Life on Restless and beyond.

  January 29 - Day 36 Underway     FISH ON! Today we trolled a line and look what we caught, a little tunny aka false albacore! It’s slated for dinner. I’m going to need a very strong mental distraction—and possibly selective amnesia—after what I witnessed this afternoon if I’m going to eat it😑 Tomorrow we are headed to Cape Eleuthera Marina to hunker down before the big storm that is hitting the east coast. The storm is coming!

  January 27 - Day 34 Underway Yesterday was a great day of beach exploring. Highlights included a bumpy dinghy ride, spotting a Kadey-Krogen trawler arriving in Spanish Wells all the way from Hampstead, NC, cruising under that cool bridge, and lingering at a truly gorgeous beach. One home looked so tropical it instantly reminded me of Hawaii. And just as the sun dipped below the horizon, a rainbow appeared—perfect timing. 🌈

  January 25- Day 32 underway  We survived another overnight passage and are now happily anchored in the Eleuthera Island chain at Spanish Wells. All five boats in our group arrived without incident—always worth celebrating! 🎉 Once again, it was mostly a motoring affair, but we did manage to get the main and genoa up for several hours. Steve was the real trooper, running on just a couple hours of sleep. Along the way, we also spotted several Disney cruise ships cruising by—quite the contrast to our little floating home. Thankfully, the overnight passages are officially behind us until the return trip. From here on out, every move south can be done as a day trip!  Yesterday we discovered an amazing beach, spent time with some new friends, and got in a solid walk. Not a bad way to stretch our sea legs.  Last night, the group gathered to review weather charts and briefings and decide our next move. The plan, for now, is to stay put and let the front pass through on Mon...

  January 22- Day 29 Underway Change of plans — we’re heading to Egg Island, Eleuthera! It’s 8:30 pm and we’re about halfway there. The seas have been pretty good so far! We ran the watermaker for the first time and filled up the starboard tank 🙂 We’ve been mostly motoring, but did manage to get a sail up for a bit this afternoon. Best of all, we were able to enjoy some warmer temperatures along the way.

  January 21, Day 28 Underway Saturday afternoon we set off for Lucaya… or at least we tried to. When it came time to pull up the anchor, we discovered our anchor chain was wrapped around a massive handmade fisherman’s anchor. What a mess! Thankfully, a very kind soul came over and helped us untangle the whole situation. No photo of the chaos, but here’s a video of the last of it getting untangled.  With that behind us, we headed out with plans to cross the Gulf Stream overnight in calm seas. Spoiler alert: all three weather models were wrong. It was choppy, rolly, and not at all relaxing. I spent most of the night lying down with my eyes closed so I don’t become an issue, while Steve powered through. I did sit up around 3:30 a.m. to help him stay awake 🙂 It was pitch black out there. No moon, no nothing. The chart plotter photo shows us as the red triangle, surrounded by ships—some of which barely had their lights on. We were going 6.1 kts, the next weigh point was in 1 hr...

  January 16 – Day 23 Underway We woke up Wednesday to a weather shift in Lucaya that made it clear we weren’t going anywhere. Since leaving was off the table, I figured it was the perfect day to go shopping! I especially wanted to be sure I had tennis sneakers on hand—just in case this opportunity presented itself again. I headed out while Steve stayed behind working on… you guessed it… more boat projects. Thursday was very cold here in Florida—though nothing like what’s happening up north. The wind generator was absolutely going crazy! Today we ventured out again to pick up a few more supplies, as we’re now thinking tomorrow may be our departure day for Lucaya. A good weather window appears to be opening, and as luck would have it, we’ve secured a new reservation at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club. Nine out of the twenty-three boats left Wednesday for the Berries, and everyone arrived safely. Thursday’s weather turned out just as rough as predicted, which made us very glad we stayed...

  January 13 – Day 20 Underway We had quite the storm roll in last evening just as we were anchored. At 1:30 a.m., curiosity got the best of me, so I took a look at what was happening. On Monday, I completed my final work task: dropping off the company laptop. ✔️! Another laundry day—much quicker without all the heavy winter gear. It really makes you appreciate your washer and dryer when you’re carrying laundry in a backpack, walking to a less-than-desirable part of town, and doing laundry to the soothing soundtrack of low-battery smoke detector beeps. Then it’s back to the boat we go. Today was filled with meetings focused on educating everyone about where to go—and where not to go—in the Bahamas. After listening to the briefings, a decision had to be made about when the group feels it’s best to cross the Gulf Stream. There is a heavy weather front expected in the Bahamas on Thursday, so leaving Wed and crossing the Gold Stream isn't necessarily the issue.  The bigger questi...

  January 12 – Day 19 Underway We finally made it to West Palm Beach — the jump-off point for the Salty Dawgs January Jump to the Berry Islands. Once again, the waterfront homes were absolutely incredible. Bridges, bridges and more bridges! We encountered fixed bridges, drawbridges, and even a swing bridge. Some open on the hour, some on the half hour, and some on demand. We looked up all the schedules and adjusted our speed so we wouldn’t spend half the day circling waiting for openings. Friday afternoon (Jan 9) we dropped the dinghy and decided to check out the waterfront. First stop: the Super Yachts. As we putted by them, Steve suddenly smelled something burning — never a comforting boat smell — and realized the motor wasn’t getting any cooling water. Of course, neither of us had our phones because it was “just going to be a quick little dinghy ride.” Well… not so much. After a quick assessment we had no choice but to row back to Restless . So there we were, rowing our way home...

   January 8 - Day 15 Under way Our time in Vero Beach was productive -though not exactly thrilling. I'll admit, I rolled my eyes when I was told it would take all day to do laundry and grocery shop…  Turns out..it did. Super busy in that laundry room! While I was buried in laundry cycles, Steve tackled an important project: getting the mater maker fully hooked up and running. Huge accomplishment! Whew - what a relief! All sailors know that water quality equals quality of life, and I am grateful for his knowledge and patience with this stuff. I did get a workout in which consisted of running to the top of the bridge and back to the marina to check on the laundry...then back up to the top of the bridge...and back down again to check the laundry one more time.  Twice was enough! As a brand-new cruiser, I have also discovered a new "toy" I now consider essential headphones. No more WHAT? ICAN'T HEAR YOU! shouted across the boat...game changer! We met another couple head...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All! Christmas Underway: One Week Aboard SV Restless Christmas looked a little different for us this year-and that was exactly the point. Steve and I are one week into our winter journey south, leaving our home waters of North Carolina behind as we make our way toward the Bahamas aboard SV Restless .  Steve is a seasoned sailor; I am still fairly new to life under sail. Each day brings something unfamiliar, something beautiful, and something that reminds me just how small - and lucky- we are out here. A Carolina Beach Send off Before we even left, the trip began with family.  My sister and niece were visiting and generously gave us a ride to Carolina Beach where Restless was waiting.  It was so nice to have them there to see us off. We spend Christmas Eve aboard, picked up a mooring ball, and set sail first thing Christmas Day.  There was something quietly special about that- casting off lines while much of the world was openin...