December 2013"Oh, the places you'll go" .... by Dr. Seuss ... aptly describes the year we've had.
January: The Abacos
2013 began with us in our favorite new home for the winter ... the Bahamas mon! The best part of the new year was that we still had James with us to kick off January. He arrived on Christmas Eve and we enjoyed his company thru January 7th.
Unfortunately, he still had a job teaching 2nd grade with St Paul Schools to get back to, so we left him at the airport in Marsh Harbor, Abacos, and got back to the task of moving s/v Maja south. The start of this cruising season had been marked with many lows, as we experienced our first run of engine trouble with the boat. And it was a gift that just kept on giving!
We stayed in the Abacos for almost 6 weeks sorting out problems with our engine overheating, with the outboard motor on our dinghy conking out at inopportune times, with a starter that was sticking more than starting. This is the first time we've had serious setbacks with our engine, and it's no fun at all! Between running to town for parts or mechanical advice, we did a lot of moving around to find an anchorage that was safe for approaching weather fronts.
light at the end of the tunnel?????
February: Eleuthera, Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island
By the end of the month, we were up and running, and our good friends, Ed and Karin Cogswell, had arrived on s/v Passages so we were off towards Eleuthera. We hoped they would either bring us good luck or companionship should something new go wrong!
s/v Passages
A new month ... happy to get underway at daybreak towards a new island.
Off to a good start with two mahi mahi on board! Definitely a high!
Followed shortly thereafter by another low as our head sail rrrriiiippppppeeeeeddddd.
Yes, it's an old sail, but we had it inspected and re-stitched in the fall, with the assurance that it was good for another couple of seasons ... and we only wanted one. But we didn't get it. As our run of luck went this year, the bad was generally offset by something good. When we got to Rock Sound in Eleuthera, we found an upholstery shop that was able to patch our sail ... not to mention the several boating friends we met who volunteered their stash of sail repair tape to help with the mending.
Following the repair, we were moving again, this time to Cat Island, a new destination for us in the Bahamas. It was a long, slow sail as the winds were too strong for us to feel confident putting up our patched main sail, so we limped along under motor and our 3 smaller sails. But it was worth it as we had heard stories about the nice, sandy anchorages, and Father Jerome's house which sits on the highest point in the Bahamas. Neither disappointed.
Built by Father Jerome, by hand.
He must have been a little guy ...
Beautiful anchorages
From there, we sailed over to the Exumas. Strong westerly winds were coming, and Cat Island is good for everything but a west wind. There were 8 boats anchored with us at Cat Island, and by 8:00 a.m all were gone! We left at 4:00 a.m., deciding to head either towards Georgetown or Black Sound in the Exumas, depending on which route had favorable wind for our mended sail.
Crossing the Exuma Sound means facing a large, deep body of water ... some 2000 feet deep. Usually that means good fishing, but not for us today. Usually it means bigger swells, and that's definitely what we got today. High wind and big swells meant we definitely needed help from the main sail to maintain direction and speed. Otherwise, an unpleasant 10 hr day could easily turn into an unpleasant overnight sail! All worked well for several hours until ... you guessed it ... rrrriiiipppppp. There she goes again, another rip, along the same repair. It was as if the sail was literally shredding itself every time it was up.
So change of plans. We found a cut in the island chain and crossed from the deep waters of the Exuma Sound to the shallow waters on the banks. Ahhhhh, 20 feet of water has such a calming effect. Immediately the seas flattened, and we could smile again.
We found a lovely anchorage to work on repairing the sail, again. This included contacting another sailor we knew who went home to Boston for 2 weeks and having a large box of sail repair tape sent to her via overnight delivery. Oh, for the wonders of Internet! Of course, shipping cost more than the sail tape, but hey, who cares at this point!
Our anchorage provided a load of treasures. Palm leaves for basket weaving, sea glass, sea beans, hamburgers (a type of sea bean that literally looks like a hamburger - top center) and sea coconuts.
And sand dollars! We searched everywhere last year and found none.
This anchorage had them scattered along the entire shore line.
You would step on them just getting out of the dinghy!
We loved this spot!
By the end of February, we moved down to Georgetown to pick up the sail tape our friend had brought back from the states, and then we quickly moved on to Long Island. That's our last big provisioning stop before heading down into the Ragged Islands where there are no stores, no restaurants, no fuel ... funny that there is TV reception though!
While cruising through the harbor at Long Island, we were followed by a pod of dolphins.
I'm hoping that's a sign that our luck has changed!
LOTS of sail tape applied to the torn sail!
and that put an end to our sail problems...
March: The Ragged Islands. 60 miles from Cuba. End of the line!
Finally, we are underway to the Ragged Islands. We thought we'd be here months ago, and now we just hope the repaired sail holds for the two days it will take to arrive.
And we made it! Not the best passage (and possibly one of our worst nights at anchor), but once you've got the anchor safely down in a secure anchorage, you quickly forget the nasty trip that got you there. When we left Hog Cay last year, the cruisers had built a structure on shore to provide some shade during the nightly Happy Hour/Trash burning get-togethers on shore. It was a pleasant surprise to see that it had survived hurricane season intact.
Cruisers decorated the beach structure with boat names.
Dan made this for us with sea glass that he soldered together.
The Ragged Islands sit at the end of the Bahamas chain, with virtually no services, but that doesn't mean it's deserted. In fact, probably 40 boats spend the majority of their cruising season in this part of the islands. And fortunately for us, that includes some of our favorite people. Ed and Karin on s/v Passages, Bill and Mara on s/v Puddlejumper, and Chris and Karen on s/v Synergy (who we first met in Brunswick GA during our first year on the boat).
Dinner with Karen and Chris on s/v Synergy.
Ahhh, fresh lobster!
We'll be here for a month, so it finally feels like we can just relax. Since we won't be sailing or running the engine, what more can break? Staying in one place has its advantages. Instead of spending time planning your next move, and moving, you spend time on the beach. Exploring. Snorkeling. Fishing. Socializing. Searching for sea glass and sea beans.
and gathering fire wood for nightly fires on the beach.
There's always someone with a guitar which motivates Dan to get his out too.
Our collection of hamburger sea beans has grown from 8 to 60!
Cute little buggers, aren't they!
And no matter how much sea glass we collect, we always find room for more .
Hog Fish ....good eating
Starfish, not good eating
Happy hour/pot luck dinners are a regular thing that brings everyone to shore.
April: Long Island, Conception Island, the Exumas
April marks the end of lobster season, so Hog Cay empties out as cruisers head north towards home. We'd stay longer to enjoy having the place to ourselves, but our good friend, Jim Garfunkel, is flying into Long Island on April 16th so we slowly get into the mood to start moving again. Dan took our main sail to shore and securely glued the sail tape on both sides of the sail. We are optimistic!
Collecting my last batch of palm leaves for baskets
BIG FISH! On our way back to Long Island we caught a 20+ lb mahi!
Time to invite friends over for dinner!
Bill and Mara on s/v Puddlejumper.
Beachwalking...
He's here!
Thankfully, Jim enjoys doing what we do in the Bahamas. Explore. Swim, Fish, Drink rum!
That's Deans Blue Hole in the background.
Dean's Blue Hole is the world's deepest known blue hole with seawater. It plunges 663 ft.
It was snowing when he left Wisconsin!
Ahhh. Nothing beats a restaurant dinner!
We sailed from Long Island over to Conception Island. The entire island is a nature preserve.
And, wow, was the water ever clear!
On our way over, we caught two more mahi.
This is a record year for us.
Is it possible to get tired of fresh mahi for dinner?
After a few days in Conception Island, we sailed back to Georgetown in the Exumas for the annual Island Regatta. Local Bahamians come from throughout the Bahamas to race their boats. Quite a sight. The harbor is packed with cruisers so there is a lot to do and see between races.
Little boats, with big sails, loaded with people.
The race course takes them right past our stern.
End of the month. End of the Regatta. Georgetown starts to clear out, and Happy Hour talk turns toward plans for returning to the States. One of the reasons Jim came over at the end of the cruising season was to help us sail the boat back to Florida, straight from the Exumas to Jacksonville, which is 2+day ocean passage. Having a 3rd crew will make all the difference.
May: The long road back to Florida
We thought we'd be underway by the first of the month, but nothing moves fast on island time, and certainly not us! Jim is delightful company on the boat, so we find it easy to take a slow, leisurely trip north along the Exuma chain. We stop at Black Point, Warderick Wells, Exuma Land and Sea Park, Norman's Cay, and finally Highbourne Cay which will be our jumping off point to Florida.
Heading north ...
Last beach camp fire
Last day of beachcombing
Last hike
Last sunset.
Underway.
Passing our last landmark in the Bahamas, near Nassau.
Passing our last landmark in the Bahamas, near Nassau.
If the weather had cooperated, we would have headed straight to Jacksonville from the Exumas. But, as is frequently the case during a passage, we did not have a favorable 3-day window to make such a long trip, so we opted to go into Lake Worth, FL instead. It's easy to clear Customs there, we can restock our beer supply, and then make another overnight passage up to Jacksonville.
It ended up being a good plan. We left the Exumas at 10:00 am on May 10th and arrived at Lake Worth at 8:00 a.m. May 12th. We had a mild crossing, avoiding the squalls that were north of us and along the FL coast. Once at anchor in Lake Worth, we were able to meet with a sail maker who will outfit us with 4 new sails! Yah!
Welcome back to Florida ... land of the high rise
We ducked into Old Port Cover Marina for two nights, waiting for the next weather window to go offshore. Ahh, hot showers where you can actually stand up!
Cold beer once again!
Yes, indeed! I'll have another, please!
On May 15th, we left Lake Worth at 10:00am for the final stretch. We had hoped to arrive in Jacksonville at daybreak, but we were traveling too fast for that, so we anchored outside the main channel at 1:00 a.m. It was a little unnerving to actually be anchored in the Atlantic instead of an inland river, but we nestled up close to shore and had a good night's sleep.
Since Jacksonville is a busy harbor, we were up and moving at first light. It's a long, slow motor up the St. Johns River from Mayport to Jacksonville to Green Cove Springs, our final destination. 60 miles = 12 hours. We were tied up at the pier by 6:00 pm, May 17th. Done for the season!
Still smiling after all those miles....
May 21: End of the line.
Now the hard work begins of prepping the boat for haul out. Jim made an unplanned detour for some car repairs, loaded up his car with supplies we didn't want to leave on the boat, and then headed back home. We finished pulling down the sails, storing the dinghy on deck ... a long list of "to dos".
At 1pm. we were ready for haul out.
After 10 days at the marina, we had the boat emptied and secure and ready to be moved into long-term storage. This will be her home for the next year while we travel to Germany to stay with our daughter, Michelle, while her husband, Craig, is deployed to Afghanistan. Quite a transition for us to leave the cruising life and quite an opportunity awaits us! Oh, the places you'll go!
May 31st.
Off the boat and into the car!
June; Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota
We took the long route back to Minnesota, first going to Tarpon Springs to spend several days visiting Dan's mom and then to Louisville KY to see Dan's cousin, Sheila, arriving back in Minneapolis on June 8th. That gave us 2 months to enjoy family and friends before leaving for Europe on August 6.
Home Sweet Home! Even though we don't actually have a home there anymore, we do have great family and friends who have a guest room with our name on the door! We make the circuit between Dan and Renee Devereaux (22 days), our son, James (15 days), my sister/brother-in-law, Laury and Bob Schalau in Rochester (13 days), Jim Garfunkel in Webster WI (10 days). Spreading the love!
What Minnesota means to us ....
Time in MN went much too fast. We partied with old friends. We played bocce. We went sailing. We went to a Twins game. We saw fireworks. We helped James work on his house and planted flowers in his yard. We had our annual physicals and routine tests at Mayo Clinic. We packed up 4 boxes of clothes and misc stuff to ship to Germany ahead of time. Our car is stored with Jim in Webster, WI. And the rest of our Bahamas-only gear is stuffed into a closet at James' house.
Passport...check. Tickets...check. Train schedule...check. I guess we're ready to GO!
August: Germany! Freihung, Cologne, Dusseldorf
We left Minneapolis on August 6th and arrived in Frankfurt at 9:00 am on the 7th.
From Frankfurt, we took the train that dropped us within walking distance of Michelle and Craig's home in Freihung, Germany ... but, of course, we didn't walk because they were there to meet us as Michelle had been tracking our train route on her iPhone!
We're here!
Michelle and Craig have been living in Germany for over a year, and while we no doubt would have come for a visit anyway, we chose to come now because Craig is deploying to Afghanistan the end of August. This was both a high and a low ... the low point is obvious as he is missed dearly every day. The high was that we thought he'd be deployed as early as May, so we were thrilled to get to spend almost 3 weeks with him before he left.
The Nelson family ... including Molly.
Thanks to Craig's guidance, Dan got a fantastic introduction to German beers.
Something that has definitely spoiled him for life!
Something that has definitely spoiled him for life!
Lovely Freihung.
Before Craig left, we had time for one long weekend trip to Cologne and Dusseldorf.
Cologne
Our first taste of German history, architecture, museums and pigs knuckles!
Craig's departure the end of August was definitely a low point as Dan missed his beer buddy, Michelle and Molly missed their cuddly buddy, and I missed the guy who thought anything I cooked for dinner was awesome! He will be gone until April, and now our task begins of keeping Michelle's mind off of being lonely. Fortunately, there is lots of traveling to be planned, and we can take care of the cooking, cleaning and yard chores while Michelle is at her job as a financial counselor to soldiers leaving the military. Win/Win.
September: Vienna and Amsterdam
Michelle's job at the military post in Vilseck allows her to have a 3-day weekend every time there is a federal holiday, and it's nice that there are lots of them during the fall months. Craig left right before Labor Day weekend, so that marked our first threesome trip when we drove to Vienna.
We picked Vienna because the sun was shining there, something we are learning is in rare supply in Germany! It's hard for us to believe that it's August, but we've had to start wearing long pants and shoes (gasp!).
Thank you Hapsburgs for the jewel that is Vienna.
Natural History Museum
Turns out that my favorite museum in Europe was the first one I visited.
Vienna = Lovely public green spaces
We thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful city ... full of old buildings, incredible churches, museums, parks, and good food. Dan adopted his slogan to "eat his way thru Europe" and he did indeed enjoy apple strudel in every city we visited. We shared a tiny hotel room for three (plus dog!) which reinforced that we could travel together and not drive each other crazy!
While in Vienna, we got a phone call from Minnesota that definitely marked our biggest low of the year. Dan's mom suffered a major stroke and died after one night in the hospital. At 88 years, Jeann had lived a full and wonderful life and passed with as much class as she lived. She will be missed. Fortunately, we spent a week with her in Florida before returning in Minnesota, and when we parted we knew the odds were that she may be gone when we returned to the states.
 |
| Jeann Quinlan Knowland |
September 16th marked our 35th wedding anniversary, so we took the train for a week in Amsterdam. Our first solo trip in Europe w/o Michelle's helpful planning!
then ...
now ....
We got an Amsterdam city card and saw every museum on our bucket list! We walked the canals, bought tulips for Michelle's garden, and thoroughly enjoyed a city where everyone spoke English as one of the 4-5 languages they speak fluently! This trip definitely made us appreciate how fortunate we are to be LIVING IN EUROPE because after 5 days, we were exhausted and so glad to return home and rest up for the next excursion.
Our hotel
Lunch by a canal ... a daily must-do.
Who knew a tulip museum could be such fun?
October: Munich, Vicenza/Venice, Berlin
Our goal is two trips a month, in between hanging out in Freihung and enjoying the small towns we can visit by train (Nurenberg, Vilseck, Munich) or car (Amberg, Weiden). October was a special treat because we started the month by going to Munich for Oktoberfest (duh!), then Italy, and then Berlin for my birthday! Last year, I spent my birthday in Prague with Michelle so I think I've started a trend that needs to be continued ...
Oktoberfest
Oh yes we did!
Michelle and Craig own the clothes so we came dressed in German lederhosen and dirndl.
(This pic just me up!)
Germans approached Dan all the time, speaking German.
All beer. All liters. The staff could carry six in one hand.
Beer tents = lots of people drinking beer.
Oktoberfest .. think State Fair on steroids....
5 days in Italy.
Michelle was asked to travel to the Army post at Vicenza Italy to teach a class, so she rented a car so we could come along. What a sweet daughter ... she also had big plans for shopping for Vietri dinnerware at the factory in Nove, Italy. How do you spell wholesale shopping direct from the factory? One word, WOW! The car was just barely big enough for the boxes of dishes and 6 cases of Italian wine (but of course!).
Mid-day break on the 7-hr drive.
Cappuccino and apple strudel.
Innsbruck, Austria.
Wow.
Venice.
While Michelle was teaching, we took the train to Venice for the day. $15.00. Pinch me, this is so cool!
We took the train from Vicenza to Venice in the morning, spent the day wandering the narrow twisting streets, shopping, eating our way thru Venice, and then took the last train back. Nice.
Venice is home to Murano glass.
Shopping for wine.
Shopping for beautiful ceramics
Soooo many choices ....
Car is full. Gotta stop.
Italy was beautiful.
Hutch full of new beauties.
Berlin.
I don't think I would have picked Berlin as a city to visit on my own (some serious history there); it was Michelle's idea. And even though it was my birthday weekend, she was kinda adamant that we'd go where she wanted. So, off to Berlin. 5 hours by car. After work. (Where can you be in 5 hours by car after work? One of our favorite games!).
Berlin was awesome. Thank you MQK.
We took our first bike tour in Berlin, which we found to be the ideal way to visit a new city and get an excellent history lesson. Fat Tire Bike Tours are offered in Berlin, London, Barcelona and Paris, and we now plan to do them all!
Berlin was the first city I visited that was reconstructed after the war to look like the buildings were indeed old.
This was my favorite bike tour b/c the guide followed a historical path thru the city.
Holocaust Memorial
The capital. We became big fans of Angela Merkel while in Germany
In fact, I think I could easily be a socialist.
So, the real we had to come to Berlin this weekend was revealed....
Michelle surprised us with tickets for the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quartet.
Simply amazing.
Best Birthday Ever.
Another surprise of Berlin was the Pergamon Museum. We didn't have time for a full tour, but the main exhibit, the Mshatta façade, was blow-your-socks-off-amazing.
It originates from an unfinished early Islamic desert palace
located south of Amman in present-day Jordan.
The scale. The detail. Was overthetop.
And of course, you cannot leave town w/o paying homage to the wall.
So much history running down this street.
November: Budapest and London
November proved to be a real treat because we had two long holiday weekends for travel. Over Veterans Day, we took the overnight train to Budapest, Hungary. A city that was a totally unexpected surprise.
View from our balcony -- 2-bedroom VRBO rental.
Nice when home is based in a historic building.
Hungarian Eggs and Spices. But of course!
The Chain Bridge separates Buda and Pest. Over the Danube River.
Each city touched by the Holocaust has some type of monument.
Here, shoes line the banks of the river where Jews were chained together and thrown into the Danube.
Chilling.
Best Tiny Hungarian Café.
Thanksgiving in London
Only London could come close to the magic of Budapest ... and they get an edge because everything is in English, and spoken with that delightful accent! This was our first trip by plane -- a quick 2-hr flight for $100, no luggage allowed. It was also an 'International flight" vs. a "Euro-zone" flight (b/c England is not part of the EU), so that meant we'd be going thru Immigration/Customs on both ends of the trip. Mind you, this is our first encounter with a government official since our 3-month visitor status had expired. While getting our extended Visa (thru 12/2014) was somewhat of a hassle, we're not complaining as that little card certainly greased our way through customs in both England and Germany!
Everything in England was awesome.
Yeah, the famous stuff looks just like it does in pictures, but the fact that you are there, in person, does change everything.
Buckingham Palace
When you travel with Michelle, you always arrive with a full agenda. Not that you always get to everything, but there is never a question about what to do next. And we did our best to eat our way through all things English: warm beer, bangers and mash, fish and chips, beef wellington,
Our 2nd Fat Tire Bike Tour. Check.
Tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre ... check.
Afternoon Tea at the Brown Hotel ... check.
Drinking warm beer at a corner pub ... check!
Shopping at Harrods ... check
And we were there! Done!
December: German Christmas Markets and Skiing in Austria
Ever since we arrived in Germany, everyone has been telling us about the German Christkindlmarkts ... Christmas markets. Every town, every weekend, there is one going. Full of good food, Gluhwein (hot, spicy, mulled wine), handmade local products, and of course, lots of Christmas decorations. A deep love for all things Christmas is something that Michelle and I both hold dear, so we set our sights on visiting as many as we could during December.
that is real snow ...
We went to a total of 8 Christkindlmarkts! Yeah, the shops can get a little cheesy and the food is all the same, BUT, I learned the secret to Christkindlmarkts is the Gluhwein, with a healthy shot of rum!
The best Gluhwein is made in a kettle over an open fire where a brick of brown sugar slowly melts ... and of course, then the rum is added! Each town also has their signature Gluhwein mug, so Michelle now has a cupboard full of them!
All markets have delightful stalls selling all kinds of Christmas goodies
"We need one of those for the boat..."
And what a treat to be there at night ...
If it's possible to have a favorite, it would be Rothenburg ob der Tauber, because the whole city gives itself over to Christmas ... and each building is so damn cute!
Oh yes she did! Her own German Christmas village
adorable!
So, while collecting Gluhwein mugs and ornaments from eight different Christmas markets was our main plan for December, we did slip away for a weekend of skiing ... in the Austrian Alps!
Oh, the places we go! Pinch me ... am I really doing this?
Michelle is a member of the Bavarian Ski Club so we joined as well, mostly for a chance to see the Austrian Alps. I had my doubts about the skiing part, since we hadn't clamped our feet onto two sticks of wood and plunged downhill in 7 (maybe 8?) years. But peer pressure got the best of us, and since lift tickets were included, we figured we could muster up at least one run, and then ride the gondola the rest of the day!
Oh, the places we go! Pinch me ... am I really doing this?
Michelle is a member of the Bavarian Ski Club so we joined as well, mostly for a chance to see the Austrian Alps. I had my doubts about the skiing part, since we hadn't clamped our feet onto two sticks of wood and plunged downhill in 7 (maybe 8?) years. But peer pressure got the best of us, and since lift tickets were included, we figured we could muster up at least one run, and then ride the gondola the rest of the day!
Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
Christmas in Freihung.
Since we retired, we've found ourselves in a variety of different places, from the mountains of Georgia to the shores of the Bahamas. This year, Christmas finds us in Freihung, Germany, celebrating with Michelle, which definitely marks one of our highlights of 2013.
Cheers ... just missing Craig ... and James...
Holidays are tough.
It's been an exciting time ... dividing our year into two exciting halves ... Europe and Bahamas. Both parts have had their highs and lows, but the year ends with our family healthy and happy and travelling! James is in Colorado, Craig is in Afghanistan, and we have been to 6 countries so far: Austria, England, Italy, Germany, Holland, and Hungary!
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