Livin' in Swimsuits

Now that we're south of latitude 24, it's warmed up a lot! We're spending a
lot more time in swimsuits these days. Broke out the snorkels today and had
a bit of an underwater exploration. Only one wee conch to be found on
Steve's 'fishing' expedition, it was left to grow up.

Also broke out the deck shower, wow, is that awesome! It's a heavy plastic
bag which holds about 5 gallons of water and it heats up in the sun all day
- it's toasty warm in time for a late afternoon, post swim wash. Love
outdoor showers anyhow and the view from this one is excellent!

What Would You Do if You Weren't Afraid?

Fear is probably the biggest reason that we put off living out our dreams. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of failure. What if I quit my job to live out my dreams and I run out of money? What if I don't like it? What will the wife, the husband, the family and friends say? Everyone else is heading in this direction, how could I do something so different?

Fear slows us down, fear stops us, fear keeps us on hold. Are you in a job, relationship or place in life that isn't making you happy, that isn't living out your dreams? What is keeping you there? Oftentimes it's plain old fear.

The way I tackle fear - baby steps! What does that mean? Making little, tiny steps that individually are very easy and cumulatively add up to a force which enables me to overcome my fear. In this case, I ask myself the simple question, "If I wasn't afraid, what would I do?" It's not making any changes or doing anything, except starting to put together a picture of what I would do if I wasn't afraid.

And it's amazing the ideas and dreams that come to light when you set aside the fear (just to explore what you would do without it, of course!). Passions that you've put on hold because the day-to-day has gotten in the way, childhood dreams that still have meaning, things that you've put off 'until you have time'. Once the fear is put to one side, the blinders come off and a picture of life filled with interesting things emerges.

These are just a few of the things we've done once we stopped being afraid.



What would you do, if you weren't afraid?

Made It to the Exumas!

This afternoon we officially made it to the Exumas! It only took us four
months to get here, but...we made it - woohooo! While Bimini, the Berry
Islands, and New Providence are all in the Bahamas, this is the place we had
in mind when we talked about cruising in the Bahamas.

After one last night in Nassau (check out the view we had while we were
there!), we left this morning. The exit from the slip was the most graceful
one we have had yet! The tide and wind were in perfect alignment as Steve
cast off the lines (with a little help from a neighboring Frenchman - nope,
from a neighboring FrenchCanadianman) and I backed the boat out into the
channel. It swung around in exactly the direction we wanted! Not a single
crash or bang, what a treat!

After heading out of the harbor and past Porgee Rocks, Steve put up the
sails and the engine went off. Everyone else must have had the same idea
about taking advantage of today's weather window because we were in a convoy
of 11 sailboats as we left. We were doing between 4.5 and 5.5 knots so the
engine stayed off - all day. We sailed the whole day, all three sails. And
the boat / sails were balanced so nicely that we didn't even have to touch
the wheel (didn't use the autopilot either!). Steve was merrily playing his
Jimmy Buffet music while steering with one finger. It was the best sailing
day we have had so far, we only motored about 3 miles!

We saw our first coral heads as we came across. In the clear water, you can
look down and see the coral growing up from the bottom. Some of it grows
right up to the surface so you have to watch for it!

Right now, we are anchored off Little Ship Channel Cay which is right at the
top of the Exumas. Tonight there might be a little celebratory dinner!

Nassau - Various

Testing out posting photos by email, wifi photo posts tend not to work well!

Exumas Bound

Well, it looks like we've got some good winds (or at least low winds!) for
the crossing to the Exumas tomorrow so tomorrow we're ditching this marina
life with its fabulous views of all the posh yachts and toney hotels for
more of the Bahama Banks and island anchorages! Marina life is always
really nice for the first few days (hot showers with unlimited hot water,
walking on land, grocery stores, laundry, restaurants - yipppeee!), but then
after a few days we start to moan about the marina noise and start to spend
more time on the computer rather than 'doing stuff' (although this time it
has been a project!) which tells us it is time to go again. So we'll be
back to HF email after tomorrow.

Today we had lunch at the Green Parrot which overlooks Nassau Harbor and a
sailboat anchorage. Lots of dingy traffic back and forth from the cruisers
anchored out there. As we were biting into our burgers (which were really
good there!), a woman walked past us pointing to the sailboats and said,
"That's my dream, to live like that." It reminded us of four years ago
sitting on the patio at the Castaway Restaurant in Clearwater Beach,
watching the sunset and the sailboats in the harbor. As we toasted the
sunset, we decided, "That's our dream, to live like that." The photo is the
sunset from the deck of our boat in Clearwater Harbor two years later.

"That's My Dream!"

Steve and I were having lunch at the Green Parrot in Nassau today. The restaurant tables are on a patio overlooking Nassau Harbor, the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island and dozens of sailboats anchored directly in front of us. We had a great view of the boat traffic throughout the harbor and in particular the traffic of the 'cruisers' (those who live aboard the sailboats) as their dingys travelled from the boats and deposited them at the Green Parrot for a Sunday afternoon drink or meal. As we were settling in to our burgers and fries, a woman rushed by us to lean on the wall overlooking the harbor and peer at the sailboats. "That's my dream," she sighed to her friend, "To live out there, on a sailboat, doesn't that look wonderful?"

Four years ago, that was us. We were at the Castaways Restaurant in Clearwater, Florida, on the patio watching the sunset. Silouetted by the sunset in front of us were some sailboats anchored in the harbor and we watched as people travelled by dingy from their boats to the restaurant and back again. As we watched the sun set, we agreed that living aboard a sailboat was the lifestyle we wanted. Two years later we anchored our sailboat in Clearwater Harbor and rode our dingy to have dinner at the Castaway. We sat on the patio and watched our boat silouetted by the setting sun. And now we're in the Bahamas.

Once you are clear about what you want to do, you'll be amazed at how quickly you can make your dreams come true.

Taking Control of Your Life and Doing What You Want to Do

If the path you're on is the path of the Triple C (cradle, cubicle, coffin) and that's not what you want out of life, it's probably time to take control and start doing what you want to do. Take control, you say, what do you mean?

Taking control and getting what you want. Getting what YOU want, hmmm, that sounds a bit selfish. Taking control, sounds a bit agressive, perhaps a bit off the beaten path. Don't see many other people taking control of their lives. Is that really what I should be doing? Well, if you don't, who will?

Think about it, what motivation does anyone have to give you what you want out of life? Does your boss want to see you living out your dreams? Nope, he wants you right at your desk, making a profit and making him look good. Government, not really, there's that whole make lots of money and pay lots of taxes thing. Shops, advertisers, media - definitely not - big focus there on keeping you as a productive consumer. Your family, in some instances yes, in some instances no. So if you're not going after what you want, nobody else really has any motivation to get you there either. If you don't do it, nobody else is going to ensure that you get to do what you want to do in this lifetime.

So, are you in control or are you simply floating along in whatever direction the influences in life (work, media, society, government) push you in? Are you really doing the things you want to do in your life or are you doing 'what's expected of you'? If you've thought about it and you really want to do what's expected of you because that's your preference, then that is great. But, many of us fall into the trap of doing what's expected of us because that's the only option we're presented with and we don't know enough to look for others. 'You WILL go to college / university, you will get a job in business, you will get a mortgage, have 2.5 children, get a promotion, get a larger mortgage and a bigger car, retire at 65' - any of that sound familiar? How many of us have thought that was the only path and never looked for alternatives?

And you know what? There are as many alternatives out there as there are different people out there!

That's very much what this site is about, to explore what the alternatives are, to move beyond what's expected of you, to learn how to take control and get what you want out of life rather than what others (rightly or wrongly) may want for you. How to define what are the things you want to do during your 750,000 hours and then how to go out and get them!

If this is the only time you've got, shouldn't you make the most of it?

Nassau - An Island of Contrast (Continued)

Lots of ups and downs with accessing Blogger in the past few days which included the disappearance of most of yesterday's post - oh, bother!

Paradise Island was this morning's destination with a walk up over the
bridge across the harbour. More cruise ships were in this morning and there
was a bustling back and forth amongst the sailboat contingent. There is a
distinct contrast between the main island of New Providence, Nassau and
Paradise Island

Paradise Island is a combination of Westchase and Disney. All perfectly
manicured lawns, gardens and walkways combined with 'traditional' Bahamian
villas and the big Atlantis resort. There is also a very, very posh marina
snuggled up right next to Atlantis and filled with some very fancy yachts,
they're probably Yachts with a capital Y. The kind of yachts which come
with staff and motorboats rather than dingys and not one but two jet skis up
on deck. There was also a Starbucks.

We had a good wander around the Atlantis hotel which was quite Disney-esque
inside, but filled with Gucci type rather than Mickey type shops. There was
a huge floor to ceiling aquarium in the lobby restaurant and a huge pool
area in the back right next to the sea. Good sized casino (walk right by
that craps table, do not stop!). Looked like a good place to chill out for
a bit, with lots to do.

It was a bit odd walking through there because we used to stay in places
like that a lot (Steve practically lived in one for three years) and we had
a big discussion about whether we missed the lifestyle. The conclusion was
no, not really. It was fun to walk through and see what the place looked
like, but there was no burning desire to check in. (Good news for our
spending plan (formerly known as the dreaded budget)). I was more excited
about having chicken wings for dinner.

The high point of the trip was the walk around the island and down to the
beach. What a gorgeous beach! Multicolored blue / green Bahamian sea with
cresting waves crashing onto the white sand beach. And there was virtually
no one on the beach. The waves were big enough to surf on and I still can't
believe I drove the boat through waves that size (but not through the ones
crashing on the beach!).

We wandered back across the bridge to the 'other side'. It is definitely
more commercial and the manicured gardens are few and far between, very
busy, and a big contrast to Paradise Island. On both islands, we've found
the folks here to be quite entrapreneurial and very busy. Even in the
marina, they're running up and down the docks to their boats, last night
they were working on their boats until 9:00 (go home, it's Friday night, for
goodness sake!) - actually quite a contrast to the ultra laid back Florida
Keys folks.

Steak on the barbeque finished the day nicely (along with chicken wings, of
course!)

Nassau - An Island of Contrasts

Paradise Island was this morning's destination with a walk up over the bridge across the harbour. More cruise ships were in this morning and there was a bustling back and forth amongst the sailboat contingent.

Once You Realise...

...that life is quite finite and can be totalled up into a set number of hours, you either get very depressed or you get extremely motivated! "If this is all the time I have, I'd better get on with it!" "Why am I wasting all my time on this (insert non-fulfilling work, standing in line, long commutes, toxic relationships here)?" Realising that there are just so many hours left is like any other deadline human beings come up against, the deadline appears and all of a sudden we get down to accomplishing what we want to get done.

That realisation is important because before that takes place, you simply flit through life acting as though it will continue forever. Work a job that bores you to tears? Oh, well, it's a paycheck. Actually, it's a great deal more than that it's 40 hours of your lifetime that you are giving up each week. Is that how you want to 'spend' that time?

Once you realise (if you don't go down the depression route) and once the motivation to do more with your remaining hours sets in, a whole world opens up. Where before life was work, TV, mall, all of a sudden there are an infinite variety of options for living in new and different ways. Even simple activities become choices about how you prefer to spend your time, time wasted or time which gives you a significant return on your investment. Do you really want to spend two hours every week at the grocery store? Or would setting up a shopping list at an online grocer that you click through in 15 minutes every two weeks give you the time to spend with your children or on a favourite hobby?

Simple activities can turn from waste to value, trash to treasure, if you will. But that's just the small stuff, you say! What about the fact that I've used up half my hours and the way my life is currently structured I only have a few thousand of that 750,000 left for me? Makes you motivated, doesn't it? Makes you want to explore what other options there are for you spend your hours wisely, rather than just existing?

The first step is awareness. In our next posts, we'll explore the steps for moving from being aware and motivated to actually making the changes that allow you move from letting your hours slip through your fingers to using your hours to live out your dreams.

Gin Palaces Everywhere!

A 'gin palace' - something which is completely over the top, perhaps a bit gaudy, flashy. Nassau is filled with gin palaces and most of them are floating on the water. Haven't seen so many yachts since Monte Carlo, all scattered about three, four, and five stories tall. They're crusing in and out of the harbor and clustered around the foot of the Atlantis Resort. There is some serious money down here, wonder where it all comes from?

We're still snuggly tied to the dock here having decided to take a couple
days to explore Nassau after reprovisioning and doing boat chores - it would
be a shame to stop, do laundry and then move on without seeing the sights,
don't you think?

Had a Bahamian Chinese in the cockpit last night, not as good as Key West
Chinese or Westchase Chinese, but it hit the spot. Watched all the lights
come on in the harbor and the boats going by, beautiful! Steve's fortune
cookie was great -'An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.'

This morning we walked into town (today town, tomorrow Paradise Island).
Nice little cruise port town with loads of jewelry stores and a straw market
(which must be the code name for handbag market). Had a coffee and watched
the people go by.

Steve commented that there was a lot of government about. Hmmm, wonder
where that came from?! (The Bahamas were a British colony until 1973!)

Think it was about 5 miles in all back and forth so there was a much needed
post lunch nap - you get out of walking condition sitting on the boat for
days on end!

New Learnings, New Rules

Although our private anchorage was beautiful, it was also very rolly
(perhaps this why it was private?). When the anchorage is rolly, I don't
sleep, much. After four days of not sleeping, much, we were eager to make a
move to a new location and when a weather window appeared to go to Nassau
(northeast winds, northeast waves 15-20 knots, waves 6-8 feet from both NOAA
(text and grib) and Windguru) we thought we'd go for it. So after coffee,
the anchor came up and we headed out of our little harbor.

When I meet these weather forecasters, I will have a thing or two to say to
them! There were big waves out there, really BIG waves. The wind was from
the east and the waves were not from the northeast, they were definitely
from the southeast. Actually, to be fair, those weather forecasts cover a
huge area and localised weather can be quite different, but I would think
the grib files which purport to cover local areas should be a bit more
accurate.

So we left the harbor into the biggest seas we've encountered thus far and
watched as the bow of the boat rose up into the air and then plunged over
the top of the wave into the trough. Now since I drive the boat, I get to
experience this first hand, right there in the moment, rather than letting
Steve do it and curling up in a ball somewhere. Try to think of driving a
40 foot long, single car garage up and down 10 (Steve thinks they were 8, I
think they were 15!) foot waves, remember, it doesn't bend in the middle!

Well, the only way to learn how to sail in weather is to sail in weather so
we kept going thinking it might get a bit smoother when the water got
deeper. We also had a couple of points where we could change our minds and
head back in if we choose to, at the foot of Bond Cay and Chub Cay. At 7000
feet deep, the water was as smooth as it was going to get and it wasn't too,
too bad. Every few minutes a big series of waves would come through and
we'd look up to the top of the wave from the bottom of the trough (if we're
looking up at waves from the cockpit of the boat, the waves were big). We
were about 10 miles into the journey at this point so we decided to
continue, with me retaining the right to call for a return to shore at any
point.

It wasn't too bad. We didn't really eat much because it was rocking and
rolling so hard. Everything in the cabin was tossed around, including the
trash (sigh) - we'll talk about new rules in a minute. I did 'nervous
knitting' for most of the day, you know when you really need something to
distract yourself knitting is great (knit 2, purl 2, knit 2, purl 2 - no, I
don't see that really big wave there!). Steve drove the boat over the waves
because he likes to (and to save the autopilot).

By about 2:00, we were heading into Nassau Harbor just before which the
waves got even bigger! We read about this in 'The Gentleman's Guide to
Passages South', if the wave energy has a lot of room to dissapate (deep
water) the waves will be smaller, if there is little room for the wave
energy to dissapate such as in shallow water, you get big waves - and we
did! And then we turned the corner past the breakwaters in the harbor and
all was calm!

After cruising by five enormous cruise ships and a couple of bridges tall
enough for our 60 foot mast to fit under, Steve hailed the marina and they
said they had a slip for us so we headed in. Now whenever I see these slips
as I'm driving towards them I always say to Steve, "We're NOT going to fit
in there!" And he always says, "Yes, we will, keep going." And we turn in
and the boat fits right into the slip! We made it!

A celebratory dinner was in order (to heck with the budget!) so we went to
The Poop Deck restaurant which overlooks the marina, Bahamian food and
seafood. After putting the boat to rights and showers (unlimited hot water,
yippeee), we headed up there. Conch fritters and wings to start (both of
ours are better thanks to Emeril and Jess's recipes), Steve had Bahamian
fried chicken and I had the whole grilled snapper. We want to try whole
fish grilling so this gave us an idea of what the end result would be like -
delicious, time to go fishing again! All accompanied by a nice bottle of
wine and a shared slice of key lime pie for dessert. Too much food so half
was boxed for another lunch / dinner.

New rules, new learnings. We wanted to finish out the day so we would know
that we could do it and were very pleased that we did. Would we choose to
do it again? Nope, but at least we know we can. So the new rules and
learnings are: Follow the rules! We have them for a reason. If the
forecast says you won't be going to windward, but you get out there and you
are, change the plan (because we don't want to go to windward so much
anymore!). Have more confidence in your own assessment of the weather where
you are and move anchorage rather than location if you need to. Get used to
that you can wait for a week or more for a weather window. Tie the books in
the cabin and trash bin down better!

After that rather busy day, we collapsed into bed at 8:00 and slept, a lot!

If You Don't Want to Spend Any Money...

...anchor off an island for a month or so. We wondered how much we would
spend while sailing. The aquisition of the boat and getting it 'kitted out'
was not cheap in any sense of the word, particularly because we were still
working and simply paid to have things done (in some instances money well
spent and in others (revarnishing of the interior) a complete waste of
money). We had no idea what the cost to live on it would be on a monthly
basis. This month's expenditures gave us a good picture of the day-to-day
costs for us to live aboard:

100 - 1/3 of the Bahamas entry fee (split over 3 months)
243 - Marina / diesel / water / wifi
72 - Dinner out
8 - Bimini Bread
9 - Rum (we ARE in the Bahamas!)
15 - Conch (yes, I know we could catch this ourselves, but we didn't know
this then and it is soooo good!)
39 - Lunch at Coolimae's in Bullock's Harbor
8 - Laundry
4 - Water
18 - Groceries
16 - Filleting knife (to replace the one that leapt overboard) and scissors
(so we're not using my 'good' scissors to cut up fish)
125 - 1/12th share of the total provisioning costs as we're not buying
weekly groceries, but are pulling from pre-purchased stores
45 - 15 gallons of diesel on top of what we purchased in Bimini
200 - 1/12th share of boat insurance
21 - 1/12th share of Sailmail (our HF radio email)
------
923 spent thus far this month

Anchoring out next to an island - free. If we don't break anything or pitch
anything overboard - no replacement cost. The chances are good that we will
have another two nights in a marina ($80) along with a top up of water,
fuel, possibly wifi. There will be a dinner out and a restock of fresh
fruits / veg / dairy. I think we'll end up somewhere in the $1200 range for
the month. Steve's going to build another financial model which will take
into account both the fixed and variable costs over the course of a year,
but I thought it was interesting to see what costs we incur when we're not
in 'fix up the boat' or 'shake it and break it' modes.

We're still anchored in our rolly little harbor off Alder's Cay. The wind
is settling down (we hope!) and we might be able to pick a direction soon.
Meanwhile we've entered books, movies, projects and cooking mode. I read
and Steve's reading 'Excavation' by James Rollins, a good buried treasure in
an underground South American tomb thriller. In between other things, I've
been reading Matthew Stein's 'When Technology Fails' which is a bit scary /
paranoid-ish, but a very interesting look at how fragile some of our
technology systems are (particularly electrical supply) and what can happen
when those things stop working. And having lived in Florida and in New
England, they do go down on a regular basis due to storms. Very interesting
how much of our supply chain is based upon electrical systems - try to get
gas when the power is out, if there's no gas food can't get in, if there's
no electricity houses can't be kept cool, water cannot be pumped, etc. The
book is basically an encyclopedia of how you deal with technology failures,
good to know.

While the wind was wooo-woooing in the rigging last night we watched 'The
Black Book', a movie about resistance efforts during the German occupation
of Holland during WWII. Supposedly based upon true events, it was mostly a
view of some of the horrible things people did to each other - turning each
other in, crossing sides, taking money from people trying to flee and then
turning them over to be killed. A very sad movie about the things people do
during wartime. Too sad, it won't make the 'watch again' list.

We've been very lucky to have wifi while here which is great to be able to
catch up with folks, even Skyped with Jess! Steve's working on the book and
I'm blogging. Cooking is being done by all with 'Poppa Steve's Special
Italian Pizza' last night, his crust recipe is excellent. Far better than
Dominos, don't think they'd deliver out here!

We've become big conch fans! I had only had conch in the form of conch
fritters in Key West (which are essentially Hush Puppies (bready dough
balls) with tiny bits of conch in them) or fried conch which tends to be
similar to calamari, not tons of taste and often rubbery. The 'real thing'
is nothing like that! I'm a shellfish fan and am thrilled to have another
type to add to my favourites. We bought a bag of conch in Bimini which
we've been making different meals from and it has been excellent! The other
night we made pasta with conch, simple and delicious!

Conch Pasta

1/2 to 1 cup Olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
12 to 14 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
Rosemary sea salt
2 pieces of conch (pounded until tender and cut up into slices of about a
half inch)
Angel hair pasta, cooked

Over very low heat, cook the black pepper in the olive oil (I use enough to
generously cover the bottom of the pan and add more along the way) for 4 to
5 minutes to mellow the pepper and get rid of the raw taste. Add the onion,
saute until translucent. Add the garlic, saute until a golden color. Add a
bit more olive oil. Stir in the conch and cook for 3 minutes only! Turn
off the heat and add in the angel hair pasta and toss together. Serve with
a bit of salad and white wine. Steve had become a huge angel hair pasta fan
and says this is a new favourite!

If Hours are Currency...

...which they are, how are you spending them? Time is the only true currency. We exchange time for money, things, experiences.

Time is the only true currency and we only have a finite amount of it. We can improve the value or return on investment of our currency, getting more value from time spent. We can actively manage our asset (our time) and ensure we get the most out of every hour or, like money, we can let it slip through our fingers not knowing where it went.

How is your time being 'spent'? Are you getting the most value from every hour as you use it up and it's gone? Or do you drift along letting the hours pass by in an endless succession of mudane, value-less activities?

TV uses your time 'currency'. Is TV watching a 'great' experience or is it more frequently 1 to 3 hours per day (1095 hours per year) spent clicking through the channels trying to find something worth watching? Some really enjoy their television and ensure that they watch shows that they love and that they spend no time watching commercials. Others click, click, click through hours of their lives. I don't watch TV because I fell out of the habit when I moved to England 7 years ago (my habitual shows weren't there anymore and I never picked up the habit again), that's no TV at all in seven years. No, I take that back. We were in a hotel room in Miami a few weeks ago and noticed that there were 90 channels, and thought we might like to watch something. We scanned every single one of those 90 channels and didn't find a thing that would have been more interesting than a walk on the beach or a coffee with some conversation and people watching. Is TV watching a great experience for you, giving you a great return on your time currency investment or is it simply an unthinking habit that you've fallen into along the way?

There are other time 'spends' that may not thoughtfully happen. Commuting time, for example, or extra time (uncompensated time) put in at work, time spent running errands that could be done better online, etc. The key message here is that time is the only currency, once it's spent, it's gone. Are you 'spending' your time the way you want to?

But Actually It's Even Less...

Let's take the math a bit further:

At 45 – you have 262,800 remaining hours

• But you have to sleep, subtract 87,600 hours
• And you have to eat, subtract 32,850 hours
• You commute, subtract 15,000 hours
• You work, subtract 67,500
• You watch television (on average 2 hours per day), subtract another 21,900 hours
• You shop, run errands, do yard work (1 hour per day), subtract 10,950

Your net hours left, if you keep using your hours in the same fashion (and how many of us are being encouraged to keep working until we die?), are:

27,000

Hmmm, that's not very much...

Now chances are, you might take more holidays in there somewhere, but many of you will put in more (sometimes much more!) than 9 hours a day at the office. You probably won't work until 85, but there are lots of messages out there promoting the idea of putting off one's retirement until a later date. If you have children, the hours you spend on errands could be much greater. And the amount of TV you watch could be lower or much, much higher that what is estimated here. It's a fairly simple calculation, do it for yourself, what are your net hours?

And is that number that you have left, considering you started with 750,000, enough?

Are You..Retired?

This a very interesting question and one that we get asked a lot. Depending
on who asks the question the answer can range from:

"On sabbatical" - recruiters (always want to leave the door open!)
"Taking some time out" - business associates
"Retired" - the easy answer to the question when we don't want to be
bothered with a detailed explanation

But retirement isn't a word that covers what we're doing. The word
retirement covers an ending, a slow down, sleeping - to retire. That's not
this.

This is taking a period of time during one's peak and seeking out /
experiencing a specific lifestyle. Using the prime of your life to explore
a peak experience. This may last a set period of time or extend out
indefinitely. The word retirement as it is used today doesn't cover that.
Other language that is commonly used revolves around work, non-working,
implying that work is the center and the rest of life is what's left. In
many instances that is the case, but should it be? The focal point here is
not about not working, it is about living.

We figure that since we are in our prime (and that's defined by the
individual not the age!), we'll start out by calling this period Prime Time.
There's probably a better word out there, but we like this right now because
it's not about retiring and it has no relationship to work. Prime Timing -
using the prime of your life to explore a peak experience - that covers the
concept a bit better for me (it's still not a short answer though!).

Sailing Preparation - Provisioning Revisited

Provisioning (planning, purchasing, preparing the food) occupied a great deal of my time in getting ready for this trip. I'm not a franks and beans type of gal and roughing it isn't really my thing. Steve and I are foodies in the truest sense of the word and realised if we were going to do this for any period of time, the food had better be darn good!

I spent hours finding and making lists (which I won't bore you with here!), but the provisions essentially boiled down to some core categories which seem to be working out well. The main categories are:

Foundations - Pasta, rice, cornmeal, flour, etc. - the things that you build meals upon
Canned goods - This includes anything in a can - Beans, veg, soups, tinned meats / seafood, smuggled in pate from the UK, fruits, canned cream and condensed milk
Wet stores - Anything that's wet - fruit juice, sauces, condiments, liquor, olive oil, etc.
Dry stores - Anything that's dry - Mixes, crackers, more flour, seeds, nuts. This would also include non-canned fruit and veg.
Frozen - Meat and fish (that we've actually caught ourselves!)
Fridge - Veg / dairy

I work from a master list which I can sort alphabetically and by grocery store location. Way too detailed, I know, but have you ever tried purchasing $500 worth of groceries with a non-categorised list? You definitely get your exercise, jogging back and forth across the supermarket!

The 'green bags' that I spent way too much money on (I thought) have been worth every penny! Lettuce lasts 3 or more weeks. Green peppers are still crunchy fresh 3 weeks in. Tomatoes last at least two weeks.

The freezer, with its 'Stevie Special Improvement' (so great being married to an engineer!), freezes things rock hard and makes the all important ice for cocktails. The Improvement? With the warmer weather, it just wasn't freezing things that thoroughly so Steve put a folded fleece blanket over the top of the food, inside the freezer. Presto, completely frozen food!

Except for some insufficient quantities of things we quite like, the provisioning seems to be holding up and the food has been anything but beans and franks! In a week or so we 'could' use some green veg, but that's it and we're not really desperate for that.

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Shall We Go North or South?

When we came back from England after we finished our Shakedown Cruise, one of the 'new rules' we put in place after considering all the learnings from that cruise was, if at all possible, avoid motoring into wind or 'beating into wind' (which is what it feels like). That new rule means that we make our decisions about where to go based upon where we can sail to, and avoiding a 'beating'. So far this trip, we are at about 50 / 50 beatings to sailings, which is significantly better than our old 85 / 15 rate.

This means that we are avidly watching the weather this week to figure out where the heck we're going! There's a cold front blowing through right now with lots of 20ish knot winds from the northeast. This means when things settle down a bit we could sail north to the Abacos or south to Nassau and the Exumas. Both are great options - the Abacos are supposed to be quieter and quite beautiful, Nassau would offer the option for a really good restock and we've read so much about the Exumas from all the sailblogs that we'd quite like to see them in person.

Hmmm, so many choices, but nothing definite in any of them. This is a really interesting approach for a couple of serious planners like Steve and I. We plan everything, in detail, sometimes years in advance. You can imagine what it feels like to not know where we're going tomorrow! But, but, but - that means I don't know where I'm going the day after and the day after that and... oh, noooooo! Actually, it's a mind shift, quite weird and we have to regularly pull ourselves up about it, but we're slowly starting to get used to it.

So we don't have a clue where we're going!

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You have 750,000 Hours, How are You Going to Spend Them?

365 days a year x 24 hours a day x 85 years = 750,000 hours for living

If you're old enough to read this, you already have less than 750,000 hours. And the 750,000 is calculated on a 24 hour day - you have to sleep. If you are 25, 35, 45 and reading this, you actually have significantly fewer than 750,000 hours:

At 45 – you have 262,800 remaining hours

At 35 – you have 350,400 remaining hours

At 25 – you have 525,600 remaining hours

750,000 hours is the total number of hours you have between the time you are born and the time you die, if you live to be 85 years old. Some of us live to be significantly older than this, unfortunately some of us live significantly less.

A portion of that time must be spent on sleep and eating. Those hours are probably non-negotiable – if we don't sleep and we don't eat, that 750,000 hours quickly reduces to 0.

What we do with the rest of those hours – how we 'spend' them – is a choice. This blog takes a look at those choices, brings to light how many of us are spending our very finite number of hours for living, and explores options for making the most of those 750,000 hours.

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Alders Cay

There's a cold front coming through in the next day or so, so we've found a beautiful anchorage to hole up in. Alders Cay is a 'private enclave', but you can anchor of some bits of it (or at least no one has come out to tell us we can't be anchored here). Looks like there are three houses, loads of palm trees and some very white sandy beaches. We'll stay here until Tuesday-ish when the weather should be more appropriate for a move.

Made some chili in preparation for a bit of wind and cold weather, always nice to have a hot meal to hand when the boat is bouncing around:

Boat Chili

1 large onion
1 large green pepper
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 lb minced beef / hamburger
1 can white beans (Great Northern or similar)
1 can black eyed peas (or small white beans)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1-2 teasp Old Bay Seasoning (and / or blackened seasoning)
1/2 teasp Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Sea salt
1/2 teasp Hungarian paprika (the hot stuff)
In olive oil, saute onion, green pepper and garlic until tender. Stir in spices. Add hamburger and saute until cooked through. Stir in both cans of beans, tomatoes and tomato paste. Turn down heat and let furgle for 15 minutes or so. Check taste and add spices, if necessary. (Steve thinks we should enter this in Madge and Brian's Chili Cook Off!)

Anchorage Invasion!

It's 4 a.m. when I am composing this (no matter what time I get around to posting it!). It's dark and windy, and you can see dark clouds from two squalls on either side of us, but not much else because it's that dark. And up until 5 minutes ago I was sleeping soundly until we got a call on the radio that our anchor was dragging.

It wasn't.

We sailed from Great Harbor Cay around the north part of the Berry Islands yesterday and headed south to a little anchorage behind White Cay and just north of Devil's Cay. On the way we passed the cruise ship island with two big ships anchored out and ferrying passengers back and forth. We caught another big barracuda, maybe we need a different lure - I'm sure this one was not labeled the 'ultra fantastic barracuda catching lure', but perhaps it was in the fine print.

Our anchorage was deserted and beautiful. 12 feet of crystal clear water surrounded by not one, not two, but three white sand beaches. After putting the boat away, we put on our wetsuits and went for a snorkle. Steve dove on the anchor to make sure it was set just right (because we'd tried about 4 times to ensure it was set right) and managed to dive down the entire 12 feet. I paddled around on the top, still not much for diving down with the snorkle yet, even though these are a special kind that don't get water in them. Steve then swam over to the closest beach and back.

The beach was so inviting that we paddled the dingy over for an exploration. You know all the pictures of a couple walking on a deserted island beach? That was exactly what it was like - just us, the waves, the white sand. The water was warm enough to swim in without the wetsuits and it was a glorious sunny day.

Back to the boat to prepare a romantic dinner for two and ... in comes another sailboat. There goes the privacy! And then another one, and another. Now it's decidedly crowded. We've been invaded!

And we had to watch them because our boat was at a funny angle to the anchor because of the tide. Usually a boat points towards the wind with the anchor laid out in front of it. However, ours was lying perpendicular to the boat (if the front of the boat were 12 o'clock, the anchor was pointed towards 9 o'clock) and people were cruising across it looking to put their anchors there, not knowing that our anchor wasn't where it was supposed to be. Finally everyone got settled in and started be-bopping around in their dingys, stopping by to talk about anchors, how well they were set and the expected weather for the evening.

Because things were just a bit more crowded, Steve put out another anchor which limits how much the boat swings and we settled in for a slightly cool and slightly less romantic dinner. After dinner we tried to watch a movie on deck, but the wind picked up and The Importance of Being Ernest is just not the same if you can't hear all the words. We watched for a while to be sure the anchor was holding and once the boat had swung around in all directions and held, we went to bed.

The other folks did not and it sounds like they stayed up all night watching their anchors. Steve calls it the Anchor Game and figures they didn't have enough players so that's why we got the 4 a.m. call on the radio. To be fair though, our boat did swing around exactly to where the anchor was set, and in the middle of the night could look like the anchor was dragging. We'd much rather that someone gave us a call than not!

The anchorage is now empty again, almost. We're staying for a day or two and it looks like one other boat may too. Think there will be quite a bit of napping today! And even after all the nightime antics, yesterday was the dream sailing / deserted island day!

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It's a Whole Different World Out Here

A few years ago, I went to Grand Bahama with my mom and Jess. One of things we noticed was how very nice the people there were, it's just the same here. We went to shore today in search of water, clean laundry, veg, a new filleting knife and some lunch. While we were there we met kindness and politeness everywhere we went.

First off, the man in the store at the dingy dock. At every new place we go, we land with a series of questions. Where do we get water, may we put our trash somewhere, where is the laundry / grocery / good restaurant? The first person we encounter is usually subjected to this barrage and the man in the store at the dingy dock was today's victim. What a delightful man! He answered every single one of my questions and when I asked if he sold rope (to tie down our dingy!) he said he didn't, but then he went out to the domino players outside and asked if they had any they wanted to get rid of. Second nice person, the guy from the para-sail boat, who went to his boat, pulled out 20 feet of good thick stuff and GAVE it to us!

When we got to the laundry, the woman there doing hers offered to put ours in the dryer while we were walking around so we didn't have to hang around waiting for the washer to finish. Nice!

We had three offers of rides as we were walking down the road and when we got lost (after walking and walking and walking) and asked for directions from a man leaving his yard, he offered to take us there! And after walking and walking and walking, we said yes. Turned out he was the assistant something or other of tourism for the Berry Islands and he was very nice indeed.

Found the grocery store, no fresh veg, no boat until Wednesday. "When are you leaving?" "Wednesday." Oh, well, we'll get some someplace else. At this point, we were desperate for lunch and we went to Coolimae's where there was no menu, but they did have lamb or conch. We get lamb in Wales so we opted for the conch and it was lovely, almost as good as mine (but I lucked out with an excellent and spicy Emeril recipe). The restaurant patrons were all cruisers and they were all very nice and chatty! As a matter of fact, all of the people who were anchored out by our boat were in there for lunch. Several former Morgan boat owners, now in Catamarans (Toucan Sail and Betty Boop Too) and four folks on a 54' Gulfstar (so big they have TWO kayaks on their deck!) called Peace. I suspect we'll see more of them as it sounds like we're all heading in kind of the same direction.

On top of all that, virtually every person that drove by in a car waved or said hello to us - when is the last time that happened? In the other world, once in a while you encounter someone who goes out of their way to be helpful, but so many in one day? It's a whole different world out here.

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Super Steve to the Rescue (Again!)

I was down below this morning when I heard an "Aaaack!" from up above. Steve was in the cockpit watching the dingy drift away from the boat! After a frenzied doffing of his 'town appropriate' clothing, he jumped into the water and swam after it. As I watched from the boat, I saw a big fish zip after him. "Go faster, hurry up, there's a big fish after you!" He calmly swam on. Turns out he didn't hear me. And that's probably a good thing because when he got to the dingy he couldn't get in (too bouncy) and he would have been fish stressed as he towed it back.

The cause of the problem? The 'painter' line (the rope tying the dingy to the boat) had snapped, probably due to chafing. This is the second time there's been an 'issue' with the line holding the dingy. The first time a knot came untied, but we had a second line on. If Steve hadn't seen it departing, it would be out in the middle of the Atlantic now. And as the dingy is our car it would be just a bit inconvenient for it to disappear. We now are the proud owners of a really big rope for tying the dingy on, the dingy ladder is now in the dingy and Steve continues with his super hero status!

(Steve Towing the Dingy photo to follow when we encounter wifi)

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Overnight to the Berry Islands

We left Cat Cay early in the morning, before sun up (thought we gave up those early morning get ups!) to make the crossing to the Berry Islands. We fished along the way and had a beautiful sunny day. The catch total for the day, two and a half fish! A small one, a big barracuda and HALF a king mackerel. This was a fairly good sized fish and it had been CHOMPED! Just the head was left on the line. We were very glad we didn't catch whatever had chomped the mackerel!

We sailed and fished all day long and then around 7 put the toys away and settled in for the night crossing. Although we had good sailing, we were going into wind so we must have tacked 30 times over the course of the day. As the sun went down, the wind picked up and so did the waves. So we wouldn't have a repeat of our last boisterous overnighter, I asked Steve if we could put the jib sail away. With the jib up, the boat tends to heel quite a bit more and once it gets dark the boisterous-ness is magnified. After the jib and mizzen were put away, the speed went way down so on with the engine and we settled in for the crossing. Except for going into wind and waves THE WHOLE WAY, the crossing was fine and with comparable or better weather, I would do it again. (Must have midnight hot cocoa though, essential crossing 'medication'!)

We arrived in the Berry Islands this morning and had the anchor down for 9:00. After breakfast 'bacon butties' (woohoo!), a nap was required. Spent the afternoon reading on deck, no rush to go ashore, and met a few of the local cruisers. Tonight is our belated anniversary dinner, Jessie's chicken wings and steak on the grill!

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Arrived!

Arrived and anchored at Great Harbor Cay, Berry Islands. Very happy and VERY sleepy, more later!

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Sixth Wedding Anniversary

It was up anchor early this morning on our sixth wedding anniversary (it is also Eileen's birthday, Happy Birthday to You!) as we begin the crossing of the Bahama Banks. We're about 15 miles across as I write this with about 60 left to go. At the 4-5 knots we're making, we will either anchor out on the Banks tonight (anchoring out in the middle of the ocean would be interesting) or we'll sail overnight (and we are sailing, yipee!). We'll probably decide which option later on once we see how tired we are and how rolly the ocean is (if it's rolly we probably won't sleep anyhow). As novel as it would be to anchor out on the Banks, I'd like to try another overnighter to see how we like it.

Anniversaries are always good for reminiscing and a trip down memory lane. We've had six great years together, the best and busiest of our lives. Each anniversary has been spent in a special place:

1st Anniversary - Paris
2nd Anniversary - Paris
3rd Anniversary - ? (Oh, noooo! Can't remember! This is why we need to journal / blog, we forget these things!)
4th Anniversary - Nice (I said I wanted to go some place warm for our anniversary so we went to Nice, where it was cold!)
5th Anniversary - Chester (Fawlty Towers)
6th Anniversary - Crossing the Bahama Banks

And this is a great place to spend one's anniversary! It's just the two of us and miles of open ocean! We've been fishing this morning (is that a legitimate anniversary activity?) and caught two fish so far, one very tiny one and a rather large barracuda - both returned to their natural habitat rather than our freezer. I'd like to do a special dinner tonight but suspect due to being underway, we'll be on quick to heat up leftovers. Oh, well, we'll just have to continue the anniversary into tomorrow!

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Blogging by Moonlight

Sitting in the cockpit watching the first signs of sunset appear before me and the reflections of a mostly full moon off the water behind me, and marveling at how beautiful early mornings can be. Watching another sailboat in the distance (I can just see its steaming lights and mast) as it arrives from across the banks.

The temperatures have improved and we're finally wearing fewer clothes. It's warm enough for shorts, t-shirts and swimsuits now, consistently. Finally, no wooly sweaters and bobble hats! It's warm even in the early morning before it gets light. The winds still aren't quite right for sailing across the Banks. Steve isn't that interested in motoring for 80 miles and neither am I, especially after motoring 50 from Miami, so we'll wait a bit until the wind comes around a little more to from the south before heading across to the Berry Islands.

Yesterday was a productive one! After rolling all night, we upped anchor and moved to the other side of Cat Cay. As we left the anchorage, we threw out the fishing line from the rod we've been using and the Cuban reel (which is a 10 inch plastic yo-yo with fishing line wrapped around it). I'm interested in comparing the fish catching ability of the rod versus the Cuban reel as the rod cost $100 and the Cuban reel cost $2.99. We'll need a bit more than one day's data, but if yesterday was an example we'll stick with the rod! We had just left the anchorage and the tip of the rod was curved over, there was a fish! Steve pulled it in and we went through the 'Fish Identification Process' (FIP) because when we catch these things we don't have a clue what they are! FIP - Pull the fish out of the water, run for the 'fish picture', examine all the fish on the fish picture, "is it this, that, maybe it's that", pull out the 'fish book', go back to the fish picture, until we figure out what we have. Nope, it's a barracuda, yuk, know they can be good eating, but boney, throw it back. Okay, now what do we do, this thing has teeth and is flapping wildly about. Pliers and 'barbeque tongs' to the rescue. I held the line and Steve used the tongs to hold the fish still and the pliers to get the hook out. Back to the sea for you, barracuda.

A bit of excitement there and then shortly thereafter 'something big' grabbed the hook and zing! the line ran out, but it was one of those 'phantom fish' that make you leap up, get all excited and rush to the rod only to quickly disappear leaving no sign that it was ever there. As we came through the cut between Gun Cay and Cat Cay, the end of the rod dipped again, this time by quite a bit. Steve was steering through a rather tricky area so I slowly and quietly (never distract the captain with a fish when he is navigating around rocks) started to reel in the line. Once we got into safer waters, Steve took over and reeled in a lovely pompano (at least we think it was a pompano from the picture). Into the freezer for you, boyo!

We anchored just off the very posh and very private marina at Cat Cay, lots of boat money there. There are some beautiful houses on the island and a private airport. A lot of palm trees have been planted and it looks very tropical island. We puttered about, Steve filleting the fish and me making bread. Now my bread making efforts have not been incredibly successful to date, although I am very good at producing a flat, hard, yet oddly tasty loaf which looks nothing like a 'proper loaf' should. I had found a recipe for no knead, easiest bread ever in the New York Times (Steve sniffs at that, "Ah, yes, that well known purveyor of epicurean news.") and tried it. It takes 18-24 hours to make, but actually was pretty easy.

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, (I waited 24) at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball (it's still really sticky here). Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size (mine only rose a bit) and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) (I used a regular loaf pan, didn't let it heat for that long and covered it in tin foil, boat limitations) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Oh, my goodness, was it good! Perfect colour, crispy on the outside and soft / fluffy on the inside! Could have eaten the entire loaf in one sitting! Dinner was fresh fish in browned butter, butternut squash (the oven was on and Steve ADORES butternut squash), tomatoes with olive oil and rosemary seasalt, and FRESH BREAD!

If It's Manmade - Don't Eat It

One of the things this trip has enabled us to do is take total control of what we eat. While we were doing a lot of travel and in the consultancy workstyle, we didn't realise or didn't pay attention to how out of our control food options were. Living that way, oftentimes there is no choice as to what one eats, there is only one option presented and you eat what you are given. Lunch is brought in and that's what you get (and you can bet there are no vegetables or salad!). That option is usually not the best choice or one that would even be considered if there were other options available. Five-a-day? Ha, you're lucky to get one-a-day!

And then there is 'treat yourself' syndrome. This is where you've just worked a 14 hour day, you're in a hotel by yourself for the 4th night in a row and you order a 'treat'. (Are you really going to forgo red wine and a ribeye steak with a port wine reduction, garlic mashed potatoes with fresh made bread for broiled fish and some steamed veg?) Do that 3-4 times a week and then celebrate being together as a couple on the weekend and watch the waistline grow!

Steve says, "If it didn't come out of the ground and it wasn't running around, don't eat it." That's the approach we've taken towards provisioning and eating on the boat. And I've found that's really hard to do! Not from a preference perspective or from being able to create good meals from that approach, but to FIND things that don't have added alpha, beta, hydroxi manmade elements added to them. Over and over I've bought things that I thought had nothing added (olive oil, 100% fruit juice), but then when I read the label something has been added. I don't want to eat chemicals, pesticides or preservatives, thank you, but it's a lot of work to find things without them. Even natural (supposedly) products aren't.

And sugar! When did sugar become an essential component of EVERYTHING! I'm not a big sweets person, I tend to prefer savory foods - with a periodic chocolate binge. When I cook, I usually reduce or completely take out the sugar in recipes because they are either too sweet or the sugar doesn't impact the taste so why have it? Now, eating very little manmade or food prepared by others, we really notice when sugar is added. Why on earth would you put sugar in Chinese food? Since when is potato salad or coleslaw supposed to be sickly sweet? Is it really that difficult to make a fancy cocktail that doesn't taste like you're drinking syrup?

So now it takes me four times as long to plan and provision, searching the shelves for things with no 'stuff'' added (as poor Steve loses the will to live), but in the majority of cases I've been able to do it. Where I can't, I've tried to pick the best of the possible options.

And that work is paying off. The weight is falling off Steve and mine is coming down nicely. We're sleeping at night (except in rolly anchorages!). There's no desperate need for an afternoon nap. While we eat great food, there's been no 'consoling' ourselves with a 'treat'. And when we do go back to the 'old' way of eating, we can really feel it. Load up on carbs and sugar for breakfast? All of a sudden there's a huge desire for a post-breakfast nap!

Now of course, some of 'feeling better' is the lifestyle and doing something we love, and living in the same country is a big plus! Those reasons are big contributors to a feeling of well-being. But I think food is one of the biggest contributors, and we're enjoying feeling better than we have in a very long time!

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North Bimini to South Cat Cay

Starting on the trip across the Bahama Banks. This morning we were up early taking advantage of the last bit of wifi that we'll probably encounter for a while. Got the boat ready and checked out of the marina. Heading from Bimini to Cat Cay.

We made the most ungraceful exit from the marina! Hooeee, it was bad! And we knew it was going to be. Yesterday, we watched another Morgan sailboat (remember they don't go backwards in any direction reliably) try to get into the slip across from us, miss it and careen about fending off from other boats while trying to get back out. This morning, the wind was going at a good clip and the tide was running out. We knew that we had to back out and get the bow pointed into wind quickly or we'd be pushed down the channel or into other boats.

The thing with getting into or out of slips is it is entertainment for the whole marina. Forget television, who needs it when you've got two people trying to control a 27,000 pound sailboat as it gets ever nearer to millions of dollars of other boats. Everyone comes out into their cockpits to watch or stands around on the dock waving their arms or offering 'helpful' advice.

We eased out of the slip and almost had the bow turned into wind, but when you're turning right with this boat the 'prop walk' (propeller pushing the stern) also pushes the stern to the right. So I'm trying to turn the bow to the right and the stern is moving to the right too. In reverse, the prop walk pushes the stern to the left which helped as I was turning the bow to the right. Back, make progress, bow turns a bit to the right. Forward, no progress, bow stays pretty much in place as we drift closer to the boat of the French gentleman next door - who is starting to get excited now. At one point Steve was pushing off his boat with a boat hook while politely assuring him that we would not hit his boat. Eventually we got back far enough to swing the bow around and headed out the channel. By this time I think everyone in the marina was out and watching.

But, you know what? We didn't hit a thing, not one touch anywhere. Ungraceful, definitely, but also successful and that's all that counts. And Steve thinks I earned respect from the Morgan guy who couldn't get into the slip yesterday. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with driving this big ole thing.

A side note, when Steve and I used to go on the group motorbike tours, there were always a few women riding their own bikes and inevitably I'd end up being asked why I didn't ride my own bike, rather than being a (mere) pillion. The reason was and is that I like being a pillion because I don't have to pay any attention to the driving and I can take pictures / watch the scenery to my heart's content. But now I want to be asked that question again so I can say, "He drives the bike, I drive the boat."

After that eventful exit, we left Bimini and SAILED to Cat Cay where we put the anchor down and had a restorative snorkle.

(Another side note: We realised this morning that the clocks have changed, when did that happen?)

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Bimini, Bahamas

After a 12-hour crossing, we arrived at the closest Bahamian island to the US mainland, Bimini. The crossing was directly into the wind so we motored the entire way, but made between 4 and 5 knots so it wasn't too bad. Loads of sun, but bouncy so Steve manned the helm and I read and made food for most of the way.

The sea was a dark, dark blue until just before we arrived at Bimini when it turned that gorgeous Bahamian island blue/green, aqua/teal. Such a contrast to the white sand beach.

The marina we had planned on staying at wasn't open any longer so we called another and managed to get a slip (not really a big deal if we didn't, we would have just anchored out, but nice for land access). Steve changed into presentable, government official facing quality clothing and headed out to find the immigration office with our 5 immigration forms filled in while I put the boat back together after the crossing. Steve, as captain, was the only one allowed off the boat so I put away all the stuff we'd taken out during the crossing while waiting for him to get back. Then it was showers! (You never realise how much you appreciate unlimited showers until you spend time on a boat trying to do a shower in a gallon of water!)

The water here is just as crystal clear as they say it is. So often we've been in 7 feet of water and you cannot even see a foot in. Here, you can see tiny seashells at the bottom of 7 feet. Can't wait to go swimming!

As an arrival treat, we wanted to try a local restaurant so Steve asked some folks he encountered at immigration where they would suggest one go to get a good meal. They said, "On your boat." We decided to give it a try anyway and found a nice restaurant overlooking the Atlantic which served a quite acceptable fish platter and Bahamian lobster (curried lobster if you can believe it - somewhat sacriligious for someone from Maine, but it was very good!). We also had the best French wine we have ever had!

Making it to the Bahamas was the culmination of four and a half year's work (and four successive / growing plans in the Red Book) so we're very, very happy to be here!

Posting from the Gulf Stream

An early morning departure from Miami, up at 2:30, 3 a.m. anchor up and we're away. There was a hint of the moon behind the clouds, but at times we had to shine a spotlight to make sure we were where we thought we were. (The chartplotter is reliable, but eyes are better!) We slowly pootled around Key Biscayne finding our way in the dark until we reached the channel for the Atlantic. We could tell as we got closer as the sea swells got larger. Another sailboat swung in behind us as we wove around the channel markers and shoals.

Once we came out from land's shelter, the waves were really bouncy with the bow splashing through the biggest ones. We watched an enormous moon set off our stern just south of Miami. We looked forward to the east for signs of sunrise, but it was dark until about 6:00. The bounces felt bouncier in the dark, but the enclosure keeps our exposure to the wind and the sea spray at a minimum.

Sunrise and 25 miles later and we're in the Gulf Stream, one of a variety of boats making the crossing to Bimini. Another 20ish to go and we hope to be there before 4:00.

(Posted from mid Gulf Stream, 25 miles off the coast of Florida - ain't technology grand?!)

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Poised to Cross

Came up through the rest of the Florida Keys yesterday and rather than stopping at Angelfish Creek, we continued all the way up to Miami. The wind was 15 to 20 knots and the temp was in the high 70s and the sun was shining. It was such a gorgeous day AND we were actually sailing so we just kept on going!

We decided to try fishing as we were going along so we threw the line in and went about our business. The lure was a piece of blue flashy metal with a hook on it. By midday, we had caught a fish! Not very big, but sufficient for the two of us for a light dinner. Just to see what would happen, we threw the hook back in again. Just as we were ready to take the sails down, I reeled in the line again and there was another fish on the hook!

We put the fish away and motored into Miami and anchored just off Key Biscayne. Steve was determined that that was where he wanted to spend the night and when we got there I could see why. We have the most amazing view of the city of Miami and its skyline. It's beautiful during the day and stunning at night.

We're now poised to cross to the Bahamas and just waiting for the weather window. We have several alternative plans for where we'll go based upon what the weather does, Bimini, the Bahamas Banks, the Berry Islands, even Grand Bahama Island (remember that, Mom?). And the big decision once we get there will be whether we head south to the Exumas or north towards the Abacos.

So after putting the boat away and cleaning our catch (Steve, the hero, did this and it is d-i-s-g-u-s-t-i-n-g), we toasted the sunset, had our fish dinner on deck and watched it go dark and the lights of Miami come on.

By the end of the day, Steve said, "I can understand why people will do anything, even sell everything they have, to do this."

(Picture of Miami skyline to follow when we encounter wifi)

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5-Mile Channel to Rodriguez Key

After leaving Marathon, we headed 20 miles up the coast to the bridge by 5-Mile Channel where we spent two nights anchored. While there, we tested out the fishing gear, which has yet to entice any fish out of the sea. Nice anchorage, good bridge, lots of Harleys going by on the road.

This morning the forecast was 20 knots with wind from the east which would enable us to motorsail most of the way to our next stop, Rodriguez Key. This is a bit more going into the wind than we would like, but we decided to give it a go - figuring that we could turn back or that there were two bail out points along the way. Yet again, the enclosure made what could have been a miserable day a great one! Waves crashing on the front of the boat all day, bouncy, and we were just as warm as toast!

We arrived at Rodriquez Key at about 2-ish and found a nice location to anchor. Steve dropped the anchor and it wouldn't set. Steve pulled it up, we moved, dropped it again and it wouldn't set. Again, wouldn't set. And AGAIN, wouldn't set. We've had the anchor drag, but it never wouldn't set before. We now know what SO on the chart means, soft sand - and that means our anchor won't hold there.

So we backtracked around to the south side of the island, tossed the anchor overboard and it set the first time. (I think poor Steve will either be in pain tomorrow or have Popeye arms - our windlass, which pulls up the anchor, has to be cranked manually!)

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Enclosure Heaven!

While in the UK, we had an enclosure put on the cockpit of the boat. We already had a bimini top which shaded us from the sun, but nothing which kept the wind out - and as we've found, there's an awful lot of wind on the ocean. There are a variety of ways to keep the wind out of the cockpit, from a sheet that you put up at anchor to a dodger (kind of like a windshield on a car) to a full enclosure, which is the equivalent to putting a conservatory or a sunroom over the cockpit.

And what an amazing difference it makes! We can sit up top all the time, even when it is really blowy. It stays warm even when the sun goes down. It stays dry so we can leave the cockpit cushions out overnight. The interior of the boat is even warmer because our 'front doors' are now enclosed by a 'porch'.

Yesterday, we left Marathon and headed northeast in what purported to be 15 knot winds, from the northeast so we were 'beating' directly into the wind. Actually the winds were more like 20 and it was probably the most blustery day we've been out in, with waves repeatedly splashing up on deck. Well, they splashed on deck and they splashed on the enclosure, but they didn't splash on us - woohoo! Ordinarily a day like this would have been an ORDEAL. But instead, we were sitting in our little enclosure warm and dry in shorts and t-shirts having a great time!

We have read dozens of books on sailing and cruising along with reading hundreds of blogs and websites. Not one, not one!, discusses the impact an enclosure has on one's cruising comfort. Ah, if we'd only known...

(Photo to follow when we encounter wifi again)

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And We're Off!

Yesterday was a day of restocking, in a couple of ways - provisions and perspective.

Provisions: Before we headed back to the UK, we did the majority of provisioning necessary to get us ready for three months in the Bahamas. There are no Targets or Tescos or Publix or ASDAs in the Bahamas (except perhaps in Nassau) so it's bring what you need or go without. After yesterday's fresh food provisioning, the boat is full and I cannot think of anything else we could need (but I'm sure as soon as we leave the marina I'll think of something!). We have fresh fruit and veg (short term eat-this-week stuff and veg that will last a month), we have dairy with sell-by dates carefully checked to make sure it will last until April or May, the freezer is full and there is a plan for using meat more as a part of the meal rather than the focus of it (think of chicken curry rather than a hunk of steak). There are so many tins that if the water tanks are low, the boat lists to one side! And of course, a sufficient quantity of red wine to be enjoyed of an evening!

Perspective: We tend to be very forward looking and often are on to the next project before we've finished the one we are in. Being in the UK was great because we spent quite a bit of time planning out the rest of the year and all the things we'll be doing going forward. BUT, it's also important to focus on what we're doing now! We've both dreamt of this for years and shouldn't rush through this because there are other enticing, fun things to do on the horizon!

I think part of that focus has happened because of the 'lovely' weather we've had so we're really looking forward to getting back on track and finding that sailing experience that we spent so long dreaming about and worked so hard to get to. So, with that in mind, the boat is ready to go and we're off!

A Mere 18 Hour Commute

Out of the hotel for 6:00 (a.m. that is!), return the car and in the lounge at Heathrow for 8:00. Easy flight over to Miami (no movies, but we received 10,000 airmiles each and champagne because the movie system didn't work so it was okay!). Went to the wrong rental car place (my fault), but ended up with a convertible! Sitting down to dinner at Frosty's by 11:45 UK time - an 18-hour commute!