Jacksonville, Florida

We made it! The Ortega River Marina is our new home while we spiffy up the boat.  We hope she sells quickly but you never know...

On our way North

We thought we were done with the ICW but here we are heading back up the ICW to the St. Johns River, up the river to Jacksonville.

From Ft. Lauderville heading North stops along the way:
Lettuce Lake anchorage
Lantana anchorage
Hobe Sound anchorage
Fort Pierce Marina
Melbourne Causeway S. anchor
Jay Jay RR Causeway, Titisville anchor
Halifax Harbor marina, Daytona Beach
St. Augustine G9 marker anchor
Jackonsville City Free Dock


Sightings along the way:
White Pelicans

Pink Spoonbill

Large houses encased by netting to keep the bugs out!

Road Trip

We are still in Fort Lauderdale. We are looking at marinas that are not too costly while we fix up the boat preparing it for sale.

 We rented a car and took a road trip across Florida through the Everglades to Fort Meyers.  Here we spent some relaxing time visiting lovely Holley and Liz.  On the return trip, we drove to Key Largo for a pleasant afternoon.

Puzzle time for the sisters.

Fort Lauderdale

We crossed the North Atlantic Ocean with high seas on our stern to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, USA.  We spent 3 days on a mooring ball at Las Olas and took the dinghy to shore to stroll the massive beach.  The beach boardwalk is lined with bars and restaurants packed with happy tourists.

We then went up the New River, which was very narrow and a challenge negotiating the many tight turns, especially when large mega yachts were heading our way.  We plan to explore downtown Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area while we wait for a doctors appointment for Ken.

Bimini Islands

From Nassau, we crossed to Whale Cay in the Berry Islands group.  It was a rough voyage with high seas. We then sailed 50 miles and anchored for the night in the Great Bahama Bank.  We are now in Alice Town, North Bimini, and plan to catch a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to Fort Lauderdale.


Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.  Vacation spot to the rich and famous.

Disney cruise ship entering Nassau Harbor.

Sunrise at Whale Cay anchorage.

The local bar in Alice Town, Bimini.

Conch!

Exumas to Nassau

Highbourne Cay was paradise.  6 beaches lined the island, each with beach chairs, umbrellas, water toys to use (kayaks, surfboards, hobbie cats), BBQ pits.  We had it all to ourselves.

We then made the crossing north to Nassau.  Due to Ken's schedule for treatment and boat insurance constraints we are heading back to the states.  We leave today for the passage to the Berry Islands.  Then a passage to the Bimini's, followed by crossing the Gulf Stream to Miami.  We plan to continue our journey by spending time in the Keys.  Life is good!

The Exumas

We crossed current cut and sailed down the Exuma sound. Our first anchorage was at North Sail Rocks, arriving at sunset after a long crossing.  We are now at Allans Cay where the water is crystal clear and we snorkeled for the first time.

Iguanas on the beach at Allans Cay.

Allans Cay anchorage.

Eleathera Island

Our last stop on the Great Abaco Island was Schooner Bay.  This is a man made harbor that caters to bonefishing charters.  It was like a ghost town with colorful small houses lining the harbor waiting for renters.  Here is where we were both attacked by no-seeums.  Our bodies are covered with red swollen itchy bites.  OUCH!

We had a great 8 hour sail from there to Royal Harbor anchorage near Eleuthera Island.  This was the first long distance sail with all sails flying.

We are now at Spanish Wells Yacht Haven where we are waiting out a storm.  We should be able to head south on Friday when the winds calm and change to a favorable sailing direction.

The beach is ours in Schooner Bay...

Royal Island sunrise.

Little Harbour, Bahamas

"Little Harbour probably comes close to anyone's dream of a Bahamian hideaway." We are on our 4th day here.  It is lovely and the Blaster rum drinks at Pete's pub are yummy.  The coconut cracked conch was also delicious.  We have tried to sail south from here  twice but the seas have been too steep.  Tomorrow will be a better day.

Great Abaco Island

The beautiful Bahamas...

Marsh Harbour

We have been here a week now, working on the boat and waiting for our mail to arrive. We are experiencing a bit of cabin fever but the walks around the island and watching the sun set and rise have been wonderful.

Island hopping

We crossed the shallow water of the Little Bahama Bank to begin our island (cay) hopping, heading south.  The water is a lovely crystal clear turquoise and you can see the bottom of the sea floor and tropical sea creatures.  We ate freshly caught lobster and conch soup.

Today was the first day that was not windy and cloudy.  It is getting more tropical and warm the further south we travel.

Places we visited:
Mangrove Cay
Great Sale Cay
Allans Pensacola Cay

In the sea of Abaco:
Spanish Cay
Green Turtle Cay
Marsh Harbour

We were without phone and Internet service for a week so had to buy a a Bahama phone.  International calls are very expensive but in case of emergency our number is 242 646-6324.


Catch of the day...appetizers

Getting more tropical...

The Bahamas

We made it, thanks to the help of Holley and Liz who drove us all over town to provision for the crossing of the Gulf Stream and entering the Bahamas. We cleared customs at the West End, Grand Bahama Island at 2 pm after a rough sail across.  A storm is now approaching, so we really did sneak in through the window.  The water is so clear, palm trees abundant and white sandy beaches and snorkeling await us!

Holley and Paula, sister love.

Liz and Paula, more sister love.

 Liz with our provisions in our new red wagon.

Ken, ready to sail away.

Preparing the sails.

The sunrise during the passage.

We made it!  The Grand Bahama Island!

The beach awaits us!  Wish you were here...

The end of the ICW...maybe

We made it to our final destination on the ICW of Riviera Beach, in Palm Beach County.  Now, we are waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the West End of Grand Bahama Island.  It is about a 60 mile crossing but must be timed with the current and wind direction, which currently are not favorable.  It could be a long wait for the window of opportunity, and we may decide to head south.

We are meeting up today with Paula's sister Holley and partner Liz, who are driving up from Fort Meyers for a visit.  Looking forward to some family time.

After our last post:
Anchored at Marker 20 between the islands
Vero Beach
Fort Pierce
Hobe Sound off Jupiter Island
Riviera Beach

Sunrise from Anchorage.

Vero Beach.

More manatees.