Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Junkanoo!
What a Scene! We're getting ready to drop lines, so I just wanted to get a quick video up before we left. Kids were Wide eyed, we're not in Marshfield anymore....
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Nassau
Hello Blog Followers!
We have found that internet is not so wide-spread as we had hoped. It also has to do with our preference for deserted islands, and pristine beaches! So from our last update, we left Lucaya, and had a good trip to Bullocks. We spent 2 days there, and swam, snorkeled, wake-surfed, and read our books. Very relaxing and beautiful.
Our next stop was the Grand Bank, nowhere land... It was really windy, and a little nerve-wracking, not having land in-sight. We had 2 boats with us, and looked out for each other through the nights. I think John and I were up from 12-4, watching the boats get buffeted by the wind.
Next stop was Fraser's Hog Cay, around the corner from Chub Cay. This was a great little spot, up a river, surrounded by little islands. When we called to reserve a mooring ball, we were informed the club was closed, but we could stay on the mooring indefinitely for $25! This was excellent, as the weather prohibited us from moving for a week. We became friends with 4 other boats that were stuck too, and along with the club manager, Howard, had a great time. We discovered an abandoned mansion, a stingray habitat, great snorkeling, and a dock with nurse sharks hidden under it. We left this morning, with all 4 boats, to take advantage of the weather window. Now we're in Nassau, and have reunited with 2 boats from Lucaya, and 2 from Fraser's Hog Cay. We'll be here until at least Monday. We probably will not be on email, but our phone works, so feel free to call if you're missing us! Our number is 1-242-443-8409.
Christmas is tomorrow, so there's great excitement on Zusammen! The stockings are hung from fishing rods in the salon, and we're hoping that Santa will be able to find us.
We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and we'll write again when we can.
We have found that internet is not so wide-spread as we had hoped. It also has to do with our preference for deserted islands, and pristine beaches! So from our last update, we left Lucaya, and had a good trip to Bullocks. We spent 2 days there, and swam, snorkeled, wake-surfed, and read our books. Very relaxing and beautiful.
Our next stop was the Grand Bank, nowhere land... It was really windy, and a little nerve-wracking, not having land in-sight. We had 2 boats with us, and looked out for each other through the nights. I think John and I were up from 12-4, watching the boats get buffeted by the wind.
Next stop was Fraser's Hog Cay, around the corner from Chub Cay. This was a great little spot, up a river, surrounded by little islands. When we called to reserve a mooring ball, we were informed the club was closed, but we could stay on the mooring indefinitely for $25! This was excellent, as the weather prohibited us from moving for a week. We became friends with 4 other boats that were stuck too, and along with the club manager, Howard, had a great time. We discovered an abandoned mansion, a stingray habitat, great snorkeling, and a dock with nurse sharks hidden under it. We left this morning, with all 4 boats, to take advantage of the weather window. Now we're in Nassau, and have reunited with 2 boats from Lucaya, and 2 from Fraser's Hog Cay. We'll be here until at least Monday. We probably will not be on email, but our phone works, so feel free to call if you're missing us! Our number is 1-242-443-8409.
Christmas is tomorrow, so there's great excitement on Zusammen! The stockings are hung from fishing rods in the salon, and we're hoping that Santa will be able to find us.
We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and we'll write again when we can.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Goodbye Lucaya (again)
Tomorrow we are going to attempt to leave Lucaya. The weather looks good, minimal waves, and 10-15 knots of wind. There are 2 other boats going with us, and everyone feels pretty confidant that the weather will be good tomorrow. We are headed for the Berry Islands, Bullocks Harbor we think. (not to be confused with Bo...) We're not sure we'll have internet for a few days, but we'll update again as soon as possible.
Cell Phone Adventures
So yesterday, Lex managed to Jailbreak and Unlock one of my old iPhones. It took a good chunk of day. I then went to the local market, bought a SIM card in one store and then was told to go to the Greek restaurant next door. "They sell the minutes, mon". Off to the restaurant I go. Buy a card for ten dollars. Back to the marina. Put the card in the phone, call BTC (Bahamas Telephone Co) and ask how to add the minutes. The automated system kept saying there was a problem and I need to call Cust Svc. Customer Service lady says, "you got the wrong card, you need to go into a Store.". "Ok, I'm in Lucaya. Where is the nearest store?". "No idea, mon. I live in Nassau." I loved that one.
Lex and I asked around at Happy hour last night and were told that BTC has an office right up the street. We all walked there after school. Two and a half klicks later we get to BTC. A lady there said, "ain' nobody here that can do that fo ya.". "oh, will they be here later?". Yeah, maybe." "Ok, I'll come back after I go to the grocery store."
Grocery shopping...
Back to BTC. Very nice woman said, "oh, you just need to pay for minutes with the woman over there." This woman was there all along. Pretty funny stuff. The old John would have been pretty worked up. Island Time John manages a chuckle...
So we have a phone number that won't cost us anything for incoming calls from the States. That said, my pal Sam has tested it with us the calls keep dropping after a minute or two. It may be that we are in a weak service area. Can't tell yet. It may be that we have cheaped out and jail broken an old cellphone and should buy one for 50 bucks. We'll figure it out. In the meantime, you are free to ring us at 1-242-443-8409. Off to the Berry Islands at 0630 tomorrow. Don't think we'll have wifi until Chub Cay. May be a couple of days.
Cheers and our thoughts are with Auntie Sonia.
A pretty flower on the way to the market today.
Lex and I asked around at Happy hour last night and were told that BTC has an office right up the street. We all walked there after school. Two and a half klicks later we get to BTC. A lady there said, "ain' nobody here that can do that fo ya.". "oh, will they be here later?". Yeah, maybe." "Ok, I'll come back after I go to the grocery store."
Grocery shopping...
Back to BTC. Very nice woman said, "oh, you just need to pay for minutes with the woman over there." This woman was there all along. Pretty funny stuff. The old John would have been pretty worked up. Island Time John manages a chuckle...
So we have a phone number that won't cost us anything for incoming calls from the States. That said, my pal Sam has tested it with us the calls keep dropping after a minute or two. It may be that we are in a weak service area. Can't tell yet. It may be that we have cheaped out and jail broken an old cellphone and should buy one for 50 bucks. We'll figure it out. In the meantime, you are free to ring us at 1-242-443-8409. Off to the Berry Islands at 0630 tomorrow. Don't think we'll have wifi until Chub Cay. May be a couple of days.
Cheers and our thoughts are with Auntie Sonia.
Waiting for the bus back to the marina.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Passagess Interruptus....
So, we're back at the dock... We ran out about 2 miles and at the 700' line we were seeing tightly packed 6-10'. After the fourth or fifth time blue water was on the cabin top, I found a lull and did a 180. Wind was light at 14-16knts but the seas were too tight for our length and it would have been a very long 10 or 12 hours. Nancy Loo, a Halberg Rassy 43 we left with, decided to push on South. We wished them luck and will likely see them down the road. They need to be in Nassua by a certain date and wanted to push through. 12000 more pounds and 7 more feet make a difference.
We'll stand down and keep varnishing...May be Friday before we have an agreeable sea state.
On a funny note, I took the kids out to a little private beach in the dinghy yesterday. As we approached the beach, we all jumped out in a foot or so of water to guide the dinghy up on shore. I was starboard and kids port. On the port bow, I saw a pretty big stingray partially buried in the sand. Before I could say anything to the kids, he lifted and swam off. You should have heard the shrieks and seen the Jesus imitations! Pretty funny stuff.
We'll stand down and keep varnishing...May be Friday before we have an agreeable sea state.
On a funny note, I took the kids out to a little private beach in the dinghy yesterday. As we approached the beach, we all jumped out in a foot or so of water to guide the dinghy up on shore. I was starboard and kids port. On the port bow, I saw a pretty big stingray partially buried in the sand. Before I could say anything to the kids, he lifted and swam off. You should have heard the shrieks and seen the Jesus imitations! Pretty funny stuff.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Next stop, Berry Islands
We leave tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. for the Berry Islands. John has found another boat at the marina to do the trip with us, as its about a 10 hour day at sea. Weather looks good though, so south we go!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Lucaya
We left West End at 9:30 this morning, bound for Lucaya. We had a beautiful sail down the western edge of Grand Bahama, reaching 8.3 knots under full sail on a beam reach. We rounded the corner, straight into the wind, and finished our trip with wind on the nose in 3-4 foot swell. John did a great job driving though, and no one suffered too much. We are staying at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club for the next 2 days. There is a beautiful pool area, and water shuttle to a marketplace, which we will do tomorrow. The kids were already befriended by 2 other kids, an 11 yr old girl and 13 yr old boy from Annapolis who have been sailing for 3 years.
Tyler has been obsessing about opening a coconut, and finally just did it. Pic below.
Tyler has been obsessing about opening a coconut, and finally just did it. Pic below.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
BAHAMAS!!
We are in the Bahamas! We left Lake Worth at 4 a.m. and pulled into Old Bahama Bay Marina at the West End at 2:15 p.m. The trip was easy, water smooth, light wind. We pulled into crystal clear water, and very hot temps. Love it!!!
We saw 2 water spouts during the trip, which was very exciting! For anyone who doesn't know, they're twisters of water getting sucked up into the clouds. Not something you want to sail into, but cool to see. My picture below of the cloudy sky is just after....missed the shot. :( You can see the bands of dark still though.
We are cancelling our Verizon service for now, and will be getting a Bahamian phone service. Until then, we can get in touch via computer, google voice, or Skype.
After discovering that the gulf stream was flat...
We saw 2 water spouts during the trip, which was very exciting! For anyone who doesn't know, they're twisters of water getting sucked up into the clouds. Not something you want to sail into, but cool to see. My picture below of the cloudy sky is just after....missed the shot. :( You can see the bands of dark still though.
We are cancelling our Verizon service for now, and will be getting a Bahamian phone service. Until then, we can get in touch via computer, google voice, or Skype.
After discovering that the gulf stream was flat...
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| Who knew that conch had eyes? Makes me think twice about whether I'll eat it or not... |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Manatee in the Trip!
Like mom said, a manatee came to our stern. It was my idea to name Fatsy. He was at least six feet long, by about three feet wide, and, so Fatsy wasn't a bad name for him!
Dad was afraid he would hurt the manatee if he went under the boat. Thankfully, Fatsy didn't! We saw a few scars on his back, hopefully they weren't from propellers!
This was our first manatee up close, and I hope it wasn't our last!!
By Liza
Second mate
Zusammen
Schnauck.blogspot.com
Alexa C. Schnauck
s/v Zusammen
schnauck.blogspot.com
781.834.2888
Manatee!
Quick Update - we may cross tomorrow AM
So we are currently moving from Stuart to Lake Worth. There is a weather window that looks like it may provide us an opening to cross to the Northern Bahamas tomorrow morning.
This is a significant change in our original thinking and our intention to cross from Miami. Given the wind has blown over 20 for what seems like 2 weeks, if we have this gap, we need to take it or risk being stuck on this side of the Stream for a long period of time.
We're ready to go and the boat is prepped. If we do go we will miss Jen and Jamie and Bob. I hope they understand! We'll see them on the return in the Spring.
Wish us luck and fair winds! We'll post again as soon as we have a connection in the Bahamas or if we decide to abort in the morning.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Stuart
We're in Stuart, FL at the Sunset Bay Marina on a mooring. $15 a night, very reasonable! We rented a car, and have been exploring the area. Last night we went to the Grills house for a great dinner. We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning the hospitality next summer. We picked up several packages sent there by family and friends, thanks everyone so much!
John and Tyler just left to go to West Marine to pick up paper chart kits of the Bahamas. Expensive necessity. It will be great to be able to plan though. The charts we have now do not go into the detail we need for a 6'6" draft boat. After West Marine the boys are going to pick us up and we'll meet Ross, Ashlyne, and Kyler at the beach.
We'll be here until Tuesday probably.
John and Tyler just left to go to West Marine to pick up paper chart kits of the Bahamas. Expensive necessity. It will be great to be able to plan though. The charts we have now do not go into the detail we need for a 6'6" draft boat. After West Marine the boys are going to pick us up and we'll meet Ross, Ashlyne, and Kyler at the beach.
We'll be here until Tuesday probably.
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