Back after a year’s cruise, her log book entries vividly bring back the reality of cruising.  Part 1 of this 2-part post was published on Oct [...]]]> Elli wrote us to say thanks for all the support and inspiration she has received from Women and Cruising, and from our 12 Sailing Families.

Back after a year’s cruise, her log book entries vividly bring back the reality of cruising.  Part 1 of this 2-part post was published on Oct 14.

6. “Orlando Bloom Sand!”, aka Sandy Cay – Exumas ‘We have something special planned for the girls today… Just 15 miles from Georgetown rests a tiny island called Sandy Cay (also White Cay in some charts). Most of the island is underwater at high tide. At low tide however, the water recedes to reveal a stunning expanse of pristine white sand beach. It is here that Gore Verbinsky, the director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy shot a favorite scene from the trilogy’s second movie. Movie’s soundtrack in the CD player, we turn on the engine and glide out of Elizabeth harbour…’

7. Sandy Cay – Exumas ‘I walk on deck, mug of steaming coffee in hand, a little before 6:30am.  Off our bow, a sweeping expanse of white sand beach… Silhouetted against the blue sky ready to erupt with the day’s first light, scatterings of palm and indigenous casuarina trees, so perfectly placed they appear painted on the landscape. I gingerly place bare feet on starboard deck moist with morning dew, and grab the lifelines with one hand, mug of coffee still in the other.  Something in the clear turquoise water catches my eye but it quickly swims away before I can identify it. I sit on deck, close my eyes, and listen. It doesn’t happen often on a trip like this, so when it does it’s nothing short of a symphony of music to the ears.  What sounds like hundreds, perhaps thousands of birds are heralding the beginning of another glorious day in the Bahamian out islands.  Eyes still closed, I move with the boat’s gentle swaying, now also aware of the waves gently lapping at the white sand just a few feet off our bow. I am all at once acutely aware of how much I will miss mornings like these once back on land and am saddened by the thought that we are already heading home. I open my eyes as the sun’s first rays peek through the casuarinas and warm my face. Below deck, David and the girls are still asleep and part of me wants to rouse them, to share this moment with them, to show them what they’re missing.  I don’t.  I close my eyes again, letting the sun’s rays wash over me and privately, peacefully, selfishly, savor the moment.’

8. Warderick Wells Mooring Field – Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park Headquarters ‘We radio the park office, receive our mooring assignment, and proceed into the stunning mooring field, carefully following the band of darker blue water arching into the protected crystalline lagoon. The site is stunning the second time around. Today there is not a breath of wind in the protected mooring field and we can easily distinguish sea grasses, small coral heads, bigger fish and positively enormous rays casually swimming in the pristine waters surrounding our boat. I am momentarily distracted by the indescribable beauty that surrounds us but my eyes are still trained on mooring ball number 7, boat hook at the ready, as David glides Wind of Peace closer and closer…’

Read also on this website

• Part 1 of this post: Elli shares her thanks and logbook from her family’s year of cruising (Part 1)
• 12 Questions to 12 Sailing Families

Want to help other families get out cruising ?

Share YOUR experience
with Women and Cruising readers!

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

In it she shares a list of things to have aboard to help you prepare as well as a [...]]]> Hurricane Irene – August 23, 2011 – 21:45 UTC – Photo Goes East

As readers prepare for hurricane Irene, we are re-printing a story that Pam Wall wrote about going through Hurricane Dennis in the Abacos.

In it she shares a list of things to have aboard to help you prepare as well as a checklist of preparations to make as a hurricane approaches. 

Several years ago we were in the Bahamas for our summer vacation. It was early July and we had not been worried about hurricanes at that time of year.

But, good old Bertha didn’t look at her calendar! We were in White Sound, Green Turtle Cay, in the Abacos at that time. Our family of four plus our dog were aboard, and while we were all a bit frightened, we were proud that we had stayed aboard our boat, Kandarik, a Freya 39. Bertha did her best to ruin the islands, but thankfully there was not much damage.

And now, just two weeks ago, we were again in the Abacos, and as our luck would have it, Hurricane Dennis came out of nowhere and tested our wits again.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami predicted it would go to the East of the Abacos. When the Northeast seventy-plus knots of wind died for about fifteen minutes and the wind veered to the Southwest with a vengeance, we knew the NHC was wrong and the eye of the hurricane had come over us. And this was our vacation!

Getting prepared for a hurricane

South Pacific: S/V CARIBEE riding comfortably in 80 knots after hurricane Rene passed – Photo provided by Cheryl Baker

I feel now that we are experienced in getting our boat and ourselves prepared for the forces of a hurricane. The things we will always have aboard when cruising during the tropical storm season are essential for the safety of the boat and all aboard.

I have made a small list of essentials that may be useful for others:

Hurricane List

• Galvanized shackles of every size, your chain size and larger, and of course, seizing wire
• Extra 50 foot lengths of chain, the size you use for your anchors and larger
• Anchor swivels
• Extra heavy duty line ¾” and larger preferably Megabraid, 100 and 200 foot pieces
• Heavy duty galvanized or stainless steel thimbles
• Assorted different style anchors (at least three plus a larger storm anchor)
• Jerry cans for extra fuel and water
• Lots of lashing lines
• Hand held VHF
• Hand held depthsounder for sounding secure anchorages as well as what is ahead of and behind the boat
• Raw water strainers that are easy to clean for the unusually dirty water following a hurricane
• Sheepsfoot knife for fast cutting of lines to be kept in the cockpit
• SSB or Ham Radio and/or battery powered AM/FM radio for local forecasts
• Masks, snorkels, fins, and if possible filled SCUBA tank for setting anchors and securing moorings under the water
• Good recording barometer (really fun to see AFTER it is all over!!!)
• Lots of towels and heavy duty chafe gear
• Ventilator caps for all vents and dorades
• Dogs for all hatches and ports
• Big roll of Duck Tape
• Dacron sticky back tape for instant sail repairs
• Good sturdy dodger that can safely be left up in the strongest of winds
• Anchor weights
• Extra long anchor snubbers
• Batteries for flashlights, radios etc.
• A really good washer and big dryer for cleaning up everything after it is all over!! Ha, Ha, I wish!!!

This looks like a lot of equipment, but it really isn’t. And most of it you would have already. If you don’t have all this aboard, you could be caught short when you need it the most. Believe me! We saw so many people looking for this equipment when it was too late or unavailable. It is so easy to think ahead and make provisions. Once we knew that Dennis was going to be a threat to us, we started looking for a secure anchorage. This can sometimes be difficult when everyone else is doing the same thing.

So, start getting yourself a safe place as soon as you can.

Beat the crowds and find yourself a place with as few other boats as possible as the real danger can be others breaking free and crashing into you!

Here is another small list that makes it easy to prepare for the worst:

Safe List

• Take ALL sails down, mainsail, genoas, mizzens, ALL, flake them and stow below deck
• Take all Bimini Tops, awnings, weather cloths, etc. off the frames and lash the frame securely
• Take all downwind poles off the mast and secure as low on the deck as possible
• Tape the snap shackles with duck tape and pull to top of the mast (don’t forget to leave one to be able to retrieve the rest!)
• Lash all the halyard falls to the mast. Nothing should be able to whip in the wind (and it will if left unlashed)
• Take any undeployed anchors off the bow rollers where chafe could occur; lash the anchors on deck where they could easily be deployed if needed during the hurricane
• Cap all ventilators
• Stow EVERYTHING on deck down below. If it can get loose on deck and cause damage it will!
• Use a combination of chain at the bottom and line to the boat for anchors and mooring lines. All chain does not have enough stretch, and all line could chafe on the bottom. Mooring weights are a great help and Megabraid seems to have the best stretch and chafe resistant capabilities for these extreme conditions.
• Secure all lines through smooth chocks, to strong cleats, and use fair leads. Heavy-duty snatch blocks are great if the lead from your chock to the cleat isn’t fair.
• Do not rely on the windlass for securing anchors on chain or line
• Check every unattended boat around you for secure mooring (that will be your biggest worry!)

By the time Dennis came upon us, we had secured everything as best we could. During the 48 hours of very strong winds, we were constantly checking for chafe and adjusting the lines to the best advantage.

After the eye passed over us at about 4 am (naturally it would be in the dark!) we had only a couple of minutes to make sure we would be ready for the 180 degree windshift.

We actually had to swim out another couple of mooring lines to different mooring blocks when the shift came. It’s easier to swim under water than take a chance on a flipping dingy above the water. Two of our anchors were useless, as the eye had been predicted to pass well to the East.

Ready for the storm

As the storm approached us, we were all ready for her in the Eastern Harbor of Man-O-War Cay in the Abacos. There were about 25 unattended storage boats in the harbor on permanent moorings.

Only five boats had crews aboard. Funny how close we all became. It was like one big family in different rooms, all with the same fears and problems, and all willing to help one another should the need arise. We were continuously on the VHF radio checking on each other. Truly, we became the closest of friends during that 48 hours!

The pelting rain and gusting wind began about 12 hours before the eye passed over us.

We went for a walk to the windward side of the island to see the ocean. It was blowing about 55 to 60 knots and even though we had difficulty walking against this wind, the view we had of the raging sea was spectacular. The normally peaceful lagoon inside Man-O-War reef was a tempest of gusting wind, huge seas, no visibility, and enormous breaking surf on the coral lined beach.

And the hurricane had not even yet arrived. Our anchorage was still quite calm behind the hills with the wind very sporadic with short-lived gusts to 50 knots.

At dark the full fury of the storm came upon us.

Why does it always come at night? Cockpit watches and chafe patrols kept us awake. The anemometer registered over 70 knots and I know it was blowing more than that for some of the time. Kandarik would heel over in the stronger gusts, then shake herself back onto an even keel. The noise on deck was deafening as the wind whistled through the rigging. We could hear the shotgun sounds of a loosed roller furling genoa on the boat up the harbor from us. Below in the cabin it was difficult to talk to one another over the sound of roaring wind. While it did not rain very much, only spitting at times, the wind driven seawater poured over the boat like a wild shower. Even in the dark we could see the gusts literally lift the harbor water up and send it whirling across the surface.

We could not sleep. I was on the Ham Radio every few minutes getting updates, and giving the National Hurricane Center our barometric pressure, wind speed and direction. It was fun being part of their network.

At about 3:30 a.m. the wind stopped. It was so weird!

We rushed up on deck; there was the loom of the full moon, and no wind. I got on the radio and reported this to the Hurricane Center in Miami. I was asked to go on deck and give every detail of the conditions. Now, at last they knew exactly where the eye was. Within minutes the wind made its dramatic change that confirmed the location of the eye.

If it was blowing hard before the eye passed us, well, let me tell you, it blew even stronger on the backside of the storm!

And now the pouring pelting rain came. Sheets of rain smothered the boat. Even higher gusts of wind came more frequently and lasted longer. The barometer plummeted in its final dive, and seemed to stay at its all time low forever.

As dawn finally came we realized we needed more lines out to windward.

The only solution was for Andy to swim to where we thought there was another mooring block. There I was on the bow, holding on as the wind tried to tear my hands from the bow pulpit, watching my husband swimming in the half-light of dawn, trying to secure another line to a mooring in front of us! I remember not being able to see anything as the stinging rain bit into my skin like a million needles.

I was really worried about Andy and was so relieved when he resurfaced near the boat. It was a struggle for him to get back aboard. He laughed at my worried expression and told me how peaceful it was below the surface of the water. He was lucky to have found the mooring.

The hurricane force winds lasted another twelve hours.

We saw two boats tear loose from their moorings and smash into other boats before finally ending up on the shore. There was nothing anyone could have done to save them, as the wind was far too strong for a dingy to survive without flipping over. I have never seen such rain. Blankets, not sheets, of water were thrown over us. Dennis must have liked the Abacos, as he was so slow to move on.

Our poor barometer must have hated my eyes peering continuously at it hoping for the much-desired rise in pressure.

It was late evening of the second day that it finally calmed down to 35 or 40 knots. The rain continued, but there was a definite ease in the wind. By Sunday morning it was all over, calm and peaceful again. The seas outside the island continued to rage for several more days as Dennis insisted on churning up the ocean to the North.

But, for us, the show was over.

This article appeared on Pam Wall’s blog

Less than 10 days later, Kandarik encounters hurricane Floyd!!!! Read the story! (Pam Wall’s blog).

About Pam Wall

Pam sailed around the world in a 7-year adventure with her husband and young children before finding her important niche as West Marine‘s Outfitting Manager.

In this role Pam has done much to support cruisers, both new and experienced, as she has through the many seminars she presents at boat shows across the country (including Women and Cruising seminars) and the sailing she teaches annually at Women on the Water Week in the British Virgin Islands.

Pam’s website is www.PamWall.com.

Read also on this website

• Earthquakes & tsunamis – Part 2: lessons learned in Samoa, by Amanda Neal: Suggestions for preparing for and responding to earthquake and tsunami alerts.

Read some of Pam Wall’s contributions to Women and Cruising:

• Pam WALL Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family aboard Kandarik
• Pam Wall: What I like Most about Cruising
• Pam Wall: Galley Advice from a Circumnavigator

More information (external links)

• Hurricane Floyd, by Pam Wall: “Dennis came and went with no damage to our boat Kandarik except for our frazzled nerves. We never dreamed we would encounter another hurricane in less than ten days!”
• National Hurricane Center: The National Hurricane Center website provides detailed location and forecasting of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Mexico and the Eastern Pacific.
• Hurricanes in Baja: Fire Drills and the Real Thing, by Gwen Hamlin

Have you weathered a hurricane or tropical storm?

Share your experience.

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

One of the greatest gift of cruising to a place via sailboat is the fact that you [...]]]> As Brittany and Scott, newlyweds, head down island to the Caribbean on their Hallberg-Rassy 35, Brittany reflects on ways that  cruising takes her out of tourist mode. Thanks, Brittany for sharing this post from your blog! Keep us updated!

One of the greatest gift of cruising to a place via sailboat is the fact that you are – almost always – viewed as a traveler, and not a tourist.  The other night our new friend Dee made this distinction – and I thought it interesting enough to share…

What’s the difference?

• The tourist can be found at the all-inclusive resort.  The traveler will be found at the local coffee shop.

At a local bar in Little Farmers Cay, Bahamas where we were taught how to play local dominos

• The tourist will emerge from an air-conditioned tour bus where they will frantically snap a bunch of photos and rush back into the bus to head to the next site.  The traveler will be jam-packed into public transportation, potentially alongside live animals and might even have someone else’s child thrust into their arms…

• The tourist will only eat at the ‘white’ establishments deemed “safe” by their resort.  The traveler will dine on local cuisine, in local cafeterias among local people (Montezuma be damned!).

A local cafe outside Luperon, Dominican Republic where the food was divine	Enjoying some local beans, rice, plantains and ‘ensalada’ at a local cafeteria outside of Luperon

• The tourist complains in a nasally voice that no one speaks English.  The traveler tries to communicate in the local dialect (mostly unsuccessfully (wince) – but not for want of trying!)…

A tiny treasure, found along a deserted beach in the Bahamas

• The tourist bounces from trinket shop to trinket shop buying shell boxes, woven wallets, and little shot glasses that say “Viva la ____” while the traveler collects momentos from the beach or from the locals’ whom they have befriended.

• The tourist has a detailed agenda and schedule, the traveler has intentions and flexible plans…

• What the tourist despises, the traveler loves:  Broken down busses, roadside riots, sudden strikes, flat tires, wrong turns, flash floods, taking the wrong train to the wrong town (whoopsie!)..etc…  To the tourist these are major inconveniences (even catastrophes) – to the traveler they are recipes for adventure…

• Where the tourist sees an obstacle, the traveler sees an opportunity…
Where the tourist sees dirt and disgust, the traveler sees a simple beauty…

The difference is in the mindset.

The traveler seeks to learn more about the world around him, whereas the tourist is looking for an escape.  The traveler tries to understand a new culture, the tourist prefers to see only what is appealing…

On the back of a friend’s motorcycle getting a free tour of Luperon

For the traveler – it’s the journey that counts, for the tourist it’s the destination…

While both Scott and I have had moments where we have been both tourists and travelers – we have learned that being a traveler provides a much richer experience.  Locals have more respect for you, they’re more likely to view you as equals and see you as people and not just dollar signs.

Yesterday I hitched a ride to shore on a local fishing boat who’s friendship we have made here in Luperon;  I offered him a few pesos as a “thank you”.  He simply looked at me with a beaming smile, closed my fingers over my open palm and said, “I like you more than I like money”.

You won’t be hearing that at the local Sandals resort.

The traveler sees what he sees.

The tourist sees what he has come to see.

~G.K. Chesterton

Love,
Brittany & Scott

About Brittany Stephen-Meyers

Brittany Stephen-Meyers is a gypsy at heart; she has lived in Tanzania, Africa, has traveled as far east as Thailand and as far south as Patagonia…

She is currently on an open-ended cruising sabbatical with her new husband, Scott aboard their Hallberg-Rassy 35 Rasmus.

They married in July of 2010, took off on their boat in September and plan to stay afloat as long as they possibly can.

You can learn more about Brittany and Scott and their travels on their prolific and popular sailing blog www.windtraveler.blogspot.com.

What have you learned lately as you cruise?

Share your experiences with us.

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

The protected Bahamian harbour we are in with its keyhole-type entrance is adjacent to a very friendly community.

Cruisers stop here in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, for short or longer stays and it is a very nice mix of both residents and a few tourists. In other words this place welcomes tourists but does not exist [...]]]>

The protected Bahamian harbour we are in with its keyhole-type entrance is adjacent to a very friendly community.

Cruisers stop here in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, for short or longer stays and it is a very nice mix of both residents and a few tourists. In other words this place welcomes tourists but does not exist solely for the tourist.

This appeals to both of us, since we do not feel we can truly learn about a place and it’s culture by only visiting the normal tourist spots.

As we were planning to stay for a couple of months, I began looking for an opportunity to volunteer in the community, that was providing free of charge moorings and a safe albeit temporary home.

I have been fortunate indeed to spend two days a week at the local primary school working with kids who are having difficulty in school. The kids are polite, quick to smile and just generally fun to be around.

Initially, I wondered what I would be doing with each child, so the first day or two, we talked trying to get to know each other. We also read short books together and wrote stories. I was trying to assess what I could best focus on with each child as well as find out a little about their personalities.

This has been fun for me, and offers me a perspective on the community I would not have otherwise discovered. The school has included me in various activities with open arms. Far more children and their parents know me by name than would if I had  remained a slightly interested visitor.

Some adults have stopped me to thank me for my time! I had been wondering if I was being at all useful, if I had made a mistake entering the lives of the children for so short a time ( several weeks). This question has been recently answered for me.

One teacher says her student has improved the legibility of her writing, another is at last learning cursive writing, and two others have begun to improve their ability to read.

The thing I am happiest about, is having been able to arrange  eye glasses for a child whose parents cannot afford them. This young person will make great strides simply by being able to see her work, thanks to a kind sponsor.

It has been fun to share stories about my home with these curious children, and show them the route our boat took to travel here.

Interesting also is their reaction to learning we have things like an oven aboard, or the fact that “They let me drive the dingy all by myself.” These exchanges offer little windows into the cultural norms of the area. 

It will be hard to leave these wonderful young people behind when I begin my journey home soon. Along with the fun, I have also learned things that have made me very sad, and in some cases angry. The children have taught me more than I have shown them.

Would I do it again, given the opportunity? Indeed I would, it has been worth every minute.

I feel privileged to have been allowed to participate in the community in this way. I feel like I have received much for the donation of a small amount of time.

I would encourage others to join in community ventures while cruising, when the opportunity presents itself.

An EEO (Educational Education Outreach Bahamas) volunteer wrote this about Ruth’s involvement for their newsletter and passed it on to Women and Cruising:

“A woman who came by boat from Canada and anchored in Hatchet Bay stopped by P.A. Gibson Primary School to see if Mrs. Ingraham, the Principal, needed a volunteer to help with children with learning disabilities. 

Her name is Ruth Allen.  She raised two sons who are now middle-aged and both had a variety of learning disabilities. She began coming in on Tuesday and Wednesday to work with the EEO students that were in need of special one-on-one attention with their various disabilities. 

One little girl had trouble reading and had a wandering eye which Ruth also had as a child.  She realized that the girl might need glasses.  She mentioned it to someone in her travels through the community and they offered to pay for her to get glasses. The little girl doesn’t know about this yet but will be thrilled to be able to read better.

Ruth has also taken a special interest in one little boy who she feels will do best if he is directed into some sort of technical training for his career choice.  She has offered to take him onto her boat and introduce him to various mechanical/engineering facets of boats in order to spark his interest in pursuing learning a boat-related skill.  He already shows great interest in anything even remotely associated with the sea and will be thrilled when he learns that his father has agreed to allow Ms. Ruth to take him onboard.”

About Ruth Allen

I have been living aboard Witchcraft, my Tom Colvin designed ketch for the last six years. As soon as my four children were launched my husband (Mark) and I emptied the house, and left the land behind.

We are not full time cruisers since we are not retired. I work at West Marine Canada which gives me the opportunity to combine work and pleasure.

I live in Canada and sail every chance I get. I came to sailing later in life and found a new passion.

Visit Ruth’s blog: www.mytb.org/svwitchcraft

Related articles on Women and Cruising

• Ruth Allen’s secret weapon against fear: the theme song from Gilligan’s Island
• Blog posts related to Volunteering
• Our Resource List on Volunteering

More Info

• Educational Education Outreach Bahamas (EEO) website
• Hatchet Bay Festival Committee website

How have you gotten involved in the communities you have sailed to?

Leave a comment below or email us: kathy@forcruisers.com

Our contributors usually send in their posts and articles from their boats, using wifi, a satellite phone, or a local internet cafe.

I correspond with our contributors [...]]]> In case you have been wondering, Women and Cruising has no corporate office. Our webmaster Sylvie works on the website and blog from her boat in the Caribbean.

Our contributors usually send in their posts and articles from their boats, using wifi, a satellite phone, or a local internet cafe.

I correspond with our contributors by email or Skype. Gwen and I often discuss and edit her Admiral’s Angle column while chatting via Skype.

Here is where I have been updating the Women and Cruising site this week: the Water’s Edge Internet Cafe in Alice Town, Eleuthera (Hatchet Bay).

There are plenty of diversions: cruisers and locals and semi-locals drop in to check the internet, eat a burger, drink a beer, or just chill out. Yesterday they were watching football.

And after a long afternoon in the “office”, it’s back to the boat and a lovely sunset.

More info:

Become a Women and Cruising contributor: Email kathy@forcruisers.com

Sign up for Skype, to give you another way to keep in touch with your cruising friends, as well as friends and family back home.