#sailing The Bahamas provides a wide range of wind for a cruiser. Sometimes it too much and we have to find a protected anchorage. Sometimes it’s too little for windsurfing.
So for the light wind day, our friends brought out the kayak – sailboat. It’s an interesting contraption. For kayaking, the rider pedals the boat to propel it forward. If it’s windy, then the wind does the work.
There’s always a new way to spend time and here is Matt trying out the gear.
Check out the colour of the water!
#Sailing The best way to keep your dog happy while underway it to exhaust them first. Farley and Jasper had a 5K beach run before getting onboard for a day of deep sea fishing.
I’d say they look pretty happy. And so were we after catching Tuna and Mahi Mahi.
#sailing Does it get any better than pulling a Mahi Mahi up the back steps of your catamaran? Bahamas offers incredible deep sea fishing. The catamaran offers a great platform to fish from.
Get your gaff ready, fish bag open, and pull it aboard. Then get ready for a fantastic meal.
#sailing Part of the fun of cruising for the winter is the wildlife. This sea turtle swam right past our catamaran.
The dog barks frantically, telling something is amiss. I guess he’s not sure what’s in the water and so close to our boat.
#sailing How may people does it take to get a dog on a boat? Apparently four.
Two to swim with the dog, one to lift the dog onto the boat and one to clap encouragement.
I say this in fun, but there are many situations where your dog has to swim.
Here we couldn’t get the boat closer to the beach, so the only way for us to get on board was to swim.
Before you take your dog cruising, make sure it can swim.
Farley doesn’t love it, but he can do it.
#sailing. Mattina, our Lagoon 380 S2, is sailing along the Bahamas Banks with Different Drummer, a Bristol 47.
Sailing in the flat water on a windy day is exhilarating on either boat. We are sailing from Norman’s Cay to Pipe Cay. One of those “once in a lifetime” days that we seem to be getting a lot of.
This has been a windy season in the Bahamas. The wind has been kind and come from the East, and we’ve had more days than usual where we can sail the banks under full sail.
We’ve sailed from the Bahamas to Aruba and back with Different Drummer. For that trip we were on a Niagara 42 sloop.
Whatever you sail, the opportunity is there for an adventure.
#sailing Sometimes your pup needs to need to be tied and sometimes not. Cali is in the foreground, Farley in the back.
When you forget to bring a leash, it’s perfectly acceptable to use the dingy anchor.
Normally Farley isn’t tied, but we’re at Emerald Rock in the Bahamas. The island is covered with little animals that I think they are tree rats – but what do I know.
The wheaten terriers were bread as ratters, so Farley thought he was supposed to chase these little critters. So. . . poor guy actually had to be leashed.
#sailing Our friend, Wayne, is on the kite board. Matt, my husband, is on the windsurfer. Both are having an exciting ride in the shallows between Compass Cay and Pipe Cay, Bahamas.
This is a high tide ride only.
At low tide, the sand shows through.
The game for the week was to hit the beach about halfway to high tide
#sailing What could be better than a downward dog to make you feel good? Farley’s answer: A downward dog on the beach with your yoga pals.
Yoga is an easy way to keep fit while cruising. If you don’t happen to have a yoga instructor handy you can bring yoga classes on an iPod and play them on the beach. You’re only gear – A yoga mat. It doesn’t weigh much and doesn’t take up a lot of room.
Doing yoga alone is okay, but it’s much more fun with friends. Farley attends regularly and find his spot near the others. If you’re not watching he’ll grab your mat before you do.
#sailing One of the fun things about cruising is happy hour on the beach.
This is the our gang we tend to travel or buddy boat with.
Debi and Bruce on a (on left of photo) Bristol.
Matt and I (holding my lap dog – not) on a Lagoon 380 catamaran.
Sue and Paul on a Grand Banks.
Sharon (holding Cali) and Wayne on an American Tug.
Buddy boating gives us a sense of community and safety. Between the boats, we always have what we need on hand. Okay, not always, but we can usually rig something together.
Throughout the season, the boats travel to different spots and regroup as the wind takes allows us. We all like different conditions for traveling, and we all like to “bump” into each other once in a while.
