Puerto Plata, El Vale and Cap Cana

12-19-2010 Farewell Puerto Plata


Last evening, the duty naval officer delivered our despacho papers to the boat. He and his friend spoke very little English, but joined us on the dock for a beer. After paying the required $20 departure fee, we retired for the evening. Once again we were looking at a dawn departure.

These o’ dark-thirty departures are so that we capitalize on the katabatik winds coming off the mountains, which in turn help to flatten the Atlantic Ocean swell. Generally, the best travel conditions are between 11pm and 10am, at which time the prevailing trade winds kick up, causing the seas to become much more active.

As we were departing the dock, our good friend Commandate Ramon arrived with his son and daughter to bid us farewell and safe travels.

We expected a choppy exit from the harbor and were not disappointed. We followed the coastline for most of the day, staying in depths of between 120’ and 150’. As we rounded some of the Caps, we encountered some rolling conditions, but generally speaking, conditions improved throughout the day. We remained vigilant and saw several fishing net floaters and small fishing dorys, especially within close proximity to small isolated hamlets. We also encountered several garbage lines, where weed and floating debris get carried with the currents.

Shortly before dusk, we arrived in El Vale, the only published anchorage along our travels for the day. Samana, a safe anchorage was another 25 miles away and we did not wish to navigate it’s entrance in the dark.



El Vale from the Anchorage



Approach to El Vale

 El Vale is a miniscule fishing community set back in the bay. The surrounding mountains and scenery were stunning and looked like something out of Robinson Crusoe or Survivor.
We anchored for a few hours of rest, and did not go ashore; therefore we did not report to the authorities.

We expected a quiet, calm night with the katabatik winds coming down the mountains to flatten the ocean swell, but unfortunately it was less than comfortable, with the surge and swell slapping the side of the boats and causing an uncomfortable roll. None of us slept well and were groggy and grouchy for the 3am departure for Cap Cana (Punta Cana).

Once under way, conditions were calm and comfortable. We arrived at Cap Cana Resort and Marina at 1:30pm. We were greeted by their pilot boat as we entered the approach channel and escorted to the fuel dock. After checking in, the pilot boat escorted us to our slips and assisted with tying lines around the pilings. Construction of this very large and exclusive resort commenced in 2005 and will be the size of Manhattan once completed. There are several restaurants on site, but most did not open until 5 or 6pm. They have a nice beach and three large swimming pools. It was off season while we visited, but activity was expected to increase over New Years.

Alan and Susann celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on December 23rd. Adrian, Jen and Derek arrived in Punta Cana and joined us for the day.
It was great to see them, and as always, a Syme family get together was complete with kaos and muchas vino. Derek enjoyed captaing the dinghy under Alan’s command.



Following the departure of Adrian, we spent a quiet Christmas Eve day followed by cocktails and Christmas music on the dock as we admired Jan’s decorations..

Being Christmas Eve, we decided to try the restaurant Aquamare, directly across the canal. For a while we were the only table in the restaurant and had the attention of all the staff.

Well maybe that had something to do with Jan’s reindeer antlers and red nose. Dinner was enjoyed by all, and again included muchas vino tinto (red wine).

Our waiter, Manuel was most attentive and personable. After serving a round of Mama Whanas for the table, he explained that it is a traditional Dominican aperitif or digestive, and gave us some history and details of how to make it.

 

Dancing followed, before we walked back to our boats.

Merry Christmas!

After the fun and frivolities of the past couple of days, the Kaos crew spent a quiet Christmas morning, connecting with family and grandsons via Skype.

We enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner, followed by flaming, rum soaked Christmas pudding, topped with rum butter and whipping cream aboard Lamb Chop.

Early to bed since the dreaded Mona Passage awaits us in the early morning.

Puerto Plata and Ocean World Marina, Dominican Republic

Yesterday, we collectively decided to have a Canadian style breakfast at Chris and Mattie's and were all looking forward to bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast . As we were heading down the dock to breakfast, we were greeted by our friend Commandante Ramon. He had come to take us to the cable car and up to Cristobal Mountain. We invited him to join us for breakfast, but he insisted he take us for a traditional Dominican breakfast in the village of Miamon, where everything is fresh. Much to Alan's dismay, the restaurant specializes in fish, rice and fried sweet potato, none of which he eats, and he is allergic to fish. Jan had a queasy stomach and was ready for some familiar north American food, but sucked it up and ate what she could. While Ramon escorted Jan and I through the food selections, explaining what each fish and dish was, Alan turned to Tim and said "oh oh, I'm f--ked!"

Tim, Ramon and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Although not the norm for a breakfast meal for us, it was delicious, and we tried yucca, plantain and a different kind of sweet potato, all cooked outdoors and served in an open air restaurant. They served fresh juices. I had passion fruit, which was to die for and some of the others had pineapple, while Ramon had carrot juice. The meal for five cost about $12.00 US.

The views of the city and the ocean from the cable car and top of Mount Cristobel were every bit as stunning as they were when we visited twenty four years ago.
Thankfully the rain quit after four days and it was a beautiful sunny, clear day.

 We received our despacho papers (out clearance) from the navy this evening, and weather gods permitting, we plan a dawn departure, heading to Samana or Escandido, and then on to Cap Cana, where we plan to spend a week or so before crossing the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico.

The Mona Passage is the one leg that we have all been dreading. It can be a very ugly body of water as the entire Atlantic tries to push through the passge and we don't want the wind working against the current. This is certainly a passage where, after Christmas, we will be looking for ,and waiting for an appropriate weather window for a smooth crossing.

 

Puerto Plata and Ocean World Marina, Dominican Republic

December 17, 2010 Puerto Plata

It is still dull and cool, but not actively raining today. It has rained for the past three days.

We took a stroll outside of Ocean World Resort and had lunch at Chris & Mattie’s Restaurant and bar. Lunch was delicious, especially the appetizer of peppercorn shrimp, served with garlic cheese toast. Prices were reasonable and service was great. We learned that Chris is originally from Brandon, Manitoba, and is married to Mattie, a Dominican. Our server was their daughter Jenifer, who was educated in Manitoba.

Yesterday was planned as a quiet day with Susann catching up with some baking.

Commandante Ramon

At about 1pm, Commandante, Ramon (naval officer in charge of this harbor) knocked on our boats and invited us to a naval party, celebrating their Patrone. We had seven minutes to change and be ready. It’s amazing what we can do when there is free booze and food being offered.
It’s a small world! We were accompanied by Hazel and Bill, a Scottish couple that we knew from Loblolly, our marina, just outside Port St. Lucie. They are now living here in Puerto Plata aboard their boat.
The party was in an open sided structure, and the band was so loud that you could feel the vibration in your chest, or whatever you happen to be holding. To quote Hazel, “there is a lot of eye candy, especially the younger ones dressed in white naval dress uniforms”.

The Dominican people are very friendly and have a great passion for life; this was evident with their music and dancing. We were introduced to the who’s who in the Navy, with one Commander taking a particular shine to Alan, perhaps it was his military background...

Towards the end of the party, he insisted that we four Canadian visitors get up on the dance floor and dance the Marengue. It is an understatement to say we were the entertainment. All the Dominicans had a good chuckle as Tim and Alan thought that hopping from one foot to another was the requisite step; Jan and I at least had a bit more hip action going, but our marengue would not make any Dominican proud. We white folks definitely lack rhythm. Regardless, we enjoyed the hospitality of these kind and generous people, and a good time was had by all.

Wednesday was laundry day in the morning and grocery shopping in the afternoon. The marina has laundry facilities where it costs $3 each to wash and dry. There is an attendant on duty who will do your laundry if so desired.
The marina concierge calls the grocery store and they send a van to take you to the store and back. It was clean and well stocked. Local products are very reasonable, and all the produce is fresh and inexpensive. Fresh pineapple was less than $2, papaya $1, three romaine lettuce were less than $2. All in all, it was very reasonable and great quality.


Dinner at Ocean World

Casino a Pool

Ocean World Resort and Marina offers a pool (not heated), patio bar, casino, fine dining and a Vegas style show…Bravisimo. For $119 per couple, we had a three course surf and turf dinner in the dining room, complimentary beer and rum drinks during dinner and the show and tickets for the show. It was a great evening and great value. The young male performers were very handsome and the female dancers were beautiful……more eye candy!

Upon arrival at the theatre, each guest is personally escorted to their seat by one of the cast members. The music and costumes were excellent, but with all those young handsome hunks, who was looking.

 

Today, the four of us took a City Tour with Jeffrey #1, our English guide. Our first stop was at Penderosa Seafood for lunch, where you select your own lobster from the tank.

Other stops included a visit to the Brugal rum factory where we tasted the different rums, and were introduced to a native digestive drink by the name of Mama Whama. It is a mixture of rum and wine, poured into a bottle of special bark shavings and herbs which is left for a few days for the flavors to meld.

We stopped on top of a hill for a photo op of the city, and were promptly approached by some local youngsters, offering wild flowers. They spoke some English and each was anxious to push their way to the front and introduce themselves. They were expecting a cash handout of course.

Stop three was to see local cigars being hand rolled., where Jan rose to the occasion and enjoyed a small vanilla flavored cigar. Somehow, I think she might have been somewhat influenced by the rum at Brugal.

Alan and Tim’s wallets took a hit in the jewellery store, where Jan and I selected gifts for our upcoming birthdays. Amber and larimar are semi precious gems, native to the Dominican. Our final stop was a visit to Fort San Filipe.

Time was running out, since we had an invite to fellow sailors, Tom and Judy’s boat for happy hour cocktails.

It was a good day, though somewhat commercial. We were hoping to see more of the countryside, but ended up on the commercial circuit for the “gringos”. At least we did our part to stimulate the local economy.



Provost, Turks and Caicos to Ocean World, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Once again, we were blessed with reasonable seas and winds for our twenty two hour crossing from Provost to Puerto Plata. We departed Provost shortly after dawn, with flat cal seas, but the sun rising into our eyes for a while. It was calm for the 40 mile run to Cockburn Harbor on South Caicos Island, where we had to do our out clearance with Customs and get a despacho (out clearance papers). It was simple, with the entire transaction done right on the dock.

With the current weather conditions holding for the next twelve hours, we opted to head directly to Ocean World, rather than staging from Sandy Cay. This meant arriving at Ocean World Marina in the dark, but capitalizing on the last of the reasonable weather window. We are comfortable with an instrument approach and studied the chart and guide directions in advance. Unfortunately, some of the lit bouys making the channel into Ocean World were not lit, which made life somewhat challenging. We made it in safely with the help of our searchlights and radar and were greeted by night security who helped us tie to the fuel dock, where we rolled all night due to ocean surge.



Fuel Dock

 In the morning the dock master helped fuel Lamb Chop, then took us to do our in clearances with Customs and Immigrations.

Ocean World staff is very helpful and friendly, and the only negative here is the roll in the harbor as a result of the constant ocean swell. Apparently they are in the process of engineering a solution to the problem.


Marina Building





Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

After a 22 hour run from Rum Cay, Bahamas, we arrived in Providenciales (Provo) in the Turks and Caicos. We encountered eight foot Atlantic swell, but with 10 - 12 second period between each, it was a reasonable ride with the odd roll. In this part of the world, it's as good as it gets. We arrived at Sapodillo Bay about 11am, dropped anchor, launched the dinghy and headed around the point to Customs in the port. It was a simple check-in with friendly and professional agents.
Today we dinghied ashore in a 30 knot blow, arriving somewhat wet on shore, where we met our car rental agent. We spent the day touring the island, and both ourselves and travel companions Tim & Jan, were under-whelmed with Provo. It certainly did not meet the write up in the cruise guide. In our opinion, it was neither rustic charm nor glitz, and other than the friendly, helpful locals, there is nothing here that would bring any of us back.
We headed back to the boats after purchasing pizza at Mother's Pizza in Town Center. Ingredients were fresh and plentful and all we had to do was heat it and uncork the vino.
Weather permitting, we will depart here at 7am tomorrow and head to South Caicos to do our out clearance with Customs, and Tim will take on fuel. If weather conditions hold, we will depart South Caicos for another overnight run to Puerto Plato, Dominican Republic.

Rum Cay, Far Bahamas

Rum Cay
Upon arrival in this remote, picturesque cay, we set out for a walk to stretch our legs.

It was about a mile walk from the marina to the village, down a bumpy, sandy road. The village is small, with a population of 52. We found the sign for Kaye's Sand Bar partly hidden beneath the tress and brush. The cruise guides said this is a must stop place, and so we did just that.
On this particular afternoon the bar and restaurant were deserted. The door was open but no-one to be found. Once we found Delores, the owner of the bar, we learned that they were out of rum, and had only about 10 beers left in stock, which we finished off. A well loved and respected resident, Uncle Bo died a few days earlier and his funeral and celebration of life was held the previous day, just about depleting the inventory at Kaye's Bar. The supply boat does not arrive until Thursday, (three days hence).Consequently, our three boats decided to donate 3 cases of beer and two bottles of rum to Delores and the locals. Delores was ecstatic, and arrangements were made to deliver the supplies via dinghy the following morning.
The past two days were spent hunkered down, hiding from the unusual strong westerly winds, followed by another cool front. We rode out the weather in Sumner Point Marina, a small but quaint marina in rustic Rum Cay in the Southern Bahamas.

Due to the strong westerly winds, we remained in port, and rented a couple of golf carts so we could tour this remote but magnificent island.
Our first stop was at Kaye’s Bar, to deliver our collective donation of three cases of canned beer and two bottles of rum.

This will hopefully keep her in business until the supply boat arrives on Thursday. It felt strange making such a donation and even more strange to be making the delivery on a golf cart. The look on Delores’ (owner of Kayes) face and the sparkle in her eyes was repayment enough, and reminded us all to count our blessings and share the wealth.

As we departed the Sand Bar, Delores reminded us not to eat anything, since we were booked for a Bahamian lunch there at one o’clock.

The tour through the village did not take long. We passed the colourful and charming St. Christopher’s Church. It certainly appeared to be the best cared for and affluent building in town.

Our travels took us down the King’s Highway, which was often just tire ruts in the sand, or patches of rock face.

The road followed the coast, taking us past the abandoned remains of the failed multi million dollar resort that never was. We found the abandoned sales office up on a bluff and were treated to some spectacular vistas looking out over abundant coral reefs in the brilliant blue waters.
The beaches were magnificent, soft virgin sand, caressed by sparkling crystal waters, reflecting every imaginable shade of blue. These beaches run the entire length of the island.
On the return to Kaye’s for lunch, we stopped at the Last Chance Store (the only store on the island. The store is run by Delores’ daughter Kaye and offers a limited selection of produce, shell jewellery, tee shirts, plumbing supplies and everyday staples. The Sand Bar was named after Delore’s younger daughter Kaye, when she was an infant.
As we arrived in front of  Kaye’s, we could tell that she was back in business, the music could be heard from the road, and locals were at the bar drinking US canned beer and playing dominoes. Quite a different picture from one we encountered the previous day.

As we departed for an afternoon of sight seeing, Kaye danced with the boys and gave us all a big hug.

During the afternoon, we followed the paved road out to the air strip, where the paving ends and we continued on the dirt track known as Beach Road, where we encountered a few shy wild cattle; from the abandoned island settlements of a previous era. They were smaller than normal, and one could tell that they live a meager existence.

After a busy and blustery day in the sun and sand, we returned to the marina for a quiet, early night.

And Then There Were Two Boats (Rum Cay, Bahamas to Provo, Turks and Caicos)

After monitoring the weather, and meetings between the captains, Kaos and Lamb Chop departed Rum Cay at noon, bound for a 192 mile overnight run to Provo in the Turks and Caicos Islands. This decision was reached as a result of another strong front approaching that would leave us holed up for up to a week in the very remote Acklins Islands in the far Bahamas.

Unfortunately, as a result of a change in plans, we said goodbye to our dear friends aboard Toucan Dream, who will return to Georgetown, Bahamas, whilw we cast off for a 22 run from Rum Cay to Provo, Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Exumas

We have been without strong internet connections for the past couple of weeks, so now that we have a strong signal here in Provo, Caicos Islands, I will attempt a lengthy post.

Hawks Bill Cay

”Skipper Bob” describes Hawks Bill Cay in his Bahamas cruise guide as one of the prettiest islands in the Exuma chain, and we certainly concur. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze blowing, the beaches and scenery were stunning, and if this isn’t paradise, then, I believe it’s as close as we will get.

Alan, Tim and Jan went exploring on the dinghies and visited the ruins of a Scottish settlement, complete with fresh water well. They climbed up to the cairn, situated on the highest point on the island.

After considerable sun exposure over the past few days, Susann spent a quiet day, hiding from the sun aboard Kaos.

Warderick Wells, Exumas Land and Sea Park
More paradise!

It’s a tough life, which somebody has to endure. Speaking of paradise, Warderick Wells, Shroud Cay and Hawksbill are some of our favorite anchorages.

Warderick Wells is part of the Exumas National Sea Park, with Park Headquarters located here. There are two mooring fields available for a modest nightly fee. Wi-Fi is available, but only to receive and send email. Social networks, Skype and video sites are blocked.

There are plenty of well maintained walking trails here, and the park has kayaks available for use, so there is no excuse for not catching up on some overdue exercise. We walked the short trail up to Boo Boo Hill, where cruisers leave driftwood artifacts to tell future cruisers who has visited.

It is rumored that the island is haunted with the restless souls that were lost in a ship wreck many years ago. A short distance from Boo Boo Hill, one can visit the Blow Holes. If the wind is blowing from the East or North East, Exuma Sound gets driven against the rocks at high tide and the spray escapes up through the blow holes. While spectacular to see, one can get quite wet at high tide on a blustery day.

American Thanksgiving was the day after we checked in to the park, and all visitors were invited to a pot luck dinner at the home of the park wardens and administrator. The fifty guests comprised park staff and volunteers, cruisers from all over, including, South Africa, France United States and Canada, as well as local Bahamian Law Enforcement officers and folks from the neighboring Bell Island. What a feast, complete with turkey and all the trimmings, baked ham, stuffed roast pork loin, salads, fresh bread and lots of desserts.The wardens’ home was simple, but gorgeous, with decking on all four sides overlooking some of the most magnificent vistas. One could elect sun or shade, breeze or shelter and always have a beautiful that I’m sure they never tire of.

Thanks for a wonderful Thanksgiving afternoon, complete with televised football for those so inclined.
The following morning, we departed paradise, bound for Staniel Cay.

Staniel Cay
Staniel Cay is the first settlement that we have seen in many days, and besides the two small marinas, it is best known for Thunderball Cave. This James Bond movie, Thunderball was filmed here, hence the name. The cave, teeming with brilliant tropical fish is open at the top to daylight, but must be entered by snorkeling under the entrance at either end. Due to the very strong currents here, the safest time to enter is at slack low tide. Alan, Jan & Tim explored the cave, and were the entertainment for onlookers as they tried to hoist themselves back into the dinghy.
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club has a restaurant and bar, and free wifi, so we headed in for lunch and to catch up on email.
The local fishermen return to the dock here in the early afternoon, when the nurse sharks and rays gather under the dinghy dock, waiting for a meal as the fish are cleaned, and scraps thrown into the water.

Big Bird makes his debut tomorrow for a belated Thanksgiving dinner, when the two catamarans will finally catch up with us. Susann did some early preparation, preparing the dressing and making stock for the gravy. Once the stock was made, we tossed the giblets overboard and promptly watched a large barracuda emerge from under the boat, and devour the goodies.
The turkey neck followed, and the barracuda devoured the entire thing in two quick bites. No swimming off the back of the boat here!

Toucan Dream and RSVP arrived in Staniel Cay about mid afternoon after a good sail from Highbourne Cay. Upon their arrival, the crews from all four boats met for happy hour aboard Kaos, followed by a light dinner in the bar at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

Now that we have been joined by Toucan Dream and RSVP, it is time for that Thanksgiving dinner. During the early afternoon, the wind picked up, making the anchorage less than comfortable, and conditions were forecast to deteriorate throughout the evening, so we chose to move the boats to the shelter of Big Majors Spot, just a couple of miles away.

This is the beach where the wild pigs swim out to approaching dinghies, looking for food and treats.

 A great dinner was enjoyed by all, thanks to the culinary efforts of everyone

Little Farmers Cay                                           

We departed Big Majors Spot at about 9am, bound  for Little Farmers Cay, twenty odd miles south east of Staniel Cay. The seas were choppy and confused as we entered Exuma Bank, but improved as the morning wore on. The winds were blowing strong from the north east, making travel on the Exuma Sound side very uncomfortable.

Little Farmers Cay is described by “Skipper Bob” in his cruising guide “as a “picturesque village and marina, and sure to inspire you as the perfect Bahamian village”.

What a gem! This quaint, colorful Cay was purchased from the English Crown by the two sons’ of a freed slave, who willed it to their descendants as a generation property. The descendents of Adam Brown and Michael Nixon (original owners) cannot sell the property, but can build anywhere they choose on the island, and most of the current 55 residents are descendants of Mr. Nixon and Mr. Brown.
Terri and Ernestine Bain run the Ocean Cabin Restaurant, overlooking the harbor. As we entered the restaurant, we heard a Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Christmas CD booming out of the stereo system. Here in the tropics, it seemed odd to be listening to Christmas songs, but we quickly realised that we were on the verge of the first of December. This particular CD seemed very fitting  since it was the first Christmas music heard this year, and it is Susann and daughter Heather's tradition that Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' CD be played while decorating the tree.
After eating lunch, Ernestine approached the table, telling us the history and explaining the story and significance of the cay’s own flag. She announced that everyone has to join in and sing the Farmers Cay song before they leave…..oh oh!

With song sheets in hand, we gave it our best shot, singing along to the CD, not a pretty sound, but determination and enthusiasm prevailed.
As we headed back down to the Harbor, we found a sign that said liquor store, and upon further investigation, we discovered it was Ali’s Bar, a tiny wooden building with a table and two chairs outside, where the locals sit and play dominoes.
Thinking that they might sell bottles of rum, we ventured inside and met Ali, the owner. Wishing to patronize these small places, we ordered a couple of local beers and three shots of rum.

Well, here in these parts, a drink of rum is a mickey! (6 oz bottle of rum) with no mix. After we all chuckled, Ali put a 26 oz bottle on the bar and announced that this is what they serve for two people. This little bar 12’ x 12’ is equipped with monster speakers, is the local hangout, where karaoke takes place.
Ali is a descendant of the original founders and quite a character and story teller. He showed us photos of his family, proudly telling us that he fathered three sets of twins, but quit after his son fathered triplets. We inquired about purchasing lobster locally, and after a couple of calls, Ali determined there were none readily available. He made a last call to his house and next thing I knew, someone arrived at the bar with a plastic bag that he handed to Susann. It was four lobster tails from his freezer. He refused to accept any money, so we graciously accepted them and cooked them for the group happy hour. As we departed down the dock, Ali followed us with a bottle of rum and plastic cups in hand. He was greeting the local fishermen as they returned from a hard days work.

The next morning, winds had diminished substantially and we departed Little Farmers Cay about 9:00am for Georgetown. Kaos and Lamb Chop were the first to arrive, and dropped anchor just in front of the Chat N’ Chill Bar in Elizabeth Harbour. This is Bill’s favorite spot, where we all met later for a late lunch and cocktails.
It is still very early in the season here in Georgetown, with less than 60 boats at anchor, or on the new moorings. February and the Regatta are peak season, when the cruising populations swells to about five hundred boats.

Next morning was our provisioning trip by dinghy to the well stocked Exumas Market in Georgetown. This is one of the best stocked grocery stores in the Bahamas. It caters to the hundreds of cruisers who winter here, stocking items such as caviar, deli cheeses and other munchies that won’t be found any where else. The supply boats come in from Nassau on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so with it being Thursday, the produce was fresh and plentiful, as was the dairy and bread selections.

There is a weather front approaching bringing strong winds out of the North, so we collectively decide to up anchor and move about three miles to the shelter of Red Shanks Cay.

The beach here at Red Shanks is known to many cruisers as the “Red Shanks Yacht Club”. It is obvious that many a fun time has been spent here over the years, with the rocks above the beach adorned by large conch shells painted with each yacht’s name.

We planned to spend happy hour at the Red Shanks Yacht Club, only to find the beach submerged as a result of high tide. Being a resourceful group, a quick decision was made to alter plans and move aboard Lamb Chop.

All four boats anchored in the shelter of Red Shanks Cay while the cold front blew through. RSVP has been encountering some technical problems with batteries and alternators, and is awaiting the arrival of guests in a few days, so will not be accompanying us at this time when we head further south east. A farewell pot luck lunch was held aboard RSVP, and as we relaxed later in the cockpit, Charlene discovered water in the bilges. We all jumped into action and headed to our respective boats for additional pumps. The captains were able to ascertain what the problem was and devise a fix for Bill; still not a comforting feeling to know that your boat is taking on water.

For readers of this blog who are not boaters and wonder what we do all day, let me assure you that it’s not all glam and glitter. Quite the contrary, there is always something that needs fixing, and this lunch time episode is just another example of an ordinary day in the life of the cruising community. Why do you think our boat is named Kaos?

We said our goodbyes to Bill and Charlene and then Kaos, Lamb Chop and Toucan Dream pulled anchor and departed for the two mile run to the anchorage at Fowl Cay, where we plan to get a dawn departure for Rum Cay. Due to the large ocean swells coming around both ends of the cay, it was a rolly night and none of us got much sleep.

Dawn came all too soon but seas and winds were fair, making the seven hour run to Rum Cay comfortable for all.