We'd like to stay here for a couple of days if possible. Karen and I are being interviewed on the Radio Nor'easter show on Thursday (WCTR radio). If we can stay here until then, we can talk live in the studio instead of by phone. They'll be streaming the show live from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at:
http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wctr-am
Rock Hall is a real fishing village. It is dominated by a handful of marinas with many boats of all sizes. Entering the harbor was a bit tricky - we had to get used to 7 and 8 feet of water again, something that's always uncomfortable for our 6 foot draft vessel.
After two weeks of cruising, this is the first night that we're tied up to a dock. We've only been on the anchor since we left. It was nice to turn off all of the electronics and sleep without wondering if there would be a problem with shifting currents or wind.
We've been carefully watching our water use since we left. Obtaining water in the lower Bahamas and Cuba will be difficult. It was the reason behind the 2 week project of putting in the salt water washdown into the bow of the boat for cleaning the anchor and chain. Our results have been spectacular. As of this morning we still have between 1/2 and 3/4 of our tank filled with water. This means we can probably go about a month without finding a water source. Water in the Bahamas costs about $0.40/gallon and we have no idea if water is even available in Cuba. What this really means is that we don't need a watermaker for now.
4 comments:
Hello Jeff,
Congratulations on reaching the Chesapeake before the stormy weather sets in this week. I was at Rock Hall about 10 years ago on a sailboat and know that it is a nice tight little harbor for riding out a storm. I'm curious about your mention of Cuba. Have you been able to obtain a cruising permit from the State Department? We'd really like to do that but have no idea how to go about it. From where we live here in SWFL, we could cruise to Cuba faster than the Bahamas.
Regards,
Capt Wayne B
GB49, Long Legged Lady
of course I see Dylan's eyes watching you from the stern!!
Way to go! Congratulations. I love the Chesapeake. You could spend a long time just gunkholing around there! Please wave to the Thomas Point Lighthouse when you go by for me!
Re watermaker, what is the downside of having one (cost/space?) I thought it was a pretty standard device these days!
Great comment - thanks!
Cuba - it's currently illegal to take a boat there. There are 2 bills in Congress right now and they are expected to pass by the end of the year. If they do, travel to Cuba will be legal. And we'd like to be there for it. If the bills do not pass, we couldn't go.
Susie - no fair - you have too much experience with those types of blonde eyes.
Rob - watermakers. There are two disadvantages. First, a unit for our boat would cost about $5,000 for the equipment and another couple of thousand for installation - much of which I could install myself. But the second issue is that watermakers are notorious for maintenance issues and the cost associated with keeping them running properly. I really don't want another system to maintain. Filling our tanks in the Bahamas would cost $160 if we stayed longer than a month (which is probable). It would cost more than that to just maintain the watermaker for a year. If water wasn't available, then there wouldn't be an alternative. But if we can conserve our use of water and buy it when needed, it makes much more sense to just buy the water.
Post a Comment