S/V Halley

  24 10.394n 76 27.143w We ran into a sister boat last week, another Antares 44 by the name of True North. Before we had a chance to do the same, the owners Jason and Ashley dinghied over to us to say hello. We invited them onboard for a chat and then landed a dinner invitation at their boat. Great meal and fun to see the same boat in a different incarnation. It also got us fired up about switching to lithium batteries and getting more solar installed sooner rather than later, not to mention getting the darn water maker and the generator fixed. We now have a plan to stop in to Just Catamarans in Florida for a make-over on our way north for the summer. Another inspiration from True North was backtracking 20 nm to visit Prime Cay . We’d already spent time in that general area but missed the cay since the entry is very shallow and the cay is not mentioned in our cruising guide. We weighed anchor early the next morning and headed south. How nice to be free to just pull up and go where...

Cold, wet commute home from work in February, 2020: where will we be 2 years from now?

24 04.714n 76 23.173w Generator trouble. Good times.

24 04.714n 76 23.173w One good anchor (Rocna) with lots of heavy duty chain out. The anchor alarm on the chart plotter is worth its weight in gold, that's for sure. We can see how we drift around the anchor in a nice and tight pattern even after the wind shift. Seeing gusts up towards 40 kt this morning (20 m/s).

24 04.600n 76 23.470w It’s midday and we just dropped anchor in one of the prettiest spots so far. Intensely turquoise water against white sand beaches interspersed by rugged rocks and cliffs.This will serve as our hidey-hole for the next 4-5 days as a strong nor’easter is passing through. The place is called Isaac’s Bay and is located on Great Iguana Cay in the Exumas.   We are one of six boats in this bay; not the only ones who think it will provide good shelter in the coming days. Though good is a relative term;  a narrow, low-lying island chain like the Exumas can only provide so much protection in a blow. There’s low land to the north and a ¼ mile thick strip of beaches and dunes separating us from the Atlantic to the east. We will feel the wind for sure, but we won’t get the waves.   But right now, we most definitely have waves. Before turning north tonight, the wind is brisk from the south and waves are rolling in over the shallow banks.Halley is bobbing up and do...

23 30.404n 75 43.783w Our dear friends, Ina and Stephan Pfuhler, arrived last Thursday and stayed for a long weekend. Great fun to get to share our new life with them. It doesn’t take long to get a little jaded; now we got to see the Bahamas again with fresh eyes; the sunsets, the incredible water, the velvety air, etc. And time to lose the fear of swimming in shark waters. Those crazy Germans of ours hopped right in, be it mid-day or at shark-o-thirty, and swam near and far from the boat. Howling 20 kt winds and strong currents were also no match, just an opportunity for an exercise swim to shore for laps along the beach. It was a good level-set for the shark-traumatized permanent crew of Halley. High winds kept us in the George Town bay area for the weekend, but we had one good day of sailing on the ocean side of the Exumas. We got the screecher, the light wind sail, out for the first time and had a great run with it in sunny, beautiful conditions. Then of course all good things must...