Year Two Begins

Once the cold of January settled in to Toronto we escaped by car to Hinckley Yachts in Stuart Florida where we left the boat for the summer.  We thought we could warm up from the bitter cold of the north but on our third day of driving we woke to –7C in  south Georgia. Later that day we were most relieved to find it was 75F in Stuart. As always there was much to be done in preparing the “Q” for launch including the installation of new holding tanks, bottom painting, waxing and the wiring of a second freezer (the freezer is a VERY exciting addition which has transformed our meal potential). We needed to purchase much of the food and wine we would need until June in a new place where we knew few of the labels or which stores to shop in.  After a few thousand dollars and many days of work, shopping, cataloguing and storing food, we were ready for launch.













The “Q” in the slings of the travel lift















On the way to the splash.

The captain ‘supervises’ activity in the launching

Some of our neighbours on the hard.











After two one hour trips to Homeland Security in Fort Pierce we thought we were finally ready to go but the thermostat on the big engine and the fuel pump on our 1 year old outboard had other plans, so it was back to the dock for repairs. All through this time we had Sheryl Bremner and Kevin Loughborough keeping us company as they worked on‘Quantum Leap II’ in the Hinckley boatyard.  It was great to have such good company as we toiled away in the hot sun for endless hours each day (no, you don’t need to feel sorry for us!). We finally left the dock in late January and headed for our favourite spot in West Palm Beach.

Our favourite place to anchor in West Palm – you can see why! (this building – a private club?? is actually on the Palm Beach side of the channel)


                   

Sheryl and Kevin caught up with us at West Palm as we made our way south to Fort Lauderdale.  Quantum Leap II looking very regal at the Royal Palm Bridge.    The offshore weather was not cooperating, so we made our way (for the first time) down the ICW to Fort Lauderdale. 19 bridges in one day, and most of them opened at scheduled times. This required careful planning of time, speed and currents but we made it for sunset.

Mega-yacht shrink wrapping.

The number of unoccupied mansions (because the owners are wintering else where) is mind boggling.

Fortunately the winds improved enough for us to embark on a bit of a rolly offshore sail from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. We were up close and personal with three container ships that day.

Boat storage Miami style.


After waiting five nights in South Beach Miami we set out from No Name Harbour to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini.  The conditions were Cathy’s favourite … light to no wind and moderate seas, in other words motor sailing/motoring all the way.   Quantum Leap  joined us for the crossing.

Kevin admiring their bow wave on the gulf stream crossing!

The reward for crossing – the view from the docks at Bimini.
Our next leg was to cross the Bahama Banks. It takes two days to cross the banks so we actually anchor overnight in the middle of nowhere with no land in sight. Then it was off to Nassau to pick up Calvin and Megan for their holiday.  We then headed straight to our favourite area of the Bahamas, the Exuma Islands. Our first stop was to Allens Cay to snorkel and visit the iguanas. Because of some very strong northerlies we had a very rough night on anchor. The next morning we high tailed it to the protected bay at Cambridge Cay in the Exumas Land and Sea Park. Unfortunately the wind continued to howl from the north and it was a cool 70 degrees for much of their visit, but of course they made the best of it.

These endangered Rock Iguanas are always up for a pose.

The Rock Iguana is only found on two cays in the Exumas.


The anchorage at Cambridge Cay is protected from weather on all sides so we have spent many nights here. It also has some of the best snorkelling in the Exumas.

            





Fortunately, Calvin figured out how to take panorama and underwater shots using our new camera. You will have to bear with us as we fine tune our photographic skills and ability to dive down and hold our breath while waiting for the right fish to swim by.

Megan swimming with the fish (Sergeant Majors) at ‘The Aquarium’. These little fish are friendly and plentiful and are always looking for some food.

Damselfish are plentiful and come in all sorts of colours.

A delicate sea fan coral and staghorn coral.

A tiny Angel fish hiding among the coral.

Mega and Cal on Honeymoon Beach.

Vegetation is rather stunted from the dry conditions and lack of soil in the Exumas. This is a very typical scene on the uninhabited islands.

And then every so often it feels good to stop into the local yacht club … this one is Staniel Cay Y.C.  It’s claim to fame – the hang out for the cast of the 007 film ‘Thunderball’ with Sean Connery.