"I'm goin' way down south, way down to Mexico way..."

"Hey, hey, hey Joe, better run on down..."
-Jimi Hendrix

Mexico!  Where to begin?  I had never been before, but had frequently entertained ideas of cruising there.  I thought that at some point I would sail down around the keys and across the Gulf to Isla Mujeres, which is only about 400nm from Key West.  Little did I know that I would be in Mexico sooner than I thought, or that I would be on the Pacific coast of Baja California instead of the Yucatan Peninsula.
It all started about a year ago, when a friend of a friend bought a 46' Hallberg-Rassy up in Seattle.  The new boat owner, Steve, decided to take his boat, "Liberation II," down the Pacific coast this winter, going through the Panama Canal and into the Caribbean.  This intrigued me, and I suggested to our mutual friend John that I would love to help Steve move the boat down on any leg of that cruise.  Turns out that Steve did indeed need some crew, so we formulated a plan that would see me joining the captain and crew of Liberation II in San Diego, and sailing her in the Baja Ha Ha cruisers' rally down to Cabo San Lucas over the course of two weeks.
The Baja Ha Ha is a good-natured, liesurely milk-run of about 750 miles down the coast of Baja California.  This year's rally was the 18th such race, and saw a fleet of 172 boats register to participate.  Although a number of vessels that registered did not end up sailing in the race, there were still about 140 boats that put to sea and turned left, headed for warmer latitudes.  I flew out to San Diego on October 22, and took a comfortable bunk in Liberation II's roomy aft cabin.  The crew consisted of the boat's owner, Steve, our mutual friend John, and one of Steve's friends from San Francisco named Mike.  The chemistry was good from the get-go, with lots of joking and laughing.
Monday the 24th saw us starting the rally under full sail, but with little wind.  The organizer of the race determined that a rolling start was in order, so it was decided that all boats would motorsail at speeds not surpassing 6kts in order to make some headway towards our first stop.  We motorsailed through the first day and night.  At 6am the next morning, the wind had built to the point that we turned off the motor and began sailing.  Over the next 48 hours, we had winds anywhere from 5kts to22kts.  There were times that Liberation II cracked 9kts of boatspeed.  The sailing during this time was absolutely fabulous, and would be the best sailing of the entire trip.  We ran a 110% jib with full main, sometimes on the same side together, other times we were wing-and-wing with the jib poled out.  Sometimes we struck the jib and ran with the beautiful blue asymmetrical spinnaker and main.  Sometimes we were 10 miles off of the Baja's rugged coastline, other times we were 30, 40, 50 miles out.  Liberation II is a fast boat, and we were among the first 20 boats to reach the first planned anchorage at Bahia de Tortugas, pulling in and dropping anchor at about 10:00 at night.  I was at the helm at that time, and believe me when I tell you that it was nerve-wracking entering a foreign port I had never seen before at night with zero navigational lights/buoys to guide us in.
The next two days saw us participating in activities shore-side.  We ate authentic Mexican food and drank many beers in seaside bars.  We roamed the dusty, unpaved streets of the town.  We took some cuts at softballs with local kids at the baseball diamond.  We also dinghy'ed ashore to a deserted beach with the rest of the Ha Ha fleet for the annual cruisers' beach party.  This party was a blast!  While there, I had the best carne asada tacos I have ever had.  I bought them from a little old lady who was preparing them on a beat up charcoal grill, right there on the beach.  I also witnessed a 42' Lagoon catamaran get beached by the outgoing tide, with her beam to the incoming waves.  Everyone tried to help her get free, including three or four pangas that hooked up to the cat with tow lines.  The rescue attempt was unsuccessful, however, and the skipper of that boat had to finally kedge off when the tide came back in, many hours later.  This was the one day that I had forgotten to bring my camera, so I don't have pictures of any of this!
The next morning at sunrise, we put out to sea again with the rest of the fleet.  The sailing on this leg was not good, and we were motorsailing most of the time.  We would be two days and nights offshore, before dropping anchor in Bahia Santa Maria.  Bahia Santa Maria was essentially uninhabited.  There were two or three shacks on the beach that were occupied by fishermen, and that was it.  We were also here for two days.  The first day we mainly relaxed and did a bit of exploring.  The second day saw another beach party/cook-out, featuring a live band that had driven 12 hours across the desert to come play for tips (or so went the story, anyway).  These guys were good, and played music ranging from Otis Redding to Jimi Hendrix, with lots of different stuff in between.  I had some fabulous tamales at this party that I bought out of a kettle down under a rocky cliff on the beach.  We ended the day back on the boat playing poker and hitting the sack early.
Sunrise the next morning saw us raising anchor and putting to sea for the final leg down to Cabo San Lucas.  Winds were light again, and the majority of the fleet motorsailed the entire distance.  The last several hours of this leg, we were in close to the shore and were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the coastline.  We steamed into the cape at about noon and dropped anchor in 30' of clear water, not 100 yards off the beach.  It was glorious!  From the deck of Liberation II, you could see the white sandy bottom of the bay.  The air temperature was 95 degrees, and the water was a fabulous 85 degrees.  I spent two days roaming the town, eating, drinking, and lounging on the beach and in the sea.  It was sad for me to have to pack it up and fly home, but real life was calling and I had to go.  I spent a wonderful two weeks sailing and partying with LibII's owner and crew.  The Baja Ha Ha was a great rally, despite the light winds.
The time I spent on this trip really helped to scratch my cruising itch.  Sure, it was different to be on someone else's boat, and to only be at it for two weeks, but it was more than worth it to go.  The boat was great, the people were even better, and the food and scenery were nearly impossible to beat.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Special thanks to Steve, John, Mike and Liberation II for showing me such a great time.
Stay tuned in 2012, as I plan to sail back down to the Bahamas with an all-new cast of characters!  More posts to follow.

Long time, no post!

Well, it has been over two years now since I last posted here.  Hard to believe how quickly time flies, and how many things change over time.  Caitlin and I have gone our separate ways, but Chili and I are still very tight.  After our Bahamas cruise, the marital bliss was gone.  I spent about three months ashore before deciding to move back onboard Tranquility with Chili.  That winter, I earned a USCG OUPV-6 Captain's License.  I also took a job with the Charleston Maritime center to hold me over until I could complete the messy process of getting divorced.  It was painful and expensive, but such is life.  My plans are to keep working my current job until I can upgrade my license to a 100-ton Master and get a job driving/delivering boats for a living.  In the meantime, I am adding to my days at sea whenever I get the chance.  I have also continued to maintain and upgrade the boat, with an eye on cruising down-island again at some point in the (hopefully near) future.  Since returning from the Bahamas, I have added a new genoa, a fabulous new windlass (1500W Lofrans windlass/capstan), 175' of G4 chain, two 65-watt solar panels and had the interior settee cushions reupholstered.  I had all of the Isinglass windows in the dodger replaced, and I also had her hauled out and got the bottom repainted.  In addition to that, I replaced the Walker Bay 8' dinghy and 2.3hp outboard with a 9' Caribe RIB and a new 6hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard.  With the exception of the exterior teak needing to be redone, Tranquility is more ready and capable of cruising than she has ever been.
In mid-June of 2010, I took my first solo cruise.  I was limited to two weeks, so I decided I would stay close to home. I thought about sailing up north of Charleston, but in the end I decided on sailing down to St. Simons, Georgia and Cumberland Island.  We had stopped in both St. Simons and Fernandina Beach on our Bahamas cruise, so I was familiar with the area.  Instead of going down the ICW like I had last time, Chili and I essentially made the entire trip there and back offshore.  I find ocean sailing to be much more gratifying than motoring down the ditch (go figure!). 
We left Charleston around noon, and were soon beating into light and variable winds.  We got about 30 miles offshore, and began tacking on a rhumbline for the inlet at St. Simons.  Around 3am the winds had increased to over 20kts and were still right on the nose.  By the next morning I was exhausted, so we went into Port Royal Sound with the intention of getting some much-needed sleep.  By the time I actually got into the ICW there, I had gotten a second wind (funny how a steady stream of Coca Cola can do that to you).  I motored about 25 miles down the waterway and anchored up behind Skidaway Island.  The next morning, we continued down the ICW and then went back offshore out of Ossabaw Sound.  The 50+ mile sail down to St. Simons Sound was uneventful, and I arrived at the inlet at about sunset.  I anchored up behind the island, and spent the next several days either swinging on the hook or docked at Golden Isles Marina.  The heat was absolutely oppressive, reaching 95 degrees inside the main cabin during the days.  The temperatures at night weren't much better.  What's even crazier is that I caught a nasty cold during all that heat, which only served to double my misery.  During that time, I went down and spent some time at anchor behind Cumberland Island, within sight of the buildings at Fernandina Beach.  After several days of gunk-holing around that area, I went back offshore and sailed back up to Charleston in a straight shot.  I got back with enough vacation left to rest for a couple of days before going back to work.  I had a nice time, but the solo sailing and the cold took a lot out of me.   I am looking very much forward to doing some extended cruising soon, be it solo or with crew.  I have some ideas about it, but I'm keeping quiet for now!  Anyway, thanks for reading.  It's good to be back playing with the blog again.

We made it!

We are back in the States, safe and sound. The crossing of the Gulf Stream was easy as a wink this time around. Conditions were favorable for motor/sailing as there was little wind and we made excellent time. What a relief! I had mentally prepared myself for a drawn-out ordeal but we were docked in Palm Beach within twelve hours of our departure from Old Bahama Bay. Good old Tranquility held it together and got us back to our homeland!

I am sitting at an Internet cafe in Fernandina Beach writing this in the early morning. I don't have much time; we're getting ready to shove off on the last leg of this journey. We have motored up the ICW the whole length of Florida (and it is loooong) because of northerly winds and storms offshore. Now it seems fine to head out into the deep blue ocean and really cover some ground. So, for the next three or four days we will be putting in very long hours while the sun is shining and coming back inshore to anchor at night.

I just wanted to let you all know that we are fine. Here are some pictures I have taken of our arrival in the States, moving up the Intracoastal Waterway and St. Augustine (we took a breather in that lovely city for a couple of days). I will be making one more post from Charleston to wrap up with some final thoughts. America- I love you!!!

Back where we started...

"But do you not mean that the river is everywhere at once, at its origin and at its mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at the same time, and for it only the present exists, no shadow of the past, no shadow of the future?"
-Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse


Well folks, we are back where we started this exploration of the Bahamas-Old Bahama Bay on West End. The plan was to camp out here for a couple of days enjoying the Bahamian sunshine and waters while we waited for the perfect conditions to pass back through the Gulf Stream to the States. After our last crossing, I refuse to go in anything but the most favorable winds and the smallest swells. So, this is my last post from the islands. How bittersweet! On one hand I am absolutely heartbroken to be leaving this place-it has come to feel like home and we have an odd hodge-podge family of friends scattered over these rocks. On the other hand, I ache for Charleston and am thrilled at the thought of seeing all of my loved ones, chatting with my girlfriends, sleeping in my bed, snuggling with my kitty cat and eating fresh foods! I think the word for life is bittersweet.

These past few weeks we have been visiting our favorite islands in the Abacos. After my Mama left we sailed up to Manjack Cay for some Mother Nature time. Manjack is my favorite place to stay on the anchor in the Abacos. The harbor beach is beautiful and there are even thatched roof umbrellas with swings hanging down into the water! Fun! Just a few people live on the island and they have carved out hiking trails through the thick vegetation to the north shore and some of the most breathtaking locations I've ever seen. We have spent a lot of time here. The days have blended together and seem like one endless string of swimming, hiking, playing frisbee, sweating and reading. Oh, and rowing. Our dinghy outboard motor broke again at Manjack so we were rowing quite a bit for about a week. After lots of bickering we managed to finally find a system that works for us. We just can't sit beside each other :)

Our good friend Brendal invited us to a party at his house, so Green Turtle Cay was our next destination. It was so great to be in a real house, around people talking and laughing. One of the most amazing things about this experience has been the people we have gotten to know. My heart has been touched! The party was a huge success-divine food, lots of rum punch flowing, and a great mix of diverse people. My cheeks hurt the next day from smiling and laughing so much.

On that next day we had to skedaddle back down to Marsh Harbor to retrieve our dinghy motor from the fix-it shop, go get a few groceries and clear back through immigration. Nothing like waiting until the last minute-we were on day 90 of our 90 legal days in the Bahamas. But it was no problem-clearing was a breeze and we got 45 more days just in case something unexpected should arise.

Feeling the need to explore a new place we chose to anchor off of Man-O-War Cay and what a treat! Man-O-War (to my knowledge) is the only island in the Abacos that is strictly a dry island-meaning no alcohol is served anywhere. I think for this reason a lot of the party people bypass this little jewel. If I were to ever have a house in the Bahamas I would choose Man-O-War for the location (or Staniel Cay in the Exumas). It is peaceful, charming and covered in flowering tropical growth with homes scattered here and there. And lots of ice cream shops! We just hung out here and let the days idle past until Chip's parents were scheduled to arrive on Elbow Cay.

While Ms. Annita and Mr. Candler were at Abaco Inn Resort we docked at Sea Spray Marina less than a mile away. Unfortunately, the day before they flew in storm clounds and a deluge of rain settled over the area and didn't let up. We made the best of it: walking Hopetown in the light drizzle, shelling on Tahiti beach, golf cart rides over the island and eating wonderful fresh seafood. They took us out for great meals which were such a welcome change after months of the same foods over and over. (We are absolutely sick of our food selection on the boat and can't wait for Charleston cuisine-yum!) The last day before the Hunts left for Georgia, the clouds parted just long enough for us to take a day sail to Man-O-War. We got to show off our fantastic sailing skills :) and put their worried minds to rest. We have learned so much on this trip and we do actually know what we are doing! After dinghying to shore and walking into town we had a delicious lunch on the water and ice cream cones for the walk back to the boat. A pretty perfect day.

Practically every single day since then squalls have blown up from nowhere. They're packing high winds, torrential rains and (the scariest part) lots of lightning strikes. We are walking around in rubber flip-flops just to feel like we're doing something to prevent being zapped. June 1st (today) is the first day of hurricane season officially and we are trying to hightail it out of here before it gets any worse.

Of course, we had to stop by Green Turtle Cay, make the rounds and tell our friends goodbye. I'm not even gone and I am looking forward to coming back! I love these islands and the people. Green Turtle has been one of my favorite places to go running. The views are stunning in every direction. Roosters, chickens and baby chicks are all over the place. Friendly dogs roam about and everyone smiles and says hello. During my last run there, a horse just emerged out of the woods and stayed right beside me for almost a mile! It was the strangest thing. Over the course of these past several months I have befriended countless dogs that have followed me as I wander, but never before a horse!

I managed to talk Chip into staying one more day and night at Manjack Cay. I wanted to have just a bit more quiet calm in nature before we speed back to West End. Just the wind, waves and stars. I am going to miss this way of life.

Through storms and huge gusts of wind we made it from Manjack to Allans-Pensacola Cay where we stayed for one night. Another nerve-wracking squally day took us to Mangrove Cay where we spent our last evening at achor in the Bahamas. And, here I am at Old Bahama Bay. I have been living in a bikini, sipping pina coladas and enjoying the tropical sunshine. Early tomorrow we are leaving the docks here and setting out across the Gulf Stream. Conditions seem good: light and variable winds with seas less than three feet. The only concern is these thunderstorms that creep up unexpectedly. So, please, again, send us some good energy and blessings. We will be in touch as soon as possible. America! I'm coming home!