After a lovely few relaxing weeks in Mexico it was time to travel down to the Rio so we could pack everything up in order to fly back to the UK. Sym was feeling rather miserable about leaving the boat for so long but there was no way I wanted my first baby born in some local dodgy town where I could not speak the language!
We headed off and did a couple of days out to sea and sailed in behind the reef - where we arrived at Belize.
Belize was a fab place, with flat protected waters, hundreds of small islands with thousands of choices of places to anchor. We were gutted we could not stay any longer but time was of the essence. We did not bother checking into the country ( I know, how naughty!!) we heard it was really expensive and we were only there three nights and really did not want the hassle with the customs and immigration.
We spent three days hopping down the islands travelling south towards the Rio. The last night there and we nearly ended up on a reef - our closet encounter yet!! The situation sounds very ridiculous actually - but true!!
We tried anchoring a few times and the anchor would not bite, the bottom was grassy and muddy so Sym decided he wanted to attach the Danforth anchor to our CQR and have both anchors out. Night was falling so we wanted to do it quickly. Anyway Sym throws the anchor over the bow of our boat - not the way we usually do it as its alot easier to bring it up and re attach it! but he decided he wanted to dive down and check the anchors and would do it in the water! Well the palavor begins!! he jumps in and screams and jumps back out - there is a 4 foot barracuda lurking underneath the boat - Sym startled it when jumping in and it showed Sym its teeth and swam towards him.....
An hour later, 20 attempts and still no joy. Every time Sym tried to go into the water the barracuda swam out and circled him!!! It even got to the stage where Sym threw a bucket to see what it would do and it swam out from the boat and starting circling the bucket ready for attack...Sym even tried catching him with the fishing line and he took the bite, bit through it and still came back for more!!Sym felt slightly frightened to say the least at the tormenting barracuda.
As you can imagine, Sym did not go back into the water that night! Hence one poorly dug in anchor - but hey there was no wind!!
Night fell...pitch black, a big squall came over wind blowing 35 knots, guess what, we come out on deck to find the anchor dragged and we were about 2 metres from the reef....1 foot beneath the keel.
Thank god my babs was quick off the mark and got us moving in seconds otherwise it would not have been a very nice last night!! All caused by the bloody barracuda!!
Anyhow we did manage to retrieve our anchor the following morning - the barracuda - GONE!!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Mexico
The sail over to Isla Muejeres was pretty uneventful, nice flat waters and we managed to sail about 6 knots all the way there! The infamous busy shipping channel which we were not looking forward to because our AIS was not up and running turned out to be the quietest night sail ever....we saw one boat on our way into the anchorage and that was it!!
This birdie came onto the boat at sun set and stayed aboard to rest all night long!!
After a night at sea we sailed into the protected anchorage the following morning. It was fab there and we managed to stay two weeks before leaving for the Rio Dulce.
It had everything a heavily pregnant women could want. Lots of cheap restaurants with good hot spicy food, beautiful beaches and great snorkelling. To top it off a 10 minute ferry ride over to Cancun where there was Air Conditioned shopping malls, more food outlets and the cinema!!
It does not sound adventurous i know, instead of site seeing the mayan ruins and all the touristy stuff all i wanted was air con and food!!haha!!
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We did manage to do a little site seeing around the island, where we hired a golf buggy for the day.The island was brill and a beautiful holiday resort for anyone thinking of going!
This birdie came onto the boat at sun set and stayed aboard to rest all night long!!
After a night at sea we sailed into the protected anchorage the following morning. It was fab there and we managed to stay two weeks before leaving for the Rio Dulce.
It had everything a heavily pregnant women could want. Lots of cheap restaurants with good hot spicy food, beautiful beaches and great snorkelling. To top it off a 10 minute ferry ride over to Cancun where there was Air Conditioned shopping malls, more food outlets and the cinema!!
It does not sound adventurous i know, instead of site seeing the mayan ruins and all the touristy stuff all i wanted was air con and food!!haha!!
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We did manage to do a little site seeing around the island, where we hired a golf buggy for the day.The island was brill and a beautiful holiday resort for anyone thinking of going!
Cuba - Part Two!!
We spent over a week in Marina Hemmingway and went into the capital of Havanna for a couple of days. The first day we took a bus into the city which was not too far but i was so exhausted by the end of the day that we decided the following day we would hire a car.
The City of Havana was fantastic but a lot more run down and neglected than we envisioned. The buildings were so delapitated and un kept mainly due to the American embargo which over the decades has screwed the Cuban economy and no more funds from the USSR I guess. The City needs a good few billion spent on it get it back in tact!
However saying that Havana had an amazing charm and the people are the friendliest you will ever meet.
Site seeing in Revoltionary Square
The city of Havana and all the beautiful cars
We were really looking forward to travelling along the northern coast of Cuba - hopping along some anchorages before crossing the Yucatan channel to Mexico.However we did not realise how much of a pain it would be. The officials told us when we left Marina Hemmingway we would have to check in and out of every anchorage we went to and provide them with a list of the places we were going and how long we planned to stay.
It all sounded like so much of a palavor - especially knowing how long it took to check in the last time. We were also on a time limit as we had our flights booked back to the UK for the beginning of June so we decided to sail straight to Isla Mujeres in Mexico.
The City of Havana was fantastic but a lot more run down and neglected than we envisioned. The buildings were so delapitated and un kept mainly due to the American embargo which over the decades has screwed the Cuban economy and no more funds from the USSR I guess. The City needs a good few billion spent on it get it back in tact!
However saying that Havana had an amazing charm and the people are the friendliest you will ever meet.
Site seeing in Revoltionary Square
The city of Havana and all the beautiful cars
We were really looking forward to travelling along the northern coast of Cuba - hopping along some anchorages before crossing the Yucatan channel to Mexico.However we did not realise how much of a pain it would be. The officials told us when we left Marina Hemmingway we would have to check in and out of every anchorage we went to and provide them with a list of the places we were going and how long we planned to stay.
It all sounded like so much of a palavor - especially knowing how long it took to check in the last time. We were also on a time limit as we had our flights booked back to the UK for the beginning of June so we decided to sail straight to Isla Mujeres in Mexico.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
AN UPDATE AT LAST
All i can say is the past few months i have been mega busy or lazy( which ever you want to call it ) and updating this has not been top of my priority list. Im going to blame it on being pregnant and tired all the time!So its Hallies fault not mine. Hallie is the name we have decided to call her. We were looking for something quite unusual but with meaning and found Hallie, which means "thinking of the sea" in Greek!!
A pic of me at 30 weeks when we just arrived back in the UK....Sym likes to call me the TRUCK!!
A pic of me at 37 weeks down Porthcawl - not as dreamy looking as the bahamas by no stretch!!
Anyway for those who still care, we are both fine and are back in the UK and our little girl is due in less than a week, Gypsy Moth is safe and sound ( fingers crossed ) in the Rio Dulce in Guatemala awaiting our return. We are going to wait a couple of months so Hallie can get her injections and get all her paperwork sorted and then go back to our amazing life on the boat( which we are missing more and more each day!!)
We ended up not having enough time to get down to Panama as i had to be home by 30 weeks and sailing towards the end got mega hard!!Especially the night shifts! So we found a lovely marina in the Rio Dulce which was dirt cheap and had a swimming pool!!
Anyhow ,I will keep you all informed on our new arrival and now I better get on with the ton of updating I have to do, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico and Guatemala!! Here goes!!
A pic of me at 30 weeks when we just arrived back in the UK....Sym likes to call me the TRUCK!!
A pic of me at 37 weeks down Porthcawl - not as dreamy looking as the bahamas by no stretch!!
Anyway for those who still care, we are both fine and are back in the UK and our little girl is due in less than a week, Gypsy Moth is safe and sound ( fingers crossed ) in the Rio Dulce in Guatemala awaiting our return. We are going to wait a couple of months so Hallie can get her injections and get all her paperwork sorted and then go back to our amazing life on the boat( which we are missing more and more each day!!)
We ended up not having enough time to get down to Panama as i had to be home by 30 weeks and sailing towards the end got mega hard!!Especially the night shifts! So we found a lovely marina in the Rio Dulce which was dirt cheap and had a swimming pool!!
Anyhow ,I will keep you all informed on our new arrival and now I better get on with the ton of updating I have to do, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico and Guatemala!! Here goes!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Cuba - Part one
It took us three days to sail to Cuba, it being so slow due to the current we were sailing into!The last night was really uncomforable with the wind just forward of our beam. The sea state was really choppy and condtitons were not great, but as we came into sight of Cuba by sun rise we changed course and sailed west along the coast. We were now sailing down wind at about 6 knots and the sea was flat and gentle.....well deserved after a couple of choppy days.
We were really looking forward to visiting Cuba and could not wait to do a bit of site seeing. We were expecting the whole checking in procedure to be quite time consuming as we were told by other people how strict they were to visiting boats!!God that was a bit of a under statement to say the least. We had all in all 15 different people come aboard and it took about three hours!
The first people who came aboard were really welcoming and nice but then after we were done put their hands out and asked us for a tip....to tip what i dont understand as they were just carrying out they job...but we felt obliged to give them something and quite embarrassed really. I was pooping it thinking OMG im not keen on tipping bloody 15 people...but they were the only ones who asked thank god!
We were finally allowed to go and get our berth in Marina Hemingway - where again we had to check in and have someone inspect the boat which took another hour. I was so tired and really glad to have arrived. We spent a couple of days chilling out in the marina complex ( which had a lush swimming pool in the hotel ) so i spent most of the day in the pool cooling off...cos it was soo hot...it was 90 plus degrees the whole time we were there.
We met another British boat who came in the day after us called SARK and the were sailing with a lovely couple from Germany!! Hi guys if you are reading! I lost your details so get in contact with us on facebook.We spent a few nights on each other boats ( me drinking water AGAIN ) oh i was missing my wine and gin and tonics so much!
Me in Marina Hemmingway
We were really looking forward to visiting Cuba and could not wait to do a bit of site seeing. We were expecting the whole checking in procedure to be quite time consuming as we were told by other people how strict they were to visiting boats!!God that was a bit of a under statement to say the least. We had all in all 15 different people come aboard and it took about three hours!
The first people who came aboard were really welcoming and nice but then after we were done put their hands out and asked us for a tip....to tip what i dont understand as they were just carrying out they job...but we felt obliged to give them something and quite embarrassed really. I was pooping it thinking OMG im not keen on tipping bloody 15 people...but they were the only ones who asked thank god!
We were finally allowed to go and get our berth in Marina Hemingway - where again we had to check in and have someone inspect the boat which took another hour. I was so tired and really glad to have arrived. We spent a couple of days chilling out in the marina complex ( which had a lush swimming pool in the hotel ) so i spent most of the day in the pool cooling off...cos it was soo hot...it was 90 plus degrees the whole time we were there.
We met another British boat who came in the day after us called SARK and the were sailing with a lovely couple from Germany!! Hi guys if you are reading! I lost your details so get in contact with us on facebook.We spent a few nights on each other boats ( me drinking water AGAIN ) oh i was missing my wine and gin and tonics so much!
Me in Marina Hemmingway
Friday, May 7, 2010
Bimini
The last Island in the Bahamas we visited before leaving for Cuba was Bimini. The entrance was a bit tricky to say the least and that year a few boats had sunk. We ended up bloody running aground on the way in ( only sand thank god ) but it was so poorly marked, the buoys were more of a hinderance than a help. After pooping it , we eye balled our way through to the anchorage which was really well protected.
We stayed here a couple of days to wait for a good forecast before heading to Cuba.
Sym got to try it his new Hawain sling, where he went hunting for dinner and came back in less than five minutes with a massive lobster!!
Nice pic of Sym being a hunter / gatherer!!!
we later found out that it was out of season for hunting for lobster and there was a massive fine! so we did not do that again while we were there, even though it was sooo tempting, the water was so clear we could see all the fish and lobster when we went out in the dingy.
The Island was really beautiful and the beach was fantastic and we spent our time there going for walks , swimming and just chilling out waiting for a good forecast to sail to Cuba. The weather was not good and we had 30 plus knots for a few nights, so it was not the most relaxing!!
Check out these pics of the beach!!
Yet again immigation and customs were rude and miserable when we went to check out. We left with a good forecast but we were not overly looking forward to it. Firstly because we were sailing directly into the gulf stream which was about 2 knots against us so it would be a really slow sail and secondly because i was heavily pregnant and it was getting quite uncomfortable towards the end!!
We stayed here a couple of days to wait for a good forecast before heading to Cuba.
Sym got to try it his new Hawain sling, where he went hunting for dinner and came back in less than five minutes with a massive lobster!!
Nice pic of Sym being a hunter / gatherer!!!
we later found out that it was out of season for hunting for lobster and there was a massive fine! so we did not do that again while we were there, even though it was sooo tempting, the water was so clear we could see all the fish and lobster when we went out in the dingy.
The Island was really beautiful and the beach was fantastic and we spent our time there going for walks , swimming and just chilling out waiting for a good forecast to sail to Cuba. The weather was not good and we had 30 plus knots for a few nights, so it was not the most relaxing!!
Check out these pics of the beach!!
Yet again immigation and customs were rude and miserable when we went to check out. We left with a good forecast but we were not overly looking forward to it. Firstly because we were sailing directly into the gulf stream which was about 2 knots against us so it would be a really slow sail and secondly because i was heavily pregnant and it was getting quite uncomfortable towards the end!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Bahamas - Part Two!
The following morning we went into the marina to part with our 300 dollars and clear into customs. Is it just us or does anyone else find that near enough every country they have visited the customs and immigration are the moodiest and rudest people known to mankind??
Anyhow the day got way better as within a hour of looking on the internet we had found a second hand sail (advertised as “like new” ) the right size for the boat and the location was Fort Launderdale. There is a company called GB express that fly everyday from Fort Launderdale to the Grand Bahama, and so it was all paid for and organized to be in Free Port( 30 miles away from where we were anchored) by the following evening...what are the chances of that?? We were so chuffed as we thought it was going to be a complete nightmare but it worked out way better than expected. ( The GB express only cost us 50 dollars for the delivery of the sail...and that was next day service...how good is that!! – Highly recommended!!!
With all that sorted we decided to go for a snorkel , a swim and a walk on the beach!
We planned to sail an extra 15 miles round to the south of the island the next morning as it was closer to Free Port where we were picking up our new sail and we were not that keen on leaving Gypsy Moth unattended for half the day...take a look at this picture of our anchor and you can see why!!
Again the cruising guide only mentioned the waterway entrance from the north and so we kept our fingers crossed it was dredged deep enough at the south entrance. Luck was with us and we followed the buoyed channel in and the depth never went lower than 10 feet under the keel. It was quite a tight hairy entrance and we would not of attempted it in higher winds - but when we got into the waterway it was so dreamy. It was calm and well protected, perfect for spending a few days to sort out the sail and other repairs.
Sym up the mast taping around the edges of the spreaders with lots of masking tape to avoid any other rips and cuts in our new sail!!!
Anyhow the day got way better as within a hour of looking on the internet we had found a second hand sail (advertised as “like new” ) the right size for the boat and the location was Fort Launderdale. There is a company called GB express that fly everyday from Fort Launderdale to the Grand Bahama, and so it was all paid for and organized to be in Free Port( 30 miles away from where we were anchored) by the following evening...what are the chances of that?? We were so chuffed as we thought it was going to be a complete nightmare but it worked out way better than expected. ( The GB express only cost us 50 dollars for the delivery of the sail...and that was next day service...how good is that!! – Highly recommended!!!
With all that sorted we decided to go for a snorkel , a swim and a walk on the beach!
We planned to sail an extra 15 miles round to the south of the island the next morning as it was closer to Free Port where we were picking up our new sail and we were not that keen on leaving Gypsy Moth unattended for half the day...take a look at this picture of our anchor and you can see why!!
Again the cruising guide only mentioned the waterway entrance from the north and so we kept our fingers crossed it was dredged deep enough at the south entrance. Luck was with us and we followed the buoyed channel in and the depth never went lower than 10 feet under the keel. It was quite a tight hairy entrance and we would not of attempted it in higher winds - but when we got into the waterway it was so dreamy. It was calm and well protected, perfect for spending a few days to sort out the sail and other repairs.
Sym up the mast taping around the edges of the spreaders with lots of masking tape to avoid any other rips and cuts in our new sail!!!
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