The Sea Spray Clan

What a great bunch of folks and what a great time we all had. Sea Spray and the crew rock!
AS we were leaving the dock they all walked down to see us off. How nice. We think they will all miss Radar and Sadie the most. They became everyone's surrogate dogs.
If you cruise the Abacos... you owe it to yourself to spend a few days here.

It was sad leaving Sea Spray and all our friends there. We're sure we'll all stay in touch but things never stay the same. Hopefully I'm wrong and someday we can recreate the magical time we all spent together. Thanks to the Whisky Wind.
Happy days

OK not the big run

Woke up this morning and read my weather report from Chris Parker then we decided to not make the full gallop for the states. So now we are tied up at Spanish Cay. It was a bouncy run around Whale Cay... not at all like the last one... But it wasn't too bad. All of 40 miles.

Dave and Shirlee, the crew of Island Girl, emailed us to say they were probably flying home. Just too much wind and no fishing. They are a fun couple we spent time with while at Sea Spray. From Key Largo so we will probably see them when we pass through the Keys.

Tomorrow we will run hard for West End and Old Bahama Bay.

Going to run for it.

We maybe out of Internet for a couple of days. We think the weather is turning again so we are going to make an effort to get back to the land of free water and cell phones.
We will be back online when we can. Then we will finish the Sea Spray story.
Adios for now.

Last day at Sea Spray

As I said earlier, leaving Sea Spray is going to be a sad day. It was.

This is our buddy Charlie. He is without a doubt the best boat neighbor one could have. He looks after everyone on the dock. Worried about the dogs... checked on all of us the morning after a night of too much fun... let Mel bum the occasional cigarette. Truly a sweet, sweet guy. We will miss him most of all.
Charlie, we hope for you nothing but good things and most of all we hope to see you again at Sea Spray next year.

The next few post will be pics and stories of the Sea Spray clan. They made the good days better and the bad days good. How lucky we were to have made all of their acquaintances.
Sometimes not so Happy days....

Today we are back at Harbour View Marina in Marsh Harbour. It's good to see Troy and the boys again.

Hope Town Cottage

This is a newer cottage in Hope Town but they built it in the traditional styling of old Hope Town.

Pretty place.

Pretty things around Hope Town

Nice pic in Hope Town harbor

Pokin around Hope Town

Monument on the hill overlooking the Atlantic and Elbow Cay Reef.

A better day

We finally quit whining and loaded up Radar and dinked into Hope Town.
Wanted to go to Captain Jack's but they refused to serve Radar. Told us to tie him to a pole outside the restaurant. Puppy discrimination. Call the ASPCA... or maybe the BSPCA.
So we went to Harbor's Edge which is Dog friendly and had lunch.
The folks above were having quite a time. We think they helped us come out of our funk.

Saw this little guy while we were there. We thought he was just another pampered pet until his human told us he was 18 years old. That's 126 in human years. He deserves to be carted around.

So now the winds are starting to subside a bit and our mindset is in a better place now.

Thinking about leaving Sea Spray today and Heading to Marsh... then maybe over to Guana for a day or two before working back home.

Happy days.... again

Rock Fever

Woke up this morning thinkin about when we were going to leave and start heading back home and it finally hit me. Yeah the wind is blowin like stink, We can't go out in the dink and play, but we are in a beautiful place. We now have a bad case of Rock Fever. We need to get over it and look on the bright side. So while Melonie was sleeping in I walked over the dune and watched the early morning sun paint the ocean side.
A good friend of mind who lived on Saint Thomas for a few years told me about this Rock Fever thing. He said it usually starts with bad weather that won't allow you to do anything outdoors. Then that is compounded by boredom which is followed by excessive drinking and eating. Then Bang! It hits you. Rock Fever.
According to my friend, the only cure is to look for the good in the bad and

go out and brave the elements. Of course after a few good days of good weather you forget the whole thing.

So my walk on the beach was a good thing. Because the wind is so high I was completely alone which allowed me to pick up a lot of shells and glass. (lookin for the good in the bad)

It was a really nice walk even though I had to stop and remove the salt from my glasses every 5 minutes. But I do feel better so who knows maybe we will brave the Sea of Abaco and head over to Tahiti beach and then to Cracker P's today.

Here's hoping for...

Happy days

Another day, another blow

This picture has nothing to do with anything.

Just an old dead palm frond on the shore next to the dingy dock in Hope Town.

Well the wind is still prevailing here in the Abacos and no one is moving anywhere. Our friends Pam and Bernie became so tired of it they left their boat and flew back home for a few days.
It's really strange how a constant 20kts of wind will finally drive you into the boat and make you stay there. You look out... it is a beautiful sunny day... then you step out and whoosh... you're quickly reminded and you go back inside the boat.
The big fishing tournament that is going on this week is a flop. Most of the fish guys are staying at the dock.
So we are reading a lot, watching movies, and I finished the first season of 24.

Happy days

Still chunky

And it looks like it's getting worse... Could someone send me a mailbox to Sea Spray? We may never leave here.

The Gorge on the Tennessee

The photo uploads are running very slow for some reason so I am just going to link to them on another site.

This photo is of the Gorge on the Tennessee. This runs for about 30 miles just south of Chattanooga, TN. It's one of the prettier parts of the River. But after you leave Chattanooga the river gets even more beautiful. On the Watts Bar section you will be reminded of the Pacific Northwest. Especially on a grey foggy day. There are uninhabited islands with deep anchorages inside of them that are so quiet you would never know you are only a few miles from the city.

For more photos of our cruise on the Tennessee click here.

River cruise from last fall

Well it looks like Blogspot fixed the photo upload problem.

The Tennessee River is an absolutely beautiful river. Especially in the fall.

For years it was almost unheard of for cruisers from other parts of the country and the world to take the time to cruise the Tennessee. But all that has changed. The folks who do the Great Loop have decided to make it a part of the Loop. They have an official organization, The American Great Loop Association that has a rendezvous every year that brings in hundreds of cruisers to the Tennessee.

The river is nice and deep for just about it's whole length (which is 750 miles) and is very well marked. A nice marina is always close and usually will have a good restaurant. Slip fees will average 75 cents a foot with power and water.

This photo is Istaboa tied up at Joe Wheeler state park in Florence, Alabama. A nice, clean, and very well protected marina.

We do a fall river cruise every year.

Hunkered down

For some reason we are still having problems posting photos. Not quite sure what the problem is but we will post the shots of the Tennessee River cruising area soon.

So in the meantime... what a nice time we had yesterday. Everyone here is in the same boat so to speak. Too windy for the fishing folks to fish. Too rough for us cruisers to cruise. But we are making the most out of a not so pleasant situation.

Dave (Island Girl) and I took his Albury Brothers 20' over to Marsh Harbour for supplies. What a trip that was. What a sweet boat that Albury is. They have been handmade by the Albury family here in the Abacos for years and man they handle a rough day on the Sea of Abaco with ease. Very soft and dry on this very chunky day.

Then as the day was winding down Kevin, who is the mate on Stinger, seared their surplus Yellowfin Tuna with a teriyaki glaze and a wasabi sauce and was generous enough to share with the folks on the dock. Not bad chow for a boat dock happy hour. Fresh Ahi Tuna! Just caught!

Dave was kind enough to invite folks without Directv over to his boat to watch the season finale of 24. Boy did he have a boat full. The rest of us swapped DVDs and VHF tapes. We are all preparing for a long week of wind. (David Cole if you read this... We are really enjoying the first 2 seasons of 24. That's why we didn't join the others for the season finale.)

All the dock dogs had fun too. They were all allowed to snoop around unleashed and play freely. Bet they got their fair share of Tuna also.

So life is still good here... much better than a day behind the desk. But we are ready to move when the opportunity arises.

Happy days

Seagull's view of Sea Spray

Junior gave me an ad that has a really good aerial shot of Sea Spray and Istaboa from last year.
So we scanned, cropped, and added a little to it. The quality is not so great but...
Click on the image and you will see why we like it here so much.

Problem uploading pics at this time

So until that starts working--- I will just answer the question that I am sure some of you boaters are wondering about.

You have a Nordhavn... why are you worried about high seas?

Yes, we have a 57 Nordhavn... and yes, it will handle seas that are much higher than we are currently surrounded by here in the Abacos.
But we are staying in the Abacos for several reasons.
One being; why go out and get tossed around to just go from one beautiful island to another beautiful island?
Second reason is that our two dogs really don't like 6 to 8 footers. 2 to 4s, OK, even 4 to 6s but anything higher ruins their day.
Third and most importantly.... We tend to spill our cocktails in high seas.

An analogy:
We own a Land Cruiser that we drive everyday. We don't need such a capable and rugged vehicle on most days. We rarely go off-roading. But--- when the ice and snow hits we drive through with confidence. It's nice to know we have a vehicle that is capable, dependable, comfortable, and built to take us through almost anything.

So with all that said I will show Barometer Bob's forecast.

WEATHER AROUND MARSH HARBOUR***/^/*
SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT^
MON NE to E winds 15-20K, seas 5-8ft, partly sunny to sunny with scattered showers and t-storms, high temp 80, low 75.
TUES NE to E winds 15-20K, seas 5-8ft, scattered clouds and plenty of sunshine, high temp 83, low 75
WED NE to E winds 20-25K, seas 7-11ft, sunny with scattered clouds, high temp 84, low 77
THUR NE to E winds 20-25K, seas 7-11ft, sunny with scattered clouds, high temp 84, low 75
FRI NE to E winds 20-25K, seas 9-13ft except 5-8ft W of Abaco, sunny with some clouds, high temp 84, low 75


So we're trying to decide if we want to wait it out so we can head further south or just head back the way we came and wait for a good day to cross the Gulfstream. (note the N direction in the winds.)

But the great part is that we have the luxury of hangin out in paradise and taking our time to decide.

Happy days

Boat dogs

We have put together a collage of boat dogs pics. If you like dogs as much as we do click here to see the individual photos.

Things haven't changed much here. Still blowin like stink. We're not sure about plans yet.

But we are havin a fine time here at Sea Spray. Junior's band played last night and a good time was had by all.

Looks like rain today so this will be a good time to put together a post showing the Tennessee River. There have been a few requests for some pics of our home cruising area.

Really ready for the wind to still for a few days.

Both sides of the White Sound story

As you can see it was a beautiful day here on White sound.

But... if you walked over the dune and looked at the ocean you would see why we are still here at Sea Spray. The east wind has lightened a little but the seas have not.

So we took advantage of the flat Sea of Abaco and dinked over to Marsh Harbor. It was a beautiful run. Tied up at Boat Harbor and walked into town.

While we were there we saw another Memphis boat. "Miss Pat" a beautiful 90+ foot Burger that belonged to our old neighbor from the house at Pickwick.

Also saw "Aquasition" A big Hatteras from our dock at Grand Harbor in Tennessee. Small world.

We walked over to Harbor View and said hello to Troy and Ronnie. We may head back there for a couple of days to restock and meet up with friends on Rockin Robin.

When we got back it was like a small homecoming. Dave from "Island Girl" was there but without Shirlee. She will be back in a few days. Then later Charlie came back with gifts from Philadelphia. Hoagie sandwiches and soft pretzels. It was really nice to see everyone.

It will be sad when we leave here.

Island roots heritage festival

Actually the pirates came for the Green Turtle Island Roots Heritage Festival.

As history goes:

Renowned artist Alton Lowe first organized the Island Roots Festival in Green Turtle Cay in 1978. The intent of the event, which was well received, was to establish a "Sister City" concept between historic Green Turtle Cay (New Plymouth) where the Loyalist first settled in 1784 and Key West, Florida, where many Green Turtle Cay residents relocated in the ensuing 150 years. There is presently a rich Bahamian heritage celebrated in Key West, referred to commonly as the "Conch Republic" and a keen interest in forging closer ties with Green Turtle Cay, Abaco and the Bahamas. (Obviously I copped this from the net)

This is a festival held here every year.

Even more pics click here and scroll down for the posts and pics by Abacomah.

Happy days

(Thanks again to Judy Marshall and for the photos)

Pirates on Green Turtle

Well... all my friends from home warned me about pirates over here in the islands. Guess they were right.
This is one scary pirate.

I wasn't there but Judy Marshall took these pictures and posted them on the Abaco Community Message Board. Check out her post (Cookie909) for the whole bloody story.
Seems like they came from Key West, pillaged Green Turtle, and had their way with the women folk.

Thanks Judy... nice pics.

Happy days

Blowin in the wind

We were hunkered down in the boat today and started second guessing the forecast so we decided to take a golf cart ride up above Abaco Inn to take a look.
Well... as Dylan once wrote/ The answer my friend is blowin in the wind/ and man was it.

Drove down to the north point of Tilloo cut to take a look and saw not a boat on the horizon whatsoever. Rough day.

I forgot to mention our friends on "Top Notch" caught and released two Blue Marlin yesterday. They were very pumped when they came back to the marina to say the least.

Congratulations to Pat and the boys on Top Notch.

Looks like we're stayin put

These northern fronts seem to keep coming down and building up the seas. Might get rain tomorrow. The boat needs a bath.

So it looks like we are stayin in the Abacos for a while longer. Things could be worse I suppose.

Maybe toward the end of the week we can start heading south to wherever.

Our friends Dave and Squirlee Shirlee flew back home for a few days so the dock will be a little less fun till they return.

We tried to take Pam's and Bernie's boat out for sea trial after their repairs but bad luck follows bad luck.

As Bernie was backing out of his slip he backed over a small boat's stern anchor line (Which was where it shouldn't have been) and wrapped it around his props. We are hoping Brown Tip, the local diver, can go down and get it straightened out and we can finish the sea trial.

Bernie and Pam have decided to go south with us if they can get their boat fixed.

That's about all for us right now. Stuck in paradise again.

Happy days

It's Mother's day!

Happy Mother's day

To all you mothers out there.

Especially ours

Fresh fish tonight

Pat and the crew of Top Notch had a pretty good day of fishing and they were kind enough share their catch with us non fishheads on the dock. We have plenty of Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) now.
That's one of the nice thing about Sea Spray during the early summer. Lots of Sport Fishermen and they are happy to share their catch. Always fresh fish.

We haven't done any sunsets for a while. Not much of a westerly view at Sea Spray.... but this one came out pretty good. You'll notice how the sand breakwater on the lower part of the picture seems to glow a light blue. You should see it on a full moon night. The phosphorus in the sand lights the whole place up and Sea Spray is surrounded by the stuff. It's incredible.

Happy days

Sad day

Our good friend and boat neighbor, Charlie, had to leave the island suddenly a couple of days ago. His mother had become very ill.
We just received the news she has passed away.

We are very sorry for your loss Charlie.

We miss you and hope to see you soon.

Wind and waves

Yesterday it was blowin pretty good so we decided to walk over the dune at high tide to see the show.
Big waves--- probably 12 to 15 footers---But where are the surfers?
But the seas brought in lots of sea glass,
According to the net... things are starting to get better.

Ruh Ro!!

This should make things interesting... Click here

Biloxi Katrina art.

Two old friends, Bob and Gail, from our old marina at Pickwick Dam sent us these pictures. The photos have nothing to do with the Abacos but being like minded folks we thought you all would find them interesting as many of you can relate.

Four live oak trees in the median of U.S. Highway 90 Biloxi that died as a result of hurricane Katrina received new life at the hands of a skilled chain saw artist.

Art from catastrophe

Bob and Gail retired a few years ago, left Pickwick, relocated to Biloxi, and moved onboard their sailboat "Pickin Daisey's". They and their boat survived Katrina but I think they had to have Pickin Daisey's plucked out of the woods. More pics here.

Thanks for the email guys. Hope we can get together soon.

Speaking of wind... It's back and blowin today.

According to Barometer Bob:

WEATHER AROUND MARSH HARBOUR***/^/*
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT^...SWIMMERS ARE CAUTIONED OF DANGEROUS HIGH SEAS
MON Briefly starting out with NE winds 20-25K this morning, backing to NW winds late increasing to 20-30K with occasional gust to GALE FORCE, seas 12-18ft in NE swells (note: C. Parker calling for up to 20-30ft tonight--no kidding--should be a good show from shore) chance of showers and t-storms, high temp 80, low 70
TUES SW winds diminishing to 15-20K, seas 8-15-20ft primarily in NW swells over the open ocean, scattered t-storms, high temp 80, low 71

All that red you see on the east coast is bad stuff

We are tied up tight here at Sea Spray so....

Good day to read-nap, watch a movie-nap, nap-have a cold Kalik....then another Kalik.

Hope it gets back to normal tomorrow--We're not bettin on it.

Happy days

Life is good...

Thought we would show everyone how this sojourn started.

February 19th we broke ice leaving Tennessee.
28 degrees

But we knew there was a better world awaiting. Warm winds, turquoise seas, and island life.

It took us about six weeks but...
Look at us now.

We really haven't done much for the last couple of days. We have finally achieved the real island state of mind. Which is a lot more laid back than tourist mode.

Dinked into Hope Town a couple of times for groceries from Vernon's and a beer at Captain Jacks. Reading books and taking naps. A beer at lunch--take a nap. Pretty exciting stuff!

Yesterday, Junior at Seaspray put together a pool for the Kentucky Derby. 10 bucks a ticket. Our friend and boat neighbor, Charlie, won with Street Sense. $125.00 Way to go Charlie!!

Our nice Insurance guy, Tom, has given us an extra 30 days before we must trudge back to Tennessee, so we don't feel like we must jam as much fun into each day as we have since we arrived.

We don't want to rub it in friends, employees, customers, and family; we honestly wish you were here but we have to say it.

Life is really-really good

Happy days!!

One at a time.

Sea Spray Junkanoo

Sea Spray is having their Billfish Tournament this week.

The folks at Sea Spry were kind enough to invite us to the big party. It was fun and the kids loved the Junkanoo band.

Sadie has become a regular at the Garbonzo Reef Bar.
Big night out with friends.

Left to right... Pam, Bernie, Melonie, Radar, and Charlie.

(Oh no! Sadie is in the background and has fallen asleep at the bar.... We must be bad influences.)

Happy days!!