Ah, the Cruising Life
by Myrna Longee
We left the Corinthian in June 1999 in our 50’ Gulfstar Sailmaster, Antares. My husband Don and I headed down the coast to San Diego. We spent the millennium in beautiful Catalina and on Jan 5 we headed for Cabo San Lucas. The 15 travel days were delightful with our good friends and fellow Corinthians, John and Karen Morais. We anchored each evening and only did one overnight prior to arriving in Cabo. After spending a month in the marina, our next stop was La Paz and then up into the Sea of Cortez for six months.
Our next leg, after spending the summer at home in Sacramento, took us along with our little Shih Zsu, “Chinny”, from La Paz to Panama. (We were joined by Cliff & Marlene Donoho on the cruise from Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta & Bill & Kay Barbour (both CYC members) on the cruise from Barra de Navidad to Las Hadas. We stopped at all of the lovely marinas and anchorages along the way spending a month in Mazatlan, PV, Ixtapa/Z-town & Acapulco. Our refrigerator failed us along the way but fortunately in Ixtapa we were able to have the compressor replaced thus we were able to travel on with cold food and cerveza—a must for those hot days in Mexico.
After provisioning in Acapulco and taking on board crew from Germany, we headed to Panama. Much of the trip was motoring as the winds never seemed to be in the right direction. With the exception of the Tehuantepec & the Papaguyos, the trip was most pleasant and picturesque. Saw very few boats after leaving Banana Bay Club in Costa Rica & began to wonder if we were the only cruisers headed to Panama!
October, 2001 found Captain Don with crew sailing from the Panama Canal to the San Blas Islands, eastern Panama, Isle of Providencia & Isle of Roatan then over to Belize to meet us—me, my brother and of course, Chinny. Arriving in Belize mid December, left quite a bit to be desired-so many biting bugs, hot temperatures-not to mention the dirt and humidity. Unfortunately, the last hurricane destroyed most of the reefs so the diving we had anticipated was another disappointment. We headed north after only 2 days at the marina & truly enjoyed our stay at Isla Mujures for Christmas, my birthday & 18th wedding anniversary. The rented golf cart was a fun way to get around town & to some lovely beaches & restaurants.
We all agreed it would be fun to spend New Years in Cuba so off we went on an overnight voyage arriving at Hemingway Marina on New Years Eve. Five very friendly government employees met us at the entrance & took turns coming aboard to check all papers and inspect the boat. Two dogs followed to search the entire boat. The process took about 2 hours. Once secured at our side tie with a spectacular view of the ocean-we were off to enjoy the Cuban hospitality at a nearby restaurant. New Years Day found us in the center of Havana celebrating with the locals in the town square-enjoyed a little pub with great tasting pizza & very talented jazz musicians-making it a most memorable day. Lots of open air shops and of course, old cars everywhere-definitely a step back in time-as most everything we saw appeared as in the 50’s. It is interesting to note that all of the maptec electronic charts we used for navigation were anywhere from 1/8 to 11/2 miles off except for Cuba. The charts for Cuba were so accurate, you can use their latitiudes & longitudes to pull into a slip!!
We bid the crew farewell upon arriving in the US at Key West, Fla.—what a great little town to visit with so much going on. Traveling up the coast, on the Inter Coastal Waterway, we were amazed at the number of mansions & mega yachts! After our friends, Roger & MaryAnn Howard (also CYC members) arrived in Palm Beach, we set sail for West End in the Bahamas. The trip was a bit rough but only took 9 hours through the gulf stream. Upon arrival, we delighted in the beautiful blue water, tropical winds & lush gardens—indeed a welcome sight…of course, you always have to watch out for those coral reefs & shallow waters in the Bahamas. After a few days in paradise, we headed to Nassau & just as we arrived, discovered a broken motor mount. We found that all mechanical parts & repairs were twice as expensive as in the states. In fact, everything was very expensive. ( A case of beer $40 & case of coke $42.) The two weeks in Nassau gave us plenty of time to visit the fantastic Atlantis Resort & enjoy the company of the many cruisers in the marina.
The Annual Georgetown Regatta in April lured us south by way of the Exuma Islands. Once we arrived at the cruisers regatta, it was quite a picture with some 375 boats anchored in a large bay with miles of white, sandy beach & parties going on everywhere. Within minutes of our arrival, we were met by other cruisers & given the schedule for the day—beach church services, volleyball, tennis, water games & an evening concert given by Eileen Quinn. (Her tapes are a must for all cruising boats). For two weeks, we enjoyed activities daily, discovered a refreshing drink called “Sandpiper” (Pineapple Juice & Cocoanut Rum) & made many wonderful friends.
Several cruisers joined us on the return to Florida & we sailed the Eleuthera Islands & up thru the Abacos before arriving in early May. Our favorite had to be the Abacos where you can find such hot spots as Marsh Harbor and Nippers at Great Guana Cay. On our return to Florida, before crossing the gulf stream, it was strange to be 25 miles away from land and be in 7 feet of water! We truly enjoyed the people on all of the Bahamian Islands.
Currently, the Antares is resting in Daytona Beach at the beautiful Halifax Marina where we are planning to reunite with her in September for a cruise up the Chesepeake for a few months before returning home to enjoy the Holiday Season.
