svbeachhouse

Author: kerri

  • Leaving Cuba and on to Mexico – Part 1…..

    February 18th – 24th, 2015 (-5 UTC)

    Dear Friends and Family,

    We departed Havana on the 15th of February for the anticipated two day sail to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The Gulf Stream is the dominant feature and it would definitely let us know it was still here on our last day before we arrived in Mexico.

    The first day, we motored for awhile and were then able to set sail with winds from the Southeast. We had nice protection from the land and were zipping along. We passed the famous harbor at Mariel where the Cuban boat lift departed from in 1980. This is where thousands of Cubans were let out of the country and Jimmy Carter welcomed them with open arms. They didn\’t really expect as many people to depart as ultimately did, but you can get the full story here:
    Mariel Boat Lift 1980 – Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariel_boatlift

    As we approached the West End of Cuba, a milestone was reached. \”Beach House\” had sailed around the world via longitude within the tropics. These milestones for me are still  bittersweet and I suppose they always will be. I still often \”see\” Cindy standing where she always used to stand on the scuba cockpit hatch in her white visor, long sleeve blue sun shirt, white muslin pants and sandals. She doesn\’t appear to me as often as she used to, but she did on this day.

    According to our calculations, we should have been off Isla Mujeres, Mexico (near Cancun) by around 9 p.m. on the 17th of February. However, we were really feeling the teeth of the Gulf Stream. Essentially, the Gulf Stream is part of the enormous clockwise current circulation of the Atlantic Ocean. It is actually an offshoot of the greater North Atlantic \”gyre\” that gets compressed into the Western Caribbean, wanders through the Gulf of Mexico as \”the loop current\” and again blasts off the Florida Keys, up the US East Coast and across the North Atlantic to the British Isles . Two areas are of particular strength. One is off Florida\’s Southeast coast and the other is where it essentially begins in the Yucatan Channel between Cuba and mainland Mexico. At this time of year, it\’s supposed to be slower – around 1.5-2 knots, moving south to north – but we started experiencing speeds of 3.5-3.8 knots!

    Now imagine that were going around 7 knots and you can quickly see that we were often going less than 4 knots over the bottom. This really slowed us down and worse, the wind angle changed from ESE, then South, then finally to the  WSW. This additionally slowed us down and we arrived 8 hours after we had thought we would. In addition, this made for a somewhat uncomfortable ride as we were plunging into 1-2 meter swells, current and wind against us. In some regards, it worked out okay as we were delayed till a few hours before daylight which would make a safer entry into the shallows of Isla Mujeres. Isla Mujeres means \”The Island of the Women\”.   See this page for how it was named:   Isla Mujeres: http://www.isla-mujeres.net/history.htm

    \"Welcome
     Welcome to Isla Mujeres – The Island of the Women

    Welcome to Isla Mujeres – The Island of the Women

    \"Nikki
    Nikki on the beach at Isla Mujeres

    Another factor was the \”Cruise Ship Tango\”. We passed several cruise ships all buzzing around the north side of Isla Mujeres en route to Cozumel which has become a cruise ship heaven….of sorts.  Cozumel which is a true scuba diving destination is now inundated with 4-6 cruise ships per day, six days a week.  It ain\’t what it used to be and I have no idea what the appeal is to the tourists as there isn\’t much to do there but dive!

    Dodging the behemoths (doing the tango!), is always a bit challenging and stressful, but we do have experience at this sort of thing. You can imagine us, cold, wet and rained on at 4 am in a squall listening to Disney Music (think It\’s a Small World) emanating from the speakers of a 950 foot Disney Cruise Liner! 4am, really?

    At first light, we entered the long shallow reef on the north side of Isla Mujeres (only a few miles east of Cancun) and went through the islands\’ canal into a sort of inner lake where we anchored and the finally tied up at the dock at Puerto Isla Mujeres Marina. Though I\’d been to Cancun in 1996, I wasn\’t really prepared for how much the area had grown. I might add….not for the better.

    \"This
    This is the canal from the outer anchorage into the inner lagoon which is very well protected and where we stayed at Puerto Isla Mujeres Marina

    I\’d not been to Isla Mujeres before, so Nikki and I walked into town which had all the usual tourist \”chachki\” traps and what turned out to be some nice restaurants. We stopped at Bahia Tortuga, a boutique hotel, bar and small marina. Friend Karen Derrick had been here with family last year and it was owned by a friend of hers from Sonoma, but unfortunately she was in the US so we didn\’t get to meet here.. After dinner, we taxied back to the boat and planned our next day to take the ferry over to Cancun for a \”recky\” (that\’s reconnaissance in OZ speak…:-))

    \"This
    This ferry runs every half hour from about 6 am to 11pm daily! Cost was about 15.00 USD each way pp

    Culture shock was the order of the day. In 1996, Cancun was a place with perhaps 10 large hotels, a remote small town and what would look like the best of Miami Beach with sugar white sand beaches all widely spread out. Today, it makes Miami look like a quiet little hideaway. The overcrowding is amazing, the town is 100 times the size it was 19 years ago. The traffic was awful and there was a hodgepodge of old and US Mall \”new\”. It completely caters to the fly in tourist and now the ubiquitous cruise ships. In short, for me it had lost it\’s charm irredeemably. Yet another unfortunate feature was the ever present Saragossa Weed. This \”seaweed\” grows in the mid Atlantic in the Saragossa Sea, and due to what seems the recent COOLING of the Atlantic Ocean (the past two years), the weed is dying off and has washed up on virtually every beach across the Caribbean. Notably, the cooling temperatures have also decreased the amount and intensity of the last two Atlantic Hurricane seasons. This phenomenon is well documented and if you google \”Saragossa Weed\” you can read all about it.

    \"The
    The ever present \”Sargasso Weed\” has inundated every beach in the entire Caribbean in 2015

    We did find a nice market and along the way met a taxi driver who we hired to meet us the next morning for our day trip to the famous Mayan Ruins at Chichen Itza in the central Yucatan Peninsula. The Ferry runs every 1/2 hour from Cancun to Isla Mujeres and that made for an easy return. We went to a lovely restaurant and would be off on our junket the next morning.

    We returned at 8 a.m. to the Cancun side and met our driver, Jorge. Jorge didn\’t speak very much English, but had made the drive before. We\’d take the toll road which added to our costs (about 35.00 USD each way!); the drive was about 3 hours, the road was very straight and in excellent shape. When we arrived at Chichen Itza, we were in luck (good planning) and we\’d beat the endless line of tour busses that were sure to be close behind. We hired an English speaking guide (wearing an LA Dodgers baseball cap) and were off.

    \"Chicen
    Chicen Itza Gate. We arrived early enough to beat the big crowds that followed

    I\’d been to Chichen Itza 19 years earlier and was interested to see it again. This of course would be Nikki\’s first trip. The area is actually quite immense, but due to lack of funding only a small part of it is excavated. It is thought best by the archeologists not too uncover areas until funds exist to preserve and maintain them. To this end, you can no longer climb the structures including the main pyramid known as \”The Citidal\”. I was able to climb this with Cindy in 1996. They stopped allowing the public to climb on them in 2007.

    \"Nikki
    Nikki and Scott at \”The Citadel\”. This was the main temple structure of Chichen Itza and where many human sacrifices occurred at the top platform.
    \"The
    The Serpent shows up at the equinoxes in March and September and appears to be slithering down the stepped pyramid on the left. Click on the You Tube video URL I\’ve provided to see it in action.
    \"Sacrificial
    Sacrificial Altar. This is where the sacrificed victims heart was placed for all to see.
    \"Ball
    Ball Court: You can see the \”hoop\” vertically mounted on the wall. The opposite wall is a mirror image. Two teams would compete while royalty watched from the distant pedestal. It is unclear if the winner or the loser\’s team captain was then sacrificed. Currently, they think it was an honor the winner was pleased to oblige!….

    Often it would beat for several minutes. No thanks, sounds a bit too much like current events to me.

    The Citidal Pyramid is noted for how the Mayans knowledge of the stars and calendar worked. It\’s also where under Toltec influence, the Mayan civilization turned to every increasing human sacrifices. These were performed at the top of the pyramid by the elite\’s Priests. They were so precise in the orientation of this pyramid that on Spring and Fall Equinoxes , the \”serpent\” could be seen (his shadow) all along the edge of the structure as if were were climbing along the wall. This is pretty astounding and you can imagine that around March 21st and September 21st of each year, the crowds flock here to see this phenomenon.

    Chichin Itza – Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza

    You Tube Video: Watch the Serpent appear at the Equinox!: http://youtu.be/66ewEFbPCKg

    Nikki\’s favorite was the \”Observatory\”.  It is here that the Mayan mathematicians worked out the true 365 day calendar  and oriented the building to key celestial passages and events.  This is why is does not appear to be symmetrically placed on it\’s platform which faces the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west.

    \"Nikki
    Nikki at the \”Observatory\”
    \"Note
    Note the asymmetry of the observatory to it\’s platform

    It was a long day with a 3 hours ride each way, but very well worth it and a highlight of our time in the Cancun and Isla Mujeres.

    \"German
    German \”Tall Ship\” with Cancun in the background – departing Isla Mujeres
    \"Farewell
    Farewell Cancun – High Density tourism at it\’s finest….?

    Every season, we somehow find a \”buddy boat\”. A buddy boat is another cruising boat who you more or less tag along with. We never know who it will be or if we\’ll even find one (though we have every season!). When we were nearing our departure from Isla Mujeres, we met Dennis and Lizette of s/v \”Windward\”, a Norseman 447. This is the same type of boat that our friends Dave and Kathie have whom we met in the mid Indian Ocean in 2012. They became our \”buddy boat\” that year and Ron and Kathleen of s/v \”Lady Amelie\” (sister ship Switch 51) were last season. We would both be departing for Puerto Morelos the next day and it\’s what Humphrey Bogart said in \”Casablanca\”…..\”Louis, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship\”….:-)

    Stay tuned for our second Mexican Blog….I\’ll try to get it out in a few days!
    KIT,
    Scott and Nikki (written from Barefoot Cay Marina, Roatan – The Bay of Islands, Honduras)

  • Milestones….Circumnavigation by Longitude

    AIRMAIL YOTREPS
    IDENT: N6ABC
    TIME: 2015/02/17 12:08
    LATITUDE: 22-25.01N
    LONGITUDE: 084-41.59W
    COURSE: 240T
    SPEED: 9.0
    COMMENT: Beach House Milestones…..EnRoute-Isla Mujeres, Mexico

    One of the more well founded metrics for a circumnavigation is crossing the longitude of which you began while
    remaining mostly in the tropics. As of about 20 minutes ago at 084 degrees 40.7 minutes West, we were 795 miles due north
    of Bahia Herradura on the WEST COAST of Central America. That is where Cindy and I left Central America on the 21 of April, 2009.

    It\’s taken awhile and we\’ll have at least two more \”country to country\” circmnavigation milestones. First will be tomorrow when we arrive in
    Mexico and next will be at the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. At that point, we\’ll only be 150 miles from where we were on the West Coast of Guatemala.

    The crossing so far is flat seas and currently (pardon the pun) we\’re getting a 2.8 knot PUSH across the Yucatan Channel which we are just entering.
    It won\’t last! ETA around midnight.
    We\’ll keep you posted!
    KIT,
    Scott and Nikki

  • TITSNBN – Havana, Cuba Part 2…..

    February 12th-16th, 2015 (-5 on UTC)

    Dear Friends and Family,

    We arrived in Havana\’s \”Marina Hemingway\” after an 85 mile journey from Cayo Blanco – the end of the Varadaro Peninsula.
    We checked in at the Customs and Immigration Dock where the boat was again inspected; this time with a dog. The dog was a cute little beagle, who I was convinced was nothing more than the guys house pet. There was a little \”mordida\”(bribes) here. For now, I\’ll just leave it at that. We did not experience this at Marina Gaviota.

    The next day, we met a nice young couple, Dani and Tate from Louisiana. They had recently left the US for a planned 5 year circumnavigation on a Westsail 32 – s/v \”Sundowner\”. They were young and tough and will have quite the adventure by the time their 5 year plan is complete.

    \"Dani
    Dani and Tate\’s s/v \”Sundowner\” on the first leg of a world tour Speaking of Americans…

    There were at least 15 and perhaps 25 US registered vessels here. Technically, we\’re not supposed to visit Cuba of course, but again, as I had need of some mechanical assistance, that takes precedence when sailing a small boat on the big sea. Speaking of which, we were again told about the wonderful mechanics who would be down \”any time\”. We asked when, as we sure didn\’t want to just sit and wait. Of course you know the answer?!….\”Manana Senor\”….:-)

    We quickly surmised this may be a replay of our experience in Marina Gaviota. In short…it was.

    As we were waiting for \”Guidot\”, we found a nice reference for a day tour of Havana with a young guide who spoke perfect English and would be escorting us in his
    associates 1952 Chevy! We were met at Marina Hemingway and began our tour with our guide Ricardo telling us lots about the general history of Cuba. One of the first buildings we passed was what he called, \”The ugliest building in all of Havana. Can you guess what it is?\”. I already knew….it was the Russian Embassy and indeed, unattractive was an understatement, it resembled the Lego man crumpled up and on steroids. We were on embassy row where all the old colonial homes were the embassies of one country or another. The US doesn\’t have an embassy, but rather an \”interests section\”. This is kept on the Malecon (waterfront) downtown away from all the other embassies. This \”interest section\” had been in Havana since just after the Castro revolution in 1958.

    \"El
    El Moro Military Fortress – The cities main defense in years gone by

    We went down the Malecon where the Military Morro fortress across the way could be seen with the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana (commonly called La Cabana) fortress just inland. The La Cabana Fort was Che Guevara\’s domain just after the revolution and at least a few thousand Cuban\’s were executed here. This little fact was not on the tour….

    For some interesting reading on the USA\’s relations with Cuba since the revolution, see:
    \”Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana\” by William LeoGrande and Peter Kornbluh
    This is a rather favorable tome as far as Fidel Castro\’s relationship is concerned. It shows the convoluted nature of the entire relationship between the two nations.

    If interested in Che Guevara: \”Exposing the Real Che Guevara: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him\” by Humberto Fontova
    Mr. Fontova and his family were exiled from Cuba after the revolution. He very well documents with first person interviews his take on all things Che.
    He additionally writes a book on Fidel Castro: \”Fidel: Hollywood\’s Favorite Tyrant\”.

    Another book on Che which is far more favorable to his legacy is: \”Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life\” by Jon Lee Anderson.
    This book is quite long and uses mostly sources from Castro\’s Cuba.

    As to which slant you believe…read them and you decide.

    \"La
    La Cabana Fortress where Che Guevara oversaw the executions of anti revolutionary Cubans
    \"Che\'s
    Che\’s image is on the \”Ministry of the Interior\” building. Some call it the secret police building. Che was Cuba\’s first \”Minister of the Interior\” under Catro\’s Revolution.

    The Military Morro fort on the point was used to protect Havana from raiders, pirates and other nations fleets till the Spanish American War, where it was obvious it had, like most of these forts, been made obsolete by technology. This was the harbor where the USS Maine blew up, beginning the Spanish American War. It\’s still quite controversial how the Maine met it\’s demise. Some say it was the Spanish, some an accident and some even suggest (which I\’m sure is poppycock), that the US blew it up to have a causus belli to start the war. The evidence removed and not properly preserved or investigated; we\’ll never know.

    \"Obispo
    Obispo Street is the happening tourist mecca in Old Havana. The Capitol Building is in the distance under going renovations.

    Next we stopped to do a walking tour of the old city which centers upon Obispo Street. Obispo Street has been extensively rebuilt as an important tourist destination. The streets just to each side of it look like slums. There is a big renovation plan to include them as well as the city center where the Capitol Building is. Ironically, it\’s design was inspired by the US Capitol and like the US Capitol today which has scaffolding all around it for renovations, the Cuban Capitol Building does too!

    \"Tourism
    Tourism is very big in Cuba, most especially Havana. Many of these busses were here for the day trip to Havana from the Varadero Peninsula

    One of the first attractions we saw was the United Buddy Bears exhibit the Plaza de San Francisco.  This is a touring exhibit, co-sponsored by the United Nations and private donors to promote tolerance amongst the peoples of the world. The Cuba Bear was an attraction, but no bear had a bigger line for families to pose for photos than, you guessed it…The USA Bear.

    \"Unite
    United  Buddy Bears – a UN/Private Donation sponsored touring event to promote understanding between the nations.
    \"Without
    Without question, the lines were by far the longest for the locals to get their picture taken with the USA – Statue of Liberty Bear
    \"Nikki
    Nikki supported her UK roots by posing with the UK Bear
    \"And
    And of course, no photo op would have been complete without Nikki posing with Austraila Bear!

    After our experience with bears, we went to see the beautiful old Cathedral de San Cristobal de La Habana. It\’s known for it\’s uneven, non symmetrical towers. It took so long for the Jesuits to build it, that the design changed during construction. Christopher Columbus was interned here from 1795 until 1898 when his remains were moved to Seville, Spain.

    \"This
    This Cathedral was the site of Columbus\’ last internment before he was finally moved to Seville, Spain in the late 1800\’s

    Our next stop was the Plaza de Armas (Plaza of Arms) where the Hotel Isabel is located. Many US dignitaries including President Jimmy Carter stayed here.
    The next stop was the Hotel Raquel which was built by Jews living in Havana. It has gorgeous stain glass arch windows and wrought iron elevator (lift) right out of the 1930\’s.

    \"Ricardo
    Ricardo and Scott at \”The Raquel\”. This hotel is connected to the still existing Jewish Community of Havana. There are beautiful stain glass ceilings inside. Note the Mezuzah above Scott\’s arm on the door post

    Next we went to the Hotel Ambos Mundos (Two Worlds – old and new). This was made famous by Ernest Hemingway who stayed here for months at a time in the same 5th floor room. He wrote a \”Farewell to Arms\” and the \”Green Fields of Africa\” – standing at his typewriter (due to a back injury suffered while an ambulance driver in the Spanish Civil war in Spain). Also decorating his 5th floor room (now closed and used as a museum) were several of the telegrams he received while here congratulating him on his Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. This hotel also has a lovely roof top bar where much of the old city can be seen and an open wrought iron elevator (lift) that is old enough that even Hemingway used.

    \"Hemingways
    Hemingways private room at the Ambos Mundos Hotel. Today it is a museum to his memory
    \"The
    The museums guide showing us the model of his beloved fishing boat, \”Pilar\” as well as the original telegrams in the frames congratulating Hemingway on his 1954 Nobel Prize for literature. \”Pilar\” is now located at the Hemingway \”Finca\” (residence). It is being restored as part of the Hemingway Museum. \”Pillar\” was the nickname of Hemingway\’s wife, Pauline.

    We then returned to our \”ride\”. A 1952 Chevy Bel Air. Remy was our driver and told us that he inherited the car from his Dad. The engine had been replaced and now has a Nissan diesel in it. I asked him how many miles it had on it? He said, \”The odometer broke at 287,000\”. I asked how long ago that was? He said, \”About 25 years ago\”. He said he really didn\’t know how many miles it has on it.

    \"Cool...a
    Cool…a real live 1952 Chevy Bel Air
    \"Scott,
    Scott, Ricardo and Remy hanging out with Remy\’s 52\’ Chevy man….:-)

    We then went to a nice lunch at a local Palador (private home) which serves as restaurant and residence to the owners. Capitalism is slowly creeping into Cuban life. Some reforms have been instituted which allow small private business to flourish, paying certain license fees and taxes to the government. This is an exciting prospect for many Cubans which allow them to supplement their income.

    Health care is free, but as Orwell said, \”not all animals are created equal\”. The elite and tourists get quick and very good treatment. Locals…not so much.
    They may have to wait prohibitively long periods of time and the facilities are not the ones seen in the Potemkin Village Hollywood films as pictured by Michael Moore.

    Cubans receive a ration card each month. They generally say it works out to about 2 weeks/month of basic needs in terms of food. The Cubans all have other means of supplementing their incomes as it\’s necessary to do so to meet their daily needs. Like all places, some people are doing pretty well while others (many) aren\’t. The rural areas are truly subsistence livelihoods while some in the big cities are doing okay. Our young guide Ricardo, is very optimistic as he says, all of Cuba is about the prospect of normalized relations with the US and ending the embargo. My distinct impression (and mind you), not everyone can say out loud – is that once Fidel and Raoul have passed on, the next generation of leaders will really make big positive changes.

    After all this sight seeing, it was time for a visit to the very up market, \”Hotel Nacional\” for a Mojito. The National was built by Mafiosa Boss, Meyer Lansky as his Cuban retreat. Apparently, the mob bosses including Al Capone would meet here to discuss, \”business\”. Cuba became the center of Casino Gambling and of course Rum Running during Prohibition. The Hotel is beautiful and commands one of the best views of the Malecon and Havana Harbor. Another refreshing feature was that we had one of the two best Mojitos ever. Mojito means, \”the little moistener\” and was apparently Ernest Hemingway\’s drink of choice.

    \"Hotel
    Hotel Nacional – built by Meyer Lansky. A favorite hangout for the Mafia in the 1930\’s.
    \"Scott,
    Scott, Nikki and Ricardo enjoying a fabulous Mojito – take note Ron!!!…:-)

    Our last stop on the way back to the Hemingway Marina was at Cuban artist, Fustero\’s home. He has developed a niche mosaic as well as modern impressionist painting style. He has a great deal of latitude in his travels and has made a substantial income from selling his art world wide.
    The street he lives on is lined with mosaic art and is a must visit while touring Havana.

    \"The
    The artist, \”Fuseros\” home. It\’s a living museum to his art. The entire neighborhood around his home are done in mosaic tile art work.

    As we realized \”yet again\” that we were waiting for the Cuban equivalent of \”Guidot\” for mechanical assistance, we decided that we would leave the next morning and head directly to Isla Mujeres, Mexico (our original intended destination). The cute beagle was back, small \”mordida\” yet again extracted. Our trip would be two days and two nights.

    \"Goodbye
    Goodbye Havana! – Exiting Marina Hemingway. Once knows as Marina Monte Carlo, Fidel Castro renamed in the author\’s honor after his death. They met only once.
    \"Tug
    Tug departing Mariel. This is the harbor where in 1980, the \”Mariel Boat Lift\” authorized by President Carter saw over 80,00 Cubans depart for the USA

    Next stop, Isla Mujeres (The Island of the Women) and glitzy Cancun, Mexico.

    Stay tuned!
    Scott and Nikki (written at Cay Caulker, Belize

  • Position Report – Cayo Blanco

    AIRMAIL YOTREPS
    IDENT: N6ABC
    TIME: 2015/02/11 21:55
    LATITUDE: 23-12.07N
    LONGITUDE: 081-02.14W
    COMMENT: Beach House -ANCHORED- Cayo Blanco – Havana tomorrow.

    We\’ll update everyone soon in a couple of blogs. So far, we were told we could get some assistance
    in Marina Varadaro, but we are definitely in the land of \”Manana\”. As such, we\’ll move on to Marina
    Hemingway just west of Havana to see if the big city can assist us with our needs. Again, no worries.
    Just want to take care of everything before moving west to Mexico if possible.

    Lots to tell…..:-)
    Remember, we have NO internet but we can be reached on email directly.
    We get the FB notices of post, but can\’t view them till internet happens.
    KIT,
    Scott and Nikki

  • Bahamas to TITSNBN…..as it turns out:-)

    February 3rd – February 5th, 2015 (-5 on UTC)

    Dear Friends and Family, (Written from Isla Mujeres, Mexico – February 23rd, 2015)

    So right up front I’ll tell you that TITSNBN stands for, “That Island That Shall Not Be Named”….Hint: It starts with a C has a U, B and ends in A….more on that as the blog progresses!

    We decided to go “The Adventure Route” toward Mexico as to do otherwise from the Bahamas left us in a sort of a, “You can’t get there from here” situation. The reefs of the Southern Bahamas are very wide and shallow with lots of obstructions that make traversing them at night – not such a good idea.

    As such, we decided to go down the West side of Andros Island. It is far and away the largest of the Bahamas and one of the least populated. It has no really good anchorages and is essentially a 100 mile long mangrove swamp with shallows extending out for several miles to the West. It does have appeal to bone fisherman, serious nature observers, biologists and in a few places – adventure diving.

    We departed Chubb Cay and had to take a circuitous route to the West before finally heading back south and East to what would be our first anchorage at the bigger of the two Cross Cays near the Northwest end of Andros Island. The charts showed very shallow depths over the Great Bahama Bank and once or twice, we saw water as shallow as 5 feet! Nikki has on her IPad, the same navigation charts we use on our main system and hers have the “bathyspheric contours” at high zoom levels. I can download these for the main system and will do so IF we ever get good enough internet.

    \"Nikki\'s
    Nikki\’s IPAD had the additional Sonar readings which were a great help when entering and finding an anchor spot. Without these contours, we just saw a few isolated \”spot soundings\”. Our anchorage is where the Green Fish Icon is. The rock reef you see was a quarter mile wide. Depths are in feet!

    The contours were very helpful in seeing where we could access a good anchorage site with good wind protection, but not in TOO shallow an anchorage. We anchored in the southern lee of Big Cross Cay and had a very pleasant night. The next day, we looked at going to Billie Island, about 1/2 way down the West side of Andros, As we looked ahead at the weather, it was go now, or sit for 3-4 days. So off we went on the 110 mile trip toward Anguilla Cay on the Cay Sal Bank which is part of the Bahamas.

    The weather issue this season has been the US Cold Fronts. They have been stronger and more frequent than usual. If you’re wondering….this does not have anything to do with “climate change”. The good news was that our plan of crossing the Gulf Stream right up front when we went to the Bahamas would now pay off. We had light winds first from the North, then the East and as we broke free of the Great Bahama Bank at 8pm had very good sailing weather from the East which found us on a port tack beam reach. Going to Anguilla Cay was always a case of, “if the weather allows” plan as well as Cay Sal. There is a triangular bank south of Florida, north of Cuba and West of Andros with lots of very small islands. In good weather it would have been lots of fun, but the weather wasn’t with us. As such, we were abeam of Anguilla Cay at mid night and then were able to head due west with the winds constantly shifting toward the South. We got around “the corner, just in time.

    We now had a choice. Press on 3-4 days to Isla Mujeres in Mexico or go into Cuba at Varadero. Given that the weather was not favorable to sit on the Cay Sal Bank anywhere and that we had some nagging boat issues, we decided to head into Varadaro, Cuba, one of Cuba’s 7 International Ports of Entry.

    We had a fuel leak in our generator which caused a noxious smell and was a potential fire hazard. We had an engine “kill” switch that wouldn’t work requiring me to manually shut the port engine down every time we wanted it to stop and finally, the port engine’s oil pressure gauge was a bit on the fritz. It often read dangerously low, too low, despite my finding no leaks and checking the oil level. The oil however does drop about a 1/2 a quart every 24 hours which is a bit of a mystery. It may be what is called “blow by” where the cooling oil get around the rings of the cylinders and is burned up with the fuel. We use a very low viscosity synthetic oil and this could be why this is happening?

    Anyway, discretion is the better part of valor as my Mother used to say, so we decided to see if we could get some help with the issues in Varadaro. As such, we decided to announce and declare a \”Pan Pan\” situation. \”Pan Pan\” is a French term used in the maritime world to give notification that certain issues may be developing that need to be dealt with. It is advisory in nature and not a call for help as \”Mayday\” would be. We certainly had no immediate danger.

    We arrived about 2 miles from Varadaro (north coast of Cuba – 85 miles East of Havana) when finally I was able to hail a port authority. He told me that I could not enter as Varadaro was now closed to International Boats. Why? We would learn soon! We had to turn around and bash back through the building Northerly wind and swell for 15 miles. Two hours prior, we were just off Marina Gaviota which is at the end of the Varadaro Peninsula. We were being “observed” and given some directions to the outer buoy at the bay. We could easily see on the charts where we were supposed to go and followed a big tug into the bay. Of note, we saw at least 8 miles of what seemed to be big hotels with lots of tourists on the beaches – kite boarders, Windsurfers and Hobie cats. Just like any other tourist island in the Caribbean.

    \"Nikki
    Nikki getting our dock lines and fenders out just before the Northerly cold front hit as we entered the inner harbor at Marina Gaviota, Cuba.

    After our big bumpy ride back to Marina Gaviota, a big rain storm hit and visibility inside the bay went to zero. We had plenty of sea room, so I just stopped and waited for it to go away. This was the front, we came in here to duck. When we got to Customs Dock, it was blowing 20+knots and keeping us from easily docking as the wind blew at us directly from the beam. The young guy helping us turned out to be the Customs Officer and finally he and Nikki were able to handle the lines and we could pull ourselves in. A Canadian boat in front of us came to assist with the lines, but our Customs Officer did not want them to help. We assumed due to liability should any of them get hurt?

    Once tied up, Sr. Fromida came aboard as well as Tomas, the Dock Master. They were very formal, very professional and very official. Both spoke quite good English. When were were about 1/2 way from Marina Darsena (Varadaro) back to Marina Gaviota, we were hailed in pretty good English to assist us in getting in ahead of the frontal weather. It turns out, that was Sr. Fromida. He turned out to be great guy and was very helpful.

    Customs in Cuba for boats is open 24hrs/day. Sr. Fromida did indeed do a thorough inspection of \”Beach House\” and helped us dutifully fill out all the proper forms. Tomas came aboard and was also very nice and a great professional. He gave us the Harbor fees, etc. Shortly thereafter, the Health Inspector came aboard. They’re big concern (or so they said), was people carrying Ebola! It turns out the stated reason for not being able to enter at Marina Darsena in Varadaro was that, “their incinerator for international garbage” doesn’t get hot enough. More on this in our next blog! We think that that was not the real reason….:-) After taking our temperatures and asking if we had any recent fevers, etc., the Dr. said he would return every day for four days to observe our health. We never saw him again…….

    Next is our stay in Cuba (AKA: TITSNBN)…..

    Stand by, Scott and Nikki

  • Postion Report – En Route Anguilla Cay

    AIRMAIL YOTREPS
    IDENT: N6ABC
    TIME: 2015/02/04 17:28
    LATITUDE: 24-41.49N
    LONGITUDE: 078-34.21W
    COURSE: 213T
    SPEED: 7.6
    COMMENT: Beach House – ABEAM Biliie Island – En Route Anguilla Cay – Cay Sal Bank

    We decided to press on as the weather looks good now, but deteriorates in a couple of days.
    We will arrive at Anguilla Cay on the Cay Sal Bank tomorrow, early a.m.

    It\’s flat calm out here on the Great Bahama Bank…so with flat seas and winds expected to arrive on the beam before
    dark, we press on… Very strange to see the sea foam green of the shallow water. We\’ll travel a 100 miles in waters less than 10 feet deep!
    If it was 10 feet shallower. This would be the world\’s largest beach!
    KIT,
    Scott and Nikki

  • Eleuthra – The Bahamas Part II and The Adventure Route…..

    February 2nd, 2015 – Continued (-5 on UTC)

    Dear Friends and Family,

    On Friday, in the midst of my marine procuring expedition, we decided to take the \”Bo Hengy II\”, the local ferry that comes from Nassau everyday and continues on to Harbour Island which is supposed to be quite up market and full of the \”R&F\” (rich and famous). While waiting, we met Anneke and Tom from s/v \”Elisa\” which Tom had sailed from Holland to the Caribbean a few years ago. They Winter in the Caribbean and then go back to Holland for the summers; leaving the boat on the US West Coast. We became fast friends and hired a golf cart at the end of the ferry ride together. The ferry ride took us through, \”The Devil\’s Backbone\” route which locals suggest hiring a pilot to do if going on your boat. Frankly, in calm conditions, it would have been a piece of cake. It was calm and the 150 foot long, 50 foot wide, 6 foot deep \”Bo Hengy II\” blasted through without any issue. The ferry ride was about an hour and it would have taken us much longer in \”Beach House\”. Also, if the conditions did get breezy, you might get stuck there for awhile. All in all, the ferry ride, though expensive at 102.00 USD round trip for the two of us…was the way to go.

    We had a nice lunch at \”Sip Sip\” right on the north shore above the Pink Sand Beach. The place was packed and interestingly, almost all the tables were groups of young women. Why? We don\’t know, but apparently one group was a birthday party and it must be a great hang out. The food and drink was great, but very expensive, the atmosphere delightful. We enjoyed carting around and arriving at 11:30 and departing at 3:40pm was just about right. If you wanted to really explore Eleuthra in more depth, it would take a car as it\’s over 100 miles long despite being only about 1/2 mile wide on average.

    When we got back to the marina, we made plans to come outside and stay in the anchorage as Anneke and Tom would be leaving to do our route to date; in reverse.
    We would be off to Chubb Cay in the Berry Islands, about 65 miles back to the west. It\’s always great to meet people you hit it off with well, but sad to depart; especially so soon. We had Anneke and Tom over to \”Beach House\” and talked about our experiences sailing and life in general. It was a lovely evening.

    The next morning, \”Elisa\” up anchored about an hour before us and waved goodbye as they began their trip north to the Abacos and on back to Florida.

    Nikki and I motored back along the inside of the reef (yet again watching out for that wreck) and enjoyed a 50 miles downwind joyride. We even had to gybe!
    Winds 12-22 knots, full main and genoa poled out to windward. We passed the odd big ship and a few cruise ships en route. We anchored in the same bay we did last year and tried to stay awake to listen to the Super Bowl. I made it to half time and despite the game sounding like a great one in the making was just too tired to stay awake any longer. I heard on Sirius Radio the next morning that New England won the game.

    Today, we\’re just hanging out at the anchorage, watching the weather which should turn favorable for our next part of the journey.

    Our ultimate destination is Panama but we wanted to avoid the full force of the Gulf Streams northerly current. Ideally, a north wind would be great to push us south, but that goes right into the chops of the Gulf Stream if you depart directly from Florida which makes for a long, slow and potentially uncomfortable ride. As such, we\’re going to to what we\’ve deemed \”The Adventure Route\” down the West side of Andros Island. Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas and nearly un-inhabited. It\’s the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world and a Biologists wonderland. Essentially, it\’s a huge mangrove swamp. I suspect Manatee\’s and Alligators might find this a perfect home away from humans. Only those who really go off the beaten path travel out there. The west side of the island for 50 miles to the west is very shallow. The charts look good and we\’ve the Navionics Soundings on Nikki\’s IPAD which really show the depth contours. We\’ll most likely make two stops in preparation to jump to Anguilla Cays which is part of the Cay Sal Bank. Not only does this route avoid the Gulf Stream, we might even get a little \”counter current\” assisted push. The Cay Sal Bank is the most remote part of the Bahamas and almost in eye sight of Cuba.

    Out intention is to go from Anguilla Cay to Cay Sal and depart west from there. It\’s weather dependant and definitely the path less traveled. Hopefully our fuel line won\’t be too much of an issue. To date, I\’ve been able to clean it up and store the waste fuel out of the engine room bilge into our waste oil containers.

    So…KIT (Keep in touch!)
    The adventure continues…
    Scott and Nikki

  • Position Report – Chubb Cay, Berry Islands – The Bahamas

    AIRMAIL YOTREPS
    IDENT: N6ABC
    TIME: 2015/02/01 22:00
    LATITUDE: 25-24.55N
    LONGITUDE: 077-54.57W
    COMMENT: Beach House – ANCHORED – Chubb Cay, Berry Islands – The Bahamas

    We had a lovely get together last evening aboard Beach House with new friends Anneke and Tom (from Holland) aboard s/v \”Elisa\”
    They left very early this morning for The Abacos and we left on the 70 mile trip to Chubb Cay in the Berry Islands. We had great wind from dead astern
    all day and with a full mainsail and genoa poled out to windward, we made very good time. We actually anchored in this exact spot last June just before our arrival
    in Ft. Lauderdale. We suspect we\’ll be here tomorrow waiting out the southerly that is expected and then may have a nice weather window to pursue the \”adventure route\” down the west side of Andros Island.

    Enjoy the Super Bowl…we haven\’t decided yet if we\’ll go into the restaurant and watch yet or not. It\’s a bit blustery…..:-)
    KIT,
    Scott and Nikki

  • Position Report – St. Georges Cay, Eleuthra – The Bahamas

    AIRMAIL YOTREPS
    IDENT: N6ABC
    TIME: 2015/01/29 22:30
    LATITUDE: 25-32.45N
    LONGITUDE: 076-45.36W
    COMMENT: Beach House -DOCKED-St. Georges Cay, Eleuthra – The Bahamas

    We left on the falling tide from Little Harbour on Great Abaco at 0710 am this morning. The day turned out to be great sailing as we covered the 58 miles.
    In about 8 hours. The winds were 13-20 knots from the NNE with a 2 meter swell. We needed propane and want to do a bit of marketing before heading out so we
    took two nights here at Yacht Haven Marina (where we appear to be the only boat!). Tomorrow, we\’ll take the Ferry from here to Harbour Island which is the supposed posh spot of the island. It takes the route of the \”Devil\’s Backbone\” which is shallow, winding and full of bommies. As such, we\’ll let them do the driving.
    They\’re fast and it\’s about 15 miles each way.

    The weather should lighten for the next few days, but then seems to come back strong off the coast of Central Florida. We\’ll keep an eye out.
    KIT,
    Scott and Nikki

  • 2015 Season Begins!…Ft. Lauderdale to The Abacos – Bahamas

    January 25th, 2015  (-5 hrs on UTC)

    \"Our
    Our first major destination would be Hope Town in the Abaco Group of the Northern Bahamas. This is a panoramic of the anchorage of which \”Beach House\” is in the right middle.

    Dear Friends and Family,
    We had a nice weather window to leave Ft. Lauderdale on with the cold fronts from up north providing a nice WNWesterly to scoot the 71 miles to Old Bahama Bay Marina at the northwest end of Grand Bahama Island. Our plan has been to go over the Little Bahama Bank to the north of the island and work our way to Hope Town/Marsh Harbour and it\’s famous Lighthouse at Elbow Cay.

    On our first night, we got to Customs just in time and they were in a hurry to clear us in as they were engrossed in the Seattle/Green Bay football game.
    That was easy! Normally, we keep the boat buttoned up pretty tight with the screens to keep the bugs out. As there weren\’t any bugs, Nikki left the top hatch to our stateroom open and about 9:30 pm while brushing my teeth, I hear her scream, \”There\’s a RAT on me!\”….

    So…Nikki turned on the light and crammed herself back in a corner. She saw \”Mr. Ratty\” hide in the opposite corner under our TV (which is wall mounted).

    I had Nikki get out of the cabin and slowly removed everything I could where Mr. Ratty could possibly hide. Eventually, I scared him to the corner by the head of the bed and the last thing I did after removing the top sheet was to pull the pillow and of course (already) had closed the cabin door. I also opened the side port lights, hoping I\’d be able to escort Mr. Ratty out for an evenings swim! Well, to make a long story shorter, once Nikki had given me a bucket and a piece of cardboard to cover it with, I was able after 20 minutes of going back and forth across the bed from his two hiding places to coax him into the bucket. I held the bucket up to the window and it was un-necessary to force him out…he jumped out and I could hear him swimming for the dock pole to create mayhem for the next unsuspecting yachtie to pull up to his dock. During the chase, he once stopped cold and on top of the TV bracket, gave me the look of, \”You\’re not going to kill me are you\”? He started to look like the rat in the film \”Ratatouille\”. As such, I was glad I didn\’t have to kill it and we had an understanding that this boat wasn\’t big enough for the three of us! Nikki sterilized the cabin, we buttoned up tight and were done for the night!

    The next day we took off through the reef with a moderate north wind which fortunately did not kick up any seas on the shallow bank as the outer reef knocked the wind waves down to just about nothing. We stayed at a very remote anchorage called Great Sale Cay. (Yes, that Sale, not Sail). Don\’t know the story, but it might be quite interesting? Basically…a flat mangrove. Reading the guide, we decided to put in a long next day and get down to Green Turtle Cay.

    Green Turtle was an eclectic mix of White Bahamians who were descended from British Loyalists and escaped to these island during the Revolutionary War. More came during the US Civil War to escape the Union. Despite their history, everyone here black and white seem to get along just fine, but no one seems to intermarry.

    The accent of the White Bahamians sounds like a faded UK accent with a touch of Southern. It melds into an almost \”Yankee\” sound. For those of you who don\’t know what a \”Yankee\” is…it\’s a US North Easterner. (Not a Baseball Team or a generic term for ALL Americans in this case). For those of you not from the USA, don\’t ever make the mistake of calling a US \”Southerner\” a \”Yankee\”. Those would be fightin\’ words….:-)

    The entry to Green Turtle was very shallow but we were rewarded with a lovely completely enclosed lagoon when we were deep inside. We took a mooring for the night from local \”Donnie\” who was quite a character. Nikki and I took a walk around town and interestingly, found a large lit, blue and white Star of David on the wharf.
    I suspect the local church has an affinity for the land of Jesus? We never found out, but right after we took the photo, the town\’s generator went out and it was like a ghost town. We walked back to the boat in the dark where I began to work on our new season \”teething\” issues.

    So far, our main charging system didn\’t work….found the problem. I replaced a 160 amp fuse and we were back in business. I\’ve also replaced an oil cooler, fixed some water maker leaks and with Mike Lonne\’s help figured out why one of our key features on the auto pilot wasn\’t working.

    I\’m down to a minor (I hope) issue with our big watermaker (we have two!) and a mysterious engine coolant leak (which is very minor)and so far \”unfindable\”. I\’ve place paper towel all around the engine, but it still remains a mystery.

    We left the next morning for the shorter trip to Marsh Harbour which is the government seat, small industrial port and the banking hub and marketing area. We did a quick shop at the lovely \”Maxwell\’s\”, but moved on the 6 miles to Hope Town which is picture post card.

    \"Hope
    Hope Town Marina – View of Elbow Cay Lighthouse

    The famous thing about this place is the Elbow Cay (which is where Hope Town is)- Lighthouse. Built in 1864, rebuilt in the early 1930\’s, it is apparently one of only three manually monitored lighthouses in the Western Hemisphere. The other two are also in the Bahamas. One on San Salvador and one on Great Inagua Island.
    There was a great fuss when the light was first built as a cottage industry of \”wreckers\” were living here. Their livelihood depended on one or two shipwrecks a month (which the light was built to prevent). I can just imagine how that craziness went down.

    We met the two guys who trade off during the night maintaining the light. First, it has to be wound up, which keeps the light revolving for two hours! It then has to be wound again. It is also manually lit and kerosene is the fuel. It has a mantle like a Coleman lantern and a pressure tank that has to be pumped up every few days. \”Elvis\”, who has been doing this for 18 years, gave us the complete tour and let us watch and mini assist in setting the light off. First, Elvis isn\’t too exact about the time he lights this puppy up. Lighthouses are supposed to be lit from \”sundown\” to \”sunrise\”. Well, let\’s just say he\’s \”in the ball park\”. (Tonight he lit the light about 90 minutes after it was pitch black!)…Sailors beware. In truth, no one in there right mind would try and enter this reef system after dark and with modern GPS, the lighthouse becomes a \”check\” to see that all is well. As an aside: We saw Elvis try to light the light tonight and apparently he couldn\’t get it going as it has not been on all night (It\’s now 10:15 p.m. as I write this). There is a generator back up with an electric light, but I don\’t know why it\’s not on? (We found out that the lighthouse is indeed down for scheduled maintenance for the next four days!)

    \"Nikki
    Nikki assisting Elvis (who was definitely in the building) to wind the light mechanism which must be done every 2 hours! All Night Long….

    The lighthouse is very picturesque. A Red/White stripe pattern really sets it off against the backdrop of the bay. The history and the view are worth the experience and we\’re really glad we got to come here. In 2004, this was to be our destination sailing in from Gibraltar and the Canary Islands. Unfortunately then, we were \”weathered out\” with really late Spring Gales in the Straits of Gibraltar. So, in memory of my Dad and Cindy who were on that trip, I really wanted to come and see the light….

    \"The
    The Fresnel Lens which weighs in excess of a ton. Here we see the mantle lit which Elvis had just done. The light is visible for 17 miles. It must be covered from the inside during the day or, like a magnifying glass might light something in the distance on fire!

    We\’ll be here for another day or two, including today which in my 61st birthday! Thanks for all of you who wrote me on facebook last night and I love the e-cards as well. Having internet is nice, but some of the cards don\’t come through…welcome to the outer islands mon….

    \"Nikki
    Nikki always bakes me a cake. Isn\’t she wonderful! With our new oven, it doesn\’t even get burnt…:-)

    The winds have been up, but we should get a nice opportunity soon to make the day hop to Eleuthra Island before heading toward Andros and \”to the west\”….:-)

    We plan on at least making the east end of the Panama canal this season and getting to explore the Western Caribbean. There may be a few surprise stops along the way?…

    We have been tardy getting this post out as our email system was lost for awhile and Web Guru Ken Edwards figured it out and saved us. Thank you Ken!

    That\’s all for now…feel free to write at any email you have for us…
    Cheers,
    Scott and Nikki