"I've never seen water so blue"

We got to sail the big boy.  The 45 foot Lagoon catamaran.  What a beautiful boat she is.  26 feet wide, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, upper helm, two dining tables, a great lounging area in front between the two pontoons, etc.  Basically its nicer than most hotels I've stayed in.

We flew into Freeport and hopped a taxi to the boat shop and grocery store to provision.  We grabbed some charts, maps, and fishing gear at the boat shop.  Our friends and hosts whirl-winded through the grocery store picking out fresh items that only a chef with the foresight to put together meals from bare ingredients could choose.  We also grabbed the ultimate necessities, ice Kalik beer, and vodka.  

From there we hopped over to the marina the boat was docked at, tossed everything on the boat, settled up with the marina, and motored out of the harbor.

It was quite an experience motoring away from the harbor and off toward the endless horizon. We raised sails but were close hauled as we made our way south to the berry islands to spend the night in the shelter of the islands.  It wasn't long before we left the safety of the shallows and were in real blue water.  You can't really understand what is meant by blue water until you experience it for yourself.  The water looks infinitely deep and the purest brightest shade of navy blue you have ever seen.  The water was mesmerizing to look at.  The rays of the sun would dance through the water towards the ocean floor where they would be swallowed up by the inky blue depths at some indeterminate point without scope or quantification. 

After a couple hours land finally disappeared and we were truly out in open water.  This was no lake or coastal cruise.  We seesawed waves and crashed and splashed as we fought to move directly against the incoming swells.  Abandoning the sails since we were directly in irons we motored under both engines. 

The navigation on the boat is awesome.  You have a laptop screen sized display surrounded by 4 other smaller displays giving you readouts of every parameter necessary and some not so much.  All you had to do was move the cursor to a point in the water, click go to, and the boat would turn itself and beeline to that mark regardless of being under sail or motor power.

The closer we got to the berry islands, the closer nightfall came, and the closer a storm moved in.  We spent 20 minutes in the storm and came out the other side as darkness fell and we coasted into a harbor through a scarily shallow cut between rocks.  Anchoring in the harbor we ate a delicious meal of med rare steak prepared on the rear deck grill with a fresh salad.  The view gave hint of little house window lights on the tiny island next to us silhouetted with the passing storm in the background. After dinner Amber and I sat on the bow finishing out last drink and watched the multicolored lights twinkling from the cruise ships darting around the Caribbean.  We were amazed how fast they were moving and at one point counted 5 visible ships at one time.

We woke in the morning, very early, to the sound of the anchor chain being retracted.  We stumbled on deck to see our safe harbor for the night.  It was a faux island resort used to give cruise line passengers an island excursion to play on.  The beaches were lined with beach chairs and the little house window lights we saw the night before were cabanas for serving cruise goers libations and cheap merchandise.  We buzzed out of what we later learned was called "slaughter harbor" and headed east just as a giant cruise ship was pulling up.

Here is where we got some good sailing in. Headed east the wind was coming right over our beam from the south and we were able to move almost as fast as motoring.   There is nothing like being under sail with no motor power. Just all natural, GMO free, 100% organic wind.

This was short lived however as we rounded the Berry islands we had to turn south towards Nassau and this put us directly in the path of the wind.

Here is the clincher to this situation.  The boat was suppose to have been fueled and ready to go when we picked it up in Freeport.  It wasn't.  The boat has 2 fuel tanks; #1 and #2. I don't remember which is which but one run one engine, while the other runs the other engine and the generator.  Of course the one with the generator only had about 1/8 of a tank when we anchored last night and after running the generator for blessed ac all night it was almost bone dry,

Now faced with a direct head wind and after a few tacks with little progress towards Nassau we decided to motor under the one engine with fuel and keep all ship power off.  This was important to reserve whatever fuel was in the nearly empty tank for maneuvering into a marina dock at Nassau.

Yes we could have tacked the whole way but it would have taken probably 2 full days to do so.  We opted for the direct route under one engine.  This took 9-10 hours even doing it this was but we definitely weren't complaining.

I trolled with our fishing gear off the back of the boat to no avail.  We flew kites off the back, which I can't remember the last time I did that or the simple pleasure of such an activity.  We only stopped once during the trip.  It was in the middle of nowhere for an impromptu swim in brilliantly blue, seemingly infinitely deep, and refreshingly cool water.  It was a little bit of a mind trip for me knowing that there was 3/4 of a mile of water between me and the ocean floor.

About nine miles out was the first vague sight of tall resorts on the horizon.  New providence (the actual name of the island that is commonly referred to as Nassau) and specifically paradise island loomed closer and closer over the next hour and a half on our approach to our final destination; Atlantis Resort.  It was quite an experience as we waited at the entrance to Nassau harbor as 2 enormous cruise ships full of watching and waving passengers slipped by.

Slipping into Atlantis marina we were granted all the aminities of the other guests including people staying in the hotel and the guests and crew of the many multi-multi-million dollar yachts parked in the marina.  We perused the grounds that evening taking in the lavish atmosphere.  The hotels were packed and lively.  While sitting at one of the many bars we noticed a lot of very tall and fit sports guys walking by.  After some investigation we found out it was the entire University of Kentucky basketball team staying at the resort. Pretty cool.

We ate at a wonderful restaurant in the casino called NOBU.  It is Japanese and very swanky.  They are a restaurant that does not wait until all the meals are ready for the table to bring them out.  When a dish is ready it gets brought out.  We got a lot of apps to begin with and shared them all.  Then as each of our entrees came out one by one we continued to share them as well. The same continued with desserts.  It was a really a cool way to eat and it was hands down some of the best food I have ever eaten.  I can't exactly remember what food that was... only some things like the lobster ceviche, and some kind of perfectly prepared blackened cod i think.  There was a couple sun baked days filled with more than our share of alcohol at this point.  Regardless we were all ridiculously surprised.

The next, and last, day we suited up and headed for Atlantis' decidedly awesome water park. We went down the tube ride which carries you through an actual shark tank. We checked out the many many aquarium tanks filled with a plethora of beautiful and exotic sea life.  We hit the beach on the north side of Paradise Island and soaked in the crystal clear turquoise water.

The coolest part of the water park Amber and I agree was the "not so lazy river."  There may be an actual lazy river there but we think the one we happened to get into was called "the current."  Around every turn of the mile loop was something new.  You may run into a channel that is being bombarded systematically by tidal waves that are pretty stout.  You have to hold on tight when they hit.  You may go through caves with waterfalls.  You can choose which path to take when you come to a fork and one way goes to rapids while the other takes you on a slide ride. We went on the slide ride.  You wait in line on your tube!  Then a conveyor belt moves you up to the top of a temple.  You get dumped back in water at the top where you have to choose which slide you want to go on.  We chose the fast one.  You fly down a steep slope, up and down a little hill, and then you are propelled up a steep hill to a point as high as where you first dropped in as you continue down the slide.  All this to be dumped back into the lazy river.  You would have to go around the loop several times in order to be able to experience everything on the lazy river and you would never have to get out of your tube.

The rest of the late afternoon was spent cleaning, and prepping the boat to sit in harbor for a month.  We got everything situated and packed and took a taxi ride right through the middle of Nassau.  It was very run down yet beautiful and charming.  We ooed and ahhed at every corner.  It wasn't long before we were at the airport, on the plane, and and headed back to Florida.  What an amazing trip!

Dave and Buster's

Short and sweet and self explanatory. Dave and Buster's Rocks!

Sailing on Lake Weir

The first time I took the kids sailing was about 3 years ago. It was a horrible experience for many reasons.  

Firstly I was so stressed with trying to control the boat with no experience that my frustration probably ruined the trip for everyone else. 

Secondly I had no motor, only paddles.  Even though this boat is only 17 feet it is pretty wide, heavy, and stable making it difficult to paddle full of people and gear.  There was a real possibility of us getting stuck out in the middle of a lake.  

Aaliah was also only 2 at the time and did not really take well to heeling and splashing around in waves.

Even Austin, who was 11 at the time, did not like heeling over and was probably absorbing a lot of the negative vibes being thrown around.

Most of the horrible experience was because of me and my enthusiasm to let the kids share in this experience that I was so exited about.  I had taken the boat out myself a few times before but I should have waited until I had more experience.  Both the kids and myself suffered because of this with lost time and experiences on the water that could have been positive and enriching.  

So. Lets fast forward to 2014. A new outlook on life. A new positive, amazing person to share life with. Same great boat. Same great kids.  Amber and I had the boat out many times this year and had a blast every time we went.  I was really pushing to bring the kids out to experience this joy but we both did not get our hopes up that the kids would enjoy it. We reserved ourselves to go out, take it slow, only use the main sail not the jib also, possibly just use the motor, and be prepared to head back to dock at any moment.  So we decided to hike up our skirts and go to Lake Weir. 

First thing that morning we went to walmart to buy flip flops for Aaliah who mysteriously came over the night before without shoes.  Oh boy.  But we had to provision the cooler anyway so no big deal.

Then  after tearing the house apart we realized that Aaliah did not have a bathing suit because she wore it back home after her last visit.  So we stopped by Bealls on the way to the lake to buy a suit. One step closer to sailing.

Luckily Austin, who did not have a suit either, was big enough to wear one that is a size too small for me.

So we finally get to the lake and its when we are pulled into a staging spot that I realize in my haste to make sure everything else was in order I forgot to grab gas for the motor.  There was maybe an 1/8 of a tank, which is definitely not enough if we had to motor across the lake,  I asked several people around the ramps for gas but to no avail.  So again we hiked up our skirts and decided to push off. We have sails after all right?  

When I put Aaliah in the boat she started to freak a little at the gentle side to side motion.  I told her it was ok and got in the boat myself rocking it side to side,  I also pointed to other boats around the ramps.  They were all rocking too and everyone was safe and happy. Its just what boat do. Much to my surprise and relief she accepted this and started playing with stuff and asking questions, completely at ease.

Austin was an excellent crew member.  I had him doing everything from hitching the trailer to the truck, cleating off lines, helping put up the mast and boom, holding the bow and stern lines before pushing off.  Once underway he and Amber were all over the boat raising and lowering sails, trimming the jib, working the main sheet, and all the docking procedures.  I pretty much just worked the tiller and drank beer. :)  

We had pretty good wind for the first couple of miles in our journey to Eatons Beach Restaurant.  We enjoyed 4-6 mph cruising as Aaliah "helped" by paddling.  It was within a half mile or so from the restaurants dock that the wind died.  And I mean died. The surface of the lake was like glass.  So with no other option we fired up the 2 horse Honda and motored into the dock.  What little bit of gas we had was pretty much gone at this point.  I called my folks who luckily for us only live 25 minutes away and bribed them with drinks for gas.  My Sister Carey and her husband Jonah took the bait.

We enjoyed our time at Eaton's Beach's beach swimming and playing in the sand.  We had drinks, good food, and an all around good time.  We were joined by my sister and her hubby about 7 and got a full 5 gallon can of gas, which I found funny because the capacity of the motor is only a 1/4 of a gallon.

It was around this time I realized how close it was to dark. At the time I knew nothing about sailing at night and what was legally required as far as lights go and if we would be able to even see the boat ramp. We settled our debts and rushed to the boat.  We motored for the first 1/4 mile or so when we noticed the wind had picked back up. "What the hell," we said. We killed the motor and hoisted the main.  It was very shortly after this that it went from twilight to full fledged dark.  

I had brought a couple flashlights (at least I was prepared for one thing) so we gave one to Aaliah who is not a fan of the dark and I had the other.  It turned out to be one of the coolest parts of the trip.  We were sailing under a beautiful canopy of stars with nothing but the sound of lapping waves, tinking lines on the mast, and flapping sails.  It was truly magical.  Austin was laying down on the bow of "Blue" watching the stars and Aaliah had her head in Amber's lap thoroughly exhausted from an eventful day.  We made it to the boat ramp after 10 but none of us cared. We decided then and there that we had to do some more night sailing in the future.

We all had an awesome day and Aaliah, who I was most worried about not liking sailing, thanked me multiple times the next day for taking her on "her" boat.  I couldn't have been more pleased to do so.

Honey bees are on the move, honey bees are loose

This years honey crop was a bust.  Amber and I started this spring with essentially 4 hives. One carried over from last year and we were really hopeful this one would have the colony population to produce the honey.  Two hives where new nucleolus purchases this year. The fourth hive was a swarm I captured in The Villages and ordered an emergency hive body for.  

As it sits now we have two hives left.  The hive that carried over from last year all died in a sticky soupy mess inside the hive.  It almost looked like things overheated and melted.  I'm not sure if that is the case or if the bees died from another cause and the melted mess is what happens to an untended hive.  

The captured hive, despite my best efforts and capturing the swarm again, flew the coop.  They drew out comb on a few frames and then decided this wasn't the hive for them.

So interestingly enough the two hives that are still here both have mesh screen bottoms while the hive that died and abandoned had solid wood bottoms. Coincidence?  I can't be certain.  This is my first season with screen bottom hives so after this winter I will formulate my opinion.

All this being said the only two hives that survived are new this year.  I was trying to be optimistic that they would be able to produce a little surplus honey but they didn't.  I pulled a few frames from the hives only to realize that they were full of brood. Which is a good thing for future population growth but not for extracting honey.  I did keep one frame with an isolated patch of brood and manually extracted the honey. It was only enough to fill 3.5 cup sized mason jars. I also think there might be a small flavor or taste linked to honey around brood cells that I am not a fan of. 

Hopefully next year theses two hive will have maxed out their populations and I can throw on top boxes with a queen excluder and really get some pure delicious honey.

Abaco, Bahamas!

First of all what a hell of a trip!  They don't call it paradise for nothing.  Perfect weather, great company, awesome scenery.  It doesn't get any better.  Here's how it went.

We packed the night before. I worked until 2 on Friday when I met with Amber and we headed to the airport at 3.  Our luggage was put on while we settled in with Beam and cokes.  From take off to landing totaled 48 minutes. During the flight there was barely enough time to fill out customs forms (our first time using our passports by the way), take pictures of the islands, and enjoy our drinks.

We touch down in the little airport at Marsh Harbour and are greeted by the airport staff grabbing our luggage and ushering us into the customs office.  After an abbreviated version of what I assume would be regular customs clearing we are let through to the car waiting and running out back of the building.  Our friends and hosts have this vehicle there just for when they fly in. It was pretty mind blowing.  

Almost as much so as driving on the left side of the road!  If you have never done that it really messes with your mind, and I was only a passenger. We drove through the picturesque town of Marsh Harbour soaking everything in.  It was like living and episode of Anthony Bourdain's: No Reservations.  The Town was an eclectic mix of beautiful tropical scenery, quaint businesses, people working, people vacationing, multi-million dollar homes, and ghetto slums.  Cars, delivery vehicles, work vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians were scattered about the streets and sidewalks of this decidedly sleepy town.  

After passing through town the road continued on winding alongside the water of the Sea of Abaco presenting breathtaking views at every clearing. 

We arrived at our "chateau" for the weekend and toss everything in the room.  The house is a beautiful two story with a upper rear porch overlooking the channel between  us and Sugar Loaf Cay.  

It not long before we are changed into bathing suits, down on the dock, and into the water.  The water was beautiful, clear, and the perfect temperature. 

There is a reason they call this paradise.  We spent the rest of the day a delightful mix of overwhelmed and elated.  We snorkeled in the Sea of Abaco witnessing basketball sized starfish, a couple lounging stingray, and even a darting barracuda. Snorkeling was quickly followed up with pulling out the sails for the 13ft Hobie cat and taking it for a spin.  If you have never been on a Hobie cat before you must try one.  There is a reason Hobie's catamarans have been built and loved for over 50 years.  I thought it was interesting and sad that this is the first Hobie I had the pleasure to sail and Hobie passed away in March of this year.  His legend will surely live on in the boats, stand up paddle boards, and kayaks being built today.

The next day was a whirlwind of snorkeling, eating, drinking, and site seeing.

We loaded up the Albury Brothers 27ft center console and headed south. We snorkeled over some coral reefs by Sandy Cay and Cornish Cay and relished in the presence of tropical fish, a sea turtle, and a shark.  We hopped to a nearby beach and strolled in the powder white sand. In need of sustenance and libation we cruised over to what turned out to be our favorite restaurant of the whole trip; Cracker P's.  It overlooks the water from it's perch on a small hill.  The mahi sandwiches with Bahamian mac and cheese thoroughly impressed all of us as being delicious and simply elegant.


The next day was rather leisurely. A short bike ride into Marsh Harbour turned into a long one as Amber and I explored.  Our first stop was the grocery store. To our surprise it was pretty much the same as grocery stores in the states.  Some items we didn't recognize but most we did. Some items where more expensive but most were the same.  For instance we bought 3 apples and some drinks. The total surprised us being almost 19 dollars. We didn't realize the apples were going to run 13.77 for the three. They were really good apples though.  After stopping for some Cuban cigars, we meandered back to the house and relaxed before heading out on our next adventure.

Motoring over to Great Guana Cay we did the obligatory hop between Nippers and Grabbers. Both places were full of people and shenanigans. They are very party centric places and not necessarily the types of restaurants and bars that Amber and I gravitate towards but when you go to the Abaco's you have to go to say you did it.

The rest of the evening was spent back at the house simmering in an alcohol, sun burnt, and exhausted state of euphoria. Before we knew what happened the morning came, we were back on a plane, and three full days of paradise were forever locked into memory.