February 9, 2014

This is January 27th and the first time that it has been warm enough for us to go swimming in the ocean, since leaving home!  We had a great day snorkeling and collecting sea glass.  Tuesday morning while we were listening to the Cruisers Net on the VHF radio, we heard our friends on ‘Silver Maple’ had arrived in the Abacos, so we called them and found out their plans.  We wanted to go to Hope Town after we left Tahiti Beach.  It is located about 2 miles north but has very shallow water between us and the harbour, so we had planned to leave in the middle of the afternoon and catch the rising tide.  Not long before we left, a couple from ‘Diva’ dinghied over to our boat.  They had seen our Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club burgee and Ben is the membership director for the club, so he and Margaret came over to introduce themselves.  We had a nice visit and they asked what news we had from our friends, Vic and Wendy.  

We made the short trip down to Hope Town in 7 to 8 feet of water on a rising tide.  The instructions for entering Hope Town Harbour are very interesting.  You must locate the range markers by finding the double Adirondack chairs and they are to the left of it.  You then go straight in on these markers until you come to the first red marker (post with a red mark on it) and turn a sharp 90 to the right and follow the channel markers in to the harbour.  Once you are in the harbour you have to find a mooring ball but the first red one that you see when you enter, is not a mooring ball, but the edge of a shoal.  We finally found a mooring ball and  tied up.

The next morning we set out to explore the village of Hope Town and it’s shops.  One of the first things we noticed was all the multicolored buildings in the village were well taken care of and the streets were very narrow (barely golf cart width).  We visited some of the gift shops and other stores and restaurants.  One of the more interesting shops was Vernon’s Grocery.  Vernon is also the baker, the minister, the Justice of the Peace, and a member of the town council, besides for the grocery store owner.  

Another one of the attractions at Hope Town is the red and white striped lighthouse.  It is one of the last kerosene powered lights in the world and in the evening, after dark, you can watch as the lighthouse keeper lights the light.  We didn’t have time, this trip, to climb the lighthouse.  We’ll have to try on our next visit.  

We decided to return to Marsh Harbour the following morning and go to a marina to get caught up on things (laundry, internet, showers and get water).  We also hoped to get a visit with our friends on ‘Silver Maple’ who were staying at the Marsh Harbour Marina.  We had a nice visit with them on their boat in the afternoon.  We spent the next day finishing up our jobs, one of which was Dave getting a haircut, the shortest since he stopped going to Walter’s Barber Shop in Thorold South with his Dad.  

One of the nice things about sailing and exploring the Abacos is the closeness of all our destinations.  So the following morning we were able to walk to a flea market, get some groceries, go to the hardware store and still have a nice sail to Guana Cay before supper.  

The next morning we dinghied to shore to explore Guana Cay.  There were 2 things that we really wanted to see.  The first was a bar called ‘Nippers’, which is located on a beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island.  One of the things they’re famous for is the ‘Barefoot Man’ concert that is held in the middle of March.  He sings many songs about Nippers in his concerts.  One of his other songs is called ‘Log Cabins by the Sea’.  This was the other reason we had come to Guana.  These log cabins are located directly beside Nippers and the special thing about them is, that they were built by our neighbour, on the 12th of Bruce, Andrew Hill.  They share the same beautiful Atlantic Beach and have very easy access to Nippers next door.  As we were leaving, a local stopped and gave us a ride on his golf cart, back to the other restaurant ‘Grabbers’, on the Sea of Abaco side of the island.  We decided to have lunch here, a far quieter location with a really good Wahoo and Tropical Salad.  I asked if I could use the washroom and the waitress said she’d have to check with her manager.  We thought this was a little strange.  Some other people overheard this exchange and said they thought she was thinking, I wanted to do my laundry, which was the case.  I guess the lesson learned, is that it is referred to as the ‘bathroom’ in the Bahamas.  

We decided to spend another day here visiting the beach and looking around the harbour area before returning to Marsh Harbour for a pasta dinner being put on by the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club the next night.  This group really likes to have social events, the afternoon started with a short annual general meeting, followed by wine and cheese, which was followed by a beautiful dinner and $2.00 cocktails.  One of the members who lives on the island gave us a ride back to our dinghy, thankfully.  

We left Marsh Harbour the next morning and sailed to Man-O-War Cay.  Each community we have explored so far has a totally different feel from the others, while only being a couple of hours away from each other by sailboat.  The settlement on Man-O-War Cay is no exception.  It is a dry island (no alcohol for sale) with the main employment being the building of boats, they are known for their runabouts in the 20 to 30 foot range.  They really seem suited for the waters here whether Atlantic ocean fishing or just going fast across the Sea of Abaco.  There wasn’t a lot for us to see on this Cay and we decided to leave the next morning.  

We had planned on returning to Marsh Harbour to restock, but neither of us was ready for another crowded anchorage.  Instead we headed south past Elbow Cay and Tahiti Beach to Tilloo Cay.  The charts show 3 anchorages along the western shore of this Cay.  The northern most one is in front of a bunch of homes, the southern most one has a beautiful beach, but no wind protection.  We chose the middle one, it had no beach, but also no homes, but was protected.  We had most of 2 days to ourselves to swim, snorkel and explore the shoreline with the dinghy.  It was fun and relaxing.  

Next day we came back to Marsh Harbour for supplies and a plan where we’re going next.  

Hope Town Lighthouse

Narrow roads in Hope Town

Navigation aids 2 Adirondack chairs showing location of range markers

Colourful Homes Hope Town

Colourful Homes Hope Town

Colourful Homes Hope Town

Guana Cay Atlantic Beach

Nippers Bar on the beach on Guana Cay

Log Cabins by the Sea 

Anchorage at Fishers Bay, Guana Cay from Grabbers Bed, Bar and Grill

Home in the Settlement at Man-of-War Cay

Home in the Settlement at Man-of-War Cay

Tilloo Cay Anchorage

Fish at Tilloo Cay

Fish at Tilloo Cay

January 26, 2014

Our first few days in Marsh Harbour have been used to restock the boat and explore the town.  We are finding pricing of some items different, such as paper towel $4.00 and up a single roll, bakery bread is cheaper than grocery store bread, dairy products are the same or cheaper than back home and $15.00 will buy you the 1.5 liter size of Bahamas Rum.  

When we were planning our trip south to the Bahamas, it was highly recommended that we become members of the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club.  The discounts that are available to members of this club are significant throughout the Bahamas.  Our first actual club function was Souper Bowl 11, which was a competition among ladies in the club who had made their favourite soup recipe.  After the judging, everybody got to sample the different soups, along with the salad and dessert, making it a fun and delicious meal.  Last year’s competition, Souper Bowl 1, was among the guys in the club.  Souper Bowl 111, next year will pit the winning ladies against the winners of Souper Bowl 1.  

After six days of being anchored in Marsh Harbour, we were getting anxious to explore other parts of the Abacos.  The weather forecast for the following week was for strong westerly winds, which is unusual and a lot of the anchorages don’t provide you good protection from this direction.  One anchorage that would provide us protection from these winds, was Treasure Cay.  We lifted the anchor Friday morning and began a 9 mile journey north to Treasure Cay.  On our way we caught up to our friends on ‘Quality Time’ and took the opportunity to get pictures of each others’ boats.  Treasure Cay is a very upscale resort community, but you wouldn’t know it by the channel markers into the harbour.  The water is extremely clear and shallow and curves around a sand bar.  This is marked by a series of wooden poles buried into the channel bed, to indicate the difference between port and starboard, they have hung ‘slow moving vehicle signs’ on the port sides.  When we had dropped the anchor and looked around, we found quite a few boats that we knew.

The beach at Treasure Cay is rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world and we would agree.  The sand is a fine white colour with the texture of flour and the water is a beautiful turquoise colour.  The water is shallow way out into the Sea of Abaco and from the beach we can see Whale Cay where we had to go out into the Atlantic to reach the southern part of the Sea.  

We had been hearing about the Bahamian music called Rake and Scrape.  Sunday afternoon Brown Tip, a local favourite, was playing at the Coco Beach Bar and Restaurant.  We went to listen.  This performance of Rake and Scrape consisted of two guys singing to taped music, while playing the moroccos and rubbing the saw blade with a screwdriver.  It was a bit over-rated but the guys had nice voices so it sounded okay.  

Another boater had told us about the Bahamian version of a lunch truck which showed up around noon near the resort property.  Monday we decided to splurge and try it for lunch.  We walked down the road, through a round-about, to a gravel parking lot near a small public school.  We arrived just before 12:00 and were the only people standing in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the lunch truck.  At 12:15 a pick up truck pulling an open trailer, with propane cookers on the back, pulled in.  Within minutes cars and trucks started arriving as if they knew that 12:00 meant 12:15 Bahamian time.  For $5.00 you got pork chop, chicken or fish if they had not run out of them served on a bed of peas and rice ( Bahamian answer to french fries) and another side such as plantain or pasta salad.  There was no place to sit as everyone else had driven to the spot, we ended up sitting on an electrical box in front of the school.  It was very good and neither of us were able to finish.

The weather is starting to get better and the winds are starting to die down (below 20 knots) and we are getting anxious to leave Treasure Cay.  Thursday the winds drop to less than 6 knots and we start heading south back to Marsh Harbour.  We have to motor all the way but that is ok as the water is flat calm and we are able to see the bottom as we go.  We arrived back in the early afternoon in time to get ready for a steak dinner at a local Marina called the Jib Room.  This was sponsored by the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club - more great food and an opportunity to meet new boaters.  We like this club.  

We decided to join 2 other boats that were going to a place called Tahiti Beach.  This is a beautiful anchorage  on a beach that just looks really tropical and South Pacific like.  We left the anchorage in Marsh Harbour just before lunch, the winds were light, the Sea of Abaco was flat and calm so we started motoring south.  The visibility in the water was just incredible, we saw a shark, a turtle, all kinds of fish and many starfish laying on the bottom of the sea.  We joined the other 2 boats for a nice pasta dinner and planning session for the next day.  It was decided that the girls were going to explore the beaches for shells and beach glass, and the guys were going to go looking for fish, conch and lobster.  

Time 2 Go heading to Treasure Cay

Slow moving vehicles signs used for the red channel
 markers and a sandbar to go around

Sunset - Treasure Cay anchorage 

Treasure Cay Beach - one of the top 10 beaches in the world

Rake and Scrape superstars Brown Tip performing

Starfish

Tahiti Beach on south end of Elbow Cay

January 12, 2014

Our first full day at Bluff House Marina in Green Turtle Cay started out sunny and warm.  We met some of the people that helped us get tied up, in the dark the night before.  One couple looked very familiar and when we talked to them we realized that we had met in Fernandina Beach during Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012.  In the afternoon we hiked to the ocean beach, which looked beautiful (picture postcard)  but the waves were big and we were worried about undertow, so we didn’t go in.  Later in the evening the front that was forecasted, arrived, the winds picked up, the temperature went down and the rain started.  This kept us tied to the dock and limited as to what we were able to see and do for three days.

Thursday, the winds started to ease and change direction and we were finally able to dinghy into the village of New Plymouth.  We explored the shops and tried to buy some provisions.  The prices are very high for some items such as paper towels, up to $6.00 for a single roll, but other items such as  fresh baked bread is cheaper than the grocery store brands.  The supply ship comes in only once a week and we were trying to shop the day before it arrived, so we weren’t very successful.  The trip to town was fun, exploring the small pastel coloured shops, talking to the people, and dealing with the laid back attitudes.  

By Friday morning everyone was talking about moving farther south.  There is one obstacle between us and the southern Cays of the Abacos and it is the Whale Channel.  The water between Great Abaco Island and the Cays have silted in, so that deep draft vessels have to go out in the Atlantic through the Whale Cut and then come in south of the sandbar.  If the winds are from the wrong direction, this channel is susceptible to a rage sea condition (breaking waves all the way across).  We decided to anchor off New Plymouth Friday night and go have a look at the Whale Cay Channel early Saturday morning.  We had a report from another boater before we left that it was being well behaved, with only 3 to 5 foot swells, and no breaking waves, so we decided to go.  The winds were only about 5 knots when we left and the trip through the Cut was uneventful. But by the time we reached the southern edge of the sandbar, the winds were picking up and we saw up to 29 knots before we finally arrived in Marsh Harbour.  As we arrived at the anchorage in Marsh Harbour we were met by our friends from Quality Time in their Dinghy and they showed us where to anchor. What was really nice was being invited for supper that night on their boat as we were both really tired after the trip.

The following morning we had our first opportunity to listen to the Abacos Cruisers’ Net.  They read the local weather report for the area, and people out on the water will provide detailed conditions they are observing at the time.  They also let you know events happening throughout the Abacos and a lot of the local businesses get on the radio and promote themselves.  Marsh Harbour has a grocery store very similar to what we are used to in Canada, called Maxwell’s, and we were able to replace our fresh fruits, vegetables, and other items.  It seems strange, by Canadian standards, that going to a grocery store can be the highlight of your day, but it’s a real treat to find most of the items, that you want, all in one location.        

The main road crossing Green Turtle Cay

Coco Bay on Green Turtle Cay

High winds and waves on Atlantic Ocean beach
Green Turtle Cay

Shops in New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay 

 Dinghy dock New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay

Anchorage at Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas

January 5, 2014

The morning of December 30th, with less than 10 knots of wind and calm seas, we headed east out the Inlet.  The Gulf Stream was very well behaved and was what some sailboaters would call a “trawler day” (flat seas and light breezes).  These conditions suited us perfectly for our first crossing of the Gulf Stream.  On the west side of the Gulf Stream the wind picked up and we had a nice sail, the rest of the way to Old Bahama Bay Resort Marina, West End, Grand Bahama Island.  Ten and a half hours later, we were tied to a dock, completing our goal of building the boat and sailing to the Bahamas.  

The Old Bahama Resort Marina in May 1976 was the location of the Grand Bahama Hotel, where we came for our honeymoon.  We wanted to see what it looked like now and the village of West End.  The Grand Bahama Hotel was bulldozed years ago and is approximately where the marina is located now.  We biked into West End, as we did years ago, to see what changes had taken place since 1976.  Back then it was a cute little village with brightly coloured buildings, with a few small shops.  It hasn’t faired well.  In about 2005 two hurricanes, within weeks of each other, struck West End and the community has still not recovered from that event.  In spite of this, the people are as happy, friendly, and helpful, as we remembered.  The future is looking better for West End as a failed resort development is being resurrected, this will bring a lot of new jobs in the construction and running of this resort.   

The day after we arrived, another cold front came through, preventing us from leaving.  This was not a bad thing, since it was New Years Eve.  We were invited for champagne and chocolates on a boat we knew from Indiantown, along with another couple.  After visiting for awhile, we all decided to check out the band outside the restaurant.  It was really bad and we started to head back to our boats.   On the way back, Dave stopped to talk to a young guy who was part of a Junkanoo demonstration.  He showed us his costume and explained about the significance of Junkanoo.  It goes back to the slave days when the slaves would receive a box of new clothes the day after Christmas and parade around showing off their new clothes.  The costumes they individually make, can take up to 3 months to create from cardboard and paper mache and can cost as much as a thousand dollars.  These costumes are worn for about 3 hours and then dismantled and the process starts again for the next year’s Junkanoo.  We decided to come back and watch the parade at 11pm.  We were glad we did...the costumes were spectacular!  Some day we’ll have to go Freeport and see the main parade where there’s thousands of people dressed in their own colourful creations.  

The following morning, New Year’s Day, we had a local guy come to our dock, selling fresh lobster.  We bought two to try to cook for supper that night and they turned out pretty good.  The people in the boat next to us had gone out to a reef, spear fishing and came back with several lobsters and reef fish and proceeded to clean them on the dock.  Their boat was equipped with blue lights on the bottom  these lights attracted a lot of small fish and in combination with the blood and guts, they’d thrown in the water, it attracted two 7 to 8 foot Bull Sharks.  It was quite the show, the Bull Sharks got agitated and hit the swim ladder on their boat and bumped the bow of our dinghy out of the water a couple times .

The weather was not supposed to get any better during the next couple of days, so we used this time to get ready for the next weather window... fueling the boat, laundry, and trying to re-stock some of our supplies.  This involved riding bikes into West End to visit three grocery stores.  Another cruiser had described them as a poorly stocked Seven Eleven stores.  We weren’t able to get much but we did meet Moses, the best fisherman in West End and his friend, Charles on the step of the liquor store (they hadn’t quite finished celebrating their New Year’s holiday).  

There was a small weather window starting Saturday morning.  They were calling for winds of 10 to 15 knots from the east, not great but would allow us to get out before the next window a week away.  We untied our lines and headed to the Indian Cay Channel.  The Indian Cay Channel used to have poles down the centre of the channel marking the deeper water, these have been missing since 2006.  To go through here we had to wait for high tide and use the way points on our GPS/chart plotter and depth sounder.  We had about 7-10 feet at high tide and it took about an hour to travel the length of it.  On the east side of this reef we were on the Bahamas Banks and we had 10 to 14 feet of water  all the way to Great Sale Cay.  We arrived at Great Sale Cay and dropped the anchor just as it was getting dark, that left enough of the day for a quick supper and to bed.  

It would have been nice to explore Great Sale Cay, but the next cold front was supposed to come Monday, so we were up at first light and left and turned south to Green Turtle Cay.  As we travelled down the Sea of Abaco we could see a lot of the Cays that we had read about in the guide books in the distance.  There are endless areas where you could spend time exploring here.  We arrived at White Sound in Green Turtle Cay at sunset and low tide.  The trip in the channel was a bit unnerving as the water is crystal clear and very shallow (saw 5’8” on depth sounder, we need 5’6”).  The docking at Bluff House Marina was far from our best, we were not prepared for the style of dock ( 4 posts) and tying up after dark.  We were so tired at the end of the day we had quick showers, a really nice dinner at their restaurant and drinks (Tranquil Turtles).  This finished our day.

Leaving Lake Worth Inlet for the Bahamas

Junkanoo costumes New Years Eve

Junkanoo Wanttabe

Lobster delivered to the dock Old Bahama Bay Marina

Police Station in West End, Grand Bahama Island 

December 29, 2013

We are in Lake Worth, Florida and people back home think that we should have nothing to complain about, it is hot and there is nothing to shovel!!  But it is hard to sit and wait for the weather to provide us with an opportunity to cross the Gulf Stream to reach our goal.  We have developed a pattern of spending time at anchor in Lake Worth, doing odd jobs on the boat, provisioning at the nearby grocery store and then eating half the provisions that we bring back to the boat.  There are about 50 to 60 boats sitting here all doing the same thing and we have met several new couples.  Our house batteries have not been performing as well as Dave thought they should and we have been going into Old Port Cove Marina, nearby every 5 or 6 days to recharge overnight.  We used these visits to take advantage of laundry facilities, showers, internet access, the courtesy van, and pump out.  

On December 21st we moved Time 2 Go to the Lake Worth Inlet anchorage so that we would be prepared for a weather window on the 23rd.  The winds were about 16 knots out of the south and there’s a very strong tidal current in this area, which made for a very uncomfortable couple of nights.  By the evening of  December 22nd, it was obvious that we would not be spending Christmas in the Bahamas.  We were a little disappointed.   As we prepared to head back to Lake Worth anchorage, Anne on the sailboat ‘Quality Time’ called and invited us to a pot luck Christmas dinner on their boat.  It wasn’t what we had envisioned but we got to spend Christmas with 3 other couples who were literally and figuratively in the same boat!  We had a great meal and Dave had bought me a birthday cake, so we had that for dessert.  It was fun.  

The batteries are still not holding a charge the way Dave would like, and he is worried about having troubles with them in the Bahamas.  We headed back into Old Port Cove Marina again Boxing Day this time to arrange for new batteries. They arrived the next morning and Dave installed them and we headed back out to the anchorage to our Lake Worth routines .

On December 29th we moved back south to the Lake Worth Inlet anchorage for another possible weather window the next day.  We left after lunch and joined a convoy of sailboats all with the same plan in mind. This was going to be the weather window or we were heading south, we were NOT going back to the Lake Worth anchorage anytime soon!!

The dinghy beach at Lake Worth Anchorage

The fleet waiting in Lake Worth to cross to the Bahamas

Christmas dinner on Quality Time

December 16, 2013

We were scheduled to be put back in the water Monday, December 2nd at 10:00, so we were standing by ready to help with the launch.  The travel lift finally had us in the water at 11:30,  Alex and Jesse, the 2 guys who operate the Travel lift, did such a great job we just stood by and watched till they had Time 2 Go tied to the dock.  In the afternoon we started some of the in-water work...we got the jib on, the dinghy in the water and tied to the boat, and test ran the engine.  

Tuesday Dave found out the raw water pump had oil leaking from the seal and he arranged to order a new pump.  We managed to get the main sail on and Dave did an oil change, before our day ended early.  Today was the date that one of the Thanksgiving week parties was rescheduled to, due to last week’s weather.  Tonight was the Wine Tasting Party, which besides for more wine then anybody really needed, there was a great meal and a really good band that played all the songs that we all could dance to.  The night ended with a grape stomping competition that neither of us had enough wine in us to want to participate in but was fun to watch.

The next morning we went into town for last minute errands and checked over the van prior to taking it to the storage yard.  In the afternoon the new raw water pump arrived and Dave installed it.  Today ended early as well because it was the second postponed party from Thanksgiving week.  Tonight was Reggae night, complete with a Caribbean meal, a keg of beer, a steel drum band, and later limbo dancing.  We made this an early night, as we were planning to leave in the morning.  

We took a bit of a ribbing about our destination as we were only going about 10 miles down the St.Lucie Canal to a campground and marina run by the Army Corp of Engineers.  This marina is similar to the one we stayed at last spring at the Franklin Lock, very quiet and peaceful.  We are still finding Tree Frogs on the boat at night, gave 4 the heave ho last night.  After one night we headed east again to Stuart and their mooring field.

Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage is a popular spot for people to stop and wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.  There are good facilities at the marina for anyone staying there including laundry,  showers and a boaters lounge with decent WiFi.  Nearby there is a good selection of shopping, including a Publix grocery store within a short walk from the mooring field.   We were fortunate to be able to get a mooring ball.  Waiting for a weather window here isn’t as boring as it sounds at first.  The new outboard motor we brought down is a real treat... not having to wonder if it will start when we climb into the dinghy to go someplace, is wonderful.  There are quite a few of the people that we had met a Indiantown Marina here and we have been getting loads of suggestions about places to see when we get to the Abacos in the Bahamas.  On one of our trips in the dinghy, Dave spotted a large Wharram catamaran and when he told the people that we had a small 17’ Wharram cat at home, we were invited on board to tour their boat.  Their boat  was the prototype for the 46’ Tiki model and they knew James Wharram personally.   Ann and Neville were a neat couple!  Ann has sailed over 50,000 miles, including a solo crossing of the Atlantic and Neville at 78, had similar experiences.  We had a wonderful afternoon having British tea and hearing of different places and getting advice as to when to cross the Gulf stream and where to stop over there.

There was a possible weather window coming up on Sunday December 15th so we decided to leave Stuart on Friday and go south to the Lake Worth anchorage to be closer if it happened.  Six hours and eight bridges later we dropped the anchor in the north end of Lake Worth in West Palm Beach.  Saturday the weather window closed, the forecast was for 14+ knots of wind and 4’-6’ of waves on Sunday.  We took a slip at nearby Old Port Cove Marina, to give our batteries a good charging.  The dockmaster told us about a 72’ Sportfishing boat that had tried to go out and had to turn back due to the waves at the inlet.  While we were checking out the boaters lounge we met Ed, who drove the marina’s courtesy van and he offered to take us to any spots we needed to go.  So we took him up on his offer and picked up some supplies.

Monday we moved Time 2 Go back to the anchorage to wait for the next weather window.

Alex & Jesse make launching a breeze

Grape stomping At Wine Tasting Party

Calipso band at Reggae Night Party

St.Lucie Campground and Marina, real quiet spot

Mooring field at Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, Florida

Sunset Bay Marina and dinghy dock

Dinghy beach at Lake Worth anchorage

December 1, 2013

We left Port Elgin November 12 with an inch of slush on the road and started our trip south by visiting with family in Niagara for a few days.  On Friday we crossed over at Buffalo and started heading south.  Our plan was to take a week and see the sights on the way down, as we have never done the drive before.  The first day we just drove until we didn’t see any snow on the hills on the side of the road, stopping at Summersville, West Virginia for the night. 

 Saturday was a short day, as we stopped to tour Mount Airy, North Carolina.  This was the childhood home of Andy Griffith and is believed to be the inspiration for Mayberry, the town in the Andy Griffith Show on TV.  We toured some of the attractions and had an awesome pork chop sandwich at Snappy Lunch, next door to Floyd’s Barber Shop, before moving on again.  Stopping a couple of hours later for gas, we accidentally found the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame Museum.  We had a quick tour, as they were about to close.  The museum is run by volunteers and all proceeds are used for local charities.  Our second day ended in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  

Sunday we were starting to see some fall colours and a lot of small deer feeding at the side of the road.  We visited the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm (near Savannah).  It was in between their seasons, but we did see some beautiful and different orchids in their Orchid House.  We spent the night in Fernandina Beach, Florida, where we had been last year, during Hurricane Sandy.  

Monday we arrived in Titusville at noon and called Ron and Mary, friends from Glammis to invite them  out for supper.   Mary told us that there was going to be a space launch in about an hour, so we went over to their house and went with them down to the river to watch.  The launch site was about 6 miles away on the other side of the river.  We saw a little bright light going up in the sky.  It seemed a long while after, we heard the roar of the Titan rocket.  Had a nice visit with Ron and Mary in the afternoon and then to the Dixie Crossroads Restaurant to get Dave his Rock Shrimp.  

We decided to stay another day in Titusville to start buying supplies for the boat.  

Our plan was to take a day and go to the beach, but the weather was cold, so we drove south and got a campsite nearer to Indiantown.  

Time 2 Go was scheduled to be moved to the work yard Friday morning, so we travelled to Indiantown Marina Thursday afternoon with the hope of getting a ‘look over’ the boat.  That wasn’t to be, as it poured rain all afternoon.  

Friday, the work started, we were in the work yard and settled by 9 am. and finally able to inspect the boat.  The topsides were covered with a green slime and tree frogs.  The inside was dusty, musty, gooey and sticky everywhere, but not as bad as we’d feared.  The outside had to be scrubbed with Spray 9 cleaner to remove the green and the inside was vacuumed and then washed EVERYWHERE.  All our clothes and bedding had to be washed...8 loads!  

Down here Thanksgiving is a really big deal and we arrived the weekend before it.  Indiantown Marina has things planned for the three days before, as well as Thanksgiving Day.  All these events included free suppers and free drinks.  They were a lot of fun and a great way to get to meet the other boaters.  It did slow down the work a little bit, but we got a lot of good tips from people who have been doing this for years.  

Nine days after being moved to the work yard, Time 2 Go is cleaned from top to bottom, new bottom paint, new lifting arm, solar panel, and solar vent installed, and is ready to be lifted into the water. 

Mount Airy, North Carolina birthplace of Andy Griffiths

North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame Museum

Orchids at Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens 

Alex is ready to serve Thanksgiving Dinner

Time 2 Go in the work yard

It was not all work