Brandy is almost here! 1 more day!

Hi all: Finally got some internet while in Nassau at the marina as my daughter, Brandy, and her boyfriend, Brock, arrive tomorrow and 1 week later our daughter, Kara and her boyfriend, Matt, arrive and we have 9 or 10 days to catch some fish, lobster and a few rays before everyone heads back to work and snow and what not. Sorry I'm not using proper writing and installing paragraphs when I should be as it seems to put about 10 lines between each one but read on anyway. Pictures above are a great sunset from Rose Island, Paul and Shannon after they finally arrived and the first one is a great little O'Day sailboat against a ritzy looking property in Nassau harbour that sank one morning while the guy in the sailboat behind it just watched on and did nothing. It was a little rolly and the bow of the little boat was slamming back into the waves and must have knocked a hose off of a through hull fitting or something. As we made our way through the anchorage to the marina today I noticed it was afloat once again but probably a little smelly inside. Traci and I haven't been doing much, just hanging out at Rose Island enoying the sun while watching it rain in Nassau 7 miles away, a little snorkelling and some crazy eights and Paul and Shannon made it and anchored at Rose as well so we had dinner with them and their son Ben and his wife, Sam and a couple of their friends who are here visiting. We were having fun and chatting when it suddenly started to rain and we had to jump in the dingy and get to our own boat as the hatches and ports were all wide open. Our bed got soaked and had to be stripped and dried out and so for a few nights we had to use the sleeping bag as a bottom sheet. We've found that the 2 solar panels we added to the roof in combination with the other 6 that were all ready on the boat still don't give us enough power to run the fridge and freezer all day and we find that we have to run the little 2 stroke generator that we refer to as "old stinky" about 3 or 4 hours a day to run a charger and fill up the battery bank so it looks as though we're shopping for a wind generator when we return. I added a few more photos, the Coyaba crew in their dingy coming over for a visit, the fresh lobster tail Traci and i ate last night and the Liberty Clipper sailing vessel against a stormy backround. Bye for now and will update as soon as we can.

Dave and Traci

In the Bahamas

Jan. 21, 2012
We crossed the Straits of Florida and the Gulf Stream on the 11th from Long Key Bight, we left at 5:30 a.m. and dropped the anchor at 6:00 p.m. in the dark due to overcast thunder type storms. The winds started out at 15 to 20 knots and strengthened as the day wore on to a point where with the Genoa out full and 1 reef in the main we saw 37 knots of wind but as we were within site of our goal for the day we let it ride and travelled at double digits over the ground. We anchored inside the banks at a place called Riding Rocks in 20 feet of water and had Mini Wheats for supper as the admiral was a little sea sick. The next morning we slept a little late then I went forward to start preparing to leave by taking the bridal off of the anchor chain, this is a device that Paul Baynham gave us made of stainless steel, 2 ropes, and 2 shackles and it has a slot cut in the stainless plate that fits over the 3/8" chain and the ropes attach to the front of each hull spread far apart. The chain is then let out till the ropes are tight and there is some chain hanging behind it. This does a few things, first it puts the stress on the ropes which are quieter than a chain, the weight puts the pull on the chain deeper and more direct for the anchor so it digs in lieu of lifting out and the width of the load helps keep the boat from swinging to and fro. At any rate as I removed the ropes and the plate dropped off the chain, one of the shackles came off and the important half of the bridle sank to the bottom. Due to the tempest of the previous night and day the water was so turbid that visibility was only about 3 feet at best and try as we might for the next day and a half we could not locate it.
The next night was spent in complete solitude in the middle of the banks, not a light, boat or land of any sort in sight and well anchored in 10 feet of water. We spent the next night in the shelter of Chub Cay and the next day we had a stiff wind that made for a quick sail into Nassau although a little rolly. We were sailing along at 10.4 knots while eating cereal for breakfast. The only trouble was a smoking port engine which turned out to be a pile of seaweed wound tightly around the prop that I removed in Chub Cay. We arrived in Nassau on Sunday, the 15th and pulled into the marina at 3:30 p.m. to check in.
I'm on a crappy internet connection that we are "borrowing" while at anchor in Nassau harbor so I'll write more and post some pictures from Starbucks tomorrow.

Tomorrow the Gulf Stream

o In the morning, we go and with the help of the Gulf Stream and a South East wind we should do the 90 or so miles and be snug in 10 feet of water on the Bahamas bank sometime in the evening. Worked for 3 days more or less on the engine and it turns out the plugged filter you see in the top pic and accumulation of soot due to me taking it easy on the engine caused the exhaust to plug at the mixing elbow where water is fed into the exhaust to cool it down. Got it chiseled out today and it's purring like a kitten again, I just have to let it roar like a lion once in awhile to generate some heat and keep it cleaner. Will update again when we can but will have no communication before Friday or most likely Saturday when we can get to Starbucks in Nassau and use their wireless.

Dave & Traci

En Route to the Bahamas (sort of)

Jan, 8.

We left Port of the Islands Marina on Friday the 6th and had to hang around in the canal to the Gulf until 11:30 a.m. as that was high tide. We had almost zero wind so we had both engines running easy and later in the afternoon the newer one started belching black soot into the water then slowed down and eventually quit and that was it, no restarting. The only thing I didn't check was fuel related filters etc so I took them off, I attached a pic. A little gross and unbelievable, surprised it ran at all. I changed both filters on that engine and it still won't start despite bleeding everything. I removed the lines, injectors and had a look in the lift pump and everything looks great so tomorrow I think I'll check the solenoid that shuts the fuel off as the engine is trying to start on 1 cylinder only and fuel at that one is not a normal looking volume and little to none on the other two. Our window to cross the Gulf Stream is Monday, Tuesday then crappy wind direction on Wednesday so I hope for the best tomorrow. I have to look at the pics as I post and come back to describe them as I forget what we took. We saw a lot of stuff on the way down the Gulf like the dolphins who greeted us early the first day and everyday thus far, bald eagles, trumpet fish, jelly fish, 2 hammer head shark pups, sting ray, large shark and regular looking fish. 2nd picture is Traci at the front of the boat maybe praying or just enjoying the view. 3rd pic is our new floor partially done, 4th pic is where you lock the sail sheets (ropes) and where we found the 4th picture which is little gecko type lizard eggs that we took to hatching out, just short of sitting on them. I have other pics and a video but I've reached the picture limit so they'll have to wait until tomorrow night. We made it to Long Key and plan on going under A1A at channel 5 bridge when we have 2 engines. Talk tomorrow,

Dave and Traci

Still major contributors to S.W.Florida's economy

Hello everyone: Still a lengthy list of projects to undertake in the next couple weeks. First pic is showing the wind instrument that failed on us last year, we didn't really need it but it's nice to have, makes sailing more efficient, so I removed it and pulled the rotor and wind vane off the top of the mast as well as the wire out all the way down the inside of the mast and into the boat. I assembled the thing in on the table and could get it to work for a half hour or so then it would crap out. I took it to a Raymarine service center in Naples and they swear there's nothing wrong with it. When we removed the wire we tied 100 lbs test fishing line on it and left the line in the mast in order to facilitate pulling the wire back in. While trying to pull it back in today, me at top feeding and Traci on the bottom pulling, with about 10 feet to go something went "twang", Traci went "oh oh" and I quietly swore just slightly above to myself. So, the electrical fish tape in the picture is the one we have that is about a few feet too short to make it down the mast to pull a new piece of line up. The shiny new gold coloured water pump is the new raw water pump to go on the starbord engine along with the new alternator that is supposed to be here on Monday. The speaker is indicitive of the new radio I bought on black Friday for Traci to listen to her tunes and the new light bulb is 36 new led's assembled on one bulb that is going to replace our anchor light at 10 times the brightness and 5 times less power consumption. Also a beer in the picture, I'll have to take care of that shortly. We've added to new 90w solar panels that seem to do a bang up job of keeping the batteries up. We've ordered a new hot water heater that is to be delivered on Monday and finally a new anchor and swivel that should make Traci's life much less stressfull. I have to give her credit, she has all the anchoring signals down to one simple jesture, involving only 1 hand and 1 finger! "Traci, drop the anchor", I get the signal, "Traci, is it on bottom?", I get the signal, "Traci, lift the anchor.", same signal. Anything to do with anchoring is quickly and easily understood. The other day right after getting groceries she stepped down the few steps into one hull and huge package of toilet paper fell down on her. I told her she was lucky, she was almost........wiped out. :)

The other pics are Traci's updated cupboard, the shiny new toilet installed but leaks fresh water, a valuable commodity, and a couple of our neighbors decorated boats all lit up for Christmas. A new fresh water solenoid is on it's way for the toilet that should fix it. That's about all I got for now till more stuff comes in and when we finally get underway.

Dave and Traci

Update of the daunting tasks (seemingly)

Hi All: Just and update to show that we are slowly working on the boat when we get time. The pictures are showing the floor with no flooring, my epoxy repair job around the hatches and what the doors and stuff were and what they are going to look like, cupboards over the sink and last but not least our latest purchase that once hooked up will make Traci a much happier camper! Sorry Brandi, it's going in our bathroom so you can't use it, you still have to pump.......Paul and Shannon are under way heading south and we'll likely see them next weekend over the thanksgiving holidays.

That stupid owl attracts birds I think. I think it has a boyfriend owl visiting up there at night as we find regurgitated bird parts on the deck once or twice a week, unless it's ours?

We like it here on this dock all by ourselves, tied secure on the end with lots of room and privacy but this dock is not permitted as a live aboard dock and so we eventually have to move over to where we were last year with a single girl named Sarah on a homemade houseboat. We saw her last week and told her we would be moving over near her again and she said "come over and join the hood." I'll post a few pics after we move.

Weather has been hot and pretty great. All I have for now, take care and talk soon.....

Another couple months.....

Hi All: Marking off the days till we're back here, working on the boat in an exotic place!

This past Monday I was on a flight to Jersey for the week to work and was minding my own business when the guy in front of me put his seat back and it came back so far that I couldn't read a magazine, all I could see was the top of his bald head. Suddenly I had this urge to apply a spread fingered, full handed slap to the top of his head and tell him to move his GD seat. I didn't of course but I had to chuckle at the concept, put me to mind of a Bugs Bunny episode where he was whopping Almer Fudd on the head with his ears. I had to share that.

For years I've been thinking my first name was David but now I'm pretty sure it's my second name. Seems every time I'm driving Traci says "Jesus David", I thought it was David Mark, go figure.

We've been chasing down leaks that are appearant with all the rain as of late. In the head with the door closed there was a drip on the door handle, turns out the actual leak was pretty far away coming from around a hatch. The water leaks into the core which is balsa wood sandwiched between 2 layers of fiberglass, and runs to wherever on the inner lining on the inside of the boat, makes it hard to find the actual leak. It's occured to me to try and remove the hatches to reseal and while they're out, paint the exposed core with a couple coats of epoxy and caulk the joint at the inner and outer skins so the leak remains local and easier to find.
I'll take some before and after shots when I get back to Florida and get it done.

When I left on Monday, Traci was there with tools to rip up the linoleum, primer and paint so I'm curious to see what I return to. She never stops working.

Skype is dave.lockhart1. Pictures are Rose Island in the Bahamas from last year and crossing the Caicos bank the year before. We'll soon have new ones.

Take care, Dave and Traci