Sunday, January 25, 2009

Warderick Wells-Exuma Land and Sea Park

Ahoy,

How is everyone? Hope you all are doing great and finding the same sense of hope now that Barack Obama is our president. We watched with tears of joy as he spoke to US citizens and citizens from all over the world with the message that unifies and signifies the beginning of a paradigm shift that seeks our better selves. We begin to feel both proud and safe again. The Bahamians are so excited about our new president. It has been great to celebrate along with them.

We left Nassau 3 days ago and just woke up to a beautiful day in an anchorage on Warderick Wells, which is part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The park covers 176 square miles of land and sea. It was begun in the 1950s and has grown as part of over 700,000 acres conserved by the Bahamas National Trust. The park includes critical habitats and endangered species, including one of the largest breeding colonies of West Indian flamingos, an important sea turtle facility and one of the most successful marine fishery reserves in the world.

We are anchored just off the tiny circle of land called Emerald Rock. It is about 100 yards in diameter and surrounded by coral heads that we will dive on later today. It is our understanding that the fish are so fearless through 50 years of protection that they will swim right up to us. This area is considered one of the most beautiful in the world for reef diving.

Yesterday we took a walk around the island just before sunset. We walked up Boo Hill to the highest point on the island, which is about 80 feet above sea level. While on the deck of the park headquarters looking out over the water and boats I saw a huge spotted eagle ray broach and fully reveal its wondrous body before it splashed back into the water. As we cruised back to Namaste in our dinghy we saw the wing of another ray before it dipped below the surface.
Some of the pictures in the blog include Chris’s hands holding the little Bananaquit birds that are friends of the park service rangers, pictures of the land and seascape surrounding Warderick Wells and the newly painted engine covers.

We are making lots of friends along the way. As we traveled down from Deltaville we meet folks that we see again and again. In Shroud Cay and then again last night we visited with folks on two different boats from Deltaville. We also spent some time with some folks that we met in Nassau and hope to catch up with another couple from Nassau down in Georgetown. The community of cruisers embraces openly and is always helpful and supportive. We have met so many people who are willing to share best anchorages, places to provision, do laundry, get good water and fuel, best snorkeling and so forth.

We are about to go up to park HQ to use the Internet so I am signing off for now. On to snorkeling and hiking the island’s treasure trove of beauty.

Sorry not all the pics loaded and I am running out of time...next time!

Take care all,

Love and Peace

January 13, 2009

Nassau, Bahamas

Hello All,

We raised our Bahamian flag at last! We checked in with Immigration at Chub Cay in the Berry Islands on Janurary 10th and are now situated in Nassau, New Providence.

The weather window we were hoping for on January 5th while in Key Biscayne did not work out. We optimistically made a go of it and began our crossing only to return as the seas had not subsided as predicted and there was promise of a bow-pounding trip to Bimini. Our goal is to travel a more “thornless path” as described by Bruce van Sant in Passages South. Wait and watch. Patience.

With the closing of this window Chappell decided to return to Charleston and later rejoin us with Betsy when we arrive in Georgetown on the island of Great Exuma. Before he left we visited the Miami Sea Aquarium and saw three great shows including dolphins, sea lions and killer whales. Both the trainers and the animals were dynamic performers and we enjoyed them thoroughly.
As we waited we also began listening to Chris Parker on the single sideband radio. Each morning for the last 5 years Chris gets up and translates the weather maps for folks cruising the east coast of Florida, the Keys and the Bahamas. After he gives his report for each area in the Bahamas he takes specific questions from sailors traveling up and down the islands. His predictions are clear, accurate and insightful and we will find his reporting to be a huge asset as we continue our journey.

Chris P. predicted a window for Saturday the 10th of January and we found ourselves preparing again to take the trip across the Gulf Stream. This time we decided to pass by Bimini and go straight to Chub Cay in the Berry Islands to check in with Immigration. It was a peaceful and beautiful 24-hour trip. A light wind, mild sea, blue sky, starry night and a full moon were there to guide us. During my watch at 4 in the morning Namaste was headed right up the glittering path of reflected moonlight on the ocean. Sunday morning I watched as the full moon set and the pink sun rose over the Bahama Banks . Beautiful!

Chris and I spent one night at Chub Cay before continuing our journey to Nassau. A long first day walk through town introduced us to the sights, sounds and smells of Nassau. The sights are black and white, turquoise, and every shade of pastel peach, pink, mint green and blue, and the towering Atlantis on Paradise Island juxtaposed with poverty in the Over the Hill neighborhood in downtown Nassau. The sounds include the musical voices of Bahamians as they go about their day joined with wind, birds, horns, music, laughter, boats and splashing water. The smells are diesel and motor oil near the docks, salty fish on Potters Cay, fragrant hibiscus and bougainvilleas in the gardens, pungent curry and blackened spices wafting from the windows of restaurants combined with salt and fresh air.

We strolled down to the Straw Market where men and women sell all kinds of souvenirs to passing cruise ships. We passed by the duty free diamond and emerald marketers. We stopped for Hagendaas mocha freezes before touring the Bahamian National Gallery of Art. Our old knees and feet hurt and we kept on walking as we enjoyed a taste of what is in store for us over the next months. This week we hope to take in some music and dancing, a beach trip, snorkeling outing, and a trip to the largest aquarium in the world at Atlantis Waterworld. The weather predictions will keep us in Nassau until Saturday or Sunday when we will begin our trek down the Exumas stopping at the Exuma Land and Sea Park before continuing to Georgetown.

Meanwhile we look forward with the Bahamians to January 20th. There is much excitement here with regard to the inauguration of President Obama.

Well that’s all for now.

Peace and Love

January 1, 2009

Key Largo

“……Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama. Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go down to Cocomo. We’ll get there fast and then we’ll take it slow. That’s were I want to go….” The Beach Boys had it right. We used to happily sing this song as a family years ago while gathered at the kitchen table. And now Isaac, Chappell, Chris and I are here on Key Largo together. Dreams coming true. Last Sunday, in Key Biscayne, we were hoping for a weather window to set sail for the Bahamas. We thought we had the south, southeast wind we needed to depart on Monday. We awoke Monday morning and double-checked the weather before our pending departure. Alas, the winds were quickly shifting to the north and the seas were rising. The window closes. Advice from all sources warns never cross the Gulf Stream with wind against current as the seas can build up in no time for a very uncomfortable ride at best.

Being fluid humans, we altered our plans and flowed south another day, another 40 miles to Key Largo. It is beautiful here, warm and sunny. The water is every shade of turquoise and clear. One can easily see the bottom at 15 to 20 feet. The waters east of Key Largo are home to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park with 178 square nautical miles of coral reef, sea grass beds and mangrove swamps.

It is New Years day and we have been out snorkeling on the reef. The four of us enjoyed a day of snorkeling yesterday and Pell and Isaac took the plunge again today. We observed a variety of coral and fish including parrot fish, barracuda, blue tang, cow fish, trumpet fish, rock beauties, butterfly fish, grouper, ocean surgeon and needle fish. I was swimming along with eyes to the vibrant and lush coral bed when Isaac pointed to a green sea turtle; it’s flippers lifting like wings as it floated above the coral reef. We commented later on the experience of swimming in this fish world, where they display all the grace of sea dwellers as we swim awkwardly among them with our snorkel, mask and fin attachments. Our own underwater ungainliness aside, snorkeling is a purely tranquil experience in what appears an alternate universe hosted by mysterious and elegant creatures.

Later, back at our anchorage and the Internet, television, stereo and phones are off. Chris is reading in the gently swaying hammock. Chappell and Isaac are playing a brotherly competitive game of chess. I have been trying to capture the turquoise green shades of the ocean with my watercolors, a favorite pastime these days. We are well rested and relaxed. We get up and go to bed with the sun. We read a lot, play board games, swim, sail, snorkel and breathe in our surroundings. Chris and I enjoy the exuberant, adventurous and often humorous exchanges with and between Chappell and Isaac. Precious times, very precious times.

This life on the water is like existing in a separate reality, an altered state, an elemental experience. On Saturday Isaac will climb into a rented car and drive for just 2 hours before reaching the Fort Lauderdale airport. We motor-sailed 8 hours to travel the same distance down the coast of Florida. Isaac will soar up the highway not 2 miles from our present anchorage surrounded by all the sounds, smells and sights of our modern culture. He will be in Charlottesville by mid-afternoon the same day. We are living contained and expanded by sea, sky, sun, moon, stars and wind. Since we left Deltaville on November 7th we have traveled over 1000 miles and with each mile we are born back into an intimate relationship with the elements.
It is hard to believe that it was just a year ago that this treasured seed of a vision that was dreamed more than 25 years ago between Chris and I began to truly sprout roots. We have learned and accomplished so much over the last 12 months. We both had very high, though differing, learning curves ahead of us and we continue to grow and learn in each moment, our dream vision manifesting as we set our course each day.

We are looking at another weather window for Monday the 5th of next week. We are experiencing the current front approaching with north winds today and tonight. The winds are shifting to northeast and east over the next two days and then we hope to see the south, southeast winds that will favor our trip east. So we watch and wait for the wind to clock ‘round the compass and the Gulf Steam seas to subside. We hope the window is big enough for us to blow through to North Light, just north of Bimini and then on to the Berry Islands before heading to Georgetown on Great Exuma. We are in a lovely location to watch and wait and always much to do before we go.

Happy New Year to all

Peace and Love