Crusing Favorites-Ours

There are a few things we really like to use while cruising. They could help out on the Chesapeake or any where else.

West Marine has a collapsible blue plastic cart with retracting handle and plastic wheels. I always felt I wanted "wheels" to deal with lugging the laundry bag to the Laundromat three blocks away. This thing is wonderful. Our record was probably two Bota boxes of wine, three six packs of glass beer bottles, and $75 bucks worth of groceries. It was so heavy we both had to help lift it when getting on the Vero Beach Bus. Since then we have used to every time for grocery shopping to cart away just about anything.

WEST MARINE Folding Boat Cart Model # 3531779 Retailed for $30 and worth every penney.

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Got RUST? We have found Davis FSR ( Fiberglass Stain Remover- to be magic. It easily removed rust from fiberglass. We had a bunch under the head on the bathroom floor. I had planned to repaint the fiberglass to get rid of the stains but this product just sat in place wiped away with a paper towel and most of it was gone. Second application was easy peasy. Completely gone. I did not have to paint!

Cost about $13 for the small size. West Marine

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SALT AWAY is a great product made to remove salt from your boat using a hose and it's special dispensor. We got it for the 1500 and Charles uses it every time we come back from a good spraying. Get the liguid stuff and the dispensor.

It comes in concentrated form. Put about an ounce in the dispensor and it draws up some as you hose down the boat. Really works.

The Rat Saga

Well it is now 2012 - Happy New Year to all. As has been pointed out bysome of our more devoted following we have been delinquent in our posts and it has been more than a month since we updated the blog. There are several reasons for this, none of them very good. The last report was from Rosie's Place on Grand Cay. I mada a serious error here and we went ashore without putting the hatch boards in. When we awoke the next morning we could here something chewing something else in the aft A/C cabinet - presumably my wiring. Sue investigated further while I went to see if the island sold rat traps - they did not. While investigating she opened one of the cabinets and a large rat jumped out producing a very predictable and justified extreme emotional reaction. The closest place of any size is Marsh Harbor a good two days away. We made it in two days including an overnight stop at anchor behind Powell Cay. The Whale was manageable (Sue has more on that) and we arrived at Marsh Harbor Marina and Jib Room at noon. We have been at the marina since then. We made a decision to use Marsh Harbor as our base from which to explore the Abacos and then to move on to the Exumas later in the season.

The marina is owned and managed by Tom and Linda and their son Stephen and a small local staff. It is beautifully kept and the bathrooms are the cleanest and best set up I have ever found in a marina. Tom drove me to the Central Hardware the afternoon we arrived and I purchased a selection of rat traps - two big Victors and two varieties of glue traps. For the next week these were deployed around the boat in various configurations. We did move all of our clothing and chewable stuff off the boat into temporary storage (I lost one tee shirt in the first two days). It turns out rats are smarter than you think. He (I always presumed it was a he only because I could not face the thought of it being a pregnant she) got into one of the big glue traps early on and then got right out again - they don't work. However he never went close to any of the others again. He ate most of the peanut butter off both Victors without springing them and it appeared we were in for a long seige. During this time we received plenty of advice; one of the dock hands provided me with a small chicken bone and instructed me to cable tie it to the bait holder which I did. That night the trap was sprung - but no rat - how big was it? From the web I discovered there are electric traps available that, once the rat is inside a small house like box a high voltage electric current (from AA batteries) will kill him. Of course Marsh Harbor did not have any and it would take two weeks to get them. However Nassau did have them. So I flew to Nassau and purchased two of them (in case one did not work). On my return I discovered the other Victor in the food cupboard had aslo been sprung - still no rat. Obviously conventional means were not working so I decided to discard all the old traps and get serious with my new electric marvels.

At that point, when I went back to the food cupboard the rat had appeared and was sitting motionless looking at me. I poked it with my 1" combination wrench to see if it was still alive. It was and it moved at which point I lost it and beat the poor thing to death with the wrench. Having removed the carcass from the boat I retired to the bar for a stiff drink - provided I must say compliments of the marina.

It took a day to vacuum, wash, and disinfect the boat, throw out all perishable goods, launder everything on the boat and then put everything back together. For a week we had been sleeping in the cockpit - thank goodness for watertight side curtains - and it was very nice to sleep once more in a proper bed. The hatch boards now go in whenever we leave the boat.

We decided to spend Christmas with Frank and his family in Houston which made a very nice break and for the last two days we have been in Hope Town harbor. Sue will be blogging about that later. The weather here is terrific quite cool at night and not too hot during the day. I have made significant progress on my brightwork.

Anyway, Happy New Year and my resolution is to be more didligent about keeping up this blog.

Sue's version STOW AWAY- RAT (Rosie's Place-Little Grand Cay) Sat Nov 26

If you have read the RAT SAGA you may not want to read this ...

Sorry that I have gotten such a writer block. It is hard to live with a rat on your boat for several days. We literally slept in the cockpit for six days. The first night of course we did not fully realize that the animal was on board.

FIRST NOTICED

It started as I was sitting at my computer and "thinking" the funny nibbling noise from the snack cabinet above our freezer in the salon (which houses nuts, potato chips, crackers). I was not impressed but simply hoped it would go away. Could this be a mouse? or a reptile? or a rat? Did I really want to know? ( We actually slept in the same space that night. ugh.).

MORNING- Day one. Sunday Nov 27

In the morning about seven am we wanted to leave early.. Charles gets up earlier than I usually. He was on the dock fixing dock lines for our leaving, unconnected the power cord, and settling up our bill. When I awoke, I heard a gnawing in the aft stateroom cabinet that houses only the air conditioning system that I could not ignore. I called for Charles.

Next thing I heard was gnawing on plastic bags where I keep winter clothes. This is a full cabinet past the air conditioner cabinet. I was sure this thing was trying to nest. So in a brave gesture I quickly opened the cabinet and pulled two of the six bags of clothing only to FREAK OUT at the sight of a RAT running around on our bed! I screamed and ran toward the cockpit.

Our dock hand asked if he could help and was quick to give him "permission" ( Bahamian's are very polite- especially when asked to go into boat or some one's sleeping area). I kept telling him to " yes" go get the thing.. While I shuddered in disbelief that a RAT was on board.

Of course he did not see the rat. To me the rat body I saw was about 8 inches long. I did not notice the tail or sex as I was too shaken up. Hysteria has set in.

We asked if we could get some rat traps from Rosie's store. But they were out of rat traps. So the suggestion was made to go straight to Marsh Harbor. So once again our sailing plans changed in less than a heart beat. We knew we could not get there in a day. How can you live with a rat on your boat? Ick..

SLEEPING IN COCKPIT.- night one

We sailed to Powell's Cay a small island anchorage. (26.54.27N, 77.29.09W) I had to make breakfast and lunch underway as we sailed off. I literally had a paint stick that I noisily stroked the louvers on every door before I opened any to scare it out of appearing when I opened a cabinet to prepare the meal.

Dinner was more of the same under anchor. I was not able to go into the aft cabin with visions of the rat coming out between the plastic bags. The hysteria returned. It was traumatic for me. I COULD NOT sleep in our bed knowing it was on board.

Charles was very supportive. We took our setee cushions into the cockpit with the new lights making our new sleeping area a little more comfortable. We had many house and street lights from the nearby Cay with another anchored boat a few miles away. Planes decorated the sky. There was great comfort knowing that Marsh Harbor would have the fix to our problem. We locked ourselves inside the cockpit with all the boards in place. Our intruder was trapped, but he also had the run of the place.

DAY THREE- Nov 28

Upon arriving in Marsh Harbor at the Marsh Harbor Marina ( Jib Room) we got fuel and entered our slip before we asked for help getting rid of our stow away. Charles was afraid they would not want to assign us a slip! But I could not think of a more helpful staff to deal with such an issue.

Our dock master Jason was asking the other dock master Steven if there were any exterminators in Marsh Harbor. None known.

I looked outside at a pair of sneakers and was told that by Charles that he was going out to get traps. Tom, the owner of the family run marina, drove Charles to the hardware store which would have been a good hike, and allowed him to get rat provisioned.

It was recommended that the glue traps are really good. Charles set them. We slept in the cockpit as usual.

In the morning we found that our visitor had a hair cut as rat hair was left behind but it was not in sight.

Day Four- Nov 29

We set the Victor rat trap using the jalapeno cheese I had in the refrig.

Slept in the cockpit again.

Day Five- Nov 30

The rat has taken the cheese but only sprang the trap and was not to be found.

I noticed that this rat was getting around. We thought he was localized to the starboard side but now I saw leavings in our foul weather gear in the port side wet locker. I also noticed Charles clothing cabinet which he waltzed past his first day had a shirt that was chewed up and needed to be pitched.

This was WAR. We were sick and tired of sleeping in the cockpit. My galley was not mine. I had gotten peanut butter to bait the traps with as they seem to like that. But we needed to protect what he had available to him. So we emptied the boat of any contents that were not in a plastic box. All items were carried to a storage area above the Jib Room which Tom was nice enough to allow us to use. All dock boxes were full so this would work. I hung our type I vests off the boom. We looked like vagabonds. At least our sospenders would not be gnawed when we weren't looking.

Day 6- Nov 30

Everyone was supportive. The jokes flew about rats in our boat. Melvin the cook was nice enough to give us some grilled chicken to bait the Victor trap. The understanding was chicken was put on the center held in place with electrical ties. This was going to be a fight to the finish!

Charles was fed up. He was calling around to get an electric trap or anything sure fire to kill this thing. He purchased a ticket to go to Nassau to the hardware store where he could get these traps. So first thing in the morning he was off. Fabian, the trusted taxi driver picked him up and transported him to the airport. When he got back that evening he checked the traps in the boat.

That rascal had sprung the trap with the chicken and got away! How could that be? He avoided glue traps, Victor peanut butter traps. Traps with chicken. But he won't avoid the electric trap which by the way was being a small fortune. I believe the trap by the time it had duty on it cost close to a hundred bucks each. The ticket to Nassau was another hundred. We spared no expense.

Charles valiantly bludgeoned the rat to death when it appeared back in the cupboard next to the Victor trap that held peanut butter. That one inch wrench was the best tool we had. It creeped him out as he is not the hunting type but he got the job done. My hero.

When we were in Florida we acquired some ants. I had put down those black traps but the ants did not respond. When we cleaned the boat from top to bottom Charles noticed that starboard setee ( Jarett's bed) underneath where the water maker is located had an ant trap that was half chewed up. We think those chemicals added to the rat's demise.

After six nights total sleeping in the cockpit I was ready to return to the aft cabin. Three loads of laundry , and several bags of pitched food items; we were ready to put the boat back together. We gathered up the items which we had transferred into storage above the Jib Room.- we did not want the rat to be chewing on our off shore vests and clothing before we got him. Glad that ordeal is over with!

On to the good stuff.. we have tales visting other Abaco ports.

Little Grand Cay..Nov26

Sue has given a good account of our trip here - not the most comfortable one and it took an hour to hose all of the salt off after we arrived (metered RO water I dread to think what that will have cost). We have spent a comfortable night here. Last night we had a drink at ate at Rosie’s Restaurant – local lobster; that was quite an experience because the only other party in the restaurant was a sixteenth birthday party for one of the local boys. I counted a total of twelve teenagers eating dinner and making an incredible noise – we all got to sing happy birthday twice. Today we leave for Fox Town and of course the wind has come around so it will be on our nose again.

Mangrove Cay & Little Grand Cay- Nov 25,26

Charles showing off his new lighting system he installed in the cockpit at Old Bahama Bay Marina (parts purchased at West marine in Ft Lauderdale of course!)

Going to dinner I can be assured of an easy time getting on and off the boat , not having to use the ladder which is strategically placed at the gate for MY convenience. Our spring lines are loose usually so it can be quite a gap to climb up and down that ladder!

Friday after Thanksgiving we left the West End- Old Bahama Bay Marina (26.42.1n, 78,59.4w) and headed toward Indian Cay rock to get into the channel toward the Western side. We were advised that the beginning of that passage had a very narrow channel and we should only go on a rising tide. We left the marina around 9am which seemed like a high tide for them.

It was a nail biter to get through the channel but Charles had several way points from a guide book which served us well. The shallowest was 8.4 ft ( we draw close to 5 ft) and the highest was about 11 ft. At low tide the depths are more like 4.5 feet. We were warned by local knowledge that at lower than high tide the cross currents can easily pull you out of the channel so high tide is ideal as the cross currents are non-existent then. The wind was on our nose so we did our famous motor sailing. It was rough and we were not making the time we had hoped so we decided to anchor for the night at Mangrove Cay around 4 pm. (26.54.88n, 78.37.36 w).

The lee of the island provided a small amount of protection. There is nothing here. I am struck by the thought that just north of us is the Atlantic Ocean. The thing separating us from open ocean is a shallow thing called Little Bahama Bank. The wind is representative of ocean breezes. On the VHF there is no weather reporting. We did not see another boat. I doubt that any mayday call would get a response. There was nothing on VHF, no chatter at all. Not good thoughts.

Both days we had winds in the high teens to mid twenty knots. It looked like a gray weather pattern was going to give you a heavy rain but it never made it to you. Instead you had the peripheral winds which gusted more near those gray clouds. The weather pattern here seems to be a slight shower sometime in the day. It can be light or a cloud burst when you are sleeping with the hatches open. You feet get soaked, then you wake up to close everything up.

Mangrove Cay ( pronounced Key) with a rainbow after a quick shower.

Sunset at Mangrove Cay.


On Saturday we pressed on toward Little Grand Cay. It was ocean challenging again in a Bay. This time depths got to 22 foot. We had more winds 20 plus most of the way. Charles was tweaking the sails to get some speed and sailing done. I took this picture because I like the rainbow that showed up as a wave hit the bow and sprayed toward the cockpit. It was pretty and in an unexpected place.

This place L G C (27.13.16n, 78.19.46w) is so remote that you are advised to call "Rosie's" to have someone guide you by whaler into the marina because it can be shallow. We were trying to dock once again in 25 kt winds and our "dock hands" were pulling the bow line in tight so we hammered the port light but we don't expect to be doing any sailing requiring a nav light any time soon. You just can't be everywhere at the same time..

Rosie is a big burly guy who owns the marina and restaurant. We had a delightful lobster dinner for $19. Charles will tell you more.

We ARRIVED- West End Bahamas

After a somewhat draining night ( from Fort Lauderdale) we made it to Old Bahama Bay Marina. I was beat. We shared helm duties 2 on 2 off approximately; both of us in the cockpit, till we saw land at about 8:45 am. We found out that customs and the dock were opened at 9:30. We were warmly greeted by both. Refueled did the paper work. paid our fees and went to our slip.


The slips are wooden docks that have stood the test of time. The tide drop is about 4 or 5 feet. So I was worried I would not be able to get off the boat. ( I couldn't at the fuel dock). The high freeboard boats have no problem. Charles was careful to line us up to a swim ladder on the side of the dock. He worked away at getting the dinghy back together. We hoisted it onto the dock, finished the inflating and hoisted it into the next slip for it's final launch. It is resting in the davits. Our next sails will be day sails so keeping it there will be good.


Low tide.. Inflating the dinghy.

Everyone is very friendly here. There is a whole hotel complex with beach bar, dining room for dinners, hotel guest areas. We were lucky to get a ride into town to restock some much needed supplies. Kalik. We had Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room. My cell phone has cut out - no service. More cruisers came into slips on that first day. They had left from Lake Worth Inlet which is 54 nm. So they leave in am get here midday. We left at night to get here in am. We left Port Everglades for 69 nm. I like the evening tide when you can easily walk off the boat. But in the morning you will be climbing the ladder to get over there. Good exercise..

High tide.

Dinner in the dining room. I had shrimp with lobster alfredo one night and Thanksgiving dinner the next night.

The red building in the back is the fuel dock .. Next to it ( left) is customs and immigration.

The beach bar.. we have a lovely sandy beach, there is a pool too.

Another view.

Island pictures

This statue is in the park near the fort a in San Juan. We walked to both forts (there are two). The older one had 18 foot thick walls in some places, making it very secure from invasions. Last time we were here by sail boat there were hundreds of people on the grounds having a picnic. or flying a kite, or just hanging out with family and friends. This was a weekday and things were pretty quiet. In every town we notice all the real estate for sale. There is hurricane damage to houses and businesses some which will never recover.

We had docked in St Thomas. Then a Carnival Cruise ship joined us on the other side of the dock.

I watched closely as a motor boat went near all the moored boats to make sure the cruise ship was far enough away from these boats. The bow thrusters controlled what was happening. It looked like this vessel could cream a mooring field but nothing happened. Amazing. They had like four or five bow thrusters and the boat was larger than our cruise ship.

When we got off the ship we were greeted by an unexpected inhabitant.

They lined the rocks next to the pavers of the side walk.

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Half Moon Cay is an island owned by Holland America. When we first got on the ship they put us all in quaratine for two days. You were encouraged to take hand sanitizer from the person who dispensed it at the doors entering the dining areas. No one could serve themselves from the buffets. Then the rules were loosened on day three. When we went to Half Moon Cay the other ship had been to Europe and many guest got a virus so we were encouraged to use the hanb sanitzer again. Separate towel colors were used so you could tell if those people near you were from the "other " vessel. The really sick people were not even allowed off their boats and were given room service as their only dining option. Our ship brought it's own stuff and everything was wiped down, chaise lounges and all to eliminate contaimination from the other ship.

Here are two BIG ships on anchor at HMC.

Charles had to snorkel a little. He saw lots of little fish over that darkened part of this small reef.

They had a BBQ on land with a bar building made up like a pirate ship with holes through the walls. It was cute. A ship band played nearby. Plenty of white sandy beach for everyone.