So long Bahamas...

... Man... I can't believe that I'm already saying this... It seems like I just got down here and started working on my tan... Where have the last 7 months gone??? I guess that maybe it's time for me to read my Web page in order to re-live some of those fabulous times with wonderful people on the most beautiful waters. I'm quite sad as I write this, and I can tell you that that goes against my very nature. So, I guess that as I head back toward North Carolina, I'll embrace my fortune of having been able to do this, not once, but 7 times over the last 22 years. Each time different but still the same, each time thrilling and wonderful. With any luck at all, I'll be fortunate enough to do this again in a few years.

The plan is to be back in North Carolina the first part of June, sell the boat and go back to work. My work takes me all over the United States and leaves me with little, if any, in North Carolina and certainly not enough to maintain, let alone, use a boat. Selling this boat is going to be a lot harder than selling any of the others. This is because I finally found a boat that, for me, minimizes the number of compromises that all boats have. My "boat for sale" page is HERE.

I want to thank everyone that has been part of this trip, whether the guests that joined me or the readers taking the trip vicariously through this page. The guests have let me see the Bahamas through their fresh perspective, and the readers have given me motivation to seek, photograph and describe. To all of you, thanks! I've included a few of my favorite pictures here that didn't make the cut on the other pages. Enjoy...

Back in the US...

Posted on 05/23/07

OK, I've had complaints from the hard core readers that I was letting them "hang" by not posting my return trip. So for you here's an abbreviated version...

My editor came down for the "last week" of my cruise, and she and I left George Town on the 13th of May and took our time enjoying our way up through the Exumas. Up near Allan Cay, we saw a very large water spout several miles North. Of course I headed straight for it because I wanted some good close ups, but no such luck. It dissipated while still over 3 miles away. The weather this whole season has been way stormy and now of course, unusual for this time of year. We headed for Nassau last Friday trying to beat a frontal passage that was predicted for Saturday. The front didn't get here until Sunday evening so we were able to have fun eating Conch salads and fresh fish down at Potter's Cay and hanging out at Hammerheads in the evening listening to good music.

The weather forecast, after the frontal passage, showed that the least stormy days would be Monday and Tuesday so I took off Monday morning in about 17 to 23 kts worth of wind out of the NE. The seas were running 7' - 9', and the waves were coming from different directions. Cruising through the Tongue of the Ocean the first part of the 120 mile trip from Nassau to Bimini was not fun at all. I made Bimini that evening in time to get fuel and tie up for the night. I met a bunch of other cruisers that were a bit amazed that I had ventured out today. When I told them that "today and tomorrow" were the best weather we would get for a week or more, they told me that this wasn't good weather and that there was no way I would be heading back for the States the following morning... Hey, what do I know... I was exhausted. After showering and dinner, I went straight to bed figuring that I'd make a decision in the morning after a careful review of the weather. The following morning (5:30 or what the #!*?#! am I doing awake right now!) it was still blowing out of the NE but all of my forecasts promised me that the winds would veer towards the East and mellow a bit to 15 to 20 kts rising back up to 30kts by the afternoon. That may not be comfortable but it surely IS safe so I took off. The crossing was rough, but the waves were smaller in the Gulf Stream than they were in the Tongue of the Ocean. All went well until I was about 10 miles offshore of the Port Everglades inlet. At that time, the wind finally shifted towards the E and once again I was getting waves from several different directions. No fun!

Yup, I survived and made my way to the Las Olas City Marina at the beach. I docked and, after clearing Customs (a $40 cab ride just so they could see my passport...), I called some cruising friends that I knew were in Ft Lauderdale. We spent that day and the next day together talking about boats (They really liked mine!), cruising and the Bahamas. I had a great time with them, and it helped ease me back into stateside life at a reasonable pace. Now I head North... Enjoy!

End of the trip...

Posted on 06/06/07

Ahhh... coming home is always bitter sweet. It's so wonderful to see my friends, but getting off of the boat and water really hurts. In an effort to delay the inevitable, I've slowly worked my way up the coast seeing friends along the way or just visiting places that I like. After Ft. Lauderdale; I stopped in Melbourne, FL for Memorial Day weekend. I then went to Charleston, SC, Wrightsville Beach, Beaufort and spent my last day cruising up to Ocracoke Island.

Oh, here's a "small world story:" The other morning, when I was leaving Beaufort, I headed up towards Harkers Island taking a shortcut to Ocracoke when what do I see...

...Gecko! My last boat and the lovely couple, Lisa and Craig, who bought her from me. They had left their home in Georgia and were headed North on their summer long "Great Loop Cruise." The boat looked great, and they were having fun. Small world... I also just received an email from the woman that bought my Island Packet sailboat back in '99. She's single handing the boat back from the Caribbean island of Carracou to the states right now.

Well, I'm writing this last update of my 06/07 cruise as I sit on Cat's Away at the Ocracoke Park Service docks, reflecting on my journey and the future. Here is where I leave you. Until next time...

I will keep my domain name www.klutch-kargo.com and when the next opportunity comes along to go cruising, I will. At that time, I will delete the Cat's Away page and start a new journey and story. Thanks for coming along, I hope that you enjoyed it! I know that I did.