Tideye

After we dropped the anchor in Black Point on Great Guana Cay, Logan and I spent five hours debriefing our day. What crazy breed of people spend eight hours actively sailing then still feel like yapping about it for hours? Sailors, that’s who.

It was an incredible day out on the ocean. This was our first ocean passage on this boat as a family without a captain or crew on board. (That didn’t really occur to me until we were out there!) When we anchored up at 7:07a off of Flip Flop Beach, there was literally zero wind – we could see straight through to the bottom and marvel at our beautiful anchor and chain.

We took advantage of the calm conditions to switch roles and Logan hoisted the main sail inside the harbor while I stayed at the helm. We throttled up our happy engines and set out into the Exuma Sound (aka the Atlantic Ocean). Morale was high as we enjoyed breakfast and coffee. Fishing lines were rigged and deployed. The day was setting up nicely.

Then the horizon looked like this…

We were expecting a line of squalls as the front pushed through, but they came a little earlier in the day than we hoped. Squalls can bring gusty winds, so we decided to throw in a reef just in case things got spicy. That decision ended up being critical to the next five hours of our passage. While we managed to skirt the squalls, the winds filled in behind them with gusto. We went from less than 5 knots to blowing 18, gusting 20 in minutes. And then the seas. 3-5′ short period chop. On the beam. It was a sloppy mess. It was all forecasted and we were prepared for it, just happened a few hours earlier than we were hoping. The kids stayed up at the helm with dad to keep the fresh ocean air on their faces while I stayed inside trying to catch tissue boxes and ginger beer cans as they went flying across the saloon. Not too many pictures for this leg of the journey…

THEN there was the cut. The water is too shallow to stay on the banks all the way up the Exuma chain – that’s why we had to go out into the ocean in the first place. But at some point you have to get BACK on the banks through one of several cuts between islands. As the tide ebbs and flows, a massive amount of ocean water squeezes through these tiny gaps resulting in crazy strong currents. Add to it that they can be narrow and shallow and whewee! The trick is to time it so that you sail through at slack tide (very little current) with calm conditions. Well, we got the timing right for the current (good job Cap!) but these were not calm conditions. Hearts were pumping as we approached Galliot Cut. We fired up the engines, rolled in the jib and secured the main. Logan hand steered and Tideye surfed right through. Deep breath. Then another deep breath.

The second you pop out the cut onto the banks (that’s honestly what it feels like), the sea state is a completely different story. Even though the winds are still honking, land knocks down all the wave action. The water is back to neon and everything feels totally groovy! After navigating through some shallows, we pulled the jib back out and sailed like you wouldn’t believe. Now it was blowing 15-20, gusting 22. We were close hauled with almost flat seas – time to see what Tideye could do! Logan had a blast trimming the sails and we saw 8 knots of boat speed all the way to our anchorage. Yeah baby!

It was a great day. Really great. The kids did amazing. No one felt great, but we didn’t hear one complaint. These kids are showing some serious grit and that makes us damn proud. And Logan and I, we couldn’t be happier. All the sailing and training we’ve done in the last nine months is coming together. We are sailors again. Sailors who like to talk about sailing.

…just floating here on a big rock as it spins round and round. Full moon welcomed us to a new harbor.

Georgetown has been everything we wanted (and needed!). But for several days now, Logan and I keep looking at each other and saying the same thing, “I’m ready to go sailing.” And so sail we shall.

Just because the boat hasn’t moved it doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy. The weather FINALLY decided to chill out giving us lots sunny days with reasonable wind. Some days were spent running errands in town. After we dock the dinghy, the kids go running up to shore ahead of us to hop on the swings at Island Boy like they’ve lived here their whole lives. I’m on a first name basis with Ms. Lee at the Corner Laundromat. (Logan is on a semi-first name basis – he is Mr. Gillian.) Then we usually pair errands with a lunch out. Tucker has developed a love of Indian food here in Georgetown – craziest thing. Lucy’s favorite is a grilled cheese sandwich from Chat N Chill, and Charlie….well, kid loves a strawberry daiquiri.

Other days are spent soaking up the salt and sand. Logan got out the Guppy, our inflatable sailing catamaran, and zoomed through the harbor for a couple of days. Pizza Night at Sand Dollar Beach was accompanied by a bonfire and fire dancing! And afternoons of swinging and beach volleyball with friends have brought some groovy rhythm to our days.

We finally made it to the lazy river! I say finally because we’ve had it on our radar ever since we dropped the hook, but it’s an hour dinghy ride one way and we just never seemed to make it happen. We joined a flotilla of kid boats and made the journey up to the Moriah Harbour Cay National Park and floated that lazy river like you wouldn’t believe! An incoming tide to pulled us through the neon water. I don’t think it matters how long you’re here, the color of the water never stops taking your breath away.

All of our tanks are full, the fridge is loaded up and the last round of clean clothes collected from Ms. Lee. We used a calm weather window to jam down here, but we plan to take our time island hopping our way back north up the Exuma chain. We will head out of Conch Cut back into the Exuma Sound, then slip back through Galliot Cut to get us back on the banks. Should be a great time – can’t wait to explore new islands, hopefully catch a fish or two and SAIL.

S/V Tideye, anchor up.

They are stinky. They are big. And yes, they poop everywhere. But man are they cute. Referring to the swimming pigs, not our friends. Just to be clear. March was filled with vacay vibes, fantastic friends and terrifying t-storms.

We arrived in Georgetown with four days to spare before The Gunderman Gang flew in for Spring Break. We learned all the how’s/when’s/who’s here at a record pace in order to get ourselves ready for company. But by the time they landed, we had Tideye stocked up with everything we needed for a jam packed week of Exuma fun. Our families have been vacationing together for the last decade – Jenny and Taylor actually flew here to Georgetown to stay with us on Stella Blue. So the kiddos (young and old) were pumped to play with good friends, even if that meant sharing their cabins for a few days. We beached, hiked, snorkeled and even took Tideye out for a sail to fish the Exuma Sound.

We had known a front was coming through around the time the Krutsch Family was supposed to make the trek down from Milwaukee. But holy front! Some forecasts were predicting winds at 55+ knots. I told Jamie that they must have signed up for the adventure package for spring break! But frigid conditions up north delayed their trip by a few days and we weathered the storm alone back in Red Shanks. So. Much. Lightening. The biggest squalls hit at sunset putting on a pretty spectacular show, one I hope not to see again.

With that excitement out of the way, we re-RE-proivisioned and picked up the kool Krutsch crowd for more island adventures. We moved the boat every day to a new anchorage and managed to hit all the hot spots. We took advantage of a calm day to hop on a go fast (REALLY fast) boat to jam up to see those famous pigs, snorkel a blue hole and drift to spot some giant starfish. I don’t think two families could have had more fun together. We laughed for five days straight even as we determined that I am the worst Yahtzee player in history.

And so ends Spring Break 2024. Our hearts are full and our bodies are salty. Is there any better way to be? Now it’s time to focus on a few pesky boat projects and figure out what our next move will be. Gotta keep on keepin’ on.

The Tideye Crew set out into the Atlantic Ocean once again to sail the high seas and do a little fishing. After twenty-nine and a half hours, we didn’t have any fish to share, but we did find ourselves tucked into a jammin’ new place. We had arrived to the Exuma hotspot of Georgetown.

We scooped up Captain Debbie from Marsh Harbor and immediately hoisted the sails to get south to Lynyard Cay (right outside of Little Harbor) to stage for setting out into the open ocean for the first time since we arrived in the Abacos back in December. We had been mulling over the weather for days trying to pick a day and a route that would be best for our crew – turned out to be quite the puzzle! We could pick a day to cross the Northeast Providence Channel then day hop our way down the Exuma Bank. We could cross the channel, hop down Eleuthera then cross the Exuma Sound. OR wait for the calmest conditions and just make a run for it on the outside – all Atlantic Ocean. After lots of deliberation (and a chat with Chris Parker) we opted for option #3 – all the way baby. This gave us three days in our “staging spot” to ride out some impressive storms, knock out a few boat projects and squeeze in a little beach picnic and some snorkeling. It was a great way to say farewell to the Abacos.

The passage was a breeze – since there wasn’t much breeze! An uneventful passage is really an event in itself. Even though we didn’t catch any fish, we definitely got some huge hits. Cap’n Debbie and I saw a billfish hit and jump 20 feet into the air flopping its massive body back and forth. We were so awestruck that we could barely get to the rod in time to stop it from taking all of our line! Then we snuck between Eleuthera and Little San Salvador at day break which turned out to be a cruise ship highway! The sight of an enormous lit up city out in the ocean never gets old – and this time we were going to get close enough that I got to hail one on the VHF to set our course. Just before sunset on the second day, we were moored in Elizabeth Harbor right outside the nostalgic beach bar, Chat N Chill. Yesssssssss.

Logan and I lived here in Georgetown 11 years ago on S/V Stella Blue – the kids are probably tired of stories that start with, “When we were here last time….” But now they are collecting their own memories of this groovy place. In the first two days they have already fed the rays AND swam with a dolphin!!! Not a bad start to our stay here.

We have a few friends coming to visit this month so it’s time to clean up and restock Tideye for some Exuma fun. Spring Break baby!

I’m sure there’s some extreme sand skiing sport out there, but we aren’t quite at that level yet. Plus we missed our family and had lots of milestones to celebrate. So the crew of Tideye made plans to fly off to the mountains for a little change of scenery. But wait. First we need to grab our friends from the airport – time to party!

Having our home filled with happy giggling people has always filled my cup. So when the Sabins mentioned that they would be able to make the trek to the Bahamas to see us I was very, VERY excited. Then the logistics started to filter down through my brain. Ten people…six kids 9 and under…one floating home…one dinghy…hmmmm. After way too much thinking about the how/what/where’s I just figured, well, it’ll probably all work out. I mean, what could actually go wrong?

The thing about good friends is that things do work out and they are usually waves and waves of fun. Thanks so much for all the giggles and hugs guys – let’s do it again soon!

After we got Tideye all tucked in for a week without us, we threw a couple things in a suitcase and made a run for the airport. It looked a little questionable. Five people for a week in the snow and all we had were two carry on bags!? Yep… but we might have done a little online shopping. I’d been sending packages to my parents’ place for weeks. I knew our return baggage would look quite a bit different.

We made it to Colorado after a ferry trip and three flights ready for some snowy fun. Logan and I celebrated 11 years of wedded bliss and Lucy Lynn turned SEVEN. We skied, we celebrated, and we slept. A lot. We came back to the boat refreshed and excited about new adventures on the horizon.

I woke up this morning to a glassy harbor – the kind of stillness that has the truly awesome power to becalm my mind and body. I see this as a beautiful omen since we are tackling a week’s worth of chores in one day in order to make our move south. It’s time. We are sailing from the Abacos to the Exumas over the next week. Route to be determined by the weather, but we’ll have clean clothes, fresh provisions and a rad captain on board. So again, what could do wrong?

“Knowing you mom, we are going to stay for the whole concert.” Tucker’s response to me promising that we will only stay long enough to see each performer sing one song. Sigh….he knows me so well. The Hopetown Songwriters Festival has kept us busy this week as we followed the musicians around from venue to venue tapping our feet and throwing out a couple of “Yeeeeeehaws!” to some quality country music. We weren’t expecting to find a festival here on Elbow Cay, but hell yes!!!

Before this honky tonk happening took over our agenda, we went out exploring some new hot spots. We looked at the weather and saw it blowing us south to Little Harbor. This remote spot is just about the most southern place to find shelter in the Abacos and is known for Pete’s Pub and a totally unique bronze foundry. We took a tour and learned about a form of art that was new to all of us. The process takes months and in a world of two day shipping, that was a fun concept to try to explain. We explored caves, counted sea turtles, and found live music for sushi night at Pete’s Pub. Pete was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his 30th birthday the next day, but we opted to use the southerly winds to blow us back north to Marsh Harbor where we could provision and prepare the boat for our first boat guest away from the dock. Aunt Lori was coming to visit!

We were planning to grab Lori from the airport and then sail off to show her our favorite islands, but we looked at the weather and decided to move the boat before she got here and then meet her at the ferry dock. Well. We got it wrong. The same weather that we didn’t want to sail across the Sea of Abaco with her on board tossed us around like crazy at Great Guana for a whole 24 hours before she arrived. I did however manage to grab the morning ball in 3 foot chop while it was blowing 20kts on the first try, so there’s that little gem of a confidence booster. The winds and waves did eventually settle and we made our way to Nippers for a chilly beach evening. We had a blast showing off our new home and our current backyard. Thanks for making the trip Lori!

We had a week and a half before our friends arrived, which we intended to spend resting up and knocking out a few boat maintenance tasks. Well, then there was this music festival….so worth it. But now it’s time to shine up Tideye and go grab our friends. And I guess we’ll shower again.

Also, Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiners!

I mean. Look at Charlie’s hair. Looks like we have let go and loosened up! We have passed the six month mark of living aboard Tideye and are finally starting to embrace our silliness as the daily responsibilities become a little more routine.

After we picked up a mooring ball at Man-O-Way Cay, Buddy came over to settle up with us. I told him we planned to stay a week and he about choked on his words, “A week?!” Man-O Way is a quiet island – only one food take-a-away stand and a coffee shop that’s open five mornings a week. Most boats probably cover the entire place in a day and move on to the next slice of paradise… we took seven. We found a well stocked grocery store, empty beaches and some of the most beautiful gardens/landscaping ever seen – like magic garden level.

On calm days we like to anchor off of Tahiti Beach, but we’ve spent most of our time tethered here in Hopetown. Bingo on Monday nights at Captain Jacks is a huge hit and we have a few friends scattered throughout the harbor. But the best part has to be the beach. I like beaches, a lot. This beach though, man. I just can’t imagine a better one. It’s half a mile of white/pink sand, almost no seaweed or rocks, and perfect crashing waves in water just deep enough for all the kids swim solo and experience the wonderful power of the ocean. Added bonus is that since it’s low season here, most days we have the entire place to ourselves.

We are getting excited about friends and family coming to visit over the next month, so maybe we should try to tame our wild sides a smidge. Nah. But maybe we will all shower and run a comb through our hair for the occasion.

I remember the first time I was surprised by a rainstorm after we moved back onshore after living on Stella Blue. What?! How had I missed this?! When did I stop obsessing over the weather?! It made me laugh – no hatches to close, no anchor to watch, no lightening to think about. I didn’t have a clue what direction the winds were coming from. Heck, I didn’t even know if there was supposed to be any wind! A little breeze doesn’t matter at all when you are snuggled into a house on land. I rolled over and quickly went back to sleep without a care in the world.

Our life here on Tideye is controlled by the weather. Everyday we make sure we are anchored in a spot that gives us protection from the wind. Less wind and waves make for a much more comfortable floating home. Most islands have protection from one direction, but leave you exposed from others. So when the wind spins around with each passing cold front, we move with it! Luckily the Abacos have several harbors with protection from all sides, so we have found some good spots to tuck in while the winds do their swirly thing, then head out exploring when we get a calm day.

Living on a boat can be hard for me. It’s not something that comes naturally at all. It actually creates a fairly high level of stress and anxiety. I like to exude a relaxed, go with the flow attitude about life in general, but the reality is that I find comfort in planning, organization and knowing what to expect from the days ahead. Living a life so dependent on the weather conditions can make that tough. The good news is that I also have a strong desire push myself to do things that are hard for me. It feels like…growth. I have already felt myself change a good amount in the last month – so maybe there’s hope for me yet! Let those winds swirl.

Great Guana Cay was a hit with the whole family. Not one, but TWO restaurants with pools and beach games, a playground, grocery store and more treasures (aka bottlecaps and sticks) than Charlie could fit in his sandy pockets. Even the chilly cloudy days couldn’t keep us away. It didn’t take long… we have all acclimated to the tropical weather. Anything below 75 without sun and we put on sweatshirts. I wish I was kidding. We stayed for three days before moving on to our holiday destination.

In our home, the holiday season typically starts right after halloween and continues straight through New Years. It’s a busy jam packed time. This year we were busy for other reasons (sailing 800 miles…) so we didn’t really start our Christmas traditions until we picked up a mooring ball here in Hopetown on Elbow Cay. That was Friday, December 22nd. Three months down to three days – we had a LOT of ground to cover. But I think we managed to squeeze it all in: cookie baking and delivery to our boat neighbors, gingerbread house making, breakfast with Santa, hot chocolate and the Polar Express and this year we added a Junkanoo! (a brightly colored Bahamian festival with dancing, costumes and drums). It was loud. It was awesome.

The day after Christmas it rained ALL day. And that was perfect. We were all wiped from all the fun and a lazy boat day was just what we needed. We haven’t even started to explore the island yet – time to pull out the cruising guides and see what there is to see!

With some strong blows in the forecast, we decided to take shelter in the well protected harbor of Black Sound on Green Turtle Cay. We hopped on a mooring ball and settled in for a rainy, windy week.

Green Turtle is a relatively big island with several beaches and resorts. The town of New Plymouth was a great place to let the kids roam the streets and spend several hours at the basketball courts playing with new friends. They chased chickens and dodged golf carts. It was a pretty great place to be “stuck”.

That big storm that soaked the eastern US earlier this week hit us last Sunday. Even with as much protection as we had, those kind of forecasts…well, they stress me out. The highest gust we saw was 39.5 knots (45 mph) but our neighbors saw 50 kts. The exhausting part was that it blew close to 30 for days and days. Finally after almost a week of wind, the sun came back and smiled down on us. It’s funny how a little sunshine changes everything. We started planning our next hop right away.

To sail from the Central Abacos to the Southern Abacos, there is an infamous piece of water called Whale Cut that almost all boats have to navigate. We used our sunshine and lighter winds to make a run for it, along with several new friends from Green Turtle. It was sloshy and uncomfortable, but nothing too exciting. Whew. Done. I think we’ll slow down and soak in this tropical holiday on the horizon.