Phase 1 complete...

The first phase of our cruising is complete. We've gotten from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay. We're on the town wall in Rock Hall, MD on the eastern shore. Bonus points if you can see Dylan's eyes looking at me while I took the picture.

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.

Take Me To Cuba?

We have long discussed the idea of taking our boat to Cuba. It could be the purported beauty of their beaches, the thrill of the forbidden, or just the desire to experience something new (to us) and different. Only 90 miles off Key West, it’s tempting. We’ve never had the nerve to break the law and just go. Having met one captain who did, and then lost his boat and faced jail time, we decided that was just a bit too much excitement for us. But we have read up, followed some web sites, and spent time talking about it. We even found a funky propaganda film in our tiny library - came in a cigar box - and watched it this past winter. Well, now the news is abuzz about the possibility of the US opening relations with Cuba. Could our dream be within reach? Might Dyna be swimming on Cuban beaches next winter rather than the Bahamas? Oh, it is still so much speculation. But we are keeping an eye on the news and renewing our research. If it happens we want to be prepared to get there fast before it losses its charm to casinos and big development.