CAPE LOOKOUT, NC -> WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC -> BALD HEAD ISLAND

SHAKLEFORD BANKS

Shakleford banks at Cape Lookout is home to wild horses.  Historical research and genetics testing indicates that these wild horses descended from a core group of the old type of Spanish horses.

We then sailed overnight to Wrightsville Beach, NC. We biked 25 miles the next day to visit our sailing  buddies from last year.  Nancy & Rick "Angel Eyes" were in Wilmington, NC. It was such a nice reunion. We spent 2 months sailing the Bahamas with them last year sharing Mahi Mahi and lobsters. We will sail with them to Charleston next.

RICK & NANCY

WRIGHTSVILLE SELLS BEER FROM QUEBEC. 

We left Wrightsville Beach and went down the ICW to Bald Head Island. You can't anchor there so we took a slip. It's well worth the stop. At this Island, there are no cars, just golf carts and bikes. We biked all around, watched the Bluefish tournament, walked the beach, and did a nature hike. I definitely recommend visiting this beautiful Island.



LGHTHOUSE ON BALD HEAD ISLAND

GEOTEXTILE TUBES

One weird thing about North Carolina is that there is NO happy hour. Basically, they aren't allowed to discount drinks. Oh well, we still had drinks at our Happy hour !

BEAUFORT, North Carolina: August - October 2014

For 2 months in the hot, sticky, humid summer of 2014, Tim worked 7 days a week, 10 hour days, fixing and replacing parts on our boat. Once most of the list was accomplished (you know the list is never completed), we left Beaufort, North Carolina on our journey south along the US coast, then the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean.

Some of the major things that were done to Alpenglow:  Replace the port & starboard chain plates, install a new arch, replace all the fresh water hoses, replace the holding tank hose, replace some of the electrical wires, add a new solar panel, install new companion way doors, the list goes on and on.

New Companion Way doors



Added a new 12Volt sub panel



Tim actually fits into our lazarette



Replaced the fresh water hoses and the holding tank hoses



Susan did some of the sanding and varnishing



Some of our provisions



Tim filled this bucket with water so he can have air
conditioning while working on the hard




Most of the cabinets on the Port and Starboard side
needed to be removed to replace the chain plates



New chain plates



New fiberglass to hold the chain plates against the haul of the boat



The area needed to be enclosed when removing the old fiberglass 



Installation of a new arch as the old davits were bent

2 month old shoes







HOME FOR SUMMER 2014 (June to August, 2014)

          

Our boat is now in Beaufort, North Carolina for the summer at Bock marine. Our current plans are to do some changes and upgrades to our boat & start sailing south again this fall. We'll be heading to the the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Eastern Caribbean ending up in Trinidad.

BAHAMAS and back to the USA (Feb.2 - June, 2014)

There are approximately 700 Islands in the Bahamas. We couldn't have possibly visited them all but we managed to stop at many of them. We met the most wonderful Bahamians & Cruisers. Some, we hope to meet again.

We left Double Breasted Cay for our voyage back to the US. We couldn't make it directly to Beaufort, North Carolina because of thunderstorms & wind so we stopped in Charleston, South Carolina for a few days. Afterwards, we sailed another 2 days to Beaufort, NC where we put Alpenglow on the hard for the summer.

                                Here's a short view of what we were up to in the Bahamas:

SAND DOLLAR BEACH (Exumas): When the tide is ebbing, you can see the sand and walk quite a ways.




What is this ???? It has 3 inch spikes on one side and looks like millions of feet on the other side. It's about the size of a football. Tim stepped on it and it hurt for about a week.

The water is so clear in the Exumas you can see star fish from the boat.

                      I was so lucky that Natalie was able to come and visit us from Montreal.

Tim's parents, Pat & Dave celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary

David Copperfield commissioned this stainless steel grand piano and mermaid named "The Musician". It is submerged near his private Island of Musha Cay. It was installed in 2011, 4 meters below the surface. Below, I am playing the piano. Notice the difference between 2011 and 2014.



TIM UP THE MAST

DEAN'S BLUE HOLE:  It is the world's deepest known blue hole. It plunges 202 meters (663 ft) in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas.



















PAPAYA

BANANA POD

We managed to spear many spiny lobsters & share them with Nancy & Rick on "Angle Eyes"


























You can find these beautiful carved brain corals by Bobbie, the owner of the Sumner Point Marina in Rum Cay. Unfortunately, the marina was hard hit by hurricanes and is now closed however you can dock for free but there are no amenities.

























How many people can say that they biked the whole length of a runway? I did, at Rum Cay.

RUM CAY AIRPORT RUNWAY

  Locals having fun playing instruments in Rum Cay




















In San Salvador we had strong winds so we decided to hide away in a marina. I'm really glad we did that since I got vertigo for 4 days. Here's a picture of Alpenglow and our buddy boat Angel eyes from a cemetery in San Salvador.

We biked around the whole island of San Salvador, 38 miles.  Along the way we visited the Dixon Hill Lighthouse.

ANGEL EYES in SAN SALVADORE



While sailing to Cat island, we caught our first fish ever ! 
A mutton snapper.  It was YUMMY !

In North Eleuthera, I found the biggest asparagus ever !



PINK BEACH IN ELEUTHERA ALL TO OURSELVES

While biking we found a pineapple farm.  The owner was very friendly and showed us all around.  This was between Hatchet Bay and Gregory Town in Eleuthera. 

PINEAPPLE PLANT



PIGEON PEAS



WORKER TENDING TO THE PINEAPPLES

Hatchet Bat caves in Eleuthera. It's very deep and dark, requiring at least 2 headlamps in case one goes out !

                           Brenda & Al got free crab from a fisherman and shared with us