RETURNING WITH SVEA

Sailing on SVEA was like a brand new experience and really went well beyond our expectations. We had brought extra belts for the water pump with us on the plane from Florida. These had given problems in the past, but all three belts were too small, and the only way out was a trip to Marsh Harbour. This meant getting up at 5 AM, then catch the ferry at 6:15 AM to the mainland, catch a taxi to Marsh Harbour at $75.00 each way, return to catch a ferry for another $15.00 and then fit the $12.00 belt. So, early to the ferry dock on Green Turtle Cay for the ferry that now wasn't going to leave till 8:00 AM. This led to some serious thinking outside the box or should I say the "wallet". O.K....................... cut away a piece of the flange on the engine mounting frame, and then the original belts should fit (more or less)................So at 7:30 AM while still waiting for the ferry, hit the little bolt and nail place on Green Turtle, for hacksaw blades, and would you believe it, they had the right size belt on a shelf........................... Who knew.
Now that is what is called "Karma". This "Karma" thing has been dropping in quite a lot lately, like .................never mind, I'll tell you later...............



Winds were very light and mostly from behind, thus motor-sailing was our only option if we were to return to Florida this year. Now, steering with this very long tiller on SVEA and the engine running is not the best sport known to man. Joel and Corina often mentioned getting "Tiller Arm", a disorder akin to tennis elbow. Thus, if you use your leg or your foot to steer, it obviously is called something else, and if you use the "auto-pilot" then it is called "Delightful". It did not take us very long to become delightedly delightful.



Somewhere in the middle of the blue sea we come very close to some fishermen diving for lobster. Contact is made. "Karma" again rears its beautiful head, and a $ 20.00 dollar note is exchanged for some lobsters. They even break off the heads and when they drop the load on deck, we are amazed to see 14 beautiful tails. Now without refrigeration, we may well go down in history as dying of lobster "over-eat". The morning after will tell. The "Queen" sautees them in butter, with spices and herbs, and a dash of macaroni and cheese for the Captain. Bahamian rum & Coke is served as 'Sundowners'. If we die, we will die gloriously well fed.................



The weather is constantly in a state of change and we alter course to by-pass the squalls. A very large floating-hotel-type-powerboat had passed us earlier. Laurie's comment about " when we get older, could we have one of those ", was ignored. Those people probably played tennis on their bridge deck.(double click and check that out) Compare that with SVEA's instrument panel. Then again, a 1000 miles offshore and they would be out of fuel and we could sail right by.................................



The Queen with "tiller foot" on the left, and "Otto" the auto-pilot on the right. Look Mum, no hands....................



The day before we left Green Turtle Cay we met Mr Floyd Lowe, most definitely one of the 'founders'. Fighting strong and 90 years old. He owns the ice plant, the fisheries business, the ferry service and a bunch of other enterprises. We had already met one of his many sons and the sons of his sons, one of whom said "He is the source of everything". Floyd told us in the early days, he bought the lobsters for a penny a tail. Today he buys lobster at $ 10.00 a pound. Now, if you go to the "Founders" garden on Green Turtle, you will find this bronze bust of the man himself. The only person we know who didn't have to pass away first, before they cast the bronze plaque. Then again he donated the garden.................. a very remarkable man, whose chair in the corner of the pub is not to be messed with at breakfast time...............



The purchase offer for SVEA made by these potential buyers was not acceptable.......



We sailed continuously from Green Turtle Cay across the Bahama Bank and the Gulf Stream to enter at Ft. Pierce Inlet, Florida, and then up the Intra-coastal waterway to Vero Beach Marina to pick up a mooring, and crash on ARITA. To say we were tired would be an understatement. Laurie caught me getting dressed in the morning............ not a pretty sight........................(though worthy of a double click). She is still laughing....