Sometimes its so surreal that is like living in a dream

We sailed to Cocoa Beach, about 6 miles West of Petit-Goave today. It is quite secluded and used to accommodate a resort for the wealthy which is now run down and dilapidated but the remains of the grounds are amazing. This little beach has its own small reefs, sandy beaches and palm trees along it, and the only inhabitants now are the local children and a couple adults who fish, farm sugarcane, and make do with what they have. There are fishing boats and skeletons of boats which were to be built lining the shore just within the tree line. The warm water gently combs the sand and the sound of laughter comes from the east end of the beach where children are playing in the water together.

After coming in to shore we first walked down to explore the laughter and as we neared the children we were surrounded by them, asking for dollars at first but then they went back to playing and sharing with us their game. They had been racing their homemade sailboats, made of sea

Money does not buy happiness

grape leaves stuck onto a stick, which was then stuck into a trashed sandal of their choice, many to choose from amongst the trash that drifts in from the city. It was really amazing to witness and be part of something so simple and so fun at the same time. Sometimes it really puts you in your place to see these people having so much fun when they have so little, not even clothes in many cases. We cheered them on as they raced their little boats in to the shore from a short distance out and they laughed and wanted to see pictures we had taken of them. Everyone here seems to love pictures as long as they get to see them afterwards. No different than many I suppose.

Some people sit upon the steps to the old pool

Next we went West, where we noticed a large structure resembling an old Greek theatre or something. Broken pillars formed a more structured outline of the shape behind the palms surrounding it and stairs allowed access from the beachside corner. We approached the stairs and realized that this was no theatre. It was an old pool, magnificent back in its day Im sure, with an invisible edge to form a waterfall and some sort of wet bar just below the grilling station from long ago, likely during the French occupancy of Haiti. Whoever built this back in the day knew what they were doing to entertain many.

We toured the beach a little longer as the sun set, looking at all of the dugout canoes and boats in the sand and then headed back to the boat, fired up the engines and headed back, only in time to sail through a huge lightning storm that came upon us for the duration of our return voyage to the bay. The Southern Wind held her own and powered through with no problem, all the way to the calm harbor and we called it a night.

Our group approaches the office of the day

We drove as far as we could into the mountainous area of Petit-Goave, then hiked up another mile or so until we came to a small grass hut with a tin roof atop a hill where small shanties and makeshift tents line what, many years ago, was a hill littered with French soldiers and cannons to protect the bay. Many people were waiting patiently for us inside that hut because they had heard that there was to be a clinic there that day.

We walked into the tent and dropped our bags which were full of medications, gloves, gauze and the like then started by rearranging the homemade benches and chairs so as to assemble a makeshift pharmacy, as well as an exam room. The ‘exam room’ consisted of 4 benches (back to back to form 2 tables,) 2 chairs and a sheet. With the teamwork of 2 doctors, myself and the Petit-Goave clinic employees, we were able to get a decent stream of people coming through to receive medical attention, get diagnosed and prescribed.

Assisting an elderly lady who had fainted from one of her daily malaria fevers.

After 7 hours of tedious work the hut was cleared of people and we decided to pack up what was left, then with the last of our energy, hike around the beautiful land of Haiti and explore the old fort that is now simply a foundation, in some places the fourth wall of Haitian homes. Still though, the view is incredible, the Southern Wind looked like a spec in the water from where we stood.

We hiked back down to the truck and headed back to the clinic where we unloaded our things and then made our way back to the dock during sunset to be picked up and go home for the night aboard the Southern Wind.

An old French Cannon had rolled down the hill long ago and now resides next to the trail

Giles McCoy quickly acclimated to the salty dog lifestyle en route from St Augustine to Palm Beach.

and got hauled out, not to mention loading the moving truck to ship the rest of our supplies to Miami temporarily. So much to do so little time! Long days and evenings have lead to us completing the repairs necessary to make our girl seaworthy and cleaning up the rest of the quirks in the running systems in order to be on our way. Thanks to Sea Recovery,we now have a 450 gallon a day potable water maker, and thank you to Polaris Marine in St Augustine, we now have a solid running 15Kw generator that keeps our systems powered when we need it and Xantrax generously donated a power inverter that gets us through the night with ease.

Nearly 30 days out of the water and we were back in again, functional and ready to go within about a week after loading our lumber which we will use to construct an orphanage and schoolhouse in Petit-Goave, Haiti. We have thousands of pounds of medical supplies also secured on board which we will use to help resupply clinics there and we will perform in the first clinic along our endeavor. The trip I was expecting is finally beginning as I watch the sunset over the ocean every night and smell the salty air coming from the wind blowing over the clear water and all the life in it 8 feet below me.

Sunset from our mooring in Lake Worth Inlet

Somehow already I know that my expectations will be far exceeded. A part of me I left in St Augustine, but with the sun on our faces and the wind at our backs, life could be worse. May the winds of destiny carry us aloft to dance with the stars.

A quick partial shot of the port side engine

I have been waiting for this moment for the last 9 months. 10 if you count the month I spent finishing a college semester and a phlebotomy externship, as well as getting SCUBA lessons with my dad before I left. All good things. Now don’t get me wrong because I have no idea where I got this from, but originally I was under the impression that we would be leaving on this voyage on May 5. So when I got here to Florida, I thought I would be leaving in approximately 5 to 7 days, after we simply painted the hull… that is, until I laid eyes on the boat for the first time. I knew then she was gonna need a lot of work, but some girls are worth working for. A few of us had confidence in this one since the beginning and today it truly paid off for the first time.

Captain Ryan and his wife Morgan were an amazing team as he piloted us toward St Augustine, the oldest city in America. The sun was shining and we were cruising along at a healthy pace toward Matanzas inlet along the St Johns River and although things were going really well so far, Oh Sh#@ still seemed to be the word of the day for everyone as we ran around frantically, checking every room and bilge of the boat every ten minutes. We were motoring along towards Matanzas when we notice what looked like a big cloud of smoke off in the distance, although there was no scent. We soon realized that it was a huge front of fog headed directly at us. That’s how thick this fog was. This was no ordinary fog, this was pirate fog straight from St Augustine. That’s what I heard anyway. Well, sure enough, zero visibility and temperatures dropped in minutes as we were engulfed in a thick cloud layer on a boat we have never yet piloted and we are nearing Matanzas inlet (the same place that Art’s boat was stuck a while back.) Uh oh. Fortunately we were being accompanied by TowboatUS (the same company as pulled the Conch Pearl out also) and they were depth sounding in front of us since that waterway is indeed so sketchy at times. Alas, even with their assistance, the southern wind seemed to find her way to ground for a few minutes. Not bad, all went well, but it was horrifying watching our epoxy job get tested that early on. Once we were out of the Matanzas inlet, the TowboatUS drivers wished us well and proceeded to turn around and go home, leaving us on our own to navigate the rest of the route in this thick fog. We were accompanied by small school of dolphins, perhaps four total. They played and swam along with us for about 45 minutes as we made our way up and the fog eventually cleared, leaving a beautiful sunset as we neared the 312 bridge, which has approximately 67 feet of clearance. No problem! Ours is 66! Wait, we might have a foot of clearance between the top of our mast and the bottom of that bridge with all the cars on it? Nice. Aren’t the wind instruments mounted atop the mast? Oh Sh#@.

Everything got reeeal quiet as we passed under the bridge. We all stared up at the top of the mast from the bow as it cast a small shadow along the beams of the underside of the bridge. Cars drove overhead. Ryan slowed the engines and we coasted carefully under for what may have been the scariest 10 seconds of my life as infinitesimal amounts of outlandish scenarios resulting in utter devastation temporarily squelched other thought. We passed through the other side safely and all took a sigh of relief as our hearts started beating again. Finally we motored in to St Augustine Marine Center docking area and we docked for the night, implementing our first set of watch duties. A lot has happened in the last 24 hours. I can’t wait for Monday morning.

A fish silhouetted by an underwater light in the cold water

Busy days coming up, I’m glad it’s getting warmer now. As much as I like bundling up in a jacket and beanie, snow needs to stay in the mountains or elsewhere with that anticipated climate as far as I’m concerned. Not in Florida. The fish here can’t even stand the temperatures that we have had here lately. Thousands have floated to the surface and the birds are spending all day in the outer foliage of the trees along the canal, choosing their feasts. We are really getting a holistic experience in Florida: record floods last June and record cold fronts this winter! Amazing really, I have never been as aware of nature as I have been here the last 8 months. I love it. We have encountered so many varieties of life here (even just around our canal,) that I have never lived around before: from manatees and dolphins visiting our boat to armadillos in the bushes and bald eagles soaring high over our mast.

It’s getting exciting. I must admit, it’s strange to feel we have been working so hard for so long and we are finally reaching the beginning. I will certainly miss parts of Florida though. The countless numbers of people in the communities surrounding us and abroad who have helped us out so tremendously through their graciousness and selfless hearts cannot be thanked enough. Some individuals have woven themselves a special place in my heart. Snapshots of places we have visited here are forever embedded in my mind. The sunsets, the beaches, the people, the history. The shopkeepers and local sailing communities. The wonderful landscape. Even the not-so-wonderful scenery will be missed. Though all good things must come to an end, for every door that closes a new one opens. One thing I love is going on adventures and I can’t wait for this one.

Art and the Conch Pearl

We recently had been invited to accompany Art, an older weather-worn sailor who we have befriended, in order to get out on the ocean and really get our bearings while at sea. He owns a beautiful 51-foot double masted boat named the Conch Pearl. Although we only went out about 10 or 15 miles from shore, I really got a chance to see how well our crew is able to come together to figure out things that need to be done and everyone is so willing and excited to learn knots and rigging lines and how to cleat off the boat as to pull it toward the dock using its existing momentum and how to compensate for tide and current. Even though it was only for a few days, this was one more time of many in which I gained even more confidence in our crews ability to work hard together on our voyage. Being out on the water was amazing! We had so much fun learning everything that we could from Art. I like to pick his brain sometimes since he has such a vast amount of knowledge about this subject to which I am being newly introduced. He has his own colorful way of explaining things, adopted from many years of sailing the oceans encompassing our world. I think it’s interesting and quite entertaining.

Since I offered to make the drive to St Augustine I definitely wanted to help pilot this 51 ft. beauty at least from the marina to meet up with the Southern Wind. We met Art at the marina at which his boat is docked, which is only about a mile (by land) away from where our house and the Southern Wind is located. When we met with him he walked us up to his boat and showed us generally what to do until later when he could show us more. We readied all that we could, un-cleated the lines and boarded, making our way slowly out of the marina, en route to pick up the crew from the backyard of our home where the Southern Wind is being rebuilt. Art showed us all the gadgets and things he has on his boat as we tread slowly through the channel. It didn’t take long to arrive at the entrance of the channel we live on and we guided the Conch Pearl upstream and as we approached our destination, Art took over, confidently swinging the aft of the boat around to meet with the Southern Wind and we proceeded to cleat the two vessels together and transfer our gear onto the Conch Pearl. We then proceeded to have some homemade beer battered fish and chips, compliments of Ben, then headed out. Little did anyone know what difficulty would befall them this evening…

We needed to have a car in St Augustine over the weekend since Ben and Sky both needed to be dropped off at the Jacksonville airport the next morning. I was willing to make the drive and let the others sail from Palm Coast to St Augustine, our rendezvous point. Maddy decided to ride with me and as we drove North to St Augustine, it wasn’t long until we received an alarming phone call from Sky, who informed us that they had gotten stuck on a shoal in the channel on the way up. Apparently the sand beds in the channels change frequently, so despite the boat being safely inside the navigation buoys, there was no forewarning of the shoal that had formed near the center of the channel. It stealthily surprised them in the dark night. Naturally, Maddy and I laughed heartily at their expense for some time. That is,  until we learned that they weren’t able to singlehandedly dislodge the vessel and that the situation would require some outside help. There was no way for us to help from St Augustine while the rest of our crew was on a boat somewhere near Palm Coast, and they had already contacted a tow company (ironically owned by none other than the mayor of Palm Coast.) So Maddy and I decided to bum around, relax and imagine stories of what was happening out there while the two of us did the only thing that we could do- keep our phones handy and wait for the boat over a couple of drinks in Old Town St Augustine… It was a Friday night after all. But by the time 3:30am rolled around and all was closed, we got word of the crew’s status and decided to leave after learning that although all was fine (except Jamie, who I later learned was hugging the mast for dear life as the Conch Pearl had been pulled back and forth almost completely sideways in a furious effort to dislodge it,) they would be another 4 or 5 hours and we had nowhere to go. Home it was.

This was many of the crew’s first time on a sailboat. The last time I was actually sailing I believe I was nine years old with my family and my Uncle Mike on Lake Michigan. I still remember it to this day: typical Lake Michigan weather- Sunny and calm for a short time, followed suddenly by cold weather and choppy waves that seemed massive to a nine year-old. It may not be the ocean, but Lake Michigan still is no joke. I have been addicted to sailing and boats ever since that first time, although I must admit it has taken me this long to rediscover the passion. There has always been a deep desire in me to be on the ocean, to learn its ways and to be humbled by its shear mass and power. I have always had such a respect for the ocean and I am so excited to learn anything that I can about it.

I also absolutely love St Augustine; it is the oldest city in our nation (founded 1565) and has so many old structures and amazing architecture (another of my passions.) Castillo de San Marcos, an old Spanish fort, is still intact and preserved as a museum now, along with many older houses from the mid 1700’s. There is simply so much history in that city I can’t wait to explore it further and learn of all the various merchant ships, Spanish galleons, pirates and others that have frequented the same port so many years ago.

While we were out sailing, no more than 10 miles off shore, a pod of about 30-40 bottle nose dolphins accompanied us for about an hour as we sliced through the surface of the water. Alone I stood up on the bow sprit and observed the gentle creatures as they swam back and forth directly underneath me.

Dolphins swimming alongside the Conch Pearl

A couple times I actually caught eyes with some of them and we stared at each other for a good few seconds. It was amazing to be recognized by something so wild and free in its own habitat. As I stood there 6 feet out of the water, the boat rising and falling with each wave, I couldn’t help but begin to once again unearth my passion for the sea. By the end of the day we had seen sea turtles, stingrays and jellyfish and also had caught two sand sharks as we trolled. We let them go and continued on our way back to shore so we could explore a little bit of St Augustine that evening, although once we docked, we found it quite enjoyable to sit around and play guitar and spend time. That’s something that I think is amazing about our group; we spend all day together every day and still in our free time we want to hang out and spend time with each other. I’m sure that will change and people will need their space eventually but I hope not any time soon.

After the second day of sailing we had caught wind of a concert locally where some of our favorite reggae bands were playing and we decided to make an appearance. We all had a great time and I couldn’t help but look at the members of our crew and think to myself what a wonderful experience it will be when we are able to sit down with natives and connect with them through music, yet another passion of mine. I have been playing guitar since the age of fourteen. I brought two and also brought a few harmonicas, an acoustic bass and a ukulele, all of which I intend on becoming somewhat proficient at over the course of our trip. I’m sure I’ll find the time while sailing between countries. I have found over the years that music is such a great way to connect with people, no matter what cultural or demographic background you are from. I love it so much. Jamie once suggested that I start collecting random native instruments as a hobby along the way and learn to play them. I may just take her up on it. I can’t imagine the different types of instruments we will encounter en route but I can’t wait to find out.