Marina Cay to St. Martin
St. Martin to Nevis

At 1100 hours on May 25th we sadly lifted anchor at Marina Cay (BVI) and set sail for Virgin Gorda, at which point we set a course of 115 degrees magnetic for St. Martin in the leeward islands.
We made Marigot Bay, St. Martin at 0900 hours (May 26) after a safe, albeit wet passage as we encountered 2 squalls through the night.
Anchor to anchor - Marina Cay to St. Martin - 85 miles - 22 hours
After a rest during the day and re-fueling we set sail just 10 hours after our arrival for another over-night passage this time to Nevis.
Our anticipated arrival time of dawn (0600 hours) turned out to be l730 hours. We had a difficult time making progress heading SE directly in to the trade winds.
Dawn found us enjoying a spectacular sunrise over St. Eustatius Island. We were grateful we had chosen to leave for Nevis at night rather than the morning, as we made our way to the anchorage with day-light (May 28).
We cleared customs in Nevis on the holiday of Whit Monday.
We decided to rest for a few days in Nevis and enjoy this naturally beautiful, sombraro shaped, British island.

The Virgin Islands - British

Just past St. John (U.S.) we came to Norman Cay (British).
We chartered a sailboat in the British Virgin Islands l0 years ago and we found the best snorkelling at that time to be at Norman Cay, so we stopped to see if the fish were still there. Ten years ago we were one of possibly three boats on mooring balls snorkelling at Norman Cay. This day we were l of 42. Despite the crowd, we can happily report that the fish were indeed still there, in abundance, plus a "fog" of minnows.
When we chartered, our favourite anchorage in the BVI was at Marina Cay and we made our way there for the night. Once we had safely anchored behind it's extensive reef, we enjoyed an evening at the Pussers on the island, complete with painkiller cocktails and coconut encrusted red snapper.
It was wonderful to find our 2 favourite memories (Norman Cay and Marina Cay) were still as memorable as ever. It was great to be back sailing in the BVI, but even more amazing was that we didn't have to return our boat at the end of the week this time.

The Virgin Islands - Spanish & U.S.

Our first stop off Puerto Rico's east coast was in the Spanish Virgin Island of Vieques. Here we spent a quiet evening watching the lights of Puerto Rico in the distance, as we celebrated our arrival in the Virgin Islands.
Our anchorage was in the clear still water off the gorgeous palm lined beach known as Punta Arenas (green beach).
This would be our only stop in the Spanish Virgin Islands, as the excellent weather in the morning found us underway for St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin chain.
Our anchorage in St. Thomas found us in a small cove beside the airport runway which has been built extending out in to the water. Not only did this supply us with an excellent break-wall, ensuring a good nights sleep, but also an evenings entertainment as we watched the planes come and go.
The next day we sailed along the island's south shore where we viewed 2 cruise ships in port. We felt sorry for the folks who own the expensive homes that dot the mountain-side, as the cruise ship's exhaust was blanketing the area and most likely usually does (trade winds).
We continued on eastward past the U.S. nature reserve island of St. John.

Puerto Rico - Everybody Salsa

As we made our way eastward along Puerto Rico's south coast, we had 7 different anchorages: Boqueron, Cabo Rojo, Ensenada, Ponce, Caja de Muertos, Salinas and Puerto Patillas, over a period of 9 days.
Our observations of Puerto Rico were limited, however a couple of things did catch our attention. One item was the use of wrought iron everywhere - every gate, every fence, every window. Puerto Rican's love wrought iron - this much we know. Wrought iron aside we found the multi-coloured, brightly painted houses very pretty. Another observation we noted was the love of dance - salsa dance. We shopped at a J.C. Penny in the mall in Ponce (first mall we've seen since Florida). In the ladies wear department there was a selection of hundreds of dresses. Most of them were short lenght, sun-dress fasion, many low cut with swing skirts. To me they looked like dresses for dancing. The fitting room had a long line of young women (all attired in shorts) waiting to try on the dresses - everybody salsa.
We took advantage of the availability of goods in this U.S. territory to replace some of Sea Star's equipment that has found it's way into the sea along the way, as well as re-provision our food supplies and once again replace our camera.
The engine problems that we first encountered in the Mona Passage continue to plague us. Barry's repair efforts revealed a plugged delivery valve. We are now using bio-cide as we feel the hot, humid weather is causing algea to grow in our fuel tank.
As we progressed eastward the landscape became more mountainous and lush. The east coast is home to America's only tropical rain forest.
Puerto Rico is an island of natural bounty. It seemed that every tree we saw was either full of beautiful flower blooms or laden with fruit. Mangos were in season while we were there. The south coast shore-line is laced with reefs and fishermen can be seen harvesting the bounty there as well.
We enjoyed our time amongst the very generous, kind and friendly Puerto Ricans.

A blog on the log

While we lay peacefully on anchor in Boqueron Bay we learned the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron lesson of why it is important to keep a log.
It is always an inconvenience to keep a log as one travels along. It always seems unnecessary and too much trouble. Things are going great - what could ever happen that we'd need the log? Why bother? We're too busy sailing or too tired, or its too rough, or things are too wet - oh, we know the problems involved and to be honest we succumb to the excuses all too often. However, our experience in Boqueron has given us motivation to make the effort.
Our VHF radio picked up a Mayday call to the U.S. Coast Guard, Puerto Rico at 0900hours. (How unusual for us to even consider a coast guard would be there to help - we've become very accustomed to feeling totally responsible for our own actions).
The Mayday was from the sailing vessel "Avanti". She had 2 people on board (2 young fellows), had 2 reefed sails up and was taking on water as the vessel listed (both sides).
The wind was blowing out of the east at 20 knots, the 5' seas were in full white caps and there was heavy haze limiting visibility.
Avanti was in distress, she had made VHF radio contact with the Coast Guard, but was unable to give her location. Their GPS was showing jibberish on the screen. They reported that every now and then it would clear up but they had not noted what it read at those times.
They were not keeping a log.
They had an EPIRB on board but it was not functioning (battery dead?).
They did however believe they were l6 miles off of Puerto Rico's south-west tip (possibly a chart plotter on board).
A coast guard helicopter was dispatched using the only resource available for location - the VHF radio connection.
They had Avanti count over the radio which enabled the helicopter's direction finder to hone in on their location.
The assistance of other vessels in the area was called in to play as their GPS co-ordinates were noted and they were asked if they could hear Avanti's radio transmission, thereby eliminating sectors they were in.
One hour after the Mayday call the coast guard helicopter located Avanti, 4 miles off shore at Cabo Rojo (south-west tip of Puerto Rico).
A discussion ensued regarding whether the risk factors of lowering a pump to Avanti's deck out-weighed the situation on board. It was decided that Avanti was holding her own and it would be too dangerous to lower the pump.
The helicopter maintained an escort until a rescue vessel arrived at Avanti's location.
We were grateful to Avanti for the lessons they taught us regarding being complacent in keeping the log and checking the battery (and servicing) the EPIRB.
Later that same day, as we made our way to Cabo Rojo, we passed Avanti. She was under-sail heading in to Boqueron Bay, still holding her own.

Mother's Day on the Mona Passage

The rain had ended and the day was bright on May 12/07 as we lifted anchor in Escondido and coned our way along the Dominican Republic's lush and mountainous north-east coast.
On route, we sighted a sea turtle. We noted an abundance of blow-holes along the rocky shore-line, as well as a cathedral sized natural bridge.
Our destination was Samana to re-fuel for our passage to Puerto Rico. At 1100 hours we changed our plans. We were in a good weather window which was forecast to hold for the next two days then turn nasty. Uncertain as to how long the crossing might take, we felt anxious to get going while the weather was good. Also, we were unable to find reference to the availability of diesel at Samana in any of our guide books.
We checked our fuel supply to ensure that it was adequate and changed our course at Punta Balandra (L19 l0' Lo 69 13') to head southeast down the D.R. coast.
Saturday, May 12/07 - l635 hours - At Punta Macao (L 19 04', Lo 68 56') our course was set at 70 degrees magnetic as we headed offshore.
We followed Bruce Van Sant's suggested tacking and course which found us heading to the north shore of Puerto Rico to ride the island's night lees southward down the coast to Boqueron.
Monday, May 14/07 - 0300 hours - Uncertain of the reefs location in Boqueron Bay we chose to drop anchor at the outer edge of the bay, in the first shallow water we came upon, and make our way in to the anchorage after we had rested.
Regretfully, contrary to our information, there was no Customs and Immigration phone in Boqueron and we found ourselves making the 30 mile drive (thanks Raoul) to Mayaguez.
Our engine failed twice during our passage, but fortunately Barry was able to rectify the problem. Otherwise, we had a safe, albeit long trip.
Escondido (Dominican Republic) to Boqueron (Puerto Rico) anchor to anchor - l75 miles - 46 hours

Dominican Republic Anchorages

We had two anchorages off of the north coast of the D.R. before we set sail for Puerto Rico.
The beauty of the last location, Escondido, will forever linger in our memories. Here the mountains drop straight into the ocean. The anchorage is at the end of a narrow inlet between the mountains which ends in a palm lined crescent sand beach.
We were late arriving to Escondido (quite dark) and it was raining (clouds laying on the mountains) very heavily.
Uncertain of what rocks may lay beneath the surface, as we were tucking in between the mountains quite close, we dropped anchor in 40 feet of water and let out all 200 feet of chain.
In the morning we were struck by the breath-taking beauty of our surroundings.
Three fishermen, each rowing his own canoe shapped boat through the surf, called out a cheery "ola" as they passed.
We can't wait to get back to the D.R. one day to fully explore it's remarkable natural beauty.

Another sad good-bye

In Luperon we left behind the two boats that we had been travelling with: Blind Faith (Alex & Tom) aka "the kids", whose company we enjoyed since Bimini and Taima (Yvon & Carmelle) whose company we enjoyed since Georgetown.
It was very sad indeed to leave them behind.
The Dominican Republic was Alex and Tom's intended destination and there they listed Blind Faith with a broker, for sale, and made plans to travel the island by land.
Yvon & Carmelle didn't want to let the beauty of the D.R. slip by. They chose to take an apartment and explore there while the hurricane season passed.
So, sadly on May 10th at 0600 hours we gave a final good-bye wave to Yvon & Carmelle as we quietly slipped out of the anchorage at Luperon to set-sail eastward along the D.R. north coast; alone for the first time since Bimini.
"The kids", Ola & Tomek made us a special parting gift of a video. We thought it was absolutely amazing and forwarded it by email to our mailing list. If you happened to miss it the web location is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=U37-LHQZMh4
search olakruczynska Sea Star/Ocean Star
We send our best wishes to all who have sailed along with us so far -
Frederica & Alberto & Celine (Mike) on Nausicaa
Charlie & Chris on Wingspread
Mike on Soaring Eagle
Jacques & Nicole on Oliver Plunkett
Larry & Debbie on Tsunami
Alex & Tom on Blind Faith
Carmelle & Yvon on Taima

We wish them all fair winds and safe harbours and thank them for the good times and great memories.

Luperon - Dominican Republic - Hispanola We spent one week in the quiet, natural hurricane hole bay of Luperon along with approximately 70 other boats. We anchored beside Bruce Van Sant's trawler (author of "A Gentleman's Guide to Passages South"). Mr. Van Sant was available for discussion most evenings at the nearby Puerto Blanco marina restaurant/bar. Regretfully, our views of the D.R. were limited to the village of Luperon, as well as the gorgeous mountain landscape we saw from the water as we sailed along it's north and east coast. We were absolutely awed by the natural beauty of the D.R. Five mountain ranges cross this incredibly lush, green island. While in Luperon we left our laundry in town to be done. When we returned later in the day, we were surprised to see it hanging to dry on the fences along the street (Barry's Canadian flag boxers and all). 6 loads - washed, dryed and folded - 400 pesos (approximately $l3.00 Canadian) Our costs to enter the Dominican Republic were $3l.00 U.S. to customs, $l0.00 U.S. plus 1 beer to the Agriculture minister when he came aboard to inspect and $20.00 U.S. for a tourist card (walk in town tax) in Luperon. In town we saw goats, chickens, donkeys and dogs. The very friendly and laid back locals could be seen relaxing in chairs or playing dominoes in the doorways of their homes. Inside their open doors we could see the tiny living area that housed their couches, dining sets and t.v.s. During the early afternoon everything was closed for siesta but at night the whole town came to life with loud music, lights and meringay(sp?) dance. Fresh, delicious local fruit was in abundance - pineapple, bananas, papaya and melons. Motorcycles were a popular means of travel. The semi-precious, Robin's egg blue stone, Larimar, that is unique to the D.R. was available for sale in many different forms.

Adventures on the "High" seas Early on May 2nd we set sail to cross the 80 mile distance from Big Sand Cay to Luperon in the Dominican Republic. The weather forecast from Chris Parker and N.O.A.A. was for 15-20 knot SE winds during the day, less through the night and under 10 knots tomorrow with isolated showers. The actual weather was 15-20 knot SE winds during the day but by l600 hours the wind had built to 25-30 knots out of the SE with 12 foot seas and thunderstorms to the east of us. At l900 hours, Blind Faith (our companion boat), reported that their Walker Bay dinghy had flipped in the rough wind and seas and they were unable to right her. Fear that retrieval efforts were threatening to damage their rudder left them no choice but to cut the dinghy free. The waves were dropping into our cock-pit making for a rough wet ride albeit an invigorating, brisk sail. We be smokin' mon! By midnight the wind and seas had started to drop and by 0800 hours we drifted in to the Dominican Republic coast, wet but safe and sound. We were lucky on two counts during this wet and wild passage. One was that we had (more than) enough wind to sail, as our fuel supply was low and two was that our dinghy was on deck, however we still lost part of her floor on route. We had patch-work in progress on the dinghy and it was just luck that found her still on deck for the passage. A close encounter with a freighter that came up from behind us just before midnight had us keeping a vigilant look-out for other ships. Big Sand Cay (Turks & Caicos) to Luperon (Dominican Republic) - 22 hours - 80 miles - anchor to anchor

Missing Photos

Due to camera difficulties, that we have experienced along the way, some of the blog entries were put on with just text and no photos.
We have recovered some of the pictures and attach them now to this blog. Three are of our anchorage at Conception Island in the Bahamas. Of those three, one was taken to show how clearly the sand was visible even though we were anchored in 20 feet of water. Another is of the huge spiny lobster our friend Tom speared there and yet another is of the beautiful tropic birds that soared overhead.
There is also a photo that shows what the reefs looked like in the shallow Caicos bank. And lastly there is a photo of the beach (Russell Bay) that we anchored off of at Mayaguana Island. Before we parted with Blind Faith (Alex & Tom) and Taima (Yvon & Carmelle) we discussed our travels together and it turned out that this remote location was a favourite for us all.

Tenders and Linguistics - by Barry "I think I'll take the dink into town", was a phrase uttered which got my attention as we lay in a tranquil anchorage. Later that day we shared libations on their trawler with the orator of the statement, a Brit and her husband, the topic got around to yacht tenders. "You mean the dink", she offered. Pardon was my reply. The dink, the dinky, our little rubber boat which brought us to the discussion of yacht tenders. The lifeline of every sailor, the soaker of every ass, your status in the pecking order, your transport to shore, your supply vessel for water, fuel, provisions, your fishing boat and your reef viewing vessel, a towboat, a tugboat, even possibly your liferaft and a thousand other uses vital to all cruisers. All have their favourites and opinions, hard shell, inflatable, rib, fold boats, kayaks, oars, paddles, motors big, bigger and immense: pvc, hypalon, fibreglass, aluminum and yes with dinks as most other things, size does matter. Some are rather spartan and utilitarian and small, others on the verge of indecent. One vessel we saw had a dinghy that was 65 feet long and it had it's own captain and the dinghy had a dinghy. Seasoned sailors learn to cross vast bays and sounds, in extreme weather standing upright facing the elements as a ship's figure-head would, steering with one hand on the motor extension, the other on the bowline (painter for those nautical). Novices can be recognized by the saturation level on the rear of their shorts. Some are named after the mothership e.g. barefoot ... socks, cats meow ... wiskers, some are numbered fl12345, some are anonymous and apparently quite a few have religious history e.g. "get in the g.. d... boat!" and some are named after their makers - zodiac, avon. Even the title for the vessel itself is somewhat varied. Some pronounce dinghy as ding ghee, others ding ee, others refer to their tender as zodiac or avons and the Brits refer to them as dinkys or dinks which to a Canadian brings a titter of laughter each time but now understanding that when I hear, "the dinks a little soft", there is no need to seek out the local urologist but it still does require action from a pump. Our yacht tender/dinghy is a rather rustic (rustic in this instance is the equivalent of calling the coliseum a fixer upper) bombard b1 circa 1982, which is inflated only to human lung pressure (I'm breathing out anyway and too cheap to buy a pump, correction make that frugal) and quite a spectacle in the anchorage when the need to stiffen up is at hand. It's outer skin is shedding like a rattlesnake and I've taken to repairing it with a hot-glue gun. It also serves as a large foot bath or sea aquarium due to the amount of water it takes on and is a little more flexible now that part of the floor fell over-board on a recent passage. One steadfast rule of cruising I read was never tow a dinghy if you are travelling more than 15 miles and I can attest that after approximately 3,000 miles of cruising: Cuc (as in sea cucumber ... boat SeaStar .. mothership thing ... get it?) has only travelled 2800 miles in the water with her faithful side-kick the 6 horsepower Johnson on her rear. She has towed in two distressed boats, been used as a tugboat to ram the bow of the mothership off a reef, become a platform for underwater coral viewing, used as a ferry/towing service for those tenders that have broken down or lost at sea and provisioned us for over a year. Yes, indeed our venerable bombard inflatable has and still is doing us proud. Now when I hear, "I brought the dink home," a plethora of emotions well up inside for the unlimited value these vessels provide. And as I look out the hatch, I understand as I see the Brit step out of their inflatable, her husband with the groceries at his side, yes the dink is home.

The Weather Our single side band radio continues to be our only life-line to the daily weather reports that are so crucial to our decisions regarding travel. Each morning at 6:30 a.m. (yes, we set an alarm),we tape Chris Parker's Caribbean weather forecast. If we wish further information we can pick Chris Parker up again at 8:00 as well as the N.O.A.A. (National Oceanagraphic and Aeronautical Administration) weather report which broadcasts every 6 hours. Once we have compiled the necessary information we share it with the other two boats that are travelling with us. At that time, together we make our decisions regarding travel plans. Now we just need to figure out a way to get a higher level of accuracy on the reports.

Fun in the Sun We have had some long and difficult passages lately but regretfully that is the only way we can make progress towards our destination goal of Grenada by June. We do, however, take days at rest along the way between passages and have fun in the sun as we explore and enjoy our different locations. One of our favourite toys for exploration is a large plastic bucket with a plexi-glass bottom, that we purchased in Georgetown. This bucket allows us a clear view under-water (it's like a giant swim mask). We take great delight in hanging it over the side of our dingy as we drift over the reefs, as it allows us a clear view of the colourful coral and reef fish below. We also hate to let a beach get by without checking out what shells and treasures it may have to offer. Beach combing on remote, secluded beaches is one of our greatest delights. As well, we enjoy swimming and snorkelling in the crystal clear water. Fishing has also become a fun (however challenging) pass-time for us. Another great delight, that is on-going is the colour of our environment - the emerald green, turquoise and deep purple of the water - the reef fish of every bright and beautiful colour combination - the brillant pinks and purples of the tropical flowers - the many colours (yellow, orange, pink and purple) of the coral Possibly though our greatest joy is the exhileration we feel as our sails fill and we take "flight" through the water. We truly love the thrill of sailing and can't wait to lift anchor to see what excitement each new day may hold. At the end of each day we relax in the tranquil immensity of the night sky always thankful for having enjoyed another day in paradise.

Crossing the Caicos bank - Turks and Caicos Islands The emerald green and turquoise colour of the water continue to be intoxicating, but after dodging the coral that grows in proliferation through out, we have become avid fans of the indigo blue deep, deep water. Life is definately easier and less worrysome when the water under our hull is dark blue. After great deliberation, at 6:50 a.m. on April 28th, we left Provo in 15-20 knot SE winds (on the nose) to cross the 46 miles of emerald green shallow (8') coral laden Caicos bank. It was a long day of tacking and anxiously keeping watch. At dark we were still 5 miles short of our destination, but unable to move forward due to the many coral heads in the area. We anchored with Blind Faith behind a submerged sandbar near Little Amberigis Island. Taima made the anchorage at Big Amberigis. The next day found us all motor sailing for 2 hours through the dense coral area only to find the sea rushing through the Columbus (Turks) Passage too large to negotiate. Once again, we all wound through the coral back to the shelter of Big Amberigis Island. On our way, we passed a mast that was sticking straight out of a coral head. By the following morning the wind was down some (15-18 knots) but still on the nose (SE). Again we set off to negotiate the fields of elkhorn coral for 2 hours, this time finally finding our freedom in the deep waters of the Atlantic. We arrived at dark to the secluded shelter of Big Sand Cay (40 miles progress), where we rested and enjoyed it's magnificent sand beach, as we planned our passage to Luperon.

Providenciales Island (Provo), Caicos chain, Turks and Caicos Islands On April 23rd, 2007 we joined the 25 other boats already on anchor in Sapodilla Bay off the British territory of Provo. On our approach we noticed the vast number of expensive homes along the coast. After further exploration of the island we found it to be quite a tourist mecca. The gorgeous ocean coast beach at Grace Bay was door to door developments (some completed and others under construction). All the big chains seem to be there: Club Med, Breezes, Beaches, Ocean Club etc. offering everything imaginable for amusement such as whale watching, fishing charters, spas, parasailing, snuba with the turtles, seadoo rentals, kite boarding and on .... why they even offered outings on sailboats. What a lovely idea. We noted that beach-front estate homes on Grace Bay were selling from 12 million up. Since the wind would not co-operate with our departure plans, we shared in the rental of a car with Ivon & Carmel (Taima). We had an interesting visit to the world's only conch farm (www.caicosconchfarm.com), the "hole", had a stroll along the beautiful beach on Grace Bay and enjoyed a delicious lunch in one of the islands many restaurants. Barry did an excellent job of driving on the right, or should I say left, side of the road. We found that hitch hiking was an excellent method to get around. It seemed that the first car to pass would welcome you aboard and insisted on going out of their way to get you to your destination. The traffic was busy in this rapidly developing, diverse island. During our time on anchor off Provo we enjoyed a lovely dinner with Tom and Alex, and Ivon and Carmel on board Blind Faith as we shared in Tom's 30th birthday celebration. Champagne and chocolate cake were in order that day as we all wished Tom many happy returns. After a day of indecision regarding moving on in the less than desirable winds, we lifted anchor 6 days after our arrival and set off across the Caicos bank.

Caicos Passage - Sandbore Channel We lifted anchor at midnight out of Mayaguana and set a course of 160 degrees true (NE winds 15-20 knots). The waves were high and during our passage we took 4 large splashes into the cock-pit. We took in the geneo sail during the night to slow our progress from 6.5-7 knots to 5.0-5.5 knots. Our arrival time to Sandbore channel was crucial. We needed to arrive at daybreak so there would be enough light to distinguish the channel through the surrounding reef, but before the day winds built across the shallow Caicos banks, as we would have to either tack in the narrow coral filled channel or beat our way the 8 miles to the anchorage through the wind and waves. In one of our reference books, "The Gentleman's Guide to Passages South, author Bruce Van Sant states that the reef is clearly visible and distinguishable from the channel. All three boats in our group would have to dispute that fact. We ended up positioning ourselves at the channel waypoint and heading in from it, skirting the coral heads by visual piloting as we beat our way to the anchorage in Sapodilla Bay, Providenciales Island (Provo), Caicos chain, Turks and Caicos. Anchor to anchor - Mayaguana Island to Providenciales Island - 12 hours - midnight to noon

Mayaguana Island - Eastern most island of the Bahamas
- 24 miles long, 6 miles wide
- population 262

Mayaguana Island is one of the least frequented and least developed of the Bahama Islands.
While anchored there we enjoyed the excellent shelling on the beautiful pink sand beach that we anchored off. The shallow reef that skirted the beach made for interesting tidal pool exploration. (crabs, stars) Snorkelling off our stern revealed many barracudas, colourful reef fish and penny sized, copper coloured jelly-fish. Our chart shows that the water depth drops away abruptly along a large part of Mayaguanas shore-line. We read that scuba enthusiasts enjoy "climbing the wall" here.
As the preliminary step to our next overnight passage we enjoyed an excellent sail for 15 miles along the deep waters of Mayaguanas south coast to our staging anchorage at Southeast Point.
A small whale was sighted "spouting" today as well as the usual large number of flying fish. In the reef shallows we continue to sight shark.
After an evening snooze we lifted anchor at midnight and set sail in good winds (NE 15-20 knots) to make the 35 mile crossing of the Caicos passage.

Our First Overnight Passage - (Two Days and One Night) - Rum Cay to Mayaguana Island The early morning hours of April l9th found us hoisting our dingy on board in preparation for our 130 mile passage to Mayaguana Island. Chris Parker's forecast was for light SW winds to clock to the West then North today; then Northeast overnight and tomorrow. We cleared Rum Cay's shallow coral laden waters at 0930 hours and set out on a course of 130 degrees true. Through-out the night we had periodic check-ins with our two travelling companion boats. During the night our boat made a path through the bio-luminesent plankton leaving what looked like hundreds of under-water fire flys in our wake. At ll00 hours on the second day of our journey we realized that we had made an error in scale when switching between charts. We thought we should be able to see Mayaguana Island by this point, off our starboard bow, only to find we were still 20 miles off it's northern shore. Since arriving in daylight was of utmost importance, we set a course in as direct a line as possible to arrive at our desired anchorage, and went under power. We layed anchor at 1530 hours in Russell Bay on Mayaguana's south coast, opting for this deep water location rather than the neighbouring reef and coral laden shelter of Abraham's Bay. Blind Faith and Taima followed in 2 and 3 hours later, respectively. Anchor to anchor - Rum Cay to Mayaguana Island - 33 hours

Keep to the North to go South - Conception Island to Rum Cay At 1600 hours on April l7, 2007 we dropped anchor off the eastern shore of the beautiful nature reserve area known as Conception Island. Our anchor lay in 20' of crystal clear turquoise water in which we could clearly view every grain of sand on the sea floor. Much to our delight dolphins and tropic birds welcomed us to our anchorage which lay amongst many coral heads. Thanks to Tom's hunting and Carmel's cooking we were able to enjoy a snack of fresh spiny lobster on board Taima that evening as their two cats entertained us with their antics on deck. The next day found us motor-sailing in light winds to Rum Cay. We arrived at l630 hours after a very long and stressful winding entrance through the vast field of coral heads that fill the southern shore anchorage area of the island. It took us 6 and a half hours to make l6 miles progress today. We find ourselves paying strict attention to the advice of Bruce Van Sant's book, "The Gentleman's guide to Passages South", as we head north to go south in our attempt to follow the "thornless path".

A fish story We left Georgetown on April 17th, 2007 with our new travelling companions - Ivon and Carmel on Taima (33' Murry) along with Alex and Tom on Blind Faith (27' Beneteau First). We inched our way through the many coral heads in the Elizabeth Island and Foul Cay areas and set sail in the deep waters of the Exuma Sound for Conception Island (46 miles). We enjoyed a favourable breeze (N10-15 knots) and a tolerable swell (6-8' - l0 second interval). On route we got a bite on the line of the fishing reel that we have mounted on our back rail. We were under power making 5 knots as we started to reel the line in. The fish started to run with the line and was soon running along side and flipping out of the water and in to the air. We continued to reel it in and soon had a 3' long (8" high) dolphin fish (Mahi-Mahi/Dorado) on the line at the back of the boat. It was very shiny lime green in colour with yellow and blue markings and had a square head (male) - truly an unusual brightly coloured fish. The excitement on board had reached a frenzied state!! Since we had no equipment at hand to get the fish aboard, the fish was left hanging out of the water on the side of the boat as Barry made a quick dash to the anchor locker for the gaff hook and bucket. The fish made a quick lunge at the same time and found it's freedom leaving us with just a tale to tell. He was a beauty!

A sad farewell
Sadly on April 15th, 2007 we bid farewell to our friends, Larry and Debbie on Tsunami as they started their journey north to return to the Cathedral Bluffs Yacht Club in the Toronto area.
We will miss them - the nights playing UNO in Tsunami's cabin, smokey barbecue dinners, icy Tsunami cocktails and more icy Tsunami cocktails, Debbie's warm, caring nature and fun-loving spirit, Larry's excellent suggestions and helpful advice. We greatly appreciated his sharing and caring.
We truly enjoyed exploring the Bahamas islands with Larry and Debbie. What a lucky day it was for us in early February when we met them in Miami. We couldn't have found better travelling companions, to share our adventure. They introduced us to "the kids" (Alex and Tom)on Blind Faith who we met in Bimini and continue to greatly enjoy travelling with today.
We have so many wonderful memories of good times, exploring, adventures, laughs, rum drinks with ice, more laughs - what good fun we had - we'll miss them so and wish them a safe journey home.
Alex and Tom on Blind Faith made Larry and Debbie a farewell gift of a movie. It can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U37-LHQZMh4 search: olakruczynska
the movie name is tsunami

Georgetown/Great Exuma Island/The Bahamas
From March 25th, 2007 to April 17th, 2007, SeaStar was positioned at Great Exuma Island - first at Emerald Bay marina (www.emeraldbayresort.com) and later on anchor off Kidd Cove, Georgetown. During the period from March 27th to April 10th Barry crewed her alone while Donna toured with their daughters, Robin and Susan, in England and France.
The excellent facilities in Georgetown offered a much needed opportunity to re-provision. There were approximately 100 boats on anchor in the harbour which was a sparse number compared to the 500 that can be found there during the winter months.
Georgetown offers an excellent straw market where local women can be seen practising their craft.
A bus service runs down the island at a cost of $3.00 per ride but the preferred method of travel is definitely hitch hiking and the very friendly locals are happy to offer a ride.
Georgetown is an excellent location for any service a boater may require. Parts are easily shipped in, fresh water is free at the dingy dock and the hardware store offers everything imaginable. There is a dive shop, laundromats, restaurants and banks as well as gift shops which offer the Bahama's beautifully made Androsia fabric.
A short ride across the harbour from Georgetown takes you to Stocking Island, Elizabeth Island, numerous anchorages and hurricane holes as well as beaches, where many of the organized activities such as volleyball take place. As our friends on Nausicaa aptly put it, "Georgetown is a playground for adults".
A cruiser's net operates daily on VHF radio to keep area boaters informed regarding news, weather and activities.
We "cleared out" of the Bahamas at the Customs office in Georgetown for our travels eastward and southward.