Easy livin' down in paradise!

Though I enjoy all of our trip to the Bahamas; the west coast of Florida, the Everglades, The Keys, Bimini, Chub Cay and Nassau, my favorite place is Exuma. Crossing the Bahama Banks and the Tongue of the Ocean are right under giving blood, on my detestable list, however, to get to my little islands, I have to endure it.

Well, lets be honest, Ray has to endure ME, enduring it! It takes SOOOO long to cross the banks and the wind is ALWAYS right on the bow, which means saltwater gets all over everything. Water will find its way into anything in its path!! We do not have anyway to get the salt off and the water out until we reach Nassau. If I could bypass that whole 15 hours, I so would! Thankfully, we met a nice family in Bimini who just happened to be going our way. Chris, Summer, Sam and Noah and their sweet little doggie, MoJo,, left Colorado with only the essentials and traded the cold rat race, for the slow sailboat pace. They wanted to spend more time as a family and have their boys learn that the world is more than Middle Class America. You can always go back to work, but you can never go back to your kids being young. What an amazing memory they are making together as a family. I feel so blessed to be in that memory, and I hope they will feel that way about being etched into mine.

We left Nassau on June 28th and though the wind was in our face, it was actually a great run.

We came through the coral heads with me on the bow, handheld radio gripped tightly in one hand, the other hand clutching the starboard rigging. Nu Trix was punching through the waves and I got quite a nice workout bending and swaying with the motion of the boat. My legs ached that night. I love workouts that aren't workouts! Anyway, we maneuvered through the beautiful coral heads and finally came into the Highbourne Cay anchorage.

We were right off of the beach. Ray and I put the dinghy together and hailed "Freedom". We all decided to go swim and snorkel off of the beach. The water looks like a swimming pool that is so clear, it allows you to see all the way to the bottom. We snorkeled over the coral heads and saw colorful fish, a large orange fish with very large eyes, an anemone (say that fast), a couple of sea urchins and all kinds of different coral. We were actually getting chilly with the fresh breeze coming out of the southeast, so we decided to call it a day and go back to the boat. Once back aboard Nu Trix, Ray and I cleaned up the boat and took a nice shower. Chris called and asked if we would like to come over for dessert to celebrate Summer's birthday. Well, I for one, never turn down chocolate or a party. We had already taken the engine off of the dinghy so Chris came over to get us. What a fun night laughing, eating, drinking and listening to stories from our new friends. Their two boys are so much fun to talk with about their lives. Their excitement is contagious and made me more anxious to get going. Soon we were all yawning, so Chris delivered us safely home where Ray and I feel into a great sleep. The cool wind was funneling down the hatch and the fans moved the air around nicely. We actually grabbed the sheet and snuggled in for the night. Our first night in Exuma was simply amazing.

The next morning, we pulled the anchor and set our sights on Norman's Cay. It is the island with quite an infamous history. Carlos Leder, a drug lord, had the island for the distribution of cocaine into the US. With enough money, the government looked the other way and the operation flourished. Money flowed into the outer islands and the older locals will tell you how everyone seem to have money in their pockets. Pretty soon the United States government got tired of the smuggling operation and set out to put an end to the rain of cocaine. Well they tried anyway. The US government came in with guns blazing and even shot down a plane loaded with contraband.

The smuggling operation was ended, however, the plane that went down is now a thriving community for coral, colorful fish, stingrays and sharks. I guess the government divers took all the money and drugs off the plane, because I've yet to find anything... :)  Nu Trix and Freedom motored into the anchorage not sure what to expect. The people at the restaurant on the island, have been saying for seven years, that a marina is being opened soon. As of 2017, there is no marina. Our little island with the tall palm tree has been altered with storms and tides. The tree has fallen and the little bench is in dire need of repair. Maybe next year, we can bring wood to fix it. The tree, though gone, has little heirs popping up nearby. Maybe our grandkids can bring their children and see trees once again giving shade. We dropped the anchors and set out to the plane wreck. It was low tide, so the plane was easily accessible. I used my gopro to get some really amazing videos of the fish and coral. We didn't see a shark or a stingray, but the fish were quite plentiful.

We must have snorkeled around for an hour or two and then decided to go over to the little island and swim. Ray made a rope ladder for our dinghy, however, getting into it, for me, is still a lesson in hilarity. I admonished everyone to turn off cameras and gopros before I hauled myself into "Old Dog"...... I will give it to Ray, he never laughs out loud.... thus he still lives... haha. We got to the little island and swam, took pictures and watched the boys snorkel through the grass and find conch shells and rocks. MoJo, has fun jumping into our dinghy and laying on Ray's towel. He is a cute little dog. We tried to get Brisa off the boat but she hide under pillows and glares at us. I'm not sure if she is liking this boating life. Next year, I thing she'll have to stay with our friends, Wes and Sabine. On the island we decided that we would go ahead and pull anchor to head to Shroud Cay. After coming into the narrow cut with shallow water on one side and a small reef on the other, we had a course to follow so it wasn't worrisome as it was coming into the cut. We still couldn't sail, but the motor down to the next cay wasn't bad.

We got in close to the island and dropped our anchor in 8 feet of water. The wind was blowing at 10k out of the SE which kept us cool all night. Ray grilled a pork loin and I made green beans and teriyaki pasta. We listened to music, ate dinner and read our books. I also have Agatha Christy mysteries on my iPhone, so I laid in the bunk and tried to help Hurcule Poirot solve murders. The days fun caught up to me and soon I turned off the movie and let my dreams carry me away.

The next morning, we put our engine on "Old Dog" and set out to explore the river that runs between the sound side of the cay and the banks. We were at dead low so the sand banks were peeking through the clear water. It is just indescribably beautiful. We saw two large turtles and I actually got some pictures and a video. Mangroves line the sides of the river and the water is filled with plant life, some coral and lots of little fish growing up in their private nursery. We rounded the corner and came to the mouth of the river where it empties into the sound. We beached "Old Dog" and got into the water. The boys tied a rope to the large rock on the shore and then went around to the other side, jumped in and let the current cast them through the narrow channel. Not to be outdone by a 10 and 11 year old, Ray and I jumped in also.

What a fun ride!! The current is very strong and the ride is fast, but sends you out to an easy swim to shore. The sand is so soft! It feels like Cream of Wheat as it falls between your fingers. I imagine building a hut and just living on the beach. On the way back, the two boys and their dad, Chris, let the current carry them back through the river as they snorkeled. Their mom, Summer rowed the dinghy and Ray and I watched and took pictures from ours. Halfway through the river, the tide changed so everyone climbed back into the boat and we set off for home. We once again saw the turtles and got some more pictures. We were going to go snorkel the coral heads, but everyone was so exhausted. I was just going to rest for a short time, but ended up taking a two hour nap! This life!!! It was decided to stay at anchor and leave in the morning for Warderick Wells. Ray and I made a nice happy hour and toasted the sunset up in the cockpit. We made dinner, read a little and once again slept like the dead. Shroud Cay is probably my favorite, so far, in the Exuma chain. The sand is so soft, and there is no civilization on the island. We didn't get to snorkel the coral heads, but next year, I plan on staying at anchor here for three or four days. We had only been in Exuma for a short time, but already we had made such fun memories and done so much together. That is the whole point of this summer adventure, to be together and evidently learn to surf on the bow of a sailboat taking waves over the bow. Oh that head wind and beamy seas..... I will take it over hour long commutes, sitting in traffic, standing in line, or missing Ray while he is at work. We are so rich.... rich in love, family, friends and life. I will never take for granted the blessing that Ray and I have been given. In two day, I will celebrate 49 years around the sun. It seems so unreal that it has been that long, but here I am, killing it!! I could stand to be thinner, could use a thousand or four more dollars, but seriously..... those things do not bring happiness because even without them, I am having an amazing life. When my time is up, I want to be remembered as a wonderful mom, a great wife, a loyal friend and someone who tried to spread love and joy throughout the world. I want to see as much as I can, live as much as I can with Ray, explore and laugh my way through the rest of my life. We are underway again and off to make more memories with our new friends and with each other. Its exciting to wake up and see an empty page just waiting to be filled. While I am not sure what the story will be or how it will end, it is my story and I am going to have so much fun writing it. 

To Bimini and beyond......

The very first place I visited in the Bahamas, was the island of Bimini. I got my very first passport stamp on my 39th birthday when we docked Nu Trix at Weeches Marina back in 2007. It was also my first taste of island life, island people and the slow pursuit of life, which itself, brings happiness. I fell in love with the people, who's lives were so different from mine, the friendliness that they shared and the amazingly beautiful water. Although we still go to Bimini as our first landfall, we now go to the Bimini Blue Water Marina. We are 10 years older now which means that a nice pool after a long crossing is pretty high on our comfort list!

Ray and I made the crossing from the States in 11 hours. Along the way, we hooked two nice Mahi Mahi, during a thunderstorm, of course! The boat was rolling this way and that and Ray was trying to get the last one into the boat, when he lurched forward and I was sure he was going over into the deep deep blue!!! He caught himself, the fish, the fishing rod, and saved our dinner!!!   We managed to outrun the storms and finally the lighthouse of Gun Cay was on our bow. The water went from an inky blue to an amazing color of turquoise. We rounded the point, watching for the shoal that comes way off of Cat Cay and turned Nu Trix towards an anchorage off of the runway of Cat Cay. We used to anchor off of Gun Cay, but the holding there is pretty poor with turtle grass and scoured bottom. In 2015, during a horrible blow, our anchor dragged and we almost made intimate acquaintances with a large catamaran.

Since then, we've been anchoring off of Cat Cay. There is a very shallow bank that runs off of Cat Cay and gives protection from the roll from a SE, SW or W wind. Most of the time, that is where the wind comes from, as was true for the night we dropped anchor. We watched kids from a nearby boat, jump into the water and swim around. We didn't go in because we had bigger fish to fry... well grill anyway. Ray had filleted the mahi and I marinated it in lime and other seasonings. We threw it on the grill and I made rice and green beans to go with the meal. It was so good. Even our kitty, Brisa got some of the spoils. She did not want to eat her normal cat food for a day or two!! It was a long day, so we both cleaned up and went to bed. What a great night for sleep!  We woke the next morning to a downpour. We made coffee and went up into the cockpit to watch the rain come down. We decided to wait until later to head up the coast to Bimini. It was raining pretty hard and we were not in a rush, now we were on island time.
Finally the rain ended, our boat was washed clean of the ocean salt and we were ready to get into Bimini and clear customs. It was a great run up the coast with a light wind from the SE. We were greeted at Bimini Blue Water by our friend J.R. He has been helping us dock our boat since we started coming in 2013. We tied up to the dock, hooked up the A/C and I got the boat together while Ray went into the little town to clear customs. When he came back, we walked up to the Big Game Club and had peas and rice and mahi fingers. You can never have too much fish!  We stopped by "Taste of Heaven" bakery and purchased some Bimini bread.
I cannot get enough of that warm, sweet, homemade bread. Back at the boat, we connected to wifi and saw that the weather was supposed to be bad for the next couple of days. The summer weather in the Bahamas is supposed to be hot and dry with occasional showers. Recently, we have found wind and storms more than not! The wind was forecast to be out of the east at 20 to 25 knots. We have to go east and with the wind that high, it would be a slow messy go.

We decided to wait out the wind and stay put. Luckily it is only about 65 dollars a day with electricity to stay at the dock. We rented a golf cart the next day and set out to see the island. We dropped off our laundry, drove to the beach, stopped into a little store for a soft drink, looked for t shirts and walked around the ruins of a large freighter. It was a wonderful day with my husband. We swam in the pool until the rain started and drove us back to the boat. I noticed another sailboat had docked near us so we went to say "hello". I am so glad that we did. We met the nicest cruising family! Chris, Summer, Sam and Noah along with their little chihuahua, are cruising in their sailboat for the next year. This was their first time in the Bahamas and we found out they were going the same way we were!! Most of the time, everyone is headed back to the states for hurricane season??? Hurricanes hit Florida too... may as well be somewhere fun!  Anyway, we decided to buddy boat down to the Exumas! I was so happy to have companion travelers especially through the long arduous trip across the banks. PLUS, they have two boys and kids are always so much fun to have on any adventure! We decided to get what we needed to get accomplished the next day over, and then go back to Cat Cay and cross on Friday. On Thursday, we rode around looking for boat parts, Ray helped splice something on their boat, "Freedom"... it was so great that here we were able to help them and they in turn helped us too. I am so excited to have new friends who share the love of sailing and exploring.

We found a great local place to eat. They were serving curried chicken, lima beans and rice and potato salad. I had a cold ginger beer to go with my beans and rice. I'm not big on chicken but they all seemed to be in heaven. We stopped by a bakery that I had never been to, Charley's. It smelled like heaven and gold and Christmas morning!! We chose a loaf of coconut bread and two guava donuts. If ever you are in Bimini, go see Charley!!!! We went back to the marina and got ready to leave the dock. J.R. came to help us get off the dock. He really knows his stuff and was able to get Nu Trix cleared of the boats, even with a wind and current. We radioed "Freedom" and told them we would be waiting. Once we cleared the harbor, we threw out the head-sail and I took the helm. I sailed Nu Trix all the way through the cut. It felt great to be one with my boat. When we got into the anchorage, the wind had shifted and was now blowing dead out of the east. At first, it wasn't so bad, but after "Freedom" got there and dropped anchor, the waves were pounding pretty hard over the bow. We spent the night with a rocky boat. When 3:45 came, my alarm started chirping and I begrudgingly shook Ray awake. We set out to pull the anchor in the dark with the waves still bouncing the boat around. I asked Ray if another sailboat had come in and he looked to port and said that he thought they were underway. I told him the mast light was white not tricolor. He said just to watch for them as we rounded up to miss the shoals. I strained and strained to see the boat, but all I could see was the tall mast light. Once we were underway, I started to laugh. The mast-light was really a very bright star. All of the stars were out and dancing around. It was beautiful to lean back and watch a meteor or two slide through the darkened sky. When light started to come up out of the water, the wind also came up. We were too far into the trip to turn around. Ray plotted a course to zigzag our way so that we could sail and keep out of the chop. Even in 30 to 50 feet of water, the waves just pounded over the bow. After 12 hours, we realized that we would never make Chub Cay so we needed an alternative plan. Ray found an anchorage off of a large sand bank. We thought that with the shallow water, we would have good protection from all of the roll and wind.

The depths went from 20 down to 5 feet really quickly. We dropped the anchor for the night. Ray had hurt his knee pretty badly and it was swollen and wouldn't bend. I made us a dinner and made Ray a bed in the salon so that he didn't have to crawl into the bunk. We had spent 15 hours pounding through waves and we were exhausted. Sleep came quickly but so did morning.

We awoke to bright skies and light winds. It was like Mother Ocean had given us a reprieve because of the hellion day she had just thrown at us. We chatted with "Freedom" about the plans for the day. They all were excited to make it to Chub Cay. We talked with their boys about catching a fish in the Tongue of the Ocean and they were so excited about that. We had a 30 mile day and we all crossed our fingers that it would be good weather. Our finger crossing worked! It was the most beautiful day. The sun was shining, the winds were down and the waves were manageable. No one caught a fish, but we did catch a nice patch of seaweed. We threw it back. lol.....   The water was such a brilliant shade of dark blue and it almost made you want to dive in and swim... almost!!! There are very big fish in that deep water.

It seemed like no time at all and Momma Rhoda Rock came into view. You have to stay way off of it because the rocks all around. It looks like a giant alligator lying in the water, just waiting for an unsuspecting boater to come into it's grips.  We made our way into the anchorage and dropped the hook in a nice clear patch of sand. We all jumped into the water and enjoyed swimming away all of the long passage from the two days. Summer, Chris, Sam and Noah are such a great family. It feels like we have known them for a long time. They are spending the next year on their boat. I feel so excited for them and it makes Ray and I happy to show them all the fun places to anchor in the Exuma chain. For tonight though, we swim and laugh, talk and plan. We went over to their boat and saw how they have made it their home. Freedom is beautifully fitted for their adventure. Back on NuTrix, Ray and I went to bed, hoping for a great night's sleep. I was asleep immediately and soundly. The next day we were heading to Nassau, but for tonight we lay and talked about how rough the last two days were but we kept coming back to chatting about our excitement for our island chain further south. We knew it would be another couple of trying days, but we had new friends to come with us.

This will be our 7th trip to Exuma and the excitement is still as fresh as it was in 2007. I love exploring, hiking, swimming, snorkeling, welcoming family and friends, and  enjoying life with Ray on each island. We hoped that the weather would be wonderful for our Nassau crossing, but come what may, we were going..... Exuma bound!!!

Off we go into the wild blue yonder.....

Early on Friday morning, Ray pulled up the anchor at our spot just outside of Angelfish Creek. I put on some coffee water and we took Nu Trix through the markers, careful to stay as close to the red mark as we could get. We were on a high tide which was good considering the depths at mean low water was just 4 feet. Nu Trix draws 4 1/2! The water was so still from the lack of wind, which made the bottom seem so close. The turtle grass waved at us from what seemed to be a couple of inches. The sun was just making an appearance in the sky over the eastern horizon as we made our way through Angelfish Creek and out into the Atlantic.
I found a really great website for wind and waves. It's called PassageWeather.com and it is pretty spot on with the predictions. It does not, however, predict the storms so we usually go with NOAA. We had very little wind to start our trip so we motored through the markers and past the Carysfort lighthouse that marks the reef. Its such a beautiful conglomeration of colors that swirl through the water. I often think of the sailors hundreds of years ago who came upon these reefs for the first time. I'm sure the ocean holds in her belly, many who learned the hard way, not to cross the reef! Luckily for us, our GPS takes us through without a problem, though we keep charts on hand and ALWAYS have an eye on the ocean.  When we finally reached the edge of the Gulfstream, the boat picked up speed with the current. The Gulfstream is really a large river that runs at about 2 to 3 knots up the coast of Florida and all the way to the England shore.

It carries the warm water which lets tropical trees grow along the coast in England and keeps the temperatures warmer than what one would expect up in the Northern parts of the world. Ray doesn't set a course for Cat Cay because with the pull from the Gulfstream, we would end up way higher than our mark. Even with the push from all that water, our arrival time is a little over 10 hours. Slow and steady wins the race, but wow! I think of how biking from my house to work is the same as sailing for the Bahamas, albeit without cellphone reception or a stop off at Dunkin Donuts for an iced latte! Anyway, we played our music, made some breakfast and talked as we watched the American shore get smaller and smaller in the distance.
About 6 hours into our trip we noticed a large freighter off to port. Since we now have AIS, it isn't such a scary encounter. Ray haled the ship using the name that came up on our Garmin and the ships captain responded immediately! She was very nice and said that she would pass our stern at over 2 miles. We watched as she corrected her course. After the ship had passed, Ray radioed and thanked her for altering course for us. She was 140 feet long and we are about 100 feet smaller, so it was nice to be seen!! If anyone is thinking of crossing the ocean, AIS is a must! I also had been tracking something much bigger and less forgiving than a cargo ship.... a huge thunderstorm! It set off of the coast of the Bahamas and was scattered with reds and purples! Reds and purples are never a good thing!! There was really no where to go except ahead on our course. We have so much safety equipment, radar, EPIRB, inReach, etc, however, storms do not care where you are, who you are and how much crap you have on your boat, they are going to blow and scream and tear up whatever is in their path, so we try to not be in said path! Pretty soon the ocean kicked up her waves in protest to all of the rumbling in the skies. Nu Trix takes the waves well but my stomach, not so much. I will give myself a little credit though. This is the first time that the waves have been big, the lightening so close and the storms closing in, that I have not panicked and started telling Ray to call for the Coast Guard. Maybe I'm getting to be a better sailor, or maybe I'm just coming to terms with the fact that you really cant live forever???? I don't know........ I did say to Ray that I really hope we didn't catch a fish during the storm. Just as I said the last word, my eye caught a flash of green and BAM..... not one but TWO fish were on!!

Ray grabbed one and I grabbed the other. I have no idea what I was doing with the boat pitching up and down in 3000 feet of water and lightening flashing all around, but hey... it was mahi mahi and that's some good eatin'. Ray told me to let him get the bigger fish in so I moved as he fought with the sucker, finally pulling him up to the boat. I handed him the gaff hook and he snatched the bull into the boat and on the floor of the cockpit. I covered the fish with a towel as Ray went after the other mahi. This one was a little smaller but still a good size. I almost lost Ray over the side as he tried to use the gaff hook and kept missing. He finally just grabbed the line and flung the fish into the cockpit. We, well actually Ray, got the boat back on course and I went below for the filet knife and cutting board. Here we were in the middle of the Gulfstream with waves and wind and Ray filleting fish!! The ocean settled down a little, though the roll continued all the way until we spotted land. That is such a wonderful feeling. The ocean is so vast and the Bahamian Cays so small that it just amazes me that we find them year after year. There are some constants that are reassuring in this life. The stars that men have navigated by for centuries, still shine up in the sky today. It makes me feel part of this wonderful world both of  the present and also the past. I always feel lost in time when we are out on the old Gulfstream. With no one else around, the year could be 2017 or 1717........ time just flows on  and on.
The lighthouse at Gun Cay comes into focus and Ray heads Nu Trix on a course that takes us just off the coast where it sits, still functioning also.

We have to go around a rocky shoal that is between Gun and Cat Cay. Nu Trix pulls us towards our first anchorage in the Bahamas.
Right off of the entrance to Cat Cay is good holding behind a shallow bar that extends well to the east of the Cay. We grilled our catch and made rice and beans to go with it.

Brisa even got some of the fish and she loved it!! We had such a wonderful night on the hook. About three hours after we turned in for the night, I woke to hear the wind howling. Ray turned on our sailing instruments and clocked the wind at 30 knots. Along with the wind, came pounding rain. We had three different storms through the night and into the next morning. Nu Trix held us safe as she always does. With our boat all rinsed from the fresh water, breakfast and coffee consumed, we decided to go up to Bimini and clear customs and immigration. With a Q flag flying off the starboard, we set a course for Bimini Bluewater resort, A/C and Bimini bread.
Not necessarily in order of importance!! Our trip in the clear waters of the Bahamas had just started. Ray and I are so excited to be back in the islands. We are going across the Bahama banks on Thursday, into Nassau on Friday and hopefully to Exuma on Sunday. Soon come, mon, soon come!!!

The Keys to Paradise....

One of our favorite stops once we get down into the Keys is the Upper Keys Sailing Club. We pulled the anchor in Jewfish Hole and set our sights 25 miles to the north. The day was beautiful, with mostly sunny skies scattered with puffy white clouds. The wind was, of course in our face, so we weren't able to sail.
The Intercoastal Waterway is a smooth ride up through the Keys. It's beautiful to ride through the mangroves and feel cut off from the rest of the world, well except for the mosquitoes.  Ray and I crank up the radio and listen to our summer playlist. My brother usually supplies us with new songs to try.  This year's song is "Cold Aint for Me". With the sun baking down at around 87, it is a good thing that I don't like the cold. lol
Ray called the Upper Keys Sailing Club to see if we could tie up to their T dock. We were surprised to learn that there is a new dockmaster. Joel and his wife Kacey are from Alabama and came down aboard their sailboat to work in the Keys.

What a friendly and helpful couple. They have their hands full with their new assignment which was apparent because they were supposed to have Tuesday and Wednesday off, however, they were hard at work. It seems they had just started on the previous week and were still getting to know the area and the Sailing Club.
We greeted them as they caught the lines and helped us tie Nu Trix up. I had to walk up to the parking lot and meet the guy from Enterprise Rentals. As much as I love walking, we needed to get to West Marine and get a new invertor and a mascerator pump. That is NOT a pump you want to have break down. West Marine is quite a hike so a car is helpful. Enterprise is a great place to get a car. They always upgrade me and the cars are really clean and drive well. The guy always smiles when I try my spanish out on him. I either told him we had arrived by boat or that we are castaways living on the water?? My spanish is not very good. He always smiles though. haha
When I got back to Nu Trix, in my nice black car, Ray had the A/C turned on and it felt soooo great. I also realized that I had not looked in the mirror in a couple of days and that may have been why the guy at Enterprise was smiling. Maybe I did say I was a castaway because that is how I looked. At least I remembered to put on pants! I promptly showered and washed away many days of salt and sea. I was a new woman! I even dried my hair! Let me tell you, I know how to live it up now and again!

Brisa, our seafaring kitty, takes about three hours to get over being mad at us for turning on the engine. We figured we would leave her alone and go in search of some fish.  There is a great restaurant that we found back in 2013 when my sister and brother-in-law were with us. Back then we rolled into the parking lot at 8:50 and realized that they closed at 9. We started to leave when a server came to the door and told us to come in. We said we didn't want to keep them open later than they were supposed to be and she assured us that it wasnt a problem. Well were we soooo glad that she beckoned us back. The food is amazing and the service spot on! So, here we are back again in 2017.
If you are in Islamorada, the Shrimp Shack is definitely a great place to get supper fresh fish. They come with hush puppies and homemade banana bread. It is very reasonable also. I ordered the scallops and they just melted in my mouth. I had a slightly religious experience. I kept trying to figure out what the amazing nutty flavor was in the rice. I gave a bite to Ray and he laughed and said, "Ummmm that would be butter, dear!" I guess a little over a month off of dairy and I had forgotten the yummy creaminess that is butter! I'm usually careful to ask, but I forgot. There's a reason that I am dairy free and it is not by choice. Nothing friends, nothing, tastes as good as the real thing, but heartburn, bloating and headaches are bad enough to make me pretend that they alternatives are just as good.... bother!!!! After we were stuffed and I took a preventative pill for my adventures with butter, we hit the road and headed back to our boat. I had been a long six days away from land and it was catching up to us fast. We barely got back to Nu Trix before our eyes were closing for the night. Brisa had finally forgiven us and curled up between us to snooze. What a great night's sleep.

The next day was a mad rush to get all of the things completed that were on our lists. We needed to re-provision, get water for our tanks, wash the sheets clean of mosquito carcasses.... bleck.... and get all the other clothes cleaned and put away. We also were looking for a harness for Brisa to keep her safe and make her hate us even more. I swear she looks at us like the Chucky doll from those crazy horror movies. I am sure it is all my imagination.........  Anyway, we had our coffee aboard and then hit the road to get all of it finished. The storms kept rolling through and we were kind of glad to be on land with the wind blowing through so hard and rain pounding like it would never rain again. Ray suggested that we take a break and find a place to eat. Well, I was all for that, so we put in restaurant finder on the phone and Voila, a place on the water where we could get fish. I never get tired of mahi mahi! We ate on the water where the snorkeling and diving boats leave. We both had the Keys Mahi sandwich which was beyond wonderful. It came on coconut bread with mango salsa. Ray got the mango slaw to go with his, but I wanted sweet potatoes.

The restaurant had a great atmosphere and the wait staff was superb. We will definitely come back next year. The chores were calling so we paid the tab and left to finish what was keeping us from crossing to the Bahamas. We topped off our diesel, stored our provisions, put away all of our clean clothes, tried to coax Brisa to love us again with several little catnip laced mice..... jury is still out, though she did come down off of the shelf and proceed to lay on the counter in the galley. She knows she is not allowed there but she sort of gave me a "What" look when I started to say something to her. Cats!!!!  Finally we were in a good position to leave the next day. We didn't have to rush because we would only be going 15 miles up the ICW to Pumpkin Key. We scanned through the TV channels, read a little, checked in with family and finally headed the call of our bunk. Brisa was feeling better because she spent most of the night bouncing off of the walls, grabbing our feet under the blanket, crawling under the blanket to explore and basically making it slightly difficult to sleep. I finally yelled at her and she gave me a "meow"...... I'm thinking it was so naughty kitty language, but she settled down and we all got some rest.
The next day was bright and beautiful. Kids from the sailing club were all over the little cove in their little hobie cats and kayaks. One of the parents has a small speed boat and was giving the younger kids a thrill ride on a large inflatable. It was the kind of day that you could just find a nice piece of sand, throw down a blanket and read the day away. We, however, had to get the car back, settle up with Joel for our time on the dock, get Rays obligatory bag of ice and throw the lines. We took our time as our bodies were already adjusting to Island Time and making us slower to move and lazy in our plans for the day.

We drifted over to Snooks Bayside and had yet another fish sandwich, took in the glorious water views, chatted with one another and dreamily let the upcoming trip form exciting destinations in our minds. What a great afternoon. Ray decided we may as well get back to the boat and prepare to leave. We went up to the clubhouse and talked with Joel and Kacey about our plans and listened as they talked of their hopes to sail for the Bahamas within two years. Back on Nu Trix, they helped us push off of the dock and into the cove. Nu Trix was on a heading to Pumpkin Key in hopes of a crossing through Angelfish Creek the next morning.

We dropped the anchor and put up the mosquito nets around the hatches. We read and watched the storms as they formed to the north of us. As it usually does, the weather closed in and we had to close the hatches. It rained and the wind picked up, but we were protected in our anchorage. It was a little stuffy with the hatches closed but our fans kept it from being unbearable. Sleep finally came and with it dreams of my 7th year crossing the Gulfstream to the Bahamas. I get nervous and excited at the same time. The ocean, though beautiful, is NOT to be taken lightly or she will take you. I trust in my captain and in myself so much more than I did way back in 2007! Whatever may come, we will be on our way to the Bahamas, because though boats are safe at harbor, that is not what boats were made for...... to adventure!!!!

Sometimes you just want a plain donut

      I was reading a blog the other day that I found interesting. The woman was taking pictures of her free donut on National Donut Day. She commented that her favorite was a plain glazed donut, but she wished she would have taken a picture of something prettier, like a sprinkled donut, for her blog. Her end point was simply this, we shouldn't pick something just so it will appear pretty in pictures or look great to everyone else. She liked a plain ole donut and that is what she chose to keep on her blog. That got me to thinking about how many pictures that I leave out of this blog for fear they aren't pretty enough or adventurous enough? You know, a good ole plain day at sea sure beats the heck out of a crazy day at work! I imagine though, that sometimes it must seem as everything goes smoothly, the sun always shines, the waves lap at the hull, Ray and I agree on everything, my bathing suit never gets put on inside out...... okay TMI, but come on, things happen on Nu Trix just like they do to everyone else. Sometimes, the waves are so scary that I get a panic attack, sometimes the storms seem as if they'll never end, sometimes the sun doesn't shine for days and sometimes Ray thinks that I am wrong???  I like my life though! I like the days of swimming and sailing, exploring and being scared out of my mind. I don't want to sugar coat or sprinkle pretty lies into my blogs. I want my family and friends to experience what living aboard a sailboat for 8 weeks is really like. So this is my blog.... a plain donut with a little glaze and because I am dairy free, it is a vegan plain donut with a cup of hot coffee with almond milk..... forevermore!!

The Everglades ( not for the weak of heart)  

We dropped the anchor in Indian Key and had a place where the wind would keep us cool and hopefully keep the mosquitoes away. As soon as we got comfortable in the cockpit and were talking about dinner on the grill, the wind picked up. Nu Trix was stern to the wind because the current was running so strong. I asked Ray if maybe we should pull the anchor and go further up the river towards Everglades City. Ray was concerned but  with the wind picking up, pulling the anchor would be a pain. The wind kept growing and growing and the sky was getting very dark. The waves started pounding over the stern and covering us in salt spray. Finally, Ray said that we needed to pull the anchor because the sky was looking ominous and the waves and wind kept getting stronger. He went up forward and I watched for his signals. I have been at the helm so often in way worse situations, so it was not really a problem for me. The anchor came up and I took Nu Trux further up the river.

The wind was still up when we dropped the anchor again and we hoped that it would be enough to keep the mosquito at bay. Well, it did not happen. The night was hot and sticky which sent me to the starboard settee to try and sleep. Brisa, our seafaring kitty, came and curled up near me. Ray tried to swat and cover up but those little buggers are relentless!!  We left Indian Key early because the mosquitoes were just too brutal. We didn't sleep very well because it was hot, stuffy and itchy!  We set our sights for Little Shark River because we were tired and the Keys would be a 14 hour day. We pulled out the head sail and still only got up to 5.5 knots. The wind was not cooperating with us at all and when we made a course correction for Little Shark River, the wind was right on the bow. We pulled in the sail and motored the rest of the day. We decided that to go up into the river, though protected 360 degrees, would be suicide. We have weather on our Garmin and it looked as if the weather would be okay for the night. We anchored about a mile from the entrance and put all of the mosquito netting up. Ray then took duct tape and went around the hatches.

Ray don't play!!! haha   We put together a nice dinner of kielbasa and baked beans... also known as beanie weenies!! We fell into the bunk and slept like the dead. When we woke up, the mosquitoes were covering the ports and the hatches. We wanted, no we needed coffee but the fuel had to be turned on outside! I pulled the netting away and Ray ran for it, albeit it covered in bug spray. But it was for a good cause...... coffee!! He flew back into the galley and we sat and drank our liquid speed of the gods. Finally we decided that unless we were going to put down roots among the alligators, deer flies and mosquitoes, we were going to have to make a run for it. It was decided that Ray would pull up the anchor alone and get us the heck out of dodge while I made sure Brisa was safe..... After about 30 minutes, when we were well off shore, I thought I would go up top and be with Ray and give him his breakfast. Hey, I'm good for a thing or two..... Well, the mosquitoes were still there!

Those crazy little stowaways were clinging to everything. As soon as I lifted the netting over the companionway, they swarmed down below. I spent the next 12 hours killing bugs, getting Zika and wiping dead carcasses off of the walls, ceilings and floors. No sprinkles on these donuts, people!! Brisa, the kitty, was up in the bunk laying on Rays clothes. She glared at me when I would go check on her. I think she is not a fan of the engine, the boat, us........ who knows with cats. I'm pretty sure that she would have called the Coast Guard if she had a hand held VHF. We purposely hid them for that reason. Anyway, Brisa wasn't happy with us and I knew we would pay for the long and loud ride south. Finally we saw land and I had obliterated all of the bloody, literally, mosquitoes. Ray dropped the anchor and we tried to coax, Brisa out of her fortress of solitude. She wasn't having it though. That night we had a grilled pork tenderloin, yellow rice and black beans. We hoisted the Conch flag and as the sun set, the conch horn blew to herald yet another beautiful day. Her we were, once again in the Keys.

My husbands home.... the islands that held such memories for him, the winds that still  blow with whispers of days gone by and adventures, that are etched upon his soul, still ride the waves that pound onto the shores of the mangroves. I listen to the echos and breath them in as we watch the sun get swallowed up by the ocean.
Our trip is just getting started, but already we have formed memories that will forever run through our days.
When we are back at the dock, both hard at work, the whispers of our adventure will sprinkle the plain glaze with the thoughts of the lazy days of summer and both  the horrors ,( lack of air conditioning,  holding tanks that need pumping, no bread, no more fresca, sheets that need laundering) and also the wonders (hikes to long ago homes,  snorkeling trips to caves, the perfect sailing days, spending time with each other). I am so happy to be here. I love our boat, our life, our love. Tomorrow we leave for Angelfish Creek and Friday we leave the States for the Bahamas. I am so anxious to be in our beloved Exumas with the clear water, friendly people and nothing to do but be with one another. I guess even when you are happy with the plain, life sometimes gives you a good dose of sprinkles. I'll take them, but I promise not to make anyone think that's all there is to life.

Sail away with me honey....

                The best laid plans of…. yada yada….. We were supposed to have left on June 2^nd for our 7^th annual Bahamas sail. Well, the 2^nd came and the 2^nd went and all the food and supplies still sat on the floor of our office.

Ray and I forget how time consuming work and chores can be. We have such grand plans to throw it all off and go, but the bills need to be paid, the lawn taken care of for two months, mail to get, cars to care for, a house to secure….. on and on it goes and there are only so many hours to get it all finished. Friday night we finally threw in the “leaving today” towel and went for dinner.  Over some really good scallops, we both discussed this constant rush to get everything done, to get going, to pull anchor. At what cost?? We have been in some very harrowing situations because of our need to rush. Most of the time, it is because we need to rendezvous with company or we stay too long and need to get me home before school starts back. The point however, is rushing is dangerous. There are things we forget and worse, things that we overlook, such as weather! One year, we had family onboard and were constantly in a 25 plus headwind, taking water over the bow and really taking unneeded risks for the sake of getting somewhere quicker. Ray and I both decided that cruising was supposed to be fun. We are tired of 18 hour days of standing at the helm and dodging lightening and crazy winds. If we get all the way to Georgetown this year, “YAY”, but if we do not, we will still be in the Bahamas and we will still be on our boat, enjoying the summer and each other. So when it was said and dinner was done, Ray and I had both decided to go home and get some sleep.

                                                            Saturday, we got up and carried all of our provisions to the boat.

I then got the wondrous joy of finding a place for all the stuff we purchased. I made up the bunk, stored clean sheets and towels, organized the head, rearranged the fridge and put all of our clothes onboard.  This year, we have our kitty, Brisa, coming with us. That meant that I had to find a place for her food and litter. I am going to try and teach her to use the head!! She’s pretty smart.  When everything was finally stuffed and sealed, we shoved off the dock and into a rain squall. We figured that all we needed to do was drop anchor if it got bad. Charlotte Harbor is pretty shallow and there are lots of places to ride out a storm.

We never got rained on, though we could seethe rain across the harbor, but we did get a push from the wind. 15 knots off of the stern helped us get to Pelican Bay in only 3.5 hours! We were able to drop the anchor and toast our first night of adventure. Brisa was so happy for the engine to get turned off. She jumped up into the cockpit with us and looked all around at the water and mangroves. She did not seem to impressed, so back down to her new bed       (our starboard settee) she went and plopped herself between the pillows.  Ray grilled pork tenderloin and I made rice and beans. We invited our fellow traveler over for cocktails and dinner. It was a really nice evening with a crisp breeze to keep us cool and music playing on our new speakers. Later that night, the breeze decided to stop and the mosquitoes decided to join our party. Curt left to go back to his boat and Ray and I tried to get settled in to sleep. It had been a long day for all of us. The mosquitoes were relentless and the breeze was too faint to keep them away. Ray did not seem to notice, probably because they love me and leave him alone.

Brisa decided to jump up through the hatch and explore the boat. I was afraid she would fall over, but she was staying up near the mast and grabbing at the lines. I think she was trying to make sure the main was reefed?? She finally came below and stretched out just below the fan. Sleep finally overtook me too and we all three snuggled into the bunk for a good night’s sleep.

Another first for Ray and I, today. We decided to go down the Intercoastal to Sanibel instead of going out into the Gulf. The weather looked ominous and the stretch around Sanibel with winds and opposing currents is sloshy and takes forever. There wasn’t much chance of sailing anyway since the winds were coming in the direction we would be going. It was a very pretty run down the coast with lots of big houses, mangrove islands, birds and pretty water.

We listened to music and chatted and mostly relaxed. I made breakfast and lunch underway. Not usually something we can do while taking water over the bow in a strong headwind.  Now we are anchored by Picnic Island and the sun has come out! Brisa is passed out on the sofa and Ray is writing in his sailing journal. It is a perfect afternoon and I am feeling so stress-free!!! So day two of our Bahamas 2017 cruise has been great so far. I think I might go up on deck and take a nap. So much time and so little to do!!!!

 Life is good!