The Life

We said, "Why not?" 

"The literal voyage, with its pulling up of roots, is accompanied by the figurative voyage and the pulling apart of the self. Both teach you what defines you and fulfills you. If you are ready to face yourself as you are, then you will find this spiritual growth, to be vastly satisfying and energizing."

 Beth A. Leonard, "Is this the Life for You?" from The Voyager's Handbook

As of today, we have been living aboard Troubadour three years. Our journey has been filled with life lessons. Some have been tests, even ordeals, that have surprised us by strengthening us to our very core.  Others have been magical sights, sounds, and feelings that have inspired us: compassion, beauty, laughter, new bonds of friendship, the moon, the stars, the setting sun, the rain, dolphin, sea turtles, and even tears. The abundance of these gifts and many more, not only fill our souls, but they serve to encourage us to continue along this path.

"... I fish and I play my guitar
I laugh at the bar with my friends
I go home to my wife
I pray every night
I can do it all over again"

From "The Life" by Kenny Chesney

Fairwinds

Culebrita: So many shades of blue

Culebrita Reef as viewed from the lighthouse

In between the usual cleaning and boat chores, we’ve been visiting the sites and sights of Culebra and Culebrita. We headed over to Tortuga Bay for a snorkel and lunch, but the swells were working their way in around the corner so we re-located to the SE corner of Culebrita. The snorkeling there was very nice, but here the wind chop was still making the boat roll a bit too much for comfortable sleeping. We decided on Almodovar bay, which looked very calm as we passed it on our trip to Culebrita, and only a mile away.

Tortuga Bay, Culebrita, with lighthouse in background 

Almodovar Bay in the distance, where we are currently moored.

Entering late with the sun in our faces, we discovered the chart chip defines the mangrove shoals a bit differently than reality, so we cleaned a bit of growth off the keel before backing off and finding the center of the bay entrance. Not enough to knock off any barnacles, so I’ve still got some more cleaning to do, but not as much growth as I would expect after not moving much over the last five months. It was indeed well protected, and nearly empty as we shared the seven free moorings with two other boats. It has become our favorite anchorage to escape the loud music (weekends) and boat wakes in Dakity.

The reef 20 feet below our mooring at Culebrita

We have been back to Culebrita for more snorkeling and a hike to the lighthouse, which gave us a good overview of the reef running along the south side of Culebra. When the latest weather trough was approaching and the wind died, we took the dink over for some snorkeling and to see if it was worth breaking out the dive gear (we decided to pass). Although we see a lot of healthy staghorn and elkhorn coral, and lots of gorgonians like corky sea fingers, we did not see many adult fish, only a few parrotfish, and lots of juveniles and smaller reef fish like goatfish, basslets, and damselfish. Not sure if the reefs have been overfished, or if the adults are just somewhere else. We did run into a few schools of tangs, and there are quite a few tarpon that hang out under the boat when we’re on the mooring. The turtles seem to be doing well; we’ve seen a few every place we’ve moored.

The Dinghy Dock Restaurant serves microbrews

The Dinghy Dock carries Old Harbor Brewery microbrews, so we tend to tie up there (free), and then it’s hard to get back aboard without having one or more of their Pale Ales. There is a nice library (free) only a few blocks away, and we’ve donated some of our books as well as taking advantage of the opportunity to read a few new books we won’t have to haul with us. The produce vendors set up on the main road on Fridays, assuming the ferry hasn’t broken down, allowing us to stock back up on pineapple, mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, and onions.

Although small, the Culebra library has an awesome selection of books,
 as well as WiFi, and computers

Since it appears the hurricane season is winding down without a late season storm (knock on wood!), we will likely check outa few more areas on the western side, and Vieques, over the next week or two before turning in our library books and heading over to St Thomas.

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, in the distance on the horizon

Fairwinds

Written by Captain Chris  

What's on the Menu? ... Tortillas & Eggs



"You can't judge a galley by it's charm."
Joy Smith, Kitchen Afloat

As cruisers we are all happy to share our recipes because we know that cooking aboard presents a unique set of challenges and adjustments from our land based kitchens. Sometimes preparing and cooking something you always made at home transfers quite readily to your floating kitchen, other times not. Going out to eat is a rare treat often saved for when the cook is sick and tired of cooking and washing dishes (at least on Troubadour). It's fun and sometimes challenging to come up with new meal ideas, and try new recipes. I cook more, now, on my boat than I ever did in my land based life, and I find that I really enjoy it. So, like my galley mates on other floating homes, I plan to begin sharing some recipes. You will find them, along with Troubadour's Galley Tidbits, under the headline "What's on the Menu?"



Scrambled eggs mixed with tortilla pieces

Tortillas and Eggs

An easy and tasty variation on scrambled eggs, Tortillas and Eggs, is a regular item on Troubadour's breakfast menu. In this recipe corn tortillas torn into bite size pieces are lightly crisped and mixed with onion and green pepper before adding beaten eggs. The result is a subtle Mexican flavor that grabs the taste buds.

 

This recipe is for two, modify as needed for the size of your pan, your crew and your hunger level!

Here's what you need:

4 eggs beaten

Two corn tortillas torn into bite size pieces
Dash of cumin
Dash of salt
Dash of red pepper
Chopped onion
Chopped green pepper
Shredded cheese
Butter
Pam or Canola Oil
Salsa

Turn your flame on medium high and put a small amount of oil/Pam in your sauté pan. Place the corn tortillas in the pan, sprinkle with the spices. Shake or stir the tortillas around in the pan while letting them get lightly browned and a little crispy. When the tortillas are crispy, add about a teaspoon of butter and your veggies to the pan. Sauté the tortillas and veggies together for a few seconds, then push to one side and add beaten eggs. Stir the eggs as they are cooking; gradually mixing in the tortillas and veggies. When the eggs are done to your satisfaction, remove from pan; sprinkle with cheese and a bit of your favorite salsa.

Bon Appétit

Night Passages

For many cruisers, overnight passages can’t be avoided.  It could be a necessity - because it will take you at least one night or more to arrive at your destination while under sail or motor-sailing. Or, it would be a choice – because you are faced with a sail of 10 hours or more and if you leave in the morning, there is a chance you won't make it before sunset to anchor safely with good light should you be delayed, or not sail as quickly as planned. Therefore, the option you have to consider is to leave in the evening around sunset, so that even if delayed, you will arrive in the morning with plenty of light for safe anchoring and avoiding hazards.  In any event, I think you will find sailors who love overnight passages and some who just prefer not to do them at all. 

Chris and I have done several overnight passages in our past lives - him in the Navy, both of us in yacht club distance races with six to twelve crew members. Together on Troubadour our longest passage was two nights, three days. Even with this experience, overnight passages can still be a bit scary for me. 



Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, My!

Chris, always the Navy commander, uses rational thinking to dispel my misplaced fears. He'll say, "What are you afraid of?" And I'll say something like, "the wind, the waves, the storms I can't see coming, stuff floating in the water, something breaking."

Chris will give me a perfectly logical explanation for each of my concerns, and although the fear hasn't totally seeped out of my veins, at least it's more manageable. I mean, I can't do anything
about the wind, and I have an idea on what's predicted, and it would sure be nice to sail, and I can trim the sails, and.... now, what was I afraid of? 

I guess, when I read this, it seems that the weather and sea state are my biggest concerns. So, armed with the mantra “knowledge is power,” before we pull anchor or slip the mooring we check the weather, listen to Chris Parker, and make our plans according to our comfort and our experience. This is important to consider when doing a night sail. If we followed more experienced friends out there, we might get into trouble. Therefore, we make plans based on our abilities and the capabilities of our boat. Yeah, at times, once we are out there, we might not like how it feels, but we get to expand our comfort zone for our next journey.

Safety gear


The use of safety gear on Troubadour for night sails and long passages is the same. It includes setting up the jacklines from cockpit to bow. We always have our ditch bag and EPIRB ready and near the companion way. We wear our life vests and tether ourselves to the jacklines if we have to leave the cockpit. Neither one of us leaves the cockpit unless the other is in the cockpit; and, absolutely no peeing over the side at night lest you fall in and the mate doesn’t see you. We also each have our own headlamp that sets to red light to protect our night vision (interior lights are kept off). We also talk through man overboard procedures, VHF communication, and navigation rules of the road. Knowing the rules of the road helps ease concerns about ship traffic at night. (Is that ship coming toward me or going away from me?) Chris also removes the dinghy engine and secures it either in the dinghy or in the lazarette. This is a safety maneuver to keep the dinghy engine from being caught by the seas and knocking the dinghy around on the davits. In addition, we let our family members and friends know our plans. And we regularly use our SPOT locator to indicate when we’ve arrived at a new destination. On our sail around Haiti we sent the “OK” signal from our SPOT locator every six hours.

Meals underway

Preparing for the overnight sail also includes meal planning. Truthfully, overnight meal planning on Troubadour is not all that different from day sail meal planning. I pre-make nearly all the dinner meals depending upon the number of nights we will be underway. You can't entirely predict the conditions, so having some meals ready to go is always helpful. In advance of the passages, I will usually make rice & beans, or choose simple meals such as opening a can of chili/stew to heat on the stove for dinners, making sure that my stove retainers are accessible for securing the pots. I prepare sandwiches/wraps with veggies/fruit for lunch, and breakfast is cereal or English muffins or Pop-Tarts (yes! we eat Pop-Tarts) - toasting these latter two items while the generator is running.

The overnight passage also includes pre-setting up the lee cloth in the main salon to make a comfy crib-like sleeping area; getting the headlamps accessible; having the foul weather gear in easy reach (even in the heat of the tropics it gets damp at night), and stuffing the snack bin. Snacks include baggies of popcorn (made in advance); granola and Clif Bars; peanuts; and chocolates. I boil water to pour into a thermos allowing each of us to create our own hot beverage - coffee singles for Chris, tea or hot cocoa for me. This works for us.  

Chris settles in for night passage to Royal Island, Bahamas

Night  watches and sleeping

Our night watch schedules are still being worked out. In the beginning we just took turns sleeping when we got tired. But that doesn't work well for two people who like their sleep. What has worked on our last several passages is a 3-on 3-off schedule overnight, with naps during the day if on a long passage (like our passage around Haiti). The first watch is mine, 7-10pm. While I'm on watch, Chris usually reads and snoozes because this is too early for bed for him.  I take the first watch to "shake out" those fear bugs. Chris will offer to snooze in the cockpit, if I am especially anxious. We wake each other ten minutes prior to the watch, which gives us time to wash our faces/brush our teeth, get coffee or tea and a snack. We discuss our position, the conditions and ship contacts/sightings. Then we change watch. Chris uses music as his "timer" scanning the horizon after every couple of songs on RadioMargaritaville. I like the three hour watch because it is long enough for me to stay awake and not get too nervous. During my watch I read (red-light on head lamp), watch the sea near and far every ten minutes through the binoculars for ship traffic, and check the radar every 30 minutes for ships or heavy clouds that might indicate storms. I check the sails for adjustments and watch our instruments for changes in the wind speed or direction and check our position and make course changes when we reach waypoints or as needed. Sometimes I do seated yoga stretches or just watch the bioluminescence in our wake and sing along to RadioMargaritaville. Jimmy's on night watch with me!  I guess with all this going on, who has time to be scared?
 
Although a necessity, sleeping doesn’t come that easily. There are noises that keep us awake: the whoosh of the ocean rushing by the hull, the whistling of wind in the rigging, the creaking of the floor boards or jiggling of the jib car or mainsheet shackles…and sometimes the thrum of the engine. The darkness only seems to magnify these sounds, but after a time you just sort of let them hypnotize you into a state of rest. I know I’ve slept on my off watch, but I promise you it has never been the full three hours, more like half of that time.

 Troubadour arrives at dawn at Puerta Plata,
Dominican Republic after an all night sail.

A new day dawns

Once I do get the gremlins out my mind, the beauty of the moonlit sky or the stars is mesmerizing. I search for constellations or planets, watch for falling stars and marvel at the Milky Way. Watching for the first signs of morning light on the horizon infuses me with the peace of knowing we made it through the night and we’re ok. Chris is usually at the helm at sunrise, and I awake to find we are almost near our destination. Time to put on a pot of coffee and take in the morning.

Our next night sail is likely to be from the British Virgin Islands to St. Martin sometime in early spring. I’ll listen to RadioMargaritaville, read a book, watch the stars and maybe not be so scared
this time.

Will you share what you've learned on your overnight passages, what works for you? We'd love to hear from you!

 Troubadour at rest after a 320 NM passage to Ile a Vache, Hiati.

Our experience

Here are some of our overnight passages, and some brief comments – most had beautiful sunrises and sunsets, lights glowing on island landscapes, and even dolphins playing in our bow wake.

Ponce Inlet, FL to St. Augustine, FL (shakedown cruise) - 18 hours/ 50 NM

We left on the afternoon high tide during daylight; an offshore storm overtook us bringing 35 kt wind gusts, lightning, thunder and sheets of rain. When the storm passed, conditions were flat

calm. After hours of sailing at 2 kts, we ended up motoring into St. Augustine in the late morning.

Marsh Harbor, Abaco Islands to Royal Island – 16 hours/90 NM

We wanted to arrive in the morning for best light to see in the anchorage. After leaving the Sea of Abaco through Lynard Cut, the ocean trip began with wind on the stern and following seas,

putting us ahead of our estimated arrival, and just when you get excited about that, the wind fell off, but the swells continued. Yuck. We put a preventer on the boom and motor sailed watching

the lights of Nassau in the distance.

Big Sand Cay, Turks & Caicos to Puerta Plata, DR - 15 hours/ 100 NM

Perfect.  We sailed the whole way; arrived early morning.  Chris was asked by a tug and tow to change course, and though we were under sail he agreed to fall off to pass astern of the HUGE

barge being towed. This is the rule of the road known as “the rule of gross tonnage”.

Manzanillo, DR to Ile a Vache, Haiti - 60 hours/320 NM

We sailed until we arrived in the Windward Passage where we ... lost wind, and were forced to motor between the “arms” of Haiti. After rounding the SW point, we were finally able to sail for

the last few hours into Port Morgan.

Catalina Island, DR to Ponce, PR - 28 hours/175 NM

We motor sailed into prevailing trade winds to cross the Mona Passage during the night lee. We made 7 kts when the current was with us, about 4 when against the current or big swells.

Ah, Culebra



Some things can only be said with pictures!

On Monday we packed a lunch and rented bikes, $15 for the whole day (a 24-hour day!). Our first journey took us to over a few hills to Flamenco Beach. We considered sailing here but with the swells and waves from Phillipe, it made more sense to see it by land. After walking the beach, checking out the iguanas and turtles in a small mangrove inlet, and eating our lunch in the shade at the kioskos, we ventured onward. We rode back up a hill to take in the view of Ensenada Honda to the southeast and Flamenco Beach to the north. Spectacular.

We rode along Ensenada Honda to find Shark's restaurant and bar and the museum. We learned the museum was only open on Friday - Sunday, but that didn't stop us. We continued on for a short distance to find that Shark's is under new ownership as  Sea Breeze Hotel at Costa Bonita. A beautiful resort and restaurant. Although the restaurant was closed (it's off season and only open on weekends) we were able to buy a couple of beers at the air conditioned gift shop and walk the grounds. The views are stunning.  

A little rain shower cooled us down for our ride back to Dewey and the Dinghy Dock Bar & Restaurant where we enjoyed another beer before taking the dinghy back to Ensenada Dakity.

On Tuesday, we left our mooring for a day trip to Lana's Cay at Luis Pena for another chance to snorkel the large reef. We picked up a mooring directly over an old ship wreck in 20 feet of crystal clear water. The bay is protected from the easterly winds and although the seas were still running a little southeast, we were able to snorkel in calm waters in the protected cove. We arrived back at our mooring ball in Ensenada Dakity in time for our sundowners.

Just another lovely day in Culebra.   

Ahoy! Isla de Culebra

Goodbye, Rosie!

We said our "see you out there" goodbyes to our friends at Roosevelt Roads on Friday, Sept. 30,  at 10 am (well before the 6 pm deadline), and left the harbor in 8 to 10 knots of breeze.


The island of Vieques

A beatiful blue sky, a soft breeze, small swells, and the sound of trickling water on the hull as we moved along infused us with the peace and joy of sailing again. But the feeling was short-lived. There wasn't enough wind - 4kts - to get us to our destination in daylight! We toughed it out for an hour and then enlisted "Perkins" to motor sail the remaining distance toward Culebra.



Lana's Cove, Isla Luis Pena

We arrived at Lana's Cove on the small island, Cayo Luis Pena, at 2 pm. This arrival marked an anniversary of sorts for Chris, whose last visit to this island and the Spanish Virgin Islands was in 2001. We picked up a mooring ball and went for a refreshing snorkel, spotting three small sea turtles along the reef. The seas appeared to be getting a little choppy, and the wind was predicted to shift, so the captain suggested we continue on to Ensenada Honda in Culebra. 

Arriving in Ensenada Dakity, Culebra

An hour after we left Cayo Luis Pena, we picked up a mooring ball in 20 ft of water in Ensenada Dikity just south of Ensenada Honda. This is a reef protected area where the DNR has put in many mooring balls and it wasn't crowded so we had our choice.  We arrived in time to enjoy our Sundowners - a Sam Adams Light (for the captain) and a Blue Moon (for the admiral). The sunset, the moon, and the stars of the Milky Way were our gifts at the end of a beautiful day on the water.

Ensenada Honda, as viewed from the Dinghy Dock Restaurant, Culebra

 

Cheers y'all!