Daddy had to go back to work for the week and Cindy needed to return to Montreal, so there was a decision to make about how to get Ambition across to the Bahamas. So Josh and I offered to help. Josh would sail L’Attitude with Therese and I would sail Ambition with Paul-Andre.
The final plan was as follows, move the 3 boats closer to the inlet, anchor. Leave the anchorage around 10pm to begin the crossing. Sail all night across the gulf stream in 15 knots and 4-6 rolling waves. By mid-morning we would see the Bimini Islands in the Bahamas. We would anchor safely in the harbour, clear customs and immigration, and be at the bar in time for happy hour.
Well …. Here’s what really happened.
We moved the boats, as planned, closer to the inlet, our original anchorage idea wasn’t viable so we made a quick plan B. We’d go anchor in a nice, well protected lake. We knew it would get a little shallow coming in, but we hugged the east side like they said we should and it was fine. We anchor. We have dinner and set our alarms for 9:30pm.
Ambition draws less (needs less water to float) than the other 2 boats, so we go first. At one point the depth sounder read 7 feet but we made it out no problem. (I would like to take this time to mention that when Ambition ran aground it’s depth sounder read 6.5 feet, they only need 4.9 feet to stay afloat. But apparently according to my Dad it wasn’t that off.) L’Attitude was next in line. They ran aground. Liberty, who draws the same as L’Attitude, decides that he’s got 12ft of water so he’ll just wake (go by and make a wave) to help get L’Attitude off. Well it worked, but now Liberty was aground … hard.
L’attitude went back to anchor and look at the tide charts (something perhaps we should have done earlier). Ambition came back around to help get Liberty off and then… you guessed it, Ambition also ran aground. We were able to get Ambition off, but unfortunately Liberty had to wait for the tide to finish going out and then come back in.
We all re-anchored and waited from Liberty to float again and for the tide to come up just a little more. Our new time of departure was 3am.
We made it out of the anchorage this time, without any issues. As soon as we rounded the corner to the inlet, the waves began crashing over the bow and they didn’t stop until we were almost in the Bahamas. It was horrible. No one was feeling very good. The worst part for me was that I couldn’t sleep because every time I put down my head the my supper wanted to come up. Things got a little better as the sun came up. At least we could see the waves. The gulf stream was slow going, we were only moving at 3-4 knots, half our usual speed. The wind was 20-25 knots on the nose, with 5-7 foot waves from 2 different directions.
But we made it, the began to see the turquoise water ahead, and a nice sandy beach. We anchored in the middle of the channel, with very bad holding and a surge. We cleared customs in the morning, the only thing we wanted to do that night was sleep. The winds were supposed to pick up even more the following night so we made our way to a dock.
As Josh and I stood there we saw our very first Bahamian fish… a shark, the size of Josh. Welcome to the Bahamas. That night we went to the end of the world, the bar that is. It’s has writing all over the walls, a sand floor, and a fierce rum punch! Finally we were able to relax and enjoy the Bahamas.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Sunshine State
Our run from Charleston SC took us all the way to St-Augustine FL. Through out the night Josh and I did 2hour watches. When we weren’t at the helm (driving the boat) we were trying to sleep on the 2foot wide cockpit seat. Needless to say it wasn’t the best night sleep we’ve ever had. Josh relates it to being up all night drinking with all the after effects without the fun of being up all night partying. When the sun begins to rise, you always seem to get a new burst of energy. It feels like you been up for hours.
Liberty calls around 8:30am to ask if Josh would like a beer. He says sure. Liberty inches closer to us, Benoit gets ready to make the toss into Salsa (the dinghy). 1,2,3 and he throws a perfect shot. The only problem now is how the get the beer out of the dinghy. Luckily the fishing net was still laying around. So Josh fished himself a beer.
Once we got to St-Augustine, a very cute town with lots of Spanish influence, we made our made to Ft-Lauderdale, with a couple of day sails in the ocean. One particular day was very memorable. It was the day L’Attitude passed Ambition!!!
Ever since we got the boat we’ve been trying to pass my dad. Technically we have a slightly faster boat, with a longer keel (the thing under the boat) and a larger main sail with full battens (sticks in the sails that give it shape), plus we’re not weighed down with such luxuries such as a generator, heater or air conditioner. But somehow we still weren’t able to pass him, I guess 30+ years experience has something to do with it.
But the kids are learning. I can’t take any credit for the maneuvers that lead to L’Attitude taking the lead. Once the sails are up and we’re moving, that’s good enough for me. Josh on the other hand wants to squeeze every little bit of power that he can out of the sails. So while I sat there doing a sudoku puzzle, Josh was trimming the sails. He came up from behind him to steal his wind, and pulled ahead!!! Yeah Josh!!!
Once in Ft-Lauderdale, we had marina reservations somewhere up the New River. It looked like a small little river to the middle of no where. It couldn’t have been further from no where. It was small alright, but it was lined with boats as far as the eye could see, not just little boats either some where well over 100ft. We crossed them towing a 135ft boat down the river, one boat in front and one almost buried behind. It’s too difficult to maneuver such a large boat thru the tight corners so they just have it towed.
The river brings right through downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Unbelievable. The marina was fantastic. We rented a car to get around easily so we could reprovision, again. Nothing a couple trips to Costco, Walmart and the grocery store can help. We luckily found time to visit Mimi, a close family friend of Josh. Mimi, her son Patrick and his wife Maria also came to visit the boat. I was nice to meet Mimi after hearing so many nice things about her, she really is a riot.
At all the marinas and along the ICW from North Carolina, you see signs warning you about manatees. We never saw any. However in the last marina we were at we saw some on numerous occasions. They really are huge and slow moving. You would never call it a beautiful animal, but it was cool to see none the less. They tell you not to feed them or to give them fresh water. One day a worker at the marina was feeding a mommy manatee fresh water from the hose. You could see her putting the hose in her mouth, and if you looked carefully you could see the baby. She was so close that I touched her. You could see along her back where she’d been cut by props. They sleep on the surface of the water at night and are very hard to see. That’s why there are strict speed limits.
Liberty calls around 8:30am to ask if Josh would like a beer. He says sure. Liberty inches closer to us, Benoit gets ready to make the toss into Salsa (the dinghy). 1,2,3 and he throws a perfect shot. The only problem now is how the get the beer out of the dinghy. Luckily the fishing net was still laying around. So Josh fished himself a beer.
Once we got to St-Augustine, a very cute town with lots of Spanish influence, we made our made to Ft-Lauderdale, with a couple of day sails in the ocean. One particular day was very memorable. It was the day L’Attitude passed Ambition!!!
Ever since we got the boat we’ve been trying to pass my dad. Technically we have a slightly faster boat, with a longer keel (the thing under the boat) and a larger main sail with full battens (sticks in the sails that give it shape), plus we’re not weighed down with such luxuries such as a generator, heater or air conditioner. But somehow we still weren’t able to pass him, I guess 30+ years experience has something to do with it.
But the kids are learning. I can’t take any credit for the maneuvers that lead to L’Attitude taking the lead. Once the sails are up and we’re moving, that’s good enough for me. Josh on the other hand wants to squeeze every little bit of power that he can out of the sails. So while I sat there doing a sudoku puzzle, Josh was trimming the sails. He came up from behind him to steal his wind, and pulled ahead!!! Yeah Josh!!!
Once in Ft-Lauderdale, we had marina reservations somewhere up the New River. It looked like a small little river to the middle of no where. It couldn’t have been further from no where. It was small alright, but it was lined with boats as far as the eye could see, not just little boats either some where well over 100ft. We crossed them towing a 135ft boat down the river, one boat in front and one almost buried behind. It’s too difficult to maneuver such a large boat thru the tight corners so they just have it towed.
The river brings right through downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Unbelievable. The marina was fantastic. We rented a car to get around easily so we could reprovision, again. Nothing a couple trips to Costco, Walmart and the grocery store can help. We luckily found time to visit Mimi, a close family friend of Josh. Mimi, her son Patrick and his wife Maria also came to visit the boat. I was nice to meet Mimi after hearing so many nice things about her, she really is a riot.
At all the marinas and along the ICW from North Carolina, you see signs warning you about manatees. We never saw any. However in the last marina we were at we saw some on numerous occasions. They really are huge and slow moving. You would never call it a beautiful animal, but it was cool to see none the less. They tell you not to feed them or to give them fresh water. One day a worker at the marina was feeding a mommy manatee fresh water from the hose. You could see her putting the hose in her mouth, and if you looked carefully you could see the baby. She was so close that I touched her. You could see along her back where she’d been cut by props. They sleep on the surface of the water at night and are very hard to see. That’s why there are strict speed limits.
Once uppon a time came a fish
In Charleston SC, we were tied up to the Mega Dock (yup that’s it’s official name), it is 2500ft long. There were so many huge boats there. Some even had golf carts that went with them. Crazy! Needless to say L’Attitude felt a little small. It didn’t matter though, we didn’t stay long. We had some ocean sailing to do, finally.
We left first thing in the morning. We got out into the ocean and there was no wind. Who would have thought of the ocean as flat and calm. We put up the sails anyways (it makes the boat look prettier) and motor sailed. The wind picked up enough to keep the sails full but not enough to keep us moving at a good speed.
As we made our way, we were almost 40 nautical miles (nautical miles are just over 1.2 regular miles) away from land. At 2 different occasions, we were visited by little birdies. I don’t know how they made it out so far. One kept sliding on the deck as the boat heeled.
Now that the boat is heading to its waypoint 25 hours away, what do you do? You fish, of course. Josh and I put out our trolling line all the while having a discussion about what the right speed is to fish at. Like either of us knows anything about fishing. We now know what is a good speed to catch fish at is, 7 knots. All of a sudden I feel something tug on the line. I try to reel it in but I can’t do it. So I pass the rod to the muscle on board. I, in the meantime, take the radio and proudly announce that I caught a fish. After my very bold statement, Josh says, I don’t think there’s a fish at the end of the line!
But he was wrong. There was a fish … a very big fish hooked on our line. I ran around the boat getting stuff ready to get the fish. I got the net, the fish book (to know if we could eat it or if we should let it go), the camera (so people will believe that we caught a fish) and the bottle of rum. Why the rum you ask? Apparently it will kill the fish if you pour it down its gills. It seemed a little more humane and less messy.
At this point the fish is at the boat and we can that it’s huge. I’d say that it was at least 1 meter long, no fish stories! Josh somehow manages to get the bugger into the net, which is not big enough, and tells me he’s ready for the rum (not so calmly though). I put the camera down and reach for the rum, unscrew the cap, lean over the fish with his many sharp little teeth, and begin to pour. What happened next was over in a blink of an eye. The fish shook, got off the hook, out of the net and back into the water. We were so close to having mackeral for dinner.
We left first thing in the morning. We got out into the ocean and there was no wind. Who would have thought of the ocean as flat and calm. We put up the sails anyways (it makes the boat look prettier) and motor sailed. The wind picked up enough to keep the sails full but not enough to keep us moving at a good speed.
As we made our way, we were almost 40 nautical miles (nautical miles are just over 1.2 regular miles) away from land. At 2 different occasions, we were visited by little birdies. I don’t know how they made it out so far. One kept sliding on the deck as the boat heeled.
Now that the boat is heading to its waypoint 25 hours away, what do you do? You fish, of course. Josh and I put out our trolling line all the while having a discussion about what the right speed is to fish at. Like either of us knows anything about fishing. We now know what is a good speed to catch fish at is, 7 knots. All of a sudden I feel something tug on the line. I try to reel it in but I can’t do it. So I pass the rod to the muscle on board. I, in the meantime, take the radio and proudly announce that I caught a fish. After my very bold statement, Josh says, I don’t think there’s a fish at the end of the line!
But he was wrong. There was a fish … a very big fish hooked on our line. I ran around the boat getting stuff ready to get the fish. I got the net, the fish book (to know if we could eat it or if we should let it go), the camera (so people will believe that we caught a fish) and the bottle of rum. Why the rum you ask? Apparently it will kill the fish if you pour it down its gills. It seemed a little more humane and less messy.
At this point the fish is at the boat and we can that it’s huge. I’d say that it was at least 1 meter long, no fish stories! Josh somehow manages to get the bugger into the net, which is not big enough, and tells me he’s ready for the rum (not so calmly though). I put the camera down and reach for the rum, unscrew the cap, lean over the fish with his many sharp little teeth, and begin to pour. What happened next was over in a blink of an eye. The fish shook, got off the hook, out of the net and back into the water. We were so close to having mackeral for dinner.
The ICW continues…
I have never seen so many beautiful summer houses. They line the entire ICW. They’re about the only things to look at, well that and dolphins. Our days are long and are beginning to get a little monotonous, not that we’re complaining. It’s too bad that we are on such a tight schedule, we don’t get to visit the places we see. Sometimes we manage to get to where we’re going before the sun sets.
Like in Georgetown, SC . A quaint little town with manicured lawns and big overhanging trees. As we tied up to the marina, the guy working there saw us checking out the shrimp boat next door. He mentioned that the boat had just pulled in and should have fresh shrimp. I’ve never seen Cindy move so fast, she grabbed her wallet and took off down the street. We all picked up some fresh shrimp. I opted for the real real deal, I bought them with the heads still on. I had no idea that shrimp heads had a spike on them. Nor did I know that when you take their heads off there’s a green goo that spurts out. Oh the things we are learning!
It’s simple life when the excitement of your day is shrimp
Like in Georgetown, SC . A quaint little town with manicured lawns and big overhanging trees. As we tied up to the marina, the guy working there saw us checking out the shrimp boat next door. He mentioned that the boat had just pulled in and should have fresh shrimp. I’ve never seen Cindy move so fast, she grabbed her wallet and took off down the street. We all picked up some fresh shrimp. I opted for the real real deal, I bought them with the heads still on. I had no idea that shrimp heads had a spike on them. Nor did I know that when you take their heads off there’s a green goo that spurts out. Oh the things we are learning!
It’s simple life when the excitement of your day is shrimp
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Cleaning ... the bottom
Beaufort was the line where, in my head, things were going to get warm. How wrong I was. Leaving RE Mayo, was probably the coldest day yet. To make matters worse, the wind was howling, the waves were slamming and it had started to hail. I was not happy to say the least. The plus side, there always is a plus side, we didn’t have far to go. We stayed in yet another marina, it’s just too cold to spend the nights without heat, in Morehead City (across from Beaufort).
We had a decision to make, to either stay inside along the ICW or make a jump to Charleston along the outside. The weather was perfect to go outside, but the temperature is still just too cold. We’d be out for 30+ hours, that’s a long time to be cold. So we decided to continue inside until Charleston and jump outside there. It will take us 5 days this way, but it also guarantees us heat every night.
The run inside will take a total of 5 days. Most of it will run us just inside the ocean shore. The problem with that is that it’s often shoaled. The likelihood of running aground is very high. We are halfway through our first day and only Liberty hasn’t run aground yet. As they say in French “jamais 2 sans 3”.
When we ran aground, it was in the channel and we were able to plow our way out. We call that “cleaning the keel”. Our keel is now very clean. Ambition has also cleaned their keel. How they managed to run aground where they did was surprising. First of all they were no longer in the channel (My Dad won’t tell me exactly how that part happened). But all around them was at least 12-15 feet of water, they just couldn’t get to it. Thankfully my Dad finally took my advice and got SeaTow (CAA for boats). On the first leg down, he kept saying he didn’t need it. So it was SeaTow to the rescue. When they got him afloat again, the lady from SeaTow gave him some very wise advice, she said, “Stay between the markers Sir.”!!!
It’s tough looking for the markers all the time, we’re too busy looking for dolphins (we’ve seen lots) and watching the dive-bombing pelicans. It’s quite beautiful here, no wonder there are so many summer houses.
We had a decision to make, to either stay inside along the ICW or make a jump to Charleston along the outside. The weather was perfect to go outside, but the temperature is still just too cold. We’d be out for 30+ hours, that’s a long time to be cold. So we decided to continue inside until Charleston and jump outside there. It will take us 5 days this way, but it also guarantees us heat every night.
The run inside will take a total of 5 days. Most of it will run us just inside the ocean shore. The problem with that is that it’s often shoaled. The likelihood of running aground is very high. We are halfway through our first day and only Liberty hasn’t run aground yet. As they say in French “jamais 2 sans 3”.
When we ran aground, it was in the channel and we were able to plow our way out. We call that “cleaning the keel”. Our keel is now very clean. Ambition has also cleaned their keel. How they managed to run aground where they did was surprising. First of all they were no longer in the channel (My Dad won’t tell me exactly how that part happened). But all around them was at least 12-15 feet of water, they just couldn’t get to it. Thankfully my Dad finally took my advice and got SeaTow (CAA for boats). On the first leg down, he kept saying he didn’t need it. So it was SeaTow to the rescue. When they got him afloat again, the lady from SeaTow gave him some very wise advice, she said, “Stay between the markers Sir.”!!!
It’s tough looking for the markers all the time, we’re too busy looking for dolphins (we’ve seen lots) and watching the dive-bombing pelicans. It’s quite beautiful here, no wonder there are so many summer houses.
Shrimping
From Coinjock, we crossed the Abermarle Sound against all advice. We got just a little shaken. Luckily, it was only from an hour or so. Once we had just about finished crossing the sound, the wind and waves seemed to have quieted a bit, we thought we could breathe again. WRONG. We knew that some of the buoys had been moved and re-numbered. We also knew that our paper charts were correct, we just couldn’t remember if the chart plotter was right also. It’s not. It’s VERY wrong in fact. We almost ran aground. Phew!!! As we round that last marker and think we are home clear, we bump and then come to a complete stop. Thankfully we were able to back ourselves out of that one. We made it into the marina in time to grab a nice, long, hot shower (a true luxury) and make it to Benoit’s birthday dinner aboard Liberty. A true feast.
The next day we left the marina after a beautiful sunrise, with great excitement. We were going Alligator watching in the Alligator river. Well that enthusiasm was quickly dulled by the monotony that is the Alligator canal. One very straight, very long, very ugly canal. The one thing that did lift our spirits was the warm weather. It was the first warm day yet.
We had found a real cheap “marina” for the night, RE Mayo. I don’t know if you could actually call it a marina. It’s a dock alongside the canal, where the shrimp boats stay. We were the first to pull up, right behind the “Peggy Sue” (or something like that). As I went to leap from the boat to the dock, I paused. I was afraid I’d fall right through the docks into the tangle of old steel cables that lay beneath. The dock held… barely. We tied up in front of the shrimp packaging plant thingy, filled with boxes and conveyor belts and a particular odor.
Once all the boats we snugged to the dock, we went off exploring. The only thing we found were 2 outhouses, one with a large privacy fence made out corrugated steel, with the words “Ladies only” spray paint. I need not tell you that, I opted to use the head (a boat toilet) instead.
In the morning, when I went to pay, there were a couple of little old men sitting in rocking chairs by an old wood furnace. They invited us to join them by the fire to warm up. They answered all my shrimping questions. A model shrimp boat facilitated things. They just didn’t seem to know what I meant when I was talking about the “two sticky-up-y thingy-s”. It’s quite simple really. The two sticky-up-y thingies have the nets attached to them and they are dragged along the bottom. It’s too bad that shrimp season in the Pamlico Sound is only June to September.
Next stop, Beaufort, NC.
The next day we left the marina after a beautiful sunrise, with great excitement. We were going Alligator watching in the Alligator river. Well that enthusiasm was quickly dulled by the monotony that is the Alligator canal. One very straight, very long, very ugly canal. The one thing that did lift our spirits was the warm weather. It was the first warm day yet.
We had found a real cheap “marina” for the night, RE Mayo. I don’t know if you could actually call it a marina. It’s a dock alongside the canal, where the shrimp boats stay. We were the first to pull up, right behind the “Peggy Sue” (or something like that). As I went to leap from the boat to the dock, I paused. I was afraid I’d fall right through the docks into the tangle of old steel cables that lay beneath. The dock held… barely. We tied up in front of the shrimp packaging plant thingy, filled with boxes and conveyor belts and a particular odor.
Once all the boats we snugged to the dock, we went off exploring. The only thing we found were 2 outhouses, one with a large privacy fence made out corrugated steel, with the words “Ladies only” spray paint. I need not tell you that, I opted to use the head (a boat toilet) instead.
In the morning, when I went to pay, there were a couple of little old men sitting in rocking chairs by an old wood furnace. They invited us to join them by the fire to warm up. They answered all my shrimping questions. A model shrimp boat facilitated things. They just didn’t seem to know what I meant when I was talking about the “two sticky-up-y thingy-s”. It’s quite simple really. The two sticky-up-y thingies have the nets attached to them and they are dragged along the bottom. It’s too bad that shrimp season in the Pamlico Sound is only June to September.
Next stop, Beaufort, NC.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Day It Snowed!!!
For those of you who don't know me well, I HATE being cold. I'm not so happy right now, we are experiencing abnormally cold temperatures. When we last left you, we had left Deltaville, VA en route to Norfolk. Well we found a magnificent little free town dock in Portsmouth, it's a tiny little basin that fits about 5 boats, with a beautiful christmas tree. Fantastic. What was even more fantastic was that someone had left the locks off the electrical outlets!!! After much convincing, Josh let me plug the boat in. (Why is that so important, you ask, we have to be plugged in to have power to run our heater) So after dark, I snuck out with our bright yellow extention cord in tow, to the nearest outlet.
If you think that was bad, at least we didn't ruin christmas. Liberty, a boat we're traveling with, also wanted some heat. The closest outlet to them was the one under the christmas tree. So Benoit very stealthily sneaks under the tree to plug in. It's all good, he gets back to his boat turns on the heater....and it all goes dark. He blew the breaker and the entire christmas was unlit!!! And as if that's not bad enough, he now has to crawl back under and claim his electrical cord, while his wife, Sylvie, stands guard.
We left Portsmouth yesterday, Tuesday, for Coinjock. We had a day filled with badly timed bridges. The bridges don't just open when you want them to, that would be to easy. And until that bridge opens you do circles, usually in tight places with people trying to get to the front of the line. And yestesday we had the wind blowing us too. One bridge opening we missed by 5 minutes! We had to do circles for 25 minutes until the next opening.
Somewhere along the way, it SNOWED, not a lot, but little flakes fell from the sky. Needless to say we were frozen. I seriously cannot remember the last I was so cold. Josh had lost feeling in his toes by early afternoon. I had hidden below to get out of the wind. We have been wearing all our warm clothes now for days, they are beginning to feel not so fresh. I didn't know we had to pack snowsuits!
Once we'd passed all the bridges, we leave the narrow and protected channel for a very shallow sound. That was about the time we noticed Ambition, my dad's boat, had stopped rather unexpectedly. His engine had died. Ambition drops the anchor, so they don't get blown in to shallow water. They didn't have any extra fuel (which could be the problem, but my dad thought it had to be a different problem, he wouldn't have run out of fuel), luckily we had one, a very heavy one.
All we had to do was pull up next to Ambition and hand them the fuel jug. Easy, you say....Not at all. It was blowing a steady 30kts, with a decent size chop. Thank goodness Josh can handle the boat like a champ. Ambition refueled, which was the problem, and we were off again. See even pros make mistakes.
(For those who are reading this who know my dad... I'm sure he would like for me to explain how this happened. He's been running his generator and espar heater to keep warm. Well his fuel gauge is not properly calibrated, and he didn't take into account the extra fuel he was consuming to keep warm...so he ran out of gas! He has a long to go before I let him live this one down. You'll all be happy to know he filled his jerry cans at the marina that night.)
Also just in case you think we're making this "cold" stuff I took a picture on the ice on the dock. I can't tell you how happy I am that we are staying in another marina tonight, money very well spent.
We miss you
Josh and Roxanne
If you think that was bad, at least we didn't ruin christmas. Liberty, a boat we're traveling with, also wanted some heat. The closest outlet to them was the one under the christmas tree. So Benoit very stealthily sneaks under the tree to plug in. It's all good, he gets back to his boat turns on the heater....and it all goes dark. He blew the breaker and the entire christmas was unlit!!! And as if that's not bad enough, he now has to crawl back under and claim his electrical cord, while his wife, Sylvie, stands guard.
We left Portsmouth yesterday, Tuesday, for Coinjock. We had a day filled with badly timed bridges. The bridges don't just open when you want them to, that would be to easy. And until that bridge opens you do circles, usually in tight places with people trying to get to the front of the line. And yestesday we had the wind blowing us too. One bridge opening we missed by 5 minutes! We had to do circles for 25 minutes until the next opening.
Somewhere along the way, it SNOWED, not a lot, but little flakes fell from the sky. Needless to say we were frozen. I seriously cannot remember the last I was so cold. Josh had lost feeling in his toes by early afternoon. I had hidden below to get out of the wind. We have been wearing all our warm clothes now for days, they are beginning to feel not so fresh. I didn't know we had to pack snowsuits!
Once we'd passed all the bridges, we leave the narrow and protected channel for a very shallow sound. That was about the time we noticed Ambition, my dad's boat, had stopped rather unexpectedly. His engine had died. Ambition drops the anchor, so they don't get blown in to shallow water. They didn't have any extra fuel (which could be the problem, but my dad thought it had to be a different problem, he wouldn't have run out of fuel), luckily we had one, a very heavy one.
All we had to do was pull up next to Ambition and hand them the fuel jug. Easy, you say....Not at all. It was blowing a steady 30kts, with a decent size chop. Thank goodness Josh can handle the boat like a champ. Ambition refueled, which was the problem, and we were off again. See even pros make mistakes.
(For those who are reading this who know my dad... I'm sure he would like for me to explain how this happened. He's been running his generator and espar heater to keep warm. Well his fuel gauge is not properly calibrated, and he didn't take into account the extra fuel he was consuming to keep warm...so he ran out of gas! He has a long to go before I let him live this one down. You'll all be happy to know he filled his jerry cans at the marina that night.)
Also just in case you think we're making this "cold" stuff I took a picture on the ice on the dock. I can't tell you how happy I am that we are staying in another marina tonight, money very well spent.
We miss you
Josh and Roxanne
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