Boating Tips

On board the Sonsie in the Sea of Abaco
was a magnificent place for Doug and I to go. 
For two full weeks, Sonsie showed us the sights
from island to island–beautiful days and peaceful nights. 

We thank Harold and Kathi for a terrific fun time
and have captured some highlights in a little Brenda rhyme. 
The islands of the Abacos were a glorious sight
as we approached Marsh Harbour on a Continental flight. 

Harold and Kathi greeted us at the gate–
March 24th ‘06 was the revised arrival date. 
In only a few minutes, the mini van taxi
delivered us to the awaiting Sonsie. 

She was doing the Circle Route that she started last year,
Down the Mississippi, across the Gulf, Florida and now here. 
Grouper and Dolphin sandwiches at Wally’s across the street
was the start of a great time that just couldn’t be beat! 

Boutiques and margaritas and barbequed grouper
filled up our day making it just super duper. 
Delicious Spanish eggs started our Saturday,
then we planned for Hopetown, got ready, and were underway. 

Two dolphins off the starboard bow leaped into the air
just to say hello and let us know they were there. 
Roy and Elvie joined us for rotisseried pork and rice,
Bahamian rum cake and a fun game of dice. 

Sunday at Hideaways, we relaxed in the hammock and dinghy too.
From the top of the lighthouse we witnessed an incredible view. 
At Hopetown Lodge eating platters of Mahi Mahi
We marveled at the rolling waves as far as the eye could see. 

They were so blue and continuous crashing in on shore
Never ending energy - there were always more and more. 
A tour of the museum and quaint little shops
Filled our afternoon with many costly stops. 

Boaters gathered at the pool for some afternoon camaraderie
to drink, share hors d’oeuvres and each tell a story. 
Conch is so plentiful served in a variety of dishes
from chowder to fritters or a horn if one wishes. 

After cocktails on Roy El’, we enjoyed crab cakes on board
telling stories and having fun while red wine Harold poured. 
We cruised to Great Guana to become famous Kalik Sippers
by walking the sand beach then hanging out at Nippers.

Later, we walked on Sunset beach in the low tide muck.
Then, new boaters we met at the Sunset Pot Luck. 
The Guana Dive Boat took us snorkeling at Fowl Cay
to swim with the multi-colored fish–what a sight to see! 

The reef was alive with fascinating growth.
The stingray and yellow tails were a thrill for us both. 
The coral, alive with growth, took our breath away
as we swam with the fish and watched sea creatures play. 

Man O’ War was our anchorage for Thursday night
where we reviewed Kathi’s pictures and stopped for a bite. 
Lolas famous bakery on Man O’ War Cay
was definitely worth a visit and a great place to see. 

Lola makes bread & buns, and hubby Conch Fritter Batter.
You’ll love the taste of both and nothing else will matter. 
Lois Albury greeted us at Albury’s sail shop.
For our souvenir bags, this was definitely the right stop. 

Low tide was just perfect for shell hunting in the dinghy
But not perfect at all for leaving in Sonsie. 
Doug in the dinghy pulled as hard as he could
As Harold and Brenda pushed-while in the water they stood.

The solution was simple. We agreed “What the heck.
Let’s wait for the tide while drinking a Kalik on deck”. 
We crossed over to Elbow Cay to outsmart the tide
And anchored offshore after a short ride. 

Saturday at seven thirty, we were up and underway
With all conditions perfect for another gorgeous day. 
A quiet secluded Little Harbour welcomed Sonsie and us all
with calm seas and light breeze and an empty mooring ball. 

The eateries and pubs with plush sand floors
Are open to the view with no windows and no doors 
Pete’s Pub at Little Harbour is quite a sight to see.
For a wild boar dinner, it’s the right place to be. 

A three hour cruise to Treasure Cay
revealed another wonder that everyone should see. 
Three miles of sugar sand squished through our toes
as we strolled on the beach where everybody goes. 

The Cruisers’ Net on VHF 68 at 0815
is one of the best services we’ve ever seen 
Patty greeted us each morning with all we need to know-
with announcements, emails, and great places to go. 

Reports on weather, arrivals, departures, and tips
specials, swap shop, “open Mike” and new friendships 
A Little Harbour Grabber is a must to try
as is a Sunset Blaster and Key Lime Pie. 

We experienced Goombay Splashes, grabbers and Kalik
many rum creations, blasters and lots more Kalik. 
We were delighted to meet up with so many Loopers
who were there sharing stories over barbequed Groupers.

A most memorable sight was the turquoise blue and green
that can only be appreciated if to the Abacos you’ve been. 
The indescribable beauty revealed at every turn
is the biggest invitation for us all to return. 

The Abacos is a place so unique and rare.
You wear casual clothes and go barefoot everywhere. 
Tanned and relaxed we boarded our plane
making plans in our future to come back again. 

Abaco Islands in the Sun,
we’ll be back for lots more fun. 

Brenda Dawson
Author, First Mate 101
www.FirstMate101.com

Trip - March 23 - April 6, 2006 

You never know what to expect. Sometimes, you’d rather not
shower because the washrooms are so disgusting.

Usually there aren’t enough hooks to hang up your clothes and towel. There isn’t always a stool to place your overnight kit with your soap, shampoo etc. I’ve even gotten into the shower to find the shower head doesn’t work or there’s no water pressure. The floor is usually wet and sometimes dirty before you start. After the shower, you have to balance on one foot while maneuvering the other foot into your shoe without touching the floor, then do it all over for the other foot.

What can you do?

Well, take one or two of those over-the-door hooks and hang
them on the stall door or wall for extra hanging space. You
can also take one or two interlocking plastic or rubber
squares or grates to put on the floor for your feet. When
you are finished, rinse them off in the shower and carry
them back to the boat. Soap-on-a-rope is easier to hang
where there is no soap dish and I find it easier to wear
slip-on shoes when going to the showers so that it’s easier
to take them off and put them back on when I’m wet. If
there’s a series of multiple stalls, check them all out
before you claim one. Check for hooks, cleanliness, a place
to sit, water pressure and check that the door locks
properly so it doesn’t keep swinging open. In other words,
try it before you strip.

We have come across some great washrooms–ones with clean
operational showers and hot water, an adjoining changing
stall with plenty of hooks, a bench to sit on and the floor
in the changing area covered with a wooden or plastic grate
so your feet don’t have to touch the wet floor. They also
have toilets in the same section of the building so you
don’t have to go outside to another door to use the toilet
in the cold, in front of an audience.

Don’t Keep it a Secret

When you find a 5-star washroom on your cruise, enjoy it and
remember where to come back to next time. Don’t keep it a
secret either. Spread the word so we can all benefit.

Are your legs too short to step from the cockpit to the dock?

Depending on your boat and home dock, the distance may be too great for you or some of your crew. Try screwing a step (plastic moulded, 1 2 or 3 step) to your home dock. When travelling, if you have the space, take a variety of steps and instead of screwing to a transient dock, you can put it on a mat or secure it temporarily with small clamps and bungie cords, or you could mount an aluminum portable swim ladder at your side deck entrance.

The Ontario Marine Operators Association, in conjunction with its members, scheduled six Discover Boating Events for this summer. The goal of the events is to allow people to Discover Boating. People are encouraged to come by and go for a free boat ride and experience a whole new world on the water.

Doug and Brenda Dawson volunteered for the June 23 and 24, 2006 Discover Boating event in Port Credit Harbour. 20 boats–both power and sail were made available by the dealers in Port Credit. Doug and Brenda drove a 34′ Cruisers Yacht supplied by Angus Yachts of Toronto.

If you would like more information on “Discover Boating” events, go to www.discoverboating.ca.

To see the photos taken by Brenda of boaters enjoying their ride on the water click on Discover Boating Pictures.

Technorati Tags: boating

Now that you’ve been out a few times in either your new boat or your old boat, do your dockings leave a little bit to be desired?

How about your golfing? Are you golfing like Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus or do you need some golfing tips about how to improve your swing and accuracy, from your club pro?

Docking is similar to golfing. You wouldn’t use a 9-iron in a situation that calls for a 3-wood; likewise, you wouldn’t expect a single sterndrive to dock like a twin inboard because each drive system handles differently. Learn how to dock by using the right technique for your boat’s drive system.You may be able to dock your boat, but a few tips from a pro will improve your technique and accuracy. Docking e-Lessons are written specifically for your boat’s drive system.

We’ve had so many inquiries for advanced docking that we have decided to cover them in question/answer format in newsletters. Each docking question will have several situations covered. This week’s question follows:

Question:

Docking at a Crowded Gas Dock with Current

How can I dock my boat when there’s only one space left at the long gas dock or restaurant dock between two big expensive yachts, and the dock cleats aren’t in the right place to use your suggested ’stern line tied first square to the dock’ method? Bill Rebey SC

Answer:

Understanding the basics of how your boat handles with your drive system is absolutely necessary, before attempting to dock your boat. If you do not have the basics, see the e-Lesson specific to your drive system and learn how it was engineered to be handled. Then, attempt docking. Once you have mastered a ’simple’ docking, then you are ready to add more variables.

In this particular docking situation, when the cleat on the gas dock is at the wrong place for you to tie square to it, there can be several situations. The solution is two tight opposing stern lines. The instructions that follow are for short stays like refueling, pump out or meal and; therefore, do not take tide changes into consideration. They are meant for landing not necessarily staying.

Docking w/First Mate under ideal conditions

With fenders in position, your First Mate can step off the platform or transom corner to the gas dock with 2 stern lines already looped on your stern corner cleat. Quickly take one line as far aft as the cleat on the dock is. She should pull the line snug against the boat cleat, so that your boat’s transom is positioned where you want it to be along the dock. Then, secure it with a figure eight cleat hitch.

Immediately, take the second stern line and run it forward along the gas dock to the next cleat. Take one pass around the cleat and pull as tight as possible. If there’s any slack in these two opposing stern lines, she should signal the captain to shift into forward. This will pull against the line she tied aft, putting all the slack in the line that she is now pulling forward. The First Mate can then pull in the slack and then tie a figure eight cleat hitch.

The combination of opposing tight stern lines will put your transom corner tight against the dock, the same is if you’d been able to tie ’short tight and square’ to a cleat in the right position.

Now that the transom corner is secure, you can hold the boat in position by steering towards the dock and shift into forward at dead idle. This will pin the full length of the boat against the dock giving your First Mate lots of