April 21-27 Summer storage in the Bahamas .. and coming HOME

one of the cruisers on Donny's Mooring Balls organized a dinghy tie up happy hour in Black Sound

about 14 dinghies tied together and we passed around snacks and stories … the cruisers in the white boat facing us (white hat and guy with blue shirt ) where the only other Canadians, they are from Niagara on the Lake

Donny showed up and we could tell this is a tight community of friends, everyone knew each other, Joe and I are the newbies

back to the boat chores, one of the anoides from the engine changed, both of them

where half gone in 3 months .. the 3rd one will have to be changed next season, it is so hard to get to it takes us a full day

we are safe but a water spout forming over the Atlantic Ocean

summerizing the outboard motor .. we have it now wrapped up in old t-shirts to protect it from the sun

the same for the propane BBQ tank

we are only leaving a few canned goods on the boat, we where advised to label the

cans and remove the paper labels .. the paper labels trap moisture and rusts the cans

part of our Hurricane Plan is to remove the blades off the wind generator

we waited for high tide to hand line the boat around .. to get the generator closer to the dock

 and waited for low tide to be able to reach the blades from the dock to remove them

this is a rare occurrence … battery bank completely full .. it is because the

fridge is turned off .. just block ice in there now .. getting everything cleaned and dried

this was a strange Cat .. with 2 masts .. we could not figure out the sail formation

this tree is in full bloom ..

our tree identification book is stored away, so we don't know what it is

bank hours .. open only one day a week … and in the Bahamas, there is always security at the door

and you are not allowed in with a hat or sunglasses on .. I got caught a few times on this

we got invited to an open house .. a new small building that we watched being built 

nice stepping stones

a twig as a towel rack

a small sitting area, cute kitchen, bedroom and large bathroom

Maxwell one of the builders also makes these chairs from local wood

we met a few other Canadian Friends there ..  very strong rum punch and conch fritters where served

this is the little cottage

Nova Scotia cruisers on Old Sam .. and Frank from Allure, from Petawawa, Ontario

cooking the conch fritters

back to work again, only a few days to haul out

hanging all our jackets, pants etc to dry in the heat, before packing them away for the summer

more old t-shirts wrapped around lines on the boom .. hopefully it will save it from being ruined by the sun and rain .. all cushions in the sun also

winches all wrapped up

engine cleaned and inspected

and covered .. I guess we have a mysterious leak in the companionway, and last

season we came back to a rusted engine

April 25 .. haul out day

lots of growth

the anoide will be replaced in December .. 6 months in salt water

being pressure washed

some of the barnacles … they got all scrapped off

about 5 workers got Modaki positioned, with 6 jack stands, a wooden cradle in the middle of the boat, we poured water into the cockpit to make sure it will drain …

tie straps are on, they are anchored into the paved lot to a depth of 5 feet

speed log removed, so we have a drain in the bilge, so the water has a place to escape

you have to give the boat yard an estimated return time, so they can position you

in the proper place in the yard .. boaters coming back in January are further in 

next came the chains to tie the stands together, then line to reinforce everything together

the reason for the wooden cradle in the middle is that when 100 knots winds arrive, and shake the boat, some times the jack stands would vibrate and move .. our dinghy is on the shady side of the boat, tied down, up on blocks and covered with a tarp with the plug out

Frank on Allure was returning his one person dinghy back to the original owner for storage 

this looked really funny

okay this is it .. solar panels off and they are on the salon table, lockers open jackets hung, javex to stop the mold is in wide open containers, kitty litter for moisture is put out, vinegar for odour control, 

hitches and windows closed .. it is already 90 F with no wind …

Modaki is now put to bed and the summer

we got the water taxi, at 7:15 am to come and pick us up from AYS, then over to New Providence to get the school kids .. this ride was $20 /each

you can't see it in this picture, but we needed luggage containers .. so we used two rubber maid containers, duck taped closed for our stuff  .. cruisers are always resource full

the school kids and locals are now on board and we are travelling at a high rate of speed to Treasure Cay, about 15 minutes

this little Pot Cake took a liking to Joe, and had to snuggle up to him

off the water taxi now and finding our land taxi, which was a 35 minute drive and $85 later to the airport .. we booked Elizabeth to pick us up, She had to come from Marsh Harbour at such an early hour, so I guess the price was alright … she chuckled when she saw our plastic luggage .. the first for her .. us too

and the school kids got into the school bus to go to Marsh Harbour … it is a long day for them

we got to the airport in good time .. going thru security, I was selected to be padded down, this was the first for me .. it was a female officer doing her duty … she explained everything to me and asked if I wanted this done in privacy .. I said no, so there I am hands straight out, legs wide apart being padded down… she was the only officer on duty so everyone had to wait and watch as the procedure happened, then she took a bit of time with my passport before letting me go … that was weird

Joe and I then boarded this plane to fly the 3/4 hours to West Palm Beach, Forida

some of the islands on the west side of the Bahamas .. the water in most part is too shallow for sailboats

still the Bahamas

I think this is the abandoned hurricane hole that some cruisers go, if they are expecting bad weather, it is very close to West End, Bahamas

this is West End .. where most boats either leave from here for Florida, or come to here from Florida

we anchored last year, just on the north side the the hook

now in Florida, this is the ICW waterways

coming in for a landing over marshy, Everglade Looking land

on our approach to the Palm Beach Airport … we had a very busy day

up at 5:30 am , took a water taxi, then car taxi, to a plane flight, then rented a car to drive 3/4 way across Florida and got my car out of storage, then drive back to the airport to return the rental car .. then we headed north and by 8:30 pm we stopped in Melbourne, Florida … we got Mexican Food take out for supper .. a busy long day

another strange thing happened to us at West Palm Beach airport … we got off the flight and waited for our plastic luggage, got thru the Immigration Security Officer, then had to wait for the Custom Officer, the pilot and crew went first …. then it was our turn, Joe and I stepped forward and gave him our passports … he held one of the passports up in front of him and looked at Joe and back to the passport ..  I recognized that it was my passport that he held up not Joe's .. then he said Joe could go, 

…do we look that much alike ..lol 

the next day we drove over 700 miles with 12 hours on the road … The last 3 hours was so slow .. the highway lines went from 6 lanes to 2 lanes .. Tons of big transport trucks and impatient vehicle drivers .. we saw one accident with a house trailer, jack knifed and flipped over … we passed thru Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and stopped in Wytheville, Virginia .. Chinese food for supper … We have been stopping into Days Inns on this trip and the rooms range from $65-$70 including taxes and they are nice

On our last leg of our "coming home" drive .. we finally arrived in Owen Sound at 8pm .. we had 750 miles and 13 hours on the road, went thru the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, raining most of the time .. then Canadian Customs, the officer said Welcome Home (after being away for 6 months) .. it felt good to be back in Canada.

My very thoughtful daughter Lily Sue Ellen McTeer, plugged in our fridge and generously stocked it with eggs, white and chocolate milk, different juices, bread, bagels, hummus, veggies, crackers, water, coffee etc.

We turned on the water, put the heat on,  plugged in the TV and wifi … 

We then got a surprise visit from Lily and lots us hugs later we chatted until midnight, then had to shoo her out so we could get some sleep … 

We are looking forward to seeing family and friends ..

This year we travelled from Florida, to Abaco, Bahamas .. then to Eleuthra, and over to Exumas, back to Eleuthra and up to the Abaco's and stored Modaki at Abaco Yacht Services or AYS….

We travelled some 1,100 NM  in 6 months

Leaving the boat is the Bahamas is new to us, but many Canadians do it .. so we will see .. I just hope there is no hurricanes this summer, that pass thru the Bahamas

Thank you all that follow the blog … I'm always trying to find wifi, so the posts are always late and far in between.

Joe and I work odd jobs during the summer to fatten our cruising kitty .. so if you have something that you might think we could do contact us 

Joe .. modaki@rogers.com

me …ymcteer@gmail.com

I will post during the summer also .. so stay tuned for the next land adventures of Modaki's 

crew

THANK YOU