Quick - before it's gone! Part Two: Anniversaries and Anchorages

Once we knew that we were sea-worthy and stocked up, the Captain and I were ready - I mean ready - to get under sail and truly, finally become "cruisers".  And, as we neared our second wedding anniversary, I was becoming nearly panicked that we would still be hooked on to a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor, so we really wanted to kick it into gear.  I mean, seriously?  How could we possibly follow last year's Pirate Ship Cruise in New Zealand for our first anniversary with sitting on a mooring ball which we had been on for almost three months?!?!  (please go back and reread this part in the most sarcastic, princessy voice possible)

She now knows staying on deck helps with the sea-sickness!

On March 19, the day before our anniversary, Rob and Captain Jim (see last post) finished tuning the rigging in the morning, all ship "stuffs" were stowed and ready for rocking, and the cats had been told to prepare themselves - a phrase that went over their heads until the motor was started...  Once the motor was started, the yelling at us began.  Thankfully, though, this is now short-lived as they are learning where they need to be when we are under way to remain comfortable.

After what could have been a losing-the-solar-panel-tragedy, the Captain and I decided that getting water at the marina for $.05/gallon under high winds and higher gusts was not worth the risk of being blown sideways while we parked and (scarier still) tried to get away from the dock.  We called the place we needed to stop at for gas further down the way and learned they had water for $.15/gallon.  It's amazing how - sometimes - piece of mind is worth so much more than the pennies you are trying to pinch.

Taken as we were leaving Boot Key Harbor!

We felt so clever getting our water and gas at the same place, though my parking job could have used some help: I was going fast enough as we approached the fueling station that our dock line tore the cleat out of the (fairly rotted) wooden post.  Oops...  While there, we (read: "I") decided that we needed to make sure we were fully stocked up on all things motor related, including some oil for our outboard motor on the dinghy; this oil gets mixed in with each new tank of gas and is essential to a healthy motor!  Well, after paying for it all and deciding to get two more bottles, we shoved off without fan-fair, trouble, or any other noteworthy event!

That is, until we were just far enough into the narrow channel with shallow shores on either side of us and turning around or backing up was no longer an option; this is the moment when I realized that I did not get the bottles of oil I have paid for from the gas station!  Now, bare in mind that we just spent three times on water what we had thought we were going to spend and that each bottle of oil is 1) kinda pricey and, 2) very necessary.  I have no idea why my husband loves me and listens to me the way he does, but I convinced him it was very important that we have that oil - so important that I was going to turn around once out of the channel and go back for them...  But, being the Monkey Captain that he is, Rob climbed on the dinghy that was being towed behind us, detached, went back for the oil, and came racing back to reattach to the boat as I slowly inched my way out of the channel!  Yeah, BIG props on him for that!!!

Baron's becoming quite the Sailor Cat!

By the time all of this had happened, we were leaving the channel at 3:30 in the afternoon with the knowledge that we would stop no later than 6:00ish, giving us ample time to find a good spot to drop anchor and make sure the anchor was staying in said spot.  Fighting sizable waves that wanted to push us into the shallow area and gusts of wind that were enough to have to grip the steering wheel, I headed toward the Seven Mile Bridge for the final time.  We entered the Gulf of Mexico side of the Keys, breathed a sigh of relieve that the land blocked a good amount of the wind on this side, and finally started our trip east to stage for our Great Jump-Off to the Bahamas!

However, due to time, we didn't get far before dropping anchor...  In fact, we anchored just outside of the canal we had lived in during our first month in Marathon.  This was cause for much laughter between us, though it was amazing to indulge in the concept that - while we weren't physically far from where we had started - we were forever away from it.  That first month was spent next to land with a bathroom and shower, a kitchen and plenty of fresh water, and - of course - electricity from the house.  That first month, we had a car, we listened to every piece of advice others had for us, and we were still wondering what it would be like to constantly be surrounded by water.  In that first month, we were People Who Had Just Bought a Boat.

And, now, we are Cruisers.

We have the knowledge.  We have the set-up.  And, most importantly, we have the confidence.

Sunrise on our first anchorage and on our second Spring Equinox together.

We woke up the next morning "on the hook" (on anchor) for the first time to celebrate our second wedding anniversary with only one another, talking to no other human, not stepping foot on land, and sailing the entire day to our next destination: Fiesta Key.  It was exhilarating to hoist the sails, turn off the motor, and hear the wind taking us to where we had time to get to - no "have tos", no "musts", no reservations or schedules.  All we knew was to have the anchor in the water before the sun had been in bed long enough for dark to settle in.  I have to admit, it brought a smile to my face and a sigh to my chest to set anchor for the second time and find that both our anchor and my Captain are good at their jobs!

Our crew inspecting our shore gear for us!

We spent three days anchored off Fiesta Key, going to one "town" by foot and another town by bike to finish our provisioning, strolling around the camp site on the Key after dinner and before our (free!) shower, and visiting our neighboring boat.  It was fortuitous that we went "calling" on our neighbors as they had just returned from the Bahamas and had so much information, hints, and paperwork to share with us - including the tip that we could grab a shower at the Fiesta Key camp site!  And, we watched - we watched three different wind/weather websites, we watched the anchor and every little piece of the boat, we watched each other to make sure that we were ready.

The Fierce Huntress

MC with her catch

There is a story for the cat-lovers to be told about these three days anchored, though it may be hard for the bird-lovers to read, so proceed with caution...  You have been warned!  On our first day off Fiesta Key, I was sitting in the cockpit with my journal, just excited to have this opportunity to get to write and journal instead of feeling the need to blog or clean or "go do".  The Captain was below making us breakfast and had just handed me a cup of hot coffee when we heard something from the front of the boat that let us know one of the cats had jumped and slid down some of the fiberglass with nails out trying to grab on.  No big deal - that's what cats do on a boat.  Within 15 seconds, MC was rounding the corner and coming into the cockpit with a small Carolina Wren in her mouth, headed  for the cabin.  Somehow, she had managed to catch a bird that had either 1) landed on our boat for a few seconds, or 2) flown past our boat and she got it in mid-air.  Either way, as unhappy as it made me, we have to congratulate her on her hunting abilities and willingness to share with the group...  She left some for her brother and her pathetically unskilled humans.

How the cats prepare to sail...

Finally, on March 25th - a mere three and a half weeks past our last proposed sail-out date, our time was upon us.  Knowing that the trip would be long and would require night sailing, knowing that we wanted to arrive in the Bahamas during sunlit hours, and knowing that we needed to be relaxed, we decided that leaving in the middle of the afternoon would line us up perfectly.  So, we spent the morning cleaning the boat, preparing all objects on-board for heeling over, and calling our immediate family members for one last voice contact before shipping out - a bittersweet task, to be sure.

Every pore of my body is happy!

Finally, at 3:33 in the afternoon, just 33 minutes past our "let's be gone by" time, the Captain pulled us up the anchor line a little at a time as I kept an eye on our motor gauges.  When I heard the words, "We're free!" from the bow of the boat, I turned the wheel and headed toward the Channel 5 Bridge, the entry to the Atlantic Ocean, an arch we had to pass under in order to enter into a world only dreamed of by most.  I wish I could describe for you, Dear Reader, what I felt in those moments, but I'm not sure there exists a thesaurus which would have all the right words: excitement, fear, exhilaration, trepidation, wonder, love, and just plain happy cannot even come close to what was bursting out of every pore of my being!

Channel 5 Bridge - we both biked over and sailed under it!

O.K., so now I need to go play and live the day!  I'm in the Bahamas and want to play in the water, not spend all of my time reflecting on what has already happened!  I promise to finish the last installment and be caught up soon.  Then, I get to tell you all about what we have gotten to do here in Bimini, including our dinner party on a 52-foot beautiful sailing yacht which ended with Absinthe served on LED-lit ice cubes and complete with water fountain and Absinthe serving spoons!