cruising with the chilbergs

It happened again. She stepped off and called him an “Animal.” He tossed her bag on the dock and accused her of being a “Dog.” They were both wrong. The problem was not that he was an animal or that she was a dog, but that they weren’t.

Life changes when you head down-island, and I think Robert Frost may have said it best: “In a world of fugitives, the one going in the right direction appears to be running away.”

Every time I set off on a long cruise I am anxious and, if I am honest, I’m somewhat panicked. What if something breaks? It will. What if plans don’t go as I thought? They won’t. So, Why go? Simple.

Generally, Susan and I do not like marinas, especially in the Exumas. However, occasionally we need to get water and take a break from anchoring out, so once every two weeks we go to a marina for the night

Many do not attempt to cross the 13,000-foot deep passage from the Abacos south to Eleuthera. Eleuthera is unique to many cruising spots in the Bahamas, because there are no cuts between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bahamian Bank.

In regards to the Abacos, your Garmin chartplotter, Explorer Charts, and Steve Dodge’s Cruising Guide are accurate and have all the information you need — aside from my brilliant, yet humble, comments below.

I have been doing an extensive undercover survey of what is the perfect yacht for the Bahamas. [The simple answer is whatever the hell your wife wants!] On a broader scope, however, here are some of my observations and conclusions.

Every once in a while it all works. Well, these past 72 hours have certainly reflected that! To summarize, the overall score so far is: Mud Puddle Rose: 1. Wahoo 0.

As I sit here anchored off Elbow Cay in the Abacos and turn the pages of three generations of precious, Chilberg-cruising memories, I ask myself, “Is there a better way that we all could have spent our money?” I doubt it.

As I sat on the flybridge of our ‘83 Grand Banks 49 CL, I could see a beautiful ‘92 GB 32 and a gorgeous ‘02 GB 46 EU, all within 100 feet of me at the Bluff House on Green Turtle Cay.

It is amazing to compare the drivers on America’s freeway system to yachtsmen cruising throughout the Bahamas. The fellowship among cruisers is a wonder to behold.

We love anchoring out, but as the winds began to pick up over 20 knots at Manjack Cay, it was wise to seek a harbor that was protected.

Undoubtedly, no boat is a better value pound for pound and foot by foot than a great dinghy. It is better than a car, because so long as you have 12 inches of water under you, you can go anywhere you damn well please.

There is no shortage of current and historic horror stories breed from catastrophes at sea. But, as cruiser-blogger Joe Chilberg quickly learns while dockside in Marathon, Florida, being "safely" tied up at the docks can be just as harrowing.

A Florida anchoring update from the Chilbergs: The sunset from Marco Island, Fla. isn't too shabby!