Gypsy Queen Under Sail

So, just what does Gypsy Queen look like when we are sailing.  I have posted several pictures of life aboard, but in Rock Sound, our good friends aboard RuAha took some pictures as they overtook us in their Bristol 45.  So I guess I should post at least one photo of what we look like from a distance.

Skipping WAY Fast Forward

So much has happened since our last blog post.  We made our passage to Eleuthera island, visited Spanish Wells, made our passage through the Current Cut (exciting with currents as high as 6 knts), then onto Glass Window then  Rock Sound before our passage to Georgetown.  Georgetown is a final destination south for many cruisers from the US East Coast, but just the jump off point for those headed for the Caribbean.



Nothing like a bit of Bud Light and Conch Fritters at Georgetown.  We said our goodbyes to Mason here and he jumped on a plane back to Oregon.  What a wonderful month of cruising, boat repair, and just plain good times.

Double Head Sail

On our passage south out of Little Harbor to Royal Harbor, we had winds directly on the stern at 10-15 knots and 4 ft seas.  So, this was one of our first chances to use the new tri-reacher pole to hold the clew of the jib sail out so it would not flog.  Wing and wing with the main prevented out, we were doing OK with speeds above 5 knots until the wind died down below 10 knots.  Well, with Mason aboard, we just had to haul out the spinnaker.  Rather than furl the jib, we discovered that we could attach the spinnaker tack to the headstay with the jib deployed.  The result was a double head stay arrangement which got our speed back up above 6.5 knots with less rolling.

Just had to share the panorama picture taken from the stern.  This is Gypsy Queen with maximum horsepower!

Little Harbor 2

Some pretty nasty squalls while Little Harbor, but thankfully short lived.  Mason had a great idea to create some dams on the deck to divert rain water into our tanks, so now squalls are actually welcome.  It means less time running the water maker and thus less fuel consumed.  At $4.50 a gallon, we have been much more conscientious about running engines.  With extra crew aboard, we now even sail onto and off the anchor if we have working room.



The old lighthouse at Little Harbor.  Watch your step or you fall into the basement!

Little Harbor

We snuck in to Little Harbor which is the SW most protected harbor in the Abacos anticipating a passage South to Eluethera.  On the Atlantic side of the harbor, there were some nice beaches, but they were covered with plastic.  The sea is able to break down virtually anything to the atomic level, but plastic seems to be its nemesis.

In only 20 minutes of looking we found 6 sandals in the correct sizes lying on the beach. We had hundreds to choose from..

Bahamas (finally)

Well, we have finally made it to our first non-US offshore destination.  A short hop from Florida to the Bahamas where we met our good friend Mason Baker who flew out from Oregon to join us for January cruising.


We are starting in the Abacos and have visited Great Sale, Green Turtle, Marsh Harbor, Man of War and now Hope Town.  It has been a bit wet and blustery with several fronts moving through.  First time we have broken a 5/8" thick bridle in 30knt winds in Marsh Harbor. Good thing dad always remembers to double up with a brake on the anchor chain!

The water here is just beautifully clear allowing you to see the anchor as it sets and is freed from the bottom.  It is also quite shallow with 12' considered deep, so it can be a little unsettling with the depth alarm seeming to always want to go off and squawk.  Only gone aground briefly once and that on a rising tide, so we were ok.

Today finds us a Hope Town with some final shopping to do for some fresh produce and treats for David's 5th birthday which is tomorrow!

Later today we will head South to Pelican Cay and the marine sanctuary there for a little snorkeling before continuing on to Little Harbor which will be our furthest point south in the Abacos before making our 55nm passage to Royal Harbor on the island of Eleuthera.

Vero (velcro) Beach

Well, we came for a few days, and now have stayed almost a month.  This place is well named.  Free bus route to the marina, about 200 boats in the harbor, wonderful community of cruisers, and new folks rafting up to your boat every now and then.   I am all in favor of rafting since it is a great way to meet people.  Here is a shot of boats rafted up in the harbor and Gypsy Queen in the lower left corner



Just plain fun to meet new friends you never knew you had.

And yes, it is possible to squeeze 7 people into an Uber taxi on a Sunday morning when you have lost track of how many people you have invited to church!