Abaco, Bahamas to Worton Creek, MD

On Wednesday 3/28/12 we pulled anchor early to head back to the States. Sailed downwind wing and wing all day, anchoring on the bank at sunset. The next day we had no wind and motored NW, off the bank and into the gulf stream. On Friday, we had a beautiful broad reach sail all day. Leiby caught a huge tuna using our "Jerry Garcia" lure. It took an hour to reel it in and was quite a project to clean and fillet on the deck of the boat, without the use of a table or hose. Our freezer was stocked with fish, which sustained us throughout the rest of our trip back. We reached Brunswick, GA on Saturday morning. Fueled up and took a taxi into town for provisions. The next day we changed the oil and prepped the boat for another 3 day passage offshore. We left Sunday evening, motor-sailing NE. On Monday 4/2/12 we were able to sail most of the day. In the evening, we dropped the sails to prepare for the predicted winds heading us, showers and thunderstorms. A "backdoor coldfront"- it didn't seem so bad, and it wasn't, except that it was right on the nose through the night. We had to take turns hand steering, travelling only 2-3 knots. It was a hard way to make only 30 miles in 10 hours. We worked our way up the coastline of the Carolinas, arriving in Beaufort, NC on Wednesday. Fueled up and took a walk through town, then began our trip up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)- we were not able to go offshore again due to weather around Cape Hatteras. On Thursday, 4/5/12 we anchored at Belhaven, NC where we spent 2 nights riding out strong north winds and rain. We were close enough to town to row the dinghy instead of using the engine. We would row ashore and then the wind would blow us back to Trilogy. We left Belhaven on Saturday morning and travelled 35 miles, through the Alligator-Pungo River canal, anchoring just after leaving the canal. The next day was Easter- a 75 statute mile day for us. We anchored just inside the Virginia state line by the Pungo Ferry bridge. Decided to set a stern anchor- first time all year- because we were close to the channel and didn't want to blow into it. We were happy to have cell phone reception so we could talk to family on Easter evening. We continued up the ICW, through an assortment of bridges and a lock, finally arriving in Norfolk on Monday 4/9/12. Made a fuel stop then continued up the Chesapeake Bay, having some technical difficulties- blew out slides on the mainsail during a jibe and the engine was losing power and stalling, requiring a filter change. We anchored after dark in the Poquoson River. The next day we sailed 47 miles to the Wicomico River, anchoring in the south branch. We tried to make headway again on Wednesday but the weather was against us and we were unable to get north of the Potomac River. We turned around and headed back to the Wicomico River, anchoring in the north branch. A very friendly and generous gentleman, "Spud" asked if we were cold (yes!) and offered us the use of his private dock, electricity and a space heater. We gratefully accepted and spent 2 nights there, warm and comfortable. Spud also drove us for provisions and let me use his house shower- all the comforts of home! Leiby asked him if he had any projects going on, and spent some time chopping fire wood. We took walks into Reedville, VA and ate dinner out in a local restaurant, "Tommy's"- a place we have been before for our wedding anniversary when we were working our way up the Bay 3 years ago. On Friday the 13th we motored 75 miles and anchored south of Annapolis in the West River. The next day we pulled anchor at 7:00 AM and motor-sailed to Worton Creek, arriving at Greenpoint Marina at 1:00 PM. It was nice arriving at our boat home and seeing our friends there. The last month has been a mission to get back 2 weeks before our daughter's wedding, moving whenever we could for as far as weather would allow. We will spend 2 weeks at my brother and sister-in-law's house before the wedding to help with arrangements and then 2 weeks at Jerica and Brian's house to look after their pets while they are on their honeymoon. Trilogy will be hauled out of the water and we will spend the last 2 weeks in May working on her and living aboard again at the marina. We will get our house back on June 1 when the lease is up. What a great experience this past year has been! Pictured: Leiby and the tuna; blowing back to Trilogy in Belhaven; in the cold again- at anchor on Easter; a swing bridge on the ICW; a bascule bridge on the ICW; Spud and Leiby

St. Maarten to Spanish Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

From 3/2/12 to 3/12/12, I flew home for Jerica's wedding shower. Leiby stayed in St. Maarten and then single-handed Trilogy the 100 miles to St. John when weather permitted.There he had the opportunity to anchor with his good friend Tom, who was on a boat with students he was instructing. I flew back to St. Thomas, where Leiby met me with Trilogy anchored in Lindbergh Bay, which was so close to the airport I was able to walk to the dinghy. The next day we sailed to Fajardo, Puerto Rico where we stayed in the wonderful Sun Bay marina for two nights. We worked nonstop, doing major provisioning, laundry and installing the new mast nav lights. On Thursday, 3/15/12, we left with the intention of getting as far as we could toward home. After 555 miles and 99 hours, that turned out to be Attwood Harbor, Acklins, Bahamas. During this passage we sailed over the Puerto Rican trench, which is 26,000 feet- one of the deepest points of the entire Atlantic ocean. On Monday,  3/19/12 we arrived at our beautiful, private anchorage at Attwood Harbor. This, to me, is the ultimate type of cruising destination- isolated and unmarred by civilization. We left on Friday with good sailing weather and travelled NW for two nights, through the Exuma sound and then into the Atlantic ocean between Cat and Eleuthra islands. On Sunday morning our engine died. After Leiby spent some time diagnosing the problem, we discovered we ran out of fuel. We were under the gun to get to anchor because a weather front was on the way, so we proceeded to sail the rest of the way to Abaco with a SW wind. To enter the Sea of Abaco, we had to go directly into the wind and make short tacks to traverse the north Man of War cut, which is no more than 2/10 mile wide. Right when we were at the critical bottle neck, a ship wanted to exit the cut. Rather than get run over, we heaved-to between reefs. As we were lying hove-to, the ship called us on the radio to warn us we were going to crash into the reef. Leiby called him back to inform him that the only reason we were in this precarious situation was to let him pass. With the wind over 20 knots in the Sea of Abaco, we beat west 12 miles to Treasure Cay where we dropped anchor under sail. We could not properly set the anchor in the ground since we had no power. Leiby dinghied into the marina to get fuel, but they were out of diesel until the next morning. Leiby was able to borrow 5 gallons of fuel from Kevin and Dorothy, a very friendly couple from Havre de Grace, MD. That night, squalls hit with lightning all around. We had gusts of wind up to 50 knots. This was the most severe weather we have encountered all year. Since we hadn't been able to set our anchor properly, the next morning we discovered we had dragged our anchor 3/10 mile, thankfully into safe waters. On Monday, 3/26/12 we filled up our fuel and water in the morning and sailed upwind all the way to Manjack Cay, always racing the closest sailboat going our way. Today, we had a beautiful sail to Spanish Cay, our current location. We plan to leave these tropical waters and sail back to the states starting tomorrow. Pictured: sailing instructor Captain Tom Hamilton; under sail during PR to Bahamas passage; our rockstar lure "Pink" does it again for Leiby; the flag lady at work retiring the PR courtesy flag; inspecting the local masonry on Acklins island; Skippy, enjoying the beautiful creeks of Acklins island; Leiby's 12 years old again.

St. Maarten to St. Maarten

/22

On Wednesday 2/22/12, we went through the bridge to Simpson Bay Lagoon during the 9:30am opening and got a slip at Waterworld marina. After boat work and provisioning, we picked Tasha up at Princess Julianna airport. The next day we rented a car and explored the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin (Philipsburg, Orient Bay, Friar's Bay, Marigot, etc). On Friday, we left the marina and went through the 11:00am Simpson Bay opening and motored to Long Bay for lunch. We swam to the beach and collected shells for Jerica. In the afternoon, we motored to Marigot. When we arrived, the Custom's official was very strict and made Leiby take Skippy (our dinghy) all the way back to Simpson Bay to clear out of the Dutch side. All the while, me and Tasha explored Marigot. We had croissants and espresso for breakfast, shopped, explored Fort Louis, and had crepes for lunch. On Sunday 2/26/12, we pulled anchor and motored north to Grand Case (the "gastronomic capital" of the Caribbean). Me and Tasha researched the many menus and decided on Le Tastevin. We had a beach day and went snorkeling at Roche Creole. We took the luxury of showering, went out to a fancy dinner and it was muy delicioso! On Monday, we set sail for Anguilla. It was probably over 20 knots of wind, broad reach, beautiful sail in 8 foot seas. We had 3 reefs in the main and the blade sail. Anchored in Road Bay, Anguilla and again, went through customs. On Tuesday, we motored NE to Crocus Bay. We took Skippy in and walked to The Valley, which is the capital. There, we discovered EC (Eastern Caribbean) currency, which makes everything seem more expensive. After getting a courtesy flag and some souvenirs, we hiked back to Trilogy. We went out snorkeling and Tasha saw a sea turtle! We later went to the beach where Tasha purchased an umbrella drink and Leiby practiced building sand castles. On Wednesday 2/29/12, we had a 4-5 hour sail to Philipsburg, St. Maarten where we witnessed much action from the Heineken Regatta boats practicing for their opening day. After anchoring and checking into customs again (while me and Tasha were entertained by the cruise ship folk from 6 cruise ships nearby), we walked through the town and picked up more provisions.  On Thursday, me and Tasha had a good beach day after renting beach chairs. Tasha took us out for a nice lunch with live music on the boardwalk. Afterwards, we returned to the boat to pack for a travel day. That night, we visited a casino and strolled the dark, desolate boardwalk. We finally played cards and Tasha was winner! On the morning of 03/02/12, we dinghied in for Tasha and I to catch a cab to the airport. We flew home for Jerica's bridal shower. Leiby stayed on Trilogy and expects to sail her back to St. Thomas next week. Pictured: Leiby working up the mast; Philipsburg boardwalk; Simpson Bay bridge; lunch on Long Bay; overlooking Marigot and Simpson Bay from Fort Louis; atop Fort Louis; Crepes in Marigot "Oui Oui!"; Beach on Grand Case; out to eat at Le Tastevin; Trilogy on Crocus Bay; Tasha chillaxin' on Trilogy; Tasha and her umbrella drink; Leiby building a sand castle; Tasha and the cruise ships in Philipsburg; on the beach in Philipsburg; on the boardwalk in Philipsburg; on a lounge chair; dinghying in on Skippy; the three of us before the cab ride to Princess Julianna airport.

Christiansted, St. Croix to Simpson Bay, St. Maarten

We left St. Croix on Tuesday, 2/7/12 and, despite rough weather forecast, decided to stick our nose out there to see if we could make more easting. Wind and sea conditions caused banging and waves in the boat. Not wanting to break the boat, we decided to turn around and head to St. John at 3:30 Wed. morning. We picked up a mooring ball in a hurricane hole in Coral Bay by 11:30 am. This is a beautiful, protected bay, supposedly where "the hippies go to die". On Thursday we swam ashore and hitch-hiked across the island of St. John to Cruz Bay. The next day we sailed around the east end of the island and had a rare downwind sail to Francis Bay. Our next stop was Trunk Bay for a daystop to enjoy the beach and snorkeling. On Saturday, 2/11/12 we made our way to Magens Bay, St. Thomas. This is listed as one of the ten best beaches in the world by National Geographic. We surprised my brother, Lou and his wife, Martha there- they had just arrived on the island the day before. Leiby built them a sand structure greeting. Martha and I did some grocery shopping and Lou and Leiby brought the boat around the island to meet us at Bolongo Bay, where my parent's condo is located. Leiby and I spent the next 3 nights anchored at Cowpet Bay. Lou and Martha joined us for a daysail on Tuesday, 2/14/12. We sailed from Cowpet Bay through Current Cut north- through Middle Passage between Grass Cay and Thatch Cay. Tacked to get to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, BVI. Picked up a mooring ball there for lunch- crazy anchorage, there were breaking waves right behind us from a nearby reef. We went SE through Thatch Island cut and then west along the north coast of St. John, back to Cowpet Bay. The next day Leiby and I motored east up Sir Francis Drake's Channel and anchored at Virgin Gorda. We left Virgin Gorda early on Th 2/16/12 and had a beautiful sail all day toward St.Maarten. We lost our fishing lore, "Brett Michaels"- stolen by a fish as we dropped off the bank. We name our lores after rock stars. Our most successful one to date has been "Cindy Lauper"- one we have also lost. "Steven Tyler" has not produced anything for us yet, not even a bite. Ronnie Van Zant caught a barricuda before reaching St. Thomas. Old, rusty Meatloaf does not produce for us, either. But our new lore, "Pink" caught us a nice sized dolphin fish right at dusk. At 6:30 pm we decided to head for Saba instead and altered our course. This was a perfect point of sail all night . Just after sunrise we were moored in Fort Bay and Leiby went ashore to do the customs thing. This is a unique island- only 5 sq miles but over 3000 ft high. It literally touches the clouds. We switched our anchorage to Ladder Bay, where a set of crazy steps go up the sheer cliff. This is where goods used to be off loaded, before the harbor was built. The anchorage was very international- we shared it with French, German, Dutch, Norwegian and English boats, not one other fellow American. On Sunday, we hiked up Mt. Scenery, the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The trail includes 1064 steps. Yesterday, we left Saba before 5:00 am and had a one tack sail to St. Maarten. We anchored in Simpson Bay and went through customs. We are looking forward to having one of our daughters, Tasha, join us tomorrow for 9 days. Pictured: moored in Coral Bay; sitting in the mangroves; sand sculpture greeting for Lou and Martha; the Magens Bay shot; Lou on deck at Bolongo; breaking waves during lunch; the dolphin fish; the stairs in Saba; moored at Ladder Bay, Saba; hiking up Mt. Scenery; a town from Mt. Scenery; in the clouds at the top of Mt. Scenery.

Vieques, Puerto Rico to Christiansted, St. Croix

On Thursday, 1/26/12 we went to visit old Sam on his boat in the morning- bartered a single side band radio for some varnish and hardware. Pulled anchor around 11:15 and motor-sailed east for 3 hours, traveling 10 miles to Bahia Salina del Sur to stage for our crossing the Virgin Passage to St.Thomas. We left early on Friday in the rain. First motor-sailed, but then we were able to just sail- tacking across 20K of wind and high seas. Made it to our ultimate destination and "second home" of St. Thomas by 3:00pm, anchoring in the main harbor of Charlotte Amalie. We have history with St. Thomas- my parents have owned a condo there for many years and our whole family vacations there frequently. Mom and Dad just happened to be on the island and we were able to spend much time with them. Leiby worked on the boat while I went to the beach. We also provisioned, did laundry and went out to eat- something we have rarely done this year. We were happy to talk to Coral on her birthday- 1/29/12. Mom and Dad carted us around in their unusually colored rental car- it acquired several names, including: the Gecko Go-car; the Granny Smith Gofer; the Key Lime Cruiser and the Chartreuse Goose. Mom and Dad left on Tuesday, 1/31/12 and we met our friend Robbie in town. Robbie had some boat batteries he was able to sell to us, if we could pick them up in St. Croix. On Thursday we pulled anchor around 8:30 and sailed to Rendezvous Bay, St. John. We were anchored by 1:15pm- dove on the boat and scraped the bottom of it. Left early Friday and had a nice beam-reach, port tack sail to Christiansted, St. Croix. We picked up a free, transient mooring ball at 2:15pm. Yesterday, we were able to get and install the new boat batteries. Today, we are in a marina- our first one since before Christmas. We needed to plug in to shore power to get a good charge on the new batteries. We will also use this opportunity to find a place to watch the super bowl game tonight. Pictured: Esperanza, Vieques; Coming in to anchor in Charlotte Amalie;View from our back door, Charlotte Amalie; the Magen's Bay shot; Mom and Dad and the Chartreuse Goose; Robbie and Leiby; Rainbow over Charlotte Amalie; sharing our anchorage with up to 5 cruise boats at a time; at the fuel dock, St. Croix Marine.