Summer and time for the list

When we were last in Marsh Harbor earlier in the spring, we attended the Annual Outer Reef Owners' Rendezvous. While there we heard a great presentation from Matt Holloway the VP for Operations of Deltaville Boat Yard . They had just become an authorized service center for Outer Reef.

Happily they are a hop skip and a jump from our home and very convenient for us so we decided to take Seabright there for her annual list of things to get done. In late June we made the trek of about 2 hrs by boat and into the yard.

Our annual list was not terrible but we focus on routine & preventative maintenance. We are fortunate that Seabright maintains all her Maintenance with Wheel House Technology. One terribly important aspect of this system is the monitoring of all on board systems for the OEM requirements and the specific need actions to comply.

Many things I  routinely just do as the reminders come in and some are best done when the boat is in the yard because of better access, and some I time to coincide with the annual boat yard event. Our boating season is opposite many in that summer months are the time to do the "to do list" and we typically cruise the rest of the year.

Starting at the top of this list is hauling and cleaning the hull bottom. It is a great time to check out all those things that are not visible and at the same time renew the bottom paint, zincs, thrusters and stabilizer fins. I guess everyone has their favorite paints and methods and we have certainly used  a variety over the years but have finally settled on;

Pettit Ablative and Antifouling Paint

•  Dual biocides with 40% copper for outstanding control
• Unique controlled erosion minimizes build up & keeps surface smooth
• Ablative, multi-season technology provides a continuous supply of fresh Contains PTFE for reduced friction 
• Excellent for fiberglass, wood and steel boats 
• Formerly known as Ultima® SR and Horizons® Pro

We have used this paint on our past two boats and have very good experience with the results. The true test is always when you haul the boat after being in the water for more than a year and how did the bottom job fare. Year after year the results have been both consistent and the growth has been remarkably small. Given some of the places we have been and the water we have have sat in, it was a remarkable result....

Like the bottom paint, we have used a variety of paints for the underwater metals. The most popular is that we see is Prop Speed. We have used this in the past and the results have been inconsistent from one season to the next and even one prop to the other. Generally it is quite good but requires the right conditions and the touch of an experienced hand in the application. Plus, anything that breaks the barrier can cause that whole piece to fail...and it is quite pricey for the materials and labor.  

In the past 3-4 years we have tried other paints and like the bottom paint have settled on another Pettit product called; Zinc Coat Barnacle Barrier . It is a spray on paint that comes in cans similar to what you might find at any paint store. The metals need to be cleaned and prepped and the application is fast and simple.

We have tried it now for three years and I was excited to see how well the paint held up this past year. With the exception of some paint loss on the edges of the prop it looked like it was just put on. Here is the running gear ready to go for another season or two and the zincs new and fresh.

The other big task was detailing the entire boat from the waterline up. This is one of those areas where maintaining the fiberglass follows the rule of pay now or pay later. The sun can be quite harsh on the gel coat finish and it is important to keep the finish as good as possible. Typically I have the boat done professionally twice a year and quarterly I will do sections.  There are some areas just due to their location take a harder hit from the sun than others, and it is those areas that I focus on. While Seabright is in the yard and a good deal of the boat is more accessible, I let the crew at it and they did a great job making her sparkle.

We really liked the fact that DBY had all of their technicians ABYC Certified. It lends a standard to the level of the work performed that is the gold standard for marine systems.

They are a full service fleet partner for WheelHouse Technologies. What this does is allow DBY to understand and know all of the OEM requirements and any outstanding items in the maintenance list specific to my boat. They also can add any work or service performed directly as well as maintaining  updated inventory lists...it greatly simplifies the entire process and focuses all of the work needed, removing guesswork and random events.

Finally they are an authorized Outer Reef Service Center simplifying any warranty work as well as confirming the quality of the yard.

This year we decided to do an entire system review and have DBY perform the required maintenance as outlined by Wheelhouse. This included all the systems mechanical and otherwise and a full servicing of all the engines, gensets and transmission.  Better to review now than later when you are on the water and a problem is a bigger issue.

 My two NorthernLights 16kw gensets have proven to be real work horses and have served us well. As part of the standard package they come with cast iron exhaust elbows. These elbows have proven not to hold up very well and part of the review was to check these guys out and see what kind of condition they were in. While we have not had any performance issues better check now while we have the opportunity. What we found was indeed both elbows were corroded and showing severe signs of a pending problem. Had we waited these elbows would have blown and the gensets would have been inoperable until fixed....a great find!

The replacement part is stainless steel and does not react to the force of the exhaust water and the hot temperatures. I found out that all new genset are now coming with SS elbows as a standard.

I replaced an elbow in my last boat but felt some guilty pleasure when DBY did it this time around...

The work was done in sequence both in and out of the water,  mechanical sea trial and cleaning and polishing.

All in all Seabright was in the yard from late June until mid August and looks and runs great and is ready to go.

Thanks Matt and the entire DBY team for a great job!

Catching is more fun than fishing

On our trip to Conception Island, an uninhabited Bahamian out Island that Christopher Columbus first visited, we had the opportunity to fish and we had a blast. These pictures speak for themselves and are worth the effort with a very slow upload time.

Sometimes it just works your way with great conditions and fish a plenty. Jeannie caught 4 of the 5 mahi mahi we got that day and while it took a while to clean them all, it was well worth the effort for many a future delicious dinners.

She is pretty happy with the days events! Tired to from the effort to reel them in. 

Snorkeling the Bahamas Sea Aquarium

We had the wonderful opportunity to snorkel the Bahamas Sea Aquarium this past week with friends from M/V Copeing and M/V Ginger. We found it to be a delightful and exciting event.

While the internet is painfully slow, we thought these fantastic pictures, taken by our great friend Ray with his underwater camera were worth the painfully slow upload time.

  This is a truly amazing place.


It takes some time to upload. These will update later when the connection is faster.

Exumas, A Rainly Sunday and our Coconut Internet

We are currently lying in Big Majors in the Exumas. As has been typical, a front is coming through with wind and rain. The anchorage has about 20 plus boats riding it out as well as using the anchorage as a staging point to explore the local and beautiful waters in addition to boat migrations both north and south.

The winds are out of the ENE about 16 knots with an occasional gust up to 26knots. To be honest if we were not looking at the gauge we would not have known it. Our anchor watch has us holding to a tight arch as we have swung around with the wind and current. We don't really notice it unless you watch out the window; Seabright rides well at anchor.

Yesterday before the rain started I checked the anchor using the dinghy and it was completely buried (the waters are so clear that it is easily seen, didn't need the lookie bucket ), the only visible part was about half of the roll bar on the top of the Rocna anchor. We have about 145' of chain out in anticipation of a bit of a blow. This includes about 10-12' for the snubbers. We always set our snubbers low into the water line. This not only transfers the stress of the anchor and chain to the snubber lines but just as importantly helps keep the angle of the of the shaft to the sea floor below 9 degrees, which will keep it from popping out in strong winds.

Because it is so rainy we are focused on indoor boat chores. We made water and topped off our tanks. Jeannie is making a chicken stew in the crock pot. After some chores around the boat I will work on some navigation issues which are mostly centered around some areas we want to anchor  while we are here.

Our internet is through the Bahamas Telephone Company. We are not near any high speed connections since leaving the Abacos. While some use SAT links, it can get quite pricey and our need is not that great......just a reasonable link. To accomplish this we purchased a Zoom broad band modem  and then paired with a BTC sim card for data only. If we can anchor near a BTC tower we are good to go. The down side is that it is quite slow, averaging 16.4bps, sometimes more and sometimes less. It is better in the early morning and late in the evening. Good for basic email and related things. Pictures and lots of graphics just take too long and can be frustrating.  I would say so far it has worked great and is a good inexpensive method to connect. If you want to surf the net and need lots of graphic downloads a SAT link is a much more costly but better option.

Crossing to Eluthera

Just a brief update...more to come later when we have a better internet

We departed the Marsh Harbor and currently anchored at Lynyard Cay. Tomorrow bright and early we will depart the Abacos via North Bar channel and cross to Eluthera. We will fish across and hope to have some luck with a dinner, a Mahi or Tuna would be quite nice!

We will have our SPOT tracking on for those interested in watching our progress. We are crossing with  4 other Outer Reefs as we head to the Exumas; Copeing, Risky Business, Jambo and Ginger.

First Officer Alexander Wichser

A very good friend Karl and his son Alexander visited over spring break weekend so we could fete them Bahamian style.
Watching the weather and tides, we decided to anchor out in two different locations: off Tiloo and Fishers' Bay near Guana Cay. This gave them a great sense of boating while exploring two quite different Cays.

While this was a vacation for them both it was also a working one. It began with some basic seamanship that included terms and jargon of what is where and why. For Alexander,  this meant a bit more in-depth understanding of how to work the lines and boat. He learned how to make a square knot, half hitch, and running hitch. Meant to add the bowline but lost track of time. The last rope skill was how to tie unused lines so they are easy to use when needed and how to stow. Smart kid! Showed him once and he had it down pat.

The next big effort was instruction in ship handling. Starting in the engine room we went over the various components and what they did. Then we moved to the fly bridge and went over the controls for maneuvering.  Next we reviewed how to pivot the boat using the engines and the thrusters. When we departed the dock Alexander helped with engine controls as well as the hydraulic bow and stern thrusters.

Once out of the marina basin he learned how to steer and use the auto pilot. All of the routes and previous tracks we have taken to date appear on all of the charts.

He learned how to lower and set the anchor and and secure the running gear.  He was excellent in anticipating what was needed and then accomplishing the task once understood with little to no supervision.

Alexander did a great job, so good in fact that on the the majority of the trip he manned the helm and is officially the "First Officer" of M/V Seabright.

While actively crewing meant some work time, there was certainly plenty of play time too.  Here we are at Tahiti Beach as the tide was coming in.

 We found plenty of interesting shells and a few small critters that kept us active and looking heads down.  Since the tide was coming in, there were a few areas that we could find some dry land to stand on. All in all we saw several eagle rays, dolphins and lots of fish. The eagle rays were in the shallows in clear water and were quite visible. The dolphins came over to the swim platform to check us out and gave us a great opportunity to see them. 

We anchored out all the time so our principal method of getting around was our dinghy. We could zoom around and we beached the boat at a nice local restaurant,  Grabbers at Fishers Bay where Alexander became the local ring toss game expert.
In other places we tied off at the dinghy dock, always using a stern anchor to keep the boat perpendicular to the dock.  Alexander was the bow line handler which helped immensely when climbing the ladder to get in and out of the dinghy.

Our last night we went to The Jib Room to enjoy the barbecue ribs and the fire limbo.

Now certainly everyone can do this at home......Alexander in rapt attention sitting next  to our good friend Bruce, off of  M/V True Colors.

A great way to end a wonderful time with Karl and Alexander, we truly enjoyed their company and it was wonderful to get to finally meet the future captain who was such a fantastic help during their visit!

This week we will participate in the annual Outer Reef  rendezvous through Sunday here at Marsh Harbour. Then after almost five months here in the Abacos we will depart for a 6-8 week cruise through the Exumas. We will buddy boat with Ray and Susan Cope aboard Copeing as well as potentially four others Outer Reefs.   Will have a captains meeting later this week to see who is interested and plan a bit of the cruising itinerary. It would be a lot of fun exploring some of the more out of the way cays with a really nice group of boaters. We anticipate a good deal of anchoring, using the dinghy to explore, a bit of snorkeling and for some scuba diving.

Blue Holes of the Bahamas

We had a great opportunity, while Billy and Courtney were visiting, to take a tour of the Blue Holes of the Abacos. Until fairly recently I  like so many others, was completely unaware of the structures we were walking on and the uniqueness of this environment.
The Bahama Islands are all coral and calcium deposits that were created over a very long time. You can see the stalactites in the first picture. These were formed during the last ice age when the sea level was close to 200 feet lower than what it is now. These form by dripping down from above and can only form while exposed to the air and later, as the sea level rose, they became submerged in a mixture of fresh and salt water. To give you some scale, the Abacos are anywhere from to 3-30+ feet above sea level. Moving off shore it rapidity drops to thousands of feet deep! 

Our tour guide for this expedition was Ricky Johnson of abaco nature tours . He is such an interesting person who knows so much about the local natural history and wildlife of the Bahamas. We dubbed him the "croc hunter of the Abacos". Aside from being extremely knowledgeable, he has a very energetic and engaging style. Part of the joy of going was being entertained by Ricky as he spun around quickly to point out some exotic bird or a unique physical attribute of where we were. He was no ordinary tour guide;  this was high drama, fun and a fascinating learning experience; the sort of quality you might expect while watching a NATGEO program. In fact National Geographic did an article on theAbaco Blue Holes in 2010, national geographic.bahamas-caves.

We visited all of the Blue Holes that were discussed in the article. These are all land based and found in the interior woodlands. They typically are rounded openings that descend into the ground and can be quite deep. They have fresh water for the first 25-30 feet then a shallow but caustic layer of dilute sulfuric acid, followed by deep salt water. The lowest layer has no dissolved oxygen.

As a result of this harsh environment and no dissolved oxygen in the sea, water animals who for whatever reason, fell in and sank to the bottom  are preserved in pristine condition. This fossil is an extinct alligator which was well preserved.















Here is a picture of the night dive...
(taken from Nat'l. Geographic magazine)

...followed by our visit to the site

Billy, as well as Susan and Ray Cope who joined us on the tour in the foreground listening to Ricky's commentary.  Ricky was actually present at the sites when many of the dives took place.

Not all of the blue holes are round and sitting symmetric on the surface.
This one was under a cliff overhang and was quite lush and tropical.

While going to and from various caves and blue holes we did enjoy seeing a tree full of Bahamas Parrots right after a rain shower. They are much better looking when they are dry, but the weather was on and off rainy the day of our tour.

Our final adventure was kayaking through the mangroves on the western side of the Abacos.

All in all, this tour was one of the highlights of our time spent in the Abacos and we feel a bit closer to these beautiful islands as a result.