Some of you have been following this blog or otherwise already know the latest about our journey on Charmed. I wanted to recap what a wonderful year it has been so far and where we are.
After the holidays last year, we departed Daytona Beach on January 1 and headed south to wait for a weather window to make the run to the Bahamas. This was basically to be our first trip to the Bahamas ... the first trip taking Charmed out of the country. We got to Miami Beach as quickly as we could, made arrangements through the Coast Guard to make our return back to the United States smooth and easy (which, believe it or not, it really was), watched the weather and then headed to a place called No Name Harbor, which is in the southern part of Key Biscayne, to get into our jumping-off position. In the meantime we had met up with our friends, Jenny and Charlie on Lady (http://www.AboardLady.com/), so we could travel together. At No Name, we also caught up with more friends on two other boats, Eva and Ed on Makai and Sarah and Phil on Spartina. All four of us left on January 11 at 3 a.m. and had a perfect ride over. We were lucky to get and take that weather window. We heard of others waiting for more than 20 days in No Name Harbor for the next weather window and finally giving up and never making it to the Bahamas.
We spent just over two months in the Bahamas, and there is much I could say. The short story is that we had a wonderful time traveling first with Lady and then also with our friends John and Jodi on Jay Sea Dee (http://www.JaySeaDee.blogspot.com/). We arrived and checked in at Chub Cay (pronounced "key") and then went down the Exumas, across to Long Island, down the Jumentos to Duncan Town, then back up the Exumas to Spanish Wells on Eleuthera and then up to the Abacos. It was an extraordinary trip and we met some extraordinary people. The weather initially was cooler and windier than we would have liked, but on those days when we could swim in the most beautiful clear blue water I've ever seen, we would forgot about the cool days. To look down in 10 feet of water and clearly see the sea life -- bright orange starfish, sea biscuits, etc.; and to snorkel with beautiful and colorful fish I've never seen before; all of that is something I'll never forget. My favorite place was Turtle Cay in the Abacos, probably because I loved the beach. I think I walked the beach three times, all while the tide was going out. That is the perfect time to collect sand dollars, sea biscuits, and sea shells. I'm not really a sea shell collector, but it became addicting. One day we also came across two types of live star fish (the hearty orange variety that is very hard, and the more spindly and flexible variety. http://svcharmed.blogspot.com/2009/03/star-fish-on-green-turtle-cay.html
This wouldn't be complete without a word about living on a boat. We feel Charmed is very comfortable and we had everything on board that we needed and wanted, and with room to spare so we never felt crowded. We knew grocery shopping was going to be an issue, not only because some places were so remote that getting groceries and/or getting the groceries we wanted would be difficult, but also because the cost would be high. Both turned out to be true, but we were prepared. We had not only provisioned well, but we had over-provisioned (we STILL have food left over). In American dollars, we spent only about $130 for additional groceries in the more than two months we were there. When you consider that Bahamian prices are at least twice as high as U.S. prices (realizing we actually spent and extra $260), we were glad to have provisioned so well.
The second potential issue for us was water. Most of the water available in the Bahamas is reverse osmosis water, and they (have to) charge for water (as high as $.50 a gallon), so we knew we would have to be especially diligent about our water usage or this expense could get out of control. Because we were able to monitor it (it was counted every time we filled our tank), for the first time I could tell how much water we used. On average, we used just 13.5 gallons per day ... total. That's primarily for washing dishes and showers and the like. We carried 260 gallons of water (a lot for boat standards) and so we could go some time without getting water. And there were places we were able to get water for free, too. It sounds extreme, but we really managed quite well. And there's nothing like a Bahamas Bath!
The food issue and the water issue (and let's not even get into the laundry issue!) may make this life sound burdensome to some, but really it just became another aspect of the journey ... the adventure if you will. And, after all, this was as much our job as it was our vacation, and we always tried to keep that in focus.
Anyway we returned to Miami Beach in March, spent some time there and back at Boca Chita with our friends, Jim and Laurie on Kismet (http://www.svKismet.blogspot.com/) before we headed south and they headed north. We headed to the west coast of Florida and docked Charmed in a slip at beautiful Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton and got her ready for sale as we planned for a return to life on land. We always knew this time would come, but it certainly is not without some regret. Craig and I feel we saw and accomplished just about all we wanted, probably me a bit more than Craig, although it still feels like it was just yesterday when we left.
And Craig has a wonderful last hurrah. He is joining John on Jay Sea Dee to help take Jay Sea Dee across the Atlantic (with two other guys) to Portugal. Once there, Jodi will join John with the plan that they will sail the Mediterranean for a few years (and I see a vacation in the Med in our future!). The plan now is for Jay Sea Dee to depart Florida May 20 and head for Portugal, stopping first in Bermuda and then the Azores. John has created a special blog just for this trip, and they plan to update it while they are under way. You can follow this adventure at JAY SEE DEE TRANSATLANTIC 2009. You can also track their position at POSITION REPORT FOR JAY SEA DEE.
We are thrilled that Craig has this for an end game. He always wanted to take Charmed across the Atlantic (not me) or through the Panama Canal, and the next best thing is to be crew on a great boat like Jay Sea Dee and with a great friend like John.
While Craig is gone, I'll be staying at our home in Florida, where my Mom lives, enjoying the company of family ... especially our almost-three-year-old great-nephew ...
... and friends again. We have decided to make Florida our home again, but this time we would like to live in Sarasota. Craig may have an opportunity there. I have some exciting ideas for myself, and while Craig is gone, I'll be mulling those over, taking at least one road trip (to North Carolina) and working on our Waves site (http://www.WmWAVES.com/). We are sad to leave behind a life that brought us so many happy times and so many wonderful new friends. We have learned so much, and we know that although life is always changing, it is never boring! While one era may be ending for us, we feel that we are just changing tracks and heading for the next adventure.
We think we'll stay in boating, but Charmed is more a cruising boat than a weekender, so we'll be looking for something much different when Charmed has a new owner. In the meantime, we'll certainly take her out and enjoy her as much as we can while she's still ours.
We hope you are all well and that you will share with us what has been happening in your journey.
Debbie
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