“That Fickle Couple ain’t got no stinking Direction in Life”
To expand on my perfect English above, we don’t know where in the world we’re going from day to day. In the last newsletter we told you we were headed for the Caribbean. We had arrived in Fort Lauderdale from the Chesapeake in mid November and stayed as always at Bruno’s Zoo (our eight boat marina hideaway in Ft Lauderdale.) Our good friends Bruno, Dano, and Brit were waiting at the dock when we arrived. We figured we would be there for about two weeks waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and sail on to the Bahama Bank. Tuesday we worked on the boat getting her ready and found an internet connection for the marine weather forecast. The weather report called for the north winds to abate on Thursday, Turkey Day. That was all the good news we needed. Tuesday afternoon we rented a car and provisioned for our trip which included fuel, boat parts, diving stuff, etc., a twelve hour marathon. On Wednesday we stowed the provisions (for those of you in Yuma Arizona, “stowed” is putting the grub in the wagon or boat in our case) and got the “ole tuna schooner” ready to go to sea. Our bags were packed, the boat was provisioned with beer, wine and rum, and we even remembered to take a little food for the trip.
Early Thanksgiving Day, while most of you were waller’n in turkey and dressing, the mighty crew of Pipe Dream sailed out of Fort Lauderdale. We traveled overnight to arrive in Nassau, Bahamas, 30 hours later, about 165 miles. How’s that for speed? We checked in with customs and paid our $300 cruising fee. (Remember the “Help Ferdy Cruising Fund?”) After a couple of days in Nassau we sailed off to the Exumas (one of the island chains) and into paradise.
Jutta and I are back in our element playing in the islands. We have spent a lot of time on the eastern sea board of the United States and really enjoyed it, but it is very expensive. Now that we are in the islands, things have changed. We can try to live off of the land experiencing the true pioneer spirit, like Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, etc.? .You probably can imagine how sick and tired we get of eating lobster dipped in garlic butter all the time; and garlic butter is so expensive!! There goes the budget.
The crew of Pipe Dream has landed in Georgetown, Bahamas, and we have planted our anchor for a while. On the Friday before Christmas we sailed out of Georgetown bound for Long Island and on to the Southern Caribbean. The seas were perfect, the wind amassing, and the day beautiful. We had planned to spend Christmas in the Dominican Republic or the Turks and Caicos Islands. On the northern end of Long Island after six hours of perfect sailing we had a discussion and decided to turn around and head back for Christmas and maybe another season in the Bahamas. (What are those two thinking??) In another month there should be close to three hundred boats in Georgetown. We’ll have many playmates there.
A cruisers’ Christmas Eve was spent on the beach with caroling and a bonfire. It ended about 10pm. Us cruisers got nothing to prove when it comes to staying up late! Christmas Day we attended a potluck for about a hundred people. Everyone made a dish and the Turkey and Ham was provided for $5.00 a head. I thought the budget was blown again but I won a bottle of wine on the raffle. What a stroke of luck! After dinner Jutta and I hit the hay about 8:00PM. We had to get up at 2:00AM to go to Junkanoo. Junkanoo is a festival held on Boxing Day (Dec.26), started during slavery by the blacks to honor their customs, traditions, heritage, and emancipation. It’s a parade starting at 2:00AM and ending about 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning. There are brass bands, lots of drums, cow bells and whistles, the noise is incredible, the costumes and floats are breathtaking and everyone is dancing and partying. White folks could learn a thing or two about partying from the Bahamians. The mighty Pipe Dream party animals gave out at about 8:00 AM and returned to the boat for a little sleep. This getting old is not for sissies! You need to keep in mind we are just a few days away from a New Years Eve party and need to pace ourselves.
News Years came in with a bang. The Saint Francis Resort right around the corner from our anchorage hosted a New Years Eve Party for all the cruisers in the harbor. John on the sailing Catamaran “Free Bird” supplied 5 hours’ worth of dancing music and we danced until our feet were sore. By 2:00 AM the party cleared out and it was time to return to Pipe Dream and a little sleep. After all, we had to be fit to watch the local New Years’ Day boat races.
Well, that about wraps up 2007 and another year of Pipe Dream Adventures. We sure have a lot to be thankful for and we are eagerly looking forward to 2008.
We wish you all a wonderful New Year, remember to keep us in your thoughts and it wouldn’t hurt to keep us in your pocket books!
From the Decks of Pipe Dream
Ferdy and Jutta
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Georgetown 2007
Jukanoo, a Bahamian Boxing Day Parade dating back to their African Roots.
George Town, Bahamas, 2007
Newsletter October 2007
The Kids are going back to the Islands to play
Jutta and I are back and getting Pipe Dream ready for the trip to the Caribbean. In the last newsletter we had just returned to the boat from our summer vacation. I say it that way so you don’t think we play all the time! This life isn’t easy but someone has to do it!
We left Savannah and headed up the Intra Coastal Waterway to Annapolis, Maryland and the “Annapolis Boat Show”, our favorite. Our first night on the waterway was in Beaufort, South Carolina, the most beautiful little town you will ever visit. “Prince of Tides” was filmed there. As we were pulling up the anchor in the morning, the windlass (anchor winch) was making lots of nasty grinding noises. It was time to take it all apart and fix it. Not to fear, another day in the life of a sailor. In a couple of hours Jutta and I had it fixed, lubed and put back together. As we pulled up our 69# anchor we also pulled up a 10 speed racing bike. What a stroke of luck, we thought at first. After hanging over the bow for almost an hour to get the barnacle encrusted rusty bike untangled from the anchor chain while Jutta drove Pipe Dream back and forth in the narrow estuary, luck never again entered my mind. We should have known this was the start of things to come. The next day the master head (toilet) stopped working. A sea plant was growing in the raw water inlet hose and had wound through the pump assembly. A few days later our instant on demand water heater stopped working. Had to replace the water pump. Then we finally got sick of our “snaking” autopilot and decided to dig deeper into our cruising kitty to replace it. Keep in mind the word “BOAT” means bring over another thousand. I did find a way to save lots of money and keep the barnacles off of the bottom: Instead of paying someone to scrub the bottom, I ran aground several times in the waterway. If that doesn’t knock the crap off the bottom I don’t know what will? See, this life isn’t always a walk in the park.
In Georgetown, South Carolina, Jutta and I took the dinghy to town (our family sedan) to buy some fresh shrimp from the shrimpers’ dock market. After our purchase, and a couple of happy hour beers we decided to return to Pipe Dream for a Thai-shrimp dinner. To prevent theft, we always lock our dinghy to the dock. During our absence the tide had come in and we found that our lock was four feet under water. This was a great way to start a romantic evening, stripping down in your dinghy at the town dock and diving down four feet in the dirty water to unlock the dinghy. This year seems like one thing breaking after another. Sorry, but weighing all the negatives, repairing the boat is still better than working!
Everything appeared to be ok until we reached Norfolk, Virginia. It was a very windy day and Jutta and I were sailing through the huge harbor marveling at the enormous military fleet. Norfolk Harbor has about the same amount of traffic as a Los Angeles Freeway. Two large sport fishers cut in front of us at full speed in the main ship channel. We stood there in the cockpit staring at their large wakes heading for Pipe Dream. Realizing at the last minute that all the hatches were open, Jutta raced downstairs to close them. Pipe Dream rode over the first huge wave, then dove into the second wave like a sub marine sending a wall of water three foot high completely down the length of Pipe Dream. I was at the wheel and was almost knocked down by the tsunami. Jutta got down into the salon just in time to be doused by two giant waterfalls entering through the hatches. As you can guess, we had three inches of water in the main cabin, and galley. Both couches and all the rugs and pillows were soaked in salt water. We headed for the first marina we could find and spent several days washing everything. Ah, a perfect day in the life of a sailor. It’s too bad Jutta isn’t as fast as she used to be!!!
We finally did make it to Annapolis and the boat show. We had a wonderful rendezvous with our good buddy “Viva Bob”. If you read about the shortage of rum on the eastern seaboard, he was the probably cause. We also ran into some cruising buddies (“Dulcinea” and “Kachina”) we had met in Mexico six years ago and Brian and Lisa on their new boat “Wasabi”. See, it really is a small world!
The week of the boat show Corina and Jochen, Jutta’s niece and her new husband arrived from Germany for a visit on Pipe Dream. We were very excited at their arrival and rolled out the red carpet. The first evening, we had dinner on the boat and put them to bed for the night. There was a slight breeze but Pipe Dream was in the inner harbor tied to a mooring ball. It seems Jochen does much better on dry land. He managed to “feed a lot of fish” all night long. The next morning, he got a taste of the American medical system. Twenty minutes at the doctor, a pat on the butt and a few pills, and he felt better. I’m sure the $150.00 fee made the doctor feel a lot better, too. After that adventure, they decided to spend the next night at a hotel. What a bunch of sissies!
After Annapolis, we had an uneventful trip down the Chesapeake and the waterway to Florida. It was nice to spend a few days at Bruno’s Zoo in Fort Lauderdale again. Brit and Dano rolled out the welcome carpet and cooked us a fabulous dinner.
Well, that about wraps it up. Sorry it’s not very exciting. Jutta and I will sail east for the Caribbean in the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping our next two or three years down in the islands will be more entertaining. Until then, keep sending your dollars to the “Help Ferdy Cruising Fund”. Things are breaking faster than I can fix them. In closing remember these words from Ben Franklin, “We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!”
From the Decks of Pipe Dream
Ferdy and Jutta
Jutta and I are back and getting Pipe Dream ready for the trip to the Caribbean. In the last newsletter we had just returned to the boat from our summer vacation. I say it that way so you don’t think we play all the time! This life isn’t easy but someone has to do it!
We left Savannah and headed up the Intra Coastal Waterway to Annapolis, Maryland and the “Annapolis Boat Show”, our favorite. Our first night on the waterway was in Beaufort, South Carolina, the most beautiful little town you will ever visit. “Prince of Tides” was filmed there. As we were pulling up the anchor in the morning, the windlass (anchor winch) was making lots of nasty grinding noises. It was time to take it all apart and fix it. Not to fear, another day in the life of a sailor. In a couple of hours Jutta and I had it fixed, lubed and put back together. As we pulled up our 69# anchor we also pulled up a 10 speed racing bike. What a stroke of luck, we thought at first. After hanging over the bow for almost an hour to get the barnacle encrusted rusty bike untangled from the anchor chain while Jutta drove Pipe Dream back and forth in the narrow estuary, luck never again entered my mind. We should have known this was the start of things to come. The next day the master head (toilet) stopped working. A sea plant was growing in the raw water inlet hose and had wound through the pump assembly. A few days later our instant on demand water heater stopped working. Had to replace the water pump. Then we finally got sick of our “snaking” autopilot and decided to dig deeper into our cruising kitty to replace it. Keep in mind the word “BOAT” means bring over another thousand. I did find a way to save lots of money and keep the barnacles off of the bottom: Instead of paying someone to scrub the bottom, I ran aground several times in the waterway. If that doesn’t knock the crap off the bottom I don’t know what will? See, this life isn’t always a walk in the park.
In Georgetown, South Carolina, Jutta and I took the dinghy to town (our family sedan) to buy some fresh shrimp from the shrimpers’ dock market. After our purchase, and a couple of happy hour beers we decided to return to Pipe Dream for a Thai-shrimp dinner. To prevent theft, we always lock our dinghy to the dock. During our absence the tide had come in and we found that our lock was four feet under water. This was a great way to start a romantic evening, stripping down in your dinghy at the town dock and diving down four feet in the dirty water to unlock the dinghy. This year seems like one thing breaking after another. Sorry, but weighing all the negatives, repairing the boat is still better than working!
Everything appeared to be ok until we reached Norfolk, Virginia. It was a very windy day and Jutta and I were sailing through the huge harbor marveling at the enormous military fleet. Norfolk Harbor has about the same amount of traffic as a Los Angeles Freeway. Two large sport fishers cut in front of us at full speed in the main ship channel. We stood there in the cockpit staring at their large wakes heading for Pipe Dream. Realizing at the last minute that all the hatches were open, Jutta raced downstairs to close them. Pipe Dream rode over the first huge wave, then dove into the second wave like a sub marine sending a wall of water three foot high completely down the length of Pipe Dream. I was at the wheel and was almost knocked down by the tsunami. Jutta got down into the salon just in time to be doused by two giant waterfalls entering through the hatches. As you can guess, we had three inches of water in the main cabin, and galley. Both couches and all the rugs and pillows were soaked in salt water. We headed for the first marina we could find and spent several days washing everything. Ah, a perfect day in the life of a sailor. It’s too bad Jutta isn’t as fast as she used to be!!!
We finally did make it to Annapolis and the boat show. We had a wonderful rendezvous with our good buddy “Viva Bob”. If you read about the shortage of rum on the eastern seaboard, he was the probably cause. We also ran into some cruising buddies (“Dulcinea” and “Kachina”) we had met in Mexico six years ago and Brian and Lisa on their new boat “Wasabi”. See, it really is a small world!
The week of the boat show Corina and Jochen, Jutta’s niece and her new husband arrived from Germany for a visit on Pipe Dream. We were very excited at their arrival and rolled out the red carpet. The first evening, we had dinner on the boat and put them to bed for the night. There was a slight breeze but Pipe Dream was in the inner harbor tied to a mooring ball. It seems Jochen does much better on dry land. He managed to “feed a lot of fish” all night long. The next morning, he got a taste of the American medical system. Twenty minutes at the doctor, a pat on the butt and a few pills, and he felt better. I’m sure the $150.00 fee made the doctor feel a lot better, too. After that adventure, they decided to spend the next night at a hotel. What a bunch of sissies!
After Annapolis, we had an uneventful trip down the Chesapeake and the waterway to Florida. It was nice to spend a few days at Bruno’s Zoo in Fort Lauderdale again. Brit and Dano rolled out the welcome carpet and cooked us a fabulous dinner.
Well, that about wraps it up. Sorry it’s not very exciting. Jutta and I will sail east for the Caribbean in the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping our next two or three years down in the islands will be more entertaining. Until then, keep sending your dollars to the “Help Ferdy Cruising Fund”. Things are breaking faster than I can fix them. In closing remember these words from Ben Franklin, “We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!”
From the Decks of Pipe Dream
Ferdy and Jutta
ICW 2007
Pipe Dream on the Dismal Swamp Canal, an alternative route on the ICW in Virginia/North Carolina
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