We had a wonderful entry into the Bahamas this year. We sailed from Biscayne Bay (just south of Miami) to South Bimini. We were welcomed in a lovely marina: protected from all sides, floating docks, beach and nature trails nearby.
We are at the same latitude as Miami, but it’s warmer here. I have no idea why. Today we filled our day with yoga, beach walking and swimming. Our boat is the second one from the right and we are surrounded by friends.
We haven’t had time to go spear fishing yet, so we hooked up with a local fisherman for some conch and lobster. We just couldn’t wait for the fresh seafood! Our friends are doing the negotiating.
I made it. I’m on the beach! My humans said we had an easy crossing, but it was still a little bumpy for me. And wearing a tether all day gets a little old.
Ah, that feels good.
Life doesn’t get better than this. I heard somewhere that ‘it’s better in the Bahamas’ and it must be true. I cleared customs with no problem. I even have my own paperwork, so if my humans leave the Bahamas I can stay. Ha Ha. Wouldn’t that be funny.
Oh, on second thought, maybe not. Who would feed me, walk me, groom me, and generally spoil me?
Right after clearing customs in South Bimini, it was off to the beach for a swim and a roll in the sand.
I forgot that when I get this sandy, I have to shower before getting back on the boat. I don’t like that part. What’s wrong with a little sand everywhere?
It’s travel time again. Matt, Farley and I are heading south along the Florida east coast and hoping for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and enter the Bahamas. We are traveling with one buddy boat and trying to hook up with 2 or 3 more. It’s fun to arrive in a pack, with your friends already imported with you.
While we are traveling, I have no idea if I’ll have internet access along the way. My next shot at blogging will probably be once we are in the Bahamas. So if I’m quiet on this end, that’s why.
I always think I’m going to have time to write while we are underway, but it never turns out that way. Somehow, when the sailboat is in motion, I can’t concentrate on writing. Writing while sailing is a romantic idea to me. It’s a dream, really. The reality is I get busy.
I need to be in a quiet anchorage in calm weather to produce a good word count.
Matt and I have settled in Vero Beach, Florida for a couple of weeks, giving us time to do our final system testing and provision the boat for the winter.
The Lagoon 380 has ample storage for the foods and supplies we want to take with us. Over the last few years we’ve noticed grocery shopping has improved in the Bahamas, and we worry less about having everything with us.
I’ve kept a list over the years that I keep updated. During the winter months, I mark when we run out of something and know if I have to buy more or less of an item the next season.
Below you see my first pass at loading the boat up. We take several goes at it until we’ve filled our storage spaces.
And now I get to put all this away!
To give us more room for meat, we load our freezer with unfrozen meat. This takes up a lot less space than putting frozen meat into the freezer. It does use more amps than if we put it in frozen, but it’s worth it. We layer the meat by type, alternating rows. First row steak, next pork, next chicken, and then start over with steak. This way we don’t have to dig to the bottom for a type of meat we want.
We try to store evenly by weight in each hull, allowing the boat to sit flat on the water.
We’ve also found that once we are ‘out there’ we don’t need as much as we do on land. If we don’t have it, we do without and we always seem okay with that.
Before I blog, I want to say I’m thinking of everyone affected by the hurricane and wish them my best. We were lucky to be in a spot that Sandy missed.
So it may look like Matt is doing all the work, but that’s only because I took all the pictures. I just wanted to point out I worked hard too.
We arrived at the marina in St. Augustine on Wednesday and have been working hard to get ready to launch (yesterday – we are now in the water).
First up: Open of the boat and check she’s dry. Yup – very dry, making us very happy. We ran a de-humidifier over the summer to help.
Next: Wash the marina dirt off the boat.
Rub a Dub Dub, a Man, a Woman and a Dog in a (I won’t say tub) Lagoon 380 S2.
Once the boat was clean, we waxed the hulls.
After that, it was on to maintenance. We prioritized things that need to be done while the boat is out of the water. We won’t put the sails back up or deploy our safety gear until after we launch.
Matt changing the gear oil in the sail drive, maintaining the props and changing zincs.
We hired marina staff to paint the bottom of Mattina. We scrubbed the dinghy and painted its bottom with the same bottom paint used on Mattina.
The last step: Check thru hulls are clear and working.
Today is the day we’ve been waiting for. We launch this morning and then we move on board.
Look what Kristina did to me! My hair was flowing. It made me handsome. After my hair cut, I look funny. Let’s just say Kristina isn’t the most talented groomer. She cuts my hair herself because there are no groomers where we are going. Am I supposed to believe the Bahamians don’t have dogs?
BEFORE: Just call me gooooood lookin!
She says she’s getting me ready for the Bahamas. She blabbed on about how hot it is down south, how there are ticks, and how sand sticks in my hair. At least she listened to the vet when he said she shouldn’t cut my hair too short or I could get sunburnt, otherwise; I might be bald.
AFTER: And Kristina expects me to out in public?
I have to say, my ears feel lighter and cooler with shorter hair, but that’s the only good thing.
Now I have to wait until spring before I can have long hair again. Kristina is crazy with the clippers once we are living on Mattina.
Heading to the Bahamas again this fall means a lot of prep work has to happen. This includes getting our dog ready for cruising.
Farley, our wheaten terrier, needs his papers to enter the Bahamas. This winter will be his fourth time in the Bahamas and he’s getting used to the routine.
To get his papers, I mailed our application, along with $10 to the Bahamas. Once they receive this and are happy, they mail back permission papers. I bring these with me when we visit the customs office upon entry into the country.
Farley had to have his rabies, distemper, etc. shots and he’ll have to see a vet right before we cross the gulf stream. The Bahamians require that he has a health certificate right before entry. This can be tricky because usually we are waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream, and we’re never sure until the last-minute whether we are going to cross.
So far we’ve been lucky and been able to get an appointment with a vet in Florida on short notice. Once I explain what we are doing, I’ve found the vet’s office are happy to sneak us in for a quick visit.
Why do we do all this? So Farley can to this . . .
#dogs The last two Friday’s I’ve posted about dog toys and thought I’d continue on that theme.
Sometimes a fun idea turns into a bad idea. So here’s ours.
My crazy wheaten terrier, FARLEY, had a great time playing with the ball fender. All was good until he decided to eat it. Then, he thought all fenders were meant to be eaten.
So what was I thinking when I allowed him to play with the fender? He was occupied and we could concentrate on what we needed to get done on the boat. Okay, so I didn’t think that on through.
When boating, don’t let your dog chew lines, fenders or any other item that you might need. Even it’s an old line, the dog doesn’t know that.
As they say, learn as you go? Learn from your mistakes? At least I’m learning in this adventure of owning a dog. 🙂
Part of our cruising lifestyle includes putting our boat on the hard for the summer. I’m always sad to put her away, but ecstatic when we get to launch her again.
Mattina, our Lagoon 380 S2, is on land, tucked safely away. She’s in a marina in Florida. Our only worry for the summer is a hurricane, and there’s not much we can do about that, so really why worry.
There is value in decommissioning and re-commissioning each season. The process forces us to evaluate each piece of equipment, deep clean storage spaces, fridge and freezer, determine if repairs are needed and perform any yearly maintenance. I think if we didn’t get off the boat each summer, we might not get around to some of these tasks because we are too busy enjoying sailing the boat.
So for now, while our boats takes a rest, I’ll stop my Wednesday blog about cruising and start it up again in the fall.
#sailing The creatures we meet while living on a sailboat can be alien.
These creatures come out at night. They scratch their way across the sand and sound like something out of a horror movie. Come to think of it, they look like something out of a horror movie. If you don’t know what they are, they can be a bit scary. They are slow moving, and as far as I know, harmless.
