Moraine Cay

In the morning we headed for Moraine Cay, not to far away.  We arrived around lunch time and had lunch on the boat.  Then we headed to the beach.  Moraine Cay is small and privately owned with a house and 2 little beach cottages.  The guidebook said that the reef just off Moraine Cay was pristine and beautiful for snorkeling—the reason I picked to go there.  We all went to the beach—even though it is a privately owned Cay, all beaches in the Bahamas are public.  You have to stay on the beach and can not wander past.  We walked up and down the beach and then headed back to the dinghy to discuss who would go snorkeling first.  Calvin, Isabel, Rob and I headed out in the Dinghy to the reef, not far from the beach.  David drove us and was going to wait in the Dinghy while we snorkeled.  It took us a few minutes to find the coral heads then rob hopped in.  I got Calvin and Isabel ready and then we hopped in.  Isabel swam over to Rob and Calvin and I swam off checking out this beautiful reef.  It was so bright and colorful.  The sea fans were a deep purple and the coral was beautiful.  But there weren’t many fish and I wondered where they all were.  There were a few large ones swimming around, but not many as there should be.  I heard David call my name so I poked my head up and David yelled time to go.  I thought, but I just got in.  He again said in a calm and serious voice, let’s go.  So Calvin and I quickly swam back to the boat.  I saw that Isabel was already in the boat and I wondered if Rob saw a shark.  I told myself to stay calm and get back to the boat. As we approached David said, storm.  I looked up and, Wow, the clouds were quickly rolling in, dark and ominous.  It was coming fast.  David pulled the rest of us up and we were off.  We needed to get someone back on the boat in case our anchor didn’t hold and because we had left Matthew sleeping on the boat while we went to play.  I told David instead of heading to the beach to pick up Susie, Savannah and Benjamin, to take me back to the boat first.  The waves had picked up and were really rolling and the storm was coming fast.  As we reached the boat it was really rocking, we had anchored near the Cay, which unfortunately left us open to the ocean inlet and we were getting hit with the storm waves.  It was a little difficult to grab the ladder to climb up the boat, but I made it.  David was ready to head off to the beach, but I said leave Isabel and Calvin, so the Dingy would be lighter, but by the time We got them on the boat the storm was overhead and the waves were worse.  Rob and David climbed aboard and hauled up the dinghy.  I watched the beach and saw them watching us, but by the time we got the dinghy put a way, it took all 3 of us to keep the motor from swinging too much and hitting the boat, Susie and the kids had left the beach and headed up to the porch of the beach cabana to wait out the storm.  We had left them the hand held radio and tried to reach them on that but I didn’t know if they knew they had it in the beach bag or if they would turn it on.

Just after we had put the dinghy up I noticed that the boat did not seem to be swaying as much as before, it seemed like the storm was lighter, although looking around that was not how the sky or waves looked.  As I walked back inside the boat I found Isabel and Calvin huddled together in the pilot house under a towel trying to dry off and warm up.  They told me that everything was going to be okay, because they had said a prayer to ask for Heavenly Father's help.  They asked him to keep the kids and Susie safe on the beach and for the storm to pass quickly.  I told them Heavenly Father had heard their prayer because the storm already didn't feel as bad as it did before their prayer.  I was happy to hear that in times of need, my children remembered to ask the Lord for help, and then believed with great faith that he would help us.  And He did.

We turned on the radar and watched the storm pass.  About 40 mins later it seemed the worst had passed and we put the dinghy back in the water and david rode off to the beach to retrieve the rest of our group.  They had been safe on the cabana porch but were happy to be back with us.  We got them on board and waited out the rest of the rain and storm together.  Once it had cleared we needed to move the boat and find a more protected anchorage for the night.  I was sad to leave Moraine Cay and the beautiful reef that I did not get to explore.  I hope we can go back.  We were very grateful that we were all kept safe during the storm and that the anchor held the boat safely was the winds and waves blew around us. 

  Susie captured the storm pictures from the beach.  They look amazing.

Great Sale Cay

Our first stop in the Abacos after leaving West End.  Great Sale is an uninhabited Cay but a popular anchorage for boats headed in and out of the Abacos.  Once we Anchored I got dinner started and while it cooked we headed out to explore by dinghy.  One area we checked out was a blue hole off the south end of the Cay.  We didn’t bring any snorkel gear with us so we couldn’t get it to see, we used a clear bucket to look thru, but the sun was headed down so it was hard to see.  There was another boat anchored near the blue hole, they had been in to check it out and said it was small but it just kept going as far as they could swim down in it.  They said there were lots of large fish too.  Had it not been dinner time I would have wanted to head back to see.  A blue hole is a tunnel from a shallow sea out to the deep ocean somewhere.  It tunnels hundreds of feet down and over to the ocean, while the sea around it is much shallower, maybe 15 feet deep.  We also checked out the beach on Great Sale, it was a little rocky so we headed back to R Cabin for dinner.  In the morning, off to Moraine Cay.

Little Bahama Bank

We left West End around 9am.  We were a little worried about pulling out of the dock we were at and hoped a few of the boats at the docks behind us would leave so we’d have a little more room.  One of the boats did go, but it may not have been necessary.  David did a great job, we rub a piling, but I was able to get a fender in to keep the boat off the fender.  David took it slow and was able to spin the boat to get us turned the right way and not hit any boats.  The wind was light which helped.  And then we were on our way.

As we left West End we had to enter the channel on to the Little Bahama Bank.  It was shallow, with white sand, and turquoise waters all around.  The kids had fun looking out up front for starfish on our path.  We saw several as we passed by.

Crossing to the Bahamas

After checking weather Sunday, we decided we could head out Monday morning to cross to the Bahamas.  We decided to give all the kids some Dramamine just in case, and if it was too rolly we would come back in and wait another day or 2. 

It was a beautiful day.  It was what we hoped it would be.  No one was sick, the seas were perfect for crossing.  Off we went.  We left Florida at 7am and arrived in West End, Grand Bahama Island, before 3pm.  Several other boats made the crossing as well.  It was nice to know we weren't alone out there.  It was nice to make the crossing in little leaps instead of a large bound.  We could have made a longer 12 hour cross all the way to the north end of the Abacos, but since this was the first time crossing, and on this boat, we wanted to play it safe with a shorter crossing.

We all had to stay on the boat, while Captain David cleared us in at the Customs office.  When you enter another country you have to raise a yellow Quarantine flag on the boat until you are cleared.  It didn't take long, less than an hour till all the paperwork was filled out and returned to the customs office, and the passports were stamped. 

We spent the rest of the day on the beach and snorkeling.  The biggest disappointment was our camera.  We had bought an underwater camera before we left Idaho, and I took it in the water to snorkel, and it wouldn't work.  Later we found water had leaked into the camera housing.  Back to Costco it will go when we return.  So no good underwater photos from us!  At least we still have our old camera to use for land photos!

We spent the night at the Marina, filled up our water tank, and in the morning we were off to Great Sale Cay, Abaco, Bahamas.

Lake Worth and Peanut Island

We had a great weekend waiting for calm weather.  We were waiting for the ocean sea waves to drop to 2-3 feet, and calmer winds.  Over the weekend we anchored at Lake Worth, just south of Peanut Island.  Aside from local boat traffic, it was a nice anchorage.  The kids had a lot of fun at the popular Peanut Island.  During the day it was filled with small boats and tons of people.  The Carribbean water floods in on rising tides and the water is clear and turquoise blue.  The kids spent Sat. afternoon playing on the beach and snorkeling.  It was quite crowded and alot of fun. 

Sunday we had to solve a problem with one of the bathrooms, it was a good repair job.  David was proud he could fix it!  Unfortunately, we were anchored far from any church building, so we weren't able to attend church.  We had a primary lesson on board and went for a evening walk around Peanut Island. 

Turning around

We headed out into the big blue... and the kids got sick.  It was windy, and waves were choppy.  David thought we'd head down the coast line to Palm Beach and if we did it in the ocean instead of inner coastal, than we could set the auto pilot and not have to "drive" the boat.  Well, it was not fun.  After 20 mins, the kids were all sick and getting sicker.  David had left me up top to drive with the kids, while he checked on some of the repairs.  The boat was set to auto pilot but the kids were not.  Calvin threw up, then Benjamin.  Finally David came back up and said the repairs on the rudder shaft were not working right.  I didn't care too much about that as I was keeping watch in the rolling water and dealing with sick kids.  Rob got sick.  Finally David said I think we should turn around!  Yea!  We turned and headed back in, but it was at least 30 minutes in the rolling waves to get back to the inlet.  I brought Benjamin and Isabel inside and laid them on the couch--lucking they both went to sleep. But then Matthew threw up all over me.  I was starting to feel sick when david came through to check the rudder shaft again and said, 10 minutes to the inlet.  So i held it together, knowing calm waters were ahead. 

When we got back to the inlet, we called the boat yard again, david had called them earlier, and they met us with a mechanic to come aboard to look at the rudder shaft.  They decided it needed a little more work so back into the boat yard we went for one more night. 

In the morning we headed out again, this time with 3 mechanics on board to fix the rudder shaft and test.  After an hour they had everything good to go, so we dropped them off and continued on our way--this time we stayed on the inner coastal waterway, with calm seas.  No one was sick!  The kids had a great time watching 3 dolphins swim and play along side our boat.  They also had fun watching drawbridges open for us to slip under and waving at boats passing by.   It was a pleasant day.  We anchored at Lake Worth, just outside of Palm Beach.

Heading out on the Water

We flew, kids and all, to Florida on Tues. the 26th.  I couldn’t believe how much stuff we still needed to do before we could leave.  The boat repairs were still being finished up and something new would come up almost every day.  Finally after several days, we thought we could be ready to go, but the weather wasn’t as nice as we wanted, so we decided to wait a few days till the waters were a little calmer.  Then Jenn got sick, so we waited that out a couple days too.  We brought David’s sister Susie with us, and she has been a huge help.  So much to unpack and buy and put away, plus teach and entertain the kids all day—especially since we are in a working boat yard and not a marina.  Susie has been great.  she takes the kids for several walks a day, luckily the boat yard is in a neighborhood of homes and once we leave the property it is a nice area for walks.  Then there is school work, cleaning up the boat, and the mess we make each day, and finding places for everything to go.  We are glad to have her help.  My brother Rob flew in almost a week after we arrived to head out to the Bahamas with us for a couple weeks.  He waited till after most of the work was done before arriving.  However with me getting sick, he still got to spend a few days with us in the Boat yard.  Well departure day is coming…  We are planning to leave in the morning at high tide after 10am.  We haven’t decided on an exact destination yet, but had better decide tonight!

A new journey

Over the last couple months we tried to decide what we should do next, where we should go.  We considered going back to Poland, but i wanted to wait till spring at least to return there.  My brother had planned his wedding for the end of April, and then we needed to be home by early June to be home for when the cousins visit.  Plus swim team starts in June and it is the sport i hope my kids will continue each year.  So to go to Poland for only 4-6 weeks didn't seem like enough time; we had to rethink.

What about Mexico?  We were told about this beautiful town in the mountains of central Mexico and as we started to research we just loved the idea of renting a hacienda, learning spanish, learning to cook authentic mexican food, it sounded like a great plan.  Plus we thought we could drive there in March, fly back for the wedding and return after until June.  As we started to plan, things just were not working out easily, I started to dread the idea of driving across the border with my children and worried about what might happen.  We know there are border towns that have less issues and are safer to cross, and we planned to cross at one of those, but it just did not feel like the right plans, so we had to pray and decide that heavenly father was telling us no.  And when you have those promptings, you just have to listen.

On to a new plan.  David started looking at boats again, well he says he never really stopped, but he at least developed a list that he wanted to go and see.  So he planned out a viewing trip to see 5 trawlers in our budget in Florida and south Georgia.  Just before we flew to Florida David added one more boat to the list with the disclosure that it was a little over the budget, but it might be nice to see as it had been completely remodeled inside (the boats on our list all needed alot of work).  We met with a broker who travelled with us to show us these boats.  Toi Boat, as it was called, was the 3rd to be seen.  It has been completely remodeled over the last 10 years.  While a few rooms need a little updating, the boat was beautiful.  It has been extremely well taken care as the owners had lived on it for the last 12 years, so when something needed to be fixed they fixed it.  It was also a bit roomier than the other boats we were viewing.  After seeing Toi Boat, there was no going back.  Only convincing ourselves how to fit it into our budget.  After we reviewed all that would need to be fixed and done on the other boats we decided that having one ready to go with little effort to get it ready, would save us money and of course time.  So we did it,  we bought the boat.  She is being renamed to "R Cabin" and we are excited for our travels aboard her.

Waipi'o Valley

We spent the last half of our week just outside of Waipi'o Valley on the Northeast side of the Island in the town of Honoka'a.  It is a beautiful area and nicely situated for early trips into the valley.  We decided to take a morning tour of the valley by horseback.  The valley is gorgeous and the horses were fun.  This valley use to be one of the most populated areas on the Island, but the tsunami that hit the area 40 years ago destroyed the homes in the valley.  Now about 50 people live in the valley, a few more work the land and live outside of the valley. 

 The road into the valley is very steep at a 25% grade.  It is paved, but requires a 4 wheel drive vehicle to drive down into it.  If you do not have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can take a shuttle down or hike it.  It is a mile down, and a steep mile up.  Since we had rented a jeep, we drove down after our horseback tour.  We spent the afternoon walking along the black sand beach and hiking to a waterfall.

One of the beauties of the Island is the waterfalls that usually flow over the valley walls.  While horseback riding thru the valley we saw a few trickles of waterfalls still coming down the walls, but it hadn't rained in a few days and so the falls were quite low.  The largest falls on the Island are located in the valley; Hi'ilawe Falls.  Twin falls located next to each other and 1450 feet high.  We hiked along the stream running from the falls to the beach to reach the base of the waterfalls. We had to cross the stream several times, and swim thru a deeper area at one point, but it was well worth the tricky hike to reach the base.  The valley walls are gorgeous with lush green moss and growth up and down the back walls.  Their are large piles of rocks in the middle that have fallen from the top and settled as an island in the stream.  We hiked in later in the afternoon and had the falls to our selves.  The waterflow was very low and only trickling over the right fall.  It was so peaceful to sit and taken in the beauty of this piece of earth.
 

Our last night on the Island, it rained all night and into the morning.  So as we decided how to spend the day before our late evening flight home, we knew we had to back down to Waipi'o Valley to see the water falls since more water would be flowing from the rain.  We were glad we had stayed so close by to easily drive back down there.  It was incredible to see the waterfalls flowing with water.  Both the twin falls were flowing, and many falls were flowing over the sides of the valley walls too.  It was beautiful.

Mauna Kea

Th Summit--Mauna Kea

Sunday after church we headed up the big volcano mountain on the Island.  Really there are 2, one barely taller than the other.  We have a great view from our breakfast window each morning of the top of Mauna Kea, the tallest at 13796 feet above sea level.  If you count all the footage below sea level, then it is in fact the tallest mountain in the world.  There are several observatories on top with good reason.  There is a visitor's center at about 9000 feet where they advise you stop and hang out for 30 mins to give your body some time to adjust to the elevation level if you insist on heading to the top.  They really advise you not go further unless you are in excellent health and have 4 wheel drive.  So we hung around for a bit and then headed up to the top.  Once you leave the visitor's center the first 5 miles is not paved.  I don't know if it is to discourage tourists from continuing on and make you think you need a 4 wheel drive or what, but after the 5 miles it is a nice paved road the rest of the way.  Weird. 

The view is incredible.  It was quite cloudy on our way to the visitor's center, but so clear once we continued on and rose above the clouds.  It was windy and cold, it felt like home, but we were in Hawaii.  We brought some warmish clothes, parked the car and headed up the short trail to the summit.  After making it back to the car and warmth, we had only an hour till sunset, so we stuck around as it got busier and busier for the show.  It was beautiful to watch the sun drop below the clouds on the horizon.