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September 1,
Vintage Airlines carried Saundra and I from Daytona to Marsh Harbor,
Bahamas where we caught Aubrey's Ferry to Man-O-War Cay, Sea Gem's
home for the last five months. There we had her bottom re-painted
and other work done. Removing the Maxi-prop propellers, returning
them to the manufacturer for reconditioning entails recording the
exact pitch of these (automatically feathering propellers which reduce
drag while under sail) and keeping track of which is the port and
which the starboard prop for the purpose of reinstallation. We removed
the worn out Spurs, which are the knives attached to each shaft just
fore of the props. These cut lines and nets before they can wrap around
the prop. These heavy-duty knives do a pretty good job but we had
run over too many lines and nets during the last 16 years.
We brought with us the two new sets of Spurs and the reconditioned
like new Maxi-props. Sea Gem had to be hauled again to install these,
and immediately upon rolling back into the water we set sail for home.
Mike Watson, a friend and executive of Agere Systems, had joined us
on Sept. 6 in Man-O-War Cay for the 250- mile sail home. Our first
stop was Green Turtle Cay, a wonderful place we found almost forty
years ago and have been frequenting ever since. After a good dinner
and an uneventful night at anchor we showed Mike the island and the
town of New Providence. Saundra had to fly home to be with her brother,
Jerome, who was in the late
stage of cancer.
It was a quick trip across the bay to Treasure Cay Airport in our
19- foot Key West (with a 150hp Yamaha) that we were towing home.
Mike and I sailed a short hop to Manjaq (sometimes spelled Nunjaq)
Cay to visit some friends Saundra and I have been visiting for some
years.
Bill and
Leslie Herrington are the only inhabitants of this Cay with their
home overlooking beautiful bay. They are amazing people; building
their own home and guest house to construction standards and fine
finish work that would rival any artisan in America. Moreover, these
are self- sustaining and environmentally sound houses. They are entirely
solar maintained with more than adequate hot water, lighting, refrigeration
and electric power. The roofs are like most houses in the Bahamas
structured to capture rainwater and carry it down drainpipes into
a cistern. The houses even have the latest type compost waste system
that provides fertilizer for their extensive flower, shrub and tree
gardens. Bill and Leslie are incredibly friendly evidenced by the
sign on their white sand bathing beach reading, " Trespass Please".
They served us a lovely lunch on their home's cool veranda overlooking
the bay where Sea Gem was anchored. (Photo 491)Although we were invited
to stay for lobster dinner we felt we should make a few miles before
dark. They gave us four fresh lobsters for our dinner, which we greatly
enjoyed that night anchored behind Crab Cay.
The next
morning we sailed out Umbrella Cay Pass through the reef and on to
Walker's Cay where we anchored for our last night in the Bahamas.
From Walker's Cay it is 24 hours for Sea Gem to make Cape Canaveral.
We arrived at 8 AM, September 11, docked at Cape Marina and checked
in with Customs and Immigration. I couldn't help but remember the
tragedy one year ago that day. By early afternoon we were docked at
Titusville Municipal Marina from which we had set sail on January
16, 1999 on our trip around the world.
We had officially
circumnavigated the globe crossing 11 seas and oceans; visiting 38
countries on 6 separate continents of the world.
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