July 2017 - Boat Life Larks

Hastings the boat dog speaks.

Sure, the Bahamas were great. But the USA is the best! I was under appreciated in the Bahamas, and don't forget, Bahamians don't stock the 150 treat varieties I need to motivate myself through traumatic days with the humans.

See all the snacks they stock for themselves? And only one small bag for me.

The humans finally managed to pull anchor and excitement was high: we were going to land, real land, and we were going shopping for food, real food. Oh, joy! Then, there was a problem. There's always a problem. The starboard engine was dead. It's always Starboard Stan. He's a real lazy bones. Luckily, we were still in the anchorage, so we re-anchored and clever clogs went to work, fiddling with fuel filters.

After about an hour of this fiddling, the problem was realized and solved. Seriously, it's really embarrassing (and worrying) to be trapped on a boat with humans that can't even keep their diesel tanks topped off. Supposedly, the gauge was dead, but in my experience, it's always losers that whine about doing their best. They even tried to tell me I was lucky they had jerry jugs of diesel on board, as if planning ahead for their own stupidity should get them an award.

So, we're finally off, but it's time to hunker down again: the ocean is a bad place. So bad, that a very large wave drenched DDD at the helm. So bad that things in the galley went flying. Suspiciously, only DDD's Star Trek mug was injured (Trek is the one where they wear leotards, as opposed to capes. I prefer the capes). I think an accident is bound to happen to the surviving Jane Austen mug; her smugness about the pen being mightier than the light saber is beginning to get annoying.

We played chicken with a fishing boat in the channel, went through a bridge for the first time in months, and are back on inland waterways. Everything is so green! So much grass! So many trees!

The humans told me I'd be walking on dry land tonight, but instead they had made such poor time they anchored in the rain in front of people's houses.

The next morning they got up at 5AM to try and make it to real land before the storms started storming, but, again, we were forced to anchor and wait out a storm 2 miles from our destination. We finally made it to the docks, and I patiently waited for my A/C to be turned on. And waited. Apparently, they don't have an adapter to run shore power. Of course they don't. They're only human, after all.

What's your favorite snack after a long day of struggle?

Sailboats at anchor, Allen's Cay, Abacos

Allen's Cay Anchorage

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday: June 13-17, 2017
We walked Hastings for the last time on Bahamian soil. We'd have stopped to contemplate how sad this was, but we were being eaten alive by a horde of hungry mosquitos, so we simply ran for our lives.

We left the anchorage at 8AM and raised the sails. It was a beautiful day and we were making decent speeds. It's going to be an easy passage!

Sails up on a perfect day

As the day wore on, our speed slowed to about 0 knots. It's not all bad: I used the calm seas to bake 7 layer bars. Just as I was going to bed at 8:30PM, Matt called me to help him reef the main. Why? Where did this storm come from? Why is it suddenly pouring buckets on rain through the open bedroom hatch? Why is there no rest for the wicked? As soon as we had reefed and gotten ourselves organized, the rain stopped.

Midnight. The struggle began. On shift. Struggle to wake up. Struggle to light stove to make tea. Struggle to convince Hastings that I need him to stop blocking the fridge so I can get milk for my tea. It's literally a one hour ordeal to get tea organized, but at least there's only 2 hours of my shift left! It starts raining. Get iPad inside. Struggle to close canvas over the helm.

Cargo Ship

Day 2: 2.5 knots of forward progress, and pretty boring. Sure, we could head for the gulf stream and pick up that glorious free conveyor belt of the sea, but thunderstorms are just lined up over the gulf stream, and we have a large lightning attractor on board.

At sunset, we put two reefs in the main and battened down the hatches for a storm. We got a good 35 knot downdraft. Our lazy jacks snapped and then our wind indicator stopped working. The ocean called. It says "the only easy day was yesterday". At least we are making decent speed: now up to 6 knots!

Storm cloud at sea

At 3AM, we were making 2 knots of speed. We started an engine to help us outrun a storm. It worked! Yay!

Sunrise. It's pretty amazing. It happens every day and brings great joy to all who have wondered if they will make through yet another night.

Sunrise at sea - thank God!

Sunrise at sea

Our 24 hour Day 2 run: 86 miles! That's just sad.

Day 3: We're 156 miles due east of the Florida / Georgia border. See you later, Florida! (Actually, the human eye can't see 156 miles away).

Sunset over red cargo ship

Day 4. Better speeds today in the Gulf Stream, but we are paying for it: the sea feels like a washing machine. Waves come from un-anticipated directions, throwing my feeble mind off-course. After sunset, things got worse. The blackness made my feelings about the sea state even darker and I only managed 1 hour of each of my shifts. Hastings joined me on the floor of despair. I had to get off the death bed to help Matt put reefs in the main in anticipation of yet another storm at sea. The rain came as did my tears. We chafed through our dyneema (super-strong) #2 reefing line. At least we did 160 miles today - double yesterday!

At 3AM, I was on shift and it started raining. I hustled to get the iPad indoors. Matt woke up and started going for the helm. Crash! Running dead downwind, with no wind instrument, into a storm downdraft = crash jibe = good times. It's like parking a car at 60 mph instead of gently landing at 2mph. Something bad will come of it! We're over it. Our sailcars busted in the jibe. We pulled down the mainsail and motored with the jib up.

Day 5. A day of darkness and gloominess. It rained. We called Customs and Border Protection, but they told us it was Saturday, and they couldn't care less. Welcome to America!

Rainy last day at sea

We made it! 100.8 tough hours at sea. MVP definitely goes to Hastings, who never complained. We had the dinghy in the water within 5 minutes of anchoring at Cape Lookout. He seemed pretty confused: wait, there's land? We're not trapped in Waterworld? We can get to land? I honestly thought we would both refuse to leave the beach, but after a long walk, we were all ready to get back to the boat. It's home, after all.

Paws firmly planted on land!

Beer at Hoffman's Cay, Berry Islands

We left for the Bahamas with 27 cans of beer, 4 rolls of toilet paper, and 0 bags of chips. (The 19 bags I had bought had all been eaten by the time we left :-). Concern for our physical and mental health was high. And yet, against all odds, we survived. It's a miracle!

We did find that provisioning was expensive, however, each settlement had some kind of groceries for sale. It may not be much, and we might not have gotten everything on our wish list, but we were never in danger of starvation. Some grocery stores were simply a 10x10 room with cereal and tins. Some had aisles and A/C. All the grocery stores we found were within easy walking distance from a dinghy dock.

Prices did vary per store - sometimes a bag of chips was $4.50. Sometimes it was $8!

Salt Pond, Long Island grocery store.

Alcohol: We drank the last beer 2 days before we left and decided to buy a case of Kalik (local beer) to remind us of the Bahamas...it was $50. We also bought coconut rum at $20 for 1.5 liters.

TP: Not sure. We came back with 3 rolls, so we didn't need to buy any. It probably was expensive, personal care items like body soap was as high as $12. We also used about 20 sheets of paper towels.

A bag of, say, Doritos was $5-$7. I have a potato chip problem, so going completely without wasn't an option. I would buy Lay's Stacks (ala Pringles) for $2.50 each and try and make them last. Sometimes I could make them last a whole 10 minutes. Impressive. I switched to popcorn as a backup salt delivery vehicle.
Onions and potatoes are easy to find and cheap. Other veggies are harder; we relied on our dehyrdated veggies.
Eggs are cheap / US prices.
Cereal was expensive so we started buying bran flakes and oats and mixing our own Muesli.
Crackers and cookies are US prices or cheaper if you buy the British brands (Hill's, Jacobs, etc). We actually miss the cheap British foods!
Foods are imported from random places. Eggs are often US, whereas butter is from Ireland and New Zealand. Seems like a long way for butter to travel!
Bahamians must bake all their sweet goods because they did not have a lot of chocolate or candies for sale.
Biggest provisioning fail? We ran out of good dog food. Hastings loved Alpo, but he developed skin problems right away and started eating dinner with us. Ruff life.

A typical haul from the grocery store

Definitely get propane when you can - the propane truck might be broken next week! We did manage to find propane and prices and wait times were OK - around $13 for 20 pounds and up to an hour.

Because we stocked up on essentials before we left and reduced our consumption of chocolate and chips, we really didn't spend any more on food than we usually do. The Bahamas were actually super cheap since we were cut off from Amazon Prime. Don't worry, we're spending money like crazy now we are back in the US!

What grocery item is on your list that you can't live without?

Typical Snack Shack, Eleuthera

"Heard about the old time sailor men, they eat the same thing again and again,

Warm beer and bread, they say it could raise the dead; it reminds me of the menu at a Holiday Inn.

Times have changed for sailors these days, when I'm in port I get what I need." - Jimmy Buffett, Cheeseburger in Paradise

Matt and I love everything about going out to eat. Someone else cooks, someone else does the dishes, and we get delicious food! We even tell ourselves we are experiencing local culture! It's a win for everyone!

Eating out in the Bahamas is a little different from the U.S. First, service is usually really slow. Lots of staring before you get menus, 30 minutes before you place an order, absolute ages before the food shows up, surrounded by flies. They don't need a "final call" bell, they have mosquitos to chase you out! Then, this foreign country has the audacity to serve cheeseburgers with peas and rice.....and the peas aren't even "peas"! They're some sort of bean product! Kitchens and eating areas may not be up to USDA standards. Dog-friendly places are hit and miss. We really became addicted to "snack shacks" - a simple one person operation: kitchen, counter orders, outdoor picnic tables, good prices.

Pizza and rum punches, Tiny's, Long Island

Sure, all this "going to a restaurant and ordering $13 cheeseburgers" makes us sound like real losers. We are! In the U.S., I never order burgers. But in the Bahamas, I craved them! You see, we didn't have meat on board; tomatoes, lettuce and red onions are hard to find, cheese is a luxury, and buns? you'll have to make them, and who has time for that? For us to make an honest to god cheeseburger on board would be nearly impossible, and we began to long for meat, veggies, cheese and bread all in the perfect package.

How much did all this extravagence cost? Cheeseburgers were between $6 (Munchies Snack Shack) to $15 (Pete's Pub). Drinks were $4 for beer, $7-$8 for mixed drinks. Pastries were between $2-$5. Full entree at Pete's Pub was $26 - the most expensive meal of the trip, but also the best!

Pete's Pub from the wade-up bar: dog, kid, fly and mosquito friendly!

Biminis: Snack shack, cracked conch, flies, outdoor picnic table.

Berry's: We attempted lunch at a recommended joint. They acted extremely offended when I asked for dog-friendly seating and mortified when I asked for take-out. Headed to the snack shack and had the best cheeseburgers of our entire trip (including fries! thats delicious, amazing, fried potatoes!) YUM.

Exumas: We went to the much-talked about Lorraines (sans Hastings). We didn't have any propane to cook, so we were looking forward to food! I'm sure a lot of the food there is good, but my cheeseburger was very unexpectional.

Long Island: Man, did we splurge on Long Island! Cheeseburgers and rum punches at Tinys (dog-friendly), cheeseburgers and beer at the marina (no dogs). It was all so good!

Conception: A charter boat set up dinner on the beach, but we weren't invited.

Cat: Coconut tarts from the local baker. The tarts were unlike anything we've had; surgar, cinnamon and coconut goo folded into a quick bread - definately worth it!

Eleuthera: We tried for pizza, but had to settle for the world's best cheese danish.

Abacos: Another splurgey chain! Cheeseburgers at Pete's Pub : pretty good, could have done without the flies. The "blaster" special drink was poured from a jug instead of mixed fresh and really went light on the booze. We returned and had the trigger fish special; the fish was amazing and the gritz were out of this world! I've never had grits before because I don't like them (yes, my logic is flawless), but this was just so delcious. See, experiencing local culture and expanding horizons; priceless.

We had cheeseburgers at Captain Jack's in Hope Town (no dogs), met friends at Harbour's Edge for drinks. We went to Munchies snack shack for burgers and fries.

Marsh Harbour: Snack Shack cheeseburgers and fries.

Treasure Cay: World's best cinnamon rolls: we didn't enjoy. The world is not enough (or it's boasting alternative facts).