Turks & Caicos plus THE Crossings

Arriving at South Side Marina (SSM) with the high tide we were soon tied securely for a much-needed break and chance to explore these islands.  SSM is on Provenciales Island - referred to as Provo - in the Caicos group – the western group with the Turks making up the eastern group.  The islands of the Caicos ring a shallow bank similar to the Bahamas Bank on a slightly smaller scale.  Most of the population lives on Provo and it seems to be booming.

Bob's Bar above the marina

Bob's Boccie Ball Court

Bob Pratt, the owner and manager of SSM has given us a brief history of some recent boom and bust cycles on the island.

During our stay we enjoyed visiting the “Do It” center – a mix of Home Depot and Wal Mart minus any food items.  For food we visited the IGA for a wide selection of familiar brands with an interesting mix of exotic European items. We made the must stop at Da Conch restaurant on the beach on the north shore. 

breakfast at the French Bakery in Grace Bay

checking holiday shop in Do It Center

Bob's Bar from the boat!

two Elizabeths

After a relaxing 6 days, we traded the busy Provo for the much quieter Grand Turk.

Turks head on top!

Dolphin Welcome

Dinghy Landing

Grand Turk and the other Turk Islands are only accessible by boat or plane.  There is a very busy cruise dock for the big boys – fortunately we were securely anchored inside the reef on the opposite end of the island. We did encounter lots of the passengers as we wandered the streets of the town – Cockburn Town.  Our main stop was the Museum housed in a restored traditional home.  The displays included the story of the oldest ship wreck as yet discovered in North America.  The ship was once thought to be part of Columbus’ fleet although many discount that attribution.  It has been dated to pre-1513 based on the artifacts and weaponry recovered at the site.  While the harvesting of salt was responsible for the first boom on these islands, diving and cruise ship/tourism are the current money makers.  However, donkeys used as the original power source for the salt works still wander the streets.  At one time there were more than 800 donkeys, but numbers are now greatly reduced and usually confined to a less populated section of the island.  Perhaps for the tourists a few are still allowed to appear in town since we spotted these next to Cee’s Warehouse Grocery.

Erben Renewal to the rescue!  After spending a few relaxing days on Grand Turk, Steve visited the officials to pay our exit fees and get an official exit paper called a Despacho, or Zarpe – needed to enter our next destination – the Dominican Republic. We left Grand Turk to stage and take an afternoon break off Big Sand Cay – an uninhabited island which makes a good jumping off point to cross 90+ miles to Hispaniola.  All was well and the weather continued to look great for our night time crossing as we approached the calm anchorage behind Big Sand.  However, on the beach Steve spotted a boat and several men on shore.  They began waving as we approached and we could see their boat did not appear to be floating.  Long story short, we launched our dinghy and retrieved the guys with their fishing gear and cooler and returned them to just off Salt Cay – about a two hour round trip for us in our slow boat.  One of the men informed us he had never been on such a slow vessel.  They were never in great danger since they had plenty of food and even could get cell coverage at the top of the hill, but it did provide some entertainment for us as well as filling our afternoon. They would have had to wait perhaps several days before one of their friends was able to make the trip out to rescue them. That was our excitement since the crossing to Luperon was calm and totally uneventful.

approaching the mountains of Hispaniola 

fishermen in the entrance channel

Luperon in the Dominican Republic is a small town tucked off a protected bay almost straight south of Big Sand Cay in the Turk Islands.  We saw a few of the big cruise ships as they headed to Amber Cove further east in the Dominican Republic, but otherwise the seas were empty and smooth although we dodged a few storm cells in the hours before dawn.  We made such good time that we actually slowed down the last hour to have daylight for entry into the harbor.  This is one of the harbors visited by Columbus and the serpentine passage made us marvel at his navigation skills. For us it was well buoyed to miss the shoals plus we had the benefit of computer and GPS navigation. 

Papo responded to our request for a mooring ball and with his helper got us secured to one of his balls – a mere $2 per night. Papo and Handy Andy provide all manner of services to the boaters visiting Luperon, but first we had to navigate the “entrance” formalities.  While the DR has had a questionable reputation in the past with regard to above board procedures, we experienced a very professional and courtesy welcome.  It started with a visit to our boat by three officials from the Navy – Richard handled all the communication and paperwork issues in flawless English while the Comandante looked spruce in his camouflage gear and took photos of our Teddy.  There were no charges or even hints about any for this service.  Next, we launched our dink and went into town and visited the other officials – this included four stops all conveniently housed in a building at the end of the government dock. We arrived during lunch time, but the gentlemen there called to get those away to return quickly.  We even returned the next day to finish up with the two who handled the agriculture clearance. All fees were posted and no hints or requests for tips were ever suggested. With a fat file of paper work we were officially in the country and free to explore. 

shopping with shades of Khobar

Papo and Handy Andy visited us every morning to offer water, fuel or any of their other services.  The harbor has a “net” for visitors on Wednesday and Sunday morning where lots of useful tips are shared.  We also visited the Los Vellas restaurant for happy hour and music at the Marina Puerto Blanco just next to our mooring. In town we enjoyed the local vibe with exotic touches and the very warm welcome and smiles on the faces we encountered. A big shout out to our Google Translate app which stretched our limited Spanish to help bridge the communication challenges. It probably provided some entertainment for the locals as well although everyone patiently helped us with our struggles. Papo provided taxi service to the falls where Steve hiked up for the ride down – sorry no photos – nothing was allowed – although helmets and life vests were included. (not even glasses so Julia opted to give it a pass – why go if it was all a burr?) The ride to the falls gave us a glimpse of the countryside in this very beautiful country with steep hills cloaked in lush green foliage. All in all, a very dramatic change from the islands of the Bahamas Chain.

Making our next passage requires heading east along the north shore of Hispaniola then across the Mona Passage to reach the western shore of Puerto Rico. The Mona connects the mighty Atlantic with the Caribbean Sea and a particular weather “window” of “calmish” winds to moderate the typical trade winds is necessary for a comfortable trip through this 280+ miles.  We left Sunday evening hoping the good weather would hold and although we had a couple bail out points, the conditions held and we continued on to Puerto Rico and Marina Pescaderia in Puerto Real. (46 hours in our SLOW boat against the current.) While checking out of the DR involved a trip by the captain to see the Navy officials one more time, checking in to Puerto Rico was accomplished via the new ROAM app in the air-conditioned comfort of the marina office. Resting up in Puerto Real and getting decked out for the holidays before exploring the south coast on our way east.

Platinum Plus

Platinum Plus  - we have been busy…. Just to recap:

Exchanged the gold flag for a Platinum!

On Erben Renewal we have traveled 26,843 miles since we last touched our home port in Panama City, FL. After completing our first loop in 2013 we took a couple months to put our “stuff” in storage. In mid-March of 2014 we departed through Lake Okeechobee and then north to do the little triangle loop including the Rideau Canal, with stops in Ottawa and Montreal and back via Lake Champlain to Marathon.  A total of 5756 miles. In 2015 again, mid-March we headed to the Berries and Abacos in the Bahamas before returning north to do the Down East loop with stops in Quebec City, the Gaspe, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and the Bras D’Or Lakes before briefly visiting Maine and heading south to Jacksonville, FL for the winter. Only 5110 miles.  In 2016 we headed south to the Bahamas, this time to visit the Exumas and Long Island before returning to Maine for the summer. Winter was again in Jacksonville for a total of 5158 miles.  In 2017 We stopped back in the Exumas and Long Island before visiting the Ragged Islands and finally running north to jump over to Bermuda. We returned to Newport RI and spent the rest of the summer in the Long Island area visiting the islands, and both forks of Long Island before heading south once again for the winter = 5370 miles. Finally, in 2018 we left JAX for a month on the St John River before again spending a month or so in the Bahamas on our way back north to do the more traditional loop.  We spent the summer on the Trent-Severn Canal as well as the Georgian Bay, North Chanel and the western side of Lake Michigan before heading down the rivers and home to Panama City to close our second loop and earn the Platinum Burgee. 

Our first go around was not the traditional loop as we did the entire Erie Canal, Lake Erie and Lake Huron before spending a month on the eastern side of Lake Michigan, we decided we needed to do the areas we missed.  Since we did the rivers to Nashville and Chattanooga last time, we lingered on the West side of Lake Michigan then headed south at a faster clip this trip for a total of 5426 miles.  Just coming up on six years aboard and heading to the Caribbean for our next adventure. Not a difficult retirement plan! 310 locks and 34,000+ miles!

Hurricane flooding even in Mobile

suffering with take out from Dreamland BBQ

Sadly, Hurricane Michael had things to say about our planned stopover in Home Port Panama City.  We ended up spending several weeks in Mobile to wait out the hurricane’s fury as well as get some work done on the boat. A road trip to Panama City a week after the storm convinced us that taking the boat in would be more disruptive than helpful as our hometown was struggling to survive.

with Teddy's help we packed a few boxes to put in our storage units
 - which miraculously were untouched by Michael's rage

60+ hour crossing to Tampa

leaving Mobile

 With heavy hearts we made the decision to head straight to Tampa to spend some extra time with our son and daughter in law.  They were preparing to move and our presence might be helpful. Can’t say we did much as they were super organized, but at least we had some time with them and by living on the boat managed to stay out of their way.  

adding chain dance - glad to have help

A brief few days in Gulfport Marina allowed us to pick up a tandem kayak – our new toy and new chain.  From there we moved to the mooring field in Sarasota which we enjoyed – close enough to see the kids in Bradenton but with lots of entertainment close to hand on Main Street. Most of our time was spent making last minute prep for our next trip – this included changing out our air conditioners. Steve did the work but then we had to find homes for the old ones still in working order. The new chain was also installed and a host of smaller ticket items added to the stores along with a few edible provisions. With the “to do” list finally down to (nearly) zero we made a crossing through the lake to Stuart to meet up with our “new to us” anchor. Good friends, Mark and Mary, kindly transported the anchor from Solomon’s in the Chesapeake Bay to their winter home in Stuart on their KK44, The Good Life. Watching the weather in Stuart for a Gulf Stream crossing, we were expecting to wait a week or more and work our way south, but waking up Sunday Nov 18^th we realized there was a moderate chance to head south on the outside overnight and cross on Monday.  Our ride for the first third was less than perfect, but also farrrrrrrrr from the worst we have experienced.  By the time we were off Miami, the winds and waves became favorable so we crossed to Bimini.  Arriving in a port, even one we were familiar with after dark is undesirable, and luckily the tides were in our favor as well.  We were tied to the dock at Blue Water Resort an hour before dark and at slack tide. A nice bonus after our 26+ hour run from Stuart. Bahama sim cards worked great as did the new Google Fi phone – a miracle since we had major heartburn getting the thing organized. Several long and uneventful travel days followed as we crossed the banks. Thanksgiving was celebrated at the Xuma Restaurant on Highbourne Cay.  A first for us to eat out for the holiday, but the setting and friendly folk made it special if not a family event. After a quick run to and stop in Black Point Settlement (think coconut bread warm from the oven), we were in Georgetown early afternoon on Saturday.  We had time to hit the Xuma Market and a few marine stores before checking the weather.  As luck would have it, a window of travel opportunity appeared to be opening.  Lots of reading and strategizing regarding the onward passage from Georgetown to Provo in the Turks and Caicos could not have handed us a more perfect window.  

Although we seriously would have enjoyed a day off or even a few stops, we could see that this calm might not come again for a week or more, so Sunday mid-morning we took off to run all the way to Provo. Being conservative, we expected the seas and currents to slow us but amazingly we came close to making our normal 7.5 MPH. No complaints as this allowed us to anchor off the island for a good night’s rest and then proceed in to the marina in daylight and at high tide. New territory and new adventures….

P.S. new anchor is magnificent!  Stuck first time and we have tested thoroughly this last week! Thanks again to Mark & Mary and Tim & Diane!

no stress for this cat

one of four Mahi caught leaving George Town BS

Rivers South

 Rivers South

The trip through Chicago was awesome, but the locks on the Illinois River system were a repeat of the Wait, Wait theme! At almost every lock we had to wait from 1 to 4 hours while the commercial traffic which takes priority was passed through.  We got to love the up bound biggest tows since if the load had to be divided up, we got to ride the empty lock down between loads.  This was an interesting process to watch while the lock pulled out the first half of the barges then left a “hole” for the Recreational Vessels to squeeze through to enter the lock and head down.  All in the fun of river travel.

sometimes we shared the lock with tiny boats

Lock duty requires a life vest, gloves & knife

Don't even ask about the Asian Carp - yuk!

Crew enjoyed Joliet October Fest

Barge traffic at night through Joliet Bridge

We popped out of the Illinois onto the Mighty MS thinking to stop at Alton Marina, but the Corps of Engineers had lowered the pool behind the lock and dam expecting a flood from further north.  The result was low water in the marina and we were advised to not attempt a stop there.  So, we detoured to Grafton another nice marina where we spent a couple nights - regularly visiting their New Orleans themed restaurant - amazingly good eats in this tiny town. Used the courtesy car to resupply, too.

Our run on the Mississippi included two stops - one at the venerable Hoppies "marina" - a couple barges tied to trees on the river that they adjust as the river rises and falls.  To say it is basic is an understatement.  Sadly, the long time owner and operator, Fern, was recovering from knee replacement surgery so we had the evening "talk" on river status from her daughter.  This outpost is the only place to tie off actually on the river below the last lock and our turn onto the Ohio

.  Rustic as it is, the experience is memorable.  We also ran into the town of Kimmswick where the Blue Owl restaurant sells Levee Apple Pie - a treat worth the walk.

Evening meeting at Hoppies

Hoppies docks

Our second stop was an overnight in the anchorage called Little Diversion - it is a quiet side cut free from the awesome current on the big river.  We tucked in there with several others making a very early morning exit to run for Paducah KY on the Ohio River.  Our speed on the Mississippi approach 13 to 14 mph but abruptly dropped when we made the turn up the Ohio, however, we were tied up on the city dock before dark.  These docks are new and replace the free dock that we stayed at on our previous trip down the river.  They are not free, but a modest price for the benefit of power and a secure berth for the night.

passing tow captain took this because he admired out boat
(or was very bored???)

he had a HIGH perspective

birds fishing in lock walls as water rises

can you guess what these yellow blocks are for?

they get dropped if someone falls between a boat and lock wall :(

Our run on the Ohio was also different since the long awaited Olmsted lock which replaces the old locks 52 and 53 has been christened.  As luck would have it, we did not even have to lock through at all, with the waters running high we were escorted through since the wickets were down. This helped off set the slower pace we were making on the upstream run.

new docks at Paducah

opps - forgot to stop tracking so here is our walk in town

Next we headed a little further upstream to the turn onto the Cumberland River and Barkley lock.  This was a slow day but luckily not a long wait at the lock and we were through and went on into Kentucky Lake.  We did several long days on the way south making a stop at Pebble Isle Marina for fuel.  We should have picked up Steve's new glasses - a warranty replacement pair for the ones that broke.  However, the glasses were forgotten in our rush to resupply and enjoy the delights of the onsite restaurant. (The glasses have still not caught up with us but we are hoping they will finally be in our hands before we leave Provo in the Turks and Caicos. Mail can be a major bummer.)

With a few anchorages along the way we cleared the Pickwick Lock and turned onto the last leg of the rivers - the Tom Bigbee and Black Warrior.  Lots of locks controlled our progress, but with few exceptions we met courteous lock keepers.  These guys are running major commercial locks and must find the recreational cruisers a stinging nuisance.  On occasion they have to turn around a massive lock for one little boat who waits impatiently to proceed.  The commercial traffic does have priority and it was helpful for us to keep an eye on the app that lists vessels using the locks behind and ahead of us to time arrival. Thank goodness for technology - along with the AIS feature and this new app, we were able to travel with fewer delays than further north on the Illinois River.

Engine room check - via video camera

A nice stop in Columbus Marina gave us a break to resupply and revisit this cute town where Paul and Amanda were stationed on our first trip down the river.  The marina has excellent service which includes loaner cars - a necessity since the marina is a fair ways out of town.

Must stop shop in Columbus

Warmer than average weather had us pull into the marina at Demopolis to enjoy some AC for a night before pushing on south.  Watching the development of Hurricane Michael we decided to run on to Mobile where we were scheduled to be hauled out for routine work.  If the hurricane decided to head west, we would have just hauled out sooner. On our way to Mobile, we made a lunch stop at the famous Bobby's Fish Camp dock.  Bobby's is another rustic but authentic place which we enjoyed on our first trip. 

This second stop was purely an accident caused by a delay at the lock.  We managed to get lunch while we waited for the lock and pushed off again with a couple boats to continue on south arriving in Dog River a few days before Michael's devastating visit.

why it takes a long time to travel the Tenn-Tom Waterway

Teddy is doing fine and a big help with navigation