Newsletter February 2005

"Welcome to the Bahamas “Mon” "

You can’t believe the welcome we received in Nassau. It was one of those special things you remember all your life. Paul and Jim, the rumcoholics I wrote about in last month’s newsletter had just departed. Jutta and I were anxious to escape from Nassau and get back on “Island Time”. One last provisioning at the super market and we were ready to blow this town. At 3:30 in the afternoon we rode our dinghy (family van) to Harbor View Marina and locked it up at the Texaco fuel dock. We walked across the street to the market and returned 45 minutes later to find our stainless steel cables and locks cut, our new Yamaha outboard and gas tank gone and, of course, no one saw a thing. There we stood, on the dock, loaded down with grocery bags, gaping at the empty spot where our one year old Yamaha outboard used to shine. It’s people like us who strengthen the economy of the islands. After spending hours at the police station attempting to file a theft report, we gave up and went out to purchase a new Yamaha 15 horse power outboard. Thank god for insurance! The Bahama Police Department is the closest thing to the Keystone Cops! We have been told that Yamaha is the finest outboard engine money can buy. Apparently they never get old because someone steals them before they have time to wear out.
All was well; we licked our wounds and sailed out of Nassau with a smile on our face, a new motor on our dinghy, and giving the finger to all in Nassau Harbor! “Just Kidding!!!”
The crew of Pipe Dream is back on Island Time and we are headed for the Exumas, an island chain south of Nassau. We are back where we belong, sipping umbrella drinks, sunning our bodies to a golden tan, playing like the idle rich! What else could happen to the mighty crew of Pipe Dream? Lucky for you, you are getting the real story.
Our first stop was Allen’s Cay (pronounced key), a wonderful spot with a very small inlet and protection from wind and waves. One of the small islands that make up Allen’s Cay is home to large prehistoric iguanas. High powered tour boats come out from Nassau twice a day to view the lizards. These iguanas are so conditioned to being fed they come out on the beach in large masses at the first sigh of boats, dinghies, or any floating craft. After several days in Allen’s Cay and BYOB cocktail parties on Pipe Dream, Jutta and I capped our keg of rum and headed to another anchorage. Normans Cay, about 12 miles down the bank, was our next island hangout. The Bahama Bank, known as “the Bank,” is hundreds of square miles of very shallow water, atolls and coral reefs. Norman’s Cay is a large protected anchorage with a sunken cargo plane in the middle of the bay that crashed there during a bungled cocaine run. Columbian drug lords owned the island during the 80’s and one of their drug planes missed the landing strip. During our stay in Norman’s Cay we befriended the crew from the sailing vessel Varuna. Bob and Viviane, although Canadians, (we didn’t hold that against them) were great fun and we spent many an hour diving for conch, lobster, and having sundowners on the beach. For those of you receiving this newsletter in Washington State or Chicago, a sundowner is sitting on the beach in a bathing suit, having a cocktail, and watching the sun set on the horizon. It has nothing to do with wearing winter parkas and mukluks!
The crews of Pipe Dream and Varuna buddy boated for several weeks. As I alluded above, “what else could go wrong?” After a week in the Pipe Creek anchorage Varuna and Pipe Dream decided to move south towards Georgetown. We hauled our anchors at the early morning tide, bid adieu to the other cruisers and headed out of the anchorage. Pipe Dream, our dependable steadfast steed, moved about 60 feet when the transmission turned loose. There we were, stranded in Paradise, five miles from the nearest phone with nothing but a dinghy for transportation. It was time to pull the transmission. Bob and Viviane stuck around for moral and technical support. The cruising community joined together to lend us a hand. We received calls to render assistance over the radio from other cruisers we had never met. The sailing vessel Michel with Elsbe and Hans aboard brought us veggies and fruit all the way from Nassau. Our long-time friends Greg and Meg on The Wet Bar in company with Brian on No Regrets came to Pipe Creek for “fix the transmission parties” and liquid refreshments. After waiting a week and a half for parts to arrive from Nassau we were told the transmission parts would be delayed because they had to be ordered from England. For those of you reading this newsletter in Yuma, Arizona, England is the place where they have a real queen (not a gay bar!) The cruisers to save the day were Art and Lynne on the sailing vessel Margaritaville. They contacted their son who has a yacht service company in Fort Lauderdale. After a couple of phone calls to Florida the parts arrived the very next day and Art and Lynne delivered them to Pipe Dream. One hour of work and Pipe Dream was ready to “rock and roll” again. Greg and Meg, and Brian joined us for a transmission party and a fun time was had by all. We will push on to Georgetown in the morning.
Well sports fans, that breakdown was the first serious mechanical problem for Pipe Dream in four and a half years. With the theft of our outboard motor, the cost of the parts for the transmission, and forty five dollars per case of beer, money is getting pretty tight. Be sure to keep those donations coming to the “Help Ferdy Cruising Fund”. Don’t be the only one not giving. You too, could own a small piece of Ferdy!

From the Decks of Pipe Dream
Jutta and Ferdy