(no subject)

ahh sehr nett! ja wär gern noch mit euch mitgesegelt.. aber hatte eine tolle sicht beim ersten flug.. der übrigens 2stunden verspätet war.. hab sogar die stray cat noch aus dem fenster gesehen..
ja war sehr anstrengend der flug. mein gepäck ist auch in miami stehen geblieben aber sollte mir demnächst zugestellt werden.
tja jetzt kämpfe ich den ganzen tag schon mit being landsick aber noch viel mehr mit dem wach bleiben!!! pffff
zumindest scheint die sonne..

also ich wünsch euch noch eine schöne zeit, liebe grüsse an alle bussi!!

aja bei franzi war ich noch nicht oben,,,aber ich ha opa husten gehört--

so, ich scheib jetzt da noch das ship log;

bitte mark geben damit er es auf seine homepage stellt!

The days before getting onto Capt. Mark´s Stray Cat we all just couldn't wait getting on board. Still back home in Austria my father Dieter would always have a big smile on his face when speaking of the beaches and the water of the Exumas, Bahamas and the fact that we would explore this by sailing. His girlfriend Gabi though pointed out the possibility of having too big waves and therefore getting seasick. My sister Linda also had on the one hand a big smile on her face but on the other hand she started to realize that on this trip she might meet some sharks, one of her biggest fears. Her boyfriend Julian was hopefully watching the movie "razor man" (later on board he convinced us of the existence of this movie just in order to win a game we've played. well but we are still doubting its existence...) for him it was the first sailing trip.
Anyway, it sounded like a great adventure..

Since I arrived a few days earlier to the Bahamas I met all of them right at the Stray Cat in the Nassau Yacht Haven.
I remember one of the first things Mark said to me: So, Dieter seems to be a precise person.. Oh, yes Mark he is, especially with Coca Cola cans.. Luckily we never ran out of it..
Speaking of beverages and food I really have to give the best compliments to our chef Deborah. I don't know how she managed to cook these amazing meals in that kitchen on board that just wouldn't stop moving. I wonder how she did not get seasick. After all in the beginning we were quite curious who would be the first.. Mark told us some tricks he would use when he would see someone getting the first symptoms. Anyway we were lucky to spend our days on Stray Cat without such incidents, even though with Capt. Mark on board nothing would have been a problem. Its amazing how he made us feel comfortable on board, with his trustworthy and positive energy.
I think the first nights him and Deborah could not get much sleep, since we, the guests, started wandering around on the Stray Cat to find th best sleeping place. I think after the first nights we have all tested all possible sleeping places on board..the trampoline and the little mattress outside, the bench inside and the rooms.
I think that's also why Mark sent us hiking on one of the islands we have stopped, so we would be more tired of walking around at night. And at least for me it seemed to work. That night I was so tired and exhausted after we have walked to amazing beaches and enjoyed a long bath in the sea...

At one point, during snorkeling, Julian and Linda were just swimming next to a Barracuda. Especially Linda was amazed. After swimming with that fish and having seen many sharks swimming right next to our boat, I think she started to like them..
Also Gabi got rid of her fear of getting seasick (after all she seemed to be the only person not feeling the land move when we had our dinner out at Staniel Cay). Julian discovered his talent of making the most beautiful pictures of some amazing sunsets we saw as well as taking pictures of lizards on the beach. Linda and me, for the first time, had to escape some wild pigs walking towards us at the beach.
And I think now, after this trip Dieter will have an even bigger smile on his face when thinking of the Bahamas.

I could continue writing for ages since we had so many great experiences.
Just thinking of flocking with the fish, the huge "fishball" we encountered, the many many big and colorful fish at that cave close to Staniel Cay, the sun and the wind on board, the stars at night, the crystal clear water, and the baby powdery sand, the kayaks..

just don't forget your sunglasses, sun cream and hat....

Thank you Mark,

all the best to you and Stray Cat

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(no subject)

May 13, 2009
On board, Jeff & Marcia Kish, Mike (the Heat) and Mel Streng, Paul and Laura Sauer, and Bryan & Carol Albright and Captain Mark

We left Nassau Bahama's today around 1:00 pm. We traveled to Allen's Cay with Captain Mark and Mel guiding us on our way. There were three to four footers on our way to Allen's. The ride was a little rough but we were still able to drink and party on the seven hour tour. Just as the sun was setting we anchored inside of the bay. Jeff wanted to take off to explore the island but Captain Mark said that it was not safe at night. The other boats were chumming the water with their leftover fish bait, perhaps attracting fish we may not like to swim with. Now we are sitting on the boat chilling out to my favorite band OAE. The song Nigh Shift/ Stir it up is on right now. We will wait till dawn to explore. I am going to sign off and join the rest of the crew and enjoy the amazing stars. Life can not get any better.

Marcia

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(no subject)

Monday April13- Friday April 17 2009
Paul, Julie, Elaine(14),Liam(12), Drew(9)

We set out and Captain Mark taught us about navigating, about the GPS, radar, speed and the depth. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean, fishing, kayaking, and snorkeling. We saw many different types of fish and sea creatures such as squid and spotted eagle rays [harmless] which we swam with.

We sailed around Rose Island and Green Island, we found star fish, sand dollars, sea biscuits, shells and conch shells.
In the evenings we watched a movie 'Captain Ron', looked at the stars, and one of the nights had a bonfire on the beach.
Carla's amazing cooking was 5star everyday, there's always enough and we really liked it. Thank you Carla for your terrific effort, it was great.
We had so many wonderful new experiences that will stay with us forever. Thank you Captain Mark.

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More of the last three weeks

Had another theatrical event last week.

CBS or CNBC, I'm a bit shaky on the details, chartered me for the reenactment of a true story involving an NBA star who went off on a Catamaran in Tahiti several years ago. As the story goes the star ended up killing his girl friend, his estranged brother, and the Captain - I hate that part.

The director (another Chris) briefed me in great detail of the story line and how I would be required to maneuver the boat to accommodate his scene structure. A few years back I did a four day shoot for the Macy's spring catalog so I knew from that experience he would want much of me; to my surprise he wanted more than I conjured up.

The two black young men (one of the guys is another Chris) who would play the roles of Star and angry brother (the brother demanded money from the star) and a young white gal who played the stars girlfriend showed up. After they settled in on board, introduced themselves to each other, were briefed about their roles by Chris and by me about safety on board, Chris inquired about the actor Captain who was MIA.

Phone calls ensued, it became obvious to Chris that he would have no Captain actor, and then he looked at me thoughtfully and said "you look like a Captain with your tan and all; you're older then the real life Captain but it can work".

I signed release papers, & later in the day while playing the Captain I was clunked in the head with a wrench and dispatched to actor's heaven; what a short career. This documentary is to air in March.

Here's another one from last week

Dear Capt. Mark,

My name is Francie Anderson and I am the editor of Wando High School's
Tribal Tribune. We are doing a feature story about your sail charters,
and we were wondering if we could use one of the pictures from your
website in our newspaper. We would greatly appreciate your help!

Thanks!

This fine Carolina school has an online version and may have published the article this week on page 21, www.tribaltribune.com. Since I'm out here in the middle of nowhere if someone comes across the article it would be fun to know about it.

Mark
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Last three weeks

After three weeks of no sailing it's good to be underway again, I crossed the Gulf Stream Miami to the Gun Cay cut yesterday in very ruff conditions. This morning I'm easting on the Bahamas Banks in light air (on the nose of course) but making good time at about 7.5 kts, it should reach 82F today. The wind will shift to the southeast (no help there) today with a cold front passage later, a shift to the northwest at 15-20 tonight, that shift will be real good for sailing.

I had to delay this passage because the sea state in the Stream has been 8 to 10 feet with wind gust over thirty for the last three days; the result is, cutting it real thin for meeting with my guests in Nassau.

They will be flying in from Austria tomorrow, so Max if you're reading this, I'll make it, but-just.

I went to the premiere of The Heart is a Drum Machine at the Phoenix Art Museum to see and enjoy my son's success. Chris wrote and directed this documentary about music. Along with his friend and colleague Ryan Page (who produced the movie) both were well received by the six hundred people who came to the opening, but most of all by me and my Daughter and Grand Daughter who came over from southern California; yep I'm a proud Dad. Chris's Mom lives in Phoenix and was also there beaming.

I didn't know this, a drum machine is the electronic device a short handed musician might use to set the rhythm and generally be their percussion section.

Chris interviewed about one hundred celebrities to get their thoughts and feelings about music. People like Maynard James Keenan of the rock group Tool, Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips' who also scored the film, Elijah Wood, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more.

The widow of Dr. Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, you may remember her movie Contact, introduced the movie and concluded it. Ann also picked the music of the golden record that was onboard the Voyager space probes 1 and II.

I'll fill in the rest of my three weeks of non sailing in the next entry.

Mark
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Back again

I didn't have any luck with that Wifi, no signal, I'll just have to wait till Miami to get online.


Things change fast out here, while near Cat the wind came up at about ten from the south, that blew the fog out and the sun in.
I'm 15 miles from Miami now sailing at about 7 knts on a south wind in the Gulf stream, I'll make the sea buoy at about 6: pm, to late for happy hour at Scotty"s so if I do have a drink there, it will cost $8.00 plus tip. I'm ready to get off the boat though and some human contact could be fun.
All for now,
Mark

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Catch up

It's been weeks since I last wrote; guests have written a fair amount though, that kept me out of trouble with friends and family who keep up with my wondering's. There are no guests onboard as I sail from Nassau to Miami so it's my turn to jot a bit.
So far this winter season there have been many days of wind in the twenties and above, a few nights in the high thirties, (which reminds me of the pop group Three Dog Night who took their name from Australian natives that judged the cold of night by the number of dogs they had to sleep with) But for the most part it has been very nice, on the mild side. Looking back, there were about 10 days of sailing the wind on long passages at 8-10 knts, real fun.
Today is not a sailing day, its flat calm in bright sun but it didn't start that way. This morning, after spending the night at anchor on the Great Bahamas Banks ten miles east of Cat Cay, I went on deck with my coffee cup in hand and was enveloped in a blanket of cool fog (very unusual in these waters). The decks were very wet with condensate, as I was looking over the starboard side, I saw a large Logger Head turtle apparently napping or I don't know what for sure, but it finally noticed me and dove real fast. I have read that Logger heads enjoy eating Portuguese Man Of war jellyfish; the down side for them is that, the long tentacles burn their eyes; as a result they don't see very well.
I'm going to sail over to Cat Cay and get a little Wifi time be right back.

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Dana up data

December 27-30, 2008

Over the next three days we continued to travel to different Cay's during the day. We arrived at the different cays each day around 1pm or so. Once we got to the anchor or mooring site Gary and I decided to go snorkeling. We found some great snorkeling spots where we saw lion fish, large cucumbers and sea stars, fantastic fan and brain corrals, Sergeant majors, large tangs, angelfish, etc. The snorkeling spots that Mark took us to were wonderful and had a lot to see. Each night we ate on the boat and got as much relaxation as possible due to the closing of our adventure. On the way to Nassau on the 30th we were able to see the original Gilligan's Island and where The Blue Lagoon was filmed. Mark dropped us off for our goodbye's on a dock in Nassau. In Nassau we ate some lunch and decided to do some shopping while we waited to go to the airport. On the way to the airport we drove the cemetery where Anna Nicole Smith is buried. I must say it was a wonderful trip that I will cherish always. Thanks Mark for all of the fun and sun. See you again some other time!

My Favorite Part of the Trip:

I would have to say there are 2 things that stick out for me on the trip we had on the Stray Cat. The first was the snorkeling spot called Thunderball Cave. In this cave was some of the best snorkeling I have seen. (I have been to many places to snorkel and dive.) I would also have to say Farmers Cay dinner at the Le Bleu restaurant was also memorable for me. We had a great dinner and met some interesting people there. What a blast we had!

Dana signing off till next time…….

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Chidrens Bay

December 22, 2008-Wednesday December 24, 2008
Ship's Log
On Board: Mark, David, Madeline, Gary, and Dana

Dana's Entry:

On Monday we flew in to meet the Stray Cat in Georgetown, Exuma. After provisioning the vessel we decided to anchor right outside of Great Exuma where we ate dinner at the Chat and Chill Restaurant and Bar. I ordered 2 Kalik Golds, they hit the spot. I ordered the fish and fries, Mahi Mahi, cooked fresh. After dining we moved back to the boat to relax and have some cocktails.

Today is Tuesday. Due to extreme winds at about 25 knots, we have decided to hang around the boat today. We will move tomorrow and fight the wind and waves for either 15 or 30 miles. Tonight for dinner we are having Mark's potatoes that I have heard a lot about accompanied by steak and vegetables.

Wednesday Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) we had a light breakfast and decided to motor sail 15 miles to Children's Bay. After 6-9 foot swells for 15 miles we had finally arrived. Two of us on board were not feeling very well from the Atlantic swells so we made a decision to cut through to the inside area of the islands where it would be calmer. To cut through we would have to take the boat through a small area where the waves were breaking. After a quick turn and 2 waves that broke on the boat we made it through. On the other side the water was much calmer and was easier on our stomachs. I must say though that Mark gave me a little bracelet to shock some nerves in my wrist area, and suddenly I was cured of my motion sickness. (I will definitely be buying one of those when I get home! Thanks Mark!) So we are on the inside (west) of the islands and begin to find a cove to settle down for the night. Once in Children's cove we took the dingy to land to go for a small hike over to the east side of the island where the waves were breaking hard. Following our hike Gary and I decided to get into the 77 degree water and see what we could find with masks and snorkels. We saw 1 fish and plenty of "ant hills" that were probably clams underneath the sand. We will cook again tonight because the island is not inhabited and will sail to another island tomorrow that has a restaurant. Until then; good night friend.

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Continued

Back at the boat we decided to watch a movie called Bloody Sunday. I wasn't really into the movie right away so I started looking around at the boat. I noticed that Mark was looking out the stern a little concerned. He called Gary to come and look and our hearts dropped into our ankles. The dingy was GONE!! With no moon and 25 MPH winds we started to look for it with flash lights hoping that it ran aground on the beach near by. The other option is that it had gone out to sea. Of course I am sure you can imagine that we were definitely hoping for the beached outcome. After about 30-40 minutes of wandering with the catamaran and flash lights Gary had an idea to dock and look for the dingy by foot along the shore. Madeline, David, and I went one way, nothing. Gary went the other way in his booties and wetsuit, nothing. Back at the boat the rest of us could see Gary by the light moving on his flashlight. Suddenly his flashlight stopped for some reason. As we kept watching we suddenly got a call on the VHF radio. "I got it!" he said! At that moment our hearts moved from our ankles to our chests again and it was definitely time for a drink. Wow! I can't believe we found it. Gary found a $6000 bill just floating on the shore and motored it back to our catamaran. My hero…..for now :

Friday December 26, 2008

Last night the winds were howling louder than I have heard since my trips to Mexico in a tent trailer with my parents. In the morning we had some breakfast and quickly got moving to our next Cay. We traveled another 10-15 miles to a new island called Stanley's Cay. We first anchored near a beach, took the dingy into shore, to be greeted by a family of 4 wild pigs. On the beach we took several pictures with the pigs who were venturing into the water to meet the other boats for food. On the beach you could find random carrots and egg shells, etc. The pigs would come up to your hands to see if you had any food. The coolest was the baby pig who seemed to afraid to go all the way into the water but still liked to cool his feet. Once we walked the beach and got plenty of pictures with the pigs we decided it was time to go snorkeling in Thunderbull Cave.
Thunderbull cave got it's name because the James Bond movie filmed a scene inside. The cave had an extreme amount of current going through so it was a little difficult to get in but not impossible. Inside the cave we saw many different types of fish. One fish that was a surprise was a Voltan lion fish. Any time a Bahamian sees a lion they are supposed to kill it because it is a Pacific fish and does not belong here. Gary and I spent about an hour in the water swimming in and out of the cave through the different holes. When we tired out we went back to the boat to get ready for dinner. Dinner tonight was at Club Thunderbull and the choices were chicken or ribs dinner. I chose the chicken and boy was it great. It was served with a small piece of corn on the cob, a baked potato, and a hefty salad. Due to the strong current and snorkeling adventure I did not even mind that it was dark meat and before I knew it my plate was empty. Like yesterday with the lobster I don't usually eat dark meat chicken so you know it must have been great. Well, after a wonderful dinner and a small dingy ride back to the boat we are now settling in with some tea and dessert on the boat and will soon retire to bed for another day at sea. Until then, goodnight friend.

P.S. Hi Mom!

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Back Country Exuma sailing

Stray Cat Captain's Log
On Board: David, Madeline, Gary, Dana
Captained by: Mark

Thursday December 25, 2008

As I woke up on Christmas morning I quickly noticed it was still very windy here in Children's Bay Cay. We decided it would be safer and more enjoyable for all if we stayed inside the islands and weaved in and out of the shallow depths. We passed many different small cays today, that included cays owned by Faith Hill and Johnny Depp. As we were weaving in and out there were times that we were in 3.5 to 4.5 feet deep. It was incredible to see the different blues due to the depth changes around us. On the later part of our travels today we ran into 2 Atlantic bottle nose dolphins. That was exciting although they only hung with us for about 1 minute, not even enough time to get the bread treat from Madeline. Finally, after 2-3 hours of sailing we reached our final destination for the night, Little Farmer's Cay, where we fortunately were able to get dinner thanks to a nice man named Terry.
On shore was an interesting experience for me. As soon as I stepped on land I felt like I had already consumed 4 beers. My equilibrium was off and I could not find my balance at times. As we entered the Le Bleu Restaurant we were introduced to the owner Terry and we sat down for a drink at the bar. Suddenly, it went from a quaint bar with the 6 of us to a grand party with an attendance of about 15% of the islands population (approximately 60 total). Many different locals came into the bar to greet us and enjoy drinks with us. As we were waiting for dinner in the bar the officer from the island came to sit with us. We ask him several questions about his life as an officer of the Bahamas and he told us many interesting things about life as he knows. After a couple of Kaliks our wonderful dinner had arrived to our table. For dinner tonight: Bahamian Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Peas and Rice, and the largest lobster tail I have ever seen.
I must tell you that I do not enjoy lobster very much, but when I was finished I looked at my plate and it was virtually empty (even the lobster was gone). I must say I have always made fun of my cousin because one time when we were younger she was absolutely sure that she hated lobster dinner. It is an ongoing family joke because when she actually tried it she loved it. Well, pretty much the same thing happened to me. I have realized that maybe I just have not liked the way it was cooked or prepared. Anyways, back to our story. So as we finished dinner the locals were starting to play bar games.
As they were playing we realized they were playing a game that we have never seen before. It consisted of a board on the wall with a hook attached, and a ring on a string about 8 feet away. The object was to throw the ring on a string to the wall and hook it. It was harder than it looked but we decided to give it a try and ended up being fairly good at it. After the festivities we decided it was time to go back to the boat for some relaxation and a movie. (continued)

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Chidrens Bay

December 22, 2008-Wednesday December 24, 2008
Ship's Log
On Board: Mark, David, Madeline, Gary, and Dana

Dana's Entry:

On Monday we flew in to meet the Stray Cat in Georgetown, Exuma. After provisioning the vessel we decided to anchor right outside of Great Exuma where we ate dinner at the Chat and Chill Restaurant and Bar. I ordered 2 Kalik Golds, they hit the spot. I ordered the fish and fries, Mahi Mahi, cooked fresh. After dining we moved back to the boat to relax and have some cocktails.

Today is Tuesday. Due to extreme winds at about 25 knots, we have decided to hang around the boat today. We will move tomorrow and fight the wind and waves for either 15 or 30 miles. Tonight for dinner we are having Mark's potatoes that I have heard a lot about accompanied by steak and vegetables.

Wednesday Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) we had a light breakfast and decided to motor sail 15 miles to Children's Bay. After 6-9 foot swells for 15 miles we had finally arrived. Two of us on board were not feeling very well from the Atlantic swells so we made a decision to cut through to the inside area of the islands where it would be calmer. To cut through we would have to take the boat through a small area where the waves were breaking. After a quick turn and 2 waves that broke on the boat we made it through. On the other side the water was much calmer and was easier on our stomachs. I must say though that Mark gave me a little bracelet to shock some nerves in my wrist area, and suddenly I was cured of my motion sickness. (I will definitely be buying one of those when I get home! Thanks Mark!) So we are on the inside (west) of the islands and begin to find a cove to settle down for the night. Once in Children's cove we took the dingy to land to go for a small hike over to the east side of the island where the waves were breaking hard. Following our hike Gary and I decided to get into the 77 degree water and see what we could find with masks and snorkels. We saw 1 fish and plenty of "ant hills" that were probably clams underneath the sand. We will cook again tonight because the island is not inhabited and will sail to another island tomorrow that has a restaurant. Until then; good night friend.

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The sailing life

I completed a five day trip with five guys who went to grad school together; it was great to have them aboard. Since they went to M I T, I thought they would all have pocket protectors, glasses held together with duck tape and goofy clothes; stereotyping was wrong, as always.
I'm at anchor in Nassau harbor and have been for three days dealing with small but aggravating maintenance issues. My four year old GPS chart plotter began to malfunction on my way over from Miami and finally died. That's being handled by my next guest Gary who has purchased a new one for me and will bring it with him to George Town. That will be expensive, about 2k when all is done.
I was enjoying some BBQ ribs sometime last week and broke a four tooth permanent bridge. Dental work is the only thing I know that's more expensive then boats but fortunately I have been doing barter with my two Dentists for years so the only expense will be flying to North Carolina a few times to get this problem resolved. I just have to remember to not smile to broadly till then.
More maintenance, the anchor windless is slipping when I use it to haul the anchor up. That usually means I simply re torque the main spindle bolt thereby increasing the friction. Well the dam bolt is frozen, I have for two days been trying PB Blaster, extreme heat and ice. Last night I got the bright idea to use the wench handle (that's the way it's designed) with a leverage bar yep; the wench handle broke. What next, I don't know, anybody out there got an idea?
Here's a small one but very aggravating; Chef Mate Deb told me way back in Miami that there was water on the shelves below the two galley sinks. I replaced all the plumbing with new, it seems I only made the problem worse; I'm not good at plumbing would be a kind description of my plumbing skills.
While I'm venting, I was boarded here in the harbor by the Bahamian Defense Force yesterday. I presented myself and papers while covered in grease, with tools strewn inside and out, topped off by my smile at their comment. They said they couldn't believe the age on my passport compared to my physical condition; and where is all my help.
I quoted Captain Ron "it's the rum, sailing and woman" that keeps you young.

Here is the last one I'm dealing with: the raw water pump that brings up sea water to cool the diesel engine, which drives the generator, had a small water leak caused by a two dollar lip seal failure. No problem, I have a spare for that so, remove, repair and reinstall about two hours, wrong. The spare was damaged. I got in a taxi then visited six shops, I was slow to understand that lunch here means that one shop is closed 12 to 1 and the next might be 1 to 2, anyway four hours later and a $120 taxi ride I located the seal at the last shop that might have such a seal, it wasn't two dollars it was ten; I would have paid fifty at that point.
I put it all back together and it worked fine; this morning it is not drawing water up-see why I don't like plumbing!
At the end of four days I'm right back where I was at the beginning with the exception of dock and taxi fees.
I'm going to the dock after I post this log and find my friend Captain Tony who often knows more about certain plumbing issues then me, not to diminish Tony but most everyone knows more about plumbing

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MIT BOYS

Monday 12/22/08

We depart from Nassau this morning after four days with Captain Mark and crew of Stay Cat feeling somewhat like one feels after huge Thanksgiving dinner, very full and satisfied. I not sure if it was all of the great food, the picturesque spots we anchored each night, or the nine bottles of rum we consumed over four days. Most likely some combination of the above. We were not your typical carter customer, five grad school buddies with a hall pass from our wives to go relive some memories for a long weekend. We arrived last Thursday night with just enough time to make it out to Rose Island for the sunset. Our plan was to head south the following morning to explore the Exumas, however, there was one problem, we had polished off most Stay Cat's stores of Rum, Tonic and limes and needed to head back to Nassau to reload. I think at this point Captain Mark was beginning to question why he had accepted this charter, but in record time we had the bow pointed south again. We made it to Allen's Cay in plenty of time for a dingy excursion to the white sand beaches and some great snorkeling, which was followed by a sumptuous multi course dinner and a full contact poker game lasting well into the evening. We were loud and at about 11:30 PM had a visitor from a neighboring boat: we presumed to complain. As it turned out he wanted to join the party.

The following morning after two hours of snorkeling and given the relatively short duration of our planned stay, we decided to head north again to take advantage of the settled weather and to get a little closer to the barn in advance of an approaching cold front. We found a spot about two hours outside of Nassau and again strapped on our snorkels and fins. This time we found ourselves in a schools of six eagle rays - a spectacular sight. In the evening more food and booze - a special thanks to the crew of Dances with Dolphins (a neighboring cat) who had vacuumed all of the lobster off of the reef that afternoon and bestowed upon us some fresh tails.

On our final day, we decided we needed to act more like children (like some how we had been mature the previous three). We took a slip in the Atlantis Marina and spent the afternoon sliding down the waterslides giggling like 11 year-olds. Fun, lots of it and here we are getting ready to leave, full. A special thanks to Captain Mark and "Candy" the able bodies Cook Mate and card shark.

See again soon.

Jim Alden and the MIT boys

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Miami, Cat, Chub to Nassau

Time to get caught up again, a couple of weeks ago I was trying to decide to cancel a short charter in Nassau because the last hurricane of the season was headed for Cuba and might have gone on to the central Bahamas. The storm slammed into Cuba as a Cat IIII about 160 miles from my location. The upper air, (shear) and the high mountains tore it up, so the charter was on again. Debra chef mated for me so the food was great and the weather was fine.
Deb sailed back to Miami with me in some heavy weather- but great sailing -I think she wanted more weather, go figure.
I just finished a trip last night with a very special family of five from Bulgaria and Deb who was the able chef again. This family was just so darn nice I should have paid them for there company. A high point was the last night at Hurricane Hole when Diko's Dad Balcho started singing Bulgarian folk music. He has a very deep and strong singing voice that was heard through the anchorage and enjoyed by all who could hear. Diko will post a ship's log entry in a few days telling all about the holiday aboard Stray Cat with his family.
I got to sleep at about 9:00 last night and was up at five to get ready for this passage today to Nassau. I had plenty of help Robert, Deb and Candace all helped with laundry, beds, floors, food, fuel, water and such. I have two days to get to Nassau for my next trip.
Candyce is aboard and will Chef mate for me then fly out.
We are mid Gulf Stream on the back side of a cold front, the sea is running about seven feet and we are under sail making about 8 knts, the sky is clear. The sunsets in Miami and the Bahamas are legendary; looking back at Miami it's easy to see why, tonight's example is awesome. .
Mark

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Re: coming home?

That little bang got my happy but moving; the sea is flat the wind is light out of the SE and I'm just starting off from Cat Cay be back around 14:00. I'll call.
Lv M

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Nassau to Miami

Just finished a three day charter with a very nice extended family of six from New England. I had thought to cancel the charter before they arrived because of the dangerous potential and close proximity of the Cat IIII hurricane. The forecasters seemed convinced that the upper air wind shear, and the mountains of Cuba, would take the storm apart and they were right.
It was a hard decision to make, staying there, since my natural inclination is to sail away from the threat.
Talking with my guests by Sat phone, I learned that the airlines and hotels would make no concessions for them. That news, coupled with the forecasters consistent predictions, I decided to stay, it all worked out fine and a good time was had by all.
I'm underway with two sails up in twenty knots of wind making about eight knots. We are broad reaching comfortably on a starboard tack in six foot waves, It's about eighty two degrees out here.
Last night I anchored near the Yacht club since I was able to pick up a WIFI signal from a boat named Camelot. I woke up about midnight and couldn't get back to sleep, the wind was at times 30/35 but everything was good when I walked around the boat so back to bed. At two AM I heard a bang, jumped up and ran to the cockpit to discover that Stray Cat had dragged three hundred feet to the concrete sea wall inches from the bow roller of Camelot. Even though I was awake I didn't feel the slow drag of the anchor. The bang amounted to a two inch dent in the gel coat at the starboard aft transom. Lucky me, could have been much worse.
Mark

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Greetings from Stray Cay!

We just ended our 3 night charter with Captain Mark…what fun we had!! After meeting Mark online(Match.com…j/k) and reading about the Stray Cat, the six of us booked a trip from Boston. We almost had to cancel our trip due to Hurricane Paloma, but we seemed to have nothing but good weather and warm sun! Sara and I kayaked to white sand beaches, Matt and Joe speared lobster for a fabulous dinner last night and George and Marie, my mom and dad, dreamed about retiring on a boat in the Bahamas! I vote for them to do that…so I can come visit, whenever I'm not watching The Hills of course! Last night we had the most fun, we had all the neighbors over for cocktail hour, or multiple cocktail hours - so fun! We taught Mark all kinds of new hip words and made him listen to XM Top 20 on 20! Everyone had a wonderful time…Thanks Captain Mark and Deborah, Happy Sails, Kristin, Joe, Matt, Sara, George and Marie, the best charter from New England!!! : (Or ever!)

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Nassau - BIG NEWS - Another Adventure Sail

Anchored here on the southeast side of Rose Island, eight miles from Nassau in strong wind and light rain, the boat seems very quiet. My son Chris left two days ago, he and his girlfriend Susan and her friend Stasha spent five days aboard. It's always fun to get caught up with what is going on in his life and of course his daughter Ocean. It's all good.

Chris has directed a movie, a documentary about music which is getting a lot of 'buzz" as they say. He interviewed about eighty celebrities, many are very famous. The movie is, The Heart is a Drum Machine and will be out, I think he said, in February. I Googled his name and it turns out there are about 6 or 7 hundred pages on him, there may be a new boat in my future after all, lol.

A lot of people have asked if I will do another adventure cruise this year - last years Panama cruise was great. It was so popular, in fact, I knew there would be another this year. With the economic down turn we are all looking for value; this cruise will be a real value at $125 per person, per day, plus shared expenses; I've been known to spend that much staying home.

Like last year, you can come aboard at a port of call along the way and stay as long/short as you like, leaving from the next port. Some guests left the boat and came back aboard further along the route after land touring for a week. Some guests reserved a week at certain locations for a private charter. The theme for 2009 will be the same, that is to say, all guests will be working crew, cooking cleaning, setting sail, standing watch and navigating. No worries if you don't have the experience or knowledge - you will be getting it on this cruise.

The route of sail will be the same to a point, starting in Miami or Nassau about the 1st of June sailing through the Bahamas, passing between Cuba and Haiti in the Windward Passage to the north east point of Jamaica at Port Antonio. After visiting in this very safe port we will make for Cartagena, Columbia then on to the San Blas Islands of Panama and Colon at the mouth of the Panama Canal. Here is where the trip differs from last year; this time we will transit the Canal.Once on the Pacific side we will make for the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and Peru.

This trip will be posted in detail shortly, both here and the newsletter you can sign up for at my web site. An equally exciting return trip to Miami will also follow. If you like you can get the flavor and sites of last year by going to the Panama trip on the site also the ship's log, lot's of pictures and comments.If you have interest in this adventure send me an email I'll do my best to answer your questions.

To keep updated on the progress of the trip, sign up for The Stay Cat News using the form at the bottom of each page on the SailStrayCat.com website.

Also, be sure to check the Ship's Log on a regular basis.

Mark

Miami to Nassau

I haven't written in a long time, there simply wasn't much going on. I did a three day charter and a few day charters in the Miami area.
I'm currently 5 hours north of Nassau where I will meet my son Chris, his girl friend Susan, and her friend Stasia. We plan on some fun in the sun and catch up on family stuff; all is good.
Mark

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Coconut Grove

Saw my car yesterday for the first time in eight weeks; always wonder if it will be here when I finally get back to Miami. Towing/impounding cars is a municipal sport here, (big money) their competitors, "car thief's", want the money too; they just announce themselves more honorably. I wonder why I keep the hassle of it but it's sure nice to go where you want, when you want, without reliance on taxies and jitneys.
Miami dodged the bullet of direct hits from four storms so far this season, but they did get a fair amount of wind as evidenced by the two sunken sailboats I see near to where I usually anchor.
Yesterday was the first day in a month and a half that the tropics were quite; no waves or depressions all the way back to Africa, how nice.
Mark

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West Palm Beach

I have been at anchor here for a few days, visiting with my friends Mike and Sandi. Today is the first day that the winds from Ike have subsided, I'm very glad not to be anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico.

This is a note of interest for the "gonnabe" live aboard's. Since installing a new refrigerator and sperate freezer a while back I have been thinking of ways to use the space left vacant by the removal of the old, so called "holdover" freezer space. It's a fairly big space that I had thought to install a drop in 12 vdc refrigerator system for about $1,200, when all said and done.
The problem with boat refrigerator systems are, they are very expensive, require a lot of installation and reconstruction and whatever food product touches the evaporator plate freezes. Added to that they consume about 6 amps DC per hour.
Capt. Mike told me of a system, that in appearance looks like a Coleman cooler, but has a self contained cooling system that is powered through a 12 vdc cigar lighter plug. The system employs a small amount of ammonia and two small cooling fans. On start up it uses about 3 amps, then drops down a little after it has run awhile.
This system is not a refrigerator so there is no evaporator to freeze product, there's just cool air going in the box. It will only take the inside air down to 40 f below ambient, so if the air temperature in the galley is 80 f then the temperature in the box will be about 41 f, perfect for produce or juce. The price is really good at $100.
I have spent 4 days in reconstruction and installation, (I'm not a technician) I installed the cooler box in one piece and guess what; it works.
Mark

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West Palm Beach

Ike's track sure changed dramatically yesterday with the midday forecast. The day started with me sailing north up the southeast coast of Florida to a better location, knowing that time had run out for sailing to a completely safe location. Settling for a location still well within the danger zone was not a comfort but I was determined to work with what I was given.
The storm track was pushed more south and west by the persistent, semi permanent Bermuda high that directs the prevailing winds in these parts. The high was believed to slightly retreat to the north or diminish somewhat thus allowing Ike to track to the north west. The danger zone included all of the state Of Florida. The latest has the high holding fast, in fact it is extending west to the golf of Mexico all the way to the coast of Texas pushing or holding Ike to a west southwest tract. There is the possibility that the high will split in two, leaving a pathway for Ike to travel up the west coast of Florida and build in intensity.
The good news for me is that my location is on the extreme eastern edge of the danger cone, the bad news is that upper right quadrant of a hurricane is known as the dangerous semi circle or what is commonly referred to as the dirty side. The dirty side usually has the highest winds, the most rain, and tornados. If the track remains as forecast my location will be spared from the worst.
The above conversation is what we sailors talk about 24/7 during times like this, to a point of information overload, and mental shut down. You get calls; did you hear the latest's, if this happens, then; and so it goes.
I feel much better about things today, but of course I'll stay on the information overload highway till the storm is long past this area.
Mark

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Hanna-Ike

Hanna:
I sailed from the Bahamas four days ago to avoid Hanna, this morning I'm sailing north to Palm Beach on her remaining winds. I'm three miles off Miami cut in 25 kts from the west, hugging the coast to be in the lee of the main land. I was going to go out in the Golf Stream to take advantage of it's 3 kt northerly flow but it looks pretty ruff out there.
It's amazing to think that Hanna is probably 600 miles away from Miami and I'm sailing 8/9 kts on her wind.
Ike:
The computer tracks for Ike yesterday morning had me feeling almost comfortable running south and west, to Key West and perhaps beyond. While sailing down the bay towards Key Largo, I received the latest weather up date in which, the NHC expanded the danger cone to include the entire state of Florida, the Bahamas and most of Cuba. No place to run was my first thought, a thought that was hard to adjust to given my history of sailing away from the danger zone. No place to run, is to me, a chilling concept.
I stopped the boat and anchored near Elliot Key, I checked every weather source available, one forecaster after another. Weather bloggers, even the not so great weather channel, NHC and many more. I was kidding myself, I was looking for a forecaster that would give me what I wanted, an escape route, a way out, a place to sail to that was safe from the powerful wind that's surely on it's way; there is no way out.
Ten or so hours later, I accepted the concept of no where to run, I started to think thoughts like; the media always show boats mangled in marinas, it wouldn't be very interesting to show boats and marinas that did well in storms. In fact most boats that are properly made ready, do make it through. Anyway, I had to work on my attitude, get some positive thoughts going, go through the drill in my head, the long check list of items to make Stray Cat as safe as I can before I leave her to go to a place of personal safety.
Captain Mike ward and I have been talking about this storm for days, going over plans, his and mine. Mike drives very large luxury motor yachts, he knows I run from storms, he also knows exactly how to tie up a boat for a storm. Mike has a private dock on a inland cannel available to him, that I may use. Mike also has spare large dock lines, fenders and a big ass anchor I can use. So with Mike's help and Sandi his first mate, chef, and overall admiral, I'll enjoy expert knowledge, help, friendship and the very best food.
More later,
Mark

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Hanna

I didn't write yesterday, I slept the day away. When I made it to Bimini the wind and sea state of the Gulf Stream were so favorable I sailed right through to Miami. I arrived after midnight having sailed 135 miles from Chub in 16 hours; just a bit better then 8 kts.
Hanna is due to; forecasted to, guessed to, blow through here Thursday/Friday with lots of rain, the wind maybe 35 kts with guest. If all that holds true I'll be happy I sailed here. If the track wobbles a bit to the west, conditions will worsen; I'll run for the Keys.
Ike is projected to be here in the south east Florida area the Friday after next, if the projection holds true, I guess I'll sail north.
I had a problem with receiving emails for a day and a half, that caused a lot of concern for all the people who are keeping up with my adventures, not to mention my inability to get- up to date weather. Some sailing friends down in Nassau where I had just sailed from, called the Chub Cay dock master to see if I arrived safely, they wouldn't have known that I didn't check in, I just anchored in the cove for some sleep and sailed on for Bimini.
First step was to trouble shoot the HF radio, the automatic tuner, the Pactor III modem, power source and antenna system. After several hours of one eye on sailing, the other on the radio systems; I was sure there was nothing wrong with the onboard systems, I didn't know what to do next.
Labor day morning I was trying to recall when I signed up for the sail mail system that makes everything work. My guess was almost one year to the day when I was sailing in Panama. Sail mail is a wonderful program and worth the $250 per year; seems if you don't pay the fee the systems program automatically shuts off your in box (no mail) but you can send. I took a shot at sending an email to operations with credit card info. Three hours later, on labor day, I was turned back on, stress relief.
When the system came back up I had a huge number of emails, I have been working on them, just a few more to go.
The hurricane season is really building in number of named storms; I have already run from three and there are at least three more headed this way. Historically the season peaks on September tenth; Yeah well, they are lined up like freight trains, from the west coast of Africa to Miami. I don't see how it can get worse, so it has to get better, right?
Mark

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Hanna

This morning I discovered that I'm not receiving emails,I know this since when I requests weather reports I get no reply, also I normally get about ten emails each day. I seem to be able to send so I thought, Id get a log entry out to let people know I'm alright and I'm not ignoring them.
I made it to Chub Cay uneventfully, anchored there for a peaceful night in 20 kts from the north. This morning I watched Sat TV for Hanna news, which they are still not covering very well. I did see the cone of confusion, the track, such as it is, and decided to take off again, this time heading west for Gun Cay/Bimini and maybe even Miami.
This 85 mile passage is so far, really good, with 20-25 kts from the north while I'm sailing west. I have been averaging 9 kts, with a top speed of 11.9 kts. I'll make Gun Cay by 17:00 today, if the Gulf Stream looks ok I'll sail for Miami probably arriving around 24:00. If the stream looks bad (most likely) I'll stay in the Bimini chain for the passage of Hanna.
I will post another entry tonight and hope it gets out.
Mark

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Hanna

Still don't know for sure where or who will get the worst of this Tropical storm. I know the Bahamas will suffer from this storm, which it is believed will be a Cat, I to II in the next two days.
Because no one knows the track for sure, I can't do my usual hurricane plan, which is to sail away to a safe area.
I have been in the Nassau area for about two weeks and watching this storm for all that time, I didn't know where to go during those two weeks; here we are two days before I get run over by it and there is still nowhere to run to.
I checked all the usual places in Nassau to hole up, but either I didn't like one place or another or a few I would have liked were closed to me. Many boat owners here pay for rights in the best Marinas, for storm slips. They pay weather or not they actually have to use them for a hurricane or not. So the Marinas I would have preferred were sold out.
Without knowing which islands may be spared or which will have a better go of it, as of today, decision day, it doesn't matter. I have decided to sail for Chub Cay 40 miles to the northwest. The Marina there is new, located in the interior of the island offering a bit of wind protection and complete wave and surge protection. The marina was designed for mega yachts so the equipment, pilings, and docks should be very strong and in good repair. I checked yesterday and found that there were only ten boats there; I think they have about one hundred slips.
Such as it is, that's my plan. I'm about 15 miles from land fall at Chub Cay which is located at the southern tip of the Berry Islands. If Hanna does not develop from a tropical storm to a Cat I, I'll stay onboard; if it does develop I'll find shelter for myself on land.
More to follow as things progress.
Mark

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T D # 8

This hurricane season is starting to wear me out. I dodged the bullets of Fay and Gustav by a few hundred miles. Today I find an upgraded tropical wave, now to be known as TD # 8.
This one is about five days from me, as I'm located in Nassau Bahamas. TD #8 might change status again today to tropical storm Hanna as it continues it's development.
The tacking models show a path that is to wide for me to safely say I can stay here and hope it passes to the north, while it, maybe, tracts to the north east making for the area around Bermuda. I hope the weather guru's have more definitive track forecast later today. I may have to start sailing for Miami or Cuba tomorrow if things don't become more favorable.
Other news, good and not so good. Not so good a moment of inattention while maneuvering through a five mile coral/rock area in ten/twelve foot of water I hit something with my starboard prop. The three blades of the prop where all bent, how nice. I won't put you to sleep explaining all the details, but the good news is that after three days of effort I will dive down today and install the repaired prop.
I have been having a lot of fun with sailing (live aboard) families and friends. Last night was a home made sushi dinner at Jan N Wes Catamaran, Dances with Dolphins. We were eight adults and one very cute 3 year old girl, all from four boats. She only speaks Spanish since she, her mom and dad are from Argentina but she stole the show.
Been snorkeling every day and have bagged a few lobster and grouper, umm.
Tonight we will all get together for a joint birthday party, we will celebrate Jan, Carla's and mine; no one is talking about ages for some reason.
Mark

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Bimini-Nassau

Finally under way, 12 miles east of Bimini in bright sun and 25 kts out of the SW. The sea in these shallow waters of the Bahama Banks are three foot, short duration, so very bumpy.
Both engines on at low power with the jib out making 8.5 kts. The wind chafed a starboard side lazy jack through, so I can't use the main sail till I get to Nassau and make the repair. It's about 95 miles down to Nassau. All the other systems on board are in the green.
It's a great day and I'm having fun.
Mark

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Stuck in Bimini

I'm still here, the wind and waves will keep me here till tomorrow when I will sail for Nassau. The weather has been clear to partly horrible. Very high wind gusts and periods of heavy rain followed by bright sun.
watching the weather channel, I can see the bands from the storm that are still reaching out past me all the way to the central Bahamas. Ok, I'm tired of this storm but safe here in Alice town. It's still to windy to put the dink down and go to town, I'll try later today, there may be a meal and drink ashore in my future.
Mark

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Day Light

Things always look better in the morning, this morning looks fine. The feeder bands with their high wind and blinding rain have stopped for the moment. The wind is out of the south at 30 with gust to forty so I'm still pinned down here at Alice town. I'm getting cabin fever, I'd like to put the dink down and go to town but it's just to windy for that.
Bimini is about two hundred miles from the center of the low yet the bands are reaching out beyond Bimini all the way to Nassau, about three hundred miles from the center.

There was a small, about 22 foot, run about moored a few hundred feet behind me, close enough to walk ashore that sank sometime in the night. Looking around town I see people moving about on foot and golf carts. I don't see any wind or water damage on land from here. There is one sport fishing boat, about fifty foot, that is tied up in the marina next to where I'm anchored, it has damage to it's freeboard and rub rail on the port side.
I saw on CNN that there is a significant wave off the African cost. The wifi is down here so I can't get on weather underground to see what is being said about it; if anyone reading this has some info on that wave please let me know.
If conditions out here improve overnight I will sail for Nassau in the morning.
Mark

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Hiding out at Bimini

It's starting to look and feel like a strong tropical storm here at Bimini. It's strange to visit Bimini and be one of only two boats, normally about fifty or so during the week and more then a hundred on the week ends. I'm very close to the shore and the main street of Alice Town but have only seen a few people today.
The wind is about 25 kts with occasional gusts over 40 kts. The rain is none stop by and large, a soaking rain, steady but not hard but with periods of extremely hard rain. I think the wind and rain will grow in intensity through the night.
The wind is predicted to go south in the morning at about 20-30 kts, if that holds I'll sail for Nassau. The storms forward motion has slowed which may allow it to gain strength, so I'm not sure about tomorrows forecast but time will tell.
I decided to anchor rather then to take a dock since the potential damage from wind and waves battering the boat against the dock is great. anchoring at this little basin presents a few challenges; I can't put out the 300 foot of ground tackle I have available but only 125. I'm anchored in five to six feet over white sand which is good but if there is a large tide the boat will no doubt touch the bottom or be grounded. If the boat breaks anchor it will just run aground in white sand.
I have changed the batteries in my underwater flash lights, laid out life safety gear, removed or tied down sails, fishing gear, BBQ's or anything that presents a windage profile. I tested my emergency satellite locator, both VHF radios and the UHF SSB radio
I have just been goofing off the last few hours reading and watching the tube when the rain is light enough to allow the Sat signal through.
For all the good folks who are concerned about me, I feel safe and prepared for this storm and will up date this log in the morning, thanks for all your emails.
Mark

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Fay Continued

At 14:00 Saturday the latest track moved the storms path west with no part of the cone touching the Bahamas; looks like a new plan.
Food, fuel, water, systems checks and I'm on my way to the Bahamas.
Hectic, to busy to be scared, I made the sea buoy by 16:30. The wind was on the nose at 10 kts, of course it was. Just before encountering the Gulf Stream, still in the shallows the port engine died, of course it died. Anchor down in 22 foot of water over white sand, that part is good. Now the discovery phase, down in the hot as heck engine room I discover a fouled fuel filter and raw water skimmer. Three hours later all is good but I'm too tiered to face a night time passage of the Gulf Stream.
I woke at 05:00 after a bumpy night. While making coffee I click on the Sat TV for the latest up date. The usual, a local TV personality doing a man in the street interview with a local from Key West who said "what storm", ya really couldn't say he was going out for an early walk, or just coming home, when he spoke you could tell he was still out.
The track continues to look good for me to go to Bimini so anchor up and off we go for yet another Gulf Stream crossing in light north east air with three foot waves also on the nose, this proves to be an uneventful crossing as I approach Bimini at 14:00 Sunday.
More to follow,
Mark

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Fay

I have been watching this storm since it was just off the African cost, now I'm more involved as it bears down on Cuba and threatens The Florida Keys, generally the Florida peninsula, and me.
I canceled a trip last week for the first time in these many years; we were to go to the Cay Sol Banks which I believed would put us in the direct path of Fay, I wasn't far off, I feel good about the decision even though my guests would have made many plans such as time off, coverage, house or pet sitting, flights, you know the drill.
Some sailors get prepared for storms by going to what they think of as a "hurricane hole", a place that offers good holding, wind blocks like mangroves or hills and trees. I think of hurricane holes as a place where to many boats are stuffed into one place, when one boat breaks loose it usually takes a lot of others to a watery end with it.
My hurricane plan is simply don't be there. Last year I sailed to Panama where storms don't occur but no storms threatened Florida last year, go figure; oh well I had a great time anyway.
Three thousand miles east of here, a week and a half ago, Fay didn't have a name, it was an area of disturbed weather, and then a tropical wave identified as 92 invest.
If you're a sailor with little confidence in "holes" then what's your plan? I try to sail off ninety degrees from the storms path-that's the "rub". The best educated, the best equipped do what I think is a very good job but there are so many things that can affect the intensity and track of a storm, prediction is akin to a black art.
92 was approaching Porto Rico and the Dominican Republic a few days back when the experts pointed out that it was surrounded by dry African air which would no doubt impede it's development, it did. It was also believed that the mountains of those two island countries would knock the storm apart or at least hinder further development, that's what happened, Fay is still a small storm.
Three days ago I was in Miami wondering, consulting with other sailors; some called me for my thoughts. Two computer models had the track headed to the Bahamas, Two went towards Key West, and believe it or not one had the storm at Cat III sitting of the outer banks of the Carolinas.
Lets see can't go to the Bahamas, can't go south or west to Mexico. I called my friend Captain Mike Ward up in Palm Beach he suggested that I sail up there and tie up at the dock, inland in a back yard, near the Waterway, a local watering hole. Of the alternatives this was the best, so I'm set, I have a plan. As of 12:00 EST Saturday.

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Miami to Bimini to Grand Bahama Island

Angie Wyche - Age 43 - From Tallahassee, FL

Today is Thursday or so they tell me - - I'm so mesmerized by the beauty of the water around me I've lost all track of time.
We left Miami Sunday headed for Bimini - We spent Sunday night sleeping under the stars, it was AMAZING!!!!! Last night we slept in Bimini. We rented a gold cart and toured the island. We had a fantastic dinner @ Casa Lyon in Bimini Bay. We're off to Lucaya now. TTYL

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Cat Cay

I was on my way to Miami and decided to stop in at Cat Cay for a land based meal and ran into some sailors I know, that was the end of my schedule. I stared at about 04:00 this morning; I'll make Miami at noon today.
Here at mid Gulf Stream, I was just radio challenged by a large Cost Guard vessel. I answered all their questions and was told to standby, after a short time they said thank you for your cooperation and wished me a good and safe sail. Homeland Defense!
Yesterday I said I'd answer some questions that I'm frequently asked, so here goes.
The term singlehanding is a good place to start; the description will address most of the questions. The term generally means sailing alone without assistance but I think it more refers to a woman or man who makes long ocean passages alone. A short or long passage -alone - is the key word.
They have to deal with all the same things fully crewed skippers deal with like: weather, navigation, partially submerged containers, sleeping whales, malfunctions, ships who may not see your vessel, anxiety, fear and the like, but there are differences.
The big one is sleep, followed by the law.
Many singelhanders cross the Atlantic on 25 foot sailboats without engines, wow. You know they need to sleep; it can take 20 days or more. Ya can't anchor in 3000' of water so they break the law.
The law, rule 5 of the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, COLREGS for short requires every vessel; shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by site and hearing and it goes on from there.
They begin with self-confidence, experience, a lot of knowledge, (hopefully) fear, anxiety, knowing that no insurance company will cover them in what might be there home. Here's what they do.
Collision with a ship is the big one so they may buy a fuzz buster at Radio Shack that detects a radar sweep from other vessels. They may also set up their radar to alert for new targets. I met a singelhander, an Englishman at Gibraltar who painted his boat the brightest yellow I've every seen, to be seen, he said. They sleep in fifteen minute to half hour increments with one or more obnoxious alarm clocks to wake them and hope for the best.
I often single hand but it's done in legs of about 100 miles where I know I can safely anchor or go into a port and dock, get some sleep then start the next leg.
I enjoyed a video of a young Australian girl name Kay Cotty who broke a singlehand world record; she went around the world alone. During her preparations she was advised to visit with a Ship's Doctor to learn how to deal with loneliness'. He said a lot but the fun part was to tell her she would hear human voices and that it was perfectly ok to talk to them but- never invite them aboard!
I'm getting into a heavy shipping lane so I need to go post a proper watch, if I missed something your interested in send me an email.
Mark

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Great Bahama Banks

04:30, Cat and Gun Cay,s of the Bimini chain are 40 miles West of my current position, that's where the transition from the shallow waters of the Great Bahamas Banks, (80 miles of 10 to 20 foot depths) to the Golf Stream waters occurs. The Stream separates the Bahamas and Florida with deep waters of about 2,500 feet that start and end abruptly. The stream is 50 miles wide in this location, flowing North between 1.0 and 3.5 kts. Today's conditions are the same as yesterday with the exception that there is no wind yet, but the forecast has it east at 15 kts.
I anchored up at about 19:00 last night in 15 feet of water on a white sand bottom, had dinner, a shower and watched an HBO movie for thirty seconds I guess, since I don't remember it. The wind picked up at about 02:00 so I got up for a look around, satisfied that all was well, I enjoyed the stars for awhile then went back to sleep. I'm well rested and will make Miami at 17:00.
Mark

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Nassau to Miami

I set sail at 09:30, 11 miles east of Nassau at Rose Island where I spent the night at anchor and had a very nice dinner in the good company of Jan and Wes aboard their 42 foot Norseman Catamaran, Dances with Dolphins.
I went out there, the opposite direction from Miami, to exchange my Dink and outboard for cash. Carla J is an American girl I have known several years, she's a Chef Mate and charter broker, her real thing though is diving. Added to that she and her significant other Peter house sit a charming island cottage with a beautiful view and white beach with a great stand of coral a few hundred feet off the beach; tuff life. Anyway, they have a dock on the south side of the island and beach on the north so Carla wanted a boat she could leave on the beach side. I had planned to purchase a new dink when I get back to Miami so timing is everything.
I'm single handing this 175 mile passage, I did have a few friends that would have liked to come along but I was not sure of departure dates/ times and they are normal people, you know like - they have real jobs with real bosses kinda thing, so timing is everything.

It's 14:00, Rose Island is now 70 miles behind me, the sea is running 2 feet on my stern, the wind is 10 kts also on the stern, the air temp is 85 and the sea surface is 82, the viability is unlimited, as close to perfect as I can hope for. I have the mainsail up with two diesels running at 2000 rpm. Not using much fuel but making about 8 kts.
People often ask me how I can single hand, is it scary, do I worry about pirates and what do I do about sleep? Do I just leave the boat on auto pilot and sleep while the boat moves on through the night? These questions have been asked so often I think it's time to answer them, I'll do it in tomorrow's log.
Mark

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Six Shillings Cays

Today I'm sailing from High Borne Cay where we spent the night in a beautiful cove with white beaches and lots of coral to explore, to Green Cay north of Rose Island.
Today has been picture perfect with a south east wind at 15 we have been sailing at 7 to 9 knots.
Earl hooked and lost, at the last moment, a Cero Mackerel, my favorite. We have both lines out now and are hoping for the best. Three days ago Earl landed a blue fin tuna which we all enjoyed at dinner follow by fish taco's the next day, really good.
Two days ago while sailing through Pipe Creek we were surrounded by thunderstorms but not really in any down pours, just on the fringes. The lightening and thunder were spectacular to see and hear off in the not to far distance.
Just as I was navigating a very deice channel with coral on both sides Earl, who had been helping to read the water, pointed his finger to direct me and seemingly a lightening bolt shot out from his finger tip. Booom! I could hear the electrical crackle, and then I felt the concussion in my chest and extremely loud thunder, wow that was close, about a quarter of a mile. Ok Earl, watch where you point that finger.
Later in the day I noticed that the music had stopped, that's when I discovered the lightening strike had ruined the audio system and the satellite radio receiver. As expensive as all that will be to replace it could have destroyed the radar, sailing instruments, auto pilot and chart plotter, computers, plus the TV's. I'm also thankful that my two new IPODS were not connected.
I'll be starting my approach to Green Cay in a few minutes so I better get back to the helm.
Mark

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More fun

Well we caught our dinner on Tuesday night. A 22 pound Mahi dolphin fish. The fish fed all nine of us easily and there was a little left over as well. Nobody has gone hungry on this trip.

Tuesday night, we tied off on a mooring ball off of Exuma Land & Sea Park. We took the dingy over to the island and hiked to Barefoot Beach where we swam for an hour or two. There were three or four beaches on the island, each more beautiful than the next. The white sand felt like baby powder on your feet and the water was a deep aqua blue and crystal clear. If you've ever seen a Corona commercial with someone sitting on a beach and thought, "Wow, I wish I was there!"…well that's where we were.

The next morning we sailed south to Compass Cay and entered Pipe Creek. The waters were very shallow through the Creek, which Captain Mark had to navigate manually. It was well worth it though because the scenery was awesome. We then headed south to Sampson Cay Yacht Club where we bought provisions. While we were there we saw several nurse sharks and a sting ray swimming around the dock. We then sailed past Big Majors to Staniel Cay where we anchored for the night. There we snorkeled around and into Thunder Ball cave, where the James Bond 007 movie was filmed. This was some of the best snorkeling we've done yet; a lot of different fish and some great coral. That night we had dinner for the first time off the boat since leaving Nassau at the Staniel Cay Yacht club. Great food and great atmosphere, much like a place you would read about in a Hemingway story.

Back at sea again, will keep you
posted….

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Nassau to Norman Cay

We sailed for most of the day yesterday and arrived at Norman's Cay about 7:30 last night. Norman's Cay is about 50 miles South East off the coast of Nassau and was once run by Pablo Escobar, a huge drug lord back in the 70's. They used this island as a distribution center and would fly cocaine from here right into the States. The runway they used is still operable today. Today the island is very primitive, home to a few private families, however plans are in the works to turn the island into a private resort.

We had another great meal last night. Grilled pork chops with a mint sauce, potatoes, broccoli, and salad. I think we've drank about 12 bottles of wine in the past two days, not to mention a lot of rum.

The sky was beautiful last night, untainted by the light of the city, it felt as if you were on the moon and could reach up and touch a one of the million stars above. Lying out on the trampoline looking up at the sky, I felt so small in comparison yet at the same time a part of something much bigger.

Today we are going to do some deep sea fishing. Hoping to catch a huge tuna fish to cook up for dinner, you cant' get any fresher than that!! Will keep you posted…..

Brad

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Nassau New Guests

Schadler Pirates of the Caribbean

Hello everyone. Here is your first of several updates from our trip in the Bahamas. I boarded the Stray Cat around 3:00 yesterday. Captain Mark had just arrived an hour prior running on 5 ½ hours of sleep in two days, after sailing 12 hours a day or more to meet us here on time. I helped the captain with a few repairs on the boat…well I mostly watched but I helped a little. I met my first white Bahamian, Captain Tony, a native of the Island. As we waited for the rest of the pirates to arrive, we drank rum and cokes and I listened to Tony and Mark tell stories of life on the island and past charter trips.

David, Peggy, Jared, Ben and Zach arrived around 8:30 and we had dinner at the Poop Deck, an open air restaurant at the Marina. I had the Conch Critters, Conch soup and a Kalik beer, the official beer of the Bahamas. After dinner, we all headed back to the Stray Cat…everyone was pretty tired from traveling so we all fell asleep pretty early.

After buying groceries this morning we sailed out to Rose Island, a small uninhabited island just a couple miles off the coast of Nassau. On our way there we passed the real Gilligan's Island (also called Sandy Cay) that they showed in the opening credits of every show. Unfortunately, it's privately owned so we couldn't actually go on the island. After anchoring at Rose Island, we did a little snorkeling and swam to the island to do a little exploring. After a couple hours of snorkeling and swimming, we then sailed to Athol Island. On our way there we passed where they filmed the movie The Blue Lagoon. We will be anchoring here tonight and then heading back to Nassau tomorrow to pick up Wendy and Michael who are friends of Peggy's from Santa Barbara.

Having a great time so far. We are grilling up some ribs and vegetables for dinner tonight and then relaxing on the boat with some rum and wine. Speaking of that, the ice in my drink is melting so I'm signing off. Til next time….

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Chub to Nassau

I was sailing past Chub Cay last evening and would have made Nassau at about 23:00 . Scanning out twenty four miles on radar changed my mind, there was a solid wall of perception about twenty miles wide. I made it to the anchorage just in time for strong wind and a very heavy down pour.
The good things about that storm were a fresh water wash, I had a good night sleep and the down pour flattened the waves.
This morning I'm motoring into a south east wind at 14, the sea is starting to build from three feet towards four with a few scattered clouds in bright sun I'll make Nassau at about 13:00 with one hour to spare before my guests arrive.
Mark

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Bahama Banks

I completed the Gulf Stream crossing at about nine last night then continued easting on the banks till about eleven.
During my pre sail checks this morning I found that the rope lacing that attaches the starboard trampoline had completely failed. I also found that the out haul car that attaches the foot of the mainsail had also failed I made temporary repairs and got underway at 06:30.
The wind is still east but at the moment it has dropped to 15 knts. The waves in this shallow water are short interval and so called square. Since the water is only about 10 to fifteen feet deep the wind driven waves encounter the sea bed which cases a friction or drag and piles up the waves in a very aggravating pattern that is ruff on boat and crew.
About fifty miles to the east locates the North west channel light marking safe passage where vessels transition from the shallow water of the banks to very deep water (2000 to 4000 foot). of course this body of water called the tounge of the ocean will have a different set of uncomfortable challenges.
The passage east from the banks to Nassau is about fifty miles.
mark

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Miami to Nassau

I haven't made an entry for quite some time so here is the back fill. I did one more week of charter with a very nice family in the Bahamas since the last entry then I sailed back to Coconut Grove. I left Stray Cat there and flew to Phoenix to visit my Son and Granddaughter Ocean. I sent some pictures to Mike to post to the site; Ocean is real cute at three years of age she calls me Pa Pa Mark. I really enjoyed seeing everyone, getting caught up and even driving past my last house.
Back at the Grove I did about seven day charters and what else- boat Maintenance over the next three weeks.
I'm sailing for Nassau right now; I should have started this trip Monday but the wind and sea state made that impossible. Mother Nature sent one more of her best cold fronts down here; I thought that season was over.
I started this morning, currently in very ruff conditions which are not predicted to improve till Saturday. The wind is from 090 at 20 with guests to 35 between have rain squalls. The sea is confused with wave heights at about 4 foot with occasional 6 and building. The sea surfaces temp is 81 and the air is 84. I'll need to sail at least twelve hours today and tomorrow to make Nassau in time to meet my guests. Peggy if your reading this, I have only been late once in all the years so keep the faith.
Call me crazy but it's beautiful out here, the ocean is vivid blue with translucent green wave tops. The course is south so as to avoid pounding into it, as a result I have both sails up making an average eight knots listening to good tunes from my new ipod played through the boats audio system. I better get back to the helm.
Mark

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Till next time

Guest: Chris& Ali, Ryan & Lisa
Cedar Hills, Utah
Today is the day to disembark from the beautiful Stray Cat. We are sad as we have to pull up to dock and pack our things up and help Captain Mark clean the boat for the next crew. Our experiences out here in the vast beautiful ocean have been incredible!! To that we are forever grateful to Captain Mark, for his never ending generosity, knowledge and gentle friendship. One that will forge to become everlasting. We have had the vacation of a lifetime and owe that all to our great Captain and new friend. Reluctantly, we go back to a regular lifestyle so we can work our butts off and come back to paradise again next year wherever Captn' Mark is calling home!
Thank you Captain Mark for giving us an unforgettable journey into your world of beautiful waters, nifty little "hidey holes" and incredible sunsets. I will miss the sound of pulling up anchor signaling the start of a new day, the sails as they blow in the wind, the humble sharing of all your incredible knowledge and experiences of the sea and of course, rum thirty. I don't think we will ever listen to Franky's "Fly Me to the Moon" again that it won't bring us back to the Stray Cat.
Can't wait until our highways on the water meet again!!!
Until then, friend
Your favorite crew mates,
Ryan & Lisa Dorius and Chris & Ali Kruger

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last day and night

Guests:Ryan & Lisa, Chris & Ali
It is Friday and we are on our way back to Nassau. Yesterday we went into the "Staniel Cay Yacht Club" next to the "Happy People Marina" and had lunch while Captain Mark hooked up with the internet and took care of some business. The guys played pool while the girls soaked up the sun. We went up the river a little ways in the dingy to a little store looking for a few things that Captain Mark needed then headed back to the Stray Cat. We then sailed up the "Pipe" and it was breathtaking. The water was the most absolutely gorgeous blue we had ever seen. We found a little hidey hole that we shared with a couple other sailors and dropped anchor. Captain Mark took us over in the dingy to see an old sunken air plane wreck and from there to explore a near by island. We had Mexican food for dinner and Captain Mark ate 13 tacos. (I think he has been missing his Mexican food!)
We hit the hay early, we were all very tired. We awoke to another fabulous morning in the Bahamas and set sail for "Allen's Cays" to check out the iguanas and do some snorkeling. Those iguanas are feisty little buggers. Hungry, hungry, hungry!!!!
The snorkeling was beautiful again, with lots of spectacular colors, gorgeous coral reefs and little Nemo's and Dori's swimming about. Captain Mark really knows how to pick the good spots.
We sadly set sail for Nassau and will spend one last night under the stars on the Stray Cat with Captain Mark.
Stay tuned

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Stanial Cay

Guests Ryan & Lisa, Chris & Ali
Good morning everyone! It's Wed. morning and blue sky is just over the horizon. Clouds and wind consumed the day yesterday. No matter the weather the sea is beautiful. Yesterday we sailed into the quaint "Sampson Cay Marina" for a few groceries. What a beautiful place. Big beautiful yachts, breath taking landscape, and neat little cottages constructed of ancient coral. One could stay the weekend for a mere $8,000, and this is off season! The true paradise is really aboard the Stray Cat with Captain Mark. As we were pulling in off the rough seas there was another larger catamaran coming up on our tail rather quickly trying to beat us to the fuel dock. Captain Mark out maneuvered him, (of course). The other Captain was just trying to show off for his guests, but we all know that size doesn't matter, its the Captain behind the helm that gets the kudos. LOL We sailed off with our groceries and found a nice little hide out to spend the night. We enjoyed shish kabob's and salad for dinner as Captain Mark shared stories of the sea. We say Captain Mark needs to document his tales of the sea in a book. The boys have their poles in the water and the sun is beckoning us girls. Stay tuned for further adventures from the Stray Cat. Wish you were all here.
love ya

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Sail to Highborn Cay

Hello Beautiful World!
We are on day three, didn't write yesterday due to an immense mount of relaxation Yah Mon!!!!
We mostly hung out off the shore line of Rose Island and waited out a cold front, so that we can continue south to visit more islands and small cay's. We enjoyed much sunshine and snorkeled over about 50 yards to a fabulous little island. There was a gathering of about fifty boats anchored by the bow with there sterns anchored to the beach, Mark called it a sail away, locals come to this wonderful beach with shallow reefs. They bring the whole family including their dogs to play and eat all weekend . Since it was Sunday the party was winding down. Chris & Ryan snorkeled for hours with spear fish in hand. Lisa & Ali investigated the quaint island. It was fully equipped with much party amenities! WOW! There were hammocks, shacks, bars, showers, volleyball, and little boats to take out. "Robinson's Caruso" was carved into a wood sign, giving the name of the party place. We hung out there and scavenged around like lil' kids. It started to rain so we geared up and snorkeled back to the Stray Cat, outa there, quicker than panties on a bride! We saw many breathtaking views! The visibility was great! Then we hung out on the boat the rest of the day. We enjoyed steaks for dinner and many great conversations with Capt. Mark. We are starting to adjust to doing absolutely nothing! We desperately needed this relaxation, and are glad to leave our worries behind. It is late morning and we are sailing at a good clip to the South to move ahead for more adventures……
Stay tuned, over and out!!

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Rose Island Bahamas

Guests: Ryan & Lisa, Chris & Ali
Hello everyone. We are from Cedar Hills, Utah. Just left the snow on Friday, April 11, 2008 to meet Captain Mark and sail away. It is absolute paradise and Mark is a GEM!!
Arrived yesterday after a long unforgiving flight, thanks Delta!! Our ground transportation was a large van wrapped in plastic, (kinda like CSI) after a scary, fast ride on the wrong side of the road, we arrived at the "Poop Deck" restaurant/marina in search of the Stray Cat. We found Mark, loaded our gear and got settled. We were stoked! The morning sunrise was beautiful. Captain Mark floated us right on up to main street where the men did our grocery shopping for the week at a quaint little market. With food, caffeine beverage, and good tunes we set sail for our much deserved and needed dream vacation.
As we passed the real life Gilligans Island, a storm approached. We sought refuge on the other side of the island and hunkered down. Ten minutes later the sun came out and we are dancing, swimin, drinkin, (coke) and soakin up every inch of this salty, sexy sea.
Happy to be tradin in the mountains for this vast beautiful ocean.
Hi to everyone: Shae & Mark, Beau & Les, Koda & Kennedy
Aubrey & Austin, Sissy's and grandma,
Juicy & Becky and all the chibs out there
LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Stay tuned for more adventures from the high seas!!!!!

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Back in Miami again

I've been lazy not writing in the log for a few weeks, I know better since friends and family get to wondering about me when I don't- so here's a catch up.
I have done three day charters on Biscayne Bay lately, plus a four day and a five day with the usual (never ending) boat maintenance in between.
The four day was with a very nice young couple. Mauricio who lives in Florida but travels word wide in his employment is very into music in fact his subject line says 'summon the wind" which I recall as a line in the Christopher Cross tune Sailing, no; as I'm writing I remember that his line was "the canvas will set you free" It was in a Kenny Loggins song.
His lady friend is from Hong Cong, a very smart, pert young lady. It amazes me how many people I meet these days who speak two or three languages. We sailed south to Key Largo avoiding as we could many cells with wind and rain and for the most part did a good job of not getting wet.
We had a plan to sail to Bimini but the wind and waves in that direction made the keys look like a better way to go; mother nature rules!
The five day charter was with a wonderful family from Hamburg, Hans and Annette who were joined by their daughters Luisa and Sophia ages 11 and 12. They were toasted at dinner as the most polite young ladies on Stray Cat this season. The girls, as they were leaving at the end of the trip presented my Chef/Mate Candyce with a one page thank you to the both of us. The note was in English and had drawings of the boat and the Stray Cat logo, very cute.
We sailed for Bimini under full sail and made good time in the Gulf Stream. The family enjoyed snorkeling the wreck south of Bimini and an overnight stop at Honey Moon Harbor. We went into North Cat Cay Club and Marina for some food items and rum. The ladies enjoyed the boutique on this exclusive private island.
We left the Bahamas a day early having spent the day and night before in the lee of South Cat Cay beach combing and swimming. The strong frontal passage that was forecast was the reason we bugged out early. We enjoyed a fast sail back in pretty big seas that were thankfully following seas.

I found a place in Miami to hide from the winds that at times reached thirty five knots. It was calm where we were hiding, perfect place to see a great sunset, the night skyline of down town Miami and enjoy yet another fantastic dinner prepared and severed by Candyce.
Mark

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Back in Miami

Arrived back in the Grove after a pleasant trip up from Nassau sailing at a good clip most of the way.
Sailing in view of fuel cost ranging between four and five dollars a gallon becomes more then fun its cost effective. I find myself sailing in light air much more when I would otherwise have just motored.
Miami is a beehive of activity (traffic Jams) parking issues, there's the boat and art show plus something else I can't remember going on over this three day week end.
I have about three weeks off starting now which is very unusual but I'll take it while I can and enjoy my self.
The weather is very fine so it's off to the boat show for me.
Mark

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Valentines Day

Underway at last; the cold fronts continue to roll in from the Florida peninsular making their way to the Bahamas with a little less punch. Then there's the cold front that runs you over morphing into a warm front that turns around and rolls over you again.
I'm sailing between fronts now with the wind a little east of north while sailing a little west of north. The sea is confused since the wind is clocking so the wind driven patterns haven't shaped up yet. I expect the wind to continue to clock giving me an east wind to work my way west with.
Hope you all have a special Valentines Day.
Mark

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Nassau, Bahamas

I have been sailing in the Bahamas for two weeks now enjoying the clearest water anywhere and seeing old friends. There have been two complex weather systems working down the Florida peninsula for the last five days. The spin off here has been very strong winds in fact they are so strong I have opted to stay on the boat rather then to launch the dink and go to town.
The weather has been a wind event till today now its wind and rain. Florida, one hundred and eighty miles west, is on an all day tornado watch today with flooding. Both Florida and the Bahamas are in drought so all is good except if like me, you want to sail to Florida.
The first evening in this anchorage (down town Nassau) a 45' Mono sailboat broke anchor, then both his main engine starter motor and windless failed when he needed them most. The boat ended up behind me on the public beach on its side. By happenstance two Bahamian guys I know came by, at high tide about 10pm we towed him off in strong winds.
Around 4pm yesterday the Bahamas custom/immigration authorities boarded every boat in the anchorage, they were fast and polite, don't know what they were looking for but they were on a mission.
I may be able to sail tomorrow which will get me back for the biggest boat show in the world (I think) the Miami in the water boat show. I haven't been to a show in years but it is fun to look at boats and see what new ideas might work on your boat, something like seeing new model homes.
Since I have three weeks off I would like to fly to Phoenix to see my son and granddaughter Ocean, she will be three soon.
Mark

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Exumas, Bahamas

Since my last note I stopped in Nassau to pick up my new guests, two couples from Canada who were all but snow bound at home last week.
We spent the first night near Rose island where it was pleasant but a with a bit of roll. Next morning it was a motor sail south east towards the Exumas which became motoring into the wind and waves as the wind shifted to the south east. We spent that night anchored off Norman's Cay with out roll, lots of stars and a roast on the Barb-i.
Last night was a very nice meal off the boat at the Stanial Cay Yacht club and today we are sailing and fishing our way north to Allen's Cay in light air and flat seas.
Mark

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From Florida to the Bahamas

I stared sailing from Miami for Nassau yesterday in a flat sea making about 85 miles before getting sleepy. I anchored off the normal sailing routes here on the Bahamas banks in eight foot of crystal clear water.
I'm now motoring into a light east breeze at about 7 knots SOG, it's peaceful out here alone with a sliver of a low lying moon and more stars then can be imagined. I'm in a reflective mood in this peaceful setting, seems I just got use to being back in the states, there's a lot to get use to after the Caribbean/Central America cruise. Now I'm off to another very familiar country.
People seem to impact me the most in this almost constant change life style I live. The last cruise stated in Miami with a number of people I know there stopping by to wish me well in the mist of the chaos of activity that is an inherent part of launching.
They asked lots of questions of me but most were trip related; how far, how long, when will you get back. At the time I wasn't sure I would be back at all. I don't think I realized how many friends and acquaintances I have in the greater south Florida area.
I can imagine that normally someone there might say "have you seen Mark", no I think he's out on charter, he'll be back in a day or two. No doubt my many friends on the various islands in the Bahamas say something like "no mon he's down island, be back soon".
Added to those good people are the hundreds of charter guests that have sailed with me. Many of them come back so I get to see and hear about the changes in their lives, a lot of them keep up with me through this log and email, and some of them have become close friends.
I think that most people who know me think of me in terms of interactions on their tuff so to speak; their place, while having some notion of the places and people I visit elsewhere. That's ok since I suppose I think of them that way as well.
Many people make flattering comments that suggest that someone who can do all of what I do alone is special, they would be wrong in my case, I know I couldn't manage this boat and charter business without the help, encouragement and financial support of so many.
So while I'm still excited by my sailing adventures, when the memory of an island or place starts to become fuzzy, I always recall the people.
Mark

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The last 300 Miles...

The last three hundred miles flew by at ten knots plus, it was a race to beat the arrival on Saturday of a strong cold front in south Florida. The last forty miles to Coconut Grove were spent motoring at seven knots; the quite before the storm.
This 1400 mile passage was for the most part sailed, we used seventy gallons of fuel which cost a stunning three hundred dollars here in Florida. It was an uneventful trip with one good blow and no maintenance issues, that's the way to go! We had eight sailing days and two overnight stops.
We went right to the dock at Scotty's Landing, where a band was playing American music, that was a different sound then I have been use to, got a number of high fives and a few hugs and kisses from the fairer set. High on the list was a good old American hamburger, health food, right?
I had the worst case of sea legs I have ever had, so much so that it was difficult to walk a straight line . Mark and Lee left at seven this morning for Tucson so I'm left here at anchor this cold, rainy and very windy Sunday morning building a due list to get my Florida/Bahamas orientation back. Seems like I"v been gone a year.
Mark

--

Captain Mark Pomerenke

StrayCatCharters

2829 Bird Ave suite 5 box 152

Coconut Grove, Fl 33133

954-684-6265

http://www.sailstraycat.com/

BOARDED!!

Captains note:
Sailing in a 10 knot SE wind on a flat sea about twenty miles off the north coast of Cuba. It's about 300 miles to Miami from here.
For the benefit of all the "gonnabe" live aboard cruisers who read this log here's one more bit of knowledge you'll need out here.
We were boarded two days ago by the USCG who approached us in a large vessel called the Tampa. They hailed us and asked all the routine questions then had me standby on VHF 16 for about 35 minutes. When they got back to me they said they were going to send a boarding party and perform a "safety inspection"-rrrrright!!
They commanded that all hands show themselves in the cockpit and remain there, also they inquired if we have weapons on board or if there are any dangers to their crew, like animals.
I answered their questions and had to wonder about our safety since they had the "BIG WAR SHIP" with a complement of about 160 crew, a canon, and were sending a vessel with six guys wearing all the gear they saw on an old Cops segment with nifty little blue crash helmets with boom mic's.
The boys were polite but definitely on a mission to find anything they could to site me. During a period of waiting, there was a lot of that, (while they checked the data banks) we learned that much of the USCG emphasis now days is on law enforcement.
After they went through every hatch and locker doing who knows what inside my vessel ( the boarded are not allowed to accompany or observe their activities) I was presented a citation for a paper work issue.
I guess one would have to wonder what threat my little boat presents to the big bad USCG that could in any way justify tying up the assets they deployed for three and a half hours and the interference they posed to my pursuit of happiness.
We have these wars with high sounding names like the war on poverty, the war on cancer, the war on drugs, and than there are the other miss leading names like the patriot act, all of which seem to be miss leading and miss managed with great skill!
Plying these waters you can be approached or boarded by the Florida Marine Patrol, Fish and Game, US Customs, US Immigration, US Navy and I noticed the USAF is out here too. Wow! They all seem to play a slightly different game but they all make the same threatening fashion statement.
When you purchase your new, very expensive floating retirement home be aware, the Supreme court some years ago declared that those who's boat is their home (about a million of us) have no constitutional protections because the drug threat is greater than individual rights.
I hope to make Miami before the next strong front arrives Saturday evening. I'll rest up a bit then get ready to sail for Nassau where I will meet my first charter guest of the season on the fourth.
Mark

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Swan Island, Honduras

Captains notes
It's 02:00 Monday morning the 14 th and we are located a few miles north of Swan island Honduras. Swan is all by it's little self way off shore. It has an anchorage that fisherman use, one lady, iguanas a radio transmitter and that's about it.
We had a plan to anchor there to get some rest but the wind and waves are favoring us and fatigue has not been a problem.
We are making seven knots in fourteen knots of east wind. The sea state is east sets, at about three to four feet. The forecast is more of the same for the next twenty four hours but, there's always a but, a cold front is coming down from the gulf and will overtake us in about 30 or 40 hours.
Conditions will change from near perfect to partly horrible with wind ENE at 20/25 and waves at eight to ten foot on the nose. If we can maintain seven knots over the next thirty or so hours we can maybe, arrive in the lee of the south western tip of Cuba. We will, if luck is with us, ride out the blow at anchor there. We are currently 249 miles south of that location.
Yesterday we were visited by a very large Columbian Navy war ship near the Nicaragua boarder. They launched a black jet chopper that flew around us getting our vessel name and probably, like the USCG, took some pictures of us.
I was sleeping at the time so Mark woke me to answer their hail, that was fun! I wasn't fully awake and had to answer a string of questions like, how many on board, document number, length, width, last port etc. I woke up my 50 or so Spanish words and fumbled through it. They were very polite, asked us if we needed anything and wished us a happy holiday and safe passage .Mark and Lee also saw some Pilot Whales while I was zonked out and while I was up we had a great number, I'd guess 50 or more Dolphin who came to play.
Mark

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Capt Notes

We arrived at the San Andre's sea buoy at about 14:00 yesterday after thirty hours at sea. We motored the first half then motor sailed about a quarter and finally encountered the trade winds and seas, hello sailing!

This Columbian island is beautiful,you notice right away that the water is clear, clean, Bahamas quality. I could see the bottom fifty feet below on the approach. There is a long barrier reef which protects the island from the trades and provides an excellent calm anchorage.
After getting the hook set I followed the instructions in the cruising guide for the paper work cha-cha to clear into the country. The use of a ships agent is a must, the only one that is recommended is the Livingston agency. It says call the Thomas Livingston agency on VHF 16 in English. I did that several times with no response I even tried in Spanish, Stray Cat is "Gato Vagabondo". That got a response which is that Livingston does not exist; como? he is dead. Talk about embarrassed!
They do population control here thus preventing mainland Columbian's or any other nationality from staying so we can stay twenty four hours with no additional fees excepting the $100.00 for the cha-cha. Beyond that period there is a $38. fee for up to 30 days per person. The exchange rate is 20 to 1 here so our dollar goes a long way but since this is a holiday meca for Columbian's things are generally more expensive then other locations.
I'm waiting for The "live" ships agent I employed to return with my Zarpe so we can leave. The Zarpe is an important document since the next country will not allow you to clear in without the Zarpe that shows you legally cleared out of the previous country.
If I had the time I would stay here for a while,I like the cleanliness, island charm, and so far the people have been very polite and there are no security problems here.
Mark

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Capt notes

Woke up at 05:00 and went through all the pre departure checks passing the sea buoy at 08:00, so begins a 1500 mile passage from Panama to Miami and Nassau. All systems are in the green and I had plenty of rest yesterday. My able crew Lee and Mark Wactor are so excited for this trip; they have been on the hard in Arizona since selling their Prout 39 catamaran two years ago.
The sea state is about 6-8 foot, forward of the beam to starboard and while we started off sailing we have lost the wind in the last few minutes. Things could be worse, at this rate we will reach the Columbian islands lying off Honduras at about 12:00 tomorrow. Isla San Andre's and Providencia are about 200 miles north of Bocas Del Toro Panama and the cruising guide sure makes them sound great, I'll let you know and try to get some pictures posted so you can see for yourselves.
Thanks to all of you who emailed your wishes to me for fair winds, I better get back on the helm
Mark

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Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui Province, Panama

Well, we've finally made it to the part of Panama known as Bocas del Toro.

We have continued to suffer from communications difficulties, but as of now, we feel that these problems are a thing of the past. This is the first blog update that we've been able to send out since Halloween. Sorry to have worried all of you who have been following our journey - all is just fine and we're having a great time.

All the emails that have been received will be answered as fast as possible, so please be patient as Capt. Mark works to get caught up.

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ATTENTION:

Stray Cat and Capt. Mark have a new email address - please see the website for details - http://www.SailStrayCat.com

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Isla Grande, Panama

The next morning we weighed anchor for Colón, approximately 75 miles to our West.  As we were offshore, the wind and waves continued to build.  We were battered by the oncoming swells, some reaching as high as 15 feet and the wind gusted up to 40 knots at times.  The seas were somewhat confused and it was a rough ride to say the least.   We were only making 4.5 knots, and decided we'd had enough as we neared Isla Grande.  There were many squalls in the distance and the swells were not getting any better!    We pulled in to the sheltered anchorage between the mainland and Isla Grande in the early evening hours.  The wind was still howling, but the anchorage was rather calm.

 

Isla Grande is a beautiful and charming little place – the anchorage is between the island and the mainland, so from the boat we had both shorelines as our scenery.  There were many brightly painted hotels, restaurants, bars and private houses on both sides of the shore, all looking like tropical colored gems against the lush green background of the steep mountains that rose out of the ocean. This area is renowned as a vacation spot for well to do Panamanians.   We saw water taxi's cruising by at all hours of the day and night bringing people over from the mainland to Isla Grande and then back again.  We read in the guidebooks about a couple of great places on Isla Grande so we lowered the dink and headed in for some dinner. 

 

We beached the dinghy and took a walk through town.   We came across one of the local bars that was in the guide book and the author had raved about it.   The place was called "Pupi's" and was a local Rastafarian bar, a veritable shrine to Bob Marley and one heck of a bar.  They had drinks made from fresh squeezed juices and any kind of liquor you could imagine.   Pupi poured us some drinks, and we picked up a new term -  "Pupi style" or STIFF!   We had met a couple of cruisers at Pupi's and spent some time getting to know them.   Don had traveled around the world on his Cal 34 and Brian was a friend helping him out for a few weeks and getting a free working vacation. 

 

There were several open air restaurants right on the water - we looked around, chose one and ordered some, shrimp, langostino & Red Snapper.  We relaxed in the cool night air, ate and chatted with our newfound friends.   We got a lot of information about Bocas Del Toro and Portobelo from Don. 

 

The next day, Saturday, was very rainy and squally.  Mike & Capt Mark took the dinghy and headed west about 2 miles in the raging wind and swells to get a jerry can of diesel.   Sure enough there was a place to get fuel in the adjacent village, and Mike and Mark returned victorious from what proved to be a rather exciting dinghy trip.   They decided to wait until the next day to go back for another 6 gallons as the conditions were becoming even worse than earlier in the day.

 

Sunday things had died down a bit and by 8am we saw Don & Brian had already headed out to sea on Merinda the Cal 34.  Just a short while later they were back inside the anchorage and as they passed us they yelled over that their alternator belt had broken.   They also said the waves had calmed down a bit offshore.  After fixing the alternator belt, Don and Brian again headed East to San Blas and it wasn't long after, we pulled up Stray Cat's anchor and continued our journey West.

Eastern Lemmon Cays, San Blas Islands, Panama

Our first stop after leaving the Rio Diablo area was still in the San Blas at the Lemmon Cays.  We tried anchoring behind several islands, but had trouble finding good protection from the building wind and waves.   We re-checked the charts, chose a new spot that looked good, but had a rather tricky entrance.   After making double sure we knew where we were, we navigated through all of the surrounding reefs, and found the perfect spot in between Tiadup and Naguarchirdup.  

 

Our first visitor's in the Lemmons Cays arrived via cayuco and were a family of one grandmother and two young children.  The sky was about to open up as the grandmother motioned to come aboard, so Capt Mark carried the children on board and the Kuna Mujer proceeded to tell us that these were her grandchildren and their parents had died.   The children were poorly dressed.  One of the children, a boy, was about 1 year old and the other his sister was 8 or 9 years old.   They were in need of help - the young boy had been bitten by a dog in a few places, and the wounds were not healing well at all.  Of course the Mujer had items to sell including Molas, shells, Godseyes and jewelry.   Our hearts broke for these little ones as we bandaged them up, gave them drinks, cookies, pasta and sauce.  We bought items from the Mujer and Capt Mark gave her some money to take the child to the doctor.   We did all we could and the family set out in their cayuco to another remote island where they lived. 

 

Our next guests were in a huge cayuco that was running out of gas.  They had a load of freshly caught fish in their boat and they wanted to trade for fuel.   Capt Mark came up and checked out the situation, he gave the men a gallon of gas for 4 mackerel.  Mark and Mike helped them transfer a gallon of gas into their tank; they thanked us, gave us some fish and headed away.   Unfortunately, they did not give us the fish we wanted – the fish that they gave us was a type of mackerel that was very bloody.  We decided to toss it overboard since the fish book said they were not very tasty and rarely eaten. Nonetheless, we had a fantastic dinner of Lobster Tails & Yellowfin Tuna and hit the sack hoping that our attempts to help the Kuna that day were successful.

Dupsormulubipi, San Blas Islands, Panama

We need to head away from Nargana, so we could swim and make some water – those are things you don't do where the bathrooms are right over the water.  We found a great island in the Panama Guide Book for snorkeling and it was still close to Nargana, but far enough away that water would be clean.   Great! 

 

Dupsormulubipi, or just "Bipi" as we liked to call it, was about an hour northwest of Nargana.  We anchored in about 8ft of water only 10ft off of the island, and donned our snorkel gear and headed out to explore the reef.   Just off of the boat, we were enveloped by incredible schools of billions of baitfish.  The baitfish were a massive wall - all lined up and stacked in an almost barricade between the reef and us.   The closer we swam to the huge school, the more confused the fish would get and swarmed in unison all around us.   We were all praying that no larger fish would come through and feed on us as we were passing through it, but eventually we broke through the wall of fish, there was an incredible reef on the other side.   It was the most beautiful and healthy reef that we had ever seen.  Tremendous fan corals, elkhorn corals, brain corals and many different corals that we could not even identify.   Around the island was a wall of coral, in some places at least 70 ft deep.  There were many ledges and caves, perfect for hiding the massive amounts of reef fish that we got to see.   There were Queen Angelfish, large Yellow and Red tail Snappers, an amazing Goliath Grouper who must have weighed 20lbs, Spiny Lobster and much, much more!   This reef was so incredible we went back to Dupsormulubipi 3 different times.

 

Walter's time on Stray Cat was coming to an end, and we had made arrangements with Federico to have Walter fly out to Panama City on Tuesday morning at 6:30am.   Capt Mark took him to the airport at El Corazon in the dinghy around 6:15am.  Mike realized shortly after they left, that Walter had forgotten the very expensive charger for his video camera, and we had no way to get it to him.   Walter was leaving for Moscow the day he returned to NYC, and him leaving without that charger would be a major inconvenience, for him and for the crew of Stray Cat.   After about 20 minutes of trying Mike was able to flag down a cayuco and hitch a ride out to Corazon just before the plane took off, with Walter and his camera charger, Yeah!!  Walter was a lot of fun and very entertaining.  We got a Russian perspective on a lot of subjects and it was very interesting to watch a professional filmmaker at work.   It was great to be able to keep such a great record of our journey and we are looking forward to the film that he will produce about that leg of the trip.

 

After Walter's departure, we had one last night on Nargana and one last meal at Nali's.  After saying goodbye to all of our new found Kuna friends, we headed northeast, as we wanted to try another snorkel spot – one that was rated one of the best in the San Blas, Gannirguinnitdup.   Another bonus was that we were able to make water and do some laundry at the newest snorkel spot. 

 

We snorkeled around the island, which had quite a strong current and surge.  There was a huge reef around the island, but it was only a few inches deep.   We saw many rock ledges where lobsters and octopus like to hide out and there were plenty of Kunas fishing and diving all around us.  We were a little disappointed, as most of the coral looked dead and we found tons of sea biscuits and sea urchins also dead.   We did pass a couple of coral heads on the swim back to the boat, with gorgeous and curious fish.  Some of them would swim right between your legs checking you out.   After snorkeling we decided it was time to head West, beginning our journey toward Colón.

Trip of the Rio Diablo

We had a 9am appointment for our trip up the Rio Diablo with Federico, and we were all pretty excited about seeing some wildlife on the mainland.  Capt Mark & Mike headed over to Nargana about 7:30am to go to the bank and get some lunch for our trip up the "devil's river".   The bank was not open at 8am as advertised, and they could not find any lunchmeat so they were forced to have a nice breakfast at Nali's and wait for the bank to open.   While there, they went ahead and ordered a few hamburgers to go for lunch.   As they walked around town that morning after breakfast, Capt Mark and Mike served as human playgrounds for the little Kuna girls who insisted on being picked up and hugged, and once one would get them close to the ground, several more would jump on for the ride.   Those children have no idea about the toys, video games and other entertainments that children in the developed world have access to, but we have never seen children have more fun that the little ones on Nargana.   After getting change at the bank and stocking up with more "pan de Kuna"(Kuna bread) and then headed back to Stray Cat. 

 

Federico and Tomas arrived shortly thereafter in a large cayuco with a 20hp motor on it – they were ready to go – we piled into the cayuco and headed toward the Rio Diablo.  

 

At the mouth of the Rio Diablo were many fallen trees, submerged trunks and limbs - it was tricky to navigate to say the least.  With Federico on the bow and Tomas at the tiller, we worked our way through the maze and luckily we only touched bottom a few times.   The river was very pretty and lined with a dense wall of very green palm & banana trees.  We saw many wading type birds including tri-color herons, great egrets and ibis!   We even spotted the elusive toucan!!  They were high in the trees and were difficult to spot, but we did see at least 3 or 4 of them and one toucan flew right by the cayuco!   Mike was very quick with his telephoto lens and captured an incredible photo of the toucan in flight.  Federico & Tomas took us about a mile up the river, pulled over at a bend in the river, and told us that it was time for a little side trip.   We all exited the cayuco and Federico took us up into the jungle on a small path.  It was an interesting little hike – we saw some very colorful birds up in the canopy and in several places on the trail, leaf cutter ants were scurrying back and forth along their well groomed highway.  

 

When we got to the top of the hill, we found a clearing with odd structures scattered about and realized that it was the Kuna cemetery.  We instantly knew that we were in a sacred place and we all became very quiet and listed intently to everything that Federico told us – we were experiencing a truly unique cultural moment.   Federico showed us his family plots and told us how all Kuna are buried with their favorite personal belongings.  The gravesites were littered with plates, cups and bowls and Federico told us that all of their clothing was buried underground with them as well.   We explored for a while, took pictures and tried to take it all in before heading back down to the river. 

 

On the return trip, we were running with the current and did not need the motor.  We wound back down the river, seeing more birds, Jesus Christ lizards running on the water, and finally 2 monkeys.   Mike spotted them in the trees and we were able to stop and watch them for just a few minutes and even get a few quick shots.  They were very small - black with white heads.   They were called TeTe monkeys or "mono" en espanol.  After exiting out the mouth of the river, we took a few minutes to visit the local airport at Corazon de Jesus.  

 

El Corazon de Jesus was the smallest airport we had ever seen and one that Walter had briefly stopped at on the way to Porvenir.  There was a very small runway and a a small "concourse" ( a.k.a. a shed) and an outhouse that was built right over the water.  We got a few pictures and headed over to Nali's for some lunch.  We had many Atlas cervezas and Federico joined us.   We had again.  Lunch consisted of pollo, hamburger, conch or " cambombia" and octopus or "pulpo" – it was good and inexpensive.  We headed back out to Stray Cat for a nap, and spent an evening resting up for our visit to the traditional village Isla Tigre the next day!!!!

Nargana and Corazon de Jesus

Nargana was only a short trip away from the Coco Banderos Cays, so we made the trip in the early afternoon while the light was still good for "eyeball navigation".  Nargana and its' sister island Corazon de Jesus, are said to be the most modern islands in Kuna Yala.   The people there have partly given up the traditional Kuna way of life and embraced a more modern way of life.  We needed provisions for the boat, and we were looking forward to dinner out, so we pulled in and anchored next to Nargana, very near the Rio Diablo.   We were also looking to take a few side trips in this area, so Nargana was going to be the place where we would look for a "fixer" – a local who could make some arrangements for us.

 

We had just gotten Stray Cat anchored when the "Kuna Navy" made its' appearance - 3 Cayucos, full steam ahead towards the boat.  As usual, there were lots of women and children with Molas and jewelry, but one cayuco was manned by none other than Federico.   Federico Morales was "the fixer" that we had been looking for!  He handed us his card that said "Tour Guides &Yacht Services".   In about half an hour of conversation and negotiation, Federico had taken our 6 bags of trash for us, set up a trip for us on the Rio Diablo for the following day and he was going to arrange a visit with a traditional Kuna Village on Isla Tigre.   Perfecto!! 

 

Our guidebook agreed with Federico on which restaurant was the best on the island, so we headed over to Nargana in the dinghy for dinner at Nali's, and Federico joined us there.   We ordered dinner and while it was being prepared, Federico gave us a tour of the village.  They had a school, a bank, a library, a volleyball/basketball court, stores, hotels and many homes or huts.   Most huts even had satellite television!  Children were running and showing off for us everywhere.  The boys walked on their hands and the girls smiled and giggled and they all wanted you to take their pictures, and then to see their pictures on the LCD screen.   Walter had the huge professional video camera, and was filming the whole scene – he caused quite a stir among the children as they reveled in the opportunity to be on TV.    All of the people we met and talked to were very nice, and you could tell that they had very big hearts.

 

We headed back to Stray Cat in the dinghy after a good dinner of langostinos, chicken (pollo), rice, potato salad and cole slaw - the motor sputtered a little but got us home – in the rain.  

Coco Banderos Cays, San Blas Islands, Panama

We headed further East toward the Coco Banderos Cays, which are known for being the most beautiful islands in all of San Blas. There is a four-mile reef that extends around this island group and because it is far out away from the mainland and its rivers, these islands have some of the clearest waters. It was only a few miles from the Holandes Cays, but enroute we lost our GPS navigation system because the chart plotter overheated and blacked out. Mike grabbed the hand held GPS and started plotting points on a paper chart. He had a good time navigating the "old fashioned way", and that is how we made our way into the anchorage between Tiadup & Olosicuidup. Later, Capt. "McGyver" Mark fixed the chartplotter with a toothbrush.

We anchored in about 30ft of water, with 6 other boats in the anchorage. We could see from our anchorage a large freighter wrecked on the reef nearby and we found out that it was on it's way from Cartagena, Colombia to Colon, Panama and in a storm, the huge ship lost it's way and ran up on the reef. As soon as we set the anchor, the visitors started arriving - one cayuco after another with local people selling their wares. The first person that arrived was Venancio Restrepo. He had 2 boys paddling him around and in the cayuco were 2 five gallon buckets full of Molas. He gave us his business card and it read Venancio Restrepo, Master Mola Maker, from Mormake tupu or Mola Maker Island Kuna Yala San Blas and even had his cell phone number. He was very advanced and could speak English rather well. We invited him aboard and he must have shown us 100 Molas. They were the prettiest we had seen, the detail was astounding and he told us that some of the Molas take up to 4 months to make. He had Molas from his whole family to sell. We bought a good many Molas and sent Venancio on his way.

A while later some Kuna men came with lobsters or "langustas" in their cayuco. Yovanni, Antonio and Juan sold us 11 lobsters for $25, tails cut and cleaned. They were a bit small, but the large lobster they had, probably weighing 6 lbs, they were selling it for $35! Capt Mark grilled the lobsters for dinner along with some Mahi Mahi we had caught earlier on the trip. It was succulent!!! Much better than any lobster in a restaurant! We had a few more vendors that day. A Kuna man came by selling bread, which we gladly bought, and he told us he could deliver beer, sodas, take our garbage for us and anything else we needed. We thanked him for the bread, but had already planned to go to the island of Nargana the next day. Nargana had a grocery store, restaurant, liquor store and more, so we opted to wait.

We snorkeled all over the anchorage and Capt Mark and Walter went out to the ship wreck to get some closeup shots. We snorkeled around many reefs and explored some of the uninhabited islands - it was great! In the anchorage, the water was very deep in some places over 50 feet deep and there were starfish everywhere.

The next morning we listened to the Cruiser's Net from Panama and were preparing for a snorkel when a young lady rowed over to our boat. She was a young French girl named Katherine who asked us if we would like to see some jewelry. We welcomed her aboard and she had a bag full of jewelry with a fantastic presentation. She and her husband/boyfriend had been living in the anchorage for 4 years. They had sailed a 27ft steel sloop from France via Africa. She was very interesting and well traveled. She gave us lots of good information on places to visit. She and her husband make jewelry from a local nut that they find in the jungle called the tagua nut. The jewelry is exquisite! She called the seed "vegetable ivory" and they had used it in so many creative ways to create some beautiful works of art - they could sand it, cut it and dye it to create the desired effect. All of the jewelry was gorgeous, but we held ourselves to just a few pieces. Later that morning we all went snorkeling next to Olosicuidup. The coolest snorkel sight so far, with tons of reef fish, coral heads, sea urchins, Bahamian conch and sea biscuits. It was incredible! Afterwards we weighed anchor for Nargana & Rio Diablo.

Eastern Holandes Cays, San Blas Islands, Panama

Leaving Whichub Huala, we headed East for about 20 miles to the Holandes Cays. There was absolutely no wind! Just our luck, and to make matters a little more difficult, it was probably the hottest it's been so far. 90 degrees in the shade, and we were all feeling it. We could see the mountains of Panama along the coastline and many shallow reefs along the route. After motoring for 15 miles or so, late Tuesday afternoon, we arrived at what's known as the "swimming pool anchorage" between the islands of Morodup (BBQ island) and Banedup. This anchorage has been reported as the clearest waters in all of San Blas with the best snorkeling, fishing, and reefs. A local family came by in 2 Cayucos, paddling up to the boat to hang out and talk. The "mujer" or the lady Kuna, dressed in the traditional way, asked for coffee, salt & cigarettes. We gave it all to them with a couple of Pepsi's and very quickly, we had made some Kuna friends. There was a young man of 21, his wife 16, and their 2 year old, then the grandmother or abuela, who was 63 and two boys who were 10 & 11. They were all smiling and laughing and bailing their Cayucos, which were constantly taking on water. We were enjoying the opportunity to speak Spanish - the Kuna father was enjoying the opportunity to learn some English - and we were all enjoying the interaction of cultures, each of us fascinated by the other. Ahhhhh Paradise!

Morodup Island was very close to us - close enough that we could swim there from the boat. The island was uninhabited and one of the prettiest that we had ever seen, truly a paradise! The green grass seemed like that of a golf course with no under brush at all and towering coconut palms shaded the whole island nicely. The island looked like it had been manicured by the natives with the coconuts that had fallen gathered into piles and sand swept by palm fronds - they had really taken care of the island and there was not much trash at all here. The white sand beaches were reminiscent of the Bahamas with their pink coral flecks throughout the white sand. We explored the island from one side to the other, finding some small treasures - some beautiful shells, some unique Kuna artifacts and a partially broken, but beautifully carved Kuna paddle. That evening, we had a great dinner of chuletas (pork chops), did some filming with Walter, had a few drinks and headed off to bed so we could explore the next day.

The following day we snorkeled, swam and broke the dinghy again! Walter, Mike, Kate & Stuart went out for a swim while Capt Mark took care of business on Stray Cat. The dinghy motor died as we were headed out to the reef and it would not start again! We decided the best thing to do would be to go ahead and anchor the dink anyway, go for a swim to see what we could, and maybe by the time we had finished swimming, the motor would feel better. Fortuitously, there were reefs and coral heads all around, so we snorkeled for a while, tried and failed to start the motor again, and then swam the dinghy back to Stray Cat. It was another case of water in the gas. The guys all worked together to filter the bad gas and after Capt Mark took apart the carb, yet again - the problem was solved.

Later, Capt Mark dropped Mike Kate & Stuart off at Morodup, and he and Walter headed out in the dink for some shots of a wrecked sailboat up on the reef. As they were zooming over to the boat, the family from the day before flagged them down. The families were in their Cayucos and were asking for a tow back home. Capt Mark said sure, and invited the Kunas to climb into the dinghy - he towed the Cayucos behind and even let the young gentleman drive the dinghy, which more than made his day. They got a tour of the island where the family lived with about 3 huts on it. It was very primitive and Capt Mark and Walter enjoyed being let into the huts and experience the Kuna way of life. Mike & Kate had spent the afternoon relaxing in their hammocks on Morodup. The island was a tropical paradise and swinging in a hammock between swaying palm trees is a great way to enjoy the day. Only the lingering threat of "death by coconut" had them packing up and heading back to Stray Cat.

In the afternoon, everyone grabbed snorkeling gear and headed over to "the wall". The entrance to the "Swimming Pool" anchorage has a narrow channel to traverse to get inside. The narrow channel consists of a wall of coral on either side, making a perfect place to snorkel and explore all of the little nooks and crannies. That is where we all spent some time snorkeling and had a great time! Some of the coral had died because of the shallowness and one could see that the occasional heavy storm had broken up the coral, especially the fan coral. But, there were plenty of fish and it looked like the perfect place to find lobster, but we did not see any. That night we filmed a bit more with Walter, had a great dinner & drinks and hit the sack. We did experience a few light showers overnight, but we have not had any bug or mosquito problems as of yet. The next day we headed for the Coco Banderos Cays.

Wichub Huala, San Blas Islands, Panama

The guide books told us that Wichub Huala was the only place nearby with a store, and we needed some provisions. The island was just across from Porvenir, so we raised anchor, plotted a course through the shallows and coral heads, and slowly headed that way. As we got closer to the island we could see a local boat unloading some supplies on a long concrete dock and we decided that must be the "tienda" or market. We motored Stray Cat close to the dock before anchoring and the local school children, who must've been on a break from school, were out on the dock waving to us as we prepared to enter the island by dinghy. The five of us loaded into the dinghy for a grocery trip, motored the short distance over to Whichub Huala, pulled in next to the dock and tied off the dinghy. The island was very primitive for the most part, with the majority of the houses and buildings begin bamboo huts. Most of the younger people were dressed as Americans would be and the older women or mothers were wearing the traditional dress, which consisted of a red and yellow bandana or scarf on the head, a floral print shirt on the top and a "Mola" sewn in to the middle with a long navy printed sarong and bracelets on the wrists and covering their legs, from the ankles to the knees. They were gorgeous. Molas, the local traditional craft, are hand made colorful appliqus sewn into many different layers of cloth, almost like an incredibly intricate needlepoint, that is layered with very colorful & unique designs and in most cases animals, flowers or geometric shapes.

We headed straight into the market and found a good supply of items - plantains, beers, sodas, canned veggies, pineapple, cereal, & even peanut M&M's! They also had some nice ballcaps for $2.50 ea. The young Kunas who were managing the store were very nice and helpful, and we were all impressed by their professionalism. After we had purchased our supplies, we headed out into the village for some bread and rum, two things that were not available at the store. The island was built in a very traditional way - bamboo huts were used for almost every home & also for the "congreso", the large gathering place for the nightly tribal meetings. There were only a few buildings that weren't made from bamboo and thatch, and those were the school and the clinic.

We made our way through the dirt streets or paths between the homes, and immediately noticed tables set up with women selling their wares. It was strange to see tables like at a craft show every 15 feet. They knew we were coming! We found out that occasionally Cruise Ships will pull into Porvenir, so that is why many locals had tables to set up for vending. At every table there were Molas, bracelets, jewelry, purses, pot holders, shells, and small flutes made from a local seed. We bought a few things on our way to the bakery. The "bakery" that we found was actually a person's home - a bamboo hut - and we were fairly certain that the bread was made over a fire, although we did not get to see it being made. We purchased what looked like bread sticks for 10 cents each - we now know that that is the only kind of bread you will find in Kuna Yala. Next, we weaved through the huts and craft tables and came to a small store where they did have one kind of rum, Ron Abuelo Anejo, which we tasted before buying, and it was good enough! That was our last purchase on Wichub Huala. We did have some interesting conversations with a few locals about the "Cayucos" - they told us how men traveled to the mountains on an expedition to find a huge tree to make their boats. It would take many men a very long time to find the right tree and even longer to get it back down to the island from the mountains. The boats were incredible and beautifully - each crafted from a single gargantuan tree. We bid farewell to the wonderful people and took all of our supplies and souvenirs out to Stray Cat. Our next stop would be the Eastern Holandes Cays.

Isla Porvenir, San Blas Islands

We anchored next to Porvenir just past 5pm and Capt Mark hurried over in the dinghy to meet Eduardo. Capt Mark was headed towards the town dock in the dinghy when a man from an anchored sailboat flagged him down. Mark stopped over and the man introduced himself as Eduardo Lopez. They both made way to the town dock and after filling out a ton of paperwork, Capt Mark had the 4 of us and Stray Cat checked in for 3 months! Wahoo!! We celebrated that night with a few rums and a great dinner. It was wonderful to all be able to sleep through the night without having to stand watches and battle squalls and freighters. The sleep didn't last long however, as we had to make sure that we were awake to pick up Walter at 6:30am from the Porvenir airport.

We were all up early the next day, Tuesday the 16th, preparing for Walter's arrival. We were having our morning coffee in the cockpit, when we heard an airplane flying above us. We watched the pilot's deft maneuvering as he landed the twin engine, high wing, turbo prop at the Porvenir airport. Capt Mark sped over in the dinghy to greet Walter and he was back in about 15 minutes with no Walter. We decided that Walter had missed his flight when we heard the familiar sound of engines overhead. Another of the same kind of twin engine buzzed the anchorage and then landed. Another plane!

This time, we thought, Walter must be aboard, so Capt. Mark, Mike and Kate dinked over to collect our new crew member. Sure enough, we found him just as advertised, with his video camera, already filming the buildings and uniqueness of Porvenir. And so we added Walter - a Russian who has lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but now works in NY and LA. Walter is making a documentary film about the San Blas Islands, and Stray Cat and crew will be his transportation and production support team for the week or so that he is on board.

And so, with a new member on board, Stray Cat raised anchor and began the next chapter in the Panama Adventure. Just before we set sail a couple of local ladies in a Kuna canoe called a "cayuco" paddled out to Stray Cat and were showing us some items they had made. They had beaded jewelry that is traditional for the Kuna women to wear, a few shirts & carved coconuts, which were made into purses. The women were beautiful and dressed in the traditional Kuna attire; one lady had gorgeous facial tattoos, which seemed rather tribal. Another interesting thing is that in Kuna Yala is a matriarchal society, so the women are the heads of the household. We bought a few things from the Kuna women, took a few pictures and headed off to Wichub Huala. We had made our first contact with the native Kuna people!

Checking in to Panama

Leaving Miramar, we turned east and followed the Atlantic coast of Panama towards Punta San Blas and the outlying islands of Kuna Yala. We were heading for an island called Isla Porvenir, which is an official Panamanian Customs and Immigration check in location, but what makes it different is that it is run by the Kuna Indians, and as a result, it has a reputation for being a much friendlier and less bureaucratic place to check in - much better than Colon. We had hoped to get there Monday afternoon in time to take care of the check in with the officials before they retired for the day, but our estimated time of arrival was past five 'o clock local time. As we approached, Mike got on the VHF radio and called Porvenir. The Customs & Immigration officials answered on the radio and said they could accommodate us, but with overtime charges of $20. No Problem Mon! We anchored next to Porvenir just past 5pm and Capt Mark hurried over in the dinghy to meet Eduardo. Capt Mark was headed towards the town dock in the dinghy when a man from an anchored sailboat flagged him down. Mark stopped over and the man introduced himself as Eduardo Lopez. They both made way to the town dock and after filling out a ton of paperwork, Capt Mark had the 4 of us and Stray Cat checked in for 3 months! Wahoo!! We celebrated that night with a few rums and a great dinner. It was wonderful to all be able to sleep through the night without having to stand watches and battle squalls and freighters. The sleep didn't last long however, as we had to make sure that we were awake to pick up Walter at 6:30am from the Porvenir airport.

We were all up early the next day, Tuesday the 16th, preparing for Walter's arrival. We were having our morning coffee in the cockpit, when we heard an airplane flying above us. We watched the pilot's deft maneuvering as he landed the twin engine, high wing, turbo prop at the Porvenir airport. Capt Mark sped over in the dinghy to greet Walter and he was back in about 15 minutes with no Walter. We decided that Walter had missed his flight when we heard the familiar sound of engines overhead. Another of the same kind of twin engine buzzed the anchorage and then landed. Another plane!

This time, we thought, Walter must be aboard, so Capt. Mark, Mike and Kate dinked over to collect our new crew member. Sure enough, we found him just as advertised, with his video camera, already filming the buildings and uniqueness of Porvenir. And so we added Walter - a Russian who has lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but now works in NY and LA. Walter is making a documentary film about the San Blas Islands, and Stray Cat and crew will be his transportation and production support team for the week or so that he is on board.

And so, with a new member on board, Stray Cat raised anchor and began the next chapter in the Panama Adventure.

Landfall in Panama

Landfall in Panama!!

Stray Cat and crew made landfall in Panama on Monday morning at approximately10am. We pulled into a place called Miramar because one of our guide books told us that they had a fuel dock, and that was important to us. We spent six days making the passage from Jamaica to Panama, most of it waiting for the trade winds to fill in. We were forced to motor for a large percentage of the time, and we were quickly realizing that by the time we were close to Panama, we would be on fumes. We knew that there would be no diesel available in the San Blas Islands because they are so remote, so we were forced to change course to make landfall about 25 miles from our original destination. Our new destination was a small harbor town called Miramar, where we hoped to refuel before heading to San Blas.

We shot the approach into Miramar - a reef on the left and rocks on the right. We made it around the reef and began to make our way down the channel towards the few docks and buildings that we thought was our destination. It seems that we were a little left of the channel, however, because just after a local whistled at us and motioned us further to the right, we lost water and the boat came to a stop rather quickly - we were aground. So much for a graceful entrance, but Capt. Mark stayed calm and skillfully used Stray Cat's twin props to wiggle off the ground and back into deep water. Ok - let's try this again. We moved the boat very close to shore and made a few inquiries about where we could get diesel and gasoline - our first foray into our "Spanish to Survive" course, and shortly thereafter we found what we had come for.

What we found in Miramar was a very small warehouse near the water, with a dock that can only be described as "rickety", and a small store, or "tienda" run by a very cordial Chinese family. When we arrived all of the locals were on the dock loading down with supplies to take to the small villages of San Blas. We waited for a space at the "dock" for over an hour as they loaded all kinds of sodas, beers, flour, sugar, rice, bananas and fuel onto their small panga style local boats. It was finally our turn to move in, and thanks to some great maneuvering and crew work, we pulled off the tight squeeze and tied the bow up into the mangroves. After a few "preguntas" from the young Asian man working the dock, down the pier rolled the diesel - on a hand truck inside a 55 gallon drum. We positioned the boat on the dock to get close to the drum and used a hand cranked pump to fill the port tank, but had to move the boat off the dock and flip her around to get to the starboard tank. We bought every bit of diesel they had which amounted to about 75 gallons, which we figured would be enough to last us during our trip through the San Blas.

They also had groceries and supplies at the small tienda, so we spent some time and money provisioning for San Blas before we left. They had a limited supply, but a few key items were necessary since we were picking up a new passenger the next day and we were very low on food. The prices were reasonable, the people were friendly, and our first contact with Panamanian culture was pretty enjoyable. It was a Godsend to have been able to obtain fuel, meat, milk, cereal, soda, eggs etc.. Most of all, though, it was very nice to have the long, windless passage behind us. Off to the San Blas Islands!

The Dinghy Push Project

With 120 miles to go, we realized that we could no longer make any plans that included hoping for the wind - there was none. We knew that we were low on fuel so we started doing some calculations to see just what our situations was, and the result was that making landfall on the diesel that we had was questionable at best.

So, the last resort option came out and after a few hours of discussion, we decided to pull the trigger. We stopped the boat, lowered the dinghy and moved it around to the starboard side of the boat and rigged a spring line from Stray Cat's aft cleat to a padeye on the front of the dinghy. We then rigged the dink's bowline to Stray Cat's bow cleat. When all was tight and looked right, we revved up the Yamaha 15hp, and off we went - at a blistering 2.5 knots. The dink was doing an admirable job pushing us along, and for as long as we could keep that Yamaha running, we could move along at 2 to 3 knots without running the diesels, thereby conserving fuel that we would need to make landfall and enter the harbor. We also had a nice current of 1 knot and managed to stay between 3 & 4 knots most of the time. We were carrying approximately 14 gallons of gasoline on board, but none of us were sure of how long that amount would last because none of us had much experience pushing a 22,000 pound boat with a 15 hp outboard motor.

We started with the "Dinghy Push Project" at about 9am on Sunday morning. At about 11am, a squall came up and we were able to get the genny out and pulling for about 2 hours, which helped the dink get us up to 5 or 6 knots. Finally, at around 5pm, the first 4 gallon fuel tank ran dry, and we switched to our second 4 gallon tank. Then right before dark at about 7pm, we switched to the larger 6 gallon tank so that we would have the least possible chance of having to make any adjustments to the dinghy during the night, when it would be infinitely more dangerous.

We "motored" through the dark for hours, and then at 5am, on Capt. Mark's watch, the Yamaha finally sputtered and died. Back to slow motoring on one diesel engine until sun-up, but by that time, we had come within 30 miles of Panama, and because of the heroic actions of our little 10 ft dinghy and 15hp Yamaha, we were now pretty confident that we had enough fuel to make landfall and get into port. The dink had pushed us for almost 24 hours and helped us make almost 60 miles. Not quite as good as having the trade winds on the beam, but it got the job done. The next morning we tried to get the dinghy going again, but the motor wouldn't start - it seems that during the night, the strengthening waves had splashed into the dinghy and some water had entered the fuel tank. Capt Mark proceeded to take apart the carburetor and clean it at least twice - all while underway, but alas, it didn't help as the gasoline was now contaminated. Oh well, at least we made it to Panama.

Jamaica to Panama

Jamaica to Panama

The passage from Jamaica to Panama was supposed to be a beam reach through the trade wind belt. Pilot Charts are reference books that show what the recorded wind and wave information are for the last 100 years in most oceans and bodies of water. The Pilot Charts indicate that during the month of October on the passage from Jamaica to Panama that the wind blows out of the east at 15-20 knots about 90 percent of the time. Well, we seemed to find 100% of the 10% of the time that the wind did not blow. We were able to sail for several hours here and there, using squalls and localized micro-fronts to slingshot us 10 or 15 miles, but on the whole the trades never filled in.

On the second and third day, we did pick up some wind, but it was straight out of the south and right on the nose. We spent the better part of 24 hours tacking - first southeast and then southwest, but we found this to be futile as a substantial current was against us on the southeast tack. During those 24-30 hours we made only 15-20 miles of southing, and eventually realized that this tactic was not going to be successful.

At this point, we were forced to make plans based on the fact that if the wind never did cooperate, we were facing a serious issue, as we most likely didn't have enough fuel to motor the entire distance. As a result, we began using only one engine at a time, always keeping the RPMs in the 1500-2000 range in order to conserve fuel. At low RPMs, the engines become very fuel efficient, and even though we rarely moved at over 4 knots, we surmised that this was our best bet at making landfall any time soon.

And so it went for close to 300 miles. Sunrise became morning - morning became afternoon - afternoon became dinner - dinner became sundowners - sundowners became talking about the night watch schedule - a little sleep - a few hours on watch - a little more sleep - and sunrise came to start it all over again. All the while, we prognosticated, forecasted, made assumptions, made predictions, read weather books, studied the clouds, and even said a few prayers - all focused on the big question - "Where are the trades?"

Communications Issues

An update to our communications problems

Our High Seas communications system is still giving us problems, but we are trying to resolve the issues. To be sure, even getting this email out will be a small success.

Please bear with us as right now we can only send, but not receive.

If you have sent emails to the boat, we most likely have not received them. When we are able to resolve these issues, we will respond to all received emails.

Wish you were here,

Capt. Mark

Landfall in Panama

Hi all,

We have safely made landfall in Panama - we are writing a real blog entry now and should get it up in the next day or two. The problem is that things keep happening so fast and we can't find the time to keep up with the blog. By the time we write about something that happened, something else has happened.

Safe and sound. Happy and healthy. Hot and humid. No wind. No complaints.

It will be quite a while before we get real internet and the ability to upload pics, etc

Blog updates only for 7-10 days.

Have checked in at Isla Porvenir in the San Blas and are headed east to the Holandes Cays. We are also planning to head to the Rio Diablo (River of the Devil) - we'll all moon him if we see him.

Cheers,

Crew of Stray Cat

Capt. Notes

Capt. Note:

I haven't written in a while since my crew is doing a lot of that - and doing very well based on the emails I have been getting.

The crew current, and those who have since left, have been the best. They all found their way shipboard, developed sea legs and jobs they like beyond sailing and standing watch. I have had so much help I feel like I'm the guest.

We have had two issues to deal with, one of which you may have experienced when trying to communicate with us, namely our high seas email system. For the benefit of those gonna be sailors and those of you with boats trying to decide on equipment I'll tell you the direction I went in radio gear.

The basic radio for ship to shore or ship to ship/bridges is the VHF radio. Stray Cat has two hard mounts and one handheld. By the way, don't buy the West Marine submersible handheld for about $150.00 it won't take a wet ride in the dink.

VHF is line of sight so the earth's curvature limits the range of the signal to about 25 miles. One of my antennas is mounted 65 feet atop the mast so if I were trying to talk to a land base station, such as the USCG who's antenna is two hundred feet tall, I may be able to reach out 100 miles.

You get the idea; VHF is to limiting for off shore work so that brings me to the SSB, single side band transceiver, about $1,300.00 for starters then an antenna tuner for about $800.00 plus an antenna and counterpose ground system. All installed and running with the assistance of very expensive technicians, about 3k.

You will need a special radio license to operate the radio and it's not easy to prepare for the test. This radio, I have an ICOM 710 sends a signal out in voice or data that some how bounces off the upper atmosphere then back to earth many times and covers great distances. I have talked and listened to people thousands of miles away, it's what you might otherwise have heard of as HAM radio.There are a few times a day that it is not to reliable, sun rise/set and midday and when there are anomalies such as sun spots.

Not done yet, if you purchase a modem for about $900.00, USB it to your laptop and buy certain software, you can send emails. Well, I have had every kind of problem with the system - mostly with my provider.

I have backed that entire system up with a SAT phone for voice and the ability to get online for about $1,900.00. The SAT phone system works world wide and is very reliable at about a dollar a minute. That system also failed me because of the provider.

I can tell you that trying to resolve these problems on the high seas has been a real treat - and an expensive one - but it's done and we're good to go again.

The other problem is all about the wind. Stray Cat is a sailboat and to cover great distances wind in a favoring direction would be nice. While planning this trip I read the pertinent Pilot Charts that show each month of the year the recorded wind direction and velocity plus currents for a hundred years or more. After reading that and other references I was sure that we would have trade winds at about 15 kts on the port beam.

You guessed it, we have not had any trades; we have had light wind on the nose for three hundred and fifty miles. We have used passing squalls to sort of sling shot off for a few hours of real spine tingling sailing a couple times a day, but overall, we are not sailing as much as we need to.

Currently we are about 150 miles off the cost of Colombia and 195 miles off Panama running on one engine at very low RPM. Remaining fuel may get us to a land fall, maybe. The weather forecast tells of two tropical waves headed this way with east winds so while I might not normally wish for a wave we will welcome these two.

We're having a great time being and dealing with what sailors have always dealt with, so not to worry we will get there on time, smiling all the way.

Mark

Jamaica - Ya Mon !!

We arrived in Port Antonio, Jamaica on Friday, October 5th in the morning just after 8am. We had to check in with customs & immigration so we took a slip at the Erroll Flynn Marina. "Mix" was our line handler and he worked for the marina. One of the many great people we met in Port Antonio. We tied up and started filling out paperwork. What a job! The papers had to be filled out 3 different ways and for 5 people, it was a lot of red tape.

We were able to get off of the boat and walk around the marina only. Lots of us took advantage of the marina showers and a little shopping at "Things Jamaican". The first item we picked up was a lb. of coffee for $1300. We quickly put it down! Then a shirt for over $900! We knew something was awry, so we asked the store manager and she told us the exchange rate at the marina was 65J's(Jamaican Dollars) to $1 U.S. The exchange rate at the ATM in town was more like 70-1. We spent thousands of dollars everyday, but without all the guilt, and the ATM receipt gave your balance in J's - we all loved seeing our bank balances number in the hundreds of thousands of dollars!!

We were all starving and looking for some lunch after the first 2 customs agents came & went, although we were still waiting for the third. Ryan got a suggestion from one of the local guys to head over to "Kooyah" for some authentic Jamaican food. We headed out of the main gate of the marina. The property of the marina was enormous and encompassed a city park open to the public in the daytime, it was gorgeous. It was like a lush tropical paradise with every kind of flower and fruit you could imagine. We did not have to go far to get to Kooyah and it was on the rooftop, so we toasted Red Stripes for making it this far on our adventure and we ordered, fried Red Snapper, curried chicken & curried goat! We found goat to be one of the staple meats of the area. Everything was delicious! From the rooftop we could see the outdoor market and some really cool old buildings. We were ready to explore!

We went to the bank to get some more J's when a local guy named John picked us up. He was a guy who wanted to show us around town and help us get whatever we needed, sort of an informal local guide service. John took us all over town showing us all of the shops, buildings, landmarks, and telling us some of the local history. He took us through the market where they had all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables along with Jamaican trinkets, wood carvings, leather shoes, Blue Mountain coffee, spices, local meats & fresh fish. It was awesome! There was so much to see and bargain for. We went back many times. In the butcher shop a man was showing us some goat testicles and telling us how good they were for us. Goat & pig heads were a plenty. Then a Jamaican lady came and grabbed Ryan and asked him if he was an Irishman. She was happy to see him and gave him some money to buy a drink. Ryan was confused and John told him the lady was wealthy and had English roots, that she had gotten excited at seeing a tall white man. Ryan promptly was gotten a Red Stripe in the market. John took us back to the marina after showing us all around. We tipped him for the service, but he always wanted more giving us the reason that Jamaican dollars "funny money" .

After chillin' on the boat for a while, Ryan was ready to bar hop on his last night in Jamaica as he was flying out the next morning. Ryan & Capt. Mark hit every bar or hole in the wall in town. Mike, Kate & Stuart went to Shadow's, an outdoor restaurant downtown, for dinner and had a wonderful fish platter of Mahi Mahi, steamed vegetables & rice. One plate would have been enough for 3 people! It was really good and we had a few rums too. The local rum in Jamaica is Appleton Estates, we got very familiar with it. As we were finishing up our drinks, John came in to the bar. He had told us earlier in the day that they had really good food. He proceeded to take us around the city again. The first bar we stopped in we saw Capt. Mark & Ryan. We all had a few drinks and then Kate, Mike & Stuart retired for the evening and left the night owls up. Ryan had to leave at 8am for a cab ride to Kingston Airport. We were all up at 8am as he was leaving, he had scheduled 2 cabs and neither one showed up. There was a little panic as "Hulk" found a cab for Ryan. Little did we know at the time - even though Jamaica is in the same time zone as we are, they do not adjust for Daylight Savings Time, so it was actually only 7am and at 8am both cabs did show up for Ryan, OOPS!

Saturday was a work day for the Stray Cat Crew. Capt. Mark & Mike worked on the generator wiring and fuel pump, they also mounted a pad eye in the deck for the SSB antennae, then they secured the dinghy with new line. There were a couple of local guys, Hulk & Donovan, buffing and polishing the hulls for a few days as it rained on and off the whole time we were in Jamaica. Stuart & Kate did 6 loads of laundry and went back and forth to the market 3 times to re-supply the ship's stores. This was the day we discovered the local bakery & meat pies Yum! The bakery was very inexpensive and had warm bread fresh from the oven. Meat pies were the only ground beef we came across in a cheese flavored Phyllo dough, very tasty! Rum thirty came early that day as everyone had worked hard. There was a little exploring of the marina pool and the internet access was really nice. We were able to use Skype to make a few international calls - it was really nice to be able to keep in touch for a few days. We called it an early night as we were all exhausted.

Sunday was another good work day cleaning up the interior and wrapping up all of the projects on deck. We had a salon day on the swim platform with haircuts all around for Mike, Kate & Stuart. We met little Sevaskia Brown, Hulk's daughter, who hung out on the boat & watched movies while he buffed & polished. Donovan was still buffing the boat and went to get some lunch in Boston. A local town well known for their jerk chicken & pork. It was the best jerked meat we had the whole time in Jamaica, but it was VERY expensive. Mike & Kate scouted around the immediate area finding a restaurant nearby and a gorgeous beach with some historic ruins on the marina property. The flora & fauna were incredibly beautiful. We retired early again on Sunday as it was raining once more.

Monday was spent preparing the boat for departure and stocking up on everything we could need for at least 5 days of sailing. We hit the local Supermarkets, liquor store and hardware store. The hardware store is where you would go to buy your baby chicks or eggs by the dozen. The babies were adorable! We did some more sight seeing with Capt. Mark and had lunch at a local chicken place called the Chicken Shack - there was one fast food restaurant that everyone would recognize - KFC, the locals called it the Fowl Coop.

In the early afternoon, Capt. Mark checked out of Jamaica with customs & immigration and took the guys to fuel up and Kate went to town for a few more fruits & veggies. Later a guy named Moses had been doing some fiberglass work on the boat and as he was leaving the marina he showed us all of the fruit trees on the grounds. There were bread fruit, ackee and coconuts all over the place. He was something of a bush doctor. He snapped twigs off of trees and told us to make tea with it - the plant was called sour sap, and he said it would calm your nerves. It was clear that Jamaicans live off of the land and do not even need to plant rows of fruit trees or crops, everything grows naturally and they harvest it when it is ready instead of trying to hurry along God's process. It was fascinating to hear all of the remedies and how to prepare the different fruits & leaves. Completely in tune with the earth and natural goodness.

Our last night in Jamaica we hung out in the cockpit and talked with Hulk. He had been found on the streets in Kingston at 18 months old. He was a very smart guy with a wordly knowledge and a big heart. He was one of our favorite people that we met. We finally decided to head out to dinner and opted for Chinese. It was the only place around still open. The funny part about this place was that we could not even tell that it was a restaurant and were hesitant to order, but we did anyway as our options were limited. We wound up eating some of the best Chinese food any of us had ever had! The shrimp & chicken in our meals were fresh & local - Imagine That! It was great, we all retired immediately after dinner.

Tuesday AM - Not feeling too good. Appleton Estates had us in a bit of a bad way, but we recovered. Stuart & Kate headed out to the bakery early for some more treats & meat pies. Capt Mark & Hulk cleaned the boat and Mike hooked up Mark's new email address on SSB to the Stray Cat website. There were 2 other Privilege Catamarans at the marina and Capt Steve did let us aboard "Amazing Grace" the 65 footer. It was enormous and laid out like a mega yacht! The interior was astounding, incredibly fancy with every bell and whistle you could think of. The last selling price was $1.5million U.S. Stuart said he was jumping ship and stowing away on the Privilege 65! Capt. Steve said that the owners did not like sailing, so they would call him and tell him which island to bring the boat to and get it all stocked up so that they could fly in to that location and meet him at the marina without having to be at sea. They do not like being at sea?! Why have a sailboat??

Stray Cat set sail just after noon, with Stuart on board. Jamaica was great and Port Antonio had some wonderful people! George the manager of the marina was very helpful & so was Mix, Moses, Steve & Hulk. They were all there to wish us well and see us off. We had a fantastic time and we would go back to Port Antonio anytime. We would recommend it to others without hesitation!

Go Jamaica Mon!!

/EX

Resend - Departure from George Town

This is a resend of a ships log that didn't post.

Hey Mon -

We have departed Georgetown, leaving Bradley behind and one bag of our luggage. The 5 of us,Capt. Mark, Stewart, Ryan, Mike & Kate, cast off the "stringy thingys" and pointed the bow mostly South.

We have had a few thuderstorms and not the best wind conditions, but we are making way for the windward passage. We are just off of the Aucklin Islands and are preparing to hang a ralph anytime now.

We hope to be in Jamaica in a couple of days and are preparing for our second overnight. We did hook a couple of tuna and a small bird hitched a ride for a while, he seemed exhausted, so we didn't charge him anything.

Having a great time, wish you were here!

The Crew

/EX

Great Inagua to Jamaica

Wednesday, October 3rd

We arrived in Matthew Town not having much of an idea what was there. We had to motor more than expected during the previous passage and needed some fuel before heading on to Jamaica-Mon. We knew that Great Inagua was home to the world's largest flock of pink flamingos, and that much of the island is owned by Morton Salt Company - much of the island is covered by salt flats.

Mark had only anchored off of Matthew Town, but had never actually been on the island or used the docking facilities. The charts didn't clearly show what was there, and we had consigned ourselves to the fact that we would probably have to transport diesel back and forth to the boat using jerry jugs and the dinghy.

As we motored closer, we made a call on the VHF and were told that we could pull into the harbor and get diesel right at the dock, which was good news. The location of the harbor was not immediately obvious & there was no information on any of the cruising guides we had about Matthew Town. Mike spotted a navigational range that seemed to lead through a little slot in a seawall that couldn't have been more than 40 feet wide. Capt. Mark was going to have to expertly navigate the Stray Cat through, so he got out his shoe horn and we made it perfectly.

As soon as we made it throught the narrow cut, a nice fellow named Williams helped tie up the boat and took Capt. Mark to customs & immigration straight away. We told him that we needed diesel, so he put a call in to the fuel man. We also told him we were interested in seeing the flamingos if we had time - he said that it might be possible.

While waiting for Capt. Mark to return from the immigration office, we noticed a couple of guys on a Larson 32' powerboat - the only boat in the harbor and a boat that looked like it would be more at home on an inland lake. They came over and struck up a conversation. Come to find out these guys had been rescued by the Coast Guard 2 nights prior. They were enroute from Miami to Venezuela, delivering the boat for their boss. Did we mention that it was a 32 foot powerboat?? They had been anchored off of Little Inagua in huge seas after running out of fuel and setting off their EPIRB. The Coast Guard rescue helicoptor was there in 30 minutes, and had instructed them to abandon the boat and jump in the water. A rescue diver helped them into a lift basket and they were transported to Matthew Town. The next day, they hired a local man with a small dinghy to run them 40 miles in bumpy seas with some fuel and salvage their boat. When they returned to Matthew Town with their boat to fuel up, they were boarded and searched by the Coast Guard, DEA, Customs & Immigrations, the local police etc... They told us there were 40 agents waiting to search their vessel and it was torn apart. They had never bothered to clear customs anywhere in the Bahamas, and they had already stopped in the Bahamas 3 other times for fuel before being rescued. When we left these two, they were awaiting word on what their punishment was to be. They were expecting a $10,000 fine, 30 days in jail and/or confiscation of their vessel. They seemed to think the whole affair was rather comical and it was obvious that they were excited to tell us their story. They were in pretty good spirits to be facing all of that!

While checking in with Immigration, Capt. Mark got to hang out with some Coast Guard pilots who are based in Great Inagua and they checked the weather for him. We were relieved to find out that all of the tropical systems had dissipated and that the weather should be clear on the passage to Jamaica. Unfortunately though, the forecasted winds were not in our favor, so stopping to fill the fuel tanks turned out to be the correct decision.

After filling the fuel tanks and spending some time at the local internet "cafe", we set out for Jamaica.

As the sun set that evening, we approached the Southeast coast of Cuba and the entrance to the Windward Passage. Overnight, we came within 6 miles of the coast before bearing away to the southwest. The next morning, we could see the mountains of Cuba off to starboard, and that was our scenery for most of the day.

One last night offshore and we should be arriving in Port Antonio, Jamaica by 9am on Friday morning.

We will continue to try and solve our communications issues, but if you're reading this, then we've already come a long way.

More coming soon from Jamaica.

/EX

Update from Great Inagua, Bahamas

Hi all,

Sorry that the blog has not been updated - we are having a number of communications difficulties on board. We are fine and have been sailing offshore from George Town for 3 days.

We left from George Town on Sept. 30 at about 3pm, headed Northeast around the northern tip of Long Island, then southeast along the northern coast, rounded the Acklins and headed south to Great Inagua where we arrived on Tuesday evening at approximately 10pm.

We will do our best to resolve our communications problems and keep everyone updated.

Cheers,

Capt. Mark.

George Town

Our third day anchored at Georgetown. We have met some great folks at the Chat n' Chill, played with stingrays near the beach, eaten conch salad (raw conch chopped up with tomatoes, green peppers, and hot peppers), and sample many varieties of rum drinks. This has been a good place to catch up on some minor repairs, and pick up provisions. It has also provided some time for quiet reflection and enjoyable conversations. We've had time for some terrific snorkeling, attempted to swim with dolphins, enjoyed conversation with the locals and even managed to squeeze in a friendly night of Texas Holdem' with some of the more permanent cruising crews. Jerry and Richard departed early this morning, we enjoyed their company and hope they have made it back to their families safely.
We just finished another wonderful grilled dinner prepared by Capt. Mark with a terrific sunset as a backdrop. We will probably spend another full day here, pick up two more crew tomorrow, depart on Sunday, and continue the adventure.

/EX

Greetings from the Bahamas!

Tuesday September 25, 2007

This update is going to cover two days because we were a little predisposed late yesterday and nobody could work the computer.

On Monday morning we awoke to a batch of eggs Mc Straycat created by Ryan. We set sail at around 9:30am for Staniel Cay. We had great winds and sailed all day on a port tack until around 5:00pm when we dropped the hook in a great little anchorage near the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. After a couple of sundowners, we dingied over to the yacht club for dinner and libation. We had a great time with bartender Carl who went out of his way to keep our spirits up.

This morning Capt'n Mark took us to Tunderball Cave where we snorkeled in a grotto that was featured in the 1964 Sean Connery movie Tunderball. Later in the morning we set sail southeast and have anchored in Childress Bay. Capt'n Mark is cooking chicken and veggies on the grill for us tonight. We should be in Georgetown tomorrow which is a day ahead of schedule but will give us a chance to explore the area a little.

We decided it was time we introduce ourselves so you know who we are:
Captain Mark - Miami/Panama
Bradley Ross - Los Angeles
Ryan Roberts - Hattiesburg MS
Stuart Rudikoff - Chevy Chase Maryland
Richard Sullivan - Blue Springs MO
Jerry Heavilin - Blue Springs MO

Our overall mission is to help get Capt'n Mark and Straycat from Miami to Panama but having way, way; too much fun to call it a mission.

Post log, Capt. Sullivan,

Wind has been mostly favorable after NW Channel light. She is a fickle mistress. Now anchored in Childress Bay, a marine research station, and headed for Georgetown, a place Capt Mark and I met face to face on our separate cats, Straycat and Sweet Melissa. The video tape of the party is available at a CIA office near you, maybe.

The interaction with the crew is too voluminous to record, but is of course, cannot be described. You have to do it to understand. It's a Straycat thing.

Capt Mark and I stayed in Miami for about a year and a half, running from hurricanes, sharing charters, and lies. BUT now he is leaving, and the sad thing is, I am helping him leave; but who knows what tomorrow brings.

Godspeed, Capt Mark,

Capt. Dick

/EX

Day two

Day two of our journey with Captain Mark and the Stray Cat. We sailed all night from Cat Cay to Chub Cay via the Northwest Channel Light. Brad and Stewart had the fist watch, followed by Richard and Jerry then Capt. Mark and Ryan on the gentlemanly 6am shift. Conditions have been more favorable then anticipated, with the wind and waves giving us less problems than anticipated. We arrived at Chub Cay around 0730, and were greeted by shallow emerald water filled with large Starfish and Conch. After setting course for Nassau we gathered around the cockpit for some sailing instruction from the Captain.

We have just departed Nassau, enjoyed a nice meal prepared by Richard and are on our way to Norman's Key in the Exumas.

We should arrive around 11pmanother great day aboard Stray Cat.

A Grand Departure!

Family, friends, fellow charter compadres and numerous dock mates showed up to see us off. Mark and Stray Cat have left the dock! So many friends have come to see us off.

Its Friday evening September 21 and Stray Cat has finally met the strict standards set by Capt'n Mark and the journey to San Blas is finally underway.

Our first leg was just to No Name Harbour in Biscayne Bay to anchor for the night but it seemed like such a milestone to the captain and crew. A late anchor and a couple of sundowners and off to bed so we can get an early start across the ditch by sun up (or so).

On Saturday morning we made an early passage to the Bahamas and enjoyed a late afternoon snorkel at Cat Cay. Capt'n Mark seems to know everyone in the Bahamas so he hooked us up with a visit to the Cat Cay's private residential community called Cat Cay Yacht Club which is normally only available to those fine folks who own property there. Thanks to Norman and the rest of the staff for a casual evening of top shelf service and fabulous Conk fritters.

We're now underway for an overnight leg from Cat Cay south through the Grand Banks in the North West Channel with a destination of the North Light.

/EX

Staniel Cay,Exumas, the Bahamas

Guest Debra Ross

Ross' 60th birthday cruise on board the Stray Cat. After a beautiful 40 minute plane ride with Robbie Robinson to Staniel Cay from Nassau, we met up with Mark and the Cat at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. We just missed the rain by ducking in and ordering a round of rum punch.
The Cat looked beautiful harbored at the end of the dock. Clean, pretty and ready to go - Mark greeted me with a big hug, joined us at the Yacht Club for a rum and then off we went to a cozy harbor "around the corner" where we grilled salmon, drank rum and wine, took a swim in the azure colored water and watched the far away lightening blaze the sky with "God's light show". Ross and I fell asleep in the net, until a light sprinkle woke us up and cajoled us into our cabin.

September 09, 07 - Happy Birthday Ross! Woke up at 7:00 a.m. to make coffee and start preparing breakfast - eggs benedict, and fresh fruit. Then we took the dinghy to Fowl Cay, met the new manager (from England) who told us about the lodgings and the restaurant (which is closed on Sunday). Went back to snorkeled the grotto - famous for being in the 007 movie "Thunderball". Amazing colors of coral, fish aplenty and it is so intriguing to go into the cave- lit from above. We arrived at low tide so we missed out on the 20 seconds of underwater swimming usually required to enter the grotto. It is unbelievable in the grotto - a must see for anyone near these islands!

We headed out to find ice and sunscreen - to Sampson Cay only to discover they close the general store on Sunday at noon. But, Jane and I found the perfect spot for a picnic lunch - a gazebo with beautiful Adirondack chairs, a view of the pristine beach, swaying coconut trees and a lovely breeze to cool us all. There was even a sea gull perfectly perched on a dock piling to complete the scene. We brought lunch to this bucolic spot and relaxed. Afterwards, Ross and I took a stroll along the beautiful path to a sandy beach where we went for a swim in the cool water.

Back on board, we head back to Staniel Cay where we decide to have dinner for Ross' birthday celebration. We anchor offshore, where the breeze is cooler and take a swim in the gorgeous water - until Jane and Mike spot a curious barracuda - swimming over!

The timing if perfect though - because it gives us time to get ready for dinner. What is interesting about dining at Staniel Cay Yacht Club - they have one seating - 7:30p.m. You must tell them what you want for dinner (from the menu) by 5:00 p.m. Cpt. Mark chooses conch, we all take the catch of the day with peas and rice (chik peas and brown rice).

Jane and I decide to dress up - that means we wear skirts and a bit of make up and put on shoes. We have a birthday toast on board and head over in the "kitty litter" for dinner.

Our pilot is at the bar so we buy him a drink - we enjoy pina' coladas and wait for the dinner bell to ring. When it does, we are seated at a great table with a hand painted tablecloth and brought conch chowder - what an amazing taste. Next is salad then main course (snapper cooked beautifully) and dessert is key lime pie. Ross and Mike are served pie with a candle and they sing happy birthday.

Heading back to Stray Cat - we notice the sky - stars are abundant. The Milky Way looks like it was poured right in front of us. All this time we have been looking at the sea and haven't noticed the beauty of the heavens. The sky has been Carolina Blue - last night a bit of red behind white puffy clouds as the sun began to set. ("Red Sky At Night - Sailors Delight")

Ross and I assume our nightly position in the net - and of course are rocked to sleep once again. We make our way back to the cabin and don't wake up until I smell Mike's breakfast being prepared in the galley.

September 10, 07 - Staniel Cay.

Breakfast - Cpt. Mark announces that he needs to make some way toward Miami and would like to head to Nassau and take us with him - we are all for it. We are going to sail on in instead of flying back from Staniel Cay. We couldn't be happier. Jane and I go with Mark to get last minute provisions - more coke, trash bags and souvenir t-shirts. (Hey- there is always shopping on these little islands - and you never know when you will find something quite unique.) The woman behind the counter at the general store is an artist, Joan Mann. I bought one of her prints at the Yacht Club the day before. I tell her and she seems pleased. We visit with the store owner - talk about the weather (an important subject for a sailor) and head back to the Cat to ready for our sail to Nassau.

Once again, a beautiful adventure with Captain Mark. I can't imagine being at sea with anyone but him. He is confident, competent and courteous. Mark is a wealth of knowledge, of humor and exudes gracious hospitality. He is not only our captain, but an offshore member of our family. He has known us since our daughter was 8 (she is now 18)- has met and embraced our friends and their families. We can't imagine not having Mark a part of our lives - at least on an annual basis! Where Mark takes the Stray Cat - we will follow!

Signing off to get some sun,

Debra Engelhardt-Nash
For Ross, Jane Parker and Mike Rhyne.

Easting on the Bahama Banks

Captains notes:

I anchored up near the NW channel light at about 10:00 last night in light air and one foot seas. I really wanted to make Nassau (needed) last night but I was just too tired owing to a late departure from Coconut grove.

I'm in the Tongue of the ocean in 5 to 6 foot seas with the wind out of the east. The wind is too close hauled to make New Providence so I fell off and will go around the western tip of Nassau than across the yellow Banks for the closest landfall in the Exumas, about ninety miles from here.

Looks like I will just make it to Staniel Cay in time for my guest's arrival.

Mark

Easting on the Bahama Banks

Captains Notes:

This morning I'm a few miles east of Cat Cay in the Bimini island chain making for Staniel Cay in the Exuma chain. The wind is northeast at 10, the sea is two feet and building. I'm motor sailing on the Jib at 8 kts. I'm monitoring the low located south of Bermuda and north of the Bahamas. It could develop and change course for the middle to north US coast.

Last night the Milky Way was as vivid as I have seen it in a long time and was punctuated by lots of shooting stars and satellites. A sailor's life can be hard but has many rewards.

Mark

SailStrayCat.com - Capt. Mark - Adventure Sail to Panama Update

Hi to everyone,

Here is an update to the upcoming Adventure Sail itinerary,

My original sail plan was to depart from Miami, sail through the Bahamas, to Jamaica, and from there, offshore to Panama. Several readers have contacted me and warned me away from Jamaica because of the ever-increasing crime problem. I then changed my tack and began planning to head from Miami to Key West, then to the Yucatan, and down from there to Panama.

After Reading lot’s of books and after finally getting my hands on a set of pilot charts for the region and time of year, I discovered that it was a good plan, until one arrives in Honduras and wishes to go on to Panama. At that point, the trades and currents will be predominantly on the nose, making for near impossible conditions.

The plan is now (and won’t change) - Leave from Miami, make our way down through the Bahamas to Great Inagua Island, then proceed offshore to Kingston, Jamaica. After a two-day rest, provisions, fuel and maybe some careful sighting we will go off shore again to the San Blas Island archipelago of Panama.

The dates, miles and times are dictated by wind and weather, and can be off by a day or two; However from Miami to George Town they should be right on. My planning is based on six knots which will probably hold true for the Bahamas with its prevailing south east wind but the rest of the trip should be broad reaching or beam reaching in the trades with SOG of 8 to 10 kts.

From the day of departure and afterwards, I may be reached by email while underway through on board equipment (no forwards, attachments or pictures). Or, if the need is immediate, by satellite phone: Dial 1.480.768.2500 (welcome to Iridium global message) then dial 881.631.566.456. You will only be charged for airtime from your location to Phoenix Arizona. The satellite and overseas charges will be mine.

All of the settlements or towns in the Bahamas have local airports. The most convenient airports along our route are Bimini, Nassau and George Town.

Leg 1

Depart Miami at Coconut Grove September 20th for Gun Cay, the Bimini chain, Bahamas. This leg involves a Gulf Stream crossing, 60 miles and 9 hours.

We will remain over night then take some time to snorkel a very nice reef at Cat Cay on the 21st. Depending on crew consensus; we will start the next leg to Chub Cay after swimming.

Leg 2

Depart Cat Cay for Chub Cay, in the Berry Island chain Sept.22nd, 90 miles 15 hours.Rest, explore, and swim.

Leg 3

Depart Chub Cay Sept. 23rd for Nassau; 38 miles 6.5 hours. The trip so far will be considered a shake down with Nassau being a good stop for any maintenance issues that arise. A crew consensus at this point to stay over in Nassau or pass on through to Rose Island 7 miles for the night. There is some very good snorkeling and beach at Green Cay adjacent to Rose so the crew could elect to spend an extra day.

Leg 4

Depart Nassau or Rose Island for Staniel Cay, Exuma Islands Sept. 24th or 5th, 78 miles 13 hours. These islands are amongst the best I have ever sailed. The crew will have some input as to which islands to visit and how long we stay. No matter how it plays out we will depart Staniel Cay on the 27th. Staniel has the grotto that was used in the James Bond movie Thunderball; if you have never snorkeled in a cave this will take your breath away.

Leg 5

Depart Staniel Cay for George Town, Exuma Sept. 28th, 115 miles 19 hours. George Town is the most popular of these islands with very good air travel connections, provisioning, restaurants, Tiki bars and stunning beaches.

Leg 5

Depart George Town, sailing for Long Island Sept. 30th, on to Rum Cay 75 miles, 12 hours. Good restaurant, fuel and little else on this far out lying island.

Leg 6

Depart Rum Cay sailing for Matthew Town, Great Inagua, Bahamas; October 1st, 185 miles, 31 hours.

This passage should be a beam reach or a little closer to the wind while southing. Depending on sea state and wind direction we will likely leave long Island to starboard with Crooked and Acklins Islands close aboard to port for sixty miles in the lee.

Conditions could be such that this course is altered to make for the Plana Cays south of Rum then south to Inagua.

Matthew Town is the largest settlement in the southern Bahamas. I have anchored off of it a few times but I did not have a reason to go ashore. Basic services and supplies are available with air links to Nassau if needed for parts or a flight out.

Leg 7

Depart Matthew Town sailing for Kingston, Jamaica October 3rd, 300 miles, 50 hours.This passage makes for the Windward Passage between Cuba on the Starboard and Haiti on the port hand.

October 5th; thus far we will have sailed approximately 940 nautical miles touching three countries with 116 hours underway taking 15 days to cover the distance.

Leg 8

Depart Kingston for Isla Povenir, Panama October 5th, 520 miles 90 hours. This will be a blue water passage with wind, waves and a half-knot current on the port beam. There are varying currents, seamounts, banks and bars to deal with.

Landfall at Povenir will take some planning to make a day light approach to the vast San Blas archipelago. The island doesn’t have a settlement but it’s the right place to go through the formalities of clearing into the country thus avoiding the hustle of the bigger ports. This is a good place for departing/arriving friends and guests since they have frequent flights to Panama City.

The neighboring island of Wichuhuala has supplies and is located about a half mile away. This begins for me an adventure of discovery of these three hundred Polynesian like islands, its’ people, culture, food, music, rain forests, many rivers and much more. I will be making my way to Bocas Del Toro in the North West of Panama. I will post a newsletter in a few days with more information about this part of the adventure sail for those of you who wish to come down and enjoy.

Best regards,

Mark
http://www.sailstraycat.com

Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas

Lanis & Glenn Expedition;

This is the first time with Capt Mark, this was an impromptu trip. The trip was for 3 days and 2 nights, we had a wonderful time. We wanted to extend the trip another day but unfortunate for us; Capt Mark had another trip booked. This trip exceeded my expectations; we enjoyed a beautiful cruise, caught fish, enjoyed a breath taking sunrise, swam, explored Gun Cay, saw North Bimini, and Honeymoon harbor. This was an experience of a life time that is ending way too soon. Absolutely incredible!!!!!!

Bimini, Bahamas

Images of life on the Stray Cat, 20 - 24 June 2007

" Captain Mark's voice at the dinner table, a tenor perfectly pitched to the sea he loves.
" Dolphin fish fresh from the sea, grilled with olive oil and coarse sea-salt
" Fiercely contested Scrabble games as darkness falls
" Glassy surface of waves, continually changing in their varieties of blue-green, as they undulate below the catamaran's trampoline
" Moonlight shining off the surface of black water as it laps against the bow
" An early morning dive off the bow into the crystal blue sea mask and snorkel not required for pristine bottom views
" Schools of manrays, stealthily gliding as they approach the feet of human interlopers.
" Snorkeling near an abandoned tanker, rust-covered but noble in its final destination.
" Sound of fishing rods, heavy with their catch, clicking insistently, like a mighty watch
" The catamaran's vast white sail, crisply marked against the blue sky
" Wiffle-ball on the most attractive field in the world - the diamond-shaped bar formed by opposing currents on the beach of an uninhabited island
" Freshly ground and brewed coffee, tastier than Starbucks and complete with a view of the warm Caribbean Sea
" Skirting the edges of a thunder storm toward Key Largo while anticipating anchor by the Mango trees
" An outdoor shower to cleanse the salt & imbibe the placid azure undulations.
" The serene perspective to be found in the vastness of the sea.

Composed by the Wildmen - Dylan, John, Tom, Mike, Scott, and Steve.

Bimini, Bahamas

Capt. notes:

After two weeks of very hard rain, wind, hail and waterspouts in south Florida, as an every afternoon event, we are now in a period of light wind and flat seas.
This is the dog days of summer as far as the charter season goes, post spring break exacerbated by the sub prime mortgage failures and the financial ripple there of.

No worries, I'm on charter at Bimini with six guys who are celebrating their 13th annual get together since graduation from Notre Dame. They are snorkeling at Honey Moon Harbor right now. We will be heading back to Coconut grove tomorrow. They had two Mahi hit at the same time yesterday but only landed one.

Mark

Gulf Stream xing

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TRACKING: 1246576928
Wednesday, May, 30, 2007, 08:46 UTC
Nassau

Capt. Notes:
The onboard email capability through single side band (short wave radio) is still giving me fits. It seems I can send but not receive emails; other than that all other systems are fine.
I had a wonderful sail up from Little Farmers Cay to Nassau in high winds with eight guests aboard who handled the wind and waves like old salts. I rested in Nassau for two days then washed the boat and got some food aboard. I set sail in 20-30 knots out of the east for Chub Cay at noon and made it to the anchorage by 5:30, very good time.
This strong wind out of the east that has been plaguing us for weeks is finally going to shift south this week end, it will bring rain to the area and maybe put out some fires too.
I just sailed from the anchorage at Cat/Gun Cay under Genoa for the Gulf Stream crossing to Coconut Grove. The wind is at my back at 20kts and the sea is running three feet; should be a nice trip.
I will be in cell phone range (954.684.6265) by 13:00 eastern today for those of you who have been frustrated by my email problems and apparent lack of interest in your emails.
Barbara a follow-up to let you know the new washer/dryer works fine.
Mark

NNNN
/EX

To reply to the sender please address to "KUS1109@cruiseEmail.com"
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Great Bahama Banks

Capt. notes:

I'm back at sea after a few weeks in the Miami area; it feels good to be out here away from the hustle of south Florida. There were 220 fires burning in Florida, the smoke was thick enough to almost obscure the Miami skyline. Guess where the smoke and soot goes when it settles to earth, that's right all over Stray Cat.

This morning with coffee cup in hand and J.S. Bach playing a bit loud, I watched the sun come up blazing red from a calm sea on the Great Bahama banks; a power morning!

While in Miami I did four day charters, each were with South American guests so I was tuning in my ear to Spanish and Latin Music, fun. I also did a four day charter with an interesting young computer programmer, hi Jacob.

Stray Cat got some attention as well: a new anchor, chain and rode, washer/dryer and flat screen TV and twenty light fixtures yet to be installed. I have been wanting a spare outboard for the dink but have not been willing to pay $2,400.00 for a spare; I scored a like new Honda four stroke, 15hp for four hundred dollars, waiting paid off.

I'm 14 hours from Nassau at the moment so it will be along day, I will pick-up a group from California Saturday afternoon for a week cruise of the Exumas.

Mark

Mid Gulf Stream

Captain note:

I'm back in the water sailing for Nassau, the seas are running 5-6 foot off the port bow, winds are twenty knots from the east the COG is 135 deg to make the way point at Great Isaac Bahamas which bears 105 deg. The boat speed is 7.5 knots. Given the sea state I'm doing fine.
Boat yards represent a financial hemorrhage; I spent $9,000.00 in a few days back there. I haven't been in the states for five months; it took a little getting use to all the hustle now I'm mid Gulf Stream with wind, sails and self, I feel at home, a chance to catch my breath.

Captain Mike and Chef/Mate Sandy helped me a lot, fed me real class food and drove me all over West Palm. Captain Doug stopped by for lunch, bet he regrets that since I needed to pick-up a raw water pump in Ft Lauderdale at rush hour; thanks again to all of you for the friendship and hospitality.

I started this passage at 05:00 and will sail till about 24:00 hours, I'll drop the hook on the banks for some sleep than on to Nassau for a charter on Sunday.

Mark

mid Gulf Stream

ZCZC SEAMAIL Ship v6.0 Xaxero Software
MAIL FOR: ships log
TRACKING: 1175192418
Thursday, March, 29, 2007, 14:23 UTC
Mid Gulf stream

Guests John and Nattacha:
I am writing this log for anyone fortunate enough to come across your
Web site who's considering a sailing adventure aboard Stray Cat.
I have two words... "BOOK IT!!!"

My wife Nattacha and I spent a week of our honeymoon with Captain Mark
aboard Stray Cat in the Exumas from 3/8 to 3/15.
It was by far the greatest vacation we have ever taken and the most
enjoyable and memorable experience we've ever had.

Let me tell you a little bit about Captain Mark. First off, the guy has more
experience than probably any charter boat captain
around. He has his Captain's License in both the U.S. and the Bahamas. He's
been sailing the Caribbean for 20 years or so.
He does the majority of the work on the boat himself. If there were any
mechanical or rigging issues on the boat to be addressed, he can fix it himself. He is a by-the-book guy who knows how to keep things in order (the guy was an Air Force, air crew for God's sake). Medical issues?
The guy helped run a hospital in Phoenix. I write about Mark like I've know him for years, but the fact of the matter is, if you're going to put your life in the hands of someone you've never met and sail around the ocean, the most important thing is
the Captain's ability to be a Captain... and Captain Mark passes this test with flying colors.
Second, he ain't a bad guy! Mark put us at ease immediately. He made us feel
right at home on Stray Cat. The best thing about Mark is that once he sizes
you up and decides that you are trustworthy, mature, and considerate, he'll
let you do just about anything that you want to do. Wanna check out that little town in the
harbor? Take the dinghy! (11' Inflatable w/rigid hull and 15hp outboard) Want
to fish? Drop a line! Wanna snorkel? Here's your mask! Wanna do nothing?
Fine! Want to check out that island over there? If the winds permit... Mark
says "Let's go!". I guess what I'm trying to get at is, Captain Mark is
cool. If you're cool, you will have the most unbelievable vacation of your
life.

Third most important, how's the boat? Well, it's damn near perfect! Stray
Cat is 45' long and 25' wide. It is stable even in rough seas. There's a
large cockpit with a large table for eating/drinking. There are trampolines
in the bow between the hulls, a perfect place to nap while the boat is
sailing along with the water rushing beneath you. The interior salon is
huge. There is one master stateroom in the starboard (right) bow (front)
with a private head (toilet & shower). Mark has the other one on the port
bow (left) side. There are two large staterooms in the stern with two heads
right outside and a fifth stateroom foreword. Four couples can easily sleep on this boat.

How is the boat outfitted? Well, being from a family that owns a few
marinas, and since I was a marine engine mechanic back in the day, I know
what's what. And the fact is, Captain Mark has everything you could possibly
want on a boat. He has a water maker, which is huge. Fresh water all the
time. Powerful generator, icemaker, fridge, stove, microwave/convection
oven, XM Radio, DVD player, Digital Satellite TV (only in Captain Mark's
room, which is probably a good thing), awesome stereo, Iridium Satellite
phone, Autopilot, and the most advanced chart-plotting/GPS/radar system I
have ever seen. So yeah, he's got the works.

Now that you know how big of a fan I am of Captain Mark and his boat Stray
Cat, let me tell you a bit about our trip. We flew into Staniel Cay in the
Exumas and stayed at a private home www.sweptawaybahamas.com owned by Barry
Tendler. Awesome brand new 2bed/2bath house with a golf cart for getting
around. We meet up with Captain Mark at http://www.stanielcayyachtclub.com/
and away we went! We sailed to Sampson Cay www.sampsoncayclub.com and
provisioned the boat. Then we began our adventure as we sailed south down
the chain of the Exuma Islands and made about 10 stops! We stopped by
Farmer's Cay which was beautiful. Then we zipped all the way down to
Great Exuma and hung out in Georgetown. While we were there we took the
dinghy over to Stocking Island where we hung out at Chat N' Chill
http://www.chatnchill.com/. Awesome! Next we sailed to the Four Seasons at
Emerald Bay on Great Exuma and docked at the marina. It was fun to
experience such a beautiful resort but there were too many people (aka
Zombies) that were tapping away on Blackberry's and talking on cell phones.
So we spent the night and split! Finally it was Black Point, another tiny
little town in Great Exuma. I'm probably forgetting some stuff but it was
all incredible. Captain Mark always knew exactly where to go, what harbors
provided good shelter, where there was great fishing, snorkeling, etc. He
was a great guide! We ate when we wanted, where we wanted (on the boat or on
shore) and what we wanted (freshly caught fish or what we brought with us).
We ended our trip at Sampson Cay which was a full service mega yacht marina
and stayed there for three days before we reluctantly had to head back to
"dreary old Manhattan..."

So, I know this is a long message, but I just wanted to do Captain Mark and
Stray Cat justice. If you are in the market for a special vacation, away
from the ordinary, this is it! Get out of the realm of cookie cutter
prepackaged hotels and get out on the open water and see the world the way
YOU want. In our opinion... Captain Mark and Stray Cat are the best means to
that end!

Best Wishes and Regards,

Johnny and Nattacha Calabrese

NNNN
/EX

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Great Bahama Banks

Captains Notes:

I'm making passage from Staniel Cay to West Palm Beach to have the boat hauled for an out of the water insurance inspection. It's easy for the insurance company to say "haul the boat and have it surveyed"; to me that's loss of: charter revenue, the time and expense of a three day sail, six hundred for a haul-block-splash and six hundred for the surveyor plus the sail back to Nassau to meet my next charter guest. Insurance companies rule!

The sailing has been close to perfect, that is to say the wind from a good direction at 15 to 20 kts giving me a SOG of 9 to 11 kts.

My last two charters were up for real sailing adventure and we did sail a bunch, again with the right winds. While my Austrian guest were aboard there were two events that were very exciting for me. The first was to see a whale breeching near Rum Cay which was breathe taking and shortly thereafter we hit 14.2 knots. I have seen Dolphins in heavy weather that surf the waves than go airborne tumbling as they reenter the water, seems like play to me. The whales we saw were doing their version of Dolphin play in 10 foot waves; what a sight.

The most recent charter was with John and his new Bride Natasha, it was a honeymoon cruise. We met-up at Staniel Cay and had a spectacular sail down the chain on the Atlantic side. John and Natasha really enjoyed Chat N Chill at Stocking Island, George Town. There were a couple of hundred boats there for the Regatta and major party, the honeymooners participated in the party as a Stray Cat "crew duty" and represented us well. We than sailed off shore about fifteen miles to the Four Seasons at Emerald Bay, not my cup of tea but something to see. We again had a great sail back to Staniel. John will be making a delayed log entry about their trip so I will say no more.

I'm now 10 miles from the light at Great Isaac I will than have another 75 miles to sail so it will be a long day.

Mark

Little Farmers Cay, the Bahamas

Day nr 6: Short visit of George Town - left towards Flamingo Bay about 7 miles in the north. No more wind when motoring along the Great Exuma coast - it was pretty hot! "Fish on!" - "Fish gone!" The fishing line was not strong enough for that big fish. Max is angry about loosing one of his 15 $ hooks When we arrived at Flamingo Bay it was too shallow to anchor there so we decided to go on until Rolleville at the northern end of Great Exuma. This was a very perfect place - wonderful for swimming - nobody else there. For dinner we had delicious grilled Mahi-Mahi. We highly recommend Captain Mark's potatoes & onions! The evening was like a dream: Tropically warm, light wind, the full moon would rise brighter than the evening before Mark "I've got the CD of that concert - put it into the stereo and after half an hour we all sang the banana boat song. Suddenly I looked to the moon and "this cannot happen within one day!", I said. From full moon to 20 %? No! This is an eclipse! Yeah! Witnessing an eclipse in a tropical full-moon-night is a very rare and special experience! Amazing! We emptied a whole bottle of Mount Gay Rum with Coca Cola sitting outside until midnight again What a night!

Day nr 7: Again no wind - we were motoring up to Williams Cay where we found a wonderful bay with a white sands beach, the sea around us looking like a big swimming pool. The 6 ft deep water was so clear! Because of no wind we had the impression that the big catamaran flew above the green ground Manuela likes conditions like that. Max and I took the opportunity for a little walk on a little trail across the hill to the other eastern side of the island.

Long Island, the Bahamas

Day nr 5: Super winds from the south - sailed over to Georgetown. There we met numerous yachts anchoring in the bay in front of the harbour, which came over for a regatta starting next week. Johnny's trip ended here - he took a flight back to Eleuthera - should meet a friend at his house there tomorrow. We enjoyed a little swim before sunset - better: before moonrise: Tonight we had full moon! It was a very clear night - we were sitting outside chatting and drinking until midnight

Day nr 6: Short visit of George Town - left towards Flamingo Bay about 7 miles in the north. No more wind when motoring along the Great Exuma coast - it was pretty hot! "Fish on!" - "Fish gone!" The fishing line was not strong enough for that big fish. Max is angry about loosing one of his 15 $ hooks

Long Island, the Bahamas

Hello everybody - this is the crew from Austria/Europe: Max, Johnny, Manuela and Richie (I am writing the log - excuse my "Austrian" English).

We entered "Stray Cat" in Staniel Cay / Exumas on February, 26th and we will leave it in Staniel Cay again on March, 7th. Today its march, 1st - the 4th day on board - and we already experienced a lot: First of all - coming over from wintertime in Austria where everything is grey, wet and cold (this year we've got little snow) - it was a very good idea to start the trip in Staniel Cay. It is really a very beautiful marina, giving us all those great first impressions of "entering paradise": We flew there from Nassau over the green waters of the northern part of the Exumas with a small piper-plane of Flamingo Air. The first person who welcomed us at the airstrip of Staniel Cay was "Susanna" (she is from Switzerland and sooooo pretty ;-)). Entering the marina we have immediately seen the huuuuuge "Stray Cat" catamaran, where aptain Mark was already waiting for us.

Finding sailstraycat.com in the internet we did not know what expected us - but Mark's eyes were bluer and warmer than the sea and he had the charisma of a "real captain". In the green, clear water beside the boat a big stingray and also 5 or 6 nurse-sharks welcomed us.

Yeah! Let's have a cool Kalik (very good Bahamian beer) at the bar and talk about our plans: If winds are ok we like to go down to Long Island, passing Cat Island, Conception Island, Rum Cay, then cross over to George Town/Great Exuma and then go back up to Staniel Cay along the numerous little islands of the southern Exumas. All right - let's do that - but we stay in Staniel Cay one night.

In the late afternoon we snorkeled over to Tunderball Cave - a cave close to the marina with so many fish we have never seen before. Actually I do not know the names of those fish - but there were all colors you can imagine. And for the fish it seemed to be very interesting having their first contact with Austrians.

Next morning - 2nd day - we left Staniel Cay crossing the Exuma Sound towards Cat Island - a wonderful trip under sails with favorable southerly winds. And it happened immediately when we entered the deep waters of the Sound: "fish on"! Max (fishing-passionate!), had a big fish on the hook! And "fish on" again: Another one on the 2nd line! Imagine the stress on board! Working hard, he and captain Mark tried to bring them in - two beautiful Mahi-Mahis - one went off close to the boat but the other one's destiny was to land on "stray cat's grill". While his filets were prepared there was still another hook in the water. Johnny remarked "hey guys - there's something strange going on with that line". "Fish on" - Max screamed enthusiastically. Another Mahi-Mahi was caught! We had a delicious dinner, anchoring close to the Hawks Nest marina. Max called an Australian (note: not Austrian) friend who was very happy to show us his house, some parts of the island and helped us to find a good store for food & beverage in the morning of the next day.

In the afternoon of day nr 3 we left Hawks Nest - next stop should be Conception Island. But the extreme humidity of the last two days turned into a sudden local thunderstorm with winds more than 45 knots from the left. The waves became about 2 - 3 meters high and therefore we decided to take the same direction like the wind and the waves going directly to Long Island. In that moment we saw something spectacular: A about 4-5 meters long Orca whale (!) used the waves as a playground and jumped out the rough sea 4 times close to our boat! I tried hard but I could not catch one of his jumps by my camera. In the evening we arrived in Long Island, anchoring offshore the Stella Maris marina. There we took some diesel in the morning of the next day and there I started to write the log entries

Day nr 4: Had great lunch at Stella Maris resort (marina, airport and hotel / resort owned and managed by Germans). Good service in the marina; they shuttled us to the resort by taxi for free (is included if you have lunch there). Left marina in the afternoon to anchor outside (no mosquitoes!).

catch up

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Rose Island, Bahamas

Captain Notes: This is a catch- up entry since I have not been keeping up with the log. The first part took place over the two week holiday period.

Today is the last day of a nine day charter with two families; one family from Mexico City and one from Miami. The total number of guests is eleven with some local people stopping by bringing the number to seventeen on a few days.
What made it possible on Stray Cat is that theses families are the Architects of a number of celebrity's homes. (Johnny Dep, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, David Copperfield) They also supply cabinets and other furnishings for homes that are being built. The homes are located on four different islands here in the central Exuma Islands. Their relationship gave us access to unlimited fuel, food and housing.
This area is a spectacular scenic group of islands that are remote but made less so by private aircraft freight and passenger flights and numerous barge and island freighter delivery stops in support of a massive project.
The beauty of this location has attracted celebrities who are building homes from ten to thirty thousand square feet. Some of them house bowling allies, drive-in movies where you sit in period (antique) restored cars of the 100k and above variety.
All of this is very private and does not involve very many homes. A number of people I spoke to point with pride at the great lengths and expense that are gone to prevent visual and actual harm to the environment. I guess my only claim to fame in all of this is that I cooked on Faith Hills Barbeque; unfortunately she was not on the island.
I did however meet some very nice people (Tom and Susan) on Bock Cay who extended their hospitality to me and John Whaley who was my Chef and First Mate on this trip; what a tuff job he had and did very well.
One evening we had a barbeque on a beach and some islanders stopped by to join in. I met the island manager (Brenda Gadd) of a marine research center just a few islands south. There are several scientists studying corals and marine life etc., you can pull in to their anchorage where they have mooring balls to tie up to without charge. When their schedule permits they will give a walking tour of part of the island and research center.

After my guest departed for home I sailed up to Staniel Cay to pick up my friend Captain Mike and his lady friend Sandi she is his Chef/Mate. They run an eighty five foot motor yacht in Florida. There was a frontal passage due so we found shelter behind Big Majors spot for a few days. Mike helped me take care of some maintenance issues and Sandi can really cook. The first day a couple from one of the other boats came alongside in their dink and invited us to a pig roast on the beach and took up a ten dollar contribution saying we would need to bring a side dish.
They built a big barn fire on one of the two beaches there and about seventy people showed up. The food and rum were fine and being around a lot of men and woman sailors is always interesting. About an hour after everyone ate the stars disappeared and the heavens opened up with a down pour. A mad scramble for the dinks beached all over the shore created a bit of a traffic jam. The second beach is the home of wild pigs that will swim out to your dink as you approach; that's right pigs can swim in fact Mike and Sandi were playing with them on the shore that day. I suppose having the pig roast on their beach would just not be politically correct
The three of us took a leisurely sail up the chain stopping along the way at a few spots. The stop that was enjoyed the most was Compass Cay. You can tie-up at their dock in one of the most beautiful settings you can imagine. There is a small low dock that is really used for small boats but at low tide the Nurse Sharks lay there so you can pet them, their skin is ruff but they seem to enjoy being petted. Mike and Sandi swam with them; I did not, but I did get some good pictures of them so look for them on the web site in the next few weeks. Tucker is the owner of the island, cottages for rent and marina he always has a warm welcome for me. Tucker hosted a potluck on the dock and all the sailors there turned out with side dishes and drinks, it was a perfect night.
Mike and Sandi left for the states from Nassau, I bought food, dropped off the ships laundry and got a hair cut. In the morning I refueled than sailed seven miles to Rose Island for a few days of rest and boat cleaning.
My friends on the 40' Norseman "Dances With Dolphins" was anchored there so I dropped my hook and went over for drinks and dinner they are both extraordinary cooks; good food, good friends, alright.
Mark

NNNN
/EX

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Staniel Cay, Bahamas

Guest: Tim Meyers age 14
Sunday December 17, 2006
Ships log 2

Today we sailed most of the day and my sisters and I were having trouble finding something to do so we put out some fishing lines in the water, while we were heading to an uninhibited island. After the long sail we finally got to our little island and just as we got there we caught a sizable barracuda. Watching Captain Mark removing the hook was quite a memory! There was a massive resident Barracuda took interest and never left our boat for the next 10 hours. My sister and mom got run out of the water by him the next morning!
After arriving we took the dingy to the island and Birdie (my sister) and I took our snorkels around the calm, lagoons - it was very pretty, we saw some nice coral but when we came back to the boat birdie had a pretty bad jellyfish sting. For dinner we had some really good cheese burgers that Mark made and went to bed.
When we woke up (Monday 12/18), our family took the dingy to the island and did a bit more snorkeling. As we headed back to the stray cat, there was "Barney" (our resident Barracuda) and Capt. Mark waiting for us; and we headed out to Stanley Key - despite some questionable weather reports!

Guest: Jordan, Age12
December -19-06

On Monday (18) we sailed some of the day and stopped at an island. My sister, brother and my dad went out to snorkel and spear fish after that we all went out for dinner and ate some great food. The next day we woke up and snorkeled at the grotto it was amazing. That same day we ate lunch and sailed some more and saw a great view.

NNNN
/EX

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Staniel cay, Bahamas

Roberto, age 30's, handsome (?) = Yes :

Despite high seas and close to gale -force winds, Captain Mark managed to navigate us happily (and safely!) from Staniel Cay to Black Point. Black Point is a charming little island inhabited entirely by Afro-Caribbean's. We were directed to several chattels that serve as both a home and a restaurant for the resident/proprietor. In one such spot, we visited Lorraine's Caf where we purchased a freshly made loaf of coconut bread and devoured half of it in the dingy before returning to the catamaran. Yummy! There, we also learned about the fanciful fare that was on the evening menu. It is important to note that the island is not geared towards tourists so these meals are made the authentic way and served and eaten in the manner that the locals partake them in - with love, pride, and appreciation. It is an experience designed for those with complex taste buds and an adventurous spirit. The locals are warm, the rhum drinks are cool, and the fare will dance on your tongue and whisk you to a simpler, more hypnotic way of life. If chic and Michelin ratings are what you desire, ask your captain to set a course for St. Tropez; you are in the wrong sea! :

Excelsior!

PS - Take no offense to the South of France reference. We LOVE it there but for entirely different reasons!

Bimini, Bahamas - Capt. Note

I'm at Bimini this morning after what might be the hardest Gulf Stream crossing I can remember I need to be in Nassau on the 1st.
There is a high off shore of South Carolina which of course spins to the right and has set up very strong easterly winds in south Florida and the Bahamas. Naturally I'm trying to sail to the east; the waves were about 8 to ten feet last night with winds of 20 to 30 knots on the nose, the waves were coming over the top of the boat; needless to say I was very wet.
The waves were short duration and steep which really tossed Stray Cat around. One of the two hatch latches over my bed broke as the weight of thousands of gallons of sea water took its toll. I was glade to have five bedrooms last night since there was no way I would be sleeping in mine.
The auto pilot felt the abuse and also quit so today I will be hand steering my way to Nassau with the wind still on the nose but it has subsided to around 15.

Mark

It must be Halloween...

Well last night the goblins and ghouls; like can only be seen on south beach patrolled Ocean Drive till the wee hours. The costumes are tending more towards maximum female exposure, so what's not to like.

Any ways, I was getting ready see the Halloween sights when I noticed nearby, a bit of a commotion on the waters surface. I was curious enough to jump in the dink. I see many things which are usually just the nature and manner of fish; no need to investigate. This was different and I wanted to explore.

I approached with care less I frighten it away or hurt whatever it was; to my surprise I saw the mouth and eyes of an inverted adolescent ray. Ok they are never on their backs. We all heard about the adventurer who was killed by the barb of a ray a few weeks ago. You may also have heard of the 82 year old Floridian who was in a boat last week and was struck near the heart by a ray, of all things it leapt into the boat.

Those things were on my mind but I know from first hand experience that these are gentle beings, I have touched them and they press back as if to say, "More I like it".

It was a Florida spotted ray that somehow had managed to get itself on its back and try as it did it could not get right side up.

Touching the Ray in its survival mode wouldn't be wise so I decided to put the boat on a plane and turn abruptly close by him to cause a big wake that he might use to flip over. Nice plan but it didn't work.

I was beginning to worry that the Ray might become exhausted, suffocate or maybe a shark might happen along. I put the boat back up on a plane and sped to Stray Cat and got a long handled deck brush than went back to the Ray. He was still struggling but not as vigorously. I tried gently to flip him but gentle was not the answer; I was also concerned about his tail and barb since I was so close. The next try would have to be with plenty of power.

I put the brush under him, actually his top side which would be the side we usually see as they are swimming, the side that is black with almost iridescent small white dots from which it gets its name. I pulled up as hard as I could but it did not lift him very much. I was about to give up and rethink this whole approach when he managed a wiggle, just right to catch some water and flip.

I stood there in the boat looking down at him for what seemed a long time; it was not moving, happily it got itself together and swam off.

My adrenalin was flowing but I felt good.

Mark

Stranded Sportfisher

Bahamas, Banks

Capt notes:
I'm on the Bahamas bank which is a large body of water that is about 14' deep on average and about eighty miles long. Yesterday afternoon there was no wind at all, the water was like glass, and actually the surface was velvet like. I could clearly see sponges, purple fan coral and various fish in a multitude of colors as the boat glided along in this crystal clear water.
As the day went by I came upon a 50' sports fishing boat that had run out of fuel and was stranded. I have the vessel in tow and will take them to Cat Cay about forty miles west of here.
Last night was spectacular, it was the equinox, the moon was closer to the earth than at any other time of the year and it was completely full. The moon rose out of the water fiery red as the sun set into the water to the west; I set in the trampoline with a glass of red wine and watched nature's finest performance. As the moon made its trek across the sky its illumination continued to allow me to see the sea bottom clearly.
Towing the 50,000 pound behemoth has slowed me down to a mere 4.8 kts so it's four more hours to Cat than seven hours to cross the Gulf Stream to Miami arriving late tonight, back to reality.
Mark

Offshore Abaco, the Bahamas

Off shore Abaco, the Bahamas

Captain notes:
Well I'm back in the routine of regular charters having just completed a one week cruise of the Abaco islands. The weather was fine for the trip and my gusts, a really nice couple, their two children and "nanny" from Canada enjoyed a lot of snorkeling, beach combing and dinners on shore. We were not lucky fishing but we saw several sea turtles and a few pods of dolphins.
When my guest departed I was to begin sailing for Miami where I would have had some fine carpentry (joinery on boats) done but a low over Florida caused winds up to thirty five knots with big seas for the last four days so I just sat.
I'm just off the south cost of Great Abaco now making for the north cost of the Berry islands at Little Stirrup where I will anchor for the night.
Mark

Capt. notes

Back in Miami where my cell phone, wireless Internet, satellite TV,  and sattilite radio all work; in fact all the rest of the systems on board Stray Cat are in commission.

 After a couple of months in a beautiful island country like the Dominican Republic where the most often heard expression is tranqcuilo, the local news here is a  social shock. A stream of items that make me wonder. People often ask me if it is frightening to sail to the various island countries I visit, it doesn't but I wonder what visitors to the U.S. think when they see or hear our local and national news.

It's good to be back though, to catch up with friends and family is very nice. Slipping into the roll of Charter Captain again which assumes the ancillary rolls of marketing,advertising, teacher,maintenance technician and boat owner; one who pours all available money back into the boat, feels good too.

I can't say enough good things about the D.R. I will sail there again next year. I more or less forgot I had a camera on board so I only have a few pictures but I will post those to the site this week.

Mark

Nassau, Bahamas

Monday, September 11
Nassau, Bahamas

Chapter 13.
Getting close. Spent the last 2 days basically motor sailing in light winds up through the Bahamas. Nothing like the great ride we had in the Trades getting here. The Gulf Stream was also pretty quiet and we arrive Miami with mixed feelings. Only change is the fish score which is now 2 barracuda and 1 blue fin tuna in favor of the good guys (us). Not sure either of us is happy to be back as this has been a truly enjoyable trip. Dominican Republic is a fabulous place to visit. Think both of us would like to go back and see more of the country and, who knows, maybe it will happen next year.

The End

Stuart

Personal note - I wish I could come up with words to thank Mark, but they would not express what I really would like to say. We have been together on Stray Cat for slightly more than 3 months and not a voice has been raised or a harsh word spoken in this time. A real tribute to the kind of person Mark is. You have to understand that Stray Cat is Mark's home and he is used to doing things in a certain way and in his own routine. Even though I had previously sailed with him 3 or 4 times, I think that my coming aboard for this trip must have been like having an in-law arrive for a visit and never leave. On top of that, I am not the kind of person to sit back and watch. I want to be involved and have my hands on everything (except maybe cleaning the shower sumps). To Mark's eternal credit, he had the patience to teach, listen and ask for my input throughout the cruise even though in many instances this impinged on his 'territory'. To anyone who reads this, I would say that if you want to spend an enjoyable time on a sailboat charter either learning or just kicking back and enjoying life, you could not find a more likeable, competent or enjoyable person to do it with. With any luck maybe we will do something similar next year.

Stuart

Georgetown, Bahamas

Chapter 12.

Homeward bound. Sail back to Luperon from Samana was an absolute delight. For 2 days we have the Trades and seas at our backs and at times the boat is surfing at up to 13 knots. Mark actually catches a fish as we approach Luperon. Believe it or not, this is the first fish we have caught even though we have been trolling lines since leaving Fl. We had hoped to supplement our food stocks with fresh fish. If we had really counted on this, we probably would have starved. Mark cooks it (mackerel) to perfection on the grill and we celebrate our ineptitude as fishermen with our first (and so far only) non-restaurant fish dinner. Spend the following day with 2 of our friends from one of the boats that came to Dominica with us and get everything ready for leaving in the morning.

Leave Luperon about 9 the following morning and 53 hours and 375 miles later arrive (Tues. 9/5) in Georgetown, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Absolutely wonderful sailing. First day, Trades were blowing around 20 mph and we logged about 175 miles with speeds consistently in the 9-10 knot range. This is cookin' for a sailboat not designed as a racer. Caught our 2nd fish as we entered the Bahamas, but as it was a barracuda, no fish dinner tonight. For anyone contemplating this kind of sailing, a large catamaran like Stray Cat is hard to beat since we are sailing 'flat' all the time and the physical fatigue that one finds in a monohull from holding on constantly, doesn't occur. The trip is too short to get on regular sleeping schedules, so we are tired and will spend the night at Georgetown before pushing off in the morning for the next leg to Miami.
Stuart

Samana, Dominican Republic

Samana Part III. To get back to town, we flag down one of the pick-up trucks I described above. Mark gets in the cab and I get in the open bed which already contains 2 young fellows and is lined with narrow wooden benches for places to sit. A couple of hundred yards further along we stop for another guy and his large sack of avocados. Within a mile there are 7 of us in the bed, three sacks of avocados and melons, 2 large bunches of bananas and a fifteen foot bamboo pole which we are all holding as it is longer than the truck bed. About halfway down the mountain the driver stops and hands back a blue tarp as it is clear we are heading into a good thundershower. So picture 7 of us trying to hold this tarp over our heads in the pouring rain while descending at about 40 mph. No problem. Just another afternoon in the country. Happy to get back, take a shower and have a drink.

We are now sort of sitting and waiting for a weather break to head for PR. So it goes.

Stuart

Samana, Dominican Republic

Tuesday, August, 29, 2006, 18:13 UTC

Samana Part II. We spend a couple of relaxing days in Samana walking the town even though it is really hot. Starting to think about leaving for Puerto Rico, but the system that will eventually become hurricane Ernesto begins to move in our general direction so all we can do is wait and see what happens. Fortunately, it passes south of us and all we get is a bit of wind and numerous squalls. As Ernesto passes, we learn that there are similar conditions in the Mona Passage between the DR and PR which are even now giving us a lot of rain and squalls so it looks like we will have to wait a few more days for things to clear.

Since I am just sitting in bed watching the rain pour down, I thought I would go ahead and bore anyone actually reading this with a description of a trip we took Friday. Mark and I decided to play tourist Friday afternoon and visit a mountain waterfall, one of the noted attractions in the area. We had one of the local guys who hangs around the dock make arrangements and off we went. First, we took a rather unique contraption (have not seen one anyplace else) which I can only describe as a metal framed rickshaw attached to an underpowered 125 cc motorcycle to the local flea market. This is the staging area for guaguas (small vans that run between cities and stop whenever they are hailed by someone at the roadside), pick-up trucks which provide a similar function and the ubiquitous motor conches. We shift to a van and head up into the mountains. I am certain we will die on the way. Driving anywhere with a Dominican at the wheel is life threatening, but a guagua driver on a mountain road multiplies that by at least 1,000. To my surprise and delight we actually reach our destination alive. From here we will have to go by horseback to the falls. We mount up and accompanied by our 2 experienced guides (aged 10 and 12) hit the trail. The trail is generally about 6 ft wide, completely covered in large rocks and mud and has a barbed wire fence on one side and a river bank on the other. I think Mark had blocked out the fact that we were going to have to get on horses, because he clearly would prefer to be someplace else. His horse figures this out quickly and spends most of the time trying to rub him off on the barbed wire fence or trees along the riverbank. The trail involves steep climbs and descents on nothing but bare rocks and I am wondering if surviving the guagua ride was necessarily a positive, because I am sure the horse will never make it. Of course, it does. We end up at another staging area from which we proceed on foot through more up and down jungle trails to the falls. The falls are nice and we get to catch our breaths before heading back. I really wanted to get a picture of Mark on the horse for his friends and family to see, but he kept coming up with the lame excuse of there being no more room on the disk. His expression was clearly one of 'why in hell am I here'. Arrive back at the starting point to have a beer and a nice chat with the fellow who runs the excursions. Turns out he is also the descendant of slaves and his family names are Kelley and Green as those of Joe from the Port Authority.

Samana, Dominican Republic

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Tuesday, August, 29, 2006, 18:09 UTC
Samana, Dominican Repubic

Chapter 10. Samana. Part I. Leave for Samana about 2 am and I end up sleeping most of the way as trip was uneventful and conditions calm. We have doubts about going to Samana as it has a poor reputation in the cruising community (largely due to 1 guidebook) relating to dinghy and outboard motor theft. As we enter the harbor, we are waved to the municipal dock where the harbor's unofficial representative, Phillipe (who speaks excellent English), greets us and promptly proceeds to manage our arrival. We thought for sure we would have to lug jerry cans of diesel out to the boat, but, lo and behold, there is a pump on the dock. Other than having to run across the street to the ATM for money, we are able to quickly fuel up which is good as the electricity is scheduled to go off within 30 min of our arrival. Phillipe, in a very upfront way, guides us through the whole process of checking in, including who and what we have to pay, which is a real difference from other places we have been in the DR. The officials begin to arrive and with Phillipe's help, we quickly get through the process in exactly the manner he has described. We question him about the reputation of Samana and he very honestly admits that until a few years ago the theft problems existed. However, a change in the local government has lead to a real crackdown including nightly harbor patrols and a new attitude to try and encourage boaters to visit. From what we see throughout our stay, this certainly seems to be the case and our qualms at coming here were completely eliminated.

The town of Samana sits nestled on a hillside overlooking the harbor. We can see 1 large, modern hotel, but most of the resorts are apparently scattered further along the shore line. It's a small, but very busy, town with probably about 20 restaurants and the usual accompaniment of other shops and stores we have seen elsewhere. The surrounding area has a national water park, some lovely bays and inland, mountains all of which make this a unique geographical area in the DR and one frequently visited by both native Dominicans and tourists. Whale watching from boats based here also seems to be a significant attraction. We decide to have breakfast in town before moving to the anchorage and crashing for some sleep. While eating, one of the officials from the port authority tracks us down to hand deliver our harbor permit. We invite him to join us for coffee and he turns out to be a delightful person and provides a wealth of information. Joe is one of the few Dominicans we have seen who is clearly of recent African decent in contrast to most Dominicans who are relatively light in color and have fine bone structure. We guess that most Dominicans trace their ancestry to native Indians. Joe explains that his ancestors were slaves who were released and settled here. His family tree has very Irish sounding surnames like Kelley and Green and this lineage has produced a significant local population with a basically English-speaking background. Mark later finds out that a similarly large number of Jewish refugees who were refused entry in other countries during WWII also settled here, making this a rather unique population. Joe gives us a complete run down on the local effort to help Samana grow into an attractive area that people will want to visit. Very positive and an excellent salesman for his community. We had noted on entering the harbor an interesting and attractive steel trestle bridge which is at least 1 mile long, starts on the mainland, spans 2 small islands and terminates at a third, larger one. This could easily be in an Ansel Adams photograph from anywhere in the US as it is so typical of river bridges in the US constructed in the 30's and 40's and so out of place here in the DR. When I ask Joe about it, he laughs and calls it the 'Bridge to Nowhere' so I assume it must have been built by the US Congress. He assures me that no, it was built by one of the DR strongmen on a whim and has never served any function. See, all of the idiots in the world are not in the US Congress.

Samana, Dominican Republic

Thursday, August, 24, 2006, 18:51 UTC

Chapter 9. Left Sosua about 5 am on the next leg. We were really struck by the beautiful homes and resorts nestled into the cliffs and hills along the coast. This area is really impressive with its hills and mountains tumbling down to the seashore. I'm finally getting used to seeing palm trees on mountain tops. Large stretches are uninhabited and it is really nice to see beauty like this where every square inch has not been built on. Benign trip to Rio San Juan, a small town about 30 miles up the coast where we arrive as planned before the Trades set in against us. Stayed on the boat and rested as we wanted to leave around midnight for Escondido about 55 miles further along.

Left Rio San Juan about midnight and, because this part of the route left us crossing a significant stretch of open sea, immediately began taking the Trades and accompanying seas on the bow. Not as bad as our approach to the Turks and Caicos, but not the way to spend an evening. About 2 am I go below for some rest/sleep, but only manage to rest as I have not learned to sleep while being levitated in the bed. Of course, our berths are in the forward part of the boat where the action is the most pronounced. About 5 am I relieve Mark. Mark is truly amazing, not only does he sleep under these conditions, but so deeply that it is hard to wake him later. For the most part, we have, to date, only traveled for a day or 2 at most and then settled down for a few before moving again, so our schedule has been relatively normal. Now, we are moving for several consecutive days and at odd hours. Being someone who has spent his whole life in a fairly regular routine, I have yet to adapt to the non-schedule, whereas Mark can sleep or eat whenever the opportunity arises.

Anyway, arrive Escondido early morning. The entire coast here is mountainous and if it weren't for the palm trees, the entrance to the small anchorage could be a fjord in Norway. Truly striking. At the back of the anchorage is a lovely beach with about 5 palm huts and about the same number of small fishing boats pulled up on the beach. These boats are the size and construction of what we would term rowboats, yet we see these fishermen out every night several miles offshore in the Trades and accompanying seas. You couldn't get me to go along with one of these guys for a single night for anything in the world. Here we are, not terribly comfortable, in a 45 ft. catamaran and they are out in these tiny boats every night. No thank you.

As we anchor, one of the fishermen is rowing his boat to shore and lets us know that a couple of the huts are 'restaurants' (I use the term loosely) and that we should come for a meal. We tell him 'in the afternoon' as we are both ready for some zzzzz's. We put the dinghy down and go ashore about 2 pm, where 2 women from apparently competing 'restaurants' try to convince us to sample their wares. Since one of them tells us she is the sister of the guy we met in the morning, we feel we practically have a reservation at her place. There is, of course, no menu, but fresh fish is available and what we both crave. There is no electricity and all the food and drinks are in a cooler with a big block of ice. We settle down with a Presidente and wait for the meal which takes about an hour to prepare. Meanwhile a couple of young local guys sit down near us and we begin our Spanglish thing. They are very interested in our journey and what we have thought of the DR. We, in turn, learn that they mostly live right here in the palm huts and just enjoy the peace and tranquility available. We enjoy the dialogue and, once again, value the opportunity to interact with local people in their environment. There is a small dirt road that comes down to the beach and, in fact, tourists come here from nearby Samana (our next destination) for the beach and beautiful scenery. There are actually a group of Italians enjoying themselves nearby. The meal turns out to be fried whole snapper, rice and peas and plantains. The Dominicans have a way of frying things where there is not a bit of grease left and even the fish skin is crisp and delicious. The fish is sauced with onions and tomatoes, cooked perfectly and would do any restaurant proud. Back to the boat for some more sleep, then a 1 am departure for Samana, the last port at the end of the island.

Stuart

Samana, Dominican Republic

Thursday, August, 24, 2006, 18:44 UTC

Chapter 9. Left Sosua about 5 am on the next leg. We were really struck by the beautiful homes and resorts nestled into the cliffs and hills along the coast. This area is really impressive with its hills and mountains tumbling down to the seashore. I'm finally getting used to seeing palm trees on mountain tops. Large stretches are uninhabited and it is really nice to see beauty like this where every square inch has not been built on. Benign trip to Rio San Juan, a small town about 30 miles up the coast where we arrive as planned before the Trades set in against us. Stayed on the boat and rested as we wanted to leave around midnight for Escondido about 55 miles further along.

Left Rio San Juan about midnight and, because this part of the route left us crossing a significant stretch of open sea, immediately began taking the Trades and accompanying seas on the bow. Not as bad as our approach to the Turks and Caicos, but not the way to spend an evening. About 2 am I go below for some rest/sleep, but only manage to rest as I have not learned to sleep while being levitated in the bed. Of course, our berths are in the forward part of the boat where the action is the most pronounced. About 5 am I relieve Mark. Mark is truly amazing, not only does he sleep under these conditions, but so deeply that it is hard to wake him later. For the most part, we have, to date, only traveled for a day or 2 at most and then settled down for a few before moving again, so our schedule has been relatively normal. Now, we are moving for several consecutive days and at odd hours. Being someone who has spent his whole life in a fairly regular routine, I have yet to adapt to the non-schedule, whereas Mark can sleep or eat whenever the opportunity arises.

Anyway, arrive Escondido early morning. The entire coast here is mountainous and if it weren't for the palm trees, the entrance to the small anchorage could be a fjord in Norway. Truly striking. At the back of the anchorage is a lovely beach with about 5 palm huts and about the same number of small fishing boats pulled up on the beach. These boats are the size and construction of what we would term rowboats, yet we see these fishermen out every night several miles offshore in the Trades and accompanying seas. You couldn't get me to go along with one of these guys for a single night for anything in the world. Here we are, not terribly comfortable, in a 45 ft. catamaran and they are out in these tiny boats every night. No thank you.

As we anchor, one of the fishermen is rowing his boat to shore and lets us know that a couple of the huts are 'restaurants' (I use the term loosely) and that we should come for a meal. We tell him 'in the afternoon' as we are both ready for some zzzzz's. We put the dinghy down and go ashore about 2 pm, where 2 women from apparently competing 'restaurants' try to convince us to sample their wares. Since one of them tells us she is the sister of the guy we met in the morning, we feel we practically have a reservation at her place. There is, of course, no menu, but fresh fish is available and what we both crave. There is no electricity and all the food and drinks are in a cooler with a big block of ice. We settle down with a Presidente and wait for the meal which takes about an hour to prepare. Meanwhile a couple of young local guys sit down near us and we begin our Spanglish thing. They are very interested in our journey and what we have thought of the DR. We, in turn, learn that they mostly live right here in the palm huts and just enjoy the peace and tranquility available. We enjoy the dialogue and, once again, value the opportunity to interact with local people in their environment. There is a small dirt road that comes down to the beach and, in fact, tourists come here from nearby Samana (our next destination) for the beach and beautiful scenery. There are actually a group of Italians enjoying themselves nearby. The meal turns out to be fried whole snapper, rice and peas and plantains. The Dominicans have a way of frying things where there is not a bit of grease left and even the fish skin is crisp and delicious. The fish is sauced with onions and tomatoes, cooked perfectly and would do any restaurant proud. Back to the boat for some more sleep, then a 1 am departure for Samana, the last port at the end of the island.

Stuart

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Wednesday, August, 23, 2006, 03:09

Chapter 8. Trip from Luperon to Sosua largely uneventful except for a vibration in 1 of the prop shafts which we'll check out later. As we arrive in Sosua, we look at each other and, I am sure, have the same thought. Why have we been in Luperon when we could have been here??? Sosua is beautiful. We arrive in a horse shoe shaped bay where the back of the shoe is all beach spotted with clusters of colored umbrellas and chairs. On one arm of the shoe are elegant looking apartments and on the other, 2 nice hotels with verandas right on the water. Around the corner from these hotels, the coast rises into cliffs where a series of beautiful looking resorts are situated, most of which have beaches you can walk down to. We are barely anchored when a local official comes out for the usual request for a contribution to his lifestyle. It's only about $15, but we are getting tired of it as it happens every place we stop and we are always told 'you will not have to pay again at any other port'. We dinghy to the beach and before we have finished hauling out and tieing up, hear the familiar cry 'amigo'. Of course, it's another of Mark's good friends, Charlie Valdez. I'm beginning to think Mark knows someone in every port of the world, but he swears to me this is the last one along this route. Hmm. Charlie helped Mark with the same lousy delivery boat as Papo in Luperon on his forgettable trip 4 years ago. Charlie has a couple of small boats which take tourists from the hotels on diving trips and tow inflatable saucers and sharks for kid rides here at the beach. We are now 'adopted' by Charlie and the other boat guys which is real nice because now we don't have to worry about having anything stolen as it quickly becomes known that we are their 'amigos' and thus not to be hassled. This is also important because the local officials don't like boats to stay here more than 24 hrs (probably because they get in the way of the boat rides, diving boats, sightseeing boats, etc. which all use a limited area to operate in) but we now have a special dispensation to stay thanks to Charlie.

For the 1st time since leaving the Bahamas, we are again in beautiful, clear water. Mark does a quick dive and discovers that 1 of the props has been nicked causing the vibration on the way over. Next follows a difficult process of getting the prop off which Mark attacks with his usual focus. It's not easy because you have to do all this underwater, but fortunately Charlie has a big hammer which eventually solves the problem. As you may remember, we still have radio issues so the radio and the prop will go to Puerta Plata for repairs. Mark takes both the following day and gets the prop grinded back into shape and the radio again working at Mr. Sanchez's shop. On re-installation in the boat, radio does nothing. We spend about an hour with the radio and finally with switches in positions they should not be in, it starts to work. We greedily take down over 100 e-mails waiting on the server (most of which are junk mail) and are finally able to start getting things out to the ship's log so anyone interested can find out what has been happening to us. Again, we apologize for this gap in communication and any worries it has caused.

Since we now have this beautiful clear water, Mark has decided to let me graduate to more significant tasks on the boat. I get to clean the bottom. Actually, Mark does most of the work, but I do try and help. Picture scraping barnacles off two 45 ft. hulls using a barbecue spatula. Anyway, I combine this with snorkeling a really nice reef located right in the middle of the bay. The reef is full of tropical fish and anyone who has done this knows the spectrum of colors that is seen in reef fish. If you have not, it can not be described adequately and you have missed a special visual experience. These fish apparently get fed regularly by snorkeling groups and have no shyness at all. One day I end up in the middle of a school of about 200 of what, I think, are blue tangs and it was really neat. These fish have many different colors depending on the stage of maturity, so you really get a visual cascade. There is also a lot of SCUBA diving here and I have been told there are both wrecks and caves to explore, but I won't get to that on this trip.

We've been here almost a week and it has been delightful. The mid afternoons are still really hot and we try to go in to the beach to sit in the shade and hang with our boat guys and other locals. A cold Presidente is really important in the heat, but that can almost be ruined by the site of a bunch of fat men walking around in bikini bathing suits. Tourists have no shame. We've had several days where late in the afternoon the breeze is blowing, the sun is at our backs and the heat is largely gone. I have found it perfect to take one of our adjustable lounge chairs up on the foredeck with a book and a rum and coke and just read and watch the boats pulling happy kids on the big inflatable toys. I actually started the trip on gin and tonics, but have not seen a bottle of tonic since leaving the States, so I am learning to adapt.

The only problem with Sosua is that it is touristy to the hilt. There must be 300 little gift shops (most selling the same things) and nearly that many restaurants. Plus, everything is tourist priced or roughly 30 to 50% higher than in Luperon. I don't understand how the restaurants make it because on Friday night we took Charlie and his family for dinner at a typical restaurant and it was our party and one other couple for the entire evening. Charlie has 2 delightful girls (10 and 11) and they quickly and completely wrap Mark around their little fingers which he enjoys immensely. His Spanglish is really improving although a lot of it is gestures, but the girls are happily encouraging. Apparently, almost everything here is package deals including meals so most touristas never leave their resorts at night. None of the Dominicans live here because everything is so expensive. However, even at these prices things are still relatively cheap by American standards. In walking around town I browsed in a couple of real estate places and for about 200K you can get a substantial villa with guest house, pool, etc. 75-100K gets you a fully modern apt. in a lovely complex. Compared to the 1.5 mil for a 2 bedroom apt. we saw in the Turks and Caicos this is practically a giveaway.

We are now planning to provision here and make a try for Puerto Rico. This will probably be the most difficult part of this leg as once again we are going into the Trade Winds and we are pretty much out of safe harbors to duck into. The trick is to catch a weather window between tropical waves which have been coming through regularly. Will let you know in a few days how this works out.

Stuart

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Sunday, August, 20, 2006, 19:11 UTC

Chapter 7, Part I. How to describe Luperon? It's like somebody dropped Newark, New Jersey into the DR. Seriously ugly. First, you may wonder, why are we in Luperon? Well, the answer is simple. It's the only true hurricane harbor in this part of the Caribbean. The harbor is almost completely enclosed and surrounded on three sides by steep hills so there is great protection from all directions. The surrounding vegetation is all mangroves, so in bad weather you can get close to the mangroves and tie the boat off at multiple points. There are between 80 and 100 boats here when we arrive and almost all of them will spend the entire hurricane season. I don't know if it's peculiar to mangrove areas or not, but the water is so full of silt you can't see your hand in it. It's probably good that you can't see much because it is really filthy on top of that.

When we left LaIsabela, the radio had gone to Puerta Plata for repairs (about 40 minutes away by car) and the dinghy outboard was only running on rare occasions. Fortunately, it actually started after we anchored, so we went to the Puerto Blanco Marina where the boat people generally hang out. As soon as we step out of the dinghy, one of the locals comes up and throws his arms around Mark. Turns out, he had helped Mark 4 years ago during the delivery of a really lousy boat from the Virgin Islands that Mark had eventually left here (because it was falling apart) during a hurricane. This fellow (Papo) runs a boat service in the harbor (fuel, water, and virtually anything else you need) so we now have a connection. That's good, because the outboard refuses to start so Papo tows us back to Stray Cat. Mark continues to take the carburetor apart and clean it every few hours (mostly out of frustration) but nothing seems to work. This and the radio are proving really frustrating, especially for Mark, who is used to fixing anything that arises, but here are 2 problems that are out of our control.

Fortunately for us, people on 1 of the nearby boats have an extra outboard which they generously lend us so we are now mobile again. The decision is made to haul the outboard to Puerta Plata to try and get it fixed, but when Mark gets there he can't find an outboard repair place so it goes to a motorcycle shop on the assumption that they do carburetors by the dozens and a carburetor is a carburetor. Meanwhile we find out that a part for the radio has to be ordered from the States so everything seems to be happening manana. Next day we get a call from the cycle shop. Motor fixed, everything fine. JOY. Make another trip to Puerta Plata (by the way, each trip costs mucho dinero). Motor does exactly the same thing as previously and the head mechanic is out of town. Back to Luperon. Finally get the head mechanic on the phone. He, of course speaks only Spanish, so we have to work through a translator who speaks limited English. I think you get the idea. Mucho frustration!!! Mechanic says we need a new carburetor which, of course, will probably have to come from the States. Pulling our hair out. Mark can't afford this after his haircut in LaIsabela. Anyway, about this time one of the other boaters who had heard of our plight stopped by to tell us there was actually a Yamaha (our outboard is a Yamaha) trained mechanic on one of the boats in the harbor, but he was away in the States for a few days. We decide to wait till he gets back and have him look at the beast. Nothing else we can do at this point. Another trip to Puerta Plata to bring the motor back. Talk about frustration.

Just to lighten the situation, about this time we start getting reports that the 1st Caribbean hurricane is forming and approaching Puerto Rico with us pretty much in its path. As the storm approaches Puerto Rico, we decide to get out of the main harbor and go up one of the branching creeks where there is better protection. Fortunately, we move before most of the other boats make the same decision and get a good spot where we can put out multiple anchors and tie to the mangroves. This works well except now we are so close to the mangroves that the no-see-ums drive us below in the late afternoon and mornings. They find us very tasty. Plus, there is little wind in here so the boat is really hot during the day. Not a fun time. Luckily, the hurricane falls apart before it gets to us and we get virtually no weather from it so we can leave our little insect haven.

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Sunday, August, 20, 2006, 18:58 UTC

Chapter 7, Part II. The Yamaha guy finally gets back and after he settles back in we drop off the beast. He assures us he will have it running in 2 hours.Wrong. Takes him 3, but here he comes and the little thing is running better than ever. Turns out one of the channels in the carburetor was blocked and he found it with a large magnifying glass and easily cleaned it. One MAJOR problem solved. Get a call that the part is in for the radio and it will be ready in 2 days. Can this be possible?? Pick up the radio, bring it back and it doesn't work. Try everything Mark can think of (I contribute dumb suggestions which he gracefully listens to) but nothing works. Back to Puerta Plata. Radio works fine in the shop. Frustration X 100. Back to boat. Radio doesn't work. Enough is enough. We decide we've had it with Luperon and will move on to Sosua and deal with the radio from there.

Some thoughts on Luperon. We ended up spending nearly a month in Luperon and in spite of it being a pretty ugly place and the frustrations we had to deal with, it was not all bad. Luperon is basically about 8 blocks long and 4 blocks wide. Most of the stores are 1 room and the houses uniformly shanties. There are a few serious villas on the hills above the harbor and overlooking the ocean, but these are owned by a limited number of wealthy Dominicans and foreigners who have obtained residency. There is a bank here, but no ATM machine so foreigners have to go to another city to get dineros. Surprising since there is a fair sized boating community as well as a couple of pretty nice resorts just outside the city. At least there is internet access so I can let my family know I'm alive. It's phone dial up, but works as long as the electricity doesn't go off. It's also the only place I've found in town with an air conditioner.

The people here are generally poor, but again you see no one in dirty or torn clothes. They are generous and helpful and extremely tolerant of us 'gringos' and our not always pleasant ways. Like everywhere else we had no problem sitting down with locals and doing our Spanglish thing. Just one example here of Dominican generosity. On one of our numerous trips to Puerta Plata, we stopped at a gas station. After getting gas, the car (actually a 3 cylinder Dhaihatsu mini-truck which required one of us to sit in the open back) refused to start. Immediately, about 10 guys helped push us out of the way and tried to get us started. As we were playing with the battery wires, etc., someone pulled up in a beat up old pick up truck. He stopped the truck, opened his hood, took out the battery, carried it over to us and held it while we attached our cables and got started. When we thanked him his response was 'nada' and he just got in his truck and drove away. Made quite an impression on me.

In Luperon we frequent several of the little stores (tiendas) which never have more than a few things. In one you might find avocados and tomatoes and in another eggs and mangoes. Everything here is simply cheap by our standards. It's hard getting used to eggs and produce that have never been refrigerated so you can leave them out indefinitely. You can spend $10 on a meal in a restaurant only with great difficulty and the food in the stores (unless imported) is on a similar scale.

After 2.5 months without a haircut (I still have a full head of hair at my advanced age), I decided to bite the bullet and I'll relate the story because it reflects Luperon. Choices were to have one of the boat people who cuts hair do it or go local. Decided to go local. The barbershop is a 1 room shack with a barber chair that doesn't work. Floor is dirt and almost completely covered with hair and fruit rinds from whatever it is the barber is eating while he works. I assume that at the end of the day when it's probably ankle deep, it gets swept out. Like many barbershops, it's a social gathering place and people are in and out and the lively conversation never slows down. I have to wait while a young woman gets her eyebrows trimmed with a straight razor which is whirling all around her face emphasizing points in the animated conversation. Finally, I get my turn and it takes a while as the electricity goes off, a frequent occurrence, in most places here. Get my beard trimmed and a shave which is interesting as there is no shaving cream or hot water, but for $2.50 I shouldn't complain because I hate to tell you what I would pay in Washington.

Mark has one of those to remember experiences one afternoon when he sits down to watch a group of kids playing 'baseball' with a tennis ball and a palm frond. He is the only adult there and is at first ignored by the kids. When he applauds their successes and cheers their efforts, they immediately take to him and he becomes somewhat of a 'pied piper' with an entourage. He draws so much attention that a group of the young local ladies insist on treating him to Cuba Libres, but it's the adulation of the children for something most of us would take for granted that really makes the day for him and the kids. These are the kinds of things we will remember from the DR.

Luperon also introduces us to Dominican chicken carbone. Nothing goes to waste here. On the back streets in front of their houses people take used 50 gal. drums, cut them in half and make them into grills where they slow roast chickens which cost about $4. It's a treat to once again eat chickens that have no fat on them (sorry Frank, don't care for your product) and actually taste like chicken.

The foreign community - Most of the boaters here are American although there are people from all over. A large segment hangs out at the Puerto Blanco Marina. As you might expect, some are really nice people and some are duds. Some go out into the country and enjoy Dominica while others sit around the Marina and complain about how incompetent the people are and how nothing works. You wonder why the latter are here in the first place. A surprising number of boaters have bought property here (land is cheap) and at least say they plan to build homes. There is also a small group that I have a real problem with. These are people who do work for other boaters (fix things, clean boat bottoms, provide taxi service if they have a car, etc.). They are not residents so the work is illegal. Illegal aliens. Sound familiar?? It's one thing to provide a service that doesn't exist here, but quite something else when you compete with some of the poor, but honest people (such as our friend Papo) who are just trying to do anything to get by and take care of their families.

I apologize for the rambling discourse, but this covers almost a month in time and it's being done retrospectively. Mark and I are both tired of Luperon so we'll leave early in the morning and see what Sosua has to offer.

Stuart

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Tuesday, August, 15, 2006, 19:11 UTC

Chapter 5. Stuck in the DR. In case anyone is actually following this journey and wondering why we havn't posted anything in a while, it's because we have had radio problems and no e-mail access. I'll describe the situation in more detail in future log entries, but the present chapter is our situation almost a month ago and I will update the past month over the next few days assuming radio communication continues to be successful. Anyway, think I left off with our departure from Manzanillo for Montecriste. Just a short morning jump of about 17 miles. We were looking forward to MC as the guide books describe it as an old town with beautiful reefs for snorkeling. Hmmm. Reefs were actually far off shore and with the way the winds have been blowing, too far for us to get to. The bay turned out to be really shallow so we had to anchor a fair distance from shore which meant a long, wet dinghy trip unless you were industrious and got started before the daily Trade Winds started to blow. As usual, there is a restaurant/bar right at the water's edge and for $5-$10 dollars you can get a simple, but wonderful, meal of fresh seafood perfectly cooked and lots of El Presidente.

The town of MC is about a mile from the beach and quite interesting. As you enter, one of the first things you hit is a pizzeria owned by an Italian transplant. He (as almost all of the people here) was warm and engaging and we enjoyed learning about his experiences and the town. MC is actually clean. The streets seem to be swept and garbage is not ubiquitous. You do still have the occasional cow or goat in the street, but they are also pretty friendly. Again, lots of apparent poverty and shacks, but then, right next to one of these, you find a beautiful stucco home which would look great in any well-to-do neighborhood in the world. This intermingling goes on throughout the town which creates a lot of visual surprises as we walk. There is actually a supermercado in MC where we pick up some groceries. Supermercado in this part of the world is a relative term as most are smaller than anything you would think of at home and more like a family store.

Saturday night we went to town and while first stopping for an El Presidente at our beach bar, met a group of grad students from San Diego. They apparently spend their time lying on the beach, drinking El Presidentes and SCUBA diving an old Spanish wreck in the bay. THEY ACTUALLY GET COLLEGE CREDIT FOR THIS. I want to go back to school. The rest of the gang wanted to look for a rumored 'fiesta', but Mark and I were skeptical of its existence and opted for a quiet dinner. We found a small place, Hotel Milano, which, of course was owned by an Italian originally from Milan. We were the only diners and enjoyed another superbly cooked fish dinner. With our limited Spanish, we learned that Ernesto is sending his beautiful 14 year old daughter to school in New York City in the fall, but didn't have the heart to tell him what a can of worms that was. We were shortly joined by George, Ernesto's good friend who fortunately for us speaks excellent English as we have pretty much gone as far as we can in Spanish. George is a German who owns a hotel in Santo Domingo (and apparently a number of other things) and has boated all over the world. Spent a couple of enjoyable hours and a bottle of rum with he and Mark comparing notes about places they have been and the world in general. George took us back to the beach in his Land Rover and almost drove it into the water. Hope he got home ok.

We are ready to move on, but the winds have kept us locked in. The strategy from here is to leave about midnight when the Trades have supposedly died down and make for La Isabella, about 40 miles up the coast. Tonight the winds have died by about 12 and we and one of the other boats have set out. We get out of the bay, turn east and immediately begin to hit strong winds and 8-10 ft seas straight from where we want to go. Forget it. Turn around and head back to MC for another day watching the wind blow. Everyone is pretty convinced from the weather reports that we'll have to sit here another 4-5 days until we get a break in the weather pattern. However, following night I notice wind has really dropped by 10 pm. Set an alarm for 12 and go to sleep. Really calm when we get up at 12 so decide to take a shot. Surprisingly calm when we get out of the bay and we have an easy motoring trip to La Isabella where we arrive at daybreak. Next Chapter - La Isabella.

Stuart

La Isabella

Chapter 6 - LaIsabella. Arrived LaIsabella at dawn and anchored in front of, as the guidebook describes it, the lovely Rancho del Sol Hotel. Mark actually knows the owners as he sold them a boat several years ago. Promptly went to sleep. After waking, took it easy for the day and about sundown noticed another boat entering the anchorage. Contacted them on VHF and it was one of our pod from MC. Apparently, they had gotten up in the morning, found the seas flat and wind calm so all 3 decided to leave MC for LaIsabella. Big mistake. Trades filled in after they had gone too far to turn back so they spent the day getting their brains beat out in seas right on the nose. Anyway, next morning a young man paddles out to our boat on a kayak and introduces himself as the son (Pablo) of the hotel owners. When I told him that Mark (who was off visiting one of the other boats) actually sold his father their boat, he looked at me in disbelief and I am sure thought I was pulling his leg. So off he went to confirm the story with Mark and when done we, of course, were instantly adopted as distant relatives. Pablo took us in to see LaIsabella and get Mark a haircut.

LaIsabella is the site of the first city founded by Columbus in the New World and there are a number of ruins still here as well as a museum with a nice collection of artifacts from Columbus' time here. The village itself is really small with 2 bar/restaurants, a couple of 1 room stores, and a few houses. Mark got his haircut which will probably last him for 3 or 4 years. After seeing the results, I decided to pass. Had a sandwich at one of the restaurants (I use the term loosely as there are no walls and there is a constant parade of people, kids and animals). Food was really tasty and the chicken standing next to the table seemed completely uninterested in it or us. Almost all of these places have 2 huge blown out speakers which play Dominican music at a volume that precludes any conversation so we eat and leave. Meet Pablo's mother, Sonja, back at the hotel and she and Mark renew acquaintances. Charming woman who is fluent in several languages including, fortunately for us, English. The hotel is actually small with only a few rooms and a magnificent veranda where meals are served overlooking the bay. The Spanish have a word which perfectly describes this place, tranquillo. If you ever want to spend a few days in an absolutely gorgeous place and can entertain yourself (reading, sitting on the beach, contemplating your navel, etc.), this is heaven. If you need more excitement, you can always take trips from here, although it's not terribly easy. We actually rent motorcycles and see the surrounding country plus Luperon where we will later get stuck for almost a month.

LaIsabella is a delight for us. We can buy the few things we really need in the little stores and find that the second restaurant, Olivo's, doesn't play loud music so we adopt it as our hangout. Good choice as the food is wonderful and costs little although there are only about 10 items on the menu. For about $4-5 you get 2 whole snappers, vegetables and a salad. We become regulars here and spend one of our most enjoyable nights in the DR when Mark and I are invited to sit with Olivo's family for dinner and conversation. We spend about 4 hrs doing our Spanglish thing (only one of them speaks English) and just have a ball. The rum and El Presidentes make things go much smoooother. Just a series of really nice relaxing days until the troubles start. We began losing the short wave radio between the Turks and Caicos and the DR and Mark wants to get it fixed before continuing as we have no other means of communication. This is why we have not posted anything recently and this and future updates are more of a retrospective than a real time occurrence. After much effort, he finds a guy in Puerta Plata (an hour away) who can do the job, so the radio gets taken there for repair. Turns out to be a lengthy process involving numerous trips mostly from Luperon where we will next stop as both the radio and tuner have problems and will require parts from the States. Anyway, about this time we begin having problems with the outboard on the dinghy which finally stops running. This is a serious problem as there are no docks anyplace we go so you need a dinghy to get from the big boat to shore and the winds prevent rowing. Bottom line - we are basically stuck on the boat. Not fun. Mark takes apart and cleans the carburetor (which we suspect is the problem) about 4 times, but no luck. It's about this time that we decide to continue to Luperon which is actually a small town and on our way in the hopes of getting things fixed. After 1 aborted attempt due to strong headwinds, we make Luperon where the saga will be continued. We think the radio problem is fixed (8/15/06), and if so, updates will soon continue.

Manzanillo

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Friday, June, 30, 2006, 06:06 UTC
Manzanillo

Stuart: Chapter 2 - Well, I left off with our departure from a lovely cove on Atkins Island for the Turks and Caicos. We had the option of stopping at Mayaguana around 5 pm or pushing on through the night to the T & C's. Winds were very favorable and we had a great sail to Mayaguana. Since the T & C's were on the same course line, we decided to keep on truckin'. Wrong decision. About 2 hrs later, the wind shifted to right on our nose, but we were already committed. Spent the next 12 hrs motoring at about 8 knots directly into 8 ft seas. I would describe this as 'imagine driving your car into a wall continuously for about 12 hours'. All part of sailing. Mark is amazing. During his off watches he actually slept with this going on. I found myself levitating in bed and sleep was definitely out of the question.

Anyway, arrived at Provencale, capital of the T & C's, the following morning and were immediately called by another cruiser at anchor to warn us about Debbie, the immigration witch. Apparently Debbie has this inferiority complex which she takes out by demonstrating her authority over anyone she can. As a custom's officer that authority is significant. She threatened to fine the other cruisers $2,500 for failing to report in the same day they arrived. To our knowledge there is no place in the world you have to report in the same day if you don't leave your boat. She gave them a really hard time and with this warning, we hot footed it to customs where Debbie asked us when we had arrived. Our response of 'about an hour ago' was apparently not suitable as we should have gotten to customs sooner. Our explanation of the time it takes to find a suitable anchoring place, anchoring, getting the dinghy out, getting to shore and walking to customs was simply ignored (as was us) while Debbie went about her important business. It's amazing how one little twit like this can bias your outlook toward a visit.

When we returned to the boat, we were immediately called by Paul (the guy who had warned us) to compare notes on the fabulous Debbie. Paul was traveling along with a second boat with the same general plan as ours (to get south and avoid hurricanes) so we joined up with him and his friends, rented a car for the day, did some shopping and saw the island. Tons of construction. Expensive place. For anyone interested, you can get a 2br. Condo starting at 1.2M. Didn't find this to be a particularly interesting island although didn't get a chance to meet local people. Following day was boat work trying to put us and Stray Cat back together for the next leg. Met with our new friends and went over some of the weather forecasts. Were unhappy to hear that there was an area of tropical disturbance off Puerto Rico (which was the direction we were headed). Since there is no shelter from bad weather for a boat in the T & C's, we decided to get out of Dodge the very next day. Unfortunately, this meant a trip to Debbie in the afternoon to get our port clearance papers. The gods smiled on us and Debbie was in a meeting (hopefully being fired).

Next morning our little pod of now 3 boats left for Manzanillo in the Dominican Republic. Quiet night at sea motoring with little wind and the sun is now coming up as I write this. Fortunately, the disturbance near PR has dissipated. Should arrive Manzanillo late morning and will continue with our progress through the DR as time permits.

Stuart

Manzanillo

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Friday, June, 30, 2006, 05:56 UTC
Manzanillo

Stuart: Chapter 3. Arrived Manzanillo late afternoon following an uneventful motor crossing from T & C's. Approach to the DR was impressive with mountains looming in the background behind the coastline. Were met quickly by 5 gov't. officials, including the port commandant in full uniform, all of whom had to come aboard all 3 of the boats. Very polite and accommodating, but, of course, all wanted a little money for their help. I expect this is the way it will be for a large part of the trip from now on. Mark describes Manzanillo best as a frontier town. A small port with a quaint little central plaza surrounded by a few streets of small shops and bars. People are generally shy, but once the ice is broken seem eager to interact with us gringos despite our very limited Spanish. There is a small open bar right where we are anchored and everyone is ready for an El Presidente and some relaxation. Following day was spent catching up on sleep and doing boat work. Were also joined by a 4th boat manned by a woman and her daughter who are making their way to Puerto Rico so now there are 4 in our little pod.

Everyone is ready to see some of the country so we rent motoconches (small motorcycles) and head out for Dharbon a town on the border with Haiti. Everything here takes time. About 2 hours to shuttle us from the beach to get the cycles, find gas and get started. No gas station here, but found a guy selling gas from a small shack. Gas was in beer bottles, so 4 beers of gas took care of each bike. Goats, chickens and cows everywhere. They have all decided they have the right of way and it's difficult to argue the point. Have no idea how the people figure out who owns which animals. Country here is arid and relatively barren. Poverty is the norm, but the people seem to not be bothered by much of anything. Very few cars and small motorcycles are the thing for going anywhere. Yes, Lisa, your father can ride a bike and will borrow yours when I get back. Were going to the Haitian market in Dharbon, but by the time we got there and took a quick look everyone sort of lost interest as the market seems to be mostly fruit and things like that. We are a bit of a curiosity as we are obviously gringos (and the only ones we saw during our stay here) plus one or other of the bikes seems to get lost from our group every few minutes requiring a major re-grouping which is difficult in a sea of motorbikes with no driving rules. Found a local restaurant for a late lunch and had everything from goat to fish. Food simple, but very good with a cost of $3-6 per meal. Stopped on the way back at a roadside bar for more El Presidentes and had fun talking with some of the local people in our limited way. Following day planned to get some diesel for the boats and go into town. I'll digress here for a minute so you can see how things actually work in this part of the world. Yesterday, we paid one of the guys who has been doing things for us to get the fuel. Fuel has to come in jerry cans from another town and is supposed to be here at 9:00. 10:00 no fuel and our guys are on the beach waving at us. Cost of fuel is 10 cents more/gallon then they thought so they didn't get it. Gave them the extra money (we only wanted about 30 gals) and they were off again. Returned about 2:30 with fuel in 2 large containers. Spent the next couple of hours transferring fuel to smaller containers and shuttling it from the beach to the boats in the dinghy. So passes another day in paradise. Planning on leaving tomorrow morning for Montecriste about 20 miles up the coast where there is supposed to be some beautiful reefs for snorkeling. Mark and the other captains went ashore at 8:00 to check out of the port and we had hoped to be on the way by 9:00. It's now 10:00 and no sign of their return. Ah well, as they say here, Manana.

For anyone interested in some of the more mundane aspects of the trip, I include the following. Since leaving Fla., we have been traveling southeast. Guess what the prevailing wind direction is in this part of the world? From the SE. So, since sailboats can't go directly into the wind, this is a difficult route to take. We have been fairly lucky and have caught wind shifts from other directions that have allowed us to sail about half the time. However, we are now in the Trade Winds which blow everyday from the E/SE. Since we are on the NW coast of the DR, we now have to go W directly into the Trades until we pass Puerto Rico. This is tricky, so the strategy is to look for unusual wind direction or move at night when the Trades die down and a land breeze from a different direction may allow you to sail. Once past PR, we make a right turn and should have glorious sailing with the Trades on our beam for about 800 miles through the Caribbean. Will check in later from our next stop.

Stuart

Crooked Islands, Bahamas

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Monday, June, 19, 2006, 08:44 UTC
Crooked Islands Bahamas

Stuart:Hi Folks,
Several of you probably thought I had fallen off the end of the flat earth. Not true! Mark (Pomerenke, captain and owner of Stray Cat) and I actually left West Palm Beach on June 7 and had a delightful sail across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. We arrived to find winds right on the nose so sat and bobbed on the shallow Bahamas Banks for 2 days. Finally pushed on to Nassau where we spent a day getting groceries and boat things. Then moved on to nearby Rose Island where we met up with 2 of Mark's