May 18, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste in Charleston,

Yes, we are still here in Charleston and plan to be here for another week. I probably would not write, except for a friends urging, as there is not much news. I think we must just be catching up with ourselves. So here we be.

We rested the first few days. We are enjoying Chappell and Betsy’s company. We ordered the new fluxgate compass, sent the 2 autopilot hydraulic pumps off to be rebuilt and found a new WiFi system that is compatible with my Macbook. I am able to walk to the art store, and there found some new brushes and white gouache. I also found some great books on watercolor. Generally speaking, we are back in the world of availability.

My senses are electrified with so much stimulation. There are the many sights of city life on the water: the store fronts, restaurants, streets, cars, bikes, horse and carriage, electric lines, container ships, tugboats, docks, throngs of people. A constant cacophony of horns, sirens, marina partying in the form of music and laughter, the Carolina Belle’s engine, folks coming to fill their tanks with diesel, a multitude of birds, high winds, waves lapping at the dock fills the air. The fragrance of Carolina jasmine and privet permeates my every breath.

It did not take long to return to a nature infused state of being when I arrived in the Bahamas. With one long exhale I was able to let go of the vast array of human made stimuli in return for a breath of simplicity. I am really glad to be closer to family and friends and the conveniences offered here. I am also acutely aware of the challenge presented to the senses through constant stimulation. I must continue to seek stillness through other paths.

I found a great book called the Tao of Watercolor by Jeanne Carbonetti. She incorporates her practice of Tai Chi and her understanding of The Tao-te Ching into her practice of painting. Using the principles of beginner’s mind, centering, balance, deliberateness, playfulness, flow and effortlessness she introduces the practitioner to the work that is play of watercolor. I am having fun! I am reminded of the Montessori guiding principle that through the play of the child is found the work of the child. I am in my element.

Chris and I have taken time to walk the beautiful and historic streets of downtown Charleston. We have visited many of the local art galleries and the vibrant city market. Chappell, Chris and I drove out to see Angel Oak, a 1500-year-old live oak tree just outside of Charleston. It is reportedly the oldest thing, living or man-made, east of the Rockies. It is 65 feet tall and has an overall diameter of 160 feet. It was an honor to stand before this bearded giant.

We continue to love being here at the Charleston Maritime Center Marina. We have a beautiful view of the Charleston Harbor and all the coming and goings of cruise ships, container ships and the huge car carriers. I love watching as the tugboats guide these behemoths to and from port. The Carolina Belle takes parties of people on harbor tours, the Spirit of Charleston introduces students to the experience of sailing. We are meeting many folks who are also just returning from the Bahamas and heading north for the summer.

We still hope to make our stack pack for the mainsail this week. We are not sure whether we will take the waterway up the coast or go “outside”. Outside is our preference at this time so we will be watching for a weather window early next week. We have also not decided whether we will get to New York via The Bay or on the outside. We shall see.

Until later

Peace and Love

Nassau to Charleston

May 6, 2009

Ahoy from Charleston!

How is everyone? Hope you are all well.

In one breath we let go of the vision, though not the memory, of the clear blue and green seascape that filled our days and dreams in the Bahamas. In the next breath we take in the sweetness of spring blossoming and the sonorous bird song that greets us this balmy morning in Charleston.

We left Nassau Saturday morning and sailed up the Northwest Providence Channel, out into the Atlantic, entering the Gulf Stream just east of Palm Beach. We had a south, southwest wind the whole way up the coast and the seas were behind us. We had our best sail day on Monday while riding the Gulf Stream and we made good speed all the way. There were times when the rocking motion of Namaste became tiresome as we quartered the swells. We were somewhat concerned with the noise that revealed air in the hydraulic system for the steering. All in all the entire trip was smooth and we arrived here in Charleston tired and in good spirits.

The highlight of our trip from Nassau was a joyous performance by two bottlenose dolphins that joined us Tuesday morning. For easily 45 minutes they performed acrobatic feats in the waves around us. This couple swam in serpentine unison before the bow. They leapt, performed a half twist and slapped their fins, before diving back into the water. They swam out and rode the following waves, darting from one wave to next catching more lift. They leapt clear out of the water and showed us their beautiful pink bellies. Every so often they would swim on their sides and look up at us; it seemed they wanted to make sure we were still watching, although I believe this was an exercise in pure play. At one point two more dolphins joined them and together they continued this spontaneous burst of energy. We learned to tell them apart, the smaller one, the one with the darker skin, more speckles, and the one with the tag-like thing on its fin. We were held mesmerized and delighted by this dazzling display. And then they were gone, first one, and then after a last burst of activity the other dolphin disappeared back into the vast, blue ocean before us. What a treat! What a gift! We felt like we had briefly connected with these amazing, intelligent mammals of the sea. These are the events that make up the memories.

Living in the Exumas over the last several months without the distractions, habits and strictures of our lives in Charlottesville has given us both much time to travel inward. I am not sure that I can put into words yet the ways in which I see my perceptions, actions and beliefs changing as this journey is still in motion. I do know that I have learned that I am braver than I believed. I am becoming more flexible, more agile in my thinking, and my responses to events. I am practicing bringing my awareness and attention to the only moment with true meaning, the one that is now. As I reread this paragraph I am drawn to the words “still in motion”. I am learning to find the stillness that is at the center of all the motion and commotion I perceive and create around me. This continues to be my central endeavor on this journey. I often view my life as a work in progress and this year continues to bring unexpected and abundant gifts.

And now here we are in Charleston. Do I feel culture shock after 4 months on mostly uninhabited Islands in the Bahamas? Yes, to some extent this is true. But this is my culture and I am glad to be back in the fold of the familiar. I can’t help having this thought though: I want all this to stick, this wild, wide open, rocky, blue- green, resilient, sunny, warm, peaceful, fluid experience. I want to be sure that this experience has united with my being. I think I have been able to drink deeply enough of this experience to have made it part of my being. I hope so.

I did not take pictures of the amazing performance by the two dolphins. That experience is committed to memory. I am including pictures of a group of dolphins that joined us on Monday for a while. It is always a treat to see a group of dolphins change course and approach Namaste. The other pictures are taken as we were leaving Nassau and then underway up the coast.

Peace and Love

April 31, 2009

Hey, how are you all?

Well, I wrote just 10 days ago that we were on our way to Eleuthera and then to the Abacos. I love to have a plan! And, yet, I do not mind a course change when wind and sea combine their forces in opposition to our plans. We spent 9 beautiful and very windy days in Warderick Wells. Only the most hardy sailed in the Exumas over the last week or so, perhaps the foolhardy. The winds were a steady 25 to 30 knots and the seas in the sound were 10 to 12 feet.

While enjoying refuge on Warderick we immersed ourselves in the beauty of the land and sea park. Though it was quite windy, there were abundant sheltered spaces to swim, snorkel and hike. Warderick Wells continues to be one of my favorite islands in the Exumas.

Tomorrow Namaste will spread her luminous, white wings and join the collective migration of cruisers heading north. We have learned to alter our course with the ease and grace of dancers stepping from a meringue to a rumba. We realized that we would enjoy little time in the Abacos during May as the long-range weather forecast is predicting strong winds and squalls for the second two weeks of the month. A timely weather window has granted us the opportunity to sail with fair winds and following seas all the way to Charleston from Nassau.

We are both excited about traveling north to Charleston. Using the strong current in the Gulf Stream to provide additional momentum to our sail, we believe Namaste will arrive in Charleston on Tuesday evening after 4 days at sea. We look forward to a week at the Charleston Maritime Center Marina in the heart of the city. And, of course we can’t wait to see family.
We spent last night at Highborne Cay and tonight we are in Nassau refueling and provisioning for our journey to Charleston. I have butterflies, hundreds of butterflies, creating a stir of excitement and anticipation regarding our trip up the Gulf Stream. This kind of rousing has been good for me. I am glad to have this opportunity to stretch and to challenge my perceptions. Only 5 months ago I would have identified more with trepidation than this swarm of animated eagerness fluttering in my core.

Chris and I have both loved our voyage to the Bahamas. We have only begun to explore these beautiful islands. I don’t believe I will see water reflecting these clear blues and greens, aqua’s and azures until we return some day to continue our adventure into the northern and southern Bahamas. These islands are truly the sparkling jewels of the Atlantic and they will beckon to us yet again. The Bahamians have welcomed us at every turn and we are grateful for our glittering and spectacular experience here.

I will write next from Charleston.

Peace and Love

Warderick Wells

April 20, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste, Warderick Wells, Exumas

Hello all,

How is everyone? Hope you are all well, happy and enjoying spring. We just arrived in Warderick Wells on this beautiful Bahamian afternoon. We had a great sail up here with brisk wind and a following sea. The Exuma Land and Sea Park is one of my favorite places in the Bahamas. We took a nice walk up to the highest point on the island and then through asmall palm forest before heading back across the flats. Today the little lizards were out in numbers and they were brave enough to allow me to take a picture. They usually run away faster than you can catch a glimpse of them.  Back at the boat for the evening, we realized we have a good Internet connection so I thought I would update the blog.

We enjoyed our second stay in Georgetown. We were able to take care of the blossoming rust spots on the deck. Namaste is all sanded, painted and lovely again. We also worked on a puddin for Derby our dinghy. Chris crafted a protective covering for the front of Derby modeled after the puddins on the front of tugboats. The netting we used is recycled from our walk on the beach on Long Island. It is a work in progress and we are having fun with it. We enjoyed taking some time to get boat projects done before we begin our trek north for the summer.

We left Georgetown on the 17^th of April and sailed north on Exuma Sound to Blackpoint.  As usual we put out our two fishing lines hoping to catch a mahi mahi, a yellow snapper or some grouper. We sailed right up the 100-meter line just as we were told. We used our pink and orange squid like everyone else. As we reached Dotham Cut I heard the line snap and I was sure we had finally caught the big one. I tugged on the line and felt the fight at the other end. I slowly brought the fish toward the boat only to realize we had caught yet another barracuda. Some people will eat barracuda but we prefer not to since it can carry ciguatera. We have not had much luck catching fish, except barracuda, but it does not keep us from trying. Our fishing skills have long been a family joke.

We needed to bring in our lines anyway as we were already taking in sail to prepare for the squall we could see looming over Dotham Cut, our entrance onto the banks and Blackpoint. As it turned out there were two squalls and when the second one caught up with the first one they changed direction from west to south and headed right toward us. Rather than being quiet observers of the blackening sky, strong winds and blinding rain we became participants in this dark adventure. Since we can not outrun a 30 knot wind, the only thing to was go through it. It was our first squall. We were literally blinded by the amount of rain and the winds got up above 30 knots. It all ended as fast as it began, we were save in our little ship and in the end we witnessed a colorful rainbow arch its way over the sound. All was well. We were well prepared.

Blackpoint is a small settlement on Great Guana Cay. There are 3 churches and a few commercial establishments including two restaurants and a small grocery store in the settlement. The children were on spring break so we saw lots of activity in the streets. There were also some local sailors loading theirsail boats onto the mail boat to be delivered to Georgetown for the Family Island Regatta. We enjoyed our walks about town and meeting cruisers in the anchorage. On one of our walks we saw the large blowhole you can see in the photograph of the roiling ocean.

We plan to leave Warderick Wells early in the morning for Rock Sound, Eleuthera. We will probably be in Rock Sound through the weekend as the wind and seas are going to kick up the day after our arrival. I am looking forward to seeing the ocean hole at the edge of town and the 4 blue holes in the anchorage.

From Eleuthera we will head to the Abacos for a few weeks before we cross the Gulf Stream and head for the eastern U.S. coastline. We are looking forward to both our exploration of the Abacos and our trip up north for the summer.

That’s all for now.

Peace and Love

April 5, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste!

How is everyone? Hope you are enjoying a beautiful spring.

I am posting two blogs today since I could not post the one I wrote for March 27. So take a look back one also.

Well, here we are back in Georgetown for a couple of days after spending a most wonderful 5 days on Conception Island.

We continue to be amazed at the beauty of the water world that surrounds us. I thought I had seen all the blues and greens that the Bahamas had to offer until we arrived on Conception Island. The east side of the island is surrounded by crystal clear green water. The west side, where we anchored, is surrounded by crystal clear blue water. These are colors we have never seen before! I have tried to capture them in the photos for you. The center of the island is a large mangrove that is home to green sea turtles. The outer edges of the island hold white sand beaches and rocky cliffs. We snorkeled, collected, took a tour of the mangrove with two friends to see the turtles and hiked along the cliffs.

The sea turtles are very shy and only come up to the surface of the water to take a quick gulp of air before returning to the deeper water. We sat for hours just to continue catching glimpses of these graceful swimmers. An egret dancing on a nearby beach also entertained us. It was a solo performance of leaps, pirouettes, and rhythmic wing flapping. There were a variety of birds not seen anywhere else we have been so far. There were long tailed, white, tropicbirds, oystercatchers, egrets, osprey and lots of seagulls.

While snorkeling we saw lots of the fish we have become acquainted with while traveling here in the Bahamas. We also came upon a 7-foot nurse shark. It is the one shark that I do not fear so I was able to follow it to capture a picture. Nurse sharks are bottom feeders and are much more predictable than many sharks. The only time they are known to bite people is when someone tries to pet one. Needless to say I did not get close enough to pet this guy.

We arrived back in Georgetown ready to do some work on Namaste. She is showing some wear after six months in the water. Chris is working on the small rust spots that appear every so often and I am giving her a good cleaning. We will be here for a couple of days and then we are not sure where we are going. The weather is really nice now in the central Bahamas so we are not ready to head to the Abacos just yet. We may go south to the Jementos or north up to Black Point in the Exumas. We will wait and see what the wind and weather are up to as we finish up our chores.

We will be in touch.

Peace and Love

March 27, 2009

March 27, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste, Thompson Bay, Long Island

Hi Everybody!

It is hard to believe we have been on Thompson Bay for almost 2 weeks! How fast time passes on Namaste. I wish you all a Happy Spring! I can almost smell the cherry blossoms.

We were greeted by many of the cruisers we met while in Georgetown upon our arrival on Long Island. While here we have been getting to know each other better. We have especially enjoyed some extended time with 3 couples on sailing vessels Loafer’s Glory, Fox Sea and Adamant. We first met Vicki and Bob from Fox Sea in Beaufort, North Carolina and again in Charleston, South Carolina. I believe we will meet up with them again in Eleuthera. Pat and Lynn from Adamant designed and built their own boat and traveled here from Georgian Bay. Anne Marie and Larry from Loafer’s Glory are traveling for two years. They plan to spend the summer in Luperon, Dominican Republic before traveling down to Trinidad next fall and winter. We continue to enjoy making friends on the water beginning with the greetings “Where have you been? Where are you going?”

As we get to know more of the cruisers we are discovering many self-reliant individuals. Some of the cruisers are retired. Some have retired early. But many are couples of modest income that decided to sell their homes and alter the course of their lives dramatically. We also meet many like ourselves who rent their homes are take some extended time off before returning to their careers or finding new endeavors. While this is a unique adventure from the perspective of friends and family back home, it is something more and more couples are choosing after their children leave home and they are free to make different choices.
We rented a car for a day to explore more of this 80-mile long island. We explored the beaches at the north and south ends of the island. One thing that is still hard to get used to is the amount of trash on the ocean side beaches in the Bahamas. On Stocking Island the cruisers clean up the ocean side beach and it was lovely. The park beaches are also kept clean by rangers and volunteers. Still, on many of the beaches through out the Bahamas one will find plastic containers, shoes, ropes, nets, barrels, glass bottles, toothbrushes, batteries, television tubes and more washed up on shore. At the edge of beautiful and pristine water lies the underbelly of our culture.

So we tend to ignore or make use of what we find when walking the beaches. Chris has been gathering colored netting to make a protective cover for the front of Derby, our dinghy. He is pictured on the deck beginning his weaving project. I overlook the garbage and center my attention on shells and sea beans. The sea beans are dark, round pod seeds that can be polished and made into jewelry. There is another umber and ochre pod aptly called the hamburger bean. These small and fragile seeds float to Bahamian shores all the way from distant Africa. I am not sure what plants they come from yet, but will soon find out and let you know.
We also visited Dean’s Blue Hole, one of the deepest blue holes in the world at 660 feet deep. The photo I have included does not capture the sea green and blue colors of the water. At present there are young men and women free divers from all over the world gathering and practicing for the upcoming free dive competition in April. We watched as a woman from Japan and a man from New Zealand dove down 275 feet before rising again to the surface. The scuba divers who go down with them during the competition will take an additional 4 to 5 hours to surface after authenticating depth for the contest.

There must be 100 churches spread among the 35 settlements here on Long Island. The two churches shown in the photographs are in Clarence Town. Father Jerome, the hermit cleric of Cat Island designed the large, blue and white St Peter’s Catholic Church and the St. Paul’s Anglican Church. He arrived from England in 1908 to help rebuild churches after a hurricane. He built 4 churches on Cat Island as well as a medical clinic, convent, monastery and a technical school. He chose to live as a hermit in a cave while living on Cat Island and is buried there now.
I just finished reading The Story of the Bahamas by Paul Albury, which Pat and Bim so generously left for us. I continue to gain respect for the resilience of the Bahamians. Throughout a 400-year history here they have overcome every adversity handed to them by man and nature. A life lived mainly from the sea is not an easy path. Island life can be harsh and isolated with few of the modern conveniences we have become dependent upon. Yet these people are ready with an understanding smile and yielding grace. We continue to enjoy the generous spirit of our hosts here In the Bahamas.

I mentioned how fast time flies here on Namaste. We purchased Namaste a year ago March 17th. We moved aboard just over 7 months ago. We have been traveling on her for 5 months. Over the last few months I feel like I am shedding time like layers of winter fleece. Chris and I are thankful for the gifts of a life tuned to the rhythms of nature. At first it was hard to release the secure furry feeling of a scheduled life. How will I know what to do? Or when to do it? I now have ample opportunity to nakedly practice not knowing every moment’s outcome. I am continuing to open myself to the mystery of each moment. How rewarding to let go of the confining cloak of expectation, image, and judgment. I continue to catch myself looking for the warm, sheltering blanket of a plan, a picture of the future or a conclusion where my mind can firmly seek cover. And again I alter my thought’s course toward presence, open, naked, presence. And I thought I knew what my work was before we even embarked on this journey! So many surprises!

The upcoming weather is looking good to sail to Conception, a small island just east of us. It offers little in the way of protection from strong winds so cruisers must find a good long window of opportunity to sail there. It is part of the Bahamian National Trust. It is uninhabited and surrounded by clear water and lots of coral. There are several other boats headed in the same direction. We are lucky to have been provided this opportunity to go there.
I will upload this and upcoming blogs as Internet access allows. Connections will be fewer, weaker and further between for the next couple of weeks.

Hope you all have a great spring.

Peace and Love

March 15, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste, Georgetown, Great Exuma

It has been three weeks or more since last I wrote. The time has gone by so quickly. After Pell and Betsy left us in Georgetown we took some time to do a few boat projects and to get to know the Georgetown area a little better. We are meeting some of the cruisers, continuing yoga on the beach, enjoying the weekly dances in addition to our regular activities.

Pat and Bim arrived on March 3rd after a delay caused by snow in Virginia. We had a great time with dear old friends on board. It was good to catch up with Charlottesville news and to spend time together. The 4 of us lived in the same house for 2 years in the late 70s and we easily moved into the space of sharing Namaste together. We relaxed a lot, snorkeled, walked, read, played scrabble, cards and dice games, cooked and spent hours talking politics, children and dreams. We were sorry to see them go after 10 really great days together.

We also watched the first of the two Regatta races together. We viewed the “Around Stocking Island Race” from the top of a hill overlooking both the sound and the harbor sides of the island. The cruisers were not only competing to win first place in the sail race, they were also challenged to a fishing, cooking and photography competition while racing in the regatta. The second of the two regattas was held in the harbor. About 30 boats participated in each. We chose to be spectators as Namaste is set up more for cruising than racing. Racing can be hard on a boat. One of the boats in the regatta blew out a jib sail and two of the boats lost steering. Another ran headlong into one of the spectator boats. We were glad to be sitting on the distant sidelines this time.

We have not moved the boat in 3 weeks and have enjoyed spending some extended time in one place. Beyond enjoying the company of friends I have had some time to paint. I continue to be awed by the beauty of the land and seascape in the Bahamas. We have also been making some new friends. We met a couple who spent 8 years cruising the canals of Europe and also the Mediterranean including time spent in Turkey and Croatia. We just spent the morning with them on Namaste. They told us all about their adventures and how one would equip a boat to travel the canals with all the varied locks, quays, anchorages and other challenges. Susie and Rod spent 6 months in both London and Paris alone. Their courage, spirit of adventure and curiosity about the world is very inspiring. They are both very generous with experienced tips, advice, and knowledge that will serve us well as I am certain an Atlantic crossing is in Namaste’s future. Our meeting has us dreaming about new possibilities in our blue water cruiser.

I have included some pictures of the turquoise colored “internet café”, a great sand sculpture (especially for Pru), the “fleet” at Georgetown and the race around Stocking Island, and the sunset tonight.

We also enjoyed a yet to be explained phenomenon after sunset last night. We were on deck looking for the March 15 shuttle taking off in the southeastern sky. It was twilight time and we could barely make out the light of the shuttle and then the separation of the rockets. I turned to look at the eastern sky, which was quite dark by then and observed a small and yet brilliantly light up “white” cloud. There was much discussion on the cruiser’s net as to the cause of the illumination, from aliens to angels. We will have to go on the Internet later and look it up. None of us in Elizabeth Harbor had ever seen such a thing.

There is not much more news. We are planning to set sail for Long Island on Tuesday. We have some topsides work to do on Namaste and will do that in Thompson Bay. We also lots of beach glass to be collected. Long Island is home to a flock of flamingos. There are also two blue holes and more snorkeling sites there. I will never tire of snorkeling. It is one of the most peaceful and breathtaking activities I have ever experienced.

Peace and love to all