Season 1

Embracing the unknown… I’m finding that easier said than done. Some might think that a life at sea is all sunsets and rum drinks, but it’s far more challenging than that. And when things don’t seem to be going my way, I get really frustrated.

I’m sure this goes without saying, but when you live on a sailboat, you really depend on wind and sea state… and I don’t know about you, but my world doesn’t always do what I want it to.

Lately, when it’s not dead calm, it seems like the wind is right in my face… which I find is even more frustrating… insulting even… like the universe is holding me back. 😖

But, like all things in life, the weather conditions are temporary and always changing. It’s how I react to it – interact with it – that has consequences.

The big one of course is safety: storms, high winds, rough seas, and other hazardous conditions pose risks to both ship and crew, so I try to stay vigilant to make informed decisions about when to set sail, when to take shelter, or when to alter my course to avoid dangerous conditions.

The second is navigation: we consider factors such as wind direction and strength, currents, tides, and storms when charting our course and considering alternatives.

The third reason is a little more complex. There’s certainly comfort involved – rough conditions make for unpleasant passages – but there is also some planning mixed in: anticipating changes, identifying alternatives, making adjustments, fixing things when they break. Now add to that efficiency – or the ability to “deal with things” – how much fuel are we using, how long will it take to get there, can we get there? – all things impacted by the weather and the world. But I’m afraid that what we’re really talking about now is… me, right?

In my mind, how I deal with the the world is a reflection of me… of how good, or capable, or valuable I am. And that’s the actual issue here: it’s not really the weather that I find frustrating… it’s that I don’t know what’s going to happen next… I’m not certain that I’ll know how to handle it… and what if I can’t?

So now what? ⛵️

In this episode, we set sail in less than perfect conditions hoping to cross from Clarencetown, Long Island, to Crooked Island, Bahamas, dodging squalls and sea swells that cause the autopilot to give up. Once across, we seek shelter at the Crooked Island Lodge and Marina for a few days as the weather clears. Then we’re off shore in the lee of the island for Atwood Harbour in the Aklin Islands.

There is little doubt that our conditions are changing. There’s more ocean than island here – which means we’re dealing with currents, swells, and less accurate predictions. With the weather window holding, we set sail for Mayaguana and our longest passage yet: a 24+ hour sail out of the Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos Islands… if I can keep my frustrations at bay.

Just a reminder: We upload as regularly as we can… but only if we genuinely have something to post. We know that’s not exactly “algorithm friendly” but it feels right to us. Unfortunately, this means we may not show up in your feed as often as you want us too. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, please subscribe to our channel.

You can also find and connect with us here:

• All Our Links = https://linktr.ee/sv_garuda
• Follow us on the ‘Gram = @herb_svgaruda  @heather_on_sv_garuda
• Buy us a beer = https://svgaruda.com/why-we-cruise/

Music credit: https://www.epidemicsound.com

It get’s lonely out here in the Lower Bahamas after Georgetown… which is sometimes a good thing… and sometimes not.

We’ve been “stuck” off Long Island, Bahamas waiting for a weather window to continue our progress through the Lower Bahamas and on towards the Turks and Caicos Islands. There are worse places to be “stuck” of course; and we take advantage of a blown rental car reservation of others to go exploring.

Long Island is rather interesting – though we must admit, we’d never really heard of it before. The Cape Santa Maria Resort (yes – as in the “Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria”) is a well established travel destination and we met several couples and families that travel here each year for a unique vacation getaway. It’s a bit removed from… well everything. In a sense, the whole island is, but we found it really comforting. It’s good to get back “home” to island life on anchor.

And speaking of the Santa Maria, Long Island is one of the early stops for Christopher Columbus’ first expedition to the “New World” in 1492. As we would soon find, there’s still quite a bit of controversy on where Columbus actually landed… though we’re not quite sure we understand why. 🤷🏽‍♂️

This place is rather big too (hence the name: “Long Island”) and a few stops really capture our interest. We discover an abandoned 18th century church with a trail trough the brush that leads to “Shrimp Hole;” a fresh water cave with curious residents. We also join sv Sheet Show to go in search of the Stella Mares Cave; a place where Peter Pan and Wendy might have hung out. And there is the famous Dean’s Blue Hole; a 600+ natural hole in the ocean steps from shore and the home to one of the most iconic free-diving competitions in the world. Long Island really has a lot to offer.

But we’d like to keep on moving… so when the weather presents us with a “hole” of it’s own, we take it to reposition to the southern end of Long Island just off Clarencetown, in preparation for making the jump over to Crooked Island and the Aklin Islands. It’s a long day of motoring, but on e we won’t soon forget!

Just a reminder: We upload as regularly as we can… but only if we genuinely have something to post. We know that’s not exactly “algorithm friendly” but it feels right to us. Unfortunately, this means we may not show up in your feed as often as you want us too. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, please subscribe to our channel.

You can also find and connect with us here:

• All Our Links = https://linktr.ee/sv_garuda
• Follow us on the ‘Gram = @herb_svgaruda  @heather_on_sv_garuda
• Buy us a beer = https://svgaruda.com/why-we-cruise/

Music credit: https://www.epidemicsound.com