail:  mail@CreativeSailing.com