tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25776533662845019792024-03-05T07:59:24.494-08:00SV-QuartetWelcome to our blog
aboard our Fantasia 35SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-13352592064440203082014-03-20T12:33:00.000-07:002014-03-20T12:40:55.294-07:00Still here<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4n5nQL7OBncRslleuLF-sSGRULmZsDjB6JyqAxlZtmcBUKf9aPavwfH8J4ic4REb4XMEDT4emKWonEqo54gyDJRXG6XKvyKaqQNEqb2Lfz3K2LWlfs-lGkisuEOKMROtHDyiQyH7kP8v-/s1600/photo-755294.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4n5nQL7OBncRslleuLF-sSGRULmZsDjB6JyqAxlZtmcBUKf9aPavwfH8J4ic4REb4XMEDT4emKWonEqo54gyDJRXG6XKvyKaqQNEqb2Lfz3K2LWlfs-lGkisuEOKMROtHDyiQyH7kP8v-/s320/photo-755294.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5992958804556847266" /></a></p>Been off the net for awhile. We spent two weeks in George Town, the cruising hub of the Exhumas. Probably over 200 boats, lots of people meet and lots of activities. Beach volleyball got the better of us, and dune surfing was big with the kids. Above picture was taken by a friend, we're the furthest boat in the shot. Just a short update this time.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-88948906109018177262014-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:002014-03-02T13:42:54.343-08:00Staniel Cay to Great Exhuma Island<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeF01-WX0xwvFs7KEjklasnsLQt9fVFZfvq2n-2Z1HlMSvLHLi6GLG5cC8WfUSS8Q_DeP_0oVM3L9Xr8_WqznZdrGYhrUlLOz-DGQ9uIpz7SEzaOU2q8NI6PljNlR2AqvXQpwCYc1P8-F/s1600/image-774343.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeF01-WX0xwvFs7KEjklasnsLQt9fVFZfvq2n-2Z1HlMSvLHLi6GLG5cC8WfUSS8Q_DeP_0oVM3L9Xr8_WqznZdrGYhrUlLOz-DGQ9uIpz7SEzaOU2q8NI6PljNlR2AqvXQpwCYc1P8-F/s320/image-774343.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310706873446178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ86SR1BCWkWIDiwqErS2cfGsIOcxjuhX7_UsNA8DwP1XZQSPO0Ubw20IIM4AsSeNUon5ujUa6TqIlp2STRpJlsH_IjIE3uUxhvPrjcspsJhgywYGlZ_fQAKsT9mO7bmuN0bUU6ZR2sk5n/s1600/image-778303.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ86SR1BCWkWIDiwqErS2cfGsIOcxjuhX7_UsNA8DwP1XZQSPO0Ubw20IIM4AsSeNUon5ujUa6TqIlp2STRpJlsH_IjIE3uUxhvPrjcspsJhgywYGlZ_fQAKsT9mO7bmuN0bUU6ZR2sk5n/s320/image-778303.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310723791478802" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfKTLP6Gw0qQ4UQsN8fcsKG8gMOrVb9lPMEm6xT68IN_ogbuui6qSKv4vkl68O3FjxQrihipgYRG2b-rgIMXjANC4QMv_0UDvr7WMaxlmV3dT4HWfdDxQn6IR82-OUTmsqSICyRakohJJ/s1600/image-780734.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfKTLP6Gw0qQ4UQsN8fcsKG8gMOrVb9lPMEm6xT68IN_ogbuui6qSKv4vkl68O3FjxQrihipgYRG2b-rgIMXjANC4QMv_0UDvr7WMaxlmV3dT4HWfdDxQn6IR82-OUTmsqSICyRakohJJ/s320/image-780734.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310729980950818" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTU3JULU4f5CcwjEOkUau1VBYOx1Z_cGmPTB138MD_GojPKdSCa9RNYuKJwyihfOu7EpCTIicv38SXsfE3mgU4uBzC4676XEnVfvj_QRD-HkLTqtMLMkbKhNjeeoxqnZLsa84ieziSyHTt/s1600/image-782938.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTU3JULU4f5CcwjEOkUau1VBYOx1Z_cGmPTB138MD_GojPKdSCa9RNYuKJwyihfOu7EpCTIicv38SXsfE3mgU4uBzC4676XEnVfvj_QRD-HkLTqtMLMkbKhNjeeoxqnZLsa84ieziSyHTt/s320/image-782938.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310745232901090" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD6koMbYrlLEUM4yz0PTJT6PhCERiCVFu7mcXlq4hQpUpa_bcMtCR9a0pSbt20hbVv-6Pfdf5zqFXOwAQnentFLJmbCGwmPg8RM88akgSjhkb3RvDZl1_YUfcbhlU-geqZldNjlQ51Kcx/s1600/image-785333.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD6koMbYrlLEUM4yz0PTJT6PhCERiCVFu7mcXlq4hQpUpa_bcMtCR9a0pSbt20hbVv-6Pfdf5zqFXOwAQnentFLJmbCGwmPg8RM88akgSjhkb3RvDZl1_YUfcbhlU-geqZldNjlQ51Kcx/s320/image-785333.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310752045973586" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D6B8P2zxDGES8hpcUSKbbWCRibz5E2BFxsnL1A7LBsmEEVEm27reDFPQYF1aRvN7h7vWqHWQz8YLriCmwCtKdWxK31M4n4XHpGl_7CWnMXLNRbYBuYKGcxPA9uRvQ4b9X7fzOKUKexiQ/s1600/image-787287.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D6B8P2zxDGES8hpcUSKbbWCRibz5E2BFxsnL1A7LBsmEEVEm27reDFPQYF1aRvN7h7vWqHWQz8YLriCmwCtKdWxK31M4n4XHpGl_7CWnMXLNRbYBuYKGcxPA9uRvQ4b9X7fzOKUKexiQ/s320/image-787287.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310761103892978" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbOPkJRBXc47K4l6Oup61_7RC9TWv6pfwxQmLIY0VrLTxa_rEGCScAiyL-8m1AtelhquNLzROEZl5I5P9FPLJ95KbiSkIa9uen_XIZQzdv2o39vbdPu3aTylTzdbk5p9a9cXqUcpKLRv6/s1600/image-789552.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbOPkJRBXc47K4l6Oup61_7RC9TWv6pfwxQmLIY0VrLTxa_rEGCScAiyL-8m1AtelhquNLzROEZl5I5P9FPLJ95KbiSkIa9uen_XIZQzdv2o39vbdPu3aTylTzdbk5p9a9cXqUcpKLRv6/s320/image-789552.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310768089665426" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VOoLBP5sEOOzE_lBTRbYtB2N4xFaFAEaKwn6AJ3Gc26aTrX4Xya54zB3L3znNFixHEV4iaSU1TGavrd93tZq7AhqWTa6Dg-ZkAKAMTSbMPfpqXx_aW-4r8VXf_0HxmatzHLrtS7mbdmN/s1600/image-791616.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VOoLBP5sEOOzE_lBTRbYtB2N4xFaFAEaKwn6AJ3Gc26aTrX4Xya54zB3L3znNFixHEV4iaSU1TGavrd93tZq7AhqWTa6Dg-ZkAKAMTSbMPfpqXx_aW-4r8VXf_0HxmatzHLrtS7mbdmN/s320/image-791616.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5986310776782608530" /></a></p>> Lets see, where did we leave you last? Ah yes, on our way to Staniel Cay, home of the famous Thunderball Grotto where "Thunderball" was filmed some 50 years ago.
<br>> We arrived at Staniel after lunch, and our usual operation for arriving at this time involves dropping the anchor, the dinghy and then finding lunch as quick as we can. Which we did at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Cheeseburgers, fries, local fried fish sandwiches, salads..... oooohh was that heaven after two weeks at anchor and not eating out. Stuffed, to say the least.
<br>> We found local food stores at Staniel, and stocked up on supplies. However, the local boat with fresh produce was not to arrive for another day. No problem, we'll head back in tomorrow for fresh veggies. It turns out this was the plan of every other cruiser there ( at least 40-50 boats) so we battled it out to get what was available the next day. It took 2-3 hours to get to the store, wait in line till they opened, grab some good eats and then checkout. Exhaustion but jubilation that we had bananas, lettuce, eggs, carrots, etc.... it seems food is a general topic of this post eh?
<br>> We snorkeled Thunderball Grotto to see the cool site where the film was made, went over to the island where the pigs swim out to greet you for snacks, and had a great time at Staniel Cay
<br>> Our next stop was Blackpoint, on Great Guana Cay. What a nice place. All locals there, very laid back and the food was excellent... again the food theme.
<br>> With an impending front coming through, we were set to leave the next day just as it arrived. Only it arrived in the middle of the night, so we spent a very rolly, bumpy night at anchor and left early the next morning. Destination was Emerald Bay marina, home of the Sandals resort. Time for hot showers, laundry and cool drinks at the bar. All that was accomplished over a 4 day stay, and we're a stone's throw from Georgetown, our final destination. We'll depart for Georgetown and spend a few weeks there with several hundred other cruisers. Next post will be from there, home of good wifi, ice cream and boat supplies. What else could a cruiser ask for?SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-87636409488074688342014-02-20T06:50:00.001-08:002014-02-20T06:50:41.118-08:00Exhumas, the Bahamas<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSvK4fMScdADYtSVbI4QGyRfMsWu52Gks6IGIMzymWh48gm5fYLWRF-2CIJXC-ta7u9ljNo3v7fPDb6QbvxXZxUH4SsEanxlyDjuzELg4IblZprQabho0-j7gHTxZcmHVL8YhGkk7TBrp/s1600/image-741119.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSvK4fMScdADYtSVbI4QGyRfMsWu52Gks6IGIMzymWh48gm5fYLWRF-2CIJXC-ta7u9ljNo3v7fPDb6QbvxXZxUH4SsEanxlyDjuzELg4IblZprQabho0-j7gHTxZcmHVL8YhGkk7TBrp/s320/image-741119.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5982493627673139346" /></a></p>Since we las left you much has happened. All good I assure you, and all is well.
<br>To begin, we had a straight-forward trip from the Berry islands to the capital city of Nassau. The cruise ships and high rise casinos greeted us miles before we saw land, and approaching the harbor was a bit daunting with the traffic. Not too bad, but we knew we were in the big city with the hustle and bustle. Once settled into a local marina, we investigated to local area with a keen eye for good food. Heading to Potters Cay, we found the locals serving up fresh seafood and traditional dishes that exceeded expectations. Conch salad, conch fritters and fresh-caught snapper filled us beyond capacity. All washed down with the local brew or soda, age dependent.
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<br>Filling up on overpriced food for the journey to the Exhuma island chain at the grocery store sped up our desire to get "out there" and see the islands. We departed on a beautiful day, had a nice sail and motor across the Yellow Banks to Allan's Cay. A fairly well protected anchorage, the cay had iguanas on the beach that were not afraid to announce their desire for any scraps of food.
<br>We stayed at Allan's for 5 days due to an impending cold front that did not disappoint in its excitement and promise for gusty conditions. The front chose the usual 2 in the morning time to pass through, to include a boat next to us that was not prepared and dragged anchor right next to us. A few choice words with the skipper convinced him that it was he and not us that was dragging anchor and he moved on. Up the rest of the night to assuage any other fears, and needless to say we were "pooped" by sunrise. Part of the exchange with the offending boat claimed that we were dragging anchor which is not possible (you can't drag upwind) as well as the claim that he would not move because he was in four feet of water to which I replied "how can you be in 4 feet with a five foot keel (depth of his boat which he told me earlier in the day)?" No answer to that one, and soon he moved on. Fun times.
<br>We did have excellent reef snorkeling that included our first lobster speared by Alex. Nice job and a great dinner, thanks Alex!
<br>We departed Allan's Cay for Normans cay, home of the infamous drug lord that operated from the island until the 1980's when the DEA put him out of action. Great beaches and snorkeling on the plane that crashed approaching the island to pick up the next batch of coke destined for the US.
<br>We are now in the Exhuma land and sea park, with amazing anchorages , hiking trails and nature walks. We'll move on to Staniel Cay soon for fresh veggies, ice cream and good local food before setting out again.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-9428032259213011972014-02-09T04:20:00.001-08:002014-02-09T04:20:49.239-08:00Frozen Cay, Berry Islands<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ba10NFlCeuoaa7WzALYD4Meq5veZg4DVgiIYug5Tm4pwRFCnQu_KSsPyuMByFsW4QGPS-ZITkHr9l0lJpWazZhGeiEqkpSD9wvEgALJrze-oHS1zYZjphrCRVTvGals5-x8_nByPJasO/s1600/image-749240.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ba10NFlCeuoaa7WzALYD4Meq5veZg4DVgiIYug5Tm4pwRFCnQu_KSsPyuMByFsW4QGPS-ZITkHr9l0lJpWazZhGeiEqkpSD9wvEgALJrze-oHS1zYZjphrCRVTvGals5-x8_nByPJasO/s320/image-749240.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5978373067054557506" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczZi3F2u1zAor6Imxkt0FMRMPNs4Y0HzuW8bKTmMbOjcpWAg7z-29nrlAD3mlygVexLpr0bHP4mLkYYyzt0qfz_y_UcyvfZdRDBXAe1d83Obmi5Kmw7TDef7CCBvl6CHyQ94xR20Zs41-/s1600/image-751759.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczZi3F2u1zAor6Imxkt0FMRMPNs4Y0HzuW8bKTmMbOjcpWAg7z-29nrlAD3mlygVexLpr0bHP4mLkYYyzt0qfz_y_UcyvfZdRDBXAe1d83Obmi5Kmw7TDef7CCBvl6CHyQ94xR20Zs41-/s320/image-751759.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5978373080982372338" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemSxQQtfGJN2Vnrk7YpVbVZUrwxAbLhPPjQrwSZgUz96WfKbaKAKUGj0ORXWk5JXxyKgSQX1zECoYC7eq3P-4SiCZJBmjiRubi32YEM5ppYc1t_-DFajNe_jxPAxkuJfWyzwUkPPBR7cC/s1600/image-754115.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemSxQQtfGJN2Vnrk7YpVbVZUrwxAbLhPPjQrwSZgUz96WfKbaKAKUGj0ORXWk5JXxyKgSQX1zECoYC7eq3P-4SiCZJBmjiRubi32YEM5ppYc1t_-DFajNe_jxPAxkuJfWyzwUkPPBR7cC/s320/image-754115.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5978373088164967138" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMaJo7pesHcySEMXGS8BLOvVjkLKJQYr6nLXDyt49K_wcq7OnHz6e1Yc1m6Xu6If4YbUUAWUYvL2G-giczkDVxVwL6Ih2B0HRKTp6RmmZZnbfwkD-Cuy1XiyvzCS29D_zGkXtrLZ6PTCK/s1600/image-756298.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMaJo7pesHcySEMXGS8BLOvVjkLKJQYr6nLXDyt49K_wcq7OnHz6e1Yc1m6Xu6If4YbUUAWUYvL2G-giczkDVxVwL6Ih2B0HRKTp6RmmZZnbfwkD-Cuy1XiyvzCS29D_zGkXtrLZ6PTCK/s320/image-756298.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5978373098823746610" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrxcnnU3LBDfWmCVYI556a8VEATct6h_KxyGqr5DV6DORoFY4GZcACOmfJH06m3Q_5wPrnqFmyv6liLEKo1qwq5wjBFWarBVrmK8yEK_m87WBEskdbc_HFU98alg1XXfeRrtVAocx7M3E/s1600/image-758752.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrxcnnU3LBDfWmCVYI556a8VEATct6h_KxyGqr5DV6DORoFY4GZcACOmfJH06m3Q_5wPrnqFmyv6liLEKo1qwq5wjBFWarBVrmK8yEK_m87WBEskdbc_HFU98alg1XXfeRrtVAocx7M3E/s320/image-758752.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5978373112120963730" /></a></p>We've spent the last 3-4 days off the grid, enjoying the remote islands of the Berry chain. Since leaving Great Harbour Cay we stopped at White Cay to see the blue hole. It's an enormous sinkhole about 600 feet deep in the middle of Hoffman Cay. I stayed with the boat since the previous night we had anchor holding issues due to the swift current which led to a sleepless night. The rest of the crew did a quick trip to see the blue hole, then we headed south about 3 miles to find a better anchorage.
<br>That anchorage is Frozen and Alders Cay. Beautiful beaches and 3 private houses. The islands are private too, so we could not venture ashore so we practiced our fishing. One small lion fish caught, followed by two mutton snapper. Actually, the mutton snapper were caught by local fisherman who we traded cold beers for fish. A catch is a catch. The crew pitched in to clean fish, peel potatoes and prepare a feast.
<br>We're off to Nassau to enjoy the city. More to follow.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-10393178335597196102014-02-02T13:23:00.000-08:002014-02-02T13:38:28.539-08:00Great Harbour Cay<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKRVNRzWjc8aCAqW9fP6CDB7zwvynKu-Ddzkw6Ty-nai6TIG9Owzi_zWGAWSRmWUoi2dRmqRto0cMNtS5VGvMXU5sZU53sBjCLZxXTTmm5qVXvfcQk-nNHu3GdZCPX6tsyU_1cRIqdYjq/s1600/image-708539.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKRVNRzWjc8aCAqW9fP6CDB7zwvynKu-Ddzkw6Ty-nai6TIG9Owzi_zWGAWSRmWUoi2dRmqRto0cMNtS5VGvMXU5sZU53sBjCLZxXTTmm5qVXvfcQk-nNHu3GdZCPX6tsyU_1cRIqdYjq/s320/image-708539.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5975919179869215218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPa9Gm0SebIaOM08FwRzctclVTVWpQvzAhWpfrbyTapq2XAPuzkZoMR9Ag8ip1FBfyJdl3jLv-bex2atelsHQ1TDRJuRxJsL_yarnVE_4gjjoboh1TpmC1FRm2LVoEMFPlVBfoAfpi6WmJ/s1600/image-711406.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPa9Gm0SebIaOM08FwRzctclVTVWpQvzAhWpfrbyTapq2XAPuzkZoMR9Ag8ip1FBfyJdl3jLv-bex2atelsHQ1TDRJuRxJsL_yarnVE_4gjjoboh1TpmC1FRm2LVoEMFPlVBfoAfpi6WmJ/s320/image-711406.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5975919189002293266" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbYez1RIc-MgNTe87g0t9TFrSZg6s5zx56NWz-n4mYGxpJeupjGnukbmVV_oBjl8s2GOdwYke0J1aEzHaYTH-UtzeKYkvat8m85uPD5wTAbB_2FBCMoWuGV6aGTZw8beHhu-qXUdRkqv4/s1600/image-714459.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbYez1RIc-MgNTe87g0t9TFrSZg6s5zx56NWz-n4mYGxpJeupjGnukbmVV_oBjl8s2GOdwYke0J1aEzHaYTH-UtzeKYkvat8m85uPD5wTAbB_2FBCMoWuGV6aGTZw8beHhu-qXUdRkqv4/s320/image-714459.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5975919203332701202" /></a></p>It's only hours till kickoff time for the Super Bowl and you'd never know it here. The laid back atmosphere means we don't get too excited about anything, just enjoy the moment. As promised attached are some beach pics. It's a perfect half moon beach, 3 miles long and not a soul on it spare the crew of Quartet. The walk to the beach includes a bit of "rat pack" history as you stroll by the old hang out of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and crew. A slowly fading piece of history, complete with a golf course, giant club house and tiki bar.
<br>We've really enjoyed our stay here and each new place we stay wraps us deeper into the cruising lifestyle. So tightly wrapped it may be difficult to pull away. We are off tomorrow to Whites Cay to see the blue hole, a giant sinkhole in the middle of the island. We should be in the big city of Nassau by the end of the week. We'll reprovision (ohh, nice nautical term to mean grocery shopping) there before heading to the Exhumas chain of islands. Now, pass,the guacamole and chips, it's game time!SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-81519718072095035612014-01-30T14:57:00.001-08:002014-01-30T14:57:36.966-08:00Great Harbour Cay<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04epC97Ui2hqJ2uRStBUVkgcrkLTArTPOlQkWCKyTox_48V1-SwxHSrAz6kiYXg06G-SgnI-toGOotRCu03QsQNRXumY_1tZTIWVu4gqA7rzBHDqkNlGYh6-Jej2xO19CdA1wCksdEQ48/s1600/image-756967.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04epC97Ui2hqJ2uRStBUVkgcrkLTArTPOlQkWCKyTox_48V1-SwxHSrAz6kiYXg06G-SgnI-toGOotRCu03QsQNRXumY_1tZTIWVu4gqA7rzBHDqkNlGYh6-Jej2xO19CdA1wCksdEQ48/s320/image-756967.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5974826320250773554" /></a></p>We are docked in Great Harbour Cay, preparing for the Super Bowl. Because that's what every good American does, and most of the rest of the world it seems too.
<br>Here's a recap of how we totally unexpectedly ended up here.
<br>We have learned that watching and respecting weather forecasts is paramount in this business (can we call cruising on a sailboat a business?). So,with that in mind we stayed a day in Bimini to have good weather. But more importantly to find that conch and Kalik beer dinner. And we found it at a perfect hole int the wall type joint called End Of The World bar. Sand on the floor, local tunes playing, and some good Bahamian atmosphere. Dinner for four of lobster, conch, baked potato and carrots for 40 bucks. Mission accomplished.
<br>We swam and snorkeled that afternoon, finding lots of shells and enjoying the clear blue water.
<br>The next day, it was time to depart to cross the Grand Bahamas Bank. Roughly 70 miles across and only 15-25 feet deep, it promised good sailing and a night anchored out on the bank with nothing in sight. Which is what we got. Its a very strange feeling to drop your anchor in the middle of nowhere, nothing but stars and perhaps a single distant ship far off and nobody knows you're there.
<br>We arose at 4 am the next morning to a slow rolling current which we guessed must have been the massive amount of water that enters and leaves the bank with the tides. This is also the reason for the super clear water, kind of like natures toilet flushing the banks twice a day to clean it. If only I had to go twice a day.
<br>As we approached the northwest channel, the idea was to go another 5 or 10 miles and anchor for some expected strong easterly winds. We noticed another sailboat heading opposite our direction and then turn north. A quick scramble of the charts and we deduced that they were headed for the Berry islands and Great Harbour Cay. Our proposed anchorage outside of Chubbe Cay offered nothing since there was no town and the marina was expensive and private. Do the math folks, and Great Harbour Cay offered some protection from the coming winds, a town and perhaps one of the best beaches the Bahamas has to offer. Yep, you guessed it. We did a 180 turn in the narrow channel and headed around the Berry bank for this new destination. A lot of cursing, sail changes and chart plotting occurred in 4.3 minutes as we figured out a new plan on the spur of the moment.
<br>Turned out to be a good thing. We had a nice sail with a beam reach to the cay. As we approached the anchorage next to the town we noticed the winds remained whereas we'd like to have them desist and thus assist in in a good nights sleep, seeing as we were up at 4 that morning. Oh look, there's one of the best protected marinas in the Bahamas by the town, and what a nice flashy picture in the cruising guide to boot. Well, who said advertising doesn't work. Again, a quick radio call and abrupt course change and bada boo-bada bing we ended up in the marina, who happened to have a special on their dockage rates and a Super Bowl party for all you can eat for $20. Ok, we're in.
<br>Above is a map of our travels in the Bahamas so far, with a beach pic to follow.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-36438926107163872642014-01-27T14:57:00.000-08:002014-01-27T15:13:23.955-08:00Arrived<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='400' height='326' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxrBwi9eB4OaWyXj_ZWf6Ti5yN0cPMfvqe48D0UQouePVlbKTvJekyZ1vIICTiRzE0vr3fdMeBAwkZO5Z1lTw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
Video of the Captain<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg149rdBtKj4xtlsdqL4KwagZCC0i06pmEUsHdJ5LaVwLlSuuf1GSMWkDbTyNg3JZ2ubNIOfQDTuV47zf1fW0J3cua0bM1GcQCfTeDB2skgXjRmTm_Z4tlyUJOFZMtEu96rodl5SzUdWYEw/s1600/image-752815.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg149rdBtKj4xtlsdqL4KwagZCC0i06pmEUsHdJ5LaVwLlSuuf1GSMWkDbTyNg3JZ2ubNIOfQDTuV47zf1fW0J3cua0bM1GcQCfTeDB2skgXjRmTm_Z4tlyUJOFZMtEu96rodl5SzUdWYEw/s320/image-752815.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5973714765078321106" /></a></div>
We've made it to the Bahamas. All bets are off, the rules have changed. We may not come back. It is absolutely excellent here. A beautiful sail across from Florida, with perfect weather. Finally, after months of northers blowing in a messing with our travels.
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Checking in at customs and immigration was painless. The laid back atmosphere of the island reaches to the officialdom as well, and it works well. A customs office with six check in windows but only one being used due to a permanently rotating lunch schedule. The extra windows did supply ample counter space to eat said lunch.
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Let's talk about about sharks. Anybody who says that word has to do 25 push-ups. No questions. Today however we saw two 8-10 foot sharks in the marina and s word was said a lot. No fines were levied as we were in awe of their, well....sharkness.
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We're off to find a conch fritter and Kalik ( local brew) dinner. Not sure when we'll leave. As we said, all bets are off.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-20225169817012850942014-01-26T15:08:00.001-08:002014-01-26T15:08:22.798-08:00Bahamas bound words<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We are sitting (anchored actually) on the southern edge of Key Biscayne with the intent of rising early tomorrow morn to head across the Gulf Stream to Bimini, the first and closest of the Bahamas islands. There are several boats anchored nearby and we are all jockeying for position in the anchorage like runners lining up for a race. It's a good sign in that the other boats read the weather forecast and came to the same conclusion to cross tomorrow. You don't mess with the Gulf Stream with any north winds, at least not if you want to be comfortable. No north winds tomorrow is the weather mans call. <br>Are we nervous? Yes. Will we sleep well <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">tonight</a>? No. Will we eating conch fritters and swinging back cold ones <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">tomorrow night</a> celebrating our hopefully successful crossing? Tune in later for the answer. Wish us luck. </span><br>SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-18485677239491197222014-01-26T14:04:00.000-08:002014-01-26T14:15:52.318-08:00Bahamas bound<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhopzly6AcMpYiiALySAfGHYGCnExPqip1ITlS8OGw2DJ9tqnfTgVxzSljnX_KWteoHuC-h4SMeDGRb28_8kU6yTOQnNT7SLd5lHdeNzw-1b-4mbiznib3LxLxqAw3r6WuKBXiYobpwPw2/s1600/image-752318.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhopzly6AcMpYiiALySAfGHYGCnExPqip1ITlS8OGw2DJ9tqnfTgVxzSljnX_KWteoHuC-h4SMeDGRb28_8kU6yTOQnNT7SLd5lHdeNzw-1b-4mbiznib3LxLxqAw3r6WuKBXiYobpwPw2/s320/image-752318.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5973331221948707234" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCXCJNYVnphyphenhyphenMk8wUX8HyPni6t3j9iQVPUSEQsnRnCoZ1ijNa1AUidkfvM4A7UPrNTi7WGemSZfTYRHFr35ONqQRFm4ug1cJz_7wlXKD8EgI7lUA9jk4vJYukHxAeoozoMyRHgKc857XT/s1600/image-755309.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCXCJNYVnphyphenhyphenMk8wUX8HyPni6t3j9iQVPUSEQsnRnCoZ1ijNa1AUidkfvM4A7UPrNTi7WGemSZfTYRHFr35ONqQRFm4ug1cJz_7wlXKD8EgI7lUA9jk4vJYukHxAeoozoMyRHgKc857XT/s320/image-755309.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5973331232456721746" /></a></p>SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-39166950255664028652014-01-21T15:21:00.000-08:002014-01-21T15:22:37.403-08:00Miami and Biscayne Bay<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvAu3rhu8iij74fsaavx4Cd1xq-Tgq-xN7U6k31mt_QNuJQKB4jeulhKba_tklXNmC9skrn-BnKiV7R47xUZW22Ij9uipQoQpNZH-d3VJrZEzdnftxaB36whx6qFeDE1Ja7Ds2jHaXjYS/s1600/image-757403.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvAu3rhu8iij74fsaavx4Cd1xq-Tgq-xN7U6k31mt_QNuJQKB4jeulhKba_tklXNmC9skrn-BnKiV7R47xUZW22Ij9uipQoQpNZH-d3VJrZEzdnftxaB36whx6qFeDE1Ja7Ds2jHaXjYS/s320/image-757403.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5971492993805957554" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEO5x-e9Z9uT06UKCfmLxpJJYOr609c_g0_iOu5dtXuI6IGYCaa7b9EnTH1B1GyBOPnW0nOe5Qu5SNEYBtFQCr8lgVZwmA6OXg6uxj9DPpDVkXv_X40Uw4fUAuklJdtYZa6jhmNmoWJTM/s1600/image-760146.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEO5x-e9Z9uT06UKCfmLxpJJYOr609c_g0_iOu5dtXuI6IGYCaa7b9EnTH1B1GyBOPnW0nOe5Qu5SNEYBtFQCr8lgVZwmA6OXg6uxj9DPpDVkXv_X40Uw4fUAuklJdtYZa6jhmNmoWJTM/s320/image-760146.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5971493008649958466" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRHPQAAteOi1SLDO71pirF74dAoPXg6w6KdptfNACww5eHgbCBKU5yYH-MZEcM0yH0CRskCwQJXSWIjlrPZt-xj1dhWc0ahK5G-bkdoFv7TWuBagapKRVGGZA65Np1yzAcetYKKfVlK3n/s1600/image-762760.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRHPQAAteOi1SLDO71pirF74dAoPXg6w6KdptfNACww5eHgbCBKU5yYH-MZEcM0yH0CRskCwQJXSWIjlrPZt-xj1dhWc0ahK5G-bkdoFv7TWuBagapKRVGGZA65Np1yzAcetYKKfVlK3n/s320/image-762760.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5971493015778646498" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyzwycmx7-TtLe8DELpVmQD2gYDqSFN01-Bsk3iGyrQmXkLw2BNQT4pK73y09Hp2EeGNm6myFubXI-U4Nivzb4_lyf1rJAOGri3JmYKi3-Ll6mmGsrgRqb4LPqRCMhA1W0zBBe1mFWE-C/s1600/image-765177.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyzwycmx7-TtLe8DELpVmQD2gYDqSFN01-Bsk3iGyrQmXkLw2BNQT4pK73y09Hp2EeGNm6myFubXI-U4Nivzb4_lyf1rJAOGri3JmYKi3-Ll6mmGsrgRqb4LPqRCMhA1W0zBBe1mFWE-C/s320/image-765177.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5971493027722227346" /></a></p>Well, we've moved a bit further south and things are changing. The color of the water has evolved from the coffee colored brown of the intra coastal waterway to turquoise and emerald blue-green of south Florida, the days are warmer and the wildlife has altered considerably - to include the human wildlife on the beach.
<br>We spent a week in Vero Beach to get back into the homeschooling groove, enjoy the facilities of the city marina and prepare for the move south some more knowing it will involve some ocean sailing. We had planned to go down to Ft Pierce and then go off shore to Ft Lauderdale. The main reason was the number of bridge openings increased a lot after Palm Beach. Well, departing off shore from Ft Pierce again we were met with south winds and south waves, which made it very uncomfortable. From experience, we decided to turn back and motor the intracoastal which was a wise decision (finally we made a good decision!). That day turned into the day of bridge pain as we had to work our way south through 14 bridge openings. Most were on a time schedule, so we never quite made it to the next one on time and had to wait 15-30 minutes for an opening.... which was painful as the day wore on. We surrendered at Boca Raton and anchored for the night in the middle of high rises and multi-million dollar home, all for free.
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<br>The next day turned out well as we only had 7 bridges to pass through to get to Ft Lauderdale. The bridge gods smiled upon us and blessed us with their bounty of opening for us on a schedule we could meet, including the last bridge of the day where the initial response over the radio from the bridge tender was to wait 30 minutes for the next opening, shortly followed by a "ahhh, come on ahead. I'll open up for ya" Thanks Mr. Bridge Tender, you made our day.
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<br>We spent a few days in Ft Lauderdale, enjoying the beach and the kids getting SCUBA certified as part of the their Christmas gift. They took the 3 day class in stride and did ocean dives with ease and are now fully certified jr. divers! As a side note, Ft Lauderdale is the the capitol of mega yachts. Seriously, you have never seen so many huge motor yacht to include some with helicopters on them. Money can't buy everything, but it can get you a mega yacht with a helicopter.
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<br>Mentioning that experience with the weather that we learned previously, we waited for the right weather window for a short hop to Miami and Biscayne Bay. Again, the weather was fine and we sailed and motored some down to the big city of Miami. Lots of shipping and the port is huge with quite a few cruise ships and loads of commercial ships with all those neat toys from China.
<br>We are now sitting in Biscayne Bay preparing for our crossing to the Bahamas. We'll practice some sailing maneuvers, top off all the fuels and water and food before we head over to the Bahamas. The critical thing now is again a good weather window, which may be a few days or a week away. No problem mon, we need to slow down and get ready for island time. All the best and we'll check in soon.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-85123758434525124532014-01-08T04:59:00.000-08:002014-01-08T05:34:14.001-08:00Central Florida<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rm8km-8RSL36l9B591Oisj-ecQ6P8f1fs4Iwy7REbjhA4qu58KJ1Y9oFg7i1AUZ-2JfAKE6KV4klRZPE08f-5G572gwypcqt7HWvbSd4sVYtOm9NbtveRNiyayymuRieHL1_r9CbiX0Q/s1600/image-754001.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rm8km-8RSL36l9B591Oisj-ecQ6P8f1fs4Iwy7REbjhA4qu58KJ1Y9oFg7i1AUZ-2JfAKE6KV4klRZPE08f-5G572gwypcqt7HWvbSd4sVYtOm9NbtveRNiyayymuRieHL1_r9CbiX0Q/s320/image-754001.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5966517260911168578" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7cXbIKdl0d38k0ECmbJtwuZ4dIamaHSk7H-cF0tXQ6cmuK0uf3uKYOd8uCNg6TCSF4RR09Mv_osHROmBw8EqGtfNNNTyP6mOCYcb8xmfKFhxJ4BeVG_lrXeiDXFBbNNm9zhD2SoBiVZm/s1600/image-757498.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7cXbIKdl0d38k0ECmbJtwuZ4dIamaHSk7H-cF0tXQ6cmuK0uf3uKYOd8uCNg6TCSF4RR09Mv_osHROmBw8EqGtfNNNTyP6mOCYcb8xmfKFhxJ4BeVG_lrXeiDXFBbNNm9zhD2SoBiVZm/s320/image-757498.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5966517275998913074" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqRMvO4m1mAEIgHZGSkYIGsJRxr5E91GQIHHTYBZQIp8iG4TXs8Wb98meOUZp4KA_jpjrQ8akU0wEdpFCvSZm9nuBKwVLfEjhut9itpnb9t6JeiWMx73ScsBWhP_qQl1G6fj6xh1jtkXM/s1600/image-759798.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqRMvO4m1mAEIgHZGSkYIGsJRxr5E91GQIHHTYBZQIp8iG4TXs8Wb98meOUZp4KA_jpjrQ8akU0wEdpFCvSZm9nuBKwVLfEjhut9itpnb9t6JeiWMx73ScsBWhP_qQl1G6fj6xh1jtkXM/s320/image-759798.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5966517288451699122" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH1HJ99wB6qxOnXPLXCtNRVI-fL-uzqvDD5ss37JxgjEkziYSnJ4kMhNHDEiucZzJ6WliJcQIoWnxszfYq13ofANONTYh8wuyhbPs8-z9dMRbbmkWjR-f27XfgHGkZoHtF66N8ku9NTIV/s1600/image-762986.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH1HJ99wB6qxOnXPLXCtNRVI-fL-uzqvDD5ss37JxgjEkziYSnJ4kMhNHDEiucZzJ6WliJcQIoWnxszfYq13ofANONTYh8wuyhbPs8-z9dMRbbmkWjR-f27XfgHGkZoHtF66N8ku9NTIV/s320/image-762986.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5966517300829082962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9phGHxrrxLll4dCTTs-eC8_Jd-F3T1M-OnysFHdy9OtJzYatGlxkrsbY7ZXXYCFU5xQZvOsEoQksGUtLEwsRYmbkpWOKfQF8OcMETuA810n_dKfApbjo_4OomxPmV3lSjztU5h69tWwzP/s1600/image-765534.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9phGHxrrxLll4dCTTs-eC8_Jd-F3T1M-OnysFHdy9OtJzYatGlxkrsbY7ZXXYCFU5xQZvOsEoQksGUtLEwsRYmbkpWOKfQF8OcMETuA810n_dKfApbjo_4OomxPmV3lSjztU5h69tWwzP/s320/image-765534.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5966517308787436546" /></a></p>Happy New Year all. The new year finds Quartet in southern Florida, the temperatures are climbing and hopes are rising on reaching the Bahamas. We had a nice quiet Christmas in St. Augustine complete with the lights of the city. It seems as if old man winter again found us after the 25th and the weather started to get colder. Which means time to move on. Before we left we found out our cousin was in town visiting, and he came by to see us and we stayed an extra day to visit... which totally made our weekend. Thanks so much cousin Ed!
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<br>Before New Years we moved on to Marineland, a neat old marine park that had dolphins and all the aquatic life you could imagine. Unfortunately, the dolphins were quarintined due to a virus. We did manage to do a kayak tour with a guide to the wetlands, which was very good and had lots to see that we normally would not have noticed. It also filled in all those questions we had as we moved south when we saw wildlife but didn't know what we were seeing.
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<br>We moved on for a few days to make it to Melbourne to see an old friend from college. We managed to snag a tour of Cape Canaveral Space Station, including the old launch pads from the apollo missions (one from the accident that killed three astronauts and one that John Glenn and others departed from on their historic missions). Totally cool. There were current space missions going on, but we missed a launch due to weather while still managing to get a a windshield tour right up to the rocket. Thanks guys for an awesome few days escape to see the sights of the area, and the wonderful hospitality.
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<br>We find ourselves in Vero Beach enjoying a good mooring at the city marina, visiting the beach while the rest of the country froze, and making plans to move on to Miami area soon. The water is changing color to a nice green and blue, the temps are in the 70's and low 80's some days and we can feel the island calling us. Soon we'll prep for the crossing to the Bahamas, which brings on a whole new chapter. More to follow!SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-53429471099912445092013-12-21T12:45:00.000-08:002013-12-21T12:46:13.030-08:00Florida at last<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOzBlUxBId1NOVMVR_NmhfOSgtjeympe_D9lMsrlSGL7Y8aipWqK3r-GsBm05yPl8DJ5Nw6HIVIZR4vP1QNce_JT9biFGVVjlCaegHPYPvEUrBHACdbFHCroa6MWMy0N-0KAwWfxo1ft5/s1600/image-773030.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOzBlUxBId1NOVMVR_NmhfOSgtjeympe_D9lMsrlSGL7Y8aipWqK3r-GsBm05yPl8DJ5Nw6HIVIZR4vP1QNce_JT9biFGVVjlCaegHPYPvEUrBHACdbFHCroa6MWMy0N-0KAwWfxo1ft5/s320/image-773030.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949048429269922" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8FFpIxkrTG_UOrIGDtRswAGnditjE7mju8O-PC_qhKLu61hfMm7fux55DshBzeN5-LWdifK9IhiOXi0Xya68hwcNn36onrSgPxTAfyrQqb229dV0aHUvacsjpt5QThx2hus5zRI2R5Tm/s1600/image-777880.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8FFpIxkrTG_UOrIGDtRswAGnditjE7mju8O-PC_qhKLu61hfMm7fux55DshBzeN5-LWdifK9IhiOXi0Xya68hwcNn36onrSgPxTAfyrQqb229dV0aHUvacsjpt5QThx2hus5zRI2R5Tm/s320/image-777880.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949069961623026" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2wR61S8AnzI-lKd_hhEVexI9gpUZ9cp5D_J7BTU-fT8kDa3_NaZ4fO7XbAM3JTGXg7OH2XE8uf4rksGUSNkhJwQ9iCGKLIl4ykqmC_l8ozU_i6dhbW5LC3CZE82Z1CzVCBnXC548nBTE/s1600/image-782405.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2wR61S8AnzI-lKd_hhEVexI9gpUZ9cp5D_J7BTU-fT8kDa3_NaZ4fO7XbAM3JTGXg7OH2XE8uf4rksGUSNkhJwQ9iCGKLIl4ykqmC_l8ozU_i6dhbW5LC3CZE82Z1CzVCBnXC548nBTE/s320/image-782405.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949090906779794" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhHac1_ApaJVhESgo1I2u-Vf28jjMIM8Yg0S9kmv90zHOeTcguSp0ah14KCGEq610pztqdck8bbGvHppUIEg8cgIJmJ-pKv-wT40mjLAxEXILEOcdGh8J2DxUAfoc43Cwjn5-16WhRX3L/s1600/image-788638.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhHac1_ApaJVhESgo1I2u-Vf28jjMIM8Yg0S9kmv90zHOeTcguSp0ah14KCGEq610pztqdck8bbGvHppUIEg8cgIJmJ-pKv-wT40mjLAxEXILEOcdGh8J2DxUAfoc43Cwjn5-16WhRX3L/s320/image-788638.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949120150963986" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8yQErta4FwK-aNk1G1a53I0kM51sV6osU0ubvbrKTIffCgr84MActl_yw842tNbBSBOe9oDKFbMOC5kDChSCpgfo8BXkJweuqIGoNTaQIydaR6btvfadw_AgHdvKguNmAN3G42q1JYuC/s1600/image-792872.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8yQErta4FwK-aNk1G1a53I0kM51sV6osU0ubvbrKTIffCgr84MActl_yw842tNbBSBOe9oDKFbMOC5kDChSCpgfo8BXkJweuqIGoNTaQIydaR6btvfadw_AgHdvKguNmAN3G42q1JYuC/s320/image-792872.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949134274147762" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFvV8WTCQie3wEUhGZjtZUYmzK3sEpDZBo58rFrXcCRVEtqNdm9j8xMaq688bXXmVhR-3PL55Hk1l1MyXZUSkc_pMK-eSwSOKiaaiDjpcONJ6_h5dWW7eps4e9zH6lTDwIcvjStVhljEv/s1600/image-798620.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFvV8WTCQie3wEUhGZjtZUYmzK3sEpDZBo58rFrXcCRVEtqNdm9j8xMaq688bXXmVhR-3PL55Hk1l1MyXZUSkc_pMK-eSwSOKiaaiDjpcONJ6_h5dWW7eps4e9zH6lTDwIcvjStVhljEv/s320/image-798620.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949163816888178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm8e95RKQMmpurks0pIQoza9lbiMLOKmpj1lyMnZsA6ej2iEgcIF3CQvNmjsA4r3tyMmelDSZVsNumQfTAnDZTf4JrlxIf8QNHosgQh8-zmfE1sMlNIu_H_ZCmyn6aR7eeMMjR_7wYwSK/s1600/image-702634.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm8e95RKQMmpurks0pIQoza9lbiMLOKmpj1lyMnZsA6ej2iEgcIF3CQvNmjsA4r3tyMmelDSZVsNumQfTAnDZTf4JrlxIf8QNHosgQh8-zmfE1sMlNIu_H_ZCmyn6aR7eeMMjR_7wYwSK/s320/image-702634.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5959949179291089330" /></a></p>We made it. Sort of. Crossing the state line last week to Florida was a biggie, for us that is. Running from cold weather, traveling day after day that wore on nerves and made for some small mutinies and insurrections that were quelled only with a long stopover in Beaufort, SC.
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<br>The new prop and all the work done has made moving along much better. We even managed to do an offshore passage one day... A bit too rough for our liking that day, but we made it nonetheless. No pain no gain, right? Load up on the Dramamine next time.
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<br>The time in Beaufort was excellent. What a nice small town atmosphere, truly friendly people, and all the free laundry you could do made for good times. We did holiday activities three nites in a row, including the street festival, parade with Santa on the fire truck, and the boat parade one nite. We had a local family that are members of a family cruising group act as our official hosts, which made it even better. Truly a big thanks to you, and to Beaufort for the great times.
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<br>Moving southward, we crossed into Georgia and had to watch ourselves as the tides and tricky shallow spots made it interesting. A stop over on Cumberland island to visit the Carnegie family's former estate of Dungeness was great and included wild horses.
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<br>Onward to Florida, where we are now in St Augustine enjoying the warm weather, holiday cheer and lots of cruisers meeting up and discussing plans to move south. Happy holidays, we'll tune in after the new year from somewhere further south.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-49759442299172283042013-12-06T12:02:00.001-08:002013-12-06T12:07:54.515-08:00How to have fun on a boat<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYHjWHy4gqS1PC6Q7d6_uE18K_XJ1jD4qADZhKCAmbz0nOR_mOTZz-C6wGMBBityiatAM9Fi93vdtonT1OxUYEQdUnOImML-0pdG-FFaCSSQV_dcX2b-E2fYlMO9MJEXxmb5MiRVKEwWY/s1600/image-776284.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYHjWHy4gqS1PC6Q7d6_uE18K_XJ1jD4qADZhKCAmbz0nOR_mOTZz-C6wGMBBityiatAM9Fi93vdtonT1OxUYEQdUnOImML-0pdG-FFaCSSQV_dcX2b-E2fYlMO9MJEXxmb5MiRVKEwWY/s320/image-776284.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5954371621508312962" /></a></div>
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Homeschooling on a warm day in December</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzgXPEjQmb7xiP7SCQazHPXinwSxV0tCLAkgoo1SF9_-SuuK8b2k8quPMi_Kt726qcdI3sOkBUJb86E9yhlGYN9CGbbRXON_8nTQ5YB3F35NzCYZVoXyNSHoB6VQtKDHh5IHiSI36cp9s/s1600/image-779466.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzgXPEjQmb7xiP7SCQazHPXinwSxV0tCLAkgoo1SF9_-SuuK8b2k8quPMi_Kt726qcdI3sOkBUJb86E9yhlGYN9CGbbRXON_8nTQ5YB3F35NzCYZVoXyNSHoB6VQtKDHh5IHiSI36cp9s/s320/image-779466.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5954371631932589794" /></a></div>
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Sunset over Charleston, SC</div>
By Anne
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When we were in Masonboro marina, there wasn't a lot to do. So we asked the dock master what a fun activity would be and he said we should motor to the islands in our dinghy. So, we did. At first, my mom and I went. I thought it was going to be boring but then I found a whelk. I picked it up and found a small animal inside. We thought it was a clam but then, we looked at it more closely and realized a mollusk was inside. I wanted to keep it but the mollusk would die so I left it there.
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After ten minutes passed, my mom and I motored back to the boat and picked Alex up. Then, we went to the other island. When we got there I jumped into the cold water and pulled the dinghy to shore. Once five minutes past a small dog came running over. Then, two people came. My mom talked to them for a while and then the owner found a stick and showed us how high the dog could jump. The dog was able to jump at least four feet high.
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While my mom was talking to the same people, Alex and I walked around. Alex also found a whelk but it had a mollusk in it too. The mollusk was angry when we picked him up so it spat water at us. After Alex put the shell down, we raced to the end of the beach. Alex won. I almost stepped on a HUGE jelly fish. I was disgusted but Alex didn't care. We kept on walking and then turned around. My feet were sore from walking on the sharp shells. Even though I thought it was going to be boring I had a lot of fun looking for shells.
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<br />SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-27602546512688035672013-11-28T08:50:00.001-08:002013-11-28T08:56:04.394-08:00Thanksgivikkah?<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddNi-HAxg1jUwXzkI6kd4fjuPsBGBBvTTH0cnfUjWbC5jaHMaHqPeqJ4fUJwa8Y_g3oxawUv3Qg0Q3Y-ge3-9P7N1NDq_9qqx_fM2RRRfOPrNVKsdXY_qHjFfeqeUIbz-ZVIctg2k30zs/s1600/image-750744.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddNi-HAxg1jUwXzkI6kd4fjuPsBGBBvTTH0cnfUjWbC5jaHMaHqPeqJ4fUJwa8Y_g3oxawUv3Qg0Q3Y-ge3-9P7N1NDq_9qqx_fM2RRRfOPrNVKsdXY_qHjFfeqeUIbz-ZVIctg2k30zs/s320/image-750744.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5951353435951284834" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zAP1ns0wqKJija7UuM-8XBR40FETy-UCtkeeiHr7gyXM2KKBJjEk1c2eQeIAlndX0KZEFeH1Lv1bQ4oATvT5A3EJWuR3zdRgJ4PJUKYQOd46SLT07j6hQHOEDAw9aDOW_nCPfrH8L9EM/s1600/image-755834.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zAP1ns0wqKJija7UuM-8XBR40FETy-UCtkeeiHr7gyXM2KKBJjEk1c2eQeIAlndX0KZEFeH1Lv1bQ4oATvT5A3EJWuR3zdRgJ4PJUKYQOd46SLT07j6hQHOEDAw9aDOW_nCPfrH8L9EM/s320/image-755834.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5951353457461575906" /></a><br />
See the two blade prop?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxGgHQ3c4VSxAnFpuE2Ghvum4WnJ9HymhoNaz-tjt6KBQ59M9mGeOM7-Ab7k4GqR_fX8H6O4uPu9cNdOG8WP_2ZknpRe_KelEcGlp5ArmXiNDABkvfzy3PtmN5Z2ZJnnrBjcQPrSXOR8J/s1600/image-759279.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxGgHQ3c4VSxAnFpuE2Ghvum4WnJ9HymhoNaz-tjt6KBQ59M9mGeOM7-Ab7k4GqR_fX8H6O4uPu9cNdOG8WP_2ZknpRe_KelEcGlp5ArmXiNDABkvfzy3PtmN5Z2ZJnnrBjcQPrSXOR8J/s320/image-759279.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5951353474117156674" /></a></div>
Happy Thanksgivikkah... The melting of Thanksgiving and the start of Hanukkah. Look it up, it's even a trademarked term now.
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We've been holding at Carolina beach for a few weeks to have...wait for it...boat work done. Yes, better to get it done now before it got worse or we were in a remote place.
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Seem the point where the propeller enters the boat, the stuffing box, was becoming more and more leaky. We knew this from the last survey but it was on the "eventually" list. Which is now. The mechanic we are using is excellent, and noted other areas that could be done that would save headaches later, such as a prop shaft( the original is pitted and worn), coupling and 3 bladed prop. Seems we weren't getting good use of our current two bladed prop and it was not the proper size for our engine output and transmission. Which could do harm down the road and uses extra fuel. Plus, we've noticed that we never had a lot of get up and go, which is more important now with getting through bridge openings, battling currents and tides.
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We have not been suffering, as the off season rates are very reasonable for the beach condos. And after being on a boat, even a one bedroom condo is huge. And it has hot water. And laundry. A a 40 inch flat screen. I could go on. We've gotten soft, but are launching the boat tomorrow we hope, to check rpm's and alignment and get on the road.
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South Carolina is next! Sounds good, it has the word south in it and the promise of warmer temps. The trip from Beaufort to here was good, with 3 bridge openings on the second day that was a bit of a mad dash but worked well. We saw first hand our get up and go prop issue as we tried to keep up with other boats and not get run over by ones behind us. Loads of dolphins as we moved south, a few playing in our wake and others coming near the boat to see what we were up to. We did hunker down in a marina the last day we got here for a few days with a strong cold front blowing up to 40 knots. Again we met great folks and had a good time. Big thanks to David at Masonboro marina for all the help, and to Charlie and Barbara for loaning us a spare heater during the cold spell which they insisted we keep! We are hooked on the heater now and any cold front will soon see its appearance. Thanks all!SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-15409998667086517902013-11-10T17:18:00.000-08:002013-11-10T17:19:14.322-08:00Beaufort, NC<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-N-mDmd9onoZxPI7inXQGFT6wwfuSFcyVr6Y1RjgUKj6-M6MT3srfhlo2_Apjeo34oyW7-EDdYk3eQzWtCllTiW_BJbEwLZBGGSl0JC9j0H7P6VSt0GW86DEsJQvP2q0uKepvg3ckxyR/s1600/image-754322.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-N-mDmd9onoZxPI7inXQGFT6wwfuSFcyVr6Y1RjgUKj6-M6MT3srfhlo2_Apjeo34oyW7-EDdYk3eQzWtCllTiW_BJbEwLZBGGSl0JC9j0H7P6VSt0GW86DEsJQvP2q0uKepvg3ckxyR/s320/image-754322.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944804913570203634" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhBPzGeDirdW92_Z7CvvGcIK-5rY6wIBhsuvD6ANFnJSa3Cs9_lW8ZpWjGP45bhA_HjCfl-m2SFRS_KzuYbYezK9Ch3w04Ix68PcOhc835-Kot_2yvgjoxpyMiCM_vixmR1mMkWpvtSp4/s1600/image-756413.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhBPzGeDirdW92_Z7CvvGcIK-5rY6wIBhsuvD6ANFnJSa3Cs9_lW8ZpWjGP45bhA_HjCfl-m2SFRS_KzuYbYezK9Ch3w04Ix68PcOhc835-Kot_2yvgjoxpyMiCM_vixmR1mMkWpvtSp4/s320/image-756413.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944804924539090114" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWXfYpDZqCGmC6y8lB-nmNb8jZB7Rr7eLSBsLmeD8kPnjSqZceMYW7ogWw36514Jb1bgPrC-lPUBhG4mYN7c5CoUnjJt1gOGks-S0-nC3yiQdgviImNArffgfoNr50yQ7nxfFpyHWIO84/s1600/image-758420.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWXfYpDZqCGmC6y8lB-nmNb8jZB7Rr7eLSBsLmeD8kPnjSqZceMYW7ogWw36514Jb1bgPrC-lPUBhG4mYN7c5CoUnjJt1gOGks-S0-nC3yiQdgviImNArffgfoNr50yQ7nxfFpyHWIO84/s320/image-758420.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944804931967225970" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvM0zyTpeObF9XIYgQbZrRhKG5MHMpBCLDwZBC0JMrN08HGmVkr27cMfWjwxEjy_DqENuMU2D79BZiLja6laK9v7oRnpDX1dreUxR7ozdoZF3lhJudxd2NTdxRDXR6n7HqN7zvClC2YID/s1600/image-760479.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvM0zyTpeObF9XIYgQbZrRhKG5MHMpBCLDwZBC0JMrN08HGmVkr27cMfWjwxEjy_DqENuMU2D79BZiLja6laK9v7oRnpDX1dreUxR7ozdoZF3lhJudxd2NTdxRDXR6n7HqN7zvClC2YID/s320/image-760479.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944804941694786066" /></a></p>A short trip to Beaufort with nice weather started our weekend. We're adjusting to tides and currents now that we're next to the ocean. We visited a kite festival last week while work was being done on the engine, and there were some really cool kites that were huge (a full size whale!). This weekend we did the local scene in Beaufort, including a visit to the island that has wild horses, a visit to the maritime museum to view Blackbeard's pirate artifacts, and the usual window shopping. Tomorrow it's off south, with a cold front coming mid-week that will,test our entire wardrobe to stay warm.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-52508135110079458852013-11-07T14:21:00.000-08:002013-11-07T14:22:18.890-08:00Engine for dinner?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR2alo10P56xlrHcBZy_e2wIgYOqqD-rdQzvdNXgTfIQuRTO-hyLV3N4_Tzo9VCr-mAGQByUDpweWgmr112afikCP6QBXvMbzN9NduUFNu6NPAEf0youYepArtFyiLCcgKYoaSBZaak_q/s1600/image-738891.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR2alo10P56xlrHcBZy_e2wIgYOqqD-rdQzvdNXgTfIQuRTO-hyLV3N4_Tzo9VCr-mAGQByUDpweWgmr112afikCP6QBXvMbzN9NduUFNu6NPAEf0youYepArtFyiLCcgKYoaSBZaak_q/s320/image-738891.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943646069260083746" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtT49RyaqJ2G8pOfBtKti1SB9Lq4WhIZ5J7wO286Df79cKiwb6pEpQfkpv58nsetKZZY7U6tFEowvRcCB9aBf5YZZ45c6D9d5_Sj-evG6lQHvM69ToHKZSC822D8Z0o-ComTSc8zAlPkU/s1600/image-741153.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtT49RyaqJ2G8pOfBtKti1SB9Lq4WhIZ5J7wO286Df79cKiwb6pEpQfkpv58nsetKZZY7U6tFEowvRcCB9aBf5YZZ45c6D9d5_Sj-evG6lQHvM69ToHKZSC822D8Z0o-ComTSc8zAlPkU/s320/image-741153.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943646076051705218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALbeSfcmw7ukmpAB6PNmR6oUTnG_wwm6e6F7GEHkAF8dl_5S9D_K-ryGwY_NCkZ2UsTxO9ts85AItZ7KJNOzlA2BhwRq2dQin-KrwBK2FadjvXkyNaxd9wDLJjA5sKjCv4ED1ZS0T2E8B/s1600/image-743132.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALbeSfcmw7ukmpAB6PNmR6oUTnG_wwm6e6F7GEHkAF8dl_5S9D_K-ryGwY_NCkZ2UsTxO9ts85AItZ7KJNOzlA2BhwRq2dQin-KrwBK2FadjvXkyNaxd9wDLJjA5sKjCv4ED1ZS0T2E8B/s320/image-743132.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943646084474282178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObCGIW-tKQQdvSFgMqmK6rsAxov-h6l60Yy_8kGhhwpympMz_99QqZxtDBR3R2LnejQdxGsIzMXGjFudUpg3mE2CL2mPLyaR_tGRfdRmd6nQxRXmPFlzwXEMmqjuBwql6wjX7t1GZfFyd/s1600/image-745652.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObCGIW-tKQQdvSFgMqmK6rsAxov-h6l60Yy_8kGhhwpympMz_99QqZxtDBR3R2LnejQdxGsIzMXGjFudUpg3mE2CL2mPLyaR_tGRfdRmd6nQxRXmPFlzwXEMmqjuBwql6wjX7t1GZfFyd/s320/image-745652.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943646099246171490" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWqHASeWNq-Aq1XuYrxDsJ_BUV_REP09GVHNdmy8RPx2M3L2uiR447JFjWCirkOGufB0ggUo384UPaTJ8YpWWlicKQBDOIBW5xLk_19xtc0XhW3ml_exR_quaSRiQsyhmYBuOyJPWTpZv/s1600/image-748302.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWqHASeWNq-Aq1XuYrxDsJ_BUV_REP09GVHNdmy8RPx2M3L2uiR447JFjWCirkOGufB0ggUo384UPaTJ8YpWWlicKQBDOIBW5xLk_19xtc0XhW3ml_exR_quaSRiQsyhmYBuOyJPWTpZv/s320/image-748302.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943646107048260386" /></a></p>The work is done. The folks at Sailcraft Service in Oriental get an A+ in my book. New aluminum stringers, clean painted bilge, lots of side projects done while the engine was out. Oh, did I mention the engine that lived in our main salon for a day or so. We vacated the boat while they did the initial work of removing the engine and old stringers, but still had about a day of overlap till the engine went back in. So we are all in top physical shape after the advanced gymnastics of climbing over, around and by the engine.
<br>We did the bilge cleaning and painting as well as hooking up the engine once it was back in which saved a fair amount of dough. That's one great thing about this boatyard is they let you do as much as you feel able, will loan you tools, provide solid advice and lend a hand when you need it. The bilge cleaning was especially a treat. 30 years of crud in the bilge, and we found another area beneath the water tank that had 15 gallons of water and diesel mixture from who knows where and when that had to be hand pumped out. Nobody said this was a pleasure cruise and I've yet to have a fruity drink with an umbrella in it.
<br>We're waiting on a part for the engine which is an easy fix and we'll be off to Beaufort in a day or so. Ready to on the road (water) again!
<br>The photos show old and new (can you guess which is which) as well as our attempt to cook the engine in the oven which failed.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-24808300387610086552013-10-31T06:59:00.001-07:002013-10-31T06:59:27.135-07:00Oriental NC<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq9O7spGwNebKqzMRK-WESMfxYRut7QNHNP8bqGWS981o4wORLdLAp0LaMWElSc6GywPJAcwMNkkdt80xxN7vabkkAaBKaAefiDl_iKx3cVSHhX9xt5It5BxP7E9ozohxAWFZxgTHbkfp/s1600/image-767135.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq9O7spGwNebKqzMRK-WESMfxYRut7QNHNP8bqGWS981o4wORLdLAp0LaMWElSc6GywPJAcwMNkkdt80xxN7vabkkAaBKaAefiDl_iKx3cVSHhX9xt5It5BxP7E9ozohxAWFZxgTHbkfp/s320/image-767135.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5940918884736852594" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDwDsqydAR6_uky1QfGuMwOHzfj5E6QGdxYx8GOtbSsF3A1BzEtR2sfactKSRZjXjN8UtwXIzDAgN1FGJPHUcyY7DmApW-WCsa5nMlix-VSQZ1nJ5ngwoTSIutUJQc2GTeTHhymgd2oJU/s1600/image-776861.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDwDsqydAR6_uky1QfGuMwOHzfj5E6QGdxYx8GOtbSsF3A1BzEtR2sfactKSRZjXjN8UtwXIzDAgN1FGJPHUcyY7DmApW-WCsa5nMlix-VSQZ1nJ5ngwoTSIutUJQc2GTeTHhymgd2oJU/s320/image-776861.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5940918921142182642" /></a></p>We're settled in Oriental to have our last bit of engine work done at Sailcraft Service. They are an excellent yard and we'd like to have had all our work done here. In the pic below you can (barely) see the slippage the engine has done as it settled. The lower left arrow points to the temporary fix I did by placing a stainless steel pole beneath the wood block that the engine mounts rest on. The mount is the red circle, and you can see the washers underneath that are a temporary support. The whole thing has sunk the engine down about a half inch on the left side. This is bad, as it throws the engine out of alignment with the prop. Anyway, it all comes out and gets new supports, engine room painted pretty white and secured like Fort Knox.
<br>In more fun news, we've really enjoyed Oriental. A nice town that is definitely a sailing town, and the Halloween party last Sat was a lot of fun. We'll be off to Beaufort next week, and ready to blast south.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-29365413334094739932013-10-23T17:12:00.000-07:002013-10-23T17:43:12.773-07:00Elizabeth City<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl5Tcsc8OxJc8v4rRnh2E2axB4a7QLxo4-jF0HnE_1fIA8VOEll6Mug5gzUygd5hyphenhyphen3ZEVC7vey_CDOXn5TST2r1spGaUwLuSpICanTZ9mK76xfQPI8MponjRuwoW_HPJWA4Qx65gy5zMT/s1600/image-792773.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl5Tcsc8OxJc8v4rRnh2E2axB4a7QLxo4-jF0HnE_1fIA8VOEll6Mug5gzUygd5hyphenhyphen3ZEVC7vey_CDOXn5TST2r1spGaUwLuSpICanTZ9mK76xfQPI8MponjRuwoW_HPJWA4Qx65gy5zMT/s320/image-792773.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938116097287757970" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpMMklJkoPr-q1oe3Nx4rmw6wWXWZPAt3wWnkJECvYIrhjvv_1sEuo_i3u9qxvpAqIlmIvmx_cidLcLMFRPN4vWZljQWxZ_0ixBqoUz8XbB13TYgr3uz59XbEnNBfNYY3GdhMmMO4fcLw/s1600/image-795427.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpMMklJkoPr-q1oe3Nx4rmw6wWXWZPAt3wWnkJECvYIrhjvv_1sEuo_i3u9qxvpAqIlmIvmx_cidLcLMFRPN4vWZljQWxZ_0ixBqoUz8XbB13TYgr3uz59XbEnNBfNYY3GdhMmMO4fcLw/s320/image-795427.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938116114254647410" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV4w_8CzxslEJiSbR5ZIUej0xzB6PxnZeVtULS-CsiY9uJo4Xoelxqz0uq2WwU1N4Hb3iZtExTefXLcVHRQac-vA_vQXfVzxiQpkmuSA7tqwOdOh3yzvo-bavEZXoj3n_bAPwGMFyv3Vl/s1600/image-798087.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhV4w_8CzxslEJiSbR5ZIUej0xzB6PxnZeVtULS-CsiY9uJo4Xoelxqz0uq2WwU1N4Hb3iZtExTefXLcVHRQac-vA_vQXfVzxiQpkmuSA7tqwOdOh3yzvo-bavEZXoj3n_bAPwGMFyv3Vl/s320/image-798087.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938116119995161714" /></a></p>We departed the dismal swamp canal in good spirits (pun intended) and went through the south lock to continue on in North Carolina. Our next stop would be Elizabeth City, where we really got into the full swing of the cruising community headed south. We've met interesting people (in many ways) during our stay, including resume guy who continues to tell you his past experiences and how you need to do everything. We enjoyed hot showers at the local fitness center (thanks fitness warehouse!) and a birthday dinner with our French Canadian friends. The kids all had a blast running around after being cooped up on a boat all day, and the language barrier wasn't even noticed as they played frisbee.
<br>We departed and made our longest day yet across the albemarle sound and down the alligator river (none sited) to a remote anchorage at the south end of the river. It was so quiet and just a few lights to remind us of civilization. We managed to sail for almost half of the trip, making very good time.
<br>We continue to move south, spurred on by cold fronts biting at our heels. It may be one more trip to the engine doctor for our boat to resolve engine mount issues once and for all in the near future at Beaufort NC, so that is our destination with a few stops on the way.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-8934770170508949262013-10-19T14:20:00.000-07:002013-10-19T16:11:47.020-07:00On the move<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DCMJdvHUPKS7Rx-lgqwxQWq-n8NaEKH8ui6R3SIDPj_Ozwlb5keHjUDLEY8RGNgViJvDNAPHHXqmOnqLKbtOtJ1SqIYEdiVP6UVtx7-qNn-oG7rC7r6PmwBEYicgQrbVdRHSNP5_dcxc/s1600/image-707021.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DCMJdvHUPKS7Rx-lgqwxQWq-n8NaEKH8ui6R3SIDPj_Ozwlb5keHjUDLEY8RGNgViJvDNAPHHXqmOnqLKbtOtJ1SqIYEdiVP6UVtx7-qNn-oG7rC7r6PmwBEYicgQrbVdRHSNP5_dcxc/s320/image-707021.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936608197077968242" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzlMzWv-Bs92AjFtIix0NJY5y7P7yTP7Mt1bTwcnd7EgLe-LoWIFE4lGQ1BdxCY2lebJPRA7kybF2dH3xyt06oOIYFs3TNF2fBnq1xOsOzwQO8EnnhorErEWqFq9PHLu7jEsmOd33hB3-/s1600/image-709329.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzlMzWv-Bs92AjFtIix0NJY5y7P7yTP7Mt1bTwcnd7EgLe-LoWIFE4lGQ1BdxCY2lebJPRA7kybF2dH3xyt06oOIYFs3TNF2fBnq1xOsOzwQO8EnnhorErEWqFq9PHLu7jEsmOd33hB3-/s320/image-709329.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936608206194871666" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTYAT-NeGIgndqdc5zwCM2gT8AskA9Dy2Tm53tUYaxnLTnmei1URWLIaY_4un1wqhAOkelb-WIkMhMB5ANC3ctQ4m21nmRq6PYGTqgw0Io20jNtjEtQYOa-fjBbPvKYWzn6AobKsVJK8s/s1600/image-711964.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTYAT-NeGIgndqdc5zwCM2gT8AskA9Dy2Tm53tUYaxnLTnmei1URWLIaY_4un1wqhAOkelb-WIkMhMB5ANC3ctQ4m21nmRq6PYGTqgw0Io20jNtjEtQYOa-fjBbPvKYWzn6AobKsVJK8s/s320/image-711964.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936608218269880802" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfkByG2WiWV6P0xZUSZg7CkKdPdZTajTTHjmcIlb7WxnaKH2SQHPq86GoHP4QOfkK6mBfUQGxl27ZHf3Nl4eeoCIlI3SG0UeIdqfScIrV6W2WA_34ywnlGowTYnMrEZ1Fvngkg_BNG48W/s1600/image-714379.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfkByG2WiWV6P0xZUSZg7CkKdPdZTajTTHjmcIlb7WxnaKH2SQHPq86GoHP4QOfkK6mBfUQGxl27ZHf3Nl4eeoCIlI3SG0UeIdqfScIrV6W2WA_34ywnlGowTYnMrEZ1Fvngkg_BNG48W/s320/image-714379.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936608225672871778" /></a></p>We finally got the boat fixed well enough to move on. We spent two weeks at big sisters house waiting for the work to be done and had a great time. Thanks big sis for the hospitality!
<br>We left the boatyard this morning and made it out of the industrial zone and to the quieter waters of the Dismal Swamp. We went through the locks and motored about 20 miles to the visitors center for the nite. Strange and interesting motoring down the canal, with one water pump failure to add some spice to the trip. It took longer to find the spare pump than it did to replace.
<br>We are now rafted next to a French Canadian family enjoying the company and scenery. Onward tomorrow further south.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-31186232208170589012013-10-03T14:18:00.001-07:002013-10-03T14:18:45.189-07:00Summing up<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXq8UuUQ2lmZs336iOXDkkFNk56co6SXEefgSQBAeg_aEnYG63iNN0lxz67aXylGPep3ws5BJ0CA4BF_7coHkmGbGI3dmz4KZoULli-Fhjund-6PhFJkcEAT2xfwLyocxkoAjnO9JXeuJN/s1600/image-725189.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXq8UuUQ2lmZs336iOXDkkFNk56co6SXEefgSQBAeg_aEnYG63iNN0lxz67aXylGPep3ws5BJ0CA4BF_7coHkmGbGI3dmz4KZoULli-Fhjund-6PhFJkcEAT2xfwLyocxkoAjnO9JXeuJN/s320/image-725189.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5930641704192872386" /></a></p>Time for a little reflection. We've been at this for three weeks or so, and completed the Chesapeake part of the trip. The spectrum of emotions has crossed from "I want to quit right now" to "this totally rocks and I could do it forever". It all ends up with being about 80 percent positive overall, so we'll press on. Besides, it's early in the season as one coach said.
<br>We've been off the boat for a few days while some engine work is underway, and we're itching already to get back and continue the journey. When I look back over the people we met, the places we visited and the experiences logged it has been great - amazing really. Adjusting to a new pace of life, letting go and not having as much control over basic things that we take for granted on land has been eye-opening to say the least. We're on land right now, and having hot water, endless wifi and plenty of arm space is soooo cool. Who'd of thought?
<br>We're planning now for the next phase through North Carolina and further, and itching even more to get back to moving on. The picture shows our major stops so far for the Chesapeake portion.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-22931518073027267542013-09-30T17:24:00.000-07:002013-09-30T17:26:20.557-07:00Portsmouth<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vOTZJIavJG14jB38BIXu6XedtstGfpa599tW8ynp8SEvffPnNwj5MPpZgTr4F3sfjQabYrsOHh3AkMJ1efXAgDu2hUwbMZe7XyDwdPtA56fW5NP-c362380c5rFWqbn6UpUNHRRwZU1H/s1600/image-780558.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vOTZJIavJG14jB38BIXu6XedtstGfpa599tW8ynp8SEvffPnNwj5MPpZgTr4F3sfjQabYrsOHh3AkMJ1efXAgDu2hUwbMZe7XyDwdPtA56fW5NP-c362380c5rFWqbn6UpUNHRRwZU1H/s320/image-780558.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5929576795089615762" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g7hFrZ9RIiiD-juUo1PKitKiJPgmXrKXJ-boht5isb_PXkNL9ia2mO1znCjEmYdYgYi4IU7wUeasmrOtZtJuitrlkyVL8P2-YyodFlorAdL1yCg829biSgWrrT2ZLFGPf8DbyJ2v0m7k/s1600/image-782969.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1g7hFrZ9RIiiD-juUo1PKitKiJPgmXrKXJ-boht5isb_PXkNL9ia2mO1znCjEmYdYgYi4IU7wUeasmrOtZtJuitrlkyVL8P2-YyodFlorAdL1yCg829biSgWrrT2ZLFGPf8DbyJ2v0m7k/s320/image-782969.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5929576803474075810" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw1CFK2Wz4GchO84eH3Di2o4INiApteyR-hyz1eRdpLGQaU7NFdVJ_hLJ5OTAvOFdIvkRr3OKxW7nhs2eAY4xRaO7Ltb-ECLFxyZxBPr9lbH1O6XqSuJtCcGqmI6azvVZcVx_w931MKM1/s1600/image-784949.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw1CFK2Wz4GchO84eH3Di2o4INiApteyR-hyz1eRdpLGQaU7NFdVJ_hLJ5OTAvOFdIvkRr3OKxW7nhs2eAY4xRaO7Ltb-ECLFxyZxBPr9lbH1O6XqSuJtCcGqmI6azvVZcVx_w931MKM1/s320/image-784949.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5929576811593546930" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWey-t_QYgETYtMwwqBPZ00elCIWERicNUWnSEzfFAW5Tq36qdjUmDHMlgqejRCZg3kEKaO36JRtztXmp75qD-MqHpa7RTmkXOLjasqqunLnKAVI6kDNLKLeQJCj1KQJh1P0MwjiMxV4HS/s1600/image-787154.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWey-t_QYgETYtMwwqBPZ00elCIWERicNUWnSEzfFAW5Tq36qdjUmDHMlgqejRCZg3kEKaO36JRtztXmp75qD-MqHpa7RTmkXOLjasqqunLnKAVI6kDNLKLeQJCj1KQJh1P0MwjiMxV4HS/s320/image-787154.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5929576821610844050" /></a></p>We've been settled in Portsmouth for a few days, rented a car to go see family, and are still here awaiting some engine work. The trip down from Deltaville was good, and we saw our first dolphins. They're in the picture, just squint a little more... A little more...
<br>Passing through Hampton Roads was busy. Lots of Navy and commercial ships going to and for at a rapid clip. All hands on deck and all that, keeping an eye out.
<br>This afternoon was a trip to the beach, which was a nice break. We stopped at the store for some planting material for a home schooling project (yes, we're famers too) and tomorrow is a tour of the power plant that makes electricity by burning waste which is also another homeschooling project.
<br>Hopefully we'll be out by the end of the week, once the transmission has been touched up a bit. Until then...SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-7037057536727624442013-09-23T15:49:00.000-07:002013-09-23T15:57:46.611-07:00Fishing Bay<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0NI3Due3fBhnPkm-XIEQiSicuLzYrXkBz5tX8_8zo58HedXTszuELdj7zMBV3UK0r8eNZ-T1Ot5JK4phup1xad7AQYP2YpvEd5LKvcv6eie-7sbz_V4sXvWDveYGvZIdqbMM2S3pzAvu/s1600/image-707926.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0NI3Due3fBhnPkm-XIEQiSicuLzYrXkBz5tX8_8zo58HedXTszuELdj7zMBV3UK0r8eNZ-T1Ot5JK4phup1xad7AQYP2YpvEd5LKvcv6eie-7sbz_V4sXvWDveYGvZIdqbMM2S3pzAvu/s320/image-707926.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926954403413758050" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3qet1mGxV5nBN7cwxGPFtoKiTlKKI0kwGc2EKRg9uakCxFhiEAJ0ootMPO2Y-khWBCmVQh43riKJLLZIkpv1i-z_tTGOyql-jHrK39HzuxZuhxaXwxjeSIKsXHPJnjePdci7RM2yNIvv/s1600/image-710186.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3qet1mGxV5nBN7cwxGPFtoKiTlKKI0kwGc2EKRg9uakCxFhiEAJ0ootMPO2Y-khWBCmVQh43riKJLLZIkpv1i-z_tTGOyql-jHrK39HzuxZuhxaXwxjeSIKsXHPJnjePdci7RM2yNIvv/s320/image-710186.jpeg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926954411702585314" /></a></div>
<div class="mobile-photo">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We're nestled into Fishing Bay, prepping for a run to Hampton tomorrow. A front came through the last few days so we caught up on projects, schooling and groceries. Staying in Deltaville marina for one night proved to be a great idea. We did laundry, used the courtesy car for a produce run and took advantage of the hot showers. The plus was that The previous evening was the slip holder picnic, which included crabs and beer. We were invited to attend even though we were not staying until the next nite....ummm, ok, crabs and beer it is. What nice people at the marina and the boat owners were a fun group to talk to. The extra plus was the following day when we did stay in the marina there was still leftover beer. And it was Sunday. Which means football. A great day, and the kids camped in the lounge for a wifi session that would make the Olympic wifi team.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We did some dinghy sailing today, and enjoyed the protection of the bay. On the road tomorrow for our last long sail before the intercostal waterway. The bike picture is from Solomons, on our way to the museum.</span>SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-51835007105767419122013-09-21T12:17:00.001-07:002013-09-21T12:17:48.969-07:00Now the words for the pictures below...> We've had the full experience the last three days, to include a blustery day, a visit to Solomons Isle and then another great sail to Tangier Island.
<br>> We departed to Solomons on a day that promised a nice north wind and a front coming through, but with 5-10 knots of wind. Great, lets go! Well, by the time we hit the bay proper, the winds were 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 we think, some rain and cloud cover, and 4-8 foot waves. The toll on the boat was one bent stainless steel rod that held our dingy, one broken cleat (made of plastic, and not worthy of keeping anyway so no big loss) and a broken wisker pole (again, old and too small for our boat and we knew it). The toll on the crew were a few frayed nerves as the autopilot could not keep up with the following waves and downind blast we were on. We did make record time to Solomons and the crab dinner erased all the day's woes (with help from a few pints as well).
<br>> We spent a fabulous day in Solomons at the maritime museum, biking there and to the store for fresh produce. The hot showers removed all memory of the previous day's sail, and so the next day we departed for Tangier Island, something always on our list of places to visit. We sailed 35 miles on a perfect day of sun and a good wind for half the trip.
<br>> We settled in Tangier for a day or two to explore and take in the sights. We've already had the required crab dinner one evening at Hilda Crocketts. The dinner was served family style, and we were the last to arrive before closing. We were seated with three others couples, one of whom were newlyweds. Food was served from big bowls and passed around to all for an endless supply of crab cakes, clam fritters, corn pudding, green beans, slaw, pickled beets, fresh bread, applesauce and pound cake. All washed down with tea. Needless to say, we're full. burp.
<br>> The photos above are from Tangier. Lots of cats around, even at the firehouse. The birds also enjoy the use of the island, and the tourists invade for a few hours when the ferries arrive. It's nice in the evening when they've all left and you can listen to the locals talk to each other in their dialect.
<br>> We departed Tangier and had another nice sail back across the bay to Deltaville, Va. We're still adjusting to walking great distances for things after the nice closeness of Tangier.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-38019017919945163512013-09-21T03:53:00.000-07:002013-09-21T03:54:30.560-07:00Solomons Isle and Tangier Island<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WzqqXkSNpl60JpYd7sQMZgtlfwIXHvSKL1xr1H9KDKi_p-vZXk0_1gLAzKxI1njHfJbTM1b0X5UVTiRCiR6aJWDUOXgUrwt48-P5Pdzh3nKnPSKF6LxmBqxvtF1-b63LVqjB313bf0wS/s1600/image-770560.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WzqqXkSNpl60JpYd7sQMZgtlfwIXHvSKL1xr1H9KDKi_p-vZXk0_1gLAzKxI1njHfJbTM1b0X5UVTiRCiR6aJWDUOXgUrwt48-P5Pdzh3nKnPSKF6LxmBqxvtF1-b63LVqjB313bf0wS/s320/image-770560.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926027819830066818" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidD5-uap7hgtfOFSt-Yk5l2NxKSgSFVG6J-MvWIAbSFCBigxQPAtvAdmDRVxrNu-2-WnOLjphIv5t3nSUlr6dbvSzauuwo1T3P7C-v0nDCq349M4bIN7YYzOrk-IXjYQdarlaHvkAmwMKV/s1600/image-773186.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidD5-uap7hgtfOFSt-Yk5l2NxKSgSFVG6J-MvWIAbSFCBigxQPAtvAdmDRVxrNu-2-WnOLjphIv5t3nSUlr6dbvSzauuwo1T3P7C-v0nDCq349M4bIN7YYzOrk-IXjYQdarlaHvkAmwMKV/s320/image-773186.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926027828596889026" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtWv61meS6kl1RyeMO2b2Ll1fHXEXso_V0Ld6ufvhmGlKd4uUKjTPtpaOB3ut3AfNkKQevNomihG_383sZUeUPm96dhU2SLCFaH0bsWsjMMvhv7IxPdFZ5kLJVvVVLgiJZsnUVmlL3X8W/s1600/image-775320.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtWv61meS6kl1RyeMO2b2Ll1fHXEXso_V0Ld6ufvhmGlKd4uUKjTPtpaOB3ut3AfNkKQevNomihG_383sZUeUPm96dhU2SLCFaH0bsWsjMMvhv7IxPdFZ5kLJVvVVLgiJZsnUVmlL3X8W/s320/image-775320.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926027837418357154" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFxst7lm6mEIQ-qA462vrHN2x3vw8ZI1La7U0WGok_D2JLfgcpTqLQ9lk-lzWuX_HC40XnfhiRq7htSA0UKJfvH9tjTtRxn6a3rQRgVmX92dxL_nKe5vYP3Qcj1VIVH5EP8NUrxZSYN62/s1600/image-777116.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFxst7lm6mEIQ-qA462vrHN2x3vw8ZI1La7U0WGok_D2JLfgcpTqLQ9lk-lzWuX_HC40XnfhiRq7htSA0UKJfvH9tjTtRxn6a3rQRgVmX92dxL_nKe5vYP3Qcj1VIVH5EP8NUrxZSYN62/s320/image-777116.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926027847000348018" /></a></p>SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2577653366284501979.post-63068211631384710152013-09-15T16:30:00.000-07:002013-09-15T16:31:16.315-07:00Departure<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZXWeRrsYyvUrmzjLO5HpcTqW214MUFkHcRd-2Jh_dImTjrw2qwJL1UKs1MlhArXCnOxGFiBGFgj2jJR9yNx4VlA4coF9M0D6hMNh3Ri_3JsK1KthmqkA3obsuOzaKEzyCrtuyRJRvzHc/s1600/image-776316.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZXWeRrsYyvUrmzjLO5HpcTqW214MUFkHcRd-2Jh_dImTjrw2qwJL1UKs1MlhArXCnOxGFiBGFgj2jJR9yNx4VlA4coF9M0D6hMNh3Ri_3JsK1KthmqkA3obsuOzaKEzyCrtuyRJRvzHc/s320/image-776316.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5923996320773571730" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OY2zz-4qc8FnKdcgdzx3RLL-9hq-DCL8JkC9XfA5aC0uymfNRGoKEuG-VcluUbU2aGQqight-9_oCIn1q8h9Anii36oiMcXU5KJTDwF4m9HIv-meJRfSeWJC7FXgxvAwyeY-Uf4i0lQo/s1600/image-778778.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OY2zz-4qc8FnKdcgdzx3RLL-9hq-DCL8JkC9XfA5aC0uymfNRGoKEuG-VcluUbU2aGQqight-9_oCIn1q8h9Anii36oiMcXU5KJTDwF4m9HIv-meJRfSeWJC7FXgxvAwyeY-Uf4i0lQo/s320/image-778778.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5923996332537893986" /></a></p>Well we made it out today. It finally happened, and it was a good sailing day as well. Nice 10 knot winds, clear and cool. It was a clean departure, and thanks to our boat neighbors for the photo of us leaving the dock. The sunset is in full showmanship right now, so I added a pic of that as I sit here typing. We're moving on again tomorrow and then may take a day or two to relax. More in a few days.SV-Quartethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02008818944735854297noreply@blogger.com1