A detour to a little piece of paradise

Once in a while, it is good to get stopped on your planned adventure, and allow life to deliver you into a completely new and wonderful detour. In our charted course, we were supposed to be anchored out by Rodriguez Key, awaiting a great weather window to jump the stream into Bahamian waters. That was the plan, the reality however, was that our alternator was not pumping voltage into our batteries.

Now I am sure that somewhere in the world there are old salty dogs that would not care about batteries and alternators, but this sailing chik is NOT one of them! I tend to like fans and lights and refrigerated food, cold drinks and toilets that, you know, flush!! All of those wonderful things need electricity. Ray installed two solar panels which can pretty much keep up with our fridge, but the fans and lights will pull the batteries down quickly too. Our engine can more than compensate, however, we are not getting any juice to our batteries soooooooo the much needed stop in Key Largo. We found a small haven here called The Upper Keys Sailing Club which allows transients to join the club and stay on their finger dock. We gladly paid the dollar membership and the 50 dollars a night to stay in paradise. We hooked up the AC and walked up to join the Friday night happy hour at the club house. Everyone was so friendly and wanting to chat with the newbies.

I laughed when we were introduced as transients! I guess it does have a piratey ring to it?? The commodore smiled and amended her description to guest travelers. I replied that transient fit pretty well since we had not been off of the boat in five days!  We spent three hours socializing and listening to stories of fellow sailors. It was an amazing night to feel such a kinship with people that we had never met before, but are now forever written in our life book.  I wondered, as I saw the glimmer in the eyes of the older sailors as we talked about our impending trip to the Exuma islands, if they noticed the glimmer in my eyes while they talked about the years they spent sailing the world. 

Ray and I made our way back to the boat after a long day sailing and a long night listening to stories and spinning some of our own. The bunk was so inviting and we were soon sleeping to the gentle rocking of the waves on our hull. The next morning we rented a car so we could explore the island and get the parts for NuTrix that we needed. We drove around taking in the sparkling water and fighting the crazy traffic on US 1. After visiting West Marine, CVS and a laundry mat, we headed to find some yummy food. We had stopped at Islamorada Shrimp Shack back in 2013 and decided to go back for more. We were not disappointed!

The fish was so fresh that we had to smack it in the face! The service was fast and friendly and we both ate more than we should have. They even have homemade banana bread with honey butter. Heavenly day!!! We will definitely put it on our places to return! Well worth the drive and the price is spot on! We had intentions of going to John Pennekamp Park, however, the day got away from us. We came back to NuTrix and watched the sun go down over the bay. Then I got to catch up on my reading until the heat and fun of the day made my bed call so loudly that I had to go answer!! 

On Sunday, we were going to take a snorkeling trip out to the reef. The boats pick up from John Pennekamp and take you out to the reef where the snorkeling is amazing. It is 28 dollars each which is not so bad. The park does charge an admission also, but I have been wanting to go for a long time.

Before we left, we found the Theater of the Sea in some brochures. There you can see turtles and dolphins and other sea life as well as educational shows. That seemed more interesting since we would be snorkeling for free everyday in the upcoming weeks. We decided first to go have lunch somewhere and the guys sitting out on the porch of the sailing club suggested Snook on the bay, so that is where we went. We found chairs on the bar which was actually the railing around the bay. We sat down and started chatting with the couple next to us. They were down for her sister's wedding all the way from Charlotte, NC. They were a charming couple and we chatted the afternoon away sipping on rum runners and having some yummy fish. I will NEVER tire of fresh fish!!

One of the best parts of traveling, for me, is meeting all kinds of new people. Everyone has such a great story and I enjoy hearing them all. They had been to Ireland, which is where my daughter is going next month and it made me feel better to hear how friendly the people are there and how beautiful they found the country. Craig's mother is a part-time worker for Disney and so is my daughter. Small world that we inhabit!! Finally they announced they had to get going to Miami. They were flying home and had to make the flight. Interestingly enough, they both said that the pull to leave Charlotte was getting strong. Beth said that she got itchy when she stayed somewhere too long. WOW... it is cool, to me, how we happened upon two people so similar to ourselves! We said our goodbyes and Ray and I turned our attention back to the water and the upcoming plans that we hoped to keep this time! 

Back to the club, the characters had returned from a day on the water and as I sat typing, I could not help but smile at the stories and half truths that were flung around the building, permeating the walls and forming memories that would take hold here and be heard as whispers by generations to come.

I sat unseen in the corner becoming a part of the world long gone through the laughter that flowed from person to person. I love it here! I long to become part of this rag tag community of people who share the love of sailing, travel and adventure that capture the heart of Ray and I. I know, though that tomorrow, barring any other engine difficulties, Ray and I will throw off the lines and head toward Angelfish creek. We are crossing our fingers that the winds will become favorable for a Wednesday crossing. The Bahamas beckon and the wanderlust grows so that it is sometimes unbearable. I long for long days of hiking and swimming, relaxing and reading all while enjoying the company of my pirate. What a beautiful life we have.

I struggle to remember that even back home in Punta Gorda, I live a charmed life with the one who loves me so much. Our day to day lives are enriched by children and grandchildren, siblings and parents..... family!! They truly keep us grounded as we struggle to fly though our lives from adventure to adventure. It is great to have a safe landing spot because that gives us the freedom to go and explore, to live and dream. It is a big beautiful world and I hope to meet as many family members as possible before my trips around the sun are over!!!

Bahamas, here we come!!!

Another crazy sail for the Keys

    Ray and I had such an amazing sail from Sanibel to the 10,000 islands. The sun was high and the water sparkled as the wind danced on the top of the teal blue mirror. I saw two very large turtles breech the surface for a huge gulp before descending once again into the deep dark unseen parts of the Gulf.

We had music playing as we passed far offshore. With our binoculars, we spied families wading into the warm waters, parasailers screaming with the wind carrying them high above the waters and fisherman weary from sun, salt and sadness. Our boat took to the waves, heeled over and took the wind with stride. We made great time sailing down the coast. We finally arrived in the 10,000 island when the sun was starting to play with the horizon. I remembered when the year before, we anchored off shore and were terrorized by mosquitoes. Our boat looked like the scene from a horror movie the next morning! Blood covered the top of our boat where we had swatted at the little bastards all night long. The morning sun had not even breached the horizon when our anchor was up and our sights were on Sanibel and air-conditioning!! Soooo we thought maybe we should anchor a little farther out. Indian Key has a wonderfully protected anchorage which we had used numerous times; however, our thoughts were on bugs instead of protection….

BIG mistake!!!! We anchored, enjoyed a wonderful evening with dinner, sunset toasts and music. THEN after crashing in our bunk, the wind picked up, the waves pounded and our boat rolled and tossed with the beat of the gulf. I love roller coasters!! I can ride them over and over, HOWEVER, rolling, turning and tossing for 10 hours straight is more than even this daredevil can handle. My stomach finally said, “ENOUGH!!”…… When morning came, the wind was still out of the west and still kicking up the seas. We pulled the anchor with me clutching my Rescue Remedy and Ray at the bow with the waves bouncing the boat up and down so much that I couldn’t see him when the waves receded. I gripped the helm so hard that my knuckles turned white. There was no way to hear over the wind, the waves and the engine. My mind kept going over scenarios of how to get Ray out of the water before an alligator found him. My heart rate always speeds up and I literally cannot breathe normally. Finally the anchor is up and Ray points to the way that I need to take NuTrix out. He comes back to the cockpit and tells me how wonderfully I preformed and all I want to do, is throw up!! The wind is out of the NW and Ray and I pull out the sails and turn off the engine. NuTrix is in her glory!!

She heels over and takes the waves like a lover‘s kiss. It is an impressive run for about two hours, but then my legs start to ache from the leaning. I cannot go below because my stomach has not recovered from a long night of being tossed and turned. I want to make lunch but all I can manage is grabbing Pop- tarts from the stores. I finally take a Benadryl and try to pass out on the starboard settee. The wind is high and we are making sometimes 9 knots down the coast. I finally came to and went into the cockpit to look around. To the south, I see a big black cloud looming. I said to Ray that maybe we needed to go closer to shore and anchor. It doesn’t matter if no one believes me, because I believe in myself, however, I can feel when the weather is about to get bad. Ray keeps telling me that it is going north of us, but I keep reminding him that I know these things and it will be on us quickly. I am not sure why he always forgets the crazy intuition that I have been given, but he puts the thought out of his head and presses on toward the Keys. It is not any time before the storm is on top of us. Lightening popped around and the rain blew sideways. Ray is an amazing captain and turned the boat into the storm. We had unplugged all of our electronics which meant he was navigating with the compass. The storm got worse and worse until we both thought that we were done. I was below and using all of my prayer and thoughts to send the storm away…. I watched as the rain hit him and the lightening came closer and closer. Ray stayed at the helm and kept me safe. He is amazing like that. I will always be grateful for such a powerful love and an amazing captain… crazy though he may be!!!  We made it through the storm!!!

We anchored in Fiesta Key near a campground. We were both too tired to try and go to shore. I made us a plate of cheese, crackers, carrots and dip. We ate in the cockpit and watched the sun go down. My body ached from all the traveling and Ray was beyond exhausted from standing at the helm for 12 hours. We fell into our bunk and slept like the dead. When conditions are right, a night on the boat is the best sleep that you can imagine. The wind was pouring down the hatch, the water was calm and our dreams were of the Bahamas. Soon the morning sun swept over our bunk and awoke us with a gentle reminder that we were in paradise. Ray made us coffee and we sat in the cockpit listening to music and enjoying the life that we have chosen.

Our Garmin was giving us problems as well as our alternator. I am sure that the passage between Cape Romano and Cape Sable is part of the Devil’s Triangle. Every time we come through, we end up with problems with our electrical systems! I know that some of my friends will blame me because, well, I have issues with electric and my emotions…. But really, every time??? Soooo once again we were in the same place where we always have issues. Ray wanted to go to Marathon, but I just said that Marathon was a black hole and if we went there, we would be there for two weeks. We both decided, thanks to his kind of understanding with my emotions and the weather that we would go to Key Largo. We had no sooner turned NuTrix for Key Largo than a large waterspout formed over the way we would have gone towards Marathon. Again….don’t care if you do not believe!!! Anyway, we outran storms from Channel 5 bridge up to Key Largo.

We laid to the dock at the Upper Keys Sailing Club. No sooner had we tied on the dock lines than the squall line hit and our boat was heeling. The wind blew so hard that I thought our fenders would pop and we would smash into the dock. Below deck, the AC kicked on and the beautiful coolness swept away any worries of storms. We had had a beautiful run up the ICW with the sun playing through the clouds and the VHF screaming warnings  of potential storms all around us. I had made us lunch underway and we enjoyed the humid call of the mangroves as our boat passed through. The gulf side is a whole different world. The water is a strange greenish blue color swirling with the sun and playing off of the clouds. We spied some dolphins who played hide and seek with our boat as the day dragged into the afternoon lull. The beauty of the watery world made our dangerous start a distant memory. The light played off of the water and lulled us into a complacency that which was what we had both been needing for months and months.

Here we are and frankly, we do not know how long we will be here. The weather doesn’t seem to be cooperating for a jump across the Gulfstream. After 2010, I will never cross that part of water without pristine conditions!! Mother Nature is no one to fool with! She will kick your butt and go to dinner without a care in the world. I respect her and I am no fool…

. Crazy, but no fool. The area around here is nice and we have restaurants, shops and even places to swim and snorkel should we feel the need. I am in no hurry. Maybe I have been subjected to the disease that is Island Time??? I hear there is no cure and yet, I am not worried. For too long, I have let the worries of my job, my bills, my house, my life… dictate my well-being…. Well, no longer!!!! I have released the pressures of life and embraced the “what will be will be”….. Bring on adventure!!! I am ready…… Life is waiting and I am tired of keeping her at bay!!! Soooo I go….

Bahamas 2016 first stop

I read in a cruising blog recently that “comfort is the killer of dreams”.  I must say that I have to agree! We were supposed to throw off the lines at noon, but, and there is ALWAYS a butt, we kept thinking of things that we needed. Baskets and bins, towels and shampoo, oh and cheese. The other things, I suppose we could live without, but cheese, I mean really! Let’s not get crazy on our first day out! But I digress. The things that we use daily, our comforts, needed a space and on our boat, space is a limited commodity!  We finally squeezed, squished, pushed and shoved it all in places that we will probably forget about. Last year, we found a case of Fresca on the last week of our trip. I had taken to drinking plain water… perish the thought….and when Ray went to grab a tool from  the hanging locker, low and behold, the heavens parted and the angels sang as he pulled up a case of FRESCA! Let me tell you that was a joyous night akin to Christmas morning when you realize there is no hard candy in your stocking AND you got the actual Nike shoes and not the Kmart knock off brands!!! Yes sir…..  Who knows what we will find at the end of this trip but it is all here. 

I will enjoy, as the days melt into weeks, our needs dwindling away with the stress that has built up since we got back last year. As we dropped the anchor tonight, I smiled knowing that I do not have anything pressing other than toasting the sunset.

There are no news stations, no traffic, no TV and limited internet. What we need, will change over the next couple of months and that makes me happy. Our 41 foot boat is so much easier to clean and maintain which leaves time for snorkeling, sailing, fishing, beach combing and exploring! Back on land, it is easy to get caught up in fear, to give in to the notion that the world is a horrid place, but I will not allow that. Here on NuTrix, the world is ours to explore.

Tonight we are anchored in Cayo Costa.    

          

The sun is setting, the breeze is whisking down the hatches, our favorite jazz music is playing through the radio and our sundowners are waiting on the bow. This is the life that we have chosen. This is our chance to see the world, even if it is a small part. This is the time that we will make memories.  Tomorrow we sail, hopefully, for Sanibel. The ocean is calling and NuTrix is so ready to feel the salt spray, to let the wind catch her sails, to dance upon the water again. Ray and I once again get to be on an adventure. Where we will end up and who will meet, is written in the stars. A good captain can navigate by those stars… and so we go!!!!  Adventure waits…

Where it all started.....

I stood on the deck as my husband gripped the helm of our 41 foot sailboat. Below, our daughters, Rachel and Hannah stowed the last of the provisions and made sure all the bags as well as anything else that could move around, was secured. Ray yelled for our sons, Keegan and Tanner, and our niece Abi to release the lines from the dock and with quick precision they followed his command. Thus began our Bahamas adventure in the summer of 2010. So many struggles had led up to this one point and for a long time I never thought it would be possible. However, here we were, seven crazy people with one crazy dream…..the dream to save our family!                                             
On July 21st, 2009, Ray and I got the worst call imaginable! His son had been shot by his ex-wife! Tanner was just 15 years old and lay in the hospital with gunshot wounds to the left arm and the chest. Since his divorce in 2006, Ray’s ex-wife refused to let his younger children see him, talk to him or have any part of his life. I had never even met Tanner but that was going to change in a heartbeat! We drove from Punta Gorda, FL for eleven hours to reach Anderson, SC. When we got to Tanner, his arm was bandaged, his wounds were cleaned, but the emotional scarring would just start to form. I was a woman that he had only heard horrible things about and now I was holding him as he screamed out for understanding… understanding that I could not give him! He was so afraid and rightfully so as the bullet seemed to miraculously stop before entering his chest. The woman that he had called mother for 15 years had pointed a .38 at him and pulled the trigger!!! Why??? Because she could not keep him from loving his dad, so she sought to end his life. This story is not about her though. Its about Tanner and Keegan, Hannah and Rachel as well as myself and my wonderful husband.. our captain, Ray!! We were awarded permanent custody of Tanner and one week after his brush with death, we brought him home to a new life.    

Tanner had never met his new sisters, but they quickly showed him that he was now part of their family. We had a three bedroom condo and Hannah (13) gave her room to Tanner and slept on the floor of Rachel’s room. We meshed into a new family without the awkwardness that usually accompanies blended families. I think mostly because I never thought of Tanner as my step-son. I squeezed his hand during his surgery, changed his bloody bandages, held his head while he violently reacted to the pain medication and loved him so much that my heart almost burst with grief! I wanted to take away his pain and though I am a loving person to almost everyone, I hated the woman who had inflicted such pain on a child…. my child! We went through some horrible endeavors as a new family. My husband had lost so much time from work which put us in a financial bind. We got behind on our rent and to our dismay; the landlord evicted us after only two months of being a little late! We were now without a home with three teenagers and nowhere to go and no money to get there. Thankfully we had wonderful family members who gave and gave without expecting anything in return! My wonderful Mother-in-law gave us money to put as a deposit on a new rental home. Sadly, she also passed away three days before Thanksgiving and never got to see our new house! She also left us some money so that we could mend our new family. We were able to pay off what was behind and save some money for a family adventure! We circled dates on the calendar and dubbed it the Bradford/Harris 2010 summer adventure. Two weeks before we left, our son Keegan called to ask if he could join us on the sail. The elation was unimaginable!! All of our kids would be with us along with my 19 year old niece Abi. So fast forward to June of 2010 and there we all were… all seven of us, aboard NuTrix our 41 foot sailboat bound for the Bahamas. Not many things can heal such wounds, but we were determined, full of love, dreams and hope and nothing was going to stop us!

Isak Dinesen once said that the cure for anything is salt: sweat, tears or the sea. In the canal outside of our new home, floated all three cures, together, in one. Here on land it is too easy to find somewhere to go to escape each other, to build walls and hide away from problems, but out at sea on a 41 foot boat there’s nowhere to go but to each other. When we told the kids about our pending trip, they all took to the idea more quickly than I expected. Each of us had an idea of what this trip would be, but I don’t think any of us knew what would transpire during our three week adventure. We left our dock and ventured out into Charlotte Harbor. As we rounded the point, our friends Wes and Sabine waved bonvoyage from Ponce De Leon park. They called on our cellphone and laughed that the water line on NuTrix was almost at the deck. With seven people and all our provisions, we could believe it!! The first night we found our way into Pelican Bay and anchored off the shoreline of Cayo Costa. It was so hot but the evening sky was beautiful so we piled into our dingy and headed to shore for a swim. Soon the mosquitos found us and the kids started running up and down the shore, quickly ducking into the water to escape being eaten alive. Ray and I decided it was better that we head back to the boat before it got too dark. We had to make two trips because we could only hold four in our dinghy. In a brotherly gesture, the boys decided that the girls should go back first to get out of the growing mosquito population. Back aboard NuTrix, I doled out calamine lotion to everyone and waited for the complaints of heat, bites, too much sun and overcrowded sleeping arrangements, but to my surprise all I heard was, “what do we have to eat!” No one complained…. No one!!!! Our first day was a success and I thought maybe this was really going to work!!

The next day, Ray was up early with Keegan and Abi. They used the spotlight to pick our way out of Pelican Bay. It’s a wonderful harbor but the water shallows very quickly from nine feet to two feet. We didn’t want to spend our second day aground!! Even with our GPS, Ray likes to use his eyes or in this case our son’s eyes! When we were out of the bay, Keegan and Ray raised our headsail and as the sun rose, NuTrix took our family through Boca Grande cut and out into the Gulf. The sun soon was high overhead and the winds were light so we had to get help from our engine. Ray was slightly worried about our batteries that were lower than they should have been. With the engine running to top off the batteries, everyone came topside to enjoy the breeze and watch for dolphins. It was a long run from Boca Grande pass to the 10,000 islands but we did it. The sun was just dipping to the horizon when we came upon Indian Key. I took the helm and Hannah, Keegan and Tanner pulled in the sails. I watched them pull together, grabbing the lines and successfully rolling in the headsail. They worked as a team!! Ray and Keegan then went forward to drop the anchor. Rachel helped me get our dinner ready which was marinated chicken, pasta salad and carrots. Because of the heat, we all ate in the cockpit. Again, there was no complaints only happy chatter about the days adventures. We let the kids pick the music, sadly they are not jazz fans, but this was all about compromise and learning each other’s likes and dislikes. Rachel talked about how many pages she had read that day, Tanner and Keegan discussed trying to fish later. Hannah and I laughed at Abi’s attempt to exercise on the deck.    

 It was a fun night but shortly it was going to get a LOT more exciting! We had all just fallen into our assigned sleeping quarters exhausted from the long day at sea. Ray and I had the forward berth, Rachel and Hannah were on the port settee, Tanner on the starboard settee and Keegan had the quarter berth. Abi insisted on sleeping in the cockpit, so she could see the stars. It seemed like the sky opened up all at once with a monstrous BANG!!! The light winds that we enjoyed earlier turned into 25 to 30 mph gusts. The rain started pouring and Captain Ray sprang into action. He had Rachel and Hannah close the ports and hatches; Abi found the spotlight and went up into the cockpit. Keegan and Tanner helped Ray start the engine and put out more line on the anchor. I turned on the GPS system and watched to see where the storm was headed. The wind blew so hard and the rain poured as if it were the last time it would ever be able to fall from the sky! We listened to mayday calls from another vessel somewhere to the south of us and all prayed for their safety while praying for our own. Ray was shouting over the storm for Keegan to mark our position on the GPS to make sure the anchor wasn’t dragging us into an island that lay somewhere close out in the darkness. Tanner looked below and asked if we were all okay. I assured him that we were all fine and told him to stay in the cockpit. Then as quickly as it blew in, the storm left and headed north to Marco Island. We all assembled down below and Ray gave his motley crew praise for quick thinking, listening and working together. Our boat was safe and our family, well our family seemed to be growing stronger and handling every situation that was thrown our way.       

We pulled up anchor early the next morning and pointed NuTrix south towards the Keys. It was a HOT and windless day, but excitement built as the water went from the dark mangrove tinted brown to a brilliant blue! With music playing, we approached the Channel Five bridge. The sun was starting to set so we decided to drop anchor in Jewfish Hole on the gulf side of the bridge. We were totally out of ice, so Ray, Keegan, Rachel and Abi decided to dingy ashore and search for a bag or two. Nothing was opened!! As they were motoring around, a couple from the KOA campground flagged them down and gave them a bag of ice from their camper. We will forever be grateful to the wonderful couple who allowed us to have cold drinks on a hot summer evening! Jewfish Hole is a nice anchorage on the Gulf side of Channel Five bridge. The holding is excellent and it is very quiet. We settled in for a quiet evening of fishing, listening to music and of course, EATING!!! With five young adults on board, food is a necessity and constantly asked for! We keep cards and board games on board which with the lack of TV and internet fast became a favorite pastime. I made a nice dinner of hamburgers and baked beans and to my complete surprise all of our crew helped clean the galley!! Then we all went up on deck, opened the cookies and watched the stars. Our captain told us stories of his younger days sailing with his friend, Hank. We listened and laughed at the tales of sailing with no engine, sneaking on to cruise ships for free food, finding cannons on the bottom of the ocean, getting attacked by flying fish and other crazy stories of life on the sea. Ray and I sat on our deck chairs and quietly gave thanks that so far the, "yours and mine" had meshed into the "ours". Captain Ray, with the help of Keegan made an inspection of NuTrix and deemed us safe for the night. After a long day trip, great food and wonderful stories, we all fell fast into our bunks and let the soft breeze lull us into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Ray and I quietly pulled anchor and turned NuTrix into the gulfstream. The sun was playing with the horizon and all was still and quiet. Ray took my hand and smiled. We had a 10 hour crossing to the Bahamas, 10 hours of nothing but ocean, nothing to pull us apart, nothing but each other. We had truly found the cure..... salt, in the water, in the sweat and in the tears. We had two wonderful weeks in Bimini with our family. We snorkeled and swam, found treasures and dreamed of riches. Working together got us anchored, together, we caught our dinner, together we kept our boat cleaned and safe, together we took on life and together we won!!! We explored a different world that what we knew and we all came away changed for the better. That summer on our sailboat, will always hold a special place in my heart. We left Florida on a crazy quest and we came home a family! We have added three new members to our crew since 2010 and getting ready to add one more this summer. No matter what life throws at us or where it takes us, I know that we can handle it..... I found that summer that life on the sea is a wonderful place to be.