So how does it really feel when you lose your electronics in 8' of water??????

Seasons Greetings everyone and I must say, our adventure continues to provide us with much....ohhhhh, what's the word.....hmmmmmm, well anyway, probably shouldn't be using that kind of language in public. ;o)  We can now attest to the fact that losing your electronics, depth sounder, GPS, wind speed/direction is quite survivable (is this a word?) even when you carry a draft of 6' as long as you are of stout mind (or drinking stout) and body!  We can't quite believe our great good fortune at having the opportunity to basically repair or replace damn (it's true, I've been saying damn quite a bit lately) near every system on this floating bit of paradise....seriously though, things have been getting sooo crazy that I thought I would bring aboard a little travelling Buddha...you know, a sort of talisman to remind us to stay calm, appreciate this amazing life we are living (no seriously, amazing, amazing, amazing....some people say ohhhmmm, I think it has a lot to do with perspective) and remain grateful and humbled by the many blessings we have been granted along the way.  So we find our little travelling (he wears a knapsack and everything!) Buddha buddy here 

and there around the boat and we appreciate that he is taking care of things as best he can for a little guy so you can imagine how saddened I was one day to find him standing in the corner with his back turned!  I mean really, if that doesn't tell you things have become a bit too much I truly don't know what would.  I mean, I admit it's a heck of a lot to ask of such a little guy even if he is still smiling!  The good news is, Mr. C Moose continues to drink and party like there's no

tomorrow...perhaps he also believes this is too much to be true?  Perhaps he is behaving like a true sailor and has decided this show will go on and intends to make the most of it!  I know one thing is for sure, you can sail in the Bahamas without electronics (and, as it turns out, a number of other systems) provided you have charts and a willing bow ornament with all seeing eyes, (on this occasion, it was the Admiral) watching the sea for anything that might cause damage to the hull and while it is rather a tricky and unnerving prospect, the Captain and crew of Simplicity II have survived the experience and fully intend to embellish our tale to greater and greater effect each time it is told.....stay tuned!

In other news, we are finding the idea of Christmas in the sunshine with coconut palm trees and beaches a bit out of sync and may start avoiding the businesses who insist on playing Christmas music....call it denial but Christmas means making snow angels and cold weather and a sweet smelling tree decorated with memories of years gone by and big turkey dinners with all the trimmings.....yup, pretty sure it's denial.

Still....Happy Holidays to all with special hugs and kisses to our family and friends wherever they are.

Love and hugs all around,
Shelley and Gregg
Cait and Mr Man
Travelling Buddha and Mr C Moose
xoxoxo

Whoo hooooooo! We're Back in the Bahamas!!!!!

Our newest permanent crew!

Well, dear reader, I am back on Simplicity II after 2 months in Victoria, BC, the details of which I shan't bore you with.  Suffice to say, all is well and I couldn't be happier to be back in the Bahamas enjoying our life afloat!  Daughter Caitlin and her little dog Mr Man have joined us for the next while and we couldn't be happier to have them aboard.  :o)

The Market at Port Lucaya

We flew into Freeport where Gregg met up with us after dropping our dear friend, Tom Cook,(who had joined him in Wrightsville Beach, NC,) and headed to Port Lucaya as our girl was docked in front of the marketplace.  As we were the second slip in from the market, we enjoyed music from dawn till the wee hours of the morning and lots of shopping for everyone!  Next day, we met a delightful couple of sailors from North Carolina (Cassie and Chris) who were docked next to us and even enjoyed an impromptu "unplugged" concert courtesy of Chris! Such a fun pair and both nurses!  With a little luck, we hope to meet up with these two in January in the Exumas....yup, life is good!  A day at the beach for some snorkeling and a "fish fry" night filled with dancing and much laughter (maybe a little rum on the side) and we were on our way to the West End and Old Bahamas Bay Resort.  We had a small weather window so with an average of 6 - 7 knots we made great time and even got out the snorkel gear on arrival!  We are currently one of three transient vessels here in the resort so we have all of the on-site amenities to ourselves, makes it kind of hard to come up with any excuses for not using the work-out facilities!



Cait and Mr Man underway  :o)

Last night found us in gale force 8 winds with the highest speed measured from the top of our mast being 41+ knots!  We were ever so grateful to be well tethered in on the dock as the whistling and howling suggested great strength in those winds.  We will be here for the next few days until the storm blows over and it looks like a couple of days worth of weather window to get us to Grand Cay, Walker Cay and Double Breasted Cay.  Hopefully, I will be able to keep you all posted, but this remains to be seen!  We'll have to wait and see where I am able to find cell coverage and internet, ha!



Cait and Gregg after snorkelling

Well, I'm off for a little stroll...hopefully the wind won't pick me up and take me away!

Until next time.....

Love and hugs,
Shelley and Gregg

PS...Just want to say thanks again, Tom, for joining Gregg while I was away.  Hope you enjoyed the adventure and we hope to see you and your lovely wife Lydia in the spring! xoxo

It's Been Awhile....

Yes, it's been awhile since I have posted on this site and I hope you will all forgive me!  I had to make a trip back home to Victoria and now that I am booked with a return flight, daughter Caitlin and grandpuppy Mr. Man in tow, I feel I am ready to think about our journey once again.

In the meantime, Gregg has been taking care of "our girl".  The generator is now fixed and the head's have been maintained and she is working her way back down the east coast of the USA to the point where launch will be made back across the Gulf Stream and into the Bahamas.

When thinking about the idea of me coming home on my own and Gregg staying with the boat it seemed like "no big deal" as Gregg was becoming quite competent in terms of single handing anyway and who knew how much longer it would be before our Gennie was completely repaired?  It may be just a couple of weeks hanging "on the hook" in Wrightsville Beach so no worries, mon!

Of course, as situations develop, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months and life aboard can become pretty lonesome when you're all alone.  The good news, though, is that our friend, Tom Cook, who many of you  know, kindly offered to join the Captain and has been crewing alongside Gregg for a while now!

Thanks so much, Tom, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys in Freeport in a couple of weeks!

Until next time...

Love and hugs,
Shelley

Our Genie Girl LOVES Wrightsville Beach And So Do We!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Well, we’re pretty sure we will never leave Wrightsville Beach and truthfully, as far as places to break down go, this is THE PRIMO location to have to sit and wait!  It’s true that it took several days to figure out was wrong with our dear, dear Genie (it’s important that she not know she was on the brink of walking the plank)…..normally, she performs beautifully, providing us with AC and water from our water maker and charges up our battery bank not to mention the myriad of other treats and excesses that make a cruisers life considerably more palatable.  The thing is, one day, while running along like the sweet thing she is, she just up and shut down!  Just like that!!!  No more anything!!!!  Uh Oh…is this payback for the days we spent at the beach????   Hmmmm….   Well, as seasoned cruisers know, a day at the marina can often turn into many days at the marina and sadly, we’ve had our share!  The thing is…it’s a boat, and granted, we consider her “our girl” but she hasn’t really gotten to love us yet, and we…..clearly…..haven’t gotten to know her well enough to know that she decides.  Everything.  If she wants to go to the marina, all she has to do is stop something from working and off we go….in search of an engineer who will purr and postulate and in the end, declare….”she’s a boat”!.. Like that somehow entitles her to spend oodles and oodles of her owner’s money and dictate where said owner will stop and for how long and how much it will cost them, thereby determining how long they will actually remain the owner.  I think, perhaps,  she has not yet decided to allow us to own her.  I have an idea that we have a few experiences to go through yet before we will have proven ourselves worthy of her good graces.  Call it a trial by fire.  And so, we continue along, marching to her very specific tune, as and when she desires because, you know, at the end of the day...she always teaches us something valuable or exposes us to a wonderful world that we hadn’t planned to slow down long enough to enjoy.  Now, if she would just stop being such a princess with the spending, we could certainly find a nice yin and yang….right?  Everybody just having a good time on a very loose timeline….ahhhhh….the journey.  :o)

 

Oh, by the way, did I mention Customs and Border Patrol came by today…I think our girl was winking at their boy all the way across the bay.  At any rate, they came along side us and, after finding out (we are such honest Canadians) that we had NEVER been boarded in the USA, they very politely asked if they could come aboard and have a little look around….but that’s another story for another time.

 

We’re having Kalik (Bahamian Beer) and lime flavoured taco chips for dinner tonight…..who says we don’t know how to live the high life!!!!

Until next time….

Love and hugs,

Shelley and Gregg

PS..I am sitting in an awesome, surfer inspired internet cafe/clothing store/surfer art place working on this blog and loving the music!  The staff are really great and if you get to Wrightsville Beach, check out the Annex, you won't be disappointed!

 

It's Raining Again......

Note:  This is an older post from about a week ago...internet access is rather limited out here although I am working on a solution!  Stay tuned. :o)

As we transit from Charleston to Georgetown we are, once again, caught in a thunder and lightning storm that, on a scale of one to ten is about a seven meaning the rain is not torrential but the thunder and lightning are seriously making their presence known.  We released the dock lines around 7:00am and enjoyed a lovely sky right up until 1:00pm and then the fun started…for the next half hour we reduced our speed in order to stay enough behind the storm to allow us a decent amount of visibility.  It is now 2:30pm, we have seen one other boat and it was heading in the opposite direction (perhaps they know something we don’t?) and we have about another three hours to go before we reach our preferred anchorage.  The good news is that there is a rated anchorage about every five miles so we can pull off the ICW should we determine it is prudent.  We are keen to push on as the temperatures in Chesapeake Bay (our eventual destination) sound wonderful compared to the heat we have been enduring here in the south but we will make the decision to anchor, or not as we near each of the available options.

 

 

We said our good-byes to our friends Chris and Leigh last night after a fabulous Italian meal with light jazz playing in the background and hope to see them again in the Chesapeake if not before.  One of the great gifts of a cruisers lifestyle are the wonderful friendships made along the way and we have been amazingly blessed once again to have shared some highly memorable evenings with these delightful Kiwi’s.  Whether on the dock, on the deck or in one of the many pubs and restaurants along the way, these friendships are true and, I believe, lasting!  No doubt you will one day find Gregg and I, enjoying the evening on our deck at home and many (I hope) years from now, reliving these times with “remember when” stories and feeling grateful for the privilege of having lived the cruising life with our fellow adventurers!

On a side note, I recently read the August 2013 issue of Pacific Yachting and while I enjoyed the entire issue from cover to cover (Including the letter to the editor from our neighbour back home, Hu Wallis) I was very happy to read the submission by Michael Robertson, a former Southern California boater who compared blue water cruising down south to boating in BC.  Michael says he has become a more competent boater after just one year of sailing in BC and says “Indeed, sailing in the open ocean, and especially in these northern latitudes, demands preparation and respect.  But it’s hard to imagine a group of sailors better prepared to head out there and experience any of the world’s cruising grounds, a group who should approach it with less trepidation, than folks who’ve spent time behind the helm on these waters.’  While it’s true we have only been out for four months, and the majority of our time has been spent along the AICW, we have crossed the Gulf Stream twice, sailed some of the northern Bahamas and made a few jumps north up the eastern US “on the outside” only to find we are considerably more adaptable than we had, at first, imagined and that our home sailing grounds of the Pacific Northwest were a grand classroom for our current adventures.

As of August 15, the Captain and the Admiral are in deep discussions regarding a miss on Georgetown in favour of an overnight passage between Minim Creek, SC and Cape Fear, NC….stay tuned!  ;o)

Until next time....

Love and hugs,

Shelley and Gregg

Doin The Charleston!

We have now been to Beaufort and various stops in between before finding a lovely marina here in Charleston.  The staff are amazing and there is a shuttle bus to West Marine and Teeter Harris grocery store!  Perfect!!  We have also had the pleasure of meeting a delightful Kiwi couple (Chris and Leigh aboard MV Ividius) who are running the ICW north, as are we for the most part, and have enjoyed many nights sharing great stories, laughter, good food and good wine so despite the heat,  we have found enough diversions to keep us all entertained.

 

Gregg relaxing in the shade in Beaufort, SC



Historic Beaufort is everything you would imagine the old south to be with beautiful big old houses lining the streets and a lovely waterfront park offering boutique shops and restaurants on one side and a view of the river on the other....a very relaxing and enjoyable stop along the way.

Typical architecture

 

While there are many picturesque sights to see as we mostly motor our way along, I have to be honest that the insects, heat and humidity are truly a challenge. I simply cannot express how suffocating this heat is! The most frustrating bit of nature being noseeums as it is almost impossible to protect yourself against these nasty little micro sized biters who must feel they need to inflict your body with a toxin of some sort creating the most intense itch and lasting for weeks!  They are small but mighty little warriors and I dream of lazy days in Bahamian breezes, playing in the water.  Sigh.... 

 

Chris and Leigh in front of Hanks

 
We have been out to dinner at Hanks, with Chris and Leigh, here in Charleston, an amazing little restaurant downtown where we met another couple at the community table, a grand long table in the centre of the room allowing those of us who haven't made reservations to join other to a lovely meal with bar height chairs and good company.  Leigh and I spent the next day shopping and generally enjoying the downtown area while Chris and Gregg toured the aircraft carrier Yorktown which I understand was very interesting though lacking in air conditioning!  Yikes!
We're off again for a little dinner and jazz then up and away in the morning.

Until next time.....

Love and hugs,
Shelley and Gregg

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin on the River...... :o)

Hello all!!!  Here we are in Savannah, Georgia and it is all that the guidebooks said it would be!  We have spent a day walking along the river and through the historic area which boasts 25 squares!  These adorable little parks with statues, trees, sometimes a little fountain and lovely wide walking paths offer a delightful little spot to rest and chat as we tour the town.  It is also very, very hot!  With temperatures in the 90’s mostly (that would be in the 30’s for my Canadian friends) we will walk a block then pop into a store for the air conditioning, have a look about, maybe buy another bottle of water, and carry on.  I can’t believe I was complaining about the cold at home last winter!  And when it rains!!!!  It’s like nothing I’ve ever encountered where we have been soaked to the skin after being caught downpours with deep, rolling thunder and bright white lightening for added effect.

 

River Street, Savannah, GA

 

In celebration of having sold our previous boat, Tingara, we took in an evening at the Historic Savannah Theatre where they are running a musical presentation of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  It was awesome!  The cast, the costumes and the comedy made for a wonderful night out.  On our way there, one of these incredible rainstorms occurred and as we stepped off the bus, one block from the theatre, we landed in a pond of water up to our ankles!  Fortunately we had brought along jackets, just in case, but we were soaked through!  We laughed and headed for the nearest shelter…hiding out until the rain let up a little then ran for the theatre.  Once our tickets were secured, we headed over another block to a little English Pub for dinner and the patrons joined us in a laugh over us two, very drowned rats, looking for a meal.  A good natured bunch of folks in the traditional English style!

 

Gregg, checking the map in Chippewa Square

which was made famous in the film Forrest Gump!

 

We are currently docked at Thunderbolt Marina which is a full service facility and have decided to repair our stainless steel water tanks.  This will hopefully be the last of the major repair/refit list and we will be on maintenance mode for a bit…I know, tempting fate, I am, but it would be so nice!  The laundry and showers are clean and well looked after which is always much appreciated and the folks here have been just wonderful!  We will mark this location as a stop on our migration south in October.

Well, time to finish the laundry and prepare our girl!  Until next time…..
 

Love and hugs,

Shelley and Gregg

 

PS…Congrats to very good friends Jim and Kathy on your successful circumnavigation of Vancouver Island!  Not long now and you’ll be on your way south!  Whoot, whoot!!!!

 

Also….congrats to dear friends Ryan and Heather on your engagement…so, so happy for you and your little family!!!

Hello???? Tourist Information, Please......

Some of you may have been wondering if I have fallen off the edge of the earth and I am here to tell you, I have not.  The thing is, I grew up on the idea that if one hasn’t something nice to say, one might opt to say nothing.  While I’ve been struggling with this idea for the past week I fear I must come clean, so here goes.

 Our transit along the ICW took us through some beautiful marshland areas with birds overhead and dolphins playing in the river.  We happily sailed along, anticipating our arrival in the quaint little town of Fernandina Beach, researching the guidebook as we headed north considering all the things we would do and see on arrival.  A day at the beach?  Historic sightseeing, perhaps?  I can tell you that we were completely shocked by what awaited us as we rounded the bend into the mooring field of the harbour marina….what appeared to be a cute little basin was flanked by a pulp mill on one side and a sawmill on the other with water the colour of a rusted out washbasin and sulphur scented air.  I wanted to cry.  This was to be our “relax and enjoy” time and I couldn’t let the Captain see my disappointment….he had, after all, taken us safely through our route and it seemed a rather unkind to start to this leg of our journey.  “Looks like a nice marina” I said as we both looked from right to left, then left to right at the glut of industry flanking an otherwise lovely little spot and then we heard it……the train whistle announcing that the iron horse would be running right along the waterfront transporting who knows what from here to there.  Ugghhh.  Time to go sign in, find the showers and check out the Captains Lounge.  Once I had the shower stall in a condition that I could step in without worry of developing some dreaded rash, I turned on the water to the find my senses being assaulted by the pungent odour of sulphur….oh, my….I did cry.  What the?????  Not one single guidebook, and we have several, mentioned this fact and with no weather window to move on, we were stuck here.  No worries, I’ll just shower on board once we have completed our provisioning.  A two and a half mile walk to the grocery store is something we typically enjoy although by the time we arrived, we were soaked to the skin in perspiration from the heat and covered in dust.  It was good of the folks not to stare at these two rather weather beaten sailors and I suspect, we are not the first of our kind to grace their presence.  We also, typically, call a taxi to return us to our “home”, a mere two and half miles, maybe eight dollars in fare.  Once underway we were advised that the ride would cost $16.00 no matter where we were going at which point Gregg suggested a trip to Fort Lauderdale….turns out the driver had no sense of humour.  Well, dear reader, I could truly go on and on but I’m sure you get the idea.  We did go walking and out to the mouth of the inlet in the dinghy which was very therapeutic in terms of CLEAN, BLUE, ATLANTIC OCEAN AIR AND WATER!!!!!  This time I cried with joy!!!  Several thunder and lightning storms, with accompanying torrential rains, later, we were finally on the move, yipeee!!!!

 
We are currently in St Simons, Georgia, on the hook, and the truth is, Gregg has gone ashore several times while I am happy to putter around on our girl, reading and preparing myself for tomorrow’s outing when we will rent bikes and “cruise” the little island together.  We do have a church very close by that plays carillion bells on the hour and have found ourselves singing along to the hymns of our childhood….our parents would be proud!

Until next time……

Love and hugs,

Shelley and Gregg

PS  You may want to visit “The Captain’s Corner” page which is now up and running!  This is where you will find Gregg’s musings about our adventure and what it means to be the Captain of our girl, Simplicity II!

Saint Augustine for the Fourth of July!

July 6, 2013

Our transit to Saint Augustine was relatively uneventful except for a wee bit of tidal misinformation that found us almost grounded and running around in circles but I'll leave that story for Gregg to tell...I am currently in discussions with his agent to see if we can strike a deal to have him write the occasional post from "the Captains" perspective.  Could be entertaining!  ;o)

Our loose plan was to be in Saint Augustine for the July 4th celebrations and we were able to arrive here by the 2nd so managed to find a mooring ball and get ourselves "hooked up". There are about 50 mooring balls in the basin and I can assure you, this exercise is not for the faint of heart when you factor in depth, wind and current.   It is always amazing to me as I watch Gregg maneuver through a mooring field, chock full of all size and shape of vessels as though he is taking a leisurely stroll through the park and then, about the time my very last nerve is about to shatter, doesn't he just gently ease up to the mooring ball and all but put the mooring lead right into the boat hook as I'm reaching out....seriously, it's not surprising he is such a good negotiator because I, for one, don't really believe he is feeling anywhere near as calm as he looks!  It is pretty cool though...

A quiet afternoon of showers and dinner and next day, we were off to check out the town and it was just adorable!  So steeped in early Spanish and American history with tons to see and do.  Just what a couple of stir crazy cruisers need to stretch our weary limbs.  There is music in the bandstand of the local park for every taste from symphony orchestra to jazz, blues, rock and everything in between...museums, cathedrals, art galleries and ancient hotels.   The day after, we toured the Fort which is an engineering marvel for it's day and has apparently never been taken in war but has changed hands through negotiation.  Quite a feat, I would say.

The evening of the 4th found us tucked into the cockpit of Simplicity II with a lovely dinner and a glass of wine, awaiting the fireworks.  I can tell you that the good folks of Saint Augustine did not disappoint as all around the bay there were shows going off from backyards, waterfronts and beaches right up until the big show being launched off the site of the Fort....spectacular!  As we watched the show we were missing friends, Tom and Lydia and family, Caitlin and Mr Man who had shared the Symphony of Light in English Bay, Vancouver BC and wishing they were here with us for yet another wonderful show on the back of our sailing vessel.

Yesterday was laundry day which is always an opportunity to meet other cruisers an live-aboards and we spent the afternoon chatting with some lovely folks who we expect to see along the way as we move north.  One more day in Saint Augustine and we are off to Jacksonville area and out to the ocean for our transit north of Georgia to the Carolinas.  It would seem Georgia has decided to opt out of the dredging so cruicial to passage for a sailing vessel so we will miss all that this state has to offer.

 Well, that's all for now!

Until next time....

Love and hugs,
Shelley and Gregg

PS Thinking of Jim, Kathy and Dave on their transit around Vancouver Island, fair winds and following seas to you!

Titusville Take Care Of Its Cruisers....BIG TIME!!!!

So Cocoa Beach was interesting and while we didn’t find the “surfer beach, we did come across what must be one of the biggest surfing stores we’ve ever seen!  It’s called Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and believe me….it has to be as big as a full city block!  So we had some fun wandering around the store and then went across the street to the Shark Pit Bar and Grill for one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time!

 

Cocoa Beach

Ron Jon's Surf Shop

The little village of Cocoa was just a delight, with cute boutiques, little street side bistro’s and a wonderful old fashioned ice-cream parlour…..guess where we ended up….the ice-cream parlour!  And all along the street music was playing to the tune of 60’s pop…it was hard not to just dance my way around and you really couldn’t help singing along!

 

City of Cocoa

 

We were very keen to see the Kennedy Space Centre and asked around at the nearby marina, unfortunately, they were of little or no help, assuring us we would have to rent a car if we wanted to anything at all, including grocery shopping!  When we asked about the next town along, Titusville, we were advised that the situation would be the same.  Well, off we went anyway, to see what the next stop had on offer and are we ever happy we did!

 Titusville Municipal Marina is a true gift to the cruising community.  The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, the facilities are clean and well cared for and I would recommend this as a stop on any ICW cruisers itinerary.  The amenities are awesome and they even have a free pump out station!  As if all of this weren’t enough, they even have a free…yes, that’s right, I said FREE, shuttle so we hopped aboard and headed off to the Kennedy Space Centre.  Honestly, we were at a point where we thought we weren’t going to get to the space centre as it would have cost us about $200.00 by the time we rented a car and so on, so we were just delighted!  Titusville, we salute you and the good people you have working hard for us cruiser’s!  If any of you do stop and take advantage of the shutte, don’t be afraid to offer a little donation to keep it going!  (http://www.titusville.com/sectionindex.asp?sectionid=52)

Our transit between Cocoa and Titusville was not uneventful.  We had a short storm cell come through where our visibility was about 100 feet and then to add to the excitement of this particular adventure, as we neared a set of overhead cables and checked the charts, the notation showed a mere 44 feet of clearance!!!  I don’t have to tell you that with our mast at 60 feet, we were more than a little concerned and no matter who we hailed on the radio, no one could “confirm” the cable height so we circled in front of it for a bit and considered our options….truthfully, we really thought we would be on our way back to Cocoa for some facts!  As we circled, I jumped on the i-phone (reach OUCH!!! In terms of $’s ) and did a look up of overhead cable heights on the ICW and found a site, current to January 2013 that confirmed we were good to go, so, hearts thumping, we motored through and it was no problem.  Gregg’s heart definitely got a good workout that day!

Kennedy Space Centre great fun and very informative.  We did it all, including the Space Shuttle Simulator and pictures in space suits!

 

We are now tucked into our little home for night and will enjoy a quiet day of of strolling the townsite and provisioning tomorrow before we continue our journey up the ICW.

 

Until next time….

 

Love and hugs all around,

Shelley and Gregg

Vero Beach is very cruiser friendly!!!

Today is June 22, 2013 and I can actually write and publish on the same day!!!  We have internet!!!!


While in Lake Worth, we spent a day at Peanut Island.  Fun fact, Lake Worth was the winter home for the Kennedy family and their home is still standing today.  There is also a bunker on Peanut Island built for the President's safety during the Cold War.  We took the tour and marvelled that so many people, including 30 days provisions for all, would be required to stay in a room not much larger than most peoples living room. We did a little snorkeling and playing in the water as well on this beautiful island park.

Our cruise from Lake Worth to Fort Pierce was an easy run along the Atantic coastline although securing an anchorage is always interesting.  I think about all of the times back home when we dropped "the hook", gave a ittle tug, and were good to go....this is definately not that!  The mooring field MUST be carefully reviewed on the charts prior to any attempt at anchorage as there are reefs, spoil areas and sandbars at every turn and when you have these areas all clear in your mind, there are many other boats at anchor that you get to wade through seeking that "mostly" perfect spot to drop anchor and call home.  Of course, there will generally be winds at 15 to 20 knots and a strong and steady current going in the opposite direction.  And did I mention that as soon as you begin your attempt, heads pop out of every companionway like groundhogs on a summer morning....this is, after all, the best entertainment of the day.  I think I can even see martini's in one hand and rating  placards in the other as the "judges" offer up their scores.  Gratefully, Simplicity II's Captain is keenly adept at anchoring maneauvers leaving my task of running the windlass ( he gives me the "let 'er rip" hand signal and I step on the down arrow button) an easy, breezy exercise.

From Fort Pierce, a short run up the ICW brings us to Vero Beach where we are on a mooring ball at the municipal marina for the lofty fee of $13.99 per day!  This includes a huge dinghy dock, showers, restrooms, an air conditioned "cruisers lounge", laundry, pump station service....seriousy, when you are cruising, this is the equivalent of hitting the mother load.  AND THEN, as if all of these wonderful amenties weren't enough, Vero Beach has a free bus service that will take you anywhere you wish to go...amazing...yup, life is good in Vero Beach!

We have yet to decide where we will stop next...the Captain is busy with maintenance tasks today, impeller changes, filter changes/cleaning and the like...life is busy for the retired cruiser!

One more thing......

I want to take a moment to remember my sister Linda and her family today as they lay nephew Tysons ashes in their final resting place.  It is always difficult to lose one so young and our Tyson was a special gem.  Big heart, big smiles, big hugs  he had the best sense of humour and a fierce loyalty to those he loved.  Forever in our hearts, dear nephew, your are with us in spirit always.

Tyson at centre
 August 11, 1984 - June 25, 2005

Until next time.....

Love and hugs,
Shelley and Gregg

We're back in Florida! Lake Worth and on Singer Island!!!! ;o)

June 8, 2013

We've enjoyed a wonderful time during our "maiden voyage" and first introduction to cruising in The Bahamas...it was so hard to leave!  A number of repairs were calling us back so we are now in Lake Worth clearing up some "details" (in boat speak, this means long hot days, sweating buckets and maintaining that you know you can complete this task as long as the manual and diagrams are correct...hmmmm) and getting ready for the next leg of our journey.

There was lots of storm activity as we sat at anchor near Mangrove Cay, thunder and lightening and rain in buckets.  We think we may have been sitting on the edge of Tropical Storm Andrea and are grateful it was only winds of up to 40 and lightening in the distance, not close enough to strike our mast!  We were anchored with 3 or 4 other boats, one of which slipped it's anchor and floated past us at about 1 in the morning!  Thank goodness Gregg took watch and even though he tried to raise the Captain, there was no discussing the situation.

Two days later we were on the beach at West End, Old Bahama Bay, snorkeling and swimming and generally enjoying the paradise of the Bahamas.  The resort hosted an evening of crab races for the kiddies...yup, with betting and a cash pool!  No time like the present to learn how to gamble!  Then there was even a Junkanoo style parade in costumes and dancing! As we sat in the cockpit looking back on our cruise through the Bahamas, we were reminded of the night right here in Old Bahama Bay when we looked across "the Stream" and watched a rocket launch off of Cape Canaveral!!!  What a sight to see, hard to believe but it was actually beautiful!   We are on to Lake Worth tomorrow to repair, replace, refurbish!!!!.

Our crossing was uneventful except to say that the wave heights were at 6 feet most of the way with winds of 10 to 15 knots and our girl handled the conditions beautifully.  We had the genoa sail up whenever it worked with the wind conditions but we were certainly relying on our Yanmar for this crossing of the Gulf Stream!  We arrived Lake Worth late midday and after trying to hook our anchor unsuccesfully, decided we were too tired and went in to the marina, Gregg docked our girl like a pro despite the fact that the eight pilings (yes, 8!!!!) that made up the slip were about a foot wider than our beam, the whole event was nothing less than impressive and it amazes me every time!

It is lucky for us that we have such a strong internet connection here at Sailfish Marina in Lake Worth, because we were able to enjoy a nice long Skype visit with Dustin, Cait and even Mr Man back home.  It was so great to see their faces and hear their voices!  Dustin certainly seems to have business "back at the Ranch" in hand and we coulldn't be happier to know he is taking great care of things.  I can hardly wait for them to come for a visit!  :o)

Beautiful homes here, some have even created a beach!

Until next time.....

Hugs all around,
Shelley and Gregg

Until next time......

Love and hugs all around!

Shelley and Gregg

Ahoy, Matey!!!! We have a stowaway!!!!! Arrrrrrgh.....

So, can I stay???  Please????
I haven't been to visit
the Florida fam in years!!!!!

Well, it's true...we've had at least one little Bahamian mouse aboard.  Keen to see the world aboard Simplicity II the little creature hopped on deck and checked out his new digs.  Silly little fellow didn't have the good sense to hide his "sign" and this sailor is not keen to share her home with one as messy and unwilling/able to clean up after itself...I mean really!!!  It's one thing to eat the last bag of crispy potatoe chips and quite another to leave fully digested food all through the ship!  Not a very respectful houseguest.....even if he is cute.  So, he has to leave!!!!  After a night of me being sure the little stinker was crawling in and out of our bed (doubtful, but the imagination runs wild in the darkest hours!) and poor Gregg banging his head on the cabin ceiling after yet another call out from his first mate and promising to stay up and bait the little fellow and nail him with his shoe if he shows his beady eyes, I got a wonderful nights sleep and Gregg....well....he did not.  And little Mr Bahamian Mouse....well, I guess he had a delightful eveining of hide and seek.

 

    Next day, in serious conversation with our neighbours, Dave and Kathy, we were the proud new owners of a mouse trap....baited and set!  We just love those guys, always a helping hand when you need one.  Sure enough, we went to sleep knowing our mouse adventure would soon be over.....Gregg assures me there is no longer a mouse onboard, but we are leaving the dock today and setting the trap again just to be sure.  Sorry little buddy....mouse heaven is a much nicer place for you than Florida.

  Given this great success, I settled in to some serious "cabin keeping", a good wash down of every surface I can access with antibacterial, anti "every mouse" cleaner and what the heck, might as well throw in a load of laundry while I'm at it!

Ha, ha...a weeks worth of laundry!
Still living the life and loving it!

 So, this afternoon, at high tide we will leave Little Grand Bahama and anchor out at Double Breasted Cay, will post pics when I can, it is truly paradise!  Tomorrow, we will move on to Mangrove Cay and next day to Old Bahama Bay in preparation for our next Gulf Stream crossing to Lake Worth.  Kathy hoseted a wonderful "departure dock party" last night with two fabulous salads and chicken wings on the "barby" !  There was dancing on the dock (video to follow if I ever figure out how to post it) and a good time was had by all!  Thank you again, Kathy, you are "the hostess with the mostest!" and we love you more every day.

We are going to miss these guys so much! 
And Dave....where did you go, Dave?
Are you still swimming with the sharks
looking for Kathy's sunglasses?
What a great guy!!!!

   It is unlikely I will be able to post again for a bit so, until next time.....


Love and hugs all around,


Shelley and Gregg