Adventure N-62 Hull 22

2010-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Big Fish were the order of the day off the coast of Costa Rica. For the record, every port of entry we experienced customs were professional and non threatening. Acapulco had a continuous sea surge which we found annoying. The marina waters were very dirty with lots of plastic bottles and bags. On the other hand, Purto Los Cabos was a wonderful mix of new marina with old town charm. Ensenada was also a nice surprise which is where we topped off with fuel before heading to San Diego.

2010-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

2010-08-30T21:22:00.001-07:00

For those of you who were wondering, we made it to San Diego on June 28th. I gave up on updating the blog as it became too much like work. I was sitting in internet cafes while everyone else was out playing. Now I am sitting a Scripps in La Jolla, CA waiting for our grandson to be borne. We are excited to play in the deep Pacific waters with Adventure in the months to come.

2010-06-08T09:20:00.003-07:00

June 7, 2010
Today was a low key day. It rained most of the day an we just lounged around and made preparations for departing. We were informed that Customs was delay due to a mud slide blocking the road and we would have to wait until Tuesday morning to clear out.
After a great meal of fresh shrimp stirfry and a little of the best of Johnny Carson, we went to bed for a much needed rest before our departure.

2010-06-08T09:20:00.001-07:00

June 6, 2010
We went for a jungle tour on the river over to a resort with a magnificent beach of black sand. The water was warm as a bath tub. The resort was very clean an appeared to be located in the middle of nowhere.

2010-06-08T09:16:00.001-07:00

June 5, 2010
Up early to check out our surroundings. I met an individual by the name of Craig McBride. He is originally from Santa Barbra, California and owns property here in Golfito. He informed us of a nature hike we could do in the rainforest. He said he’d haul us to the top of the mountain in his Land Cruiser and we could hike down on the main road. It was 3,000 feet of elevation and covered about 4 miles.
We found some the things which used to fascinate me as a boy watching National Geographic and other outdoor shows.
Leaf cutter ants carrying their price back to their nest. Coatimundis, Black Panthers, Tucans, and Poison Dart Frogs.

Upon our return we had a conversation with Craig about his experience, of cruising the west coast. As it turns out he came aboard for supper to share is experience. After a little more conversation, I invited him to make the journey to San Diego, half joking and he accepted. So now we have another captain to lend his experience and skill to our already seaworthy crew.

2010-06-08T08:07:00.003-07:00

June 4, 2010
01:00 we pulled up the hook and headed for Golfito Costa Rica. We had planned our arrival to be around noon, but again heavier than anticipated seas add a couple of hours.
14:30 we arrived at Fish Hook Marina and were treated with wonderfully appointed and clean facilities. It took about 4 hours to clear customs with the help of Alberto our agent.
At first I thought his fees were a little steep, however after seeing what he had to go though to get us cleared, we could not have accomplished it in 2 days.

2010-06-08T08:07:00.001-07:00

June 3, 2010
Coiba Island Panama
We intended to make it to the island by morning, however due to heavy seas, we had to pull back on the throttle. Only making 6 knots over ground moved our arrival to 4:30. We found a snug harbor on the north end of the island and dropped the hook. Our intentions were to go ashore and walk the dogs, grab a bite to eat and pull out at midnight. While on the beach the Park patrol at Anwa harbor around the East side of the island informed us we had to come to their post and register. $100 dollars later and 8:00 at night we were back on Adventure.

2010-06-08T08:04:00.001-07:00

June 2, 2010,
We departed Panama early in the morning. We are glad we waited until daybreak as the were a tremendous amount of debris in the water from the run off due to heavy rains. We managed to hit a 55 gallon drum and snag a large garbage bag with one of our fishing lures. After about 20 miles or so the garbage thinned out and we through our lines out once more.

2010-06-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2010
Up early to greet the new Pilot Captain to take us across Lake Gatun and through the next set of locks. This lockage will be easier as we are going down which creates less turbulence than the up lockage.

The journey across the interior reminded me of the Mississippi River in many places. Remove a few palm trees and we could have just as well been in Wisconsin.

As the ships round the corners coming across, I found myself questioning if we’d have room to pass.

Locking down was easy as predicted.

Once through the Pilot boat came out to pick up our Pilot captain and we were on our way to Flemenco Marina in Balboa Panama.

We spent a few days here enjoying the marina and taking some time to go out for another tour of Panama City. It is a very large city and a magnificent skyline. Upon closer inspection however once notices a lot of construction which seems to have been put on hold.

While in Panama City, we were informed by Captain Jim that his mother had been admitted to Hospice and was not given much longer to live. We arranged for Jim to fly home and were happy to report that he made to in time to see her before she passed away. Our sincerest condolences go out to Jim and his family for their loss. We will miss having Jim aboard.

2010-06-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2010

2010-06-07T09:40:00.001-07:00

2010-06-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2010
We spent the morning preparing ADVENTURE for the trip though the canal. We changed the oil and filters on the main and check the other fluids and vitals in the engine room. With this out of the way, we spent the rest of our time lounging around the pool awaiting the arrival of Dracula and Rudy who would be our line handlers going through the canal.
The way passage works, is you await clearance from Canal Authorities. Once this is received you are instructed to head to the area known as the flats. This is a staging area where you wait for a pilot captain to board your vessel.

Once on we had our Pilot Captain onboard we made our way up to the first set of locks. We were informed that we would make the entire transit at night which was a big disappointment as we wanted to see the interior of Panama during the day. We were further informed we would have to raft up to a sport fishing boat and lock through together. This was made difficult as the people on the sport fish spoke very little English. Fortunately for us our line handlers spoke fluent Spanish and English. The rafting process was also made difficult due to the dissimilar size and power of our boats. Fenders were put down on the starboard side of ADVENTURE and port side of the Sport Fish. Once both vessels were tied securely together, we powered into the lock using the sport fisher’s power to carry us in.

Locking through is pretty straight forward and much the same as it is on the Mississippi River. You basically have three options locking though, Wall tie, rafted to a tug or center chamber tie. The best option is a center chamber tie because the tubulance from letting water into the lock could cause damage to your boat by slamming it into the concrete walls. We had a combination, rafting/center tie. Once inside the lock chamber the crew on shore toss a Monkeys fist with a line attached down to your boat, you attached your lines to the end of the line with the fist and they pull your heavier lines back up to a cleat. Once secure you either let line out or take line in to keep your vessel in the center of the chamber.

Once we were though the first of the three locks we were informed that because of the speed of our boat, we would not be able to make it to the last set of locks so they informed us we would tie up to a mooring ball for the evening and make the rest of the passage on Sunday. We were all pleased with this turn of events as we really wanted to cross the interior in daylight.

2010-06-07T05:16:00.001-07:00

2010-06-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

May 28, 2010
Dracula made plans to take us on a taxi sightseeing tour of Panama. Our first stop was the Colon Free trade zone (C.F.Z.) The C.F.Z. is a gigantic entity at the Atlantic gateway to the Panama Canal. It is dedicated to re-export an enormous variety of merchandise to Latin America and the Caribbean.
The C.F.Z. has over 2,500 companies operating within its boundaries. Is the world's biggest free zone after Hong Kong. The Free Zone handles more than $16 billion in imports and re-exports each year. My contribution to the commerce there was the purchase of a waterproof camera.

Following this we took a tour of the city of Colon. Panama has two classes of people, those with money and those without. Their city code for electrical seems a bit loose.

After our city tour we all agreed we wanted to see more of Rural Panama so we headed up the coast to Portobello.

We enjoyed the rural aspects of Panama better than the City life and even enjoyed a lunch at a roadside restaurant on the side of the road.
Portobello was founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado. For two centuries it was an important silver-exporting port in New Granada on the Spanish Main and one of the ports on the route of the Spanish treasure fleets.
The city was a victim of one of Captain Henry Morgan's notorious adventures. In 1668, Morgan led a fleet of privateers and 450 men against Portobelo, which, in spite of its good fortifications, he captured and plundered for 14 days, stripping it of nearly all its wealth.
Today, Portobelo is a sleepy little town with a population of fewer than 3,000. It has a deep natural harbor. In 1980 the ruins of the fortification, along with nearby Fort San Lorenzo, were declared a World Heritage Site.
After our tour we hit the grocery store. Purchased $500.00 of groceries and filled the two taxis with our ships stores. By the time we arrived back at the marina everybody was pretty much toast. Dracula informed us our passage through the canal as delayed by a few hours and we would not have to leave until 2:00 tomorrow. So we decided tomorrow would be a pool day.

2010-06-06T06:20:00.001-07:00

We arrived at the Atlantic side breakwater entrance took a hard right and made way for Sunset Bay Marina. The marina is very nice. Service on the other hand is extremely slow, almost nonexistent.

2010-06-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

Approaching the canal can be a little intimidating when one looks at the number and size of the ships awaiting passage.

2010-05-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Panama Canal. Looks like our passage will be Saturday.
Here is the Web Cam Address. I will try to give more definite time when we know more

http://www.acp.gob.pa/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=CerroLuisa

2010-05-23T07:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went by taxi to the Reo Grande River in the mountains of Jamaica for a rafting ride.

The rafts are made from lashing 20’ bamboo pole together with wire. They were originally used to transport bananas from the interior mountains to the mouth of the harbor where they were loaded onto ships.
Our guide Reed has been a raft captain for over 6 years. Prior to becoming a raft captain, you must first spend 5 years as an apprentice. Which means, you drag these rafts back up river, 7 miles against the current, barefoot. Crazy!
It rained all day but the rain was warm and added to the surreal environment. I am amazed how in touch these people are with their environment.

Mid-way on the trip we stopped for what I would call shore lunch. Belinda was our cook. Her mother started this business in the 1970's and Belinda took it over about 10 years ago. She scales down the side of a bluff from her home and rafts the supplies across the river and starts her day. Her commute to work is 1 and a half hours barefoot with her provisions balanced on her head.

We were most impressed with the clarity of the water on this river. I am accustomed to rivers turning brown especially during and after a hard rain. It was explained that there is so much vegetation what runoff is minimal. Unlike that which we experience on our rivers in the Midwest.
Today we are off to see the waterfalls not far from our harborage.

Tomorrow we head for Panama.

Port Antonio

2010-05-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

It has rained hard here this morning which is a good thing as we do not have sufficient water to wash the boat. So a good rinsing from the man upstairs was a blessing to remove all of the salt built up from our crossing.

Port Antonio is hosting the Round the World Clipper race so there is a lot happening here. They stopped here before their next leg which is New York. We were invited to attend their party last night and had a wonderful time and were treated to free drinks and Jamacian food.

2010-05-20T16:12:00.001-07:00

May 20, 2010
We rolled into Port Antonio Jamaica around 9:00 Eastern Time. We cleared Customs with little or no hassle. We have to keep the dogs on board as Jamaica has a no dog policy. If they see your dog ashore they will put it to sleep. YUCK !
We expect to stay here for the next few days exploring Jamaica.
More photos to follow.

2010-05-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

May 19, 2010
05:30. Just got up for my watch, Performed the engine room check and made some coffee before relieving Gale from his watch. The most we have seen all night are three vessels on our radar. One of which is overtaking us. The Lady Giovi. 700’ cargo ship. The winds have died down some but now the seas seem rougher. Actually has been a pretty rough ride since 03:00.
As we made our way past the Eastern end of Cuba the seas were very rolly. Wave height was anywhere from 4 to 6 feet. Once past the cut between Cuba and Haiti the winds subsided and the seas flattened. As Cuba passes our stern we are enjoying a sunset with flat calm winds and flat seas.

Capt. Jim has been trouble shooting the 800 gallon per day water maker. Our salt content off this unit has been around 485 ppm. The 400 gallon per day water maker yields a salt content around 250 ppm. We want to have our water tank full before reaching Jamaica so we do not have to make water in the marina.

Day Summary.
Dept: 15:00 Clarence Town, Long Island Bahamas
Arrival: Cruise Overnight
Hours Traveled:
Miles Traveled:
Miles to Go:
Weather: Winds Easterly at 15 to 20 / Seas 4 to 6’ 85o
Diminishing to 0/0.
Next stop Port Antonio Jamaica

2010-05-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

May 18, 2010
The morning started like any other. Gale made coffee, Capt Jim checked the engine room while I managed to get away doing very little.

We made contact with Patricia the Dock Master for the Government dock. She was a delightful lady with a very dry sense of humor. The price to tie up at the dock was a mere $6.00/ night. Gale volunteered to cover the cost on this one. Bless his heart !! Patricia also contacted customs for us and made arrangements for him to meet us at our boat. As is typical of the Bahamas, we asked when that might be, she said, not sure, sometime before 5:00 pm. So we walked over the Flying Fish Marina and then over to the Roudy Boys bar and grill for mid day brunch.
14:00 Officer Ferguson showed up. He insisted we did not need a departure form, but said he’d be happy to provide us one anyway. We called the Marina in Port Antonio and the new guy we talked to said we didn’t need the departure form and that our cruising permit would be adequate. So we wasted eight hours for what we probably didn’t need in the first place. Nevertheless we asked for the departure papers and we’re on our way.
15:00 we pulled out of Clarence Town and headed South by South East leaving Long Island behind. We worked out a watch schedule which would consist of 3 hours on and 6 hours off. Capt Jim took the first watch from 15:00 to 18:00. Gale would go from 18:00 to 21:00 and I from 21:00 to midnight.
Meal when underway consist of snacks of cheese and crackers and little else as cooking in lumpy seas is not safe and easy.
Day Summary.
Dept: 15:00 Clarence Town, Long Island Bahamas
Arrival: Cruise Overnight
Hours Traveled:
Miles Traveled:
Miles to Go:
Weather: Winds Easterly at 15 to 20 / Seas 2 to 3’ 85o

2010-05-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

After a couple of bloody mary's and two Kalik Bahamain Beers we managed to hammer out a new float plan.

Based on the latest forecast the winds are supposed to hold steadily at 20 knots with 8 foot seas. Better to stay here in our protected harbor and head out Tuesday to Long Island. After an Overnigth in Long Island we'll make the two day run to Port Antonio Jamaica.

Still In Staniel

2010-05-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

We have spent time here snorkeling and performing some deferred maintenance. The winds have been above 20 knotts for the last four days. We are hopping for a reduction in the next few days so we can head out. We will probably clear out of the Bahamas here and head straight for San Antonio Jamaica. Errol Flynn Marina. We expect to arrive there around the 20th.

2010-05-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Update from Staniel Cay Bahamas

2010-05-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

May 6, 2010
05:00 I was up and in the galley making coffee. Excited about what laid ahead. We all said goodbye to our friend Ron Daniels who came down earlier to drive Diane’s car back to Mason City. We were sad to see him go but anxious to get underway.
06:00 I commanded the ADVENTURE out of the marina and down though the river as the morning’s light started to laminate the surroundings. Nav lights came off as we eased our way under the last bridge of the St. Lucie River. Just as we had learned in the tender, by hugging the green line outbound from marker #7 we had plenty of depth. Past the breakwater lies open water and West End Bahamas 76 miles out. The seas were as flat as I have ever seen them.

Capt Jim took the helm and away we went. First order of business was dump the holding tank. Second order of business was repair the starboard state room head. We discovered the head would not flush. Tearing into the plumbing we discovered that the metal toilet paper role holder had somehow gotten into the toilet and plugged her up. Problem cured, hoses reinstalled and everything was operational, until of course we attempted to use the newly rebuilt water makers.

Fishing Yielded no fish on the crossing.

Day Summary.
Dept: 06:00 Stuart Fl.
Arrival: 15:30 West End Bahamas
Hours Traveled: 09:30
Miles Traveled: 74
Miles to Go: 5926
Weather: Winds Calm / Seas Flat 90o
May 7, 2010
Water Maker Morning.
Jim, Gale and I spent the morning rebuilding the water maker pump. Thank the good Lord we had a spare on board. We made the necessary repairs and then decided we’d stay an extra day. We rewarded ourselves with an afternoon of playing in the Tender exploring the local waters.
Day Summary.
Dept: No
Arrival:
Hours Traveled:
Miles Traveled: 74
Miles to Go: 5926
Weather: Winds Calm / Seas Flat 90o

May 8, 2010 07:00 -
Today Started out without a hitch we made our way out of the harbor at West End and headed down the coastline of Grand Bahamas. About 10 miles into our trip we locked onto two beautiful dolphins (Mahi Mahi). I boated the first one and Gale the second. After several minutes of a good fight the fish were boated and put on ice.
We spent the day making repairs and performing preventative maintenance to the dingys. We pulled all the gear out to air it out and repaired the transducer which was damaged on a reef. After the repairs were completed we put the Mahi on the grill and enjoyed a nice luncheon. The seas were as flat as I have ever seen them making for a good passage.
After we figured there’s be nothing else to see, we saw the biggest dolphins in the clearest water we have ever seen just before arriving at the Berry Island Chain. WOW !
We took the dinks to shore and went for a walk on the beach. The no-see-ems were out in masses making for a short walk on the beach.
We dined on Mahai again and it was wonderfully delicious !
Day Summary.
Dept: 08:00 West End
Arrival: 15:30 Berry Islands
Hours Traveled: 07:30
Miles Traveled: 86
Miles to Go: 5840
Weather: Winds Calm / Seas Flat 90o

May 9, 2010 07:00. Happy Mother’s Day ! !
After spending the night Capt Jim and the Gale spend time in the engine room troubleshooting what appeared to be a fuel and oil leak. As it turned out, we just had a little bilge water on the top of the holding tank under the engine. Gale was kind enough to put new oil sorb diapers under the engine. We also managed to get the 800 gallon per day water maker working and are happy to know we’ll be able to make plenty of water for the rest of the trip.
After we stowed the dink and pulled up the hook we headed for Nassau Bahamas.
Put out some lines and all we managed to catch today was barracuda. So we stopped fishing with bait and went to pulling some heavy lures for wahoo and tuna. After about an hour underway at 9 knots, we caught the biggest Mahi of the trip yet.
Ended up in Nassau for the night. This will be our last stop in Civilization until we reach Kingston Jamaica.
Day Summary.
Dept: 08:00 Berry Islands
Arrival: 15:30 Nassau
Hours Traveled: 07:30
Miles Traveled: 50
Miles to Go: 5790
Weather: Winds Calm / Seas Flat 90o

May 10, 2010
This morning was off to a slow start. Capt. Mobely and I ran to the Marina Store to purchase a new salt water wash down pump. The one on board is a 10 gallon per minute (GPM) and the best we could find is only 6 gallons per minute. We pulled away from Nassau at 11:00 and headed for Highborne Cay. Seas were once again calm. We dropped the anchor and splashed the 10 Amanzi tender to run the dogs to the beach for some much needed exercise. Once the dogs were wore out we ran up to Allen’s Cay to check out the Iguanas and do a little snorkeling. Diane doesn’t care for snorkeling, so I bought her a glass bottom bucket which she enjoyed viewing the bottom wild life from on board the dingy.

Grilled Chicken Potatoes and a movie (Hangover) was the event of the evening.
Day Summary.
Dept: 10:30 Nassau
Arrival: 15:30 Highborne Cay
Hours Traveled: 05:00
Miles Traveled: 33
Miles to Go: 5807
Weather: Winds Calm / Seas Flat 90o

May 11, 2010
Up at 06:00 and transferred 135 gallons of fuel into the Day tank. Pulled up the hook and headed for Warderick Wells Cay.
This morning was a bit on the windy side. The stabilizers did their job and ADVENTURE stayed plenty level as we took salt spray over the bow.

Our anchorage is plenty shallow only showing 4’ under the keel. Bottom is sandy and the hook is holding well.
Capt. Jim pulled the salt water wash down pump out of the engine room while Gale and I dove the boat to scrap off the remaining slime and barnacles she acquired in the St. Lucie River at Stuart. We got most of her done before we ran out of oxygen. When Jim came up from the engine room with the pump, Gale and I discovered the damn Scuba compressor was inoperative. So Jim hopped into the dive locker while Gale and I disassemble the old salt water pump. We discovered the shaft was frozen and with the turn of a crescent wrench we were back in business. Now all we needed do was have Capt. Jim figure out how the reassemble the dog gone thing.
Maureen made Lasagna for supper. Quite possibly the best I’ve ever eaten.
Day Summary.
Dept:
Arrival:
Hours Traveled: 00:00
Miles Traveled: 0
Miles to Go: 5782
Weather: Winds Easterly at 20 to 30 / Seas 3’ 85o

May 12, 2010
We spent the day playing. First stop was to the park headquarters for a hike to Boo Boo Hill. Here people will leave pieces of driftwood with their boat names creating memorial to their travels in the Bahamas. We left a modest one for ADVENTURE.
Most amazing of all is the color and clarity of the water.

Having some trouble with the 16’ tender. Seems to be getting harder and harder to start. Capt Jim, took her in to the Park Station to see if he could find an internet site to hook up to. He got a ride back with the park warden because she would not start at all. We’ll head for Staniel Cay tomorrow where we hope to find someone to work on it. I would hate to not have that tender as the 16 is the best equipped and can haul more faster and farther.
Day Summary.
Dept:
Arrival:
Hours Traveled: 00:00
Miles Traveled: 0
Miles to Go: 5782
Weather: Winds Easterly at 20 to 30 / Seas 3’ 85o

May 13, 2010
This morning everyone got up early and tended to the morning chores of cleaning up the boat and conducting engine room and systems checks.
Capt Jim and I went in to the Park Station to retrieve the 16’ Tender and tow her back to Adventure. The tow went without any mishaps and we managed to get them onto the racks. Jim tested the starter and looks like we may have a starter relay problem. After looking at it we soon discovered the problem was in the shifter handle. Seems it had been getting looser and looser as we used the boat and eventually we lost our contact which only allows the boat to be started in Neutral. With the repairs complete, we think we have a fully operational tender once again. Arriving at Staniel we dropped the hook and quickly deployed the tenders and headed to the beach to see the famous swimming pigs. I never realized how well and how fast a pig can swim.
After that it was off to town to the Staniel Yacht Club for a few beers and to drop off the dive tanks for a refill. We strolled though the town and purchased a few groceries. Placed our order for bread at the local bakery and plan on picking it up tomorrow morning when we pick up our dive bottles. When we arrived back at the tenders we were greeted by some of the local water residents.

Day Summary.
Dept: 07:30 Warderick Cay
Arrival: 11:30 Staniel Cay
Hours Traveled: 04:00
Miles Traveled: 24
Miles to Go: 5758
Weather: Winds Easterly at 20 to 30 / Seas 3’ 85o

2010-05-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

May 9, 2010 07:00.
Happy Mother’s Day ! !
After spending the night Capt Jim and the Gale spend time in the engine room troubleshooting what appeared to be a fuel and oil leak. As it turned out, we just had a little bilge water on the top of the holding tank under the engine. Gale was kind enough to put new oil sorb diapers under the engine. We also managed to get the 800 gallon per day water maker working and are happy to know we’ll be able to make plenty of water for the rest of the trip.
After we stowed the dink and pulled up the hook we headed for Nassau Bahamas.
Put out some lines and all we managed to catch today was barracuda. So we stopped fishing with bait and went to pulling some heavy lures for wahoo and tuna. After about an hour underway at 9 knots, we caught the biggest Mahi of the trip yet.
Ended up in Nassau for the night. This will be our last stop in Civilization until we reach Kingston Jamaica.

2010-05-10T04:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from yesterday May 7th.
We were greeted by a two gentlemen selling Conch. Their names were Platinum and Joey. Their favorite way to eat conch was raw. We settled for a couple of empty shells for decorative purposes

May 8, 2010 07:00 - Today Started out without a hitch we made our way out of the harbor at West End and headed down the coastline of Grand Bahamas. About 10 miles into our trip we locked onto two beautiful dolphins (Mahi Mahi). I boated the first one and Gale the second. After several minutes of a good fight the fish were boated and put on ice.
We spent the day making repairs and performing preventative maintenance to the dingys. We pulled all the gear out to air it out and repaired the transducer which was damaged on a reef. After the repairs were completed we put the Mahi on the grill and enjoyed a nice luncheon.
The seas were as flat as I have ever seen them making for a good passage.
After we figured there’s be nothing else to see, we saw the biggest dolphins in the clearest water we have ever seen just before arriving at the Berry Island Chain. WOW !
We took the dinks to shore and went for a walk on the beach. The no-see-ems were out in masses making for a short walk on the beach.
We dined on Mahai again and it was wonderfully delicious !

Two Days in West End

2010-05-08T03:25:00.001-07:00

May 7 2010 – This morning we tested the recently rebuilt water makers. Our findings were that the Low Pressure pump was inoperative. The plastic impeller was total disintegrated which also destroyed the housing. We felt very fortunate to find a brand new replacement, impeller. While putting the fittings back on we cracked the water discharge neck. After spending several hours repairing the unit we finally succeeded in getting the 400 gallon maker to work. We decided to spend the another night in West end since it was 1:30 by the time the repairs were made.
We rewarded ourselves with an afternoon of exploring in the dingy and doing a little snorkeling. Upon our return we found the pump had failed. Capt. Mobley and I spent the rest of the afternoon replacing the seals and once again we were operational.
On a good note we saw a lot of wildlife on our snorkeling adventure. This was one of the many.

Today we intend to head South and put 100 miles behind us.

2010-05-07T04:30:00.000-07:00

May 6, 2010, 06:00 Right on schedule, We cast off the lines and pulled out of Stuart
We arrived in West End Bahamas at 3:30 Central Time. Seas were flat and calm for the entire trip

2010-05-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

After much preparation Adventure is provisioned with enough food and beverages to feed a crew on an aircraft carrier. We hauled and stowed all the food. Made several last minute trips to West Marine for some last minute gota haves. Today we took the dingy out to the pass to ensure we know where the shoals are. We have received many reports of vessels rubbing the bottom as the made their way in and out of St. Lucy pass. Since they all drew 5 1/2 feet and we draw 7' fully loaded we felt we should go out at West Palm or another deeper pass. After the recon, we feel comfortable we will be able to slide out St. Lucy.
We are throwing off dock lines at 0600. Our next stop is West End Grand Bahamas.

Seas are expected to be only 2 to 3 feet with winds out of the south. Should be a good ride.

2010-04-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well today was a bittersweet moment. On one hand I shut down my office for two months knowing that my team is in place to keep the business wired tight. On the other hand, I am thinking of how much I will miss the action and involvement of being needed to keep Vi-COR moving forward. For those of you who do not know the Vi-COR enterprise you can learn more about my company at www.vi-cor.com. I am blessed with some of the finest people an employer could ever ask for. My heartfelt thanks goes out to them for making this adventure a possibility.

2010-04-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, Thanks to the Iceland Volcano, I will not be traveling to Amsterdam on Monday. While this is very disappointing as we have a very large investment in this trade show and we had scheduled many important meetings with our Distribution teams in Europe, I can use the time to complete some unfinished business at the office.

Adventure continues being readied for the trip even as I type this posting.

2010-04-13T17:55:00.001-07:00

While many Nordhavns owners have cruised many more miles than we have (Including the former owners of Adventure) we are proud to be able to submit our total miles for Adventure. 7,000 since 2008 which qualifies us for their Distance Pennant Program http://www.nordhavn.com/distance_pennant/).

We have qualified for the 5,000 mile pennant which we will fly proudly until we upgrade in San Diego.

2010-04-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

On May 6, 2010 Adventure's crew will cast off her dock lines and depart for a trip which will take her down the Bahamian Island Chain to Grand Cayman to Belize, Honduras, through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica and eventually her new home in San Diego, California. We are excited and await with great anticipation for the new sights and experiences we will have on this journey. Please be sure to log on for updates as we begin our biggest adventure yet.

Welcome to Adventure

2010-04-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

Adventure is a 62' Nordhavn built in 2002.

Length 62'

Beam 19'6"

Draft 6'6"

Engine 325 hp Kamatsu Lugger.

Adventure was originally commissioned by David Crannel of Tampa Florida. He has sailed her from San Diego to Australia to Alaska and Maine. She was purchased by Earth Harbor Society owned by Mark and Diane Holt of Mason City, Iowa in April of 2008 and has since been used to explore the waters from Florida up the Tom Bigby waterway to the Tennessee River, to the Ohio and up the Mississippi River to her summer home in LaCrosse, WI. There she was used to entertain clients and friends, deploying dingys and Kyaks to explore the back waters of the Upper Mississippi River.

In the Fall of 2008 she returned to Florida and was based in Naples, FL for the Winter.

In the spring of 2009 she sailed up the Eastern Seaboard to Portsmouth, RI and was used to explore Martha's Vineyard and local waters in Long Island Sound.

Adventure is now being prepared to make the journey from Stuart Florida to San Diego California via the Panama Canal.