Land Ho Maties

The Pearl (Jennifer)

Land Ho Maties,

Today we pulled Kluane for summer storage.  Her new home provides her inland protection from hurricanes and inclement weather (it is predicted to be a busy season).  Her neighborhood is looking pretty posh, she's getting along quite well with the 13 million dollar sport fish, C'est la Vie.  Oh, to be a sailboat!

Captain and I have given Kluane our all this past month.  On Saturday, I swore I did Iron Horse (a bike ride from Durango to Silverton, CO).  Was I there?  Did I ride? My body sure felt like I did.  Captain couldn't buff her hull anymore today, we applauded the rain and reason to call it a day.  She has taken all we have.  Now to the next chapter of our cruise.  Tomorrow we tuck Kluane in and leave for Albuquerque- Airsream bound!  We are excited to start our land cruise and sad to leave our Kluane.

Can't wait to see my Albuquerque peeps! yah!

Love,
The Pearl

Captain and Mack Sails working Kluane's REAL engine, her sails

Old Winch

New Winch

 Patinaed Cleat

Amazing Florida Sunset

Kluane's teak rail stripped

Kluane's newly oiled rail (ohhh, ahhhh)

The amazing stove

Kluane in the lift well (looks like a big swing, eh?)

Barnacles on her bottom!

Klaune on the move (with the assistance of the lift)

ORBIT, Smooches! Yah, Topes!

Feeding the gossip machine

Jasmine flowers on our walks

Bathtub Reef

The Pearl (Jennifer)

Happy Sunday,

The Buccaneer and I are enjoying our time in Florida.  We've been living aboard for 9 months now.  Reflecting on this time, we have seen such beautiful landscape & sea life, met amazing people (you know who you are) and have learned so much.  I was a non- swimmer who had never been on a sailboat.  Yep.  Learned a lot.  I've learned to cook with a 2 burner stove, no oven and a 2x2' refrigerator.  I've learned the significance of a west wind in the Exumas.  I know what a halyard is and what it does- and I know how to use it!  The list could go on...  What I am getting at, is I feel very lucky and blessed to have this opportunity.  The gift of time to travel, to explore, to experience it all with the man I love.  If you have a chance to travel, explore, do something that "stretches" you (ah, those Corporate words haunt me)- do it now!

Today we explored Bathtub Reef beach- amazing place full of treasure!  

Carpe Diem,

The Pear

                              Sabellariid Worm Reef- notice the color of the sand

                                                 I have never seen so many shells!

                                    Boat projects: Kluane's new dodger shades

                                  

                                      Boat projects: Kluane's new privacy curtain

The Place to Be: The Laundry Room

The Pearl (Jennifer)

Ahoy!

Buccaneer and I are 7 days into May and making great progress on our to-do list for storing Kluane.  Cliff has been concentrating on the engine- proactive cleaning, replacing and testing.  I have developed new "skills" as a pretty good polisher, check out my work below.  

The laundry is the place to be here- I ran into Eileen (s/v Velvet) in the laundry here, and Cliff ran into Tom (s/v Cielo Azul).   We were super happy to have dinner and a special treat with Eileen and Yves (Thank you soo much).  AND It was fantastic to get caught up with Tom and hear about his adventures, we hadn't seen him since we parted ways in Marsh Harbour last November.

It is sunny here in Stuart- mid 80's in the day, cooler nights.  

Much Love,
The Pearl

What the Pearl has been up to- polishing Kluane's stainless steel!

Guess how many times we walk up and down the dock a day?  it's a 1/4 mile each way- built in fitness!

Our home base for May

Yah!  We met up with Tom s/v Cielo Azul here at Sunset Bay Marina!  

Rented a car for the weekend to bring Kluane's stuff to a storage unit... the picture is not distorted.
It's a Fiat.  It's small and sassy!

Wishing for Blue Skies

The Pearl (Jennifer)

Hello Friends,

Yesterday it rained all day!  I am in negotiations with Mother Nature to send the rain to the Southwest, I'll keep you posted.  The photos belowe are from when we up anchored in Great Sale last Thursday until we reached the Inlet at Fort Pierce, Florida.  Each picture has blue sky and amazing clouds.  New Mexico's big skies have made an impression on this WNY girl... I love clouds!

Have a great Friday! Happy Weekend!

The Pearl

Goodbye Apogee!  Kluane is leaving for the USA!

Catch #1 Jack (we threw him back)

Our light air sail (Code Zero)
Yellow symbolizes the sun, Light Blue the sky, Dark Blue the ocean and the Black is for ARG!, being a pirate matie!

Captain on the front deck loving the view

Sunset last Thursday night

BIG cargo ship.... less than 1 mile away

Catch #2 Name that Fish!

Fellow sailors, I couldn't resist.
After being in the Bahamas for 6 months, this marker seemed large, extravagant and so very American!  Non-sailors, many places in the Bahamas do not have channel markers and when they do they are small buoys if we are lucky, or a stake with a tire nailed to it.

In the ICW passing a barge

Kluane heading into the Fort Pierce Inlet- wind against current tested the Captains skills!

Adios Bahamas, Hello USA

The Pearl (Jennifer)

Hola Friends,

Buccaneer and I crossed over from the Bahamas to the USA a week ago Thursday.  We left Great Sale Cay at 1pm and reached the Fort Pierce Inlet in Florida at 1pm on last Friday.  The journey was bitter sweet, we are ready for some of the comforts of home, however we will certainly miss the Bahamas.  This was my first overnight passage.  We prepared meals and snacks ahead of time, we put up the lee-cloths for sleeping and Kluane's light air sail (code zero) was ready!  The forecast was for light winds.  In the end we had very light winds on the bank and light winds as we approached the US.  Hooray, this was a much calmer crossing than the one in November.  We anchored for 2 nights at Fort Pierce, checked in with customs and tried to make up for the sleep we missed.  We are now docked at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, Florida.  We will take the month to clean and prepare Kluane for storage.  Storing involves cleaning everything- on the outside we will clean the salty sails, decks and canvas.  On the inside we will remove all food, clothes and personal items, clean, scrub and polish the living space.  I'll take photos as we dismantle our girl and ready her for land.

I have been in the US for 7 days and as an American I feel very lucky to live in a country with so many conveniences and resources.  I have also become aware of how much I take for granted.  Buccaneer and I have created a healthy lifestyle while cruising and are excited to integrate it into our life on land.  

Here are some photos of our last days in the Bahamas for our 2012-2013 cruise!

Much Love,
The Pearl

Kluane with her sunshade on

s/v Apogee, our Taos friends Lori and Robert

The road we walk to get to New Plymouth from White Sound in Green Turtle

Bahamas Cactus

Stop

Bartender extraordinaire

Mexican Dinner Party at Kathy's #2: Red Chile Enchiladas and Burritos
 (s/v Velvet Eileen and Yves, s/v Puffin Mark and Marlene, s/v Keltic Kat Pat and Tuttie, not pictured Kathy, Marilyn and Cully)

Full House

Marlene with Jerry (and Mark) s/v Puffin

Ye Olde Gaol

Mug shot #1

Mug shot #2

Apogee sailing into Great Sale Cay with her light air sail up

Our favorite place to relax after our walk into town, New Plymoth Bar and Grill