Hope Town 2/28/06

Incredible, charming, warm and colorful, Hope Town is our favorite place so far.

We lucked out. We were able to secure a slip at Hope Town Marina for a week at a decent rate. It is right in the harbor across from town. Every morning at 8:15 there is a broadcast VHF radio called "Cruiser's Net." They talk about the weather and if it is safe to cross any of the passages. You hear all the local events that are going on and just about anything anyone wants to contribute.

Green Turtle Cay 2/25-28/06

We left Spanish Cay early Friday morning so that we could get a little ahead of some bad weather coming this way. We wanted to make sure we didn't get stuck too far away from Hope Town where we are meeting friends on March 1st. We stayed at, and fell in love with, Green Turtle Cay Club in White Sound. Just a short walk, over a hill on the northern side of the island, to the ocean. Excellent restaurant and everything is clean, well run and maintained. We spent the afternoon, before we left, in the small town in Black sound where we picked up some lobster and visited other Loopers who were on mooring balls there. The wind storm caught up to us on Saturday and we were glad to be tucked away in a safe, well protected, harbor. We stayed a little longer than we had hoped, waiting for a good day to cross over the Whale Cay Passage.

Whale Cay Passage is a, sometimes treacherous, cut between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Abaco. In certain conditions, this pass can easily develop a "rage" of 8-10-foot seas. We had hoped to visit a few more places before Hope Town like Marsh Harbor and a few anchorages but figured we could catch those on the way back. Tuesday looked like the day to go and we had a good crossing and were glad we got to Hope Town when we did.

Spanish Cay 2/24/06

The weather has shifted toward a cold stormy spell but not much rain, pretty windy though. We found the marina on Spanish Cay charming and had a nice walk around the island which is privately owned. We had a relaxing day and decided to leave tomorrow to get further down before the storm really kicks in.

Great Sale Cay 2/23/06

Our first night anchored out brought us a cazillion stars. In the absence of artificial lights our star gazing was spectacular. Wish we could share that vision. Tomorrow we anchor at Allens/Pensecola Cay.

Grand Bahama Island 2/22/06

Old Bahama Bay Marina was a real treat. It is a very clean, well kept and managed. We enjoyed a swim in the pool and cocktails on the beach.

The waters in the Abacos are as clear as what we'd find in torch Lake or Lake Charlevoix except it is all only about 16 feet deep or less over about a 50 square mile area.

We left here late morning to go to Great Sale Cay to anchor out in paradise.

Crossing Over to the Bahamas 2/21/06

We had to wait 12 days before we were able to find an appropriate window to make our crossing to the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas and what a day it was. We had an ideal day with mostly calm waters – a great feeling after so much anticipation and sometimes anxiety. We left Fort Lauderdale at 6:30 am with S. winds of only 5 knots and waves of 2 feet or so. The ocean was calm, at times, as Lake Charlevoix during most summer days and much better than Lake Michigan's 2 footer's. It's hard to believe we are 110 miles from the U.S.A. out into the Atlantic Ocean.

We made it to the West End of Grand Bahama Island, arrived at Old Bahama Bay Marina by 2 pm and this place is the nicest overall place we've stayed during our trip. The bad news is gas is $4.05 and we are the smallest boat in the marina.

Fort Lauderdale 2/16-20/06

Staying at Cooley's Landing right downtown. A couple other "Loopers" are staying here as well. We will be waiting here for a good weather opportunity to cross over to the Abacos. Looks like tomorrow (Tuesday) is the day.

The Miami Boat Show, FL 2/17/06

We took a 2 1/2 hr bus ride (both ways) to Miami to see the boat show. Wow, a boater's dream. Saw a couple of other "Loopers" there as well as our friend, John Anderson. Jim and I lusted after a few of the boats there.

Riviera Beach to Fort Lauderdale 2/16/06

Perfect weather for a scenic cruise down the ICW.

Riviera, FL 2/9-16/06

We stayed at Riviera Beach Marina in Riviera Beach for a week. Lots of music at the restaraunt/bar and a spot close by to see the manatees.

Extreme Makeover, FL 2/14/06

We rented a car today and visited the set of The Extreme Makeover" show in a neighborhood nearby. It was amazing to witness how many people work to build an incredible house for someone in need. We had a valentine's lunch in Palm Beach and did some errands.

The Manatees Are Big!

We went back and got some Manatee pics.

The Borers Visit Kismet, FL 2/9-10/06

Our Traverse City friends Mike and Lynn Borer visited with us on Thursday – Our first overnight guests on the trip. We had great fun catching up on everything at home and what is new with them. We went on an dingy exploration ride of the area and came across a school of Manatees close to the marina. They swam all around our dingy. Believe it or not Lisa forgot the camera so we will go back and get photos before we leave here.

Cruising Through Lake Okeechobee, FL 2/6-9/06

We've all seen that large lake in the middle of Southern Florida called Lake Okeechobee – It's about 25 to 35 miles across. From Fort Myers we took the Caloosahatchee River to Lake Okeechobee. We passed some of the prettiest scenery we have seen so far. We are surprised that we had not heard about the unusual beauty of this area. When you are out of the city it is a lot of wilderness and farms on the river. We saw birds, turtles, horses, cows, flying fish and believe it or not a CAMEL.

We went through last 5 locks, for a while, during this stretch at least until we are in New York.

We came out on the east coast of Florida at Stuart spent one night on a mooring ball and then headed south, on the ICW south, to Lake Worth. We are spending a week here at the Riviera Beach Marina awaiting good weather so that we can cross over to the Abacos Islands.