Sail La Vie's New Home for the Season
Marsh Harbor Boatyard in the Bahamas (Abacos)
The end of our first real full season of cruising. Sail La Vie is on the hard for the next 7 months. We have lived on the boat since January 5th, except for 9 days for boat repairs. We have circumnavigated most of Florida, from Tampa/St. Pete, up through part of the Keys, and up to Ft. Lauderdale. We did a 80 mile Gulf Stream Crossing. And have lived aboard in the Abacos region of the Bahamas since February 21st. Quite an adventure and it certainly can be said that we accomplished our dream of owning a catamaran and sailing in the Caribbean.We'll be back early next January for another round.
The end of our first real full season of cruising. Sail La Vie is on the hard for the next 7 months. We have lived on the boat since January 5th, except for 9 days for boat repairs. We have circumnavigated most of Florida, from Tampa/St. Pete, up through part of the Keys, and up to Ft. Lauderdale. We did a 80 mile Gulf Stream Crossing. And have lived aboard in the Abacos region of the Bahamas since February 21st. Quite an adventure and it certainly can be said that we accomplished our dream of owning a catamaran and sailing in the Caribbean.We'll be back early next January for another round.
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016
Sail La Vie is ready for dry storage at Marsh Harbor Boatyard
Her sails have been removed and she has been striped down to the basic design. She has been cleaned top to bottom to help prevent mildew, which is the enemy of boats. It is kind of a sad day today, knowing we are leaving soon to go home. I have missed my home and family since we have been in the Bahamas. But it has certainly been an adventure from start to finish. Putting the boat on the land seems harder than leaving her in her slip like last year. And a lot more work I might say. Our suitcases are packed and ready to go. Our hearts are not sure, it is like leaving your kid in a far away place and hoping it will be safe.
Boating in the Bahamas has had it's up's and down's, we have learned a lot about what it takes to live the cruising lifestyle. It is not all fun and games, there is a lot of monitoring going on while you are living aboard. The batteries have to be managed at all times. Energy is king and as such demands constant attention. Water is another precious commodity and must be taken care of as such. Yes, you can rest on your laurels at times, but not for long. When you are at anchor you must watch for anchor dragging, which means that your boat may move and hit another boat, this is especially important in a storm situation as mentioned in the blog post "Bump in the night". When you are on a mooring, you
had better check the lines to make sure there is no fraying going on and then also check the mooring itself to make sure it is attached to something large enough to hold your boat, both can be potential problems if not identified right away. Docking is another challenge or should I say banging on the
docks once you are attached. Not to mention the noise from the wind swinging the boat back and
forth on the dock. Or was it the halyard that I heard on the boat next to us? Speaking of the other boats, that is one thing you have no control over. You can have your boat situated just right in an anchorage and then some bloke comes along and drags his anchor, like the ferry boat did in Miami, now that was quite a surprise. Provisioning is another challenge living on a boat. Everything cost about twice as much here in the Bahamas. Food as you know is very important and if you did not bring it with you then maybe you won't have it here, unless you are willing to pay double for it.
Another challenge with living on the boat is the lack of good support systems. For instance, if you need work done on your boat, you may find one guy with some knowledge about what you are working on, if your lucky. If you are not lucky then you will be doing the work yourself, so get ready to get down and dirty and sweaty. Doing boat repairs in paradise is the truth of the situation. Sail La Vie has had it's set of problems; one right after the other in fact. Let me see if I can remember some of them: Generator, Batteries, BalMar System, Refrig, freezer, propane, etc. And you thought we were just sitting here lounging in the sun. Well actually we were, when we were not doing boat chores, boat repairs or riding out a storm. And man can they have storms here: 35+ knot winds were not unfamiliar here. What we did learn was to listen to the local knowledge when they said a storm was coming, get ready!
Well we did lounge a bit don't get me wrong, it was not all work, but it was quite a bit. Now that I am done telling you about the challenges on the boat, let me tell you about some of the good times:
Swimming in clear blue gorgeous water at 70 degree was fabulous! Hopetown was just so adorable, those of you that experienced it know what I am talking about. Bahamian cottages and the red and white Lighthouse was just to cute. Nipper's Nipper's & Nipper's was a fun place to hang out. Watching Brad Kiteboard in Gillium Bay or in front of Nipper's was great. Stand-up paddleboarding in Man O War, with turtles and rays swimming under your board was unreal. Shelling in the Bahamas was great, we collected so many great shells, Queen Conch!! I am planning to make jewlery from them when we get home. The Bahamas overall was very clean, safe and friendly. The dollar is equal to the Bahamian dollars which made transaction easy to do. Oh and how can we forget Brendle's dive; what fun was that all about!! The boys loved Brendle's and the rum punch was fantastic as well. "Stand up for your rights" was our theme song for when the boys visited. Then there was riding our bikes to the Abaco Inn and the beautiful views of the seashore. Snorkelling at Fowl Cay and Mermaids was fabulous, so many fish everywhere and so friendly, even too friendly at times. Except maybe the Baracuda's that kept guard of every reef. We will definately miss the beautiful water here in the Bahamas.
We have accomplished Season II goal of coming to the Bahamas and living here for 3 of the 4 months we have been liveaboards. If God willing & we are up for another adventure, we will be back for Season III on Sail La Vie. Next year it will be the Exumas and possibly th Turks & Caicos.
We are now signing off for Sail La Vie for Season 2016 "The Bahamas". See ya next year! C'est La Vie
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Boating in the Bahamas has had it's up's and down's, we have learned a lot about what it takes to live the cruising lifestyle. It is not all fun and games, there is a lot of monitoring going on while you are living aboard. The batteries have to be managed at all times. Energy is king and as such demands constant attention. Water is another precious commodity and must be taken care of as such. Yes, you can rest on your laurels at times, but not for long. When you are at anchor you must watch for anchor dragging, which means that your boat may move and hit another boat, this is especially important in a storm situation as mentioned in the blog post "Bump in the night". When you are on a mooring, you
had better check the lines to make sure there is no fraying going on and then also check the mooring itself to make sure it is attached to something large enough to hold your boat, both can be potential problems if not identified right away. Docking is another challenge or should I say banging on the
docks once you are attached. Not to mention the noise from the wind swinging the boat back and
forth on the dock. Or was it the halyard that I heard on the boat next to us? Speaking of the other boats, that is one thing you have no control over. You can have your boat situated just right in an anchorage and then some bloke comes along and drags his anchor, like the ferry boat did in Miami, now that was quite a surprise. Provisioning is another challenge living on a boat. Everything cost about twice as much here in the Bahamas. Food as you know is very important and if you did not bring it with you then maybe you won't have it here, unless you are willing to pay double for it.
Another challenge with living on the boat is the lack of good support systems. For instance, if you need work done on your boat, you may find one guy with some knowledge about what you are working on, if your lucky. If you are not lucky then you will be doing the work yourself, so get ready to get down and dirty and sweaty. Doing boat repairs in paradise is the truth of the situation. Sail La Vie has had it's set of problems; one right after the other in fact. Let me see if I can remember some of them: Generator, Batteries, BalMar System, Refrig, freezer, propane, etc. And you thought we were just sitting here lounging in the sun. Well actually we were, when we were not doing boat chores, boat repairs or riding out a storm. And man can they have storms here: 35+ knot winds were not unfamiliar here. What we did learn was to listen to the local knowledge when they said a storm was coming, get ready!
Well we did lounge a bit don't get me wrong, it was not all work, but it was quite a bit. Now that I am done telling you about the challenges on the boat, let me tell you about some of the good times:
Swimming in clear blue gorgeous water at 70 degree was fabulous! Hopetown was just so adorable, those of you that experienced it know what I am talking about. Bahamian cottages and the red and white Lighthouse was just to cute. Nipper's Nipper's & Nipper's was a fun place to hang out. Watching Brad Kiteboard in Gillium Bay or in front of Nipper's was great. Stand-up paddleboarding in Man O War, with turtles and rays swimming under your board was unreal. Shelling in the Bahamas was great, we collected so many great shells, Queen Conch!! I am planning to make jewlery from them when we get home. The Bahamas overall was very clean, safe and friendly. The dollar is equal to the Bahamian dollars which made transaction easy to do. Oh and how can we forget Brendle's dive; what fun was that all about!! The boys loved Brendle's and the rum punch was fantastic as well. "Stand up for your rights" was our theme song for when the boys visited. Then there was riding our bikes to the Abaco Inn and the beautiful views of the seashore. Snorkelling at Fowl Cay and Mermaids was fabulous, so many fish everywhere and so friendly, even too friendly at times. Except maybe the Baracuda's that kept guard of every reef. We will definately miss the beautiful water here in the Bahamas.
We have accomplished Season II goal of coming to the Bahamas and living here for 3 of the 4 months we have been liveaboards. If God willing & we are up for another adventure, we will be back for Season III on Sail La Vie. Next year it will be the Exumas and possibly th Turks & Caicos.
We are now signing off for Sail La Vie for Season 2016 "The Bahamas". See ya next year! C'est La Vie
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016
Getting the boat ready to be put on the hard for the season
This last week in the Bahamas consisted of work, work and more work, getting the boat ready to be put on the hard. We have scrubed every inch of the boat, first with windex and then putting on a layer of vinegar to help prevent molding in the boat and that has primarily been my job, what fun. Brad's job has been doing the oil changes on both engines and taking the sails down from the boat, and wow that was quite the feat. Both the jib and main are now sitting in the cockpit, I just hope we can figure out how to put them back together next year, it was a big puzzle getting them down, not to mention very very heavy. The boat is still a mess, which you will see by the photos taken today, but we have a few more days to clean up and get things neat and tidy for the storage. Thank goodness the weather has been good for the clean up process, a bit hot though. In fact it seems to be getting hotter everyday, so I guess it is a good thing we are leaving. Today I will probably clean the refrig and freezer, the last bit of food is out on the counter to be eaten prior to leaving. If it is not eaten then we will be giving Ray the Dock Master at Mangoes the extra food. Here are a few pics to show you what the boat looks like right now.
Last day in Hopetown
It is our last day in Hopetown and we are sad to leave but happy to be coming home to our family. It has been an exciting adventure in the Bahamas. Our guest had a lot of fun as well during their visits. Hope you all enjoyed the Sail La Vie Blog this year, look for us next year, we are going to visit the Exumas and possibly the Turks & Caicos. Tune in next year starting in Jan - May for more adventures of Sail La Vie. Now it's time to clean the boat and get it ready for storage at Marsh Harbour for the season.
Back to Hopetown Our Favorite Spot
We are back in Hopetown for a few days before getting ready to leave the islands. Today the weather is nice but we are expecting a storm tonight, bummer. But we are on a great mooring so we should ride it out ok. We will stay in the harbour for another 2-3 days just chillin then the work begins on getting the boat ready to be stored. We will be going to Marsh Harbour to Mangos to clean the boat. Everything that has salt on it must be rinsed and dried out, so that means the entire boat. Our clothes need to be put in vaccum packs to keep them fresh. The inside of the boat needs to be wiped down with vinegar to prevent molding. Trust me there is a list out the door that we have to do to ready the boat. Right now Brad is securing the microwave to a board to keep it from flying around in the boat. My husband has become an extraordinary mechanic of all things boating. That is one thing we figured out, if you want something done here in the Bahamas, it's best to do it yourself. Otherwise you will be waiting, and waiting for someone to help you. There is no such thing as an appointment here, you should just show up and wait until they can get around to you. If you wait long enough they do the work just to get rid of you. Now I do have to say, the work done on the fiberglass with Edwin's Boat yard was spectacular. Keith was definately a perfectionist and would just keep working on the same spot until it was perfect and it was! Man O War has kept his name as best boat building island in the Bahamas! For Brad, the boat is a fulltime job, everyday there is something that needs repair or revision, not to mention the improvements that are needed or wanted. Here is a picture of Brad doing his thing on the boat.
MONDAY, MAY 2, 2016
Powell Cay
Venturing further north for a few days, we stopped at Green Turtle and Powell Cay. Here are some photos from our latest adventures: Hiking, swimming and shelling on Powell Cay
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016
Man O War Cay
We have been on Man O War Cay now for several days, having our boat repaired. So we have been making the best of our stay by going snorkelling at Fowl Cay everyday and Stand Up Paddling in the evenings or walks on the beach. Here are some photos from our time here:
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