LAST LEG - HEADED HOME

Greetings to everyone:  We hope everyone has enjoyed reading about our ups and downs, looking at the pictures but most importantly, learning about the Bahamian people we’ve been fortunate enough to meet. We’ve had fish stories and weather tales to share.  Enjoy this last blog – I’m not doing one was we re-trace our path up the Intracoastal Waterway unless we have more “adventures” to report.  

                                                                        Dave and Peg

                                                                        S/V SIMPLICITY 

 GRAND TOTAL TRIP FACTS AS OF:  MAY 24, 2011 (to Jacksonville)

 Days Gone From VA/US:                        212  (to Palm Beach)

 Days In Bahamas:                                     149

 Total Days At Marinas:                              15

 Miles Travelled In Bahamas:             1188.45

 Grand Total Miles Travelled:            2228.05                                 

 Things Overboard:  David’s wallet … at the bottom of Lake Worth in Palm Beach, FL.       

 Total Gallons of Diesel Used:           191 gallons
                               Diesel Prices:            Dec. 10, 2010:  $4.55
                                                                       May 7, 2011       5.75
                                                                 
                                                                      
 “Other” Facts:

                                                                 Haircuts:   2 for David     1 for Peg
                                                                 PK – Colored Hair:   2  
                                       Mail Deliveries:      3

 Before we start with the latest adventures of the boat I thought it might be nice to show people who haven’t SIMPLICITY what she looks like inside and out.

Galley:  Refrigerator chest   

Galley:  3 burner propane stove - oven - 2 round sinks

Master cabin -  we have 2 other cabins with bunks

Head  (toilet) with escape hatch

Looking from port hull thru salon to starboard side

Mast is 64' high - we have to watch the height of bridges we go under

As you can see it’s small but it’s home and we’re very comfortable living on board.  

So…back to the adventure.

NO NAME CAY – GREEN TURTLE CAY – MANJACK CAY – LITTLE SALE CAY -  WEST END, GRAND BAHAMA –ACROSS THE GULF STREAM  …….HOME TO THE U.S.

May 10^th:  No Name Cay is going to be one of our favorite stops.  It has everything – beaches, conch and night fishing.  Yep, night fishing!!   We have gotten in the habit of leaving a fishing pole out with bait on it.  Some time’s we get a nice  small to medium sized fish, other times not.  Tonight was the exception. 

David had left the pole out after dinner and around 9:15 I went to close the forward hatches and walked straight into his fishing line.    Nothing strange except it was on the opposite side of the boat.  I called him out and I pulled on the line by hand to see if something was on it.  Sure enough….after reeling this fish in, in the middle of the night, we netted a 28” long big-eyed jack.  The fish weighed about 10 pounds.  Our eyes got really big thinking we had about 3 meals out it.  Not the case…we cooked part of it up the next night and it tasted awful.  We’ll use it for bait or feed the birds. 

When David went to take the hook out of the fish's mouth he found out a little grunt (good eating) had taken the bait, only to be eaten whole by the jack.  David couldn’t get the hook out and when he opened the jack’s mouth there was the tail of the grunt.   Isn’t  Mother Nature grand.

Here’s one more picture of just one of the incredible beaches in the Bahamas.  The sand is white and  the water is so crystal clear it looks like the dinghy is floating in mid-air.

Beach at No Name Cay

Floating dinghy !!!!

May 11 thru May 13^th:   We were anchored off Manjack Cay waiting for a big squall to go through.  We had been on the other side of the island by dinghy looking to go snorkeling but the water was too rough.  Good think we got back when we did since the squall moved in.  We clocked some 38 knot gusts and ended up doing .08 knots as our anchor drug which meant we had to raise the anchor and go re-anchor.  Not much fun in bad weather but we did okay.

The next couple of days we went and hiked the trail with Skip and Carol.  In the evening we introduced them to BANANA GRAMS….and then played a card game we learned from our friends on MAKANI  called “Golf”.   They are going to be in the area for another week so it was time for us to tell them goodbye since we were moving north to stage ourselves for “THE CROSSING” back to Florida.

May 14^th:  We’re headed for Great Sale Cay but, as is David’s routine,  2 fishing reels and one yoyo are out waiting for dinner.  We managed to get 3 big strikes, 2 at the same time, but to no avail.  Skunked again.   We were watching the weather and decided to anchor off Little Sale Cay for the night before yet another squall comes through.  It showed up with a vengeance.  Tomorrow we’re off to the West End to get ready to cross over.

May 15^th:  We’re still at Little Sale.  We started to leave but the winds kicked up to 30 knots with 35 knot gusts…we’re waiting for ANOTHER squall as I type.  Time to shut electronics down and put them in the oven.    OVEN????  Whenever we have a lightening/thunderstorm come through the first thing we do is put the cell phone,  hand-held VHF and GPS unit in the oven to protect them in case  lightening strikes us or close by that way if we do get struck we will be able to communicate and navigate.

May 16^th   to May 17^th:  We made it to the West End where we waited for more  squalls  to come through – which they did – complete with strong winds, lightning and thunder.  Scary!   

                                          BACK IN THE U.S.A

 May 18^th    through May 26, 2011:   We got underway at 7:15AM and are pointed directly at the U.S.  After 149 days in the Bahamas it’s time to “go home.”   We saw schools of flying fish and about 6 dolphins that played under the boat and around the hull giving us an incredible show.  The space shuttle went off and we saw the contrail as it made its way to the heavens!!!   I remember how proud I was watching the lift offs when I was younger and I will admit I felt the same pride as we listened to the launch on XM radio.    

We made it to Palm Beach by 4:11 PM where we tied up at the marina because we had ANOTHER problem with the generator.  We got checked back through Customs and  met some wonderful people,  Denny and Yvonne Spiedel, for a delicious Italian dinner at their favorite restaurant. 

David had ordered some parts for the generator while we were still in the Bahamas and they showed up so he could install them but  we decided to move up to an anchorage so we could be ready for an early start up the ICW so we anchored in Old Port Cove.  Luckily for us, the Spiedel’s live there so we got to enjoy another All-American dinner of burgers with them BUT….get ready……we dinghyed over to the marina where I promptly went into the water.  This time it wasn’t because I was a klutz.  There was a ladder where we tied up and since I was wearing skorts (shorts with a skirt) it would be nice not to have to crawl out of the boat.  I put one foot on the bottom rung and the ladder went down.

Apparently this type of ladder is for people who either swim or fall off their boats and is designed to slide down when weight is put on it……..  What a sight:  I was standing, on the ladder, in water up to my waist.    I gracefully got out of the water and we decided to go back to the boat so I could put some dry clothes on.  

 You know what happens next – nothing good.   Once we got on the dock David felt his back pocket for his wallet and it wasn’t there (imagine that!!).    I thought he had left it on the table in the salon so we didn’t think anything of it until we got back to the boat.   Long story short…

losing all your credit cards,  driver’s license and a military ID card has been nothing but a problem.   We called the North Palm Beach Police Department to report the “lose” and then

started calling credit card companies. 

As we made our way up the ICW we left Fort Pierce and got bombarded by MILLIONS and MILLIONS of Florida “lovebugs”.  Our cockpit was covered with black dead bugs.  They were so thick David was forced to drive the boat from outside.  He would set a course on the GPS and then go sit and watch for the next set of markers from the bow, run back, make any adjustment he needed and then go back to the bow.   The bugs didn’t bite which was a godsend but they tickled when they would land on you.    

We radioed a local boater as they passed us who told us these bugs are a regular occurrence in Florida during May and September but this year they were the worst they have had because the winds where coming in from the west.  We made our way to New Smyrna City Marina where we found out a Nordic Tug had pulled in before us and you couldn’t see the deck because the bugs were so thick.    Welcome to Florida.

So we’re here in Jacksonville visiting our son, James, who is a helicopter pilot for the Navy and  getting ready for another deployment in November.   It’s been a wonderful break from the boat and great seeing him.

We want to thank all of our friends for following this adventure with us.   It’s been a  7 year saga since we started talking about getting a boat,  looking for a boat, finding one, and then planning this trip.    We’re taking 3 months off the boat to go visit family and friends around the states and then decide whether or not we’ll do this again or if it’s time to close this chapter and move onto the next excellent adventure – whatever it may be.   Our plan right now is to leave the boat at Port Royal Landing Marina in Port Royal, South Carolina for the summer.  The boat has to be above Savannah for insurance purposes and Port Royal is perfect for us.     

Before I leave I have to thank 3 great ladies:   Francie for being my rock during a really difficult time for me.  She's cruised for 8 years and helped me work through some really difficult times I was having.  We shared a lot in our talks and will remain "sisters" no matter what.  

I'm sorry Liz and I didn't get to spend a lot of time together but the time we did share left us with the same feeling as if we had known each other for a long time.

Last, but not least,  Carol (and you too Skip).   We probably spent the most time with RHAPSODY..... snorkeling, shelling, learning how to clean conch, walking and just plain laughing!!!   Skip is like the EverReady bunny....he just keeps going and Carol, bless her heart, just keeps up with him.   

It's hard to  believe our trip is over.  One of the most important lessons we learned was this:   you have to grab whatever life brings you and go with it. Everyone tells us "we're living the dream."   We worked very hard to make our dream come true.   There is never enough time, never enough money, to do "something" you dream about.   Whatever is on your bucket list ... do it now.   We learned that lesson the hard way.  Within the last 6 months David has lost 3 close friends - his age - from heart attacks - out of the clear blue - they're gone. 

Enough of the serious stuff ....  I'll leave you with this little ode.  While we were cruising I started keeping track of boat names.  Some good, some bad,  many strange and some we just couldn't figure out what they meant.   This is no great piece of literary essay...just fun.  Boat names with ( ) include the names of people we were lucky enough to spend time with.  Here is it:

DAVID AND PEG’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE:

An Ode to Bahama Cruisers – 2010/11

Have you ever heard the story of David and Peg?  Well, it goes something like this;

David and Peg set out on their big adventure after both retiring in 2010.  They had dreamed of cruising the Bahamas – you know – incredible gin clear water, happy/smiling people and quiet anchorages.  Snorkeling and fishing also topped their list.

Once they arrived in Green Turtle Cay they met Tom and his CHIEF’S LADY, Liz  (Tom and Liz.).  They surfed the Whale along with NOTOWORRY whose HAIRBALL was like WASABI.  The trip was DESSIE  (Jeff and Claudia)  but PURRFECTIOIN (Bruce and Bobbi) was hard to find.  LUCKY DUCK and SILVERFOXES  were  LONG GONE by the time DOWN TIME TEX came along to make their  trip more enjoyable.  Of course, I LOST IT had GOOD GENES and were SOMEWHERE HOT but we won’t go there because INNOCENT AGE was having its LAST DAY before heading to the Exumas.

Then they were lucky to meet Bobby and Francie – a super couple who did a lot of BAREFOOTIN (Bobby and Francie)  in the Bahamas.  They also run into cruisers who had LOST MARBELS along the way.    People who cruise the Bahamas usually have someone FORWARD MY CALLS to the DRAGON LADY which causes their ENDORPHINES to turn into WIND DUST.   Of course, we all know that WIND DUST makes you get GOOSEBUMPS and doesn’t help your YOUWARKEE at all.  But that’s another story.

BAREFOOTIN Francie found the WORTHLESS WINCH Peg on SIMPLICITY.   Francie turned out to be Peg’s YODA.  Peg had lost her ZAFU.  The WET WINCH was actually kind of YOUWHO and wanted to make like a POLAR PACER and get her MANGO GROOVE (Al and Christina) back to the States but after making it to Georgetown, Exuma  there was no LIQUID FENCE that could keep MY SHARONA from venturing farther out to discover the real Bahamas.  The spirit of MAKANI (John and Kathi) was with them. 

If Peg HAD A HAMMER she would have hit POPEYE square in DOOR #3 for eating too many MAGIC BEANS and GRANOLA  and COOKIE MONSTER and there is a FINE LINE before  the FAT BOTTOM GIRL starts BREAKING WIND before they see DOC SEA N ESS for a diagnosis. 

 Of course, by the time SEA EAGLE soared to new heights with MICLO 3 (Rob and Ellen), MUTUAL FUN (Randy and Jeanne) had everyone in RHAPSODY (Skip and Carol) over snorkeling and spear fishing.      

Bobby and Francie are still out there BAREFOOTIN along with RHAPSODY, maybe with CHRISTOPHER ROBIN or some other lucky cruiser whose permits haven’t run out yet. 

SHAM-A-ZADA -  we hope to find them all again in these beautiful Bahamas cays. 

Manjack Cay

May 2011So we’re signing off for now or as they say in the cartoons…… 

                                         THA..THA…THAT’S ALL FOLKS !!!!!!!!!

Looking towards the west and   HOME!!!!!!

                                                                          THE END