GOODBYE WINTER!

Finally, a blog post!  Between parties, Xmas, New Year’s, parties, rum tastings, shopping and sleeping, life has just been too exciting to put thoughts to paper.  We just didn’t know whether we were coming or going

.   Let’s see, we got back to the boat just before Thanksgiving.  Well, sort of back to the boat.  She was sitting on the hard, gunwales 8 feet or so off the ground.  We opted to stay in a motel where we got busted for cooking in the room.  I guess the perfumed aroma of sautéing onions and peppers and eggplant gave us away.  What?  Cooking in the room?  Oh, no, we were just microwaving some things.  The ratatouille was phenomenal.

 Well we moved to new digs—better deal, hundred bucks cheaper, bigger room.  Wait, why is there no hot water in the sink?  Oh, I see, the shut off valve is closed.  Whew!  That was easy.  Eek!  No knob on the hot water in the shower!  Get out the pliers?  Nah, remove the screw from the cold water knob and switch the knob between the hot and cold.  What are problems for if not for solutions?

All this excitement was punctuated by stimulating moments of sanding the bottom of the boat.  Dressed in a hazmat suit, mask over nose and mouth, I scuffed up the old paint in prep for nice new coats of the stuff that keeps the uglies from growing on the bottom.  At last, the bottom covered with nice new anti-fouling the boat was ready to splash.

  Half hour later, we were tied up in Harbortown Marina next to s/v Chardonnay III, our home for the next six weeks.  Time for the traditional celebratory rum at the end of a journey.

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Let the parties begin!  There was the boat parade, 

                                                       
                                                             then Xmas, then New Year’s,

                                                                  then the rum tasting,

                                                    then plain ole parties and dinghy rides.

The trip down to Miami was uneventful (the best kind!).  No Name Harbor, on the other hand has been entertaining.  During the first blow, the winds clocked from Se to SW to W to NW to N and built to 20 knots.  We were right up next to the mangroves.  I mean close enough to touch.  And then we began to drag anchor.  Thankfully it was daylight.  So, haul anchor and move.  Drop it 3 times, no go.  Move to another location, 3 more times, during one of which the anchor became entangled with the chain.  Oh, did I mention that the anchorage was very crowded?  Finally, we bite but are just a few feet in front of another boat.  Not bad, but not good either.  Surely this qualified as an event deserving of a celebratory rum! We weren’t alone in dragging.  Several hotshots in their Searays and sleek power boats dragged, too;  in the middle of the night.  Always more exciting that way.  Mañana we move again.  Same deal, several times before we bite.  Then the blow comes through and we drag again.  We barely get hooked when we notice that the trawler next to us is dragging big time; no one aboard.  Several of us neighbors (sailors all) boarded the boat and found another anchor which we deployed by way of a dinghy.  For you Rocna/Manson fans, That’s what the trawler had out.  In all fairness it must be said, .  “Even a Rocna or a Manson won’t hold in 12 feet of water with 30 feet of chain.”

No Name is really a very comfortable place to be.  It’s part of a State Park with walking trails, tropical flowers, birds and a lighthouse.  It’s only a mile from downtown Biscayne Bay and a shopping center.

So, we’re well on our way.  As soon as the weather settles, we’re Bimini bound!

Goodbye winter!

BIMINI, PART C

             

When we returned to Bimini, we figured we’d stay a week or 10 days. As always, plans are written in sand at low tide. Two catamarans arrived with University of Tennessee students on spring break.  What a great group of young men and women.  All very serious sailors, they partied hard but were still ready to go to work when the need arose.

   While friends were able to leave for points east we were waiting for good crossing weather to the west.  As their slips were emptied new boaters arrived and we had another group of people to meet and swap stories with.  We had a great group—Midori, Footloose, Tehani, Panacea, Tekla Bramble. Lagniappe and many more.  

  Social life at Blue Water was in high gear.  Group walks on the beach in the afternoon, sundowners by the pool in the evenings, walking tours of the island, potluck dinners, lobster fests etc. 

 

The first rule of boating--Don't hit anything hard!

 The Great Rum Tasting began as a marina wide event but soon attracted folks from the other marinas, the anchorage and resort at the Big Game Club. 

  A couple of blows kept us and our friends tied to the docks but didn’t put a damper on the fun. 

 One brave soul took to the surf with his kite.

 The folks at the Big Game Club provided “entertainment” every day at 4 or so.  They threw bait to the bull sharks. 

 We could see them up close and personal dockside.  And to think, I spent an hour in the water changing the zinc on the prop shaft!

  Our 10 day stay stretched into three weeks.  If only this could last forever!  Oh, it does.  The scene recreates itself at every cruising destination.  Stuck but not marooned.  Just another lousy day in Paradise!

            “Mornin’ Glory.”  That’s what Kathleen says to me.  Then, we met Glorious (that’s really his name).  “Mornin’ Glorious.”

Mango Daiquiri!  Blend up some frozen mango, fill a glass to overflowing, pour on some rum.

   Deewishus!

THE GREAT RUM TASTING

            Drinking rum and sailing seem to go hand in hand.  Rum has been central to sailing since Admiral Edward Vernon, Ole Grog himself portioned out the daily allotment to his crew.  Rum is produced in nearly every country of the world and there are probably more examples of this heavenly spirit than any other.  So, which does do you sip and which do you swill?

            A small group of sailors at Bimini Blue Water Marina decided to seek an answer to those questions.  Twelve bottles of rum appeared from the holds of boats hailing from all points of the compass—Ole Nassau Dark, Pusser’s, Cruzan Gold, Flor de Caña, Bacardi Select, Zacapa, Goslings Black Seal, Zaya, Ricardo Gold, Ole Nassau Gold, 3 bottles of flavored rum and a really mean bottle of 151 proof.

            We decided to use the Ole Nassau Dark as a benchmark.  All the other rums would be rated up or down according to whether they were better or worse than that one.  It was not a highly regimented process and voting often got lost in the festivities.  At any rate, here they are:

1.       Everyone liked the Ole Nassau Dark (Surprisingly good for a $10/litre bottle)

2.      8 of 13 people thought the Pusser’s was better than the Ole Nassau

3.      Only 3 of 12 thought the Cruzan better

4.      6 of 8 liked the Flor de Caña better

5.      5 of 8 liked the Bacardi

6.      9 of 12 liked the Zacapa

7.      14 of 14 liked the Gosling

8.      14 of 14 liked the Zaya

9.      No one liked the Ricardo (Another Bahamian rum even cheaper than Ole Nassau)

10.  4 of 12 liked the Ole Nassau Gold.

We decided to treat the flavored rums and the 151 as separate classes.

            We then “recalibrated” and tasted the Ole Nassau again and compared the 3 most well liked rums to it.  The clear winner?  Zaya.  Gosling was the runner up and Zacapa next.

            The Zaya, which began as a full bottle was resampled to validate its victory and soon was empty.  The Gosling likewise disappeared in the national drink of the Bermudas, The Dark and Stormy.  We never got around to the flavored rums and a few daring souls tried the 151 (real firewater that begins its burn as soon as you raise the glass to your lips) and some actually liked it.

BIMINI PART DEUX

Bright and early Monday morning, we left Fort Lauderdale and headed south to Miami and Biscayne Bay.  Our good friend Al (s/v Second Wind, s/v Sparrow, s/v Moon Taxi) joined us.  Al Likes being on the water.  He says that he’ll just sit in the bathtub if he can’t get on a boat!  It was a motor-sailing trip in light air and smooth seas.

            After rounding the bend between Dodge Island and the ICW, we passed a truly prodigious conch blower

                               that will sound the horn perpetually.                                                                        We passed under Rickenbacker Causeway leaving Miami behind,

 and entered Biscayne Bay.  The bay is huge and plenty deep, even outside the marked channel. We dropped the hook at No Name Harbor and opted not to take Bruno ashore.

            First light Tuesday found us underway past the south end of Key Biscayne.  In the early morning light, we could make out the stilt houses in the middle of the bay.

 Years ago, fishermen built shacks on stilts.  Occasionally, those shacks got blown away in storms but they just rebuilt them.  Somewhere along the way someone got the idea that it would be cool to build real houses.  The shacks were replaced by somewhat more resplendent shelters.   I don’t know what they do for water and waste, but they certainly don’t have to mow the lawn!

           
We left the stilt houses behind, slipped past Key Biscayne

 and set our course for Bimini.  We were motor-sailing again in smooth seas and light wind slightly off the bow.

 As the day progressed, the wind veered more and more on the nose and the jenny became useless.  

            We encountered quite a bit of traffic for a change, some of it too close for comfort.

            The engine ran perfectly both days.  Is it fixed?  Who knows?  They say that you can have three problems with a diesel engine, fuel, fuel, fuel.  We had the tank cleaned and the fuel polished.  I changed the fuel pump.  All that’s left is hope!

            As soon as we tied up at Blue Water Marina, Al put out the word that he was in the market for lobster—a lot of lobster!  There were quite a few boats in the marina and he invited everyone to a lobster fest.

    We grilled 60 tails!  Definitely a good evening.

            I never tire of walking around Bimini.  The people are friendly and helpful. Good morning!  Good afternoon!  Smiles and eye contact from everyone you meet on the street. 

             Flowers and interesting things to see

      They seem to start 'em young!

  Oh and the pig roast.  At around 11 or 12 oclock we saw it on the spit. 

“It’ll be ready around 3, mon.”  So around 3 we show up and it’s still cooking.  “Maybe another hour, mon” island time!  Finally, around 6 o’clock they took it off the spit cut it up.  Delicious!

Not everything is seriousness, there's plenty of time for silliness!