Author Archives: Mark
Hallelujah. Got Milk!
We landed in Staniel Cay. This is a big stop for tourists because of the swimming pigs on neighboring. Big Major Cay. Staniel Cay is the first island south of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. So, boats heading south are usually in need of fresh vegetables, bread, eggs and milk. We too need all […]
Hunkering Down for a Blow
The cruising life is not all grins and giggles. We are currently working our way southward down the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas. In previous posts, I have mentioned we have held for weather or moved to a safer area. We received a few questions about what this really means. I thought a couple of […]
Seeking a Safe Harbor at Cambridge Cay
To quote my favorite author, “It was a dark and stormy night…” Well, it isn’t stormy, yet. But, is sure as heck is dark. We have been blessed with really clear skies the past couple of days. This is good for three reasons. First, it’s not raining. Second, our solar panels work better without clouds. […]
Close Encounters of the ELSP Kind
Every now and then we have a day that puts a bounce in our step and wind in the sails. Last year I posted an encounter with some dolphins generating a memory I will cherish forever. I didn’t think that could be topped. I was wrong. We are on a mooring buoy at Warderick Wells […]
Shroud Cay
A friend in Canada sent us this picture today: We sent this picture back to him: We departed Highborne Cay knowing we were in for some strong north winds for one night so we tucked in behind a small island called Elbow Cay just a little west of Shroud Cay and set the anchor. […]
Highborne Cay – Exuma Islands
Yey! We are in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas! Our route here was a little unconventional. We departed Bimini and sailed (meaning we motored) for a full day across an area called the Great Bahama Bank. For miles and miles, the water is only about 20 feet deep with no land in sight. At […]
We’re In The Bahamas – Just Barely
We are in the Bahama Islands, just barely. We sailed (meaning we motored) from Ft. Lauderdale across the Gulfstream. We departed Ft. Lauderdale about 3:30 am to ensure we made a daylight landing in the Bahamas. The Bahamian government is pretty lax about maintaining navigational aids such as buoys and channel markers so it is […]
U-Turns in the Ocean
You would think I would know better by now. When will I learn? I jinxed our trip just before leaving Key West. When Cindy and I were enjoying our last meal in Key West, an awesome burger at Fogarty’s on Durval Street, we thought this was going to be our last meal in the USA […]
A Quest for Bemis
A few weeks before we started cruising on a boat (about 2 years ago) some long-time cruisers pulled up alongside Cream Puff in St Petersburg, Florida. They were preparing to leave their boat for about 5 months at the marina while they took an extended land vacation. As part of the prep they put all […]
We’re in Key West – Stuck Again!
We made it to Key West where we are promptly sitting for about 10 days waiting for the winds to change direction. We have been to Key West many times before and love the architecture, the food and people watching. It is a great walking town with everything we need just a short walk from […]
Stuck!
Finally! We are out of here. We have been trying to get south but nothing is going our way. Things are not going as planned. But then again, they never do. Our travels are dominated by weather forecasts. We have time on our side and no schedule. They is really no reason for us to […]
All Systems Go – Or, So We Thought
Well, we are kinda sorta ready to get going. We have enough food to feed an army. We have full tanks of fuel and water. We have our repairs done and most of our projects completed. We have good easterly winds that would make our trip down the west coast of Florida perfect. There is just […]
Shopping, Car Towing, Parades and Boat Shows
We have a car this week and have been provisioning so we can leave Tampa Bay and head off to sunny islands somewhere. Definition of provisioning: going to Wal-Mart, Publix Grocery and Costco, spending an absolute boat-load (pun intended) of money. Stashing food and goodies in every nook and cranny of the boat while watching […]
Help! I’m Locked in the Head
As a follow up to our last post about me doing stupid things, earlier this week I locked myself in the bathroom (head – for you nautical types). On Amel boats, as with most brands, doors can be fastened closed from both sides or fastened open. Doors need to be fastened one way or another […]
Doing Stupid Things
Every once in a while I do something really stupid. I’m really good at doing stupid things. Today was the day. Picture this; I am in the engine room working on the Onan generator. Onan is the brand of our generator. The work was nothing major, just boring routine maintenance stuff like changing the oil. […]
