Visiting the Confederacy

We arrived in Norfolk, Virginia at the end of July. The area is full of history and we stayed for a few days to see some of the sights. The water front is teeming with activity and our marina was front and center to all the action. The three masted schooner was a popular tourist attraction. We waved to all the people twice a day.

You could catch a ride on the ferry from Norfolk to Portsmouth. $1 each way . Both Norfolk and Portsmouth are in the process of restoring their downtown areas. There are cobbled streets, graceful old homes, restored brownstone houses, military memorabilia and much more. The Coast Guard is always on patrol in the harbor and fun to watch.

Norfolk is all about the US Navy. You can watch large battleships come and go. You can watch them maneuver with tug boat assistance, just don't get too close. The rule is you cannot get within 1000 feet of a naval vessel. The problem is they motor very fast and if you try to cross their bow within 1000 feet you get a reprimand. Yes, we know!

When we finally got away from the Navy ships we went north to Deltaville, Virginia. We had heard from several people that Deltaville was a very nice area and there were lots of boat services for reasonable prices. We were looking to make some boat enhancements and Deltaville sounded like our kind of town.

Now that we are in Deltaville we rent a car on the weekends and do some sightseeing. One of our favorite places is The Mariners Museum in Newport News. This is where the USS Monitor lives after being excavated from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

The USS Monitor was a Union War Ship made from iron. Prior to the Monitor, navy ships were made of wood and easy to sink with cannon balls. The Confederacy had also built an iron ship. The Monitor hada rotating gun turret, a new and lethal tool to naval battle. The Monitor and The Virginian met in battle in Norfolk. Neither ship sank and the battle was a draw. Even today, nobody can claim a victory. Sadly enough both ships sank shortly after the war. The Virginian was sold for scrap but The Monitor was not located until the late 1900's. Once found it could not be raised until the 1990's. The gun turret was found under the ships deck, upside down and looked something like this recreation.

Once lifted from the ocean floor, it was placed in a tank with a solution to halt corrosion and begin the long process of restoration.
The Monitor has been recreated inside and out. You can walk on the decks and imagine what it would be like to be deck hand during the heat and humidity of the Virginia summers.

In the bottom picture, the gun turret is on the left and the pilot house is on the bow. The small pilot house was used by the ships captain and his pilots. It was a simple box with small slits cut into the sides. The captain would have to look through the slits, decide to fire on the enemy, leave the pilot house and run back to the gun turret to give orders to the gun crew. Too bad they didn't have cell phones.

The museum also has a great collection of interesting boats. This classic was one of our favorites.

The Cuban escape boat was also amazing. The couple that built this boat took 70 hours to get to the Florida Keys where they were picked up by the US Coast Guard. The motor came from their lawn mower.

Back on the boat we are enjoying the scenery. The Crepe Myrtle is in bloom and comes in many beautiful colors.

We have met lots of nice people at the marina. Few live on their boats and several visit on the weekends. Most visit via car but this one guy comes on Friday afternoon on his helicopter.

And then there is always the weather for entertainment.

We are headed to San Diego on the 18th.

Captain and Crew

S/V Fine Line

Heading North

There are many cool places to sail and enjoy on a boat in Florida. Unfortunately, we are captives of our boat insurance company. They dictate where we need to be during Hurricane Season and Florida is not on the list of "safe havens". North of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina is where we must go.

We left Ft. Pierce on July 18th and headed out into the big blue Atlantic Ocean.

An ocean passage offers opportunity to catch a nap or two.

And to do some fishing.

Sailing north from Florida is fun because you can pick up the Gulf Stream about 15 miles off shore. The Gulf Stream is like a fast running river in the middle of the ocean. It runs south to north and at its axis it will run at 3.5-4 knots. Without much wind and only one engine running, we were moving at 11-11.5 knots. For non-boaters, that is lickety split fast. We made great progress north. After two days and two nights at sea we had to head towards land and seek shelter from an approaching cold front. The weather forecast called for lightning, rain, thunder and winds. We hate this kind of weather and being out in the middle of the ocean during a storm is not fun. Our mast is 64 feet tall and looks like a "lightning rod". We headed west and entered North Carolina at Cape Fear. We found a marina by 9 AM, took a much needed shower and jumped into bed for a nap. By 2pm we were engulfed in the storm. It passed quickly, no lightning strikes found our mast and the cool air that followed was much appreciated.

We continued our travels north via the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW). We love the countryside in the Carolinas and the ICW offers unsurpassed scenery.

These Ospreys give us the evil eye as we come close to their nest perched on one of the waterway markers.

There are beautiful homes along the waterways.

The ICW is often a narrow channel surrounded by lush growth....and a few bugs.

The people here are very friendly. It is not uncommon for the locals to offer you a ride to the store. This marina gave us the keys to their car and told us not to worry about gas since the car already had a full tank. "leave the keys under the driver side floor mat when you are done" were the only instructions they gave. We did not want to insult them so we took them up on their offer and headed toward the local seafood restaurant and grocery store.

We really enjoy the seafood here. The clams were delicious in this local restaurant. So were the scallops, the shrimp and the flounder.

We were a bit confused about what is considered a vegetable in this part of the country?

Since there are no hurricanes on the horizon we decided to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This is the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina found at Ocracoke. The harbor here is small and very protected. There are gorgeous beaches, great hiking and biking trails and the seafood is superb. From here we continue north about 150 miles to the Chesapeake. We will be calling Deltaville, VA home for a few months. We look forward to our return trip to SD on August 18. We miss our family and friends and look forward to catching up on local news.

Regatta In Abaco With Dana

Dana arrived for a two week visit to enjoy the tropics and crew for us during the Abaco Sail Boat Regatta. We were happy to see her and so were Noah (left) and Cody (on her shoulders). These two cuties belong to our friends Diane and Clinton on Sand Dollar.
We celebrated her 23 rd birthday with cake, no ice cream. It is impossible to keep it frozen in the heat. We took Dana to our favorite beaches because keeping cool is always a priority.The golf umbrella is in high demand. Steve and Dana on Tahiti Beach, Elbow Cay. This is one of the prettiest beaches around. It has a large shallow sand bar with crystal clear water and sugar soft sand.This is another great beach on Manjack Cay. We were the only ones on the long beach. The water is about 88 degrees and so is the air temperature. The humidity is 100%. Yes, it is warm!Dana and Anne compare skin colors. We wear sun screen all the time but still end up looking like a native.The Regatta begins with a party. The Stranded Naked Party has been hosted by Bob and Patricia for years. They cook 1000 hamburgers and 1000 hot dogs, fries and all the trimmings. Bacardi Rum supplies the Margaritas and the Rum Punch. This is a very popular event and hundreds of people descend on Fiddle Cay, a small deserted island, to drink and make merry.This is what Fiddle Cay looks like at 9 Am the morning of the party. We helped setup, decorate, cut food, etc.By noon the crowds have arrived, hungry and thirsty.Boats are anchored everywhere. Fine Line dinghy is front and center.








A group arrived in their sea plane for a burger and drink. We checked to see if Jimmy was onboard.


Our gracious hosts, Bob and Patricia live on this houseboat in Green Turtle Cay. This is the only time of year the boat leaves the dock. Patricia is from Brazil and Stranded Naked is her logo for her swimsuit company.Bob with his party hat on. Group photo with our friends on Sand Dollar, Alegria and Makai. Fred laying in front and his wife Kathy in the yellow shirt are from Huntington Beach, CA. Carla(hand on Steve's head) and her husband Dan (dark blue shirt) live on their boat with their two kids. They are heading for the Dominican Republic and then further south.Lots of people have pets on board their boats. This little dog found some cool sand in the shade. It was finally Regatta time. This is Fine Line performing pre-race manuvers. Rounding a mark during race.

Dana thought racing was a bit boring but enjoyed the helm.

The trophies were bronze artwork from a local artist. They are beautiful. We are accepting the second place trophy for the Green Turtle Race with Diane and Clinton from Sand Dollar. After every race there is another party. This is Nippers Restaurant where we celebrated after race two. It has a beautiful beach with a good snorkeling reef off shore.

Mount Gay Rum sponsored this party and the line for free rum was long. Not a problem for the captain. He just finds someone to chat with. Here he can be seen telling our competitor his handicap is wrong. Splash was the boat always out in front of us. It is a lightweight performance trimaran and did indeed have an incorrect handicap. Fortunately the race committee agreed with us and changed it. We beat him in the next race.

Later the limbo stick came out and the captain can be seen in the upper left hand corner showing off. Dana beat him but she is 23 and the captain is more than twice that but not three times that.......math problem.
The next day was a rest day for the captain. Mount Gay + Limbo= nap time. It was somewhat uncharacteristic of Captain Clean to lay in the sand but he really needed that nap. Good thing we brought the umbrella.

The Abaco Islands has truly been paradise for us. We sadly put Dana on a plane for home and began our journey back to the US. We will miss this beautiful small group of islands, the friendly people, all our new friends and the crystal clear waters. We arrived in Ft. Pierce, Fl. on 7/15. We will soon begin heading north towards the Chesapeake and will post our trip when we arrive at our next destination. We are not sure exactly where that may be but that is what makes our lives exciting.

Fine Line

Happy Anniversary - How time Flies!

30 years ago, June 25, 1977 we said, "I do". We can hardly believe it! But it is true, we are still married. 6 months on Fine Line has not resulted in murder or divorce.

To celebrate the occasion we went to dinner at the Abaco Inn. It is one of the more beautiful restaurants in the area on Elbow Cay. Great food!

A little relaxing around the pool ended a perfect evening.

We are anxiously awaiting Dana scheduled to arrive on 6/26. Our daughters tend to be somewhat critical of our appearance so the next photos you see of us may be with more stylish haircuts!! or Not!

Adios,

Captain and Crew on Fine Line

On Vacation......While On Vacation

We decided to take a vacation, a little trip if you will. Sure you may say we are already on vacation but for us it has become our everyday life. No complaining from us but we wanted to see some of the "out islands" that lie to the north of the main hub of The Abacos.

Our first stop was Manjack Island. We have been here before for beach cleanup but stopped again for the night. We forgot how many mosquitoes and no-see-ums live here. Scratch, scratch, scratch. We woke up the next morning to a relentless white capped chop and the boat was rocking back and forth. We pulled anchor and left as quick as possible.

Next stop was Allans-Pensacola Cay. This used to be two Cays but a hurricane combined them with sand/debris and it is now one land mass. The US used to have a missile tracking station here and there are a few relics left from that era. Otherwise this is a spot where die-hard spear fishermen hang out. That precludes us of course, but we stayed here for 4 days because Anne got the flu. So much for the beginning of the vacation. The weather went bad and we had hot, overcast, rainy days. Not much fun. We were entertained by a few other boats particularly a blue tug type boat called "Tug This". Big party at night with lots of dancing, hooting and hollering and ???? We watched from our trampoline, kind of like voyeurs.

The bad weather and the flu finally departed and we left for beautiful Moraine Cay. We had some great snorkeling here but the anchorage was not conducive to an overnight stay. We decided to head further north and later regretted this decision.

Good sun light is vitally important to navigation in this part of the world. There are many hazards to avoid including sand bars, rocks and reefs. The best time to travel is midday when the sun is high overhead and hazards can easily be seen. We had set our sights on Carters Cay which offers a very good anchorage, but it is a difficult approach. There are two narrow channels used to approach the anchorage and by the time we reached the area the light we needed was gone. We had to rely on our charts and GPS. Unfortunately, these waters are not always surveyed frequently and electronic navigation cannot be relied upon exclusively. Despite the conditions the Captain made a slow approach but continued to find Fine Line in shallow waters requiring multiple u-turns and many @#$%$#@@#$$ words. At this time we received local help from two boaters already anchored. They had observed our dilemma from their bridgedeck and decided to come out and give us some advice. They piloted us into the anchorage and we dropped the hook in a very accommodating bottom. Then we were greeted by a large splash. We looked directly off our port beam just in time to see a large Spotted Eagle Ray break the surface and soar 3-4 feet off the water. Wow, what a show. Things were improving rapidly.

We spent a few days at Carters Cay. This Cay was also used by the US as a missile tracking station. There are many building in various states of decay on the island: Shop, barracks, sewer lines, electrical wiring and lots of trash. It is sort of sad to see this large blemish on an otherwise beautiful, uninhabited island. The saddest thing, however, was the abandoned dog. It is not uncommon for locals to take stray dogs to uninhabited islands and leave them. If a boater approaches the shore the dogs run down to the beach and bark, cry, jump around in the most pitiful way. It is absolutely heartbreaking. There is no Humane Society here and stray dogs are everywhere. Doggie birth control is desperately needed.

A few days at Carters Cay was well worth it for the beautiful Rays we saw. We did some trolling but caught only non-edible fish. Just the same, our fishing technique has improved. We catch alot of Barracuda that we don't eat because there is a possibility of getting fish poisoning (Ciguatera). The locals tell us to eat them if they are small. So far we have not tried them.

Next we headed further north to Double Breasted Cay (who names these islands??) We have heard from many that this Cay is one of the most beautiful Cays in the island chain. The problem again is navigation. It is very difficult to get into the beautiful anchorage but the captain on Fine Line loves a challenge. Before heading to anchorage we decided to do a little provisioning at Grand Cay, next door neighbor to Double Breasted. Grand Cay is inhabited by approximately 200 people who make a living fishing. The locals are very friendly but the island is trashy. We found our supplies, had a great hamburger at Dunlops House (literally someones house with two tables for patrons). Dunlops had air conditioning and we lingered as long as was socially acceptable. Back on board Fine Line we headed for the anchorages at Double Breasted Cay.

In addition to the previously named hazards, tidal changes also plays havoc with boaters in this area. We found the narrow anchorages and the strong tidal flows to be overwhelming. One of the boaters we met is a frequent visitor to this area and has solved the tide flow issue by securing his small sailboat with four anchors. We were not ready for this type of mooring, mainly because we do not carry four anchors aboard Fine Line. We therefore opted to anchor in a larger, less protected area outside the anchorage. All night long we bounced and did a 360 around our anchor, not good for sleeping.

We got a dinner invitation from the small, well anchored sail boat. Terry, Julie and Marilyn have vacationed in this spot for many years. They live in Stuart Florida the rest of the year where Terry is a Paramedic/firefighter.....small world. Julie is 17 years old and Marilyn in 15. These two girls come with dad and live a nomad existence for 3-4 weeks. Their passion is spear fishing, a skill they have perfected over the years. The girls free dive 25 feet + to locate, spear and bring up dinner. Wow, diving down 4-6 feet for the crew of Fine Line is a lung buster. This particular evening we were served freshly caught Hogfish. Hogfish is a firm, very white fish. Absolutely delicious. Along with Hogfish we had mashed potatoes and green beans. What a meal. We were entertained with stories of their adventures including the two times they were struck by lightning! After dinner the entertainment started. The girls got a fishing pole and tied on a very large hook. A large piece of left over Hogfish was used as bait. Over the side went the line and within 3 minutes they had hooked a 4 foot Reef Shark. We were being circled by multiple sharks, including the one on the line on this very small 30 foot sailboat. The Fine Line crew was ready to retreat to the safety of their own boat but the girls were having the time of their lives. We put on a brave front and for the next 45 minutes it was a tug-of-war with the shark trashing and banging against the boat and the girls reeling in their catch. Unfortunately the shark tangled itself up in the boat's prop and the line was cut. Off went the shark with a large hook in its mouth and the girls knew they had some prop clean up to do when the sharks disappeared. We were out of our league with this family. We bid our farewells, jumped in our dinghy and hurried back to the safe sanctuary of Fine Line.

The next day we found a beautiful anchorage about 5 miles from the sharks. We anchored and went for a swim. Later some locals entertained us with their small powerboat races. We had a nice dinner and sat outside for a nice star filled evening. Soon, however, lightning began in the western sky. It was still calm with many stars so we headed off to bed. About two AM we were awakened to loud thunder, rain and wind. We turned on the radar and to our disbelief a large squall was headed directly for us. We packed away all loose items in the cockpit and prepared for the storm. Sure enough it hit us with a bang and the strong winds knocked our anchor loose. We found ourselves in the dark drifting backwards towards the only rock in the anchorage. The sky was lit intermittently by flashes of lightening as if it was daylight. During these brief moments of light we saw other boats scrambling to get their anchors reset. Our anchor will usually reset fairly quick and so it did as we were approximately 15o feet from the rock. It is a drill we have been through before but it leaves you shaken. Sleep eluded us for the rest of the night and as daybreak came we lifted anchor and decided that vacationing while you are on vacation is dangerous.

On our trip back south we had great winds and with both jib and main sail up we had 8+ knots for about 3-4 hours. We forgot all our troubles and realized why we were on board Fine Line. The sail was exhilarating. We pulled into Powell Cay and dropped our anchor for the night.. The next day was spent beach combing and swimming.

Back in the main islands brings us some of the luxuries we missed especially staying in touch with family and friends. Skype calls via internet for .02/minute! What a deal.