After leaving Rick and Clayton in Satellite Beach, I continued down the Intracoastal Waterway to West Palm Beach and crossed to the Bahamas on November 27.  The trip started out a little rough from Lake Worth Inlet, but got smoother as I crossed.  Instead of 3-4 foot seas with an occasional 5 foot sea in the morning, by the time I got to the Little Bahama Bank, the seas were only 1-2 feet. 

I spent the night at Mangrove Cay, then moved on the next day to Great Sale Cay and spent several days there waiting for better weather.  The next stop was Green Turtle Cay to clear customs and officially enter the Bahamas.  Weather again kept me in Green Turtle Cay for several days, so I did not arrive in Marsh Harbor until December 5. 

I spent about a week in Marsh Harbor restocking the boat with fresh vegetables, fruit, fuel, and water, did the sight seeing thing to see if things had changed much (and they haven’t), and then decided to go the Great Guana Cay on the 14th. 

Shark Trash in Marsh Harbor

From Great Guana, I headed to Linyard Cay to stage for a crossing to Eleuthera.  I plan to do this crossing tomorrow.  I should not be a difficult crossing as it is only about 60 miles, but it is all open ocean, so I will have to be careful.  Looks like I will have several boats in company, as the anchorage here at Linyard Cay is pretty crowded.  I plan to spend at least a couple of weeks in Eleuthera before heading to the Exumas for more adventure.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season.

Cliff Baker
S/V NAVIGATOR

Back in the Bahamas

Cliff has made it across the Gulf Stream, and is back in Marsh Harbour.  Here's what he reports:

Weather has been quite rainy.  Saturday I rained hard all afternoon.  In the
two previous years I have been here, I have never seen it rain so hard for
so long.  Usually it rains for half hour or so, then stops, but not
Saturday.  Front is coming through on Thursday, winds to 25 with higher
gusts, so I will stay in Marsh Harbor for that.

Weather Improves - Cliff Departs

Cliff waves goodbye in Indian Harbour

After a week of wind and waves,  the weather is improving in Florida.  Cliff spent the last few days with us in Satellite Beach.  Today he returned to Navigator to continue his southward journey.  Tomorrow he plans on reaching Vero Beach, followed by Palm Beach, and then the crossing to the Bahamas.

Rick

Sunset in Indian Harbour

In Satellite Beach

Hi.  Rick here.

Cliff dressed for the windy wet as he pilots his dinghy.

Cliff arrived safely at our home in Satellite Beach, Florida yesterday.  I joined him on the cruise down from St Augustine - much fun!

Our fishing boat serves as tender to S/V Navigator

But it's windy (and occasionally wet)  now - and the swing bridge that provides access to our canal is not working.  So Cliff is anchored south of the bridge, and we ferry him on our little fishing boat.  He'll probably wait until the winds subside before heading further south.

Finally Found Florida!

Cliff at the Castillo de San Marcos

I have finally found warm weather in Florida, but not before a long cold journey through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.  It wasn’t until I got past Charleston and Beaufort South Carolina that the morning temperatures got out of the 30s and 40s.  Near the boarder of North Carolina and South Carolina, I stopped for two nights to visit with a friend I new from work before I retired, Lee Bragg.  We had a fine dinner together, and did a wine tasting the next day.  As moved south from Lee’s, I anchored in places like Charleston and Beaufort, South Carolina, and Thurderbolt and St. Simons Island in Georgia.  In Georgia, even the low 50s seemed cold due to the dampness from rain.  But by the time I got to Fernandina Beach, the morning temperature was 62 degrees, and I was beginning to thaw out.

I stopped in St. Augustine, FL for a couple of nights to meet up with friends Rick and Clayton.  We had dinner the first night, and toured St. Augustine the next day ( Thursday, November 15).

Cliff inspects a cannon

The Castillo De San Marcos was interested as was a restored boarding house we also toured.  Naturally, we did wine tasting at San Sebastian Winery as well.  Clayton took their car back to Satellite Beach, while Rick came with me down the intracoastal waterway toward Satellite Beach.  We anchored in Daytona, and then stayed in a marina in Titusville.  Tomorrow, it will be on to Satellite Beach to spend a few days with Rick and Clayton.

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

I have been seeing lots of dolphins and pelicans on the waterway, as well as a couple of manatees.  The scenery never seems to be dull, even if this is my fifth passage on the waterway.  Many of the waterfront homes are amazing, the wildlife interesting and exciting, and even the cities can be interesting.  I am certainly blessed to be able to  do this during my retirement.

My next big event will be crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, and I will attempt to send an update just before I leave.

Cliff Baker
S/V NAGIVATOR

On the Road Again...

Hello again,

I got some sailing in going to the Solomons on October 21st.  Anchored in Mill Creek for a couple of days.  Spent most of the next day cleaning up the boat and stowing more of the food and gear that didn’t get stowed before I left the Corsica River to begin this voyage.  It still isn’t all stowed, but I am getting there.  As a result of my efforts on the boat, I did not go ashore in the Solomons.  On Tuesday, October 23rd, I again headed south, this time crossing the bay to Onancock.  Spent two days here also, only this time I did go ashore.  Onancock is a quaint little town, with lots of antique shops, art galleries, and restaurants.  Also found a hardware store that had a good supply of o-rings that I did for a check valve, so made out well on that little problem.  Had a good dinner in an Irish Pub (on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake no less).  The next day, I stayed on the eastern shore and visited Cape Charles, near the end of the Delmarva Peninsula.  I stayed at the town dock, which is quite inexpensive ($1.00/foot), and again walked around town.  It is mostly gift shops, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants.  So had another good meal at one of the establishments.

I was going to stay another day, however, the weather was beginning to deteriorate, and I needed a place to settle in for Hurricane Sandy.  I decided Norfolk would be the place, so headed over to Tidewater Marine, fueled up and put on water, then got a dock space.  They were pretty full on the floating docks, but had plenty of space on the fixed docks, which was fine with me.  I wanted to know that what I tied NAVIGATOR to wasn’t going to float away.  So, with the wind building with gusts to 30 knots, I spent most of Friday, October 26th, and Saturday getting NAVIGATOR tied down and ready for the blow, along with keeping an eye on the weather reports.  I doubled up all lines, and, because the slip next to me was empty, added a couple of more lines to hold me in place that extended across the adjoining slip and were tied to that slips piling.  That worked great in holding me in the center of my slip.  Because the weather reports were beginning to say that the storm would stay out to sea and bypass the Hampton Road area (including Norfolk), I elected to keep the sails furled on the stays, and the mainsail furled in the mast.  I also left the canvas cockpit enclosure on, as it had already stood up to 50+ knots of wind in the Bahamas, and gusts were projected to be in that range.  Sunday and Monday, the wind did come, along with the tide.  Fortunately, the winds only blew 25-30 knots, with gusts to the mid 40s (probably around 50 mph).  The tides ran 4-5 feet above normal, which put about 2 foot of water over the docks at the marina.  I just hunkered down on NAVIGATOR and road out the storm.  If I needed to get about, I just had to slosh around in the water.  But there wasn’t much reason to go out, everything was closed, mostly due to a loss of power.  By Tuesday, the wind had died down to somewhat (15-25 knots), so I did an oil change on the main engine.  Also went out to dinner at a place called the Bier Garten, with authentic German Food, and it was good.  But time was passing, it was getting colder, and I needed to move on.

So, on Wednesday, October 31st, I was under way south to an anchorage just south of Coinjock, NC.  Went through a lock and then a bascule (lift) bridge.  I ended up here because I was concerned that downed trees had closed the Dismal Swamp route.  Besides, it was something different to try.  It was a pleasant trip, although long.  I didn’t get the anchor down until 6:30 pm, after the sun had set.  November 1 was spent going across Albemarle Sound, up the Alligator River, and through the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal, to the most desolate place on the trip south.  Absolutely no cell phone coverage.  What a peaceful night at this anchorage, but it was still cold.  I need to get south!  So, the next morning I headed NAVIGATOR south toward Oriental, and spent 2 days at a development/marina called River Dunes.  The first night, I took friends that I had met in Baltimore out to dinner as they were also staying there.  After giving them a send off for points south the next morning, I did laundry, one of the bugaboos about boating life.  Also took a long 4 mile walk to keep my doctors happy (can’t walk very far on the boat).  Also watched a wedding Saturday afternoon.

But it was time to get moving again, so on Sunday, November 4th, I headed out for an anchorage on the Marine Corps base, Camp Lejune, called Mile Hammock Bay to spend the night.  That is one of my long trips, 70 miles in one day.  But I made good time with the help of an incoming tide.  The anchorage was crowded, but quiet, it being Sunday.  No heavy equipment running around as on other visits to this anchorage.  Today I had a short day, only 40 miles from Mile Hammock Bay to Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Stopped at Wrightsville Beach Marina to pick up water and 52 gallons of diesel fuel for the engine before anchoring behind the marshes across from the oceanfront beach of Wrightsville Beach.  Should be a quiet night.  Then tomorrow it will be off the North and South Carolina where I will meet a friend from my previous work to have dinner with.  Then farther south toward Charleston to, hopefully, warmer weather.

I have attached some pictures I have taking so far, please enjoy.  The first is the sunset at Mile Hammock Bay, the second is of the boats in Mile Hammock Bay, the third is of one of the many swing bridges that NAVIGATOR must pass through on the way south, and the last is of the ramp the Marine Corps uses for launching its amphibious vehicles in Mile Hammock Bay.

Cliff Baker
S/V NAVIGATOR

After Sandy

Today I asked Cliff if he stayed safe and dry after riding out Superstorm Sandy in Norfolk.  He replied:

Safe and not so dry.  It poured here in Norfolk for three days.  The boat is
so humid, water is dripping off the metal parts of the ports and hatches,
making a mess of everything.  Need to get south where it is warmer!  I
should leave tomorrow (Wednesday) and head into North Carolina.

Navigator Braces for Sandy

As of this writing, Hurricane Sandy is heading up the East Coast.  Where is Cliff?  Here's what he reported today:

I am tied up in a marina in Norfolk, VA, at the bottom of the Chesapeake for
the duration of this storm.  We shall see what happens.  I am hoping it
stays out to sea until it passes Norfolk.  Then I can start to head south.

The Adventure Begins (Again)

The S/V NAVIGATOR and I have begun our annual trek down the Chesapeake then onward in the Intracoastal Waterway on our way to the Bahamas.  The trip started on Saturday, October 20, from the Corsica River, which is off the Chester River, down the Bay to the Rhode River, just south of Annapolis.  On Sunday we continued south in bright sunny weather to Solomons to spend a couple of days.  Today is also sunny, but I remain in the Solomons to do sum cleaning and continued stowing of the food and gear I am bringing south.  Fortunately, the bright sun heats things up on the boat, especially the cockpit, but it will cool off quickly when the sun goes down.  Can’t wait to get south for warmer weather.  I will head to Onancock tomorrow for a couple of days, then to Cape Charles for a day.  Then it will be time to head to Norfolk to begin the trip south through the Dismal Swamp.  Unfortunately, there is weather coming next weekend through Monday, so my departure from Norfolk will be delayed a couple of days, most likely until Tuesday.

I hope everyone reading this is having a great fall and enjoying the weather.  I will attempt to keep you abreast of my adventure at least once a week, so stay tuned.

Cliff Baker
S/V NAVIGATOR

Back Home Again

Cliff reports that he made it back to the Corsica River in Maryland on June 3.  He's getting the boat cleaned up, and them maybe he'll provide a final update on this year's trip.

Back in Maryland - But Not Home Quite Yet

Here's an update from Cliff:

I was being chased up the East Coast by Tropical Storm Beryl.  It is supposed to get windy this week, so I have holed up in a place called historic St. Mary's City, Maryland.  The only thing here is a small college, and I mean the only thing.  No grocery store, no bars, no
restaurants, no nothing but a quiet, protected anchorage.  Now we will wait
to see what the weather produces.

May 20 - North Carolina

My last update had me in Satellite Beach, FL visiting Rick and Clayton.  I was able to spend 6 days with them.  Did some bike riding to the beach, walking, swimming (in the pool as well as the ocean, sat in the sun, did some work on the boat, and the bottom of the boat cleaned, and generally had a great time.  Leaving them, I continued to St. Augustine, with an overnight stop in Daytona Beach.  I took a day off and did the sightseeing thing in St. Augustine, including the old town section and St. Augustine Winery for wine tasting and lunch.  While visiting Fort San Marcos I bought a senior citizens pass for $10.  The good news is this pass will allow me to get into tall the national parks and seashores free for the rest of my life, the bad news is it means I am getting old!  The following day I made my last stop in Florida, anchoring for the night in Fernandina Beach.  Then I had to tackle Georgia and all its shallow water. 

The dreaded Georgia Green Fly

In addition to the shallow water, Georgia was teaming with green flies, I counted 4 dozen I had killed and had fallen in the cockpit.  Plus there must have been another couple of dozen than I had already thrown overboard as I killed them.  All that in one day of motoring up the waterway.  Fortunately, I only had to spend 2 days transiting Georgia, but the flies were around for both days.  One night was spend near Cumberland Island on the South River, the other just south of Savannah in Thunderbolt, GA.  Once I got into South Carolina the flies pretty much disappeared, which was good.

The first stop in South Carolina was Beaufort.  After anchoring, I took the dinghy ashore, walked around town, stopped for wine and oysters, and had dinner.  I had hoped for another wine tasting, but the winery that was there in the fall must have gone out of business, because it was nowhere to be found.  Next stop was Charleston.  I spent an extra day in Charleston doing more sightseeing.  I had lunch in town and went to a museum, but was not feeling well, so went back to NAVIGATOR in the early afternoon and had dinner there.  It gave me time to rest up for the rest of the trip. 

South Carolina Intracoastal Waterway

The next day I left early, and got as far as Winyah Bay, spending the night on Minim Creek.  Next stop was and small anchorage behind Richmond Island on the Waccamaw River, which is across from Wachesaw Landing and Wacawache Marina.  A very quiet and secluded anchorage.  The last stop in South Carolina was the Lightkeeper’s Marina in Little River.  I have a friend from where I used to work you lives in the area, and I stop to see him when I go by.  He buys dinner on the trip south, I buy on the trip north.  I got tied up at the marina early, so we went wine tasting in the area.  Found two wineries, and ended up buying 5 bottles of wine.  The white are pretty good, and one winery had a nice, dry cabernet franc. 

Waterfront Homes near Isle of Palms, SC

The next night I spent anchored off Wrightsville Beach, NC after getting 54 gallons of diesel fuel to keep the engine happy.  It had been raining a lot over the past week, and today was no different, having to anchor in a shower.  It is good for sleeping though, listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the cabin roof.  The next night I anchored in a little cove on Camp Lejune, the Marine Corps base.  It is wonderful they allow boaters to use the cove as there is really no other place to anchor for a long stretch of the waterway here.  That afternoon, they were practicing the use of their small landing off the beach in the cove.  Morehead City was my next stop, staying at the Morehead City Yacht Basin Marina.  I got in late Friday afternoon, so did not walk around town, but I did go to my favorite restaurant in Morehead city, Floyd’s 1921.  A very good meal as usual.  The next morning it was blowing fairly hard (25-30 knots), so I decided to stay put for another day.  I did an oil change on the main engine, then went into town and walked around a boat show and art exhibit.  The boats were all small fishing boats with outboards, so sail boats, so that wasn’t all that interesting.  The art exhibit was interesting though.  I also had mussels and wine for lunch.

Today I left the marina, and headed toward Oriental, NC.  It was a relatively short and uneventful trip, so I thought I would take the opportunity to update everyone on what I have been doing and where I am currently located.  Just down the Neuse River from Oriental is Broad Creek.  I am anchored in Broad Creek in a quiet spot just upriver from a fancy marina associated with a planned community called River Dunes.  The creek banks are all lined with trees, making it a lovely spot to spend a quiet afternoon.  I should only have about 4 more nights in North Carolina before I reach Norfolk, VA, although I can easily stretch that to 5 nights if I spend 2 in Elizabeth City, which I usually do.  Well, now your are up to date on my happenings.  This year has been a wonderful adventure, particularly after my heart attack last winter.  I certainly am already looking forward to another trip next winter.  I am attaching some pictures of this portion of the trip.  I apologize for not taking more, but is a lot of work to run the boat, steer, be lookout, navigate, watch water depths, and all the other things required for a safe trip, I usually have little time for taking pictures.  What I need is a partner to help out with some of the duties, including taking pictures!

North Carolina and Beyond

Hi - Rick here,

Since Tropical Storm Alberto is brewing along the East Coast, I asked Cliff what progress he was making on his trip North.

Today he is in Morehead City, moving to the Oriental, North Carolina area.  He doesn't think the storm will effect him.  He thinks he'll be somewhere around Norfolk, VA if and when it comes anywhere near him.

www.Weather.com

Heading North (Again)

Here's an update:  Cliff left the Space Coast of Florida on Friday, heading up the Intracoastal Waterway toward Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.

Navigator Anchored in the Banana River

My Adventure Update #10

Barefoot Man

The Crowd at Nippers for Barefoot Man

Bruce and Noelle

Debra on the Great Guana Cay Tractor

S/V NAVIGATOR continues to winter well in the Abacos.  I have continued to visit the various cays of the Abacos, some several times.  My friends on S/V RIVERDANCE returned to the States beginning March 13.  I went with them to Treasure Cay to see them off.  We anchored together overnight, and then they headed for the passage around Whale Cay and continued north.  After they left, I went from Treasure Cay to Great Guana Cay to attend the Barefoot Man concert at Nipper’s Beach Bar and Grill.  I spent 3 nights anchored at Fisher’s Bay, which allowed easy access to Great Guana Cay.  I walked the beach and drank at the various bars after the first night.  After the second night the Barefoot Man concert was held.  He certainly wasn’t Jimmy Buffet, but he was bad either.  It was a nice entertaining afternoon.  The next day it was back to Marsh Harbor as I had to renew my Bahamas immigration paperwork the next day so I could stay another 60 days.

The middle of March was spent on boat maintenance and getting the boat ready for visitors.  Friends Bruce and Noelle came to visit for a week beginning on the 24th.  We went to Great Guana Cay for the bar hopping, and did some snorkeling on the reef off of Nipper’s.  The next stop was Hopetown on Elbow Cay.  We walked the town, took I the lighthouse (with its kerosene fired light), and had lunch on the ocean at the Hopetown Harbor Lodge.  From Elbow Cay we proceeded to Linyard Cay for some quiet time.  NAVIGATOR was the only boat in the anchorage.  We swam, walked the beaches and part of the cay.  The next day we had to return to Marsh Harbor as Bruce and Noelle had to leave the day after our return.  It was a very nice visit and hopefully they will be able to do it again next year.

Took another week to clean up the boat and get it ready for my last guest.  This included doing laundry and food shopping.  On April 11 my friend Debra arrived for several days.  The next day we went to Great Guana Cay after stopping at Mermaid Reef to do some snorkeling.  She was impressed with all the tropical fish there.  After the snorkeling at Mermaid Reef we continued on to Great Guana Cay and did the bar hopping thing with visits to Grabbers, Pirates Cover, and Nipper’s.  While at Nipper’s we snorkeled on the ocean reef off Nipper’s.  We then headed back to NAVIGATOR       for dinner.  The next day there was a light rain, but we went ashore anyway.  Made the round of the bars, and Debra bought souvenirs at Nipper’s before returning to the boat for dinner.  The next day we went to Elbow Cay to visit Hopetown.  Toured the town and the lighthouse.  Had ice cream on a very warm afternoon.  That night we went to dinner at a new restaurant called Firefly’s.  The food and service were very good.  Before returning to Marsh Harbor we swam off the boat then sunbathed on deck for a couple of hours.  The return to Marsh Harbor was uneventful.  We had curried lobster for dinner that evening on the boat.  She left the next day for the States.

Now I must think about the return to the States for myself. I filled up the boat with diesel and water, and began the to work my way north, first through the passage around Whale Cay, then a couple of days off Manjack Cay.  The weather turned bad (windy), so I moved to Green Turtle Cay and holed up for 3 days waiting for better weather.  On the 24th I departed Green Turtle Cay for Great Sale Cay and spent the night in the protected cover there.  The next day, Wednesday, NAVIGATOR and I went to the western edge of Little Bahamas Bank to anchor for the night at the edge of the Gulf Stream.  There was a little roll, but not too bad.  At 3:00 AM on April 26, I left the Bahamas for Ft. Pierce, FL.  I arrived at 2:00 PM and checked in with customs and immigration to make my return official.  It was sad to leave the Bahamas, but I am already looking forward to going back next year, and I want to definitely move farther south in the Bahamas to Eleuthera and the Exumas.

I now I will make my way up the Intracoastal Water (ICW).  After Ft. Pierce, my first stop was Vero Beach.  I arrived early enough that I was able to go ashore and walk to the ocean beach and have dinner.  From Vero Beach I went to Satellite Beach to visit with friends Rick and Clayton for a few days.  If you recall from previous Adventure Updates they had visited me in the Bahamas in late February.  Today we went into Melbourne to visit their sidewalk art festival.  Tomorrow we are going to the beach.

Fishers Bay

Cliff
S/V NAVIGATOR

Back in the USA

Proof that Cliff is here...

Hi, Rick here again.  I have confirmation that Cliff is back in the USA after his winter stay in the Bahamas. That confirmation is me having seen him yesterday. 

Navigator at anchor in the Banana River

 He crossed the Gulf Stream late last week to Fort Pierce, Florida, and headed up the Intracoastal Waterway to near us in Satellite Beach, Florida.  He's anchored in the Banana River here for a few days before heading on up North.  Maybe he'll post an update himself on what he's been doing, soon.

Waiting to head home

Hi, Rick here.  Just got an email from Cliff saying he was in Green Turtle Cay (the red arrow), waiting for the weather.  The earliest he can cross the Gulf Stream from the Bahamas to the U.S. is probably Thursday or Friday.

Marsh Harbour Update

S/V NAVIGATOR is wintering well in Marsh Harbor, Abacos, Bahamas.  The weather has been very nice this year.  Temperatures have remained in the mid and upper seventies during the day, with occasional eighties.  Wind has been mostly 10-15 miles per hour although occasionally we have gotten 20-25.  All and all, February was a good month.  A far cry from all the wind and cool temperatures we had the first year I came down (2009-2010).  That year the winds were mostly 20-25 with periods with winds as high as 40 gusting to 50.  So I have no complaints about the weather this year.

Marsh Harbour

I have had my friends on S/V RIVERDANCE over for dinner several times this month, and they have reciprocated.  There has been a rumor that we party too hard when we get together, but it has been fun.  John from RIVERDANCE and I went to one of the marinas to watch the Super Bowl.  It ended up being a very good game, especially as my team won.  Another night I went to dinner with the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club at a local restaurant called Jamie’s.  Finding a place to eat dinner for $15.00 is really difficult in the Bahamas, but we had a great meal.

I have spent a lot of time reading this year, along with occasional walks go keep up my heart’s strength.  I have also spent time in the various cays that make up the Abacos.  NAVIGATOR sailed to Great Guana Cay with RIVERDANCE and showed them the small settlement, with its 3 bars.  Had drinks at Nipper’s before returning to RIVERDANCE for dinner.  Then back to NAVIGATOR for sleep.  The next day we took bicycles ashore and toured the cay, at least as much as we could.

Fisher's Bay - Great Guana Cay

Nipper's Bar - Great Guana Cay

The southern part of the island is a private community and they would not let us in.  So we headed north until we ran into another private community called Baker’s Bay.  I knew they had a marina with a restaurant, so we told them we wanted to have lunch at the restaurant, and they let us in to tour the place.  As we had packed a lunch, we didn’t exactly eat at the restaurant, but in a pavilion near it.  Then we headed back to the boats.  It was a lot of riding for 3 out of shape people, but we made it back to the boats, and slept real well.

As RIVERDANCE had never been to Man-O-War Cay we headed that way the next morning.  On the way we stopped at Fowl Cay, and Bahamas National Park Area that is mostly reefs, to snorkel.  There were a good number of small, colorful fish and a fair amount of coral.  John from RIVERDANCE went with me and was kind enough to spot for me for safety, as he had when I snorkeled on Sandy Cay in January.  As a reward, I fed them a steak dinner that evening.  But before eating, we anchored off Man-O-War Cay and took the dinghy in to the settlement on that cay.  Walked around town, which was a little larger than the settlement on the larger island of Great Guana.  We checked out food stores, gift shops, shell shops, etc. before heading back to the boats.  The next day we headed back to Marsh Harbor as the winds were predicted to come up in strength within the next day or two.

We took the ferry back to Man-O-War Cay the next day, Saturday, to attend an island school fund raising event.  It was sort of a flea market, island style.  Purchased a piece of art, a painted wooden parakeet made by one of the high school students in art class, along with some baked goodies and paperback books.  Had lunch, and good time, before taking the afternoon ferry back to Marsh Harbor.

Then it was repair time.  Had a problem with the generator not running.  It was overheating due to a lack of water.  With the help of John from RIVERDANCE we replaced the water pump impeller, and refilled the water reservoir with antifreeze solution (at $35 per gallon, of which I used 1 pint.  Some things are rather expensive here).  The generator works again.  Guess I will have to keep a better eye on the water level.

One day RIVERDANCE rented a car and we all went out touring Great Abaco Island, at least the south end.  Stopped at several beaches along the coast facing the Atlantic Ocean.  Stopped in Sandy Point and had a fine lobster lunch at Nancy’s Seaside Inn, a really quaint place on the water.  Did more sightseeing on the way back north to Marsh Harbor

Spent the next several days cleaning NAVIGATOR in preparation for a visit by my friends Rick and Clayton from Satellite Beach, FL.  I had gone to college with Rick.  They flew in early Sunday afternoon and I picked them up in the dinghy and brought them out to NAVIGATOR.

We partied with drinks and appetizers, and I prepared them a Caribbean dinner of curried lobster and peas and rice.  They liked it enough that we continued to party after dinner.  The next day the wind was up again, 20-25 miles per hour, so we stayed in Marsh Harbor and went a shore to tour the town.  Had lunch at the local restaurant, Jamie’s, and again it was good.  Went back to NAVIGATOR and relaxed and had drinks in the afternoon, then a dinner of Cornish Game Hens.  Even played cards in the evening.  The next day, the winds dropped so we headed out for Great Guana Cay, and had a good sail to Fisher’s Bay.  Took the dinghy ashore, did a tour of the settlement, and went to the ocean shore to walk the beach.

Rick, Cliff, and Clayton at Nipper's Bar

We went swimming for a while, then moved to the reef off of Nipper’s and did some snorkeling.  They loved the small fish around the reef.  On the way back we stopped at Nipper’s and had a Nipper (their signature rum drink).  It was then back to NAVIGATOR for a dinner of Jambalaya and cheese cake.  The next day NAVIGATOR headed for Linyard Cay and an afternoon of swimming off NAVIGATOR in crystal clear water.  I could check on the anchor in 18 feet of water.  We met RIVERDANCE at Linyard Cay, and they invited us over for evening cocktails.  Clayton made guacamole to take over, and we all had a good time.  The next day we headed back to Marsh Harbor so they could catch a plane home on Friday.  On the way, we stopped a Mermaid Reef, near Marsh harbor, and did more snorkeling.  Here there are a lot of fish, and they were very impressed with the color and diversity.  The coral was a little subdued, but the fish made it like swimming in a fish tank.  After getting back to Marsh Harbor that evening, they took me out to a very nice restaurant called Curly Tails for a great dinner.

A Curly Tail Lizard

After dinner we went back to the boat and I baked brownies for desert.  I was sad to see them head off for home the next day, as they were great company.

Since then, it has been rather windy, mostly 15-25 and 20-30, with some gusts as high as 40.  The protection is good in Marsh Harbor, but it makes it hard to get out to the other cays as they do not have the protection of Marsh Harbor.  So I sit reading (and typing!) for a while until the wind calms down, and that could take a week or longer according to the forecast.  I have friends coming down from Maryland the last week in March, and hope the winds are calmer than right now.  They most likely will be, this long a run of wind is unusual.

Well, we are up to date with what has been going on in the Abacos.  I hope all my friends are doing well up north, I understand you have been having a relatively mild winter yourselves.  In the not too distant future I must begin thinking about heading backing north.  I will probably leave around mid to late April, depending on the weather for the Gulf Stream crossing.  Please stay in touch.  I will try to keep you updated a little more often.

Cliff
S/V NAVIGATOR

Mini-Update

Since Cliff has been less than forthcoming in updates for this blog, I thought I'd post what I know of his whereabouts:

He went to Great Guana Cay and Man-O-War Cay this past week.  He also did some snorkeling at Fowl Cay last week as the winds were calm and the ocean waves were down.  He saw fish and coral.

We're flying into Abaco next Sunday to spend a few days on the boat with Cliff, so we'll give you an update, and photos in about a week.

Rick.

Wintering in Marsh Harbour

S/V NAVIGATOR is still located in Marsh Harbor, and it looks like I will spend the winter here.  There are a lot worse places I could be (like Baltimore); the weather has been great, in the mid 70s everyday, sometimes in the upper 70s.  Today it is overcast and rainy, a very unusual occurrence.  If it has rained, it has usually been a quick shower and then the sun comes out, but not today, it has rained pretty consistently all morning and is forecast to keep it up this afternoon.  It was mostly cloudy yesterday, and I got caught in a downpour walking to an art fair put on as a fundraiser for the Bahamas National Trust, the people that over the parks in and around the Abacos.  Seeing as the weather is not conducive to walking around Marsh Harbor today, I thought I would bring you up to date on what I have been doing.

I have visited several of the outlying cays in the Abacos, including Linyard Cay, Sandy Cay, Talloo Cay, and Elbow Cay, most of them more than once.  I have done some snorkeling at Sandy Cay and Great Abaco Island.  The fish, tough small, are really beautiful, all kinds of colors and shapes.  The coral doesn’t appear as bright as I remember from 2 years ago, but that might be because the weather was partly cloudy and not as bright as it could have been.  I visited Hopetown, on Elbow Cay, on a trip I made with friends on RIVERDANCE and had a good time there.  It is a quaint little town with pastel color houses and businesses.  Linyard Cay is essentially uninhabited, so is wonderfully quiet and a great place to relax.  Sandy Cay has a nice natural reef, which is nice for snorkeling if the weather is quiet (meaning little wind).  If the seas are up in the Atlantic, they roll in to Sandy Cay through a cut between cays and make it too rough to snorkel.  The happened the first time I went to Linyard and Sandy Cays, but the second time it was nice and peaceful so I had a good time swimming with the fish.  It reminds me of a tropical fish tank, on a really large scale of course.

In Marsh Harbor I am trying to keep up my cardiovascular rehab by continuing to walk, but I don’t do it every day, more like 3 or 4 days a week (on a good week!).  I walk around the town of Marsh Harbor doing shopping for fresh groceries, maybe some rum, and just sightseeing.  Friday evening and Saturday I went to the Bahamas National Trust Arts for the Parks show held in Marsh Harbor.  They had showings by local, Bahamian artists.  I picked up a couple of small prints while there.  I’ll frame them this summer and hang them in the boat.

I have been doing maintenance on NAVIGATOR as needed.  Things like cleaning (which is never ending), finishing the installation of a new alternator on the engine, and other small repairs as needed.  It gives me something to do, but is no overwhelming (so far).

I am having two friends from Florida over to the Abacos the last week on February, and a couple from Maryland down sometime in March.  If anyone else is interested in coming down for a visit, let me know and I will see if we can arrange a suitable date.  Popular airlines are charging about $1000 round trip, but if you don’t mind traveling Air Tran Airways and Bahamas Air, you can do quite a bit better than that.  Air Tran flies from Baltimore Washington International Airport to Nassau, and Bahamas Air from Nassau to Marsh Harbor.  Connections aren’t great, but it is a lot cheaper.

If anything really exciting comes up, I will let you know in my next update.  I hope everyone is having as great a winter as I am.  Stay in touch.

Cliff Baker
S/V NAVIGATOR