The Cost to Cruise for 3 Months - the data is in!

We just finished documenting our numbers for the month of March and thought we share all the amounts since we set sail from Key West just over 3 months ago.  The format for March has changed just a bit since I've passed this task on to my wife...and obviously she changed how the totals are presented, so watch for category totals as you go down the list.  We also updated the January total because I forgot to add in the entry fee into the Bahamas the first time I posted our costs...so that total has been adjusted.  February was a cheap month because it was spent almost entirely at anchor in Georgetown waiting on parts.  And remember, all these numbers are for a family of 4 on a 42' catamaran...and some of the entertainment costs included my mother-in-law...so at times, there were 5 admission fees and at the 27 Waterfalls, 2 guides were being tipped.  We also stayed at a marina more in March than we have since we left so it ended up costing more than I would have liked it to.  But when everything was calculated, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

January 2015
Diesel	$54.00
Gas	$13.00
Groceries	$265.00
Diesel	$228.00
Gas	$23.00
Weech's Dockage (2 days)	$100.00
Bimini World Marina (1 day)	$55.00
Nassau Habour Club	$203.00
Port Starter	$200.00
Rent-a-car	$112.00
Zincs (4 sets)	$150.00
Entertainment/ Dinning	$119.00
Laundry	$18.00
Electronic Charts	$235.00
Guide Book (we forgot to buy Bahamas)	$59.00
Scuba Stuff	$140.00
Bahama Sim Card for cell phone	$20.00
Cell Phone - Carribean	$210.00
Pre-paid minuets	$180.00
Internet Access	$75.00
Containers	$11.00
Medicne	$13.00
Exuma Yacht Club (1 day)	$93.00
Groceries	$48.00
Dinning	$21.00
Diesel	$91.00
Totals
Diesel	$378.00
Groceries	$313.00
Gas	$36.00
Dockage	$451.00
Maintenance	$462.00
Entertainment/Dinning	$140.00
Laundry	$18.00
Electronic Charts	$235.00
Guide Books	$59.00
Scuba Stuff	$140.00
Communication	$485.00
Containers	$11.00
Medicine	$13.00
Entry fee to cruise and fish the Bahamas	$320.00
January Total	$3,061.00
February 2015
Replacement feeder pump for watermaker	$44.18
Sirius XM weather and radio	$55.00
Jabsco replacement head kit	$59.99
Bahamian Wifi (1 month)	$107.50
Shipping costs to Raymarine - amenometer	$83.61
Shipping costs to Georgetown - misc items	$96.70
Hardware - tv cable	$19.35
Groceries - Exuma Markets	$18.16
Groceries - Exuma Markets	$32.13
Groceries - Exuma Markets	$49.63
Pump out and garbage disposal	$24.00
Dining	$22.00
Diesel	$226.57
Gas	$15.02
Water - 70 gallons	$30.10
Groceries - Exuma Markets	$141.05
Laundry	$31.00
Dining	$56.00
Exuma Market	$14.56
BTC - Cell phone minuets	$80.00
DoeBoi Shipping - GPS and Jabsco repair	$77.66
Dining	$23.00
Itemized February Total	$1,307.21
Totals
Diesel	$226.57
Groceries	$255.53
Gas	$15.02
Water	$30.10
Maintenance Items and Shipping to Bahamas (mostly spares)	$382.49
Entertainment - Internet Wifi and Sirius XM	$162.50
Laundry	$31.00
Communication - cell minuets	$80.00
Dining Out	$100.00
Dockage	$0.00
Pump out and Garbage Disposal	$24.00
February Total	$1,307.21
March 2015
Communication Turks and Caicos Cell phone sim card and minuets	$65.00
Communication DR cell	$25.00
TOTAL COMMUNICATION	$90.00
Deisel at Clarence Town @ $4.69 per/gallon + tax	$49.20
Deisel at South Side Marina @ $5.90 per gallon+ tax	$287.85
Deisel Puerto Real Marina @ $2.85 per gallon + tax	$117.00
TOTAL DEISEL	$454.05
Dinning	$41.75
Dinning	$46.43
Dinning Mcdonalds puerto real	$18.00
TOTAL DINNING	$106.18
Entertainment 27 Falls tip	$60.00
Entertainment 27 Falls tip entry	$46.00
Entertainment Gondala entry	$50.00
Entertainment Gondala tip	$20.00
Entertainment Sirius XM Weather and Radio	$55.00
TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT	$231.00
Exit fee Despacho - DR	$20.00
Entry fee Puerto Real customs	$27.50
Entry into DR x 4 people	$127.00
Entry Turks and Caicos Flags (bought shitty one then good one)	$25.00
Entry/Exit into Turks and Caicos	$100.00
TOTAL ENTRY FEES	$299.50
Gas	$28.00
Gas @ South Side Marina 2.5 gallons @ $6.00	$16.05
Gas at Clarence Town @ $4.48 per/gallon + tax	$13.70
TOTAL GAS	$57.75
Groceries	$30.00
Groceries	$13.57
Groceries	$18.90
Groceries	$64.50
Groceries	$18.65
Groceries	$2.37
Groceries	$27.82
Groceries	$17.12
Groceries	$223.01
Groceries	$153.90
Groceries	$1.70
Groceries	$10.00
Groceries Clarence Town Sea Wind Groceries	$118.49
Groceries Puerto plata map, pepsi	$12.00
TOTAL GROCERIES	$712.03
Internet - Bahamian WiMax	$37.50
Internet - South Side Marina	$7.49
TOTAL INTERNET	$44.99
Maintenance Propellor - 15hp Mercury	$60.00
Maintenance Shipping and Duty tax - import parts	$87.00
TOTAL MAINTENANCE	$147.00
Marina Dockage at South Side Marina @$75 per night + tax	$160.50
Marina Electricity @ South Side Marina 77 hrs @ .84 cents gallon + tax	$69.21
Marina fee Water @ South Side Marina @ .15 cents gallon + tax	$23.59
Marina Ocean World Marina	$356.63
Marina Ocean World Marina	$245.00
TOTAL MARINA	$854.93
Pharmacy	$18.00
TOTAL PHARMACY	$18.00
Transportation Car	$99.95
Transportation Taxi	$20.00
Transportation Taxi	$20.00
Transportation Taxi turks	$20.00
TOTAL TRANSPORTATION	$159.95
March TOTAL	$3,175.38

Check out our latest episode below to see what the crew's been up to.

Video: Episode #4 - Exploring the Bahamas - Stocking Island

On this episode, we set out for a couple of days of exploration. First we take the trail to the windward beach and head south until it ends and the labyrinth of trails begin - where beautiful views can be had atop gorgeous rock cliffs.  But we also spent a day on a hike to the Salt Monument by the northern part of the island.  And in between we accomplish a little work on the boat and watch the 2015 Georgetown Regatta from our own front seats. Video footage taken from February 25 and March 5, 2015.

Dean's Blue Hole - Long Island, Bahamas

Road Trip!  We finally decided to break down and spend a little money on a rent-a-car so we could make the short trip up the highway to Dean's Blue Hole.  I figured that since we were within 4 miles of it, and its the deepest salt water hole in the world, maybe it would be worth it.  Also, I heard that there was a cliff that you can jump off if you only had the balls to do so.  Plus, while we had the car, we'll go ahead and head up to the Sea Wind Grocery Store to do a little provisioning.  

All went as planned, and by 10:30 am we were pulling damn near right up on the beach to the Blue Hole - nobody was there and you can see our rent-a-car in the background on some of the pictures.  The free-diving platform was affixed and we heard the influx of participants and spectators will start funneling in closer to the end of this month as competition starts April 1.

But looking off into a 663 foot hole is a little weird.  Not that we haven't been diving before - hell, we've dove a wall in Cozumel that dropped off to over 1000 feet.  But for some reason, a hole is just different.  And after we got a little used to it, the boys started jumping off the cliff, and suckered me into it also - although I did take the one a little down from the top.

We Outdid Ourselves!

I know I just posted the great day of cruising we just had en-route to Calabash Bay at the north end of Long Island...but on the way down to Clarence Town two days ago we outdid ourselves.  Although it was a little rough going at times - waves sometimes up over the 6-7 foot range hitting us from the port bow direction, and we had trouble keeping the wind more than 40 degrees on our nose - we were able to land this (to us) massive Mahi-mahi.  But the big challenge in actually getting her on board was the fact that we were at full sails when she hooked, and we had at least one motor running (can't remember if starboard was on or not.)  

Justin was first to the pole and quickly realized that tightening the drag would result in a snapped line (we used to think 40 lb. test was plenty).....it was singing! He could feel and hear the line stretching.  So she kept taking it....and taking it until we started to get concerned that she'd take the whole spool.  We also realized that if we had any chance of getting the fish in the cockpit, we had to slow down, so Brandon and I pulled in the jib and I turned into the wind enough that we were able to putter along at about 1.5 knots. 

She went to the opposite side of the boat as a last resort

Brandon trying to sneak the gaff in

Success!

As Justin continued to reel her in, she would tease us by jumping out of the water in an attempt to shake loose the lure.  Then when she got close to the boat, she made a last ditch attempt by going to the opposite side and half way up and around the starboard hull - Brandon had to go to the steps and pull the line aft so she wouldn't tangle in the prop and rudder.  

But the last move was to actually gaff her as she was much too heavy for the line and pole to remove her from the ocean - and so far, its something we haven't been successful at doing.  But after a couple of tries, Brandon was able to gently hook the gill and hoist her up onto the boat - a great team effort in all.

Bagged 3 Mahi-Mahi en-route to Long Island

Today we decided to head over to the north end of Long Island in preparation for island hopping further south.  The problem is that starting this Tuesday wind from the east will be up over 25 knots for about a week, so wherever we are is where we'll be for awhile.  So its hard making the decision to leave Georgetown when we know wind like this will be hitting us soon.  When you're in Georgetown, you get comfortable - it has everything you need: American television (all four major stations!!), grocery stores, internet, and safety in numbers.  And after waiting for our anemometer (wind instrument) to come back from Raymarine for over a month now, fear begins to creep in because beyond Georgetown, you are kind of on your own.  Do we leave? Or do we stay?  

But today, I made the decision to go ahead and set sail for Calabash Bay on Long Island - the wind was minimal and the waves were non-existant as the waters west of Long Island are still protected from the Atlantic Ocean - seemed like a good idea to peak out and get a little salty.  And sails like this can be very productive - you get to dump your tanks and we make water the whole way replenishing our diminished supply as we're not comfortable making water in Elizabeth Harbor.  We also let out both fishing poles - a couple of Penn's we picked up at a Key West pawn shop.  And when you travel in 2000 feet of water you might just snag a Mahi or two.  

TWO fish ON!!!

We're perfecting the "Swing-to-the-Cockpit" maneuver 

And that's what happened - we hadn't had them out but about an hour when the first monster Mahi hit.  And unfortunately for us, once again, the big one got away - we have not seemed to master the art of getting these bad boys into the safety of the cockpit before they shake that lure right out of their mouth.  Major bummer!  We devise another plan and put both poles back out again.  Lucky for us, there are more Mahi in these waters and within about another hour, we got another hit - a baby, but still a nice one.  We can at least look forward to a nice Mahi dinner - we've been redeemed a little.  

Gorgeous!

Happy Times!

But the real excitement came after about another hour, the small Penn reel got a hit and Justin ran to it to pull it in and Brandon ran to the other reel to bring it in so Justin wouldn't get tangled in it.  But as soon as Brandon started to reel, his lure was also hit - now we had TWO FISH ON!!!  For some reason, both fish went to port and Brandon found himself making his way around the solar rack with a big Mahi on (he knew what it was because it kept jumping out of the water.)  Lucky for us, we were able to finally get big Mahi inside the cockpit before they both shook their lures and we have finally been redeemed from the two big ones that got away!

The baby that we caught after the big one got away

Video: Episode #3 Sailing the Bahamas - Norman's Cay to Georgetown

Check out the next episode in our video series.  On this installment, we hang out at Norman's Cay for a few days before moving on to Staniel Cay where we chill out while waiting out the wind.  We then head down to Lee Stocking where we find a message in a bottle and our first lobster.  We then make the short sail down to Georgetown to hunker down and settle in.  So far, Georgetown also includes a shopping trip to Top-to-bottom and a little excitement when two boats in the harbor drag anchor during a squall.

What's going on in Georgetown, Bahamas?

Well, I guess there's a lot going on here with the 2015 Regatta just a couple of days away and the official boat count in the harbor is a whopping 353 boats.  But with us, not much is happening.  We removed and shipped out the Raymarine anemometer (I know, it's only been really used for only about 2 months) but as of today, it hadn't even been delivered because of the snow storm in Boston.....so, we wait.  And hey, its not a bad place to hunker down for a month or so...it could be worse.  

Can you find Catchin' Rays?

Most days I get up in time for "the Net" - and anybody that's ever been here knows what that is - its the morning VHF traffic having to do with everything in the area....businesses, emergencies, buy/sell/trade, new arrivals, and people leaving.  While that's going on, I'm usually checking my YouTube channel for any comments or questions, I check my email, and my blog.  Then I start editing the next video in our adventure series. 

But most people here go to shore for one activity or another - yoga, volleyball, meet and greets, or just getting a drink at Chat-n-Chill.  But nobody's ever accused us as being too social...so we skip most of those things.  Although I did talk Brandon into going ashore the other day to compete in the "Bocci-Ball" tournament that they were having in preparation of the real tournament that's going on during Regatta.  And although we've never played before, we wiped out the 23 other teams on our way to victory....and the prize was 2 decent bottles of wine from the cellars of some boat here in the harbor.  Even though we don't drink, much less drink wine, I wanted to win and we were very proud to bring those two bottles of wine back to the boat.  But the rest of the day is just time wastes ...sometimes we watch tv for most of the day; other times we hop in the dinghy and make a grocery run; sometimes we go to volleyball beach and just walk around - not a bad way to spend early retirement. 

But there might be a couple of things about Georgetown some of you may want to know, just in case you might be planning your own trip here:

1. There is actually American channels broadcast over the air here that you can receive if you have a decent powered antenna on your mast.  Its pumped in from Miami, Florida and you get all four major channels - ABC, FOX, CBS, and NBC plus two local channels.  What's funny is that the whole time we were in Key West, there were exactly ZERO major networks broadcast over the air...and only two shitty local channels - but here in Georgetown, we get all four major channels from the United States....I just don't understand that.

2. There is a pump out boat that comes by and will empty your tanks for a fee - ours runs $20 for our 25 gallon tank.  But beware, he has a screw off his port side and will come in at your boat at an angle - and even though we had plenty of fenders out, he got us right between two of them.  He will also try and get a free beer from you during the waste removal.  He'll also take your trash bags for $2 apiece. 

3. The local Exuma Market grocery store provides free water at the dinghy dock for cruisers, and so far, its the only place we've seen that provides free water.

4.  No matter how close to shore you think you've gotten and that there's no possible way anybody could get between you and the shore, somebody will inevitably squeeze in there.  And then next to you and then on the other side of you.....its crazy to think how close they'll drop anchor around you.  So if you think you're in a good place for the next front that comes through....soon enough you'll have lots of company if you don't already.  

5.  There's multiple internet antennas around in the area - there's at least 6 internet signals to tap into with most being some sort of pay by the use kind.  The free signal comes from the Exuma Yacht Club but you pretty much have to be at the restaurant to pick it up - even when we use our wifi hotspot.  

Well, that's just about it for me for now....Jimmy Kimmel is about to come on.

Just in case you hadn't spotted us.
Photos generously supplied by s/v Bueller
check out their blog at www.nolandinsight.com

How Much does it cost to Cruise for 1 month? Here's the answer

The biggest question when it comes to cruising is - how much does it cost?  And now that we've been actually cruising for over a month, we know the answer to that question - at least for the first month anyway.  

So the break-down does include everything that we spent in the month of January that includes a Caribbean cell phone, entry fee into the country, electronic charts for just about the whole half of this world (we aren't sure where we're going yet), and also the maintenance costs associated with the starter and rent-a-car.  It does not include the costs associated with the initial provisioning of the boat - all the groceries and the fuel we bought in Key West before we left and to be honest, we spent well over $1000 in groceries alone, maybe close to $1500.  And we've been eating pretty well by our standards over the past month and a half, and we still have enough food to last another 1 1/2 months.  All we've been doing is buying more cereal, bread, vegetables, etc.   But I estimate that we have probably eaten about $400-600 worth of groceries so far and now that we're in the Bahamas, it will be even more to replace our supplies - but that will probably not show up until March sometime.

So, here is the list and break-down of the cost to cruise:

Janruary 2015

The first list is mostly an itemized list of the separate charges.  The second list is the totals.

Diesel	$54.00
Gas	$13.00
Groceries	$265.00
Diesel	$228.00
Gas	$23.00
Weech's Dockage (2 days)	$100.00
Bimini World Marina (1 day)	$55.00
Nassau Habour Club	$203.00
Port Starter	$200.00
Rent-a-car	$112.00
Zincs (4 sets)	$150.00
Entertainment/ Dinning	$119.00
Laundry	$18.00
Electronic Charts	$235.00
Guide Book (we forgot to buy Bahamas)	$59.00
Scuba Stuff	$140.00
Bahama Sim Card for cell phone	$20.00
Cell Phone - Carribean	$210.00
Pre-paid minuets	$180.00
Internet Access	$75.00
Containers	$11.00
Medicne	$13.00
Exuma Yacht Club (1 day)	$93.00
Groceries	$48.00
Dinning	$21.00
Diesel	$91.00
Totals
Diesel	$378.00
Groceries	$313.00
Gas	$36.00
Dockage	$451.00
Maintenance	$462.00
Entertainment/Dinning	$140.00
Laundry	$18.00
Electronic Charts	$235.00
Guide Books	$59.00
Scuba Stuff	$140.00
Communication	$485.00
Containers	$11.00
Medicine	$13.00
Total	$2,741.00

So there you have it - the cost to cruise the month of January 2015 as done by the Ray family aboard Catchin' Rays - your list may differ. 

Check out our latest sailing episode.

Video: Episode #2 - Bimini to Norman's Cay

Holy shit, we got internet good enough to upload our next video thanks to Bahamian Wifi (its a service that we pay for down here either by the week or by the month, and its pretty fast at times.)  On this video, we leave the fast times at Bimini and head to Gun Cay so we could be that much closer to Chub.  

After Chub, we head to Rose Island to chill out for a couple of days - which is where we discovered Bahamian Wifi to begin with.  From there we head down to Allan's Cay to feed the iguanas and ended up getting caught in a horrible current in a tight anchorage with 5 other boats.  It ended up pulling our anchor loose and dragging it as we quickly made the decision to pull it up and re-anchor.  

The thing about knowing when to do this is a little harder than it seems.  You see, we set up the chartplotter the best we can and put a waypoint right on top of where we think the anchor is so we can see if we've moved further from the anchor as the day and nights go on.  We were getting whipped around so much, that it was hard to tell if we were dragging or not, but when the difference became over 40 feet, we had a good indication that we were getting pulled by the current.  It was a long night needless to say and that's why we hauled ass to Norman's the next day - we wanted a little more room to breathe.  As you can see in the video, there isn't a whole lot of space to anchor between the island to begin with and stack on top of it that we were being swallowed be a 5 knot current that had a death grip on my boat....anyway, that night sucked.  

Then we end with arriving at Norman's Cay - where we spent a few days messing around.
   
As always, stay tuned to the end for fun stuff and a tribute to our family dog Daisy that died in Nassau.

Just out Catchin' Rays

We've just docked here in Georgetown, Exuma after motor-sailing from Lee Stocking Island today.  Before that we were at Big Majors/Stanial Cay for a couple of days waiting out the heavy winds.  We didn't hardly get out of the boat because there was a constant 20 knot wind blowing almost the entire time we were there.  Prior to Big Majors, we were at Norman's Cay where Brandon snagged his first kill with the Hawaiian Sling - a Lion Fish - the most ecologically destructing fish out there right now and he did his part to rid one small piece of coral from this bully.  And it made two nice fish nuggets to boot.

Tami & Me at our Big Majors anchorage - it was a busy place

He was also able to find this beautiful lobster hiding under the only piece of coral within 400 yards of our anchorage at Lee Stocking Island.  There was a nice Nassau Grouper in there too, but left after he pulled the trigger.

Brandon's first Lobster using a Hawaiian Sling @ Lee Stocking

Other than that, we've just been wastin' the days away, hoping to find warmer weather (I know, we're bitchin' about 77 degrees - deal with it) so that jumping into the water would actually be refreshing.  But from here, we don't know where we're going - maybe onto Long Island and beyond...but we don't know yet - maybe we'll just hang out here along with the 500 other sailboats at anchor behind us.

We Lost a Beloved Crew member today

Last night, as we were anchored quietly off Norman Cay, our dog of 18 years took a turn for the worse.  Her turn actually started a few days ago, but last night she started to seize and was obviously in pain.  We gave her medication to help with the pain, but years of congestive heart failure, and what seemed to be her kidneys beginning to fail was more than we wanted to put her through.  So today we made a run back up to Nassau to get her to a vet's office to make it as peaceful and humane as possible.  She was comfortable for the most part on today's sail as we made really good speed hauling ass and motor-sailing.  We got in a cab as soon as we docked and headed for the nearest vet's office - soon after that, our 18 year relationship was over.  She will be sadly missed by everybody in this family - and that's an understatement.

Daisy having a good time at Gun Cay just 2 weeks ago

Video: Key West to Bimini has been uploaded

See the crew set sail for Bimini, Bahamas with an unexpected stop in Key Largo for repairs.  I've actually been working extremely hard to get this video uploaded as we only arrived into Bimini less than a week ago.  But the free internet is so good here, I've been trying to finish this first leg of our adventure and get it uploaded because I have no idea when the next time I'll get these fast speeds again.  

Also, I first uploaded the wrong version to YouTube that had an audio error in it...and I could've left it, but it would have driven me crazy, so I've uploaded the corrected version - so, sorry if that messed anybody up.

Next stop: Chub Cay, and we actually head back to Gun Cay tomorrow as we prepare to make the haul to Chub on Wednesday.....stay tuned.

A Day and Night spent at Gun Cay, Bahamas

The Crew at Gun Cay, Bahamas

Yesterday we set sail for Gun Cay.  Its a small island about 10 miles south of Bimini.  The winds looked good and so did the weather.  We were also tired of getting slammed into the dock at Weech's Boat dock by the waves caused by the passing water taxi service that runs to South Bimini and back.  They have no problem coming within about 20 feet of our boat while at cruising speed on their way to shore to pick up and drop off passengers - and that happens about 100 times per day.  So it was time to settle up with the dockmaster and untie the lines and head south.

The biggest excitement early on was just getting out of the channel and into open ocean.  For some reason there were Hawaii 5-0 type waves crashing right through the marked channel - and I mean these waves were big, about 10 feet or so with a big enough pipe for a small surfer to fit.  It was the weirdest thing.  Justin had the helm and Brandon and I were sitting next to the mast to keep a watch.  And although the boat handled them well, it was the most she'd been sloshed around since we've put her in the water.

The trip down to Gun Cay was pretty uneventful and we decided to keep the motors running to charge up our batteries, but we also put the jib out to help with speed.  We went right by the Sapona - which is the shipwreck that Brandon, Tami, and I snorkeled for a bit while en route to Nassau aboard s/v Stray Cat back in 2011.  

When we got to Gun Cay, there were two other sailboats anchored down the coast, so we picked our spot and set the hook.  The wind was a little higher than I would have like it, and it was coming out of the East - the same side we have to anchor on because the West side is too deep.  We went ashore, did some snorkeling and met our neighbors.  

We also got a chance to feed the sting-rays that prowl the shoreline - at least Justin did anyway.  We're told that they're pretty tame and must be used to people feeding them because they come right up to you and expect food.  This little guy was about 2 foot across.

Mr. Stingray was looking for lunch

A couple of dolphins came over to check us out, but just for a second

Today, with the winds increasing, and the waves pounding, we decided to head back to Bimini and try and find a free anchorage that we had previously done reconnaissance on before we left.  But we decided to sail back against the wind since the breezes were blowing about 15 - 18 knots on our nose.  We'd turn out of the wind until it was about 60 degrees off our stern and we'd actually be making pretty good speed, sometimes as fast as 7 knots.  We tacked a couple of times before we got close to South Bimini.  But now, we sit here at anchor and are getting nice, fast, and free internet off our little wifi hotspot we installed many months ago.  And while the anchorage seems ok for now, it is a little too small of an area to be too relaxed.  But we'll see how it goes - Justin is nervous and doesn't think he'll sleep too much tonight.  But right now, we're trying to figure out when will be a good time to head towards Chub Cay and then on to Nassau.

Key Largo to Bimini

We pulled in the anchor at Key Largo about 1:30pm and set sail for Bimini.  The winds were supposed to be light and the waves were forecasted to be no more than 3 feet all the way there.  Passageweather.com was right on the money and the boat performed awesome.  Although we didn't get a chance to sail due to the wind being right on the nose, motoring with the current proved to be a fast haul.  We pulled in at 3:30am to the Weech's Bimini Boat Dock after navigating through the channel between North and South Bimini - and having never really done this before, doing it at night at an unfamiliar place was a challenge.  We located the power, plugged in, and cranked up the air conditioning - in only 15 minuets all of our cabins were cold and we were feeling pretty good about what we'd just done.

Pulling in the Monster

Holy shit she's pretty!!

Let the carving begin

Tami doing a great job at filleting our Monster

Tied up at Weech's Bimini Dock

Our Unexpected Stop in Key Largo

We set sail on December 30th from Stock Island Marina Village en route to Bimini as this is the first major sail in this boat other than a few day sails in and around Key West.  We were slightly nervous to say the least, but once we got outside the reef, we hoisted the sails and cut the engines.  Heading east, we were going along at around 5 to 6 knots, but just as the sun was setting, the wind died down and started coming straight on our nose.  With the wind so weak, even if we had tacked we wouldn't have been making much progress.  We started the engines and dropped the sails and were quickly making about 6.5 knots with seas around 3 feet.

Our first sunrise

We all took turns on watch, and I'm not sure anybody got over 2 hours of sleep the whole night - except for Tami who seemed to get the best sleep of her entire life as the constant motion of the boat kept the voices in her head at check.  I'd try and lay down, but you hear every slap of the waves and every rpm engine change - and you worry.  

The boat handled great, and before too long the sun was starting to peak up above the horizon and we had successfully completed our first night sail.  We decided to raise the sails since the wind direction indicated that we'd be able to make a little progress at least until the engines got a break and we could do a morning inspection and oil level check.  The port engine looked great - no oil leaks and the level was exactly the same.  The starboard engine was a different story.  Although the oil level was perfect, there was a small fuel leak - Justin quickly had the part removed and was replacing a small o-ring on a fuel nipple and had it back together.  The boat-crippling problem happened during start-up - the starter began to make a horrible grinding noise.  The puzzling thing was that this was our brand new starter we installed only 2 months ago.  After removal, the bell crank housing was completely broken off.

That's when we decided to head for shore instead of jumping over the Gulf Stream.  Key Largo was now the unexpected destination and we soon found ourselves frantically looking for a marina in which to dock.  We did find one that could accommodate our needs while we found a replacement starter but with our draft about 3.5 feet, we were instructed to anchor on the back of Rodriquez Key until the high tide at 4:00pm.  But with the favorable weather and a boat fully stocked we decided to stay at anchor instead.  

En route to our unexpected visit to Key Largo

But what has kept us hear for 6 days now is the unbelievably difficult time we've had at finding a replacement OEM starter coupled with the New Year's holiday.  What we've discovered the replacement starter that broke is known for it - multiple forum posting revealed numerous people having the exact same problem with their replacement starter made in China.  So we sit.  And for the first 5 days, it was ok.  But now we're ready to move on.  

But a few things we've learned so far:

1. Our anchor holds pretty good

2. We can sail our boat with only 6 inches under her keels - although this one happened accidentally (all around Rodriguez Key has only depths of about 4 to 6 feet

3. We can entertain ourselves well - but we're not sure how long that will last

4. That walking to your destinations can be done, but these short distances we've been walking may not count.

Rodriguez Key in the distance

Today our OEM starter is supposed to arrive - finally, and then we should be out of here tomorrow and on our way to Bimini with a great weather window starting today and lasting until Thursday.  We have another night sail ahead of us and maybe that's why I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach.