It's been almost three weeks since my last post and quite a lot has happened.
As I post this I'm anchored in Baltimore, MD and my winter voyage is now officially over. Just a Memorial Day raft-up with old friends from Kent Narrows and then I sail back to Pax River Naval Air Station where I'll prep Galena for this winter's trip south.


Now, where was I in this narration…

( Click here for pictures and text... )

...I'm now in Beaufort, NC.

When I left Lake Worth,FL, I was heading toward St Augustine, FL. Just a little overnighter. But the weather forecasts showed five good days to head further north. So I just turned Galena's bow a little to the east and headed up the Gulf Stream to Beaufort, NC.

Four days later, here I am. 544 miles is now my longest single-handed ocean transit. I'm getting the hang of this long-distance stuff. Now I'll just drive her up the ICW to the Bay. All of the exciting stuff is done for this winter's trip.

More to follow...

02 - 22 Apr 09

Sunday, April 12, 2009
7:58 PM

Perhaps this entry should start with something profound like, "Call me Ishmael..." Yes, it's that long.

You just go ahead and flip through the photos for now. Then, when you have a lot of time sit down with your favorite adult beverage and read about these few weeks aboard the good ship Galena.

This entry describes my departure from George Town, Exumas, and my motorsail to Long Island. I then wander through the Jumento Cays. Finally I make the "Big Turn" to the northwest and head back toward the Chesapeake Bay. This Winter's run toward the sun is almost over. But I'll make the voyage back as adventurous as I can.

( Click here for more text and pictures… )

And I'm still in George Town. I was going to leave, honestly! But my friend, Clay, of s/v Revel, asked why I was leaving. I didn't have a good reason except that I had been here several weeks. But with the regatta over and 2/3 of the boats gone this is a whole different kind of place. Clay suggested that things here in GT were just getting down to 'normal' and I should experience it for a while. Besides, said he, there's always another cold front coming along every few days.

So I'll stay a bit longer. How long? I have no idea.

( Click here for log and pictures... )

Just a quick note.

Weather window is opening up. In the next day or so I'm sailing east to Thompson Bay, then south through the Jumento's and Ragged Islands. Then, west through the Cay Sal Banks. Finally north to Miami and then back to the Chesapeake Bay. I should be back in the States within a few weeks.

I'll make the final post of George Town and the new stuff from the Raggeds when I get back to 'the world.'

Still in George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands.

The weather has been cooler than past years; and windier, too. But the fun has been just about non-stop. The George Town Regatta is over as of today. Tonight is the final party at, of course, Regatta Point Park in George Town. Tonight is the variety show. Food, drink, and people doing silly things. How can that not be a good time.

But the weather may not cooperate. We've had scattered showers all day.

I'm looking at pointing Galena eastward again. I'll make a run to Long Island (Salt Pond/Thompson Bay) which is about 40 nm east of here. Then south through the 70 mile-long Jumento island chain. That puts me just 50nm north of the eastern tip of Cuba. From there I can make a long, 350nm run east and then north toward Miami. That route takes me along the Bahama Banks south and then west of Andros Island. Last year I went north from here through the Abacos. Heading south through the Jumentos will let me check the block on seeing just about all of the Bahama Island chains.

( Click here for my latest ship's log and a few pictures... )

I'm still in George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands and have fallen into full "Island Mode." By that I mean while I have things to do, I do nothing. Everything can wait until tomorrow, since, except for the wind speed and direction, very little changes day to day around here.

I'm getting more and more involved with the cruising community here. In the past few visits I have stayed on the edges and just watched most of the activities. I'm playing volleyball just about every day. Good exercise and I'm actually getting a bit better; I don't suck as much as I used to.

I've even tried basket weaving once I confirmed with Sue (s/v Nice 'n Easy) that my testicles would not fall off if I wove a basket. I have not yet completed one, but I did learn how to do it. Now I just need to actually sit down and build a basket.

So, on to my day-by-day journal and a few photos that I've taken to try to document this place a bit better.
( Click here for text and pictures... )

I've made it to George Town, Exumas. Here I'll stay for a few weeks and enjoy the company of other cruisers while I decide where I'll go next.
( Click here for the log and pictures )

...Cay, that is. Deep in the Exuma island chain in the central Bahamas.
And now for a very long, and much delayed update...

( Click here for more text and a few pictures... )

24 - 29 Dec 08
Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL
Total: 1212 nm, Engine: 2076 hrs

I'm on a mooring ("U3") in Boot Key Harbor. Galena will be here for about 3-weeks while I visit with friends and party in Key West.

This morning I awoke to the same wind and weather that I saw when I went to sleep last night. The wind was still out of the east at about 20-kts with quickly passing light showers. I had anchored outside of the harbor because the weather forecast predicted diminishing winds for today.

( Click here for the rest of the story and a bunch of pictures... )

16 - 21 Dec 08
Miami Beach, FL
Anchored north of Belle Island
Trip: 78nm, Total: 1103nm, Engine: 2070hrs


Seabbatical 1 and Galena departed Lake Worth, FL, at about 1600hrs on 15 Dec.

The forecast was for east winds, 10-15kts, seas 2-4 ft. We were heading south so this sounded like a good window to make the move. Besides, we were all ready to go. I had hit the West Marine and the Publix so what else was there?

Galena was rafted up to Seabbatical, hanging off of her hook. The winds were very light at the time we left (east at 5 kts). Michelle and Clark dropped my lines and I drifted away.
( Click here for pictures and more narrative... )

30 Nov 08, Sunday
Charleston, SC

I found an error in a "how-to" book on celestial navigation. That might explain why, sometimes, I'm off by 50 miles or so. Next time I'm in sight of a clear horizon I'll see if my new understanding of the procedures will let me develop fixes that are a little closer to reality.
( Click here for a long, and long overdue, narrative describing the last few weeks. And a few pictures, too. )

..My teeth, that is. It's COLD here.

18 - 19 Nov 08
Anchored in Town Creek,
Beaufort, NC

I'm still just enjoying Beaufort. No real hurry to get underway. But, man, I've got to get further south! We have very high winds today (20-25 kts with gusts over 30) and it's quite cold (high of 47 today). We even had snow furies! Snow hasn't hit my face in years and here I am standing in snow. This is just so wrong!
( Read more... )

I have a new favorite bar in Beaufort, NC: The Handle Bar.( Read more... )

04 Nov 08, Tuesday
Dismal Swamp Visitor Center, NC; ICW Milepost 28 (Dismal Swamp Route)

After posting to my blog I had Capt Ron over to Galena for breakfast. We had eggs and pancakes that were not too bad if I do say so myself. Since the three boats that had been rafted up to Galena had departed we moved LastDance to my port side. That left nine boats still sitting at the center's bulkhead. The weather was still bad for crossing the Albemarle Sound. We had received word that Elizabeth City was packed with boats waiting to cross. So we stayed put. Besides, we were developing a friendly little community here.
( Click here for more text and a few pictures )

Swamp, that is.

Here Galena sits, in the middle of the Great Dismal Swamp, awake at 0300, rain pattering on the overhead, drinking hot chocolate, and writing up my blog. Life is good.

I'm on the bulkhead of the North Carolina visitor center on the Dismal Swamp ICW route. There's room for only 4 boats on the bulkhead here. So we're rafted up four deep. We have 11 boats here for the night. Some of us will stay another day because of some bad weather coming. The next stop is Elizabeth City. There have been 15 or so boats a day coming down this leg of the ditch. Most of them will be stopping in Elizabeth city. So I'll be staying here where it's quiet.
( Read more... )

Thursday, 30 Oct 08, 0735-hrs
Galena departed Mears Point Marina heading toward the Bahamas... Again.

I'm now sitting in Solomons Island, MD
Trip: 47nm / Total 47 nm; Engine: 1904 hrs

It's 0200 hrs and I just woke up to check the anchor. Yep, it's where I left it: 88-ft off Galena's bow.
( Read more... )

Last weekend my daughter, Michelle, visited with me. I have not seen her for a couple of years because she lives in Kansas and, well, I'm just so very very busy. Ya know? So she flew out to Dulles and my sister, Tammy, gave her a ride out here to the marina.

Anyway, she offered to watch after my car while I was out cruising this winter. She flew out here and then drove the car back to Kansas. When I get back, she'll deliver it back to me... I hope.
( Read more... )

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

Follow the link to get the official description of NaNoWriMo. But basically the idea is to write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November.
( Read more... )

I'll get the new chainplates on Tuesday.

Bud Taplin called me tonight to tell me that he just got the chainplates back from the metal finisher. They are all buffed up and ready to be shipped. Using FedEx 2-day shipping I'll have them by Tuesday. That means I will be ready to go, weather permitting, on Wednesday. I'll install them once I get down the road a bit; maybe as soon as Solomons Island, maybe at Beaufort, NC. I'll just not stress Galena when on starboard tack until I change the chainplates.

And I have to go soon.... it's getting damned cold here. When the sun shines there is little warmth. The clouds are low and gray. It's winter for Christ's sake!

My daughter will be here tomorrow to pick up my car and drive it back to Kansas where she will keep it for me till I return. Once she leaves I'll be essentially cruising in that my world will consist of this 125 square feet of space plus the whole wide world.