Kyanna Sails

47. Zeus and the Flying Fish

July 8 – 21^st, 2008

(See Photo Album Struck by Zeus)

It was a glorious sail from Port Royal to Cape Fear, but our sights were set on making one more off-shore jump to Cape Hatteras. After our day & a half off shore we slept late in a quite ICW anchorage. Bleary-eyed, my brain couldn’t reconcile what my eyes saw – a flying fish on the sole of our cabin!! We have screens on everything! How did it get there? The cat? The mystery remains, but it was very dead and stinky! Beware of the Omen of the Flying Fish!!

We moved on to Wrightsville Beach, NC with the high tide and anchored to wait for evening to sail overnight to Cape Hatteras. The weather had started to deteriorate and heavy rain reached the area. We checked the weather and decided to delay our departure to Beaufort, NC for a day or two due to predicted thunderstorms in the area. We were deluged by heavy rain and then thunderstorms reached the area. The thunder and lightening passed directly through the area with extremely loud cracks very near by - we cringed every time! Then Zeus’ Wrath!!! There was an intense flash and two loud bangs; I could see electricity flowing around the shrouds and generally in the air overhead. Flaming objects landed on deck and on the hatch above me; I watched them be put out by the rain. Claus was facing aft and saw electricity flow around the outboard motor propeller and stern rail. Still in disbelief we came to our senses and checked our electrical cabinet for fire. The control box for the wind generator and solar panels had wisps of smoke coming from it. Claus opened the cover as I stood by with a fire blanket. As soon as he opened the box the smoke cleared; we found no other sign of fire. We started to turn stuff on - toast, toast, toast!! We naively thought - "Oh, it's just a few fuses." But Claus' search only produced one blown fuse that blew immediately after being replaced. We are incredibly grateful that the two of us and our cat came out of it unscathed!!!!! Kyanna has been hauled & surveyed and her hull sound - the electronics can be replaced. We don't have as much as a depth sounder for nav. equipment, but the worst for day to day life is that the fridge is fried! - back to ice-box days. Needless to say our plans have changed, but our insurance company is taking care of us. We'll be here for an undetermined period of time first completing assessments and then installing new electronics. We're not feeling too sorry for ourselves though - the boat yard has put us at a very nice, private marina complete with a pool! There is a grocery store, hardware store and marine store within walking or biking distance and the beach is only a mile away. We feel grateful to have support on so many fronts!!!!! We promise to pay more attention the next time a flying fish lands in our bunk!

46. Life in the Low Country

May 19 – July 8, 2008

(See Photo Album of the Same Name.)

When we arrived in Port Royal, SC (that’s near Beaufort) from the Bahamas, we became land-lubbers for a couple weeks of house and dog-sitting for our friends Deb & Carter. They were off helping deliver their brand-spank’in-new Passport from Fort Lauderdale to Annapolis. (Check out their new venture at www.svabacus.spaces.live.com) We jumped right into the American dream with strip-malls, nice cars, a beautiful house, endearing neighbors, pets & high-speed internet. Our world revolved around our “rent-a-dog” Ollie. Once again, he was an admirable host to his fickle “cousin” Charlotte. Being in the south, I realized that the first week we had a “dog” and the second week we had a “dawg”! We amused ourselves by catching crab at the local dock – I even caught shrimp in my cast-net! Claus got his fill of TV news shows and we rented movies from Blockbuster. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore!” Deb & Carter returned and our land vacation was over.

Kyanna was safely docked at the Port Royal Landing Marina – a gem not to be missed if you’re passing through the area! The hospitality from staff and boater’s alike can not be matched!! (www.portroyallandingmarina.com) For the next five weeks Kyanna was our focus! She needed some TLC after almost a year of cruising. We both have an endless list and always will, but we set an alarm and “punched the clock” almost everyday. We dusted the rust off our folding bikes to make the almost daily trek to the local West Marine store (for you boater’s – imagine one where they really know they’re stuff!!) Of course new issues moved to the top of the list that weren’t there when we arrived, like our GPS/AIS failure. Without going into the details, Claus spent days on the phone with our friend Fred & marine technicians trying to triage the problem. By the time we left Kyanna was a happy girl with all systems go and gleaming refinished teak. We worked hard, but the area held wonderful diversions. The Beaufort River’s low country marshes play host to a rich mosaic of wildlife. Dolphin greeted us daily, we enjoyed watching the osprey that roost under the bridge teach their young to fly & hunt and heron pluck fish from the tidal waters. Every morning the squawk of a green heron woke us – this was Charlotte’s cue that the day had begun. He spent hours perched on the rail of the boat watch his “dock chickens” which is what the locals call the green herons. Claus tended our crab traps and became known as the “Crab Man”. We played with friends; Deb & Carter made us part of the family for long weekends and we started to get to know the boaters of Port Royal Landing. We were befriended by a wonderful “live-a board” couple Sami & Barry who were open and generous! (www.everafterdays.blogspot.com) Every Friday & Saturday night there was a boater’s BBQ; bring your own meat & drinks and a dish to share. We got to sample some of the best southern cooking around: tomato pie, grilled peaches, boiled peanuts, stuffed peppers, ribs and an old fashioned Pig Roast for the 4^th of July put on by the marina! Thank you all for making us feel so welcome and at home!!!

45. Back in the USA!!!

May 16-19, 2008

(See Photo Album “Big Fish”)

One final beach walk and anchors away! “Wait, wait! Our radar isn’t working!” We Skyped a friend for info and ran a test – nothing to be done – off we go!! We left Munjack Cay, our last stop in the Bahamas at 2pm. We had an invigorating sail over night to the Gulf Stream! After only short hops for the past couple of months, we were pleased that Kyanna was chomping at the bit and we all happy to be living on a slant again. In the Gulf Stream the wind promptly died, but we found the sweet spot in the Stream which gave us a 4 knot boost. “How fast were you going?” you may ask. “Fast enough to catch fish!” The first iridescent jewel was a “cruiser’s sized” dolphin fish (mahi mahi) – oh, she was pretty! Meanwhile, Charlotte did some hunting of his own. A little bird landed for a rest; it hopped under the dodger right into Charlotte’s waiting fangs! “Give me that bird!” I shrieked! The cat called me a hypocrite! “Come on! You got the fish! I get the bird!!” It didn’t look good for the bird, but I put it in a box and a few hours later it flew away with only a few missing feathers. The next afternoon – WAHOO!! Claus got the silver flash to the boat – “Gaff it!!” he says. At this point I’m wondering when I was supposed to have taken “Gaffing 101”! “In the gill! Anywhere! Get it!” This, especially for a first timer is easier said than done, moving boat, moving person, moving fish…hmmm. Got it!! She was a big girl measuring 57” head to tail. It took me the rest of the afternoon to clean her and oh did we feast – no Dinty Moore or beef jerky here! There were others that got away, but just as well; the winds were supposed to pick up and we needed to be ready. All was stowed and sails reefed. Who says forecasts are never right? As predicted, exactly at 8pm the wind whipped up to 25 knots, then 30+; this we expected. What we hadn’t planned on was 8-12’ seas on the beam with 15 footers here and there and an errant “monster”! It was a long night complicated by a leaky chain-plate that changed from a drip under normal conditions to “Niagara Falls” with the rolling seas. The winds dropped to 25 knots sustained; a welcome relief. As we approached Port Royal Sound we go some lee from our landfall maybe 15 miles out. Back in the USA!! We arrived 5 hours early after having sailed almost 500 miles in 64 hours. It’s good to be home.

44. Bahamian Heritage

May 3, 2008

(See Photo Album Bahamian’s at their Heritage Festival, The Royal Bahamian Police Marching Band and Fire Dancing & Into the Night.)

New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco

Island Roots Heritage Festival

The Bahamas: The Jewel of the Crown

People came from all around. When we returned from a walk our path crossed a young woman hurrying down the road. We asked if she was late for work, she said, “No I have to catch to ferry! The Police Band is performing at 6:00! Aren’t you coming!?” We said we where going the next day as she ran on calling out to the ferry to “Wait!, Wait!” and calling back to her friends to “Hurry! Hurry!” The next morning leaving White Sound, we rounded the point to find over 25 cruising boats anchored outside of town where there had only been two the day before. Everyone was in high spirits! Teenagers and young adults were strutting like the roosters at the dump, families ambled through the festivities and grandmas sat in the shade watching over the babies. Bahamian woman come in two sizes: pencil thin and “Bahama Mama”. Either way they were dressed to impress! “Ya Mun!”  There were activities and presentations all day long. Everything from a hoola-hoop contest for kids to a talk on bush medicine to a fashion show of Monarchs and Royal Subjects dressed in period costumes. Everything heated up when the Royal Bahamian Police Force Marching Band performed with choreographed dance moves and flying base-drums. The festival buzzed with excitement! “Did you see that?? There isn’t a marching band in the world that’s better!!” The whirl of activity continued through the Junkanoo Rush – a parade of locals in dazzling costumes that rivaled Mardi Gras! An amazing “Fire Show” was followed by some down home “Rake & Scrape” by the Gully Rooster and the Lassido Boys. “A good time was had by all” and an even better time by some as the dance area filled and the night went on…

43. Our Vacation Island

Back & Forth between Green Turtle Cay and Munjack Cay from April 18 and May 16, 2008

(See Photo Album of the Same Name)

  Most of you wouldn’t think we’d need a vacation from cruising, but the rigors of life aboard a boat do wear a bit from time to time. When we got to Munjack Cay, Abaco we felt like we were on vacation! The cay is only a few miles north of the popular Green Turtle Cay, but it feels quite remote. The bay is large and well protected, but less than an hour away from the all-round protection of White Sound. There are only a few dwellings on the cay, one of which is owned by former cruisers. We heard that when they were cruising they got tired of hearing people say, “No, that’s private property!” Because of this they generously welcome cruisers to their area. They have a lovely beach for us to leave our dinghy or gather for a bonfire. They have an internet antenna that provides us free internet in one of the cay’s four anchorages. Best yet is that they have riddled the island with hiking trails that take us all over the cay. Our days here are truly relaxing! We read books, enjoy conversation over morning coffee or an evening cocktail and hike. Almost every day we traverse the cay to the Atlantic. The trail winds through lush bush on the verge of bursting into spring. Birds serenade us down the path as curly-tale lizards dart from beneath our next step. The Atlantic beach is expansive – a walk north to the end of the island and back is a nice three hour jaunt. Depending on the wind direction the barrier reefs either warn us to stay away with crashing waves or tempt us with cool calm water and the lure of fresh fish for dinner. Onboard, we even tackled a few boat projects and some “fun” endeavors like making conch horns and sorting treasures from the sea. Internet has allowed us the luxury of e-mailing family & friends along with following weather patterns as we prepare to return to the US before the end of May.