As most of you know, Skylark has returned to South Port.  I was dumbfounded last Thursday night to come home from work and find my parents had come home a day early.  It has been a crazy week of school winding down and Mom and Dad moving back ashore but I finally have the last e-mail from Skylark for you which includes their final reflections on their trip.  I have also added some final photographs to go with the last three postings.
 

Here is Skylark's route since Week 36:

NEW! Weeks 40 & 1/2 - Home at Last
Weeks 38 & 39 - Deltaville VA to Fonda NY
Weeks 36 & 37 Norfolk to Deltaville
Weeks 34 & 35- Charleston to Norfolk VA
Weeks 32 & 33-Ft. Pierce to Charleston
Week 30 & 31 Back to the USA
Weeks 28 & 29 George Town to Highborne Cay
Weeks 26 & 27 - The 21st Annual George Town Cruising Regatta
Weeks 22 & 23 - George Town - Long Island - George Town
Week 20 & 21- George Town
Week 18 & 19 - Leaf Cay to George Town
My own comments from my two weeks aboard Skylark
Weeks 16 & 17 - Nassau to Leaf Cay
Page 2 - Weeks 9 to 15 - With Photographs!
Page 3 - The First Eight Weeks - With Photographs for each Week!

Subject:  Weeks 40 & 1/2 - Home at Last
Date:  Mon, 25 Jun 2001 17:17:20 -0700

Our 5½ day sprint through the Erie Barge Canal was very hot.  We used  our cockpit shower often while we were underway to cool off.  The locks were easier to manage than we remembered.  Most of the time we were locking through alone as there was very little boat
traffic.

The afternoon we completed the canal, we continued to Buffalo and put the mast back up.  Cousins Jack & Joanne were there to greet us & take us out for those world famous Buffalo Wings.

From Buffalo we made a 70nm run to Erie Pa.  High winds on the nose the next day forced us to have a welcomed day of rest.

Wednesday morning the wind had shifted to the NE & the forecast indicated that the weather would deteriorate in 24 hours, so we decided to make the 178nm trip home.  On Thursday June 21 at 2:00PM, 32 hours later we arrived at South Port Sailing Club.  We made it in just before the weather turned bad.  There was no place to put the boat as areas of the club were being dredged but we managed to find a temporary spot.  Flexibility is the name of the game in cruising.

Distance travelled 5,184 nautical miles.

Here are some reflections on our trip:
  • It was the people who made the fun times, not what we saw or where we went.
  • Nine months was a long time to be away from family & friends.  We easily made friends on route but everyone had different plan.
  • The colours of Bahamian waters were simply magnificent.  They  never ceased to take our breath away.  The sightings of dolphins & the fish on the reefs were always a thrill.
  • Life on a boat was much simpler than life back home.  One can live very well with very few material things.  It is the weather that makes one’s comfort level.
  • People we met were very helpful.  The Bahamians were very warm & friendly.  Only in Nassau did we have to be concerned about safety.

The trip reminded us that life is short & we should  enjoy what we can while we can.

Jim & Lee Ann from Skylark

Subject:  Weeks 38 & 39 - Deltaville VA to Fonda NY
Date:  Tue, 12 Jun 2001 11:59:06 -0700

Leaving Deltaville we crossed to the east side of the bay to Crisfield because winds were favourable.  That side of the Chesapeake is dotted with fishing villages  & is less populated. It is also shallow which makes sailing more challenging.

The Chesapeake offered us good winds as we moved north.  In Annapolis a boater who had a boat & condo close to the spot we anchored let us use his car for the day.  He didn’t need it as he was going cruising with friends from Chicago who we had met in Little Current 2 summers ago - small world.  That evening we met sister Jane & husband Jim & their friends the Oslens for dinner.

The 4 days from Annapolis to New York City were long but easy.  The winds were light & the weather was great.  The first night in NY, we anchored behind the Statue of Liberty.  It was breathtaking!  In the morning we moved to a mooring at the 79^th Street Marina ($15/night)

Our day in the  Big Apple was fabulous!  We took in 2 museums where we saw the Jackie Kennedy Exhibit & French Impressionists.  We walked through Central park & Time Square, had dinner in Little Italy & saw the Yankees beat the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.  Leaving the stadium the Frank Sinatra tune New York, New York was played.

Next day, with a favourable tide we motored up to West Point & explored the beautiful campus.

With the  Erie Barge Canal 2 days away, the mast needed to be taken down.  This was done Sunday morning.  By nightfall we arrived at Waterford where the canal begins.  Monday we went through 12 locks & have tied up at the park next to Lock 12 in Fonda NY.

It is wonderful to be back in fresh water (Europeans call it sweet water).

If all goes well, Skylark could be back in her slip at South Port within 2 weeks.

Position N 42^o56. 694'          W 74^o17. 455'
Distance travelled 4,664 NM

Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Weeks 36 & 37 Norfolk to Deltaville
Date:  Thu, 31 May 2001 04:14:56 -0700

During the past 2 weeks we only travelled 45 nm.  The first week we toured the area.  The second we hauled Skylark out of the water so we could clean, wax & polish the hull, clean the barnacles off the bottom, & paint it.

Thanks to the  kindness of Jason Boivin, & his friends Jim & Jo Lee Des Roches, we docked Skylark in Norfolk at their home.  Our hosts Jim & Jo Lee warmly welcomed us into their home & barbequed tuna steak for us.  The tuna was part of the 330 lbs. of fish Jo Lee caught during a deep sea fishing trip that week.

Lee Ann’s sister Jane picked us up & brought us to her home in Richmond.  With a car at our disposal we visited Colonial Williamsburg, Thomas Jefferson's home Montecello, & sights & museums in Richmond.  We learned much about colonial times, the American Revolution, & the Civil War.  An interesting note about Williamsburg, the first capital of Virginia - all construction is done using 18th century tools & materials (no power tools).

It was easier this time to leave Jane’s wonderful hospitality than it was in the fall - warmer weather & knowing what lies ahead.

Deltaville - After slaving 3 days we got Skylark in Bristol condition.  The bottom work probably improved our speed by 3/10 of a knot.  We were able to live aboard the boat while it was on the hard (up on blocks).  Scaling the 12 ft. ladder several times a day was sometimes a challenge.

Position N 37^o32.800'         W 76^o19.500'
Distance travelled  4,072 nm.  1,200 nm to Windsor through the water.  440 nm as the crow flies
Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Weeks 34 & 35- Charleston to Norfolk VA
Date:  Fri, 18 May 2001 20:56:53 -0700

We reached  landmark in  our voyage home:  We are half way from Florida to Windsor & have completed the ICW route(Intracoastal Waterway).  Travelling on the ICW is like following a strip map from CAA.  The chartbook (maps) we have gives us no idea of where we are in the big picture.  We have used road maps for that.

The highlight of the past 2 weeks was our road trip to attend the graduation of Sarah Hartough (Lee Ann's neice) from James Madison University.  Our arrival was a complete surprise to Sarah.  The University was originally a Normal School before it became a Liberal Arts University & it was fitting that she graduated with an Education degree.

Recent nature sightings have included: 2 alligators in our anchorage  near Georgetown, dolphins at Beaufort NC, numerous osprey nests  perched on ICW day markers containing young families, first sightings of Mallard Ducks & Canada Geese in Northern North Carolina.

We had a chance to sample the  N. Carolina Outer Banks region when we went to the Shackleford Banks off Beaufort NC.  The inhabitants of the island are sea turtles, wild horses & several species of birds.  The beach was quite pretty & had huge shells unlike the tiny ones we saw in the Bahamas.

We by-passed  Kitty Hawk because we felt it was more important to out run a northerly.  We docked just as the thunderstorms started.  We had travelled 138 NM in 2 days (12 hours each day).

Presently our boat is docked  in Norfolk at the home of friend of Jason Bouvin.  Jason’s dad Gene is a member of our sailing club.  He e-mailed us an invitation a few months ago & we were delighted with the offer.

Our Position   N 36^o57.904'                W 76^o17.542'
Distance travelled 4,027 NM
Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Weeks 32 & 33-Ft. Pierce to Charleston
Date:  Wed, 2 May 2001 11:22:39 -0700

When Jim was repairing the water pump, he discovered that the belt needed to be replaced.  The dealership in Cocoa, 50 miles down the ICW, was the closest dealership that had the belt.

A kind Marina dockmaster allowed us to tie up for 2 hours while we walked the 5 mile round trip to get the part.

On route to Cocoa we saw a  space shuttle launch in the mid afternoon.  It was not as spectacular as the one we saw at night in November (on Jim's birthday) but it was still a thrill to see.  That night 30 dolphins played around our anchored boat.  Through the night we heard them rub against the anchor chain.

We spent a day exploring St. Augustine & came across a Spanish Festival celebrating the city's founders.  There was music & dancing with folks dressed in 18th century costumes.

Travelling north we have came across 3 couples we met in the fall along the ICW (intracoastal waterway).  All 3 were headed to the Bahamas.  One couple got as far as Vero Beach, Florida & were too timid to cross the Gulf Stream because the weather was never right.  Another had a lift bridge fall on their boat.  This resulted in a bent mast & cracked chain plates.  They spent the winter getting repairs & are still trying to get damages from the  State of Georgia.  The third couple didn’t get to the Bahamas until March because they had to return home several times because of family problems.

Fernadino Beach, Florida was a real gem.  The 2 paper mills scared us away in the fall.  The municipal marina had complimentary bicycles that we used to shop & explore for a few hours.  Friends with whom we were travelling sailed outside to Fernadino B. while we used the Intracoastal.  The distance travelled was the same but we lucked in to favourable currents & arrived 1 1/2 hours before them.  (Honestly - we were not trying to race)

Charleston was as charming as it was in the fall. The air was fragrant with oleander & flowering trees & shrubs.

The ICW trip has been easier than before because it is so much warmer, we know what to expect, & there is 5 more hours of sunlight.

Position N 32^o46.544'        W 79^o57.272'
Distance travelled 3594 nm
Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Week 30 & 31 Back to the USA
Date:  Wed, 18 Apr 2001 11:36:56 -0700

Top 10 reasons why Skylark is  back in the USA:

1.  After waiting 5 days for a favourable wind shift to make a pleasant sail to the Abacos we got discouraged & altered our plans.
2.  Time was running out as we wanted to get home by early June.
3.  The winds were ideal for crossing the Gulf Stream.
4.  There was a full moon which made for great visibility  crossing  at night.
5.  We had company crossing - 2 single handers.
6.  The weather was getting hot so we longed for a cooler climate.
7.  Our out of country medical insurance which we have used twice expires June 1.
8.  Jim wanted  to get back for Wednesday night racing with Duncan, Stew & the boys.
9.  Jim was running out of beer & it was too expensive to buy in the Bahamas.
10. We missed our family & friends.

The crossing from Nassau to Palm Beach was a breeze.  It took 29 hrs. to cover almost 200 miles.  Our max, speed was 9.5 knots (Gulf Stream assisted) as we motor sailed all the way.  We chose the best day as  we were told by people who had roly crossings the day before & day after.

It took 2 days to clear through customs & immigration.  They made us report to them personally & then stamped our passports.

We called our friends Buddie & Dick Walker in Naples to let them know we were back.  The next day, after motor sailing to Fort Pierce we decided to rent a car & visit them.

Now we are back on the boat ready for the long trip north; after Jim repairs the water pump.

Our position is N 27^o28.107'       W 80^o19.653'
Distance travelled 3201 nautical miles.

Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Weeks 28 & 29 George Town to Highborne Cay
Date:  Thu, 5 Apr 2001 12:20:39 -0700

Friday after the fronts passed 50 boats left the harbour.  We waited another day for more favourable east-southeast winds to go north up the Exuma chain with 35 boats.

Fortunately, there are numerous anchorages along the way & those that we chose were not crowded. It seems many cruisers moved very  quickly, unlike us.  We travelled as little as little as 10 miles in a day.  We travelled with 2 fun French Canadian couples.  The guys were avid hunters of fish & lobster.. the gals baked bread, one from scratch & the other using her bread maker.  One night we enjoyed a movie en français & were surprised how well we followed it with our limited high school french.

For the last 5 nights our anchorages have been very  rocky & sleep has been scarce.  There was only 10 to 15  knots of wind but the ocean surge & the tidal current created such a swell that we had to sleep in the main cabin.  Still, we almost rolled out of the berths on the worst night.

There are thousands of tiny brown jelly fish (sea lice) all over the water.  Tonight there are so many the water looked brown.  They don't sting everyone but if they get inside a bathing suit they can create a big  problem.  Things are not perfect in paradise.

It’s a small world; In the past 2 weeks we have bumped into 3 sailors from Windsor & former South Port Sailing Club members.

We met Barry Powell (aboard trimaran Libran Lady) on Volleyball Beach in George Town.  He has been living on his boat since he retired in June 98 & travels in a van during hurricane season - June to November.  During that time he comes back to Windsor where he has family.  Barry took Jim diving for lobster.  Jim was amazed how Barry could snorkel down & poke his head into not one but a few caves in a very relaxed manner before he needed to come up for air.  The guys had no luck finding lobster but got a beautiful rare King Helmet Conch.

Leaving Staniel Cay as we were motoring past the fuel dock we were hailed by Hal & Sandy Hebert.  We had both been there for 3 days, but they were at Staniel Yacht Club & we were anchored out so we never connected.  We visited with them over the radio &  took pictures of one another as they motored past us in the powerboat on which they were crewing.

Natures wonders have been abundant - star fish beneath our anchored boat, a dolphin swimming under our dinghy in George Town Harbour, giant turtles swimming around the anchorage, wild pigs greeting swimmers on the beach at Staniel, as well as nurse & bull sharks having a feeding frenzy as the fishermen clean fish at Highborne Cay.

Position N 24^o42.311'     W 75^o49.243'
Distance travelled 2895 nautical miles.
Jim & Lee Ann

Left:  Stanley from Montreal with his catch: a spiny lobster.  Right:  French Canadians celebrate farewell to Georgetown.

Subject:  Weeks 26 & 27 - The 21st Annual George Town Cruising Regatta
Date:  Tue, 20 Mar 2001 07:44:45 -0800

The winds calmed down after the front, just in time for the Regatta.  About 450 boats were in Elizabeth Harbour for the 10 days of festivities with the weather co-operating perfectly.

On the first day, the town merchants hosted a dinner with complimentary food & drinks & a live band.  The food was ribs & chicken, coleslaw, peas, & rice.  Cruisers who arrived early said the meal was delicious.  We arrived early but made phone calls before dinner & missed the food.

Other events included a lip sync contest, a sand castle building contest, a scavenger hunt, a variety show, kayak & sunfish races, swimming events, a coconut harvest, a tennis tournament, 2 volleyball tournaments, & 2 large boat races.  People with young children organized a children’s day.

The coconut harvest was exceptionally fun to watch.  Teams of 4 people per dinghy, using only 4 flippers for propulsion, collected coconuts that were floating in a hurricane hole.  There was a time limit, the boat with the most coconuts was the winner & opponents could try to float the coconuts out of  each others dinghies by filling them with water.  The winners collected 50 coconuts!

Skylark placed 2nd in class in the in-harbour race.  It was a 7 mile race twice around a triangular course. The start was down wind, with sails & anchor down & motor running.  We were worried there would be a collision at the  start but we moved quickly with our go-fast crew:  2 college boys with wrestling background.  Rounding the windward mark we met the 63 ft. Island Dancer with the dancing girls on the bow.  Their eyes were popping out of their heads as we rounded inside of them on a starboard tack within 10 feet of their boat!  The wind blew 19 knots & we were pleased that Skylark moved so well.

Since our boat insurance covered us to the Tropic of Cancer - 3/4 of the way down  to the south end of Elizabeth Harbour, we did not enter the around the island race.  Instead we volunteered as crew on Rum Runner 3 - a 37 ft. Hunter out of Madison, Ct.  The race was 15 miles through patchy reefs & deep water.  Crew John (from Philadelphia) was on the computer with the course plotter telling skipper Bud where the reefs & skinny (shallow) waters were.  Jim was on the main & Peter (from Newfoundland) & Vilma on the jib.  The other women were rail meat.  The wind blew 20+ & the seas were 6 ft. on the ocean side of the island.  Our anchor on the bow wasn’t lashed down & fell overboard as we pounded through the seas on the windward leg of the race.  Thank heavens Jim & Peter ran forward to retrieve it, as the chain was caught around the keel!  Even with this glitch we finished first in our class.

Our French Canadian friends on Va San got a prize for catching the biggest fish during the around the island race.  They caught a 45 in. barracuda.

These same friends invited us to a dinner party at Chat & Chill the bar & grill on Volleyball Beach.  By the end of the evening some folks were standing on the tables were singing traditional French Canadian songs.  The singing reminded Jim of the old Halpin family parties.

The Regatta is over now & it is time to head north.  Unfortunately, there are 2 fronts coming Tuesday & Wednesday so we are back in the hurricane hole until the bad weather passes.

Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Weeks 22 & 23 - George Town - Long Island - George Town
Date:  Wed, 21 Feb 2001 07:18:46 -0800

Our friend Jim on Handbasket flew home for 6 days  because of a death in the family.  We helped his partner Jan look after the boat.  While he was gone it blew a lot but the anchors held.  (During blows we have to sleep in the main cabin as the v-berth rocks so much that we can't sleep - not everything is perfect in paradise)

Jan invited us to watch the video Gettysburg. This was a first for us. Our communication highlight for the day is listening to the 6 pm Canadian  International news on our shortwave receiver.  Jan’s TV runs off the 12 volt electrical system & doesn't use much power.  There are no TV stations available unless you have a satellite dish & some boats  have them.

On Valentines Day there was a  oldies dance on the deck of Chat & Chill, the bar on volleyball beach. It was great fun.  The French Canadians were the last to leave.

Jan & Jim departed for Puerto Rico 600 miles away (non stop) when we took  our trip to Long Island 20 miles away. It was sad to split up with them as we had so much fun together.

During the sail to Long Island we made our first attempt at fishing on our own.  As beginner's luck had it we caught a 3 1/2 ft. fish.  As we dragged it for an hour, it changed from blue to green.  It wasn’t until Jim brought it close to the boat that he realized we had a Mahe Mahe.  Since it was still energetic, we dragged it more to tire it.  Then Jim hauled it into the cockpit & Lee Ann poured alcohol down its mouth to kill it.  It lay in the cockpit for an hour before we reached Long Island.  We hailed a friend who showed Jim how to clean it. Dinner was delicious that night!

The next day we took a long walk along the magnificent beach & came across a home owned by a man Jim met in Fort Lauderdale.  Dale was home & told us that his twin engine plane was stolen from the airstrip close by at 5 a.m. around Christmas.  It was recovered in Columbia that day.  He was fortunate that the authorities put the plane’s serial number through the computer system & discovered it had been stolen that morning.

Our Long Island trip was short as we left that day because of a potential weather front that came when we returned.  There were 25 to 30 knot winds on Sunday night.  Long Island is not protected from NW through SW winds & it has a roll even in light wind conditions.  We plan to go back as soon as the weather is favourable.

Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Week 20 & 21- George Town
Date:  Wed, 7 Feb 2001 09:47:44 -0800

We have not moved from Elizabeth Harbour, George Town but we have moved back & forth to 3 of the 8 anchorages depending on the wind direction.  (The 5 hurricane hole anchorages have been full since December.)   Some other boats never move  but since we sleep best when the water is flat we head for the sheltered side of this mile wide harbour.

You wonder how we pass the time here?  Most mornings, after 8:10 announcements, Lee Ann attends an exercise class (aerobics, yoga, beach walk).  In the afternoon, Jim plays volleyball for 2 hours & Lee Ann walks the beach.

During the middle of the day we swim, snorkel  or do chores (clean the boat, do repairs,  grocery shop, etc.)

Once a week we fill the 40 gallon water tanks using 2, 6 gallon jerry cans.  We take a 5 minute dinghy ride to fill them with free water from the spigot at the dinghy dock at Exuma Market.  Drinking water is purchased separately at $0.60 a gallon.  Fuel is also obtained by jerry can unless we tie up at the marina which is only accessible at high tide.

Chickens & roosters entertain us as we do our weekly 2 block walk to the Laundromat.

At least once a week there is a  meet your neighbour party on the beach in the late afternoon.  At sunset, many people blow their conch horns for all to hear.

Our last weekly deep sea fishing trip rewarded us with 2 small & one 3 foot barracuda and a keeper Bar Jack.

The Bahamian people here are extremely friendly.  The ladies at the straw & fruit market thank you with “bless you darling”.  And strangers will strike up a conversation with us on the street.

The Superbowl Party at the bar on Volleyball Beach was fun.  Sixty people were gathered around a 21 in. TV.  When the national anthem was sung all the Americans sang along.  We Canadians should take a lesson in patriotism from them.

Hopefully we will take a side trip in the next 2 weeks.
Jim & Lee Ann

Subject:  Week 18 & 19- Leaf Cay to Georgetown
Date:  Thu, 25 Jan 2001 05:23:57 -0800

The weather front did not hit us until our second night at Leaf Cay & then it took the form of 20 knot winds for 48 hours.  This gave us a chance to hunt for conch before it hit.  We didn't have much luck but friends on the boat Beans found 10 - just enough for all of us.  This time we had hot & spicy Buffalo conch.

Lee Stocking Cay - a marine research centre was our next stop.  Scientists from US & Canadian Universities come here in the spring & summer to study fish, reefs, & weather.  We met a young man working  there from University of Western Ontario.  After touring the facility, we hiked some trails & enjoyed the beaches.  The area was a voluntary no take zone (no fishing), but this did not stop the Bahamians from taking conch 300 metres from the centre.

When we arrived in Georgetown & checked our e-mail we learned that daughter Dana was coming in a couple days.  She had glorious weather during her week with us.

Presently there are 275 boats here (usually there are 360 here by this time).  There are 8 different spots to anchor in the harbour that is 7 miles long & 1 mile wide.  This place is a real boaters community with organized activities almost totally organized by the boaters.  Announcements are made every day at 8:10 a.m. on the VHF radio.   Local businesses advertise at this time.  The local market announces any parcels or faxes that have come in for the boaters.  Volleyball is played everyday at 2:30 on Volleyball Beach - 6 courts.  There is yoga, aerobics, softball, watercolours & beach walks twice a week.  On Sunday there is a church service on the beach.  There is dancing almost every night at one of the local bars where Bahamians & cruisers dance up a storm - the Bahamians are  fabulous dancers.

Dana enjoyed the Volleyball, beach walks & snorkelling.  She even got a chance to go deep sea fishing aboard Skylark.  We had 4 lines out, but  caught only 2 fish - barracuda & threw them back.

We have got word that weather even 60 miles north of us is much cooler & windier.  We do not expect to head north for at least 6 weeks.

Our position is N 23^o30.257'           W 075^o45.908'
Distance travelled 2590 nm.
Jim & Lee Ann

My own comments from my two weeks aboard Skylark:

Just like James Bond in the movie Thunderball, I arrived in the Bahamas just in time for Junkanoo, their Mardi-Gras like Christmas celebration.  I met Dad at the boat where he armed himself with a flare gun and handheld VHF radio for our walk through an ‘interesting
neighbourhood’ to meet Mom and their new friends aboard Hand Basket.  We radioed for our ride just before reaching the dingy dock and two dingies arrived to ferry us aboard where we met Mom and the crews of Hand Basket, Beans, and Quelinda.  It was a treat to have Christmas dinner aboard a beautiful cruising boat even if it was blowing 25 knots!  Dinner ended with an anchor drill when Dad noticed that a neighbouring boat’s radar arch was nearly on Hand Basket’s transom.

Boxing day we toured Nassau and saw the remnants of Junkanoo.  After flying all Christmas day I was far too tired to stay up for the parade at 3 a.m.  The costumes have evolved a great deal since James Bond attended.  Today they are made of cardboard covered aluminum frames and painted in flourescent colours.  They are up to 12 feet tall and look more like parade floats than costumes.

That evening we visited the aquariums at the Atlantis Casino and the following day I experienced the sea life first hand by diving on a couple of the local reefs.

On the 27^th the winds finally died down and we left Nassau for Allen Cay (pronounced ‘key’) in the Northern Exumas.

On route, I decided that I needed to use the head.  When I was finished, the toilet seemed very difficult to pump.  Then suddenly, a fountain of life, reeking anaerobic life, began welling up from the depths of the toilet.  I uttered the common name of the brown fluid and dove bodily out of the head just in time to see it flow over the bowl and into the shower well.

After completing the odious task of helping Dad clean up the mess, I accepted a stern lecture on how to operate a marine toilet.  I sat in the cockpit rather miffed by the whole incident since it was the first time in over twenty years of using marine toilets that anything like this had happened to me.  The mystery was soon to be explained.

Dad decided to open the deck plate to see how full the tank was when, “Thar she blows!”  He was greeted with an aromatic 18 inch geyser of effervescent umber liquid.  I guess we were a little overdue for a pumpout!

At Allen Cay the adventures were not over.  A front came through and we had our own anchor drill at 5 a.m. when Skylark  began thumping on a sand bar.  The anchor drill was concluded with coffee for all hands in the cockpit while we watched the sunrise.  In the daylight we realized that we had a better night than some other boats.  As you will read in Mom’s letter, a large power yacht chopped up its tender and fouled a sailboat’s anchors when it decided to leave in the middle of the night to find better shelter.

From Allen we proceeded to Warderick Wells for New Year’s.  Just after we arrived at Warderick, a sailboat approached its mooring from the wrong side and ran hard aground.  As it was just after high tide, there was little to do but watch her slowly heel over as the tide went out.  The next high tide was after dark so we waited for the morning to attempt to free her.  At the morning high tide a half dozen dingies and the Warden’s 200 horsepower launch descended upon our stricken comrades and we soon had them floating free.

Our final stop was Staniel Cay, home of Thunderball grotto, where Spectre hid the nuclear warheads in the movie of the same name.  At Staniel we met up once again with Hand Basket and her crew who would never let us live down arriving just in time to miss the cruisers regatta.  Hand Basket’s crew consisted of Jim, a retired New York firefighter, and his wife Jan, the former proprietor of a Health Food store and a damn fine vegetarian cook.  Jan and Jim have nicknamed Dad, ‘Eveready’ in honour of his perpetual preparedness for another drink.

We spent four day’s at Staniel.  On the warmest day, we snorkelled through the Thunderball grotto and a nearby coral reef where Dad and Jim tried unsuccessfully to spear a grouper then had an equally fruitful conch (pronounced conk) hunt.  There was also plenty of time to check out the local culture of the tiny town.

My trip ended with a dingy ride to the Staniel Cay airstrip where the crews of Skylark and Handbasket saw me board a little 8-seater bush plane.  This plane was so small that the primary navigational system was a Garmin handheld GPS balanced on the dashboard.  As the plane bounced and skipped down the runway, I scambled to tighten my seatbelt.  I never realized flying could be such an adrenaline rush!  Seconds after liftoff, we roared over Skylark then I watched the Exumas slowly slip by underneath us as we headed north toward Nassau and my trip home to Windsor.

Jamie Halpin

Jim and Jamie with a Junkanoo costume.  (Yes, somebody was wearing that!)

Subject:  Weeks 16 & 17 - Nassau to Leaf Cay
Date:  Sat, 13 Jan 2001 08:05:41 -0800

Jamie arrived on Christmas Day in time for a traditional turkey dinner as we were anchored in Nassau Harbour.  There were 9 of us for dinner aboard Hand Basket - a 37 ft. Tianna sailboat - 4 Americans & 5 Canadians.

At 1 am Boxing Day the Bahamians have a Junkanoo - a Mardi-Gras like celebration with a parade lasting all night. We saw the remnants of it that morning at 11 am.  The costumes were colourful & so massive (12 ft high) that the  strong winds blew some people over.

The winds lessened on the 27th so we moved south  32 miles to Allen Cay, an Iguana preserve. The iguanas were scattered on rocks lining the beach & one creature was 4 ft. long.

In the middle of the night a front came through & a few boats had some difficulty.  A huge motor yacht found herself exposed to high winds & seas.  While exiting she cut her tender (a large Boston whaler with twin 130 horsepower engines) in half with her propellers.  The next day people were salvaging  things from it as it washed up on the beach.  While this same boat was leaving, it fowled a sailboat’s 2 anchors & damaged the sailboat’s bow.

From there we went to Warderick Wells a Sea & Wildlife Preserve.  We hiked, enjoyed the blow holes but didn't snorkel the reefs as it was too cool.  The Park Warden organized a potluck dinner on New Year’s Eve at her home for all boaters moored there.

Staniel Cay was our next stop.  On New Years Day there is a cruiser regatta.  The first boat to finish the race is the winner (no handicaps).

We snorkelled the Thunderball cave (from James Bond fame), a couple reefs, found a spectacular beach & enjoyed the local culture.  The island had only 3 telephones & people drove around in golf carts.  Jim was happy to find the football games  on TV at the Yacht Club on Sunday afternoon.

Jamie left us on Jan. 5.  He flew out of Staniel to Nassau in small plane.  It was much easier for him to fly back than for us to buck the north winds that have dominated our weather.  We were pleased that we could reach the airport by dingy.

Jamie had a great time but would have enjoyed more scuba diving.

We stopped at Black Point on a Sunday & saw the locals dressed in their Sunday best walking to church.  The children looked beautiful & greeted us with, “Hello, white people.”

Little Farmers Cay, a Polynesian looking village was our next stop.  We tried to find conch there but had no luck - so we had chicken again for dinner.

Front #5 was coming so we moved on to Leaf Cay because of the north wind protection it provided.  This winter has been exceptionally cool & the fronts come every 4 to 6 days.  For this reason we are heading south to the Georgetown area because the fronts are supposed to fizzle out by the time they reach there.

Our position is N 23^o47. 063'       W 76^o07. 705'
Happy New Year
Jim & Lee Ann

Top:  Lee Ann and Jamie at the Nassau Cruise Ship dock.   Bottom:  Jamie next to a blow hole at Wardrick Wells.

This site has been accessed  times since February 1, 2001.