1st Mate Forum | Sailing For The Son

Graduates in Isla Mujeres

View from our room at Ixchel Beach Hotel

In the summer of 2017, my daughter, Becky, graduated from the College of St. Mary (a women’s college) with her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. In lieu of a party, she chose to celebrate in Isla Mujeres (the Island of the Women), Mexico. Yay!

Becky and I have often taken girl trips with Marilyn, so having her join us on the Island of the Women to celebrate Becky’s accomplishment couldn’t have been more perfect.

Becky, Marilyn, and Angie enjoying fun in the sun in Mexico

At the time, Becky and I were residing in Nebraska; Marilyn lives in New Hampshire. Becky and I made all of the reservations for this trip and planned to meet Marilyn at the airport in Cancun, from where we would travel together to our hotel.

I hadn’t bothered to relay all of the logistics to Marilyn, because, well, she trusts me to take care of all those ‘little things’. After all, we’ve been friends for more than 30 years, and I’ve proven myself to be trustworthy, right? Unfortunately, a thunderstorm delayed Becky and I in Chicago hour after hour, and I was unable to reach Marilyn to tell her of the delay.

When I finally reached Marilyn by phone, she was sitting alone in a cafe enjoying an umbrella drink and taking in the sites and sounds of downtown Isla Mujeres. I’m so glad she’s resourceful!

As she tells the story, upon landing in Cancun and finding that Becky and I were hours delayed, she devised her own game plan. Marilyn recalled only the name of the island and that our intended hotel had “something to do with the moon”. Admittedly, not much to go on! A taxi fare and a beautiful ride on the UltraMar ferry landed her on Isla Mujeres. Luckily, Marilyn speaks Spanish and was able to explain her moon hotel theory to an “ancient” tricycle taxi guy. In case you don’t know what a tricycle taxi is, well, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: an oversized trike with a gigantic basket on the front, powered by a guy just trying to make a living. It’s actually a very popular thing on the island. Normally, a tourist’s luggage rides in the basket, and the taxi guy leads the way while the tourist follows along behind. But not Marilyn. And, oh man, I really wish I had a picture of this-Marilyn rode in the basket, on top of her luggage! To her credit, she said that the old guy insisted. I nearly wet myself when she was telling me this story. I believe the guy must have endeared himself to Marilyn, because it turns out that she tipped him, in U.S. dollars, the equivalent of an entire day’s wage!

Marilyn is impressive, she found her way to the Ixchel Beach Hotel. That only sounds like it has “something to do with the moon” if you know that Ixchel is the Mayan goddess of the moon and fertility. I’m not well versed on Mayan goddesses, but evidently Marilyn and the ancient tricycle taxi guy are!

The hotel was awesome: beautiful, walking distance to the shops and restaurants on Avenida Hidalgo, and right on the beach. Perfect.

If a tourist has already taken a tricycle taxi, the next most preferred method of transportation is a golf cart. Of course, none of us had ever driven a golf cart, but we weren’t about to let that little issue hold us back-we’re college graduates, celebrating college graduation, right? The ride across the island was fun, bumpy, and just a little bit scary-even when we weren’t lost.

We loved the Women’s Beading Cooperative. The beading cooperative is run by talented local women who come together to practice the art of beaded jewelry making and selling it to tourists for profit. This project supports women by bringing them together in a community where they teach this craft to the next generation, and allows them to earn an income to support themselves and their children. Plus, I just love bracelets!

Cute picture of an anklet…but no worries, I bought some bracelets, too

Our next stop was to check out the Ruins of Ixchel Temple. The ruins are on the southern tip of the island, and were built to honor the Mayan goddess, Ixchel. The Mayan civilization populated Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize approximately 3000 years ago. Known for their advances in math and astronomy, they built stone temples and pyramids as worship centers for their gods and goddesses. Although, as a Christian, I don’t worship the Mayan gods and goddesses, I can appreciate the beauty of the Mayan workmanship.

While relaxing on the beach outside our hotel one afternoon, we decided that we each deserved to get a massage. One by one we enjoyed relaxing massages while listening to the waves roll gently onto the beach. Three massages later it was time to pay the piper. Oops, come to find out they only accept MasterCard. I only had Visa. Marilyn only had Visa. Getting desperate, we turned to the broke, recent graduate…did she have a MasterCard, or did we really just get ourselves into a jam? Or a pickle? Quit talking about food because we might have to sing for our supper! Yay, Becky had a MasterCard and she was willing to cover us this time! Whew!

Like all vacations, this trip ended way too soon. Celebrating women on the Island of the Women was awesome. What are you celebrating today?

Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea. Who knew it was so beautiful?

Have you ever come to a time in your life when you wish you would have paid better attention in History class, or Geography? February 2020 was one of those times for me. I traveled to Israel with a group from my church. (I didn’t know I was going to have to ride a camel!)

2020 Lifespring Church Pilgrimage to Israel, together with our tour guide, Johnny

Oh, man, I saw so much and learned so much on that trip. (Including that the Mediterranean diet is short on french fries!) I have to admit that I had never even heard of Qumran, the Bedouin, or the Essenes. I had, of course, heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I didn’t know that they are ancient fragments of the Old Testament, thought to have been written between 150 B.C. and 70 A.D. by the Essenes. The Essenes were a small group of devout Jews who lived in Qumran, northwest of the Dead Sea, and dedicated themselves to copying Scripture.

Our tour guide, Johnny, in the Scribes’ Room, telling us about the Essenes

In 1946, while tending his livestock in the desert near Qumran, a Bedouin teenager threw a stone into a cave and heard something shatter. The Bedouin people are Arabs, traditionally desert nomads in what is now referred to as the Middle East. Preferring to conserve their historic way of life, they still maintain their own communities, religious beliefs, and style of dress. They work their land and raise livestock-mainly sheep, goats and camels. I can only imagine the day-to-day life of herding livestock in the desert, so hearing that shattering sound in the cave had to have piqued the interest of the teenage boy. A mystery! Solving the mystery of the shattering sound in the cave had to have ignited an exciting and irresistible quest. Then to find that it was just an old clay jar full of broken tablets. Ahhh…boring. Poor kid! I’m sure he was hoping for something really good, not realizing that he had just stumbled upon the greatest archeological find of the 20th century, and arguably the most significant find in of all of history.

Replicas of the clay jars in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered

Within ten years, thousands of additional fragments were discovered. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain fragments of all of the Old Testament books of the Bible except Esther and Nehemiah. The Book of Isaiah was found in its entirety. The scrolls also contain previously unknown hymns, prayers, and other glimpses into the lives of the early Jewish people, including the time period when Jesus Christ walked the earth.

Despite what may have been a disappointing find to the Bedouin teen, the Dead Sea Scrolls are priceless. Careful study of the scrolls have proven that the Bible I read today is essentially word-for-word what was copied by the Essenes. The great care they took to preserve and protect these scrolls, for what turned out to be over 2000 years, shows that they believed them to be the inspired World of God.

More caves in Qumran where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered

Today, you can see many of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, or in the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. National Geographic has also published many of the scrolls online.

The Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem

I am blessed to have seen parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls up close and personal at the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. And I’m forever grateful to everyone who played even a small part in preserving and presenting the Word of God to me in any of its forms.

My friend, Susan, and I overlooking the Dead Sea. I’m thankful for the beautiful Christian walk she models. Oh, plus, she’s fun!

I would consider it a privilege to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with you. Please contact me if you’d like to chat.

The Beauty of Friendship

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful beaches.

And beautiful water…I mean crystal clear, stunningly colorful, see the sea shells on the sandy bottom, water.

I will admit that I’d love to spend all of my days looking at, sailing on, floating on, snorkeling in, paddle boarding on, or swimming in the Bahamian blue water. But life just doesn’t work like that, does it? My sensible side reminds me that I’m not Bahamian, so I can’t simply decide to live there. Hmmm…that was a tough one to swallow! The Nana in me wanted to just move right in with my grandkids-I guess you can imagine what their parents thought about that idea. So my husband and I chose to move onto our sailboat in Jacksonville, Florida, where we are very happy.

Of course, moving across the country meant leaving some great friends and family behind in the Midwest. When visitation opened up at the assisted living facility where my mom resides, we immediately headed to Nebraska. Bill and I so enjoyed our visits with mom, finally face-to-face, in these very restrictive Covid 19 times. My mom is a life-long Catholic, and a more kind person would be hard to find.

Speaking of good people, our friends Steve and Susan, opened their home to us while we were in town-such a generous example of hospitality. In 1 Peter 4:9, the apostle reminds us to be hospitable. In the book of Colossians, Paul instructs us to to put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience,and forgiveness. I love to spend time with those kind of people-I strive everyday to be those people! In His goodness, God has sent us so many of His people to do life with.

On day three of our trip, Bill and I took our friend, Mary, sailing on a Hobie Wave at the Lake Manawa Sailing Association. The winds were calm at 7 miles per hour. We had a great time catching up and relaxing together.

The very next day we sailed with Steve and Susan. Same lake, same boat, only now in gusty 15 mile per hour winds! I mean we were screaming back and forth across the lake; waves of water soaking us through and through. Even in my face! In my mouth-eek!

But we had so much fun-laugh out loud fun! I’m blessed to recognize that beauty isn’t in the physical properties of people, places, and things, but rather, the beauty is in the people and the experiences we have with those we choose to do life with.

As we travel back to Jacksonville, Bill and I are thankful for the beauty in our lives; beauty in all its forms.

Who are you doing life with today?

Saint Lucia Land and Sea

The Pitons are unmistakably St. Lucia. The sea is unmistakably Caribbean.

January 2017 found us on a land and sea adventure with our friends, Tim and Kelly. Prone to sea sickness, it took us years to talk Tim into a sea vacation at all. However, after researching the electronic sea sickness wristband, shockingly, he was ready to jump onboard, for at least for part of the week.

The first days of our trip we stayed at Coco Palm Rodney Bay Village, in Gros Islet. This hotel is comfortable, with a nice pool, inviting restaurant, and within walking distance to the beach. That checks all of our boxes! Everyone in St. Lucia is kind and welcoming; however, our breakfast waitress was exceptionally so. After discovering Kelly’s and my love of coconut, she personally baked us a coconut cake and brought it from home! Love her!

We spent leisurely days at the beach, and every evening enjoying the sunset from Spinnakers beach bar.

Climbing a mountain and soaking in sulfur mud baths were required, well, pretty much just because Kelly and I can never pass up an opportunity for adventure.

One highlight of our trip was our visit to Millet Infant School. Through our contacts at Hands Across the Sea, we spent a day promoting literacy at a local elementary school. We handed out rubber wristbands, pencils, and fun bookmarks as we read to the students. In a kindergarten classroom, Bill read a book about animals in St. Lucia followed by a lively discussion about which animals St. Lucia and the United States have in common versus which animals are different. The students were so fun and really kept us on our toes!

In obedience to our Savior, we strive to be a blessing to others everyday-some days we do great, other days we fall short. We did great that day! We hope you will find it in your heart to promote literacy through Hands Across the Sea, or to be a blessing in another way that tugs your heart strings today.

Following our time at Coco Palm, we charted Cobain, a Sunsail 41, from their base in Rodney Bay. The boat was perfect for the four of us. We were all ready, willing, and able as we set sail for the Pitons. By “ready, willing, and able” I mean that Kelly and I chatted on the foredeck while the guys did pretty much everything else.

We spent 3 days and nights enjoying the trade winds and the starry nights. The snorkeling was fantastic! The winds were consistent, and actually a little more than we had expected, given that we had a newbie onboard. However, Tim’s bug zapper wristband worked magnificently. In fact, the only time he was even a little woozie, was the morning he forgot to turn it on.

We spent the last couple of nights on island at The Treehouse Villa 2 just outside of Soufrière. This place is literally perched on the side of a mountain, in the treetops, with gorgeous views of the Pitons as well as the sea. The house manager had prepared a traditional St. Lucian meal for us, which awaited our arrival.

A 15 minute walk down the “road”, lead us to Jade Mountain Resort and Anse Chastanet beach where we were welcomed by a refreshing dip in the sea we have become so accustomed to now. Oh, yeah, and maybe a nap.

We all had a great time in St. Lucia. So much so that even the time we spent combing the beach for Kelly’s “lost” credit card, was enjoyable. Kelly later found the card right where she had cleverly placed it-in her hat! It’s ok, a sigh of relief, an umbrella drink, and a good laugh later, all was well.

The end of our St. Lucian vacation soon became the beginning of many more sailing adventures with Tim and Kelly. Yay! We need them, and not solely because Tim is our underwater photographer…

He takes some good landscape shots, too!

Miracle at Pelican Cay

Pelican Cay Land and Sea Park is a scenic beauty to behold. Known for an impressive tropical reef system and pristine beaches, it is truly a place to enjoy God’s creation. Sit back, relax, and enjoy God’s creation from the soft sandy beach. That sounds like it might have been a good idea, except that Bill and I were sailing with Tim and Kelly.

We have been doing life with Tim and Kelly for ten years now, and love to vacation with them. On any given day, I’d describe us as reasonable people. But something exciting always seems to happen when Kelly and I are left unsupervised.

The day began aboard Liberty, anchored just west of Elbow Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. While enjoying breakfast and coffee, we planned a short sail south, past Tahiti Beach, to enjoy snorkeling in Pelican Cay Land and Sea Park. The sea breeze picked up a bit before we arrived and the water looked a little rough for my snorkeling comfort. Kelly and I decided that we would simply kayak near a small island and hang out on the beach while the guys took Liberty out a little further to snorkel.

I do have to say that Bill warned us about the possibility of breaking waves and shallow coral and the potential danger they could pose. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we are seasoned kayakers…..

Kelly and I quickly abandoned the “hang out on the beach” plan and set out to kayak over the incoming waves! It was great fun-imagine a water roller coaster. We were screaming and laughing and going around to catch another wave when I noticed the biggest, brightest, most beautiful coral I’ve ever seen. As I heard a loud roar behind us, it dawned on me that the coral was very, very shallow and the oncoming wave was very, very big. I started to warn Kelly, but the words couldn’t come out of my mouth fast enough…

All I really remember is seeing the pink, yellow, and purple coral right before my eyes! And I mean right up close! When I popped up in 15 feet of water, I grabbed the first thing that was floating nearby and yelled to check on Kelly. She had surfaced and grabbed onto the other side of the kayak, which was now upside down. Grabbing onto something that floats and checking on my buddy-can you tell that we are former Girl Scout leaders? I’m even certified in water safety, although it’s getting harder and harder to tell… Still laughing, we were somehow able to right the kayak, get ourselves back onto the kayak, and retrieve all of our belongings.

We were tired, but still laughing and still loving every minute of our adventure. We were discussing what just happened while checking ourselves for scrapes and chipped teeth. We decided that maybe Bill was onto something about the breaking waves; breaking waves mean that the water is shallow. We also decided that maybe if we had tied all of our belongings onto the kayak like our husbands always do then we wouldn’t have had to retrieve them from the sea. So we started stringing our water bottles, shoes, snorkel equipment, etc. onto a line when I heard another roar behind us. The wave was high, but I assured Kelly that we wouldn’t flip this time because we were in 15 feet of water.

Hmmm…I was wrong. We flipped again! I couldn’t believe it! A second time, we both surfaced, grabbed something floating nearby, and checked on each other. Still laughing, and now exhausted, we found ourselves in 15 feet of water, clinging to an upside down kayak surrounded by all of our belongings floating by. I guess I didn’t quite get that knot tied in time.

Here is the part of the story where I have to tell you that in normal circumstances, sufficiently rested and well hydrated, I couldn’t right a kayak and get myself back into it even if you promised me a spa day and a chocolate shake.

Merriam-Webster defines a miracle as an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. Hmmm…I wonder…

Unbelievably, Kelly and I, again, successfully righted the kayak, hoisted ourselves back in, collected all of our belongings (and this time we tied them on) while assessing our situation. No worse for the wear-no cuts, no bruises, no broken teeth. While discussing whether or not to attempt another close up look at the coral, we decided that we better kayak toward the guys because they would surely be concerned if they had witnessed any part of our great adventure.

Paddling toward Liberty, Kelly said that we shouldn’t have flipped that second time because we were in deep water. I reminded her that Bill is a kayak instructor and I’m sure that he can tell us how to avoid that in the future. But, I suggested that today probably isn’t the best day to ask him.

Suddenly, out of no where, I hear someone calling my name. It’s Bill, swimming toward us with all of his might. Yep, they must have witnessed all of the fun. I smiled at Kelly and said, “He’s coming to rescue us. No matter what the guys say, we’re spinning this to say that we found Bill in the middle of the ocean and rescued him in our kayak.”

Mode of Transportation?

Home Sweet Home

Bill and I lived comfortably in a nice, normal house in a nice, normal neighborhood for the first 10 years of our marriage. We both love the adventure of travel, and carefully planned for our retirement to be, well, a little less of what most people consider “normal”.

We found The Marina at Ortega Landing (an Island Global Yachting destination) pretty much by chance. Because we love the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and wanting to facilitate ease of travel to and fro, we knew we wanted to move somewhere on the southeast coast of the United States. We first considered Charleston, South Carolina. We were familiar with the area and have friends there. (Shout out to Julie!) However, Bill became aware of an opening at The Marina at Ortega Landing after helping a friend move his boat from Charleston to Jacksonville, Florida. After a short tour, Bill reserved a slip and called to assure me that I’d like it. He knows me-I like it!

The marina boasts awesome amenities, which I love; however, it’s the community of people here who make The Marina at Ortega Landing a great place to live. But first, the amenities. The salt water pool and hot tub, as well as the deck, are always clean and well cared for. We have found this to be a great place to meet our new neighbors and swap information about boats, the local area, past and future travels, and everything else boaters like to swap stories about.

The marina has several different places where people can gather with family and friends to barbecue, enjoy dinner, or perhaps drinks topped with little umbrellas.

The clubhouse is open for air conditioned relaxation or small get togethers.

The laundry room, bathrooms, and showers are cleaned twice a day every day. I can’t say that I’ve ever become accustomed to finer facilities.

The big open field is a great place to play volleyball, fly a kite, light a bonfire, or let the little ones just run around. We plan to host our shrimp boils here.

Our new neighbors are quickly becoming our new friends. We offer hospitality by meeting up at the pool, at the barbecue grill, or at a local diner. We join each other on day sails, and bless each other in many tangible and intangible ways. My husband and I now fill our days sailing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, enjoying our student captains, and planning our next adventure to the Bahamas. All while happily calling Liberty “home”.

Isaiah 32:18 assures me that, as children of God, we live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

Knowing that, I sleep well at night. Feel free to contact me with your questions or comments about full time cruising or finding rest.

November in Bimini

The tiny islands of Bimini, Bahamas, were perfect for a short get away from Nebraska in November. Nebraska in November=cold and dreary. Bimini in November=warm and beautiful. And by “warm and beautiful” I’m referring to the people, the culture, the water, and the sunshine.

At the time I was still working, so to save a few vacation days I arranged to fly in to the South Bimini Airport (BIM) and meet up with Liberty in North Bimini. That turned out to be a wise move, because Liberty, on her way from Jacksonville, Florida, experienced a weather delay. In Bimini a day before Liberty’s arrival, I checked into the Hilton at Resorts World Bimini for one night. This resort is luxury at its finest, appearing to have been dropped from the heavens right smack dab into one of the most beautiful places on earth.

After clearing customs and immigration, Liberty, captained by my husband Bill and his crew member Justin, picked me up dockside at the Hilton at Bimini World Resorts.

Brown’s Marina on North Bimini became “our marina” for the rest of the trip. Brown’s Marina is the first marina as you enter Bimini Harbor. We didn’t choose Brown’s because of it’s close proximity to the ferry, customs and immigration, the straw market, restaurants and more, we chose it because the people at Brown’s extended a very warm welcome upon our arrival. That is also the reason we will return to Brown’s Marina on our next trip to Bimini.

The S.S. Sapona was a concrete ship that ran aground a few miles south of South Bimini during a hurricane in 1926. It now sits in 15 feet of crystal clear water and is a fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling location. We anchored and took to the water! Bill and Justin snorkeled while I kayaked. The shipwreck is more than a little eerie, especially when one is actually inside of it, but we did it anyway! (I can’t believe my friend, Kelly, wasn’t here-she’s the really adventurous one.) However, we were rewarded with close up views of many colorful tropical fish.

The Gun Cay Lighthouse was established in 1836. There’s just something peaceful about looking at a lighthouse…

We spent one morning at the Bimini Shark Lab on South Bimini. The Bimini Shark Lab was established in 1990 to study sharks and rays. The sweet college interns who hosted our tour explained that the Bahamas is home to one of the largest number of shark species, which makes it a great place to study sharks. (A fact I wish I didn’t know!) These young ladies are actually responsible for “shark wrestling”, which they explained as going out, locating, and somehow wrangling juvenile sharks into the boat for the purpose of tagging and studying them at the lab. Following two weeks of study, they return the young sharks to where they originally found them. And, get this, they somehow even talked their parents into funding this part of their college educations! Bill and I went into the juvenile shark pen with our hosts and even touched the sharks. That’s the closest I hope I ever get to a shark-cross your fingers because we swim in the Bahamas a lot!

And, although I have been duped by many fountains of youth during my years of travel, I can’t resist…

Angie, on South Bimini, trying yet another Fountain of Youth

We all had a great week. As I write this post, I can’t wait to dip my toes into, I mean dive right into, the beautiful Bimini blue water again.

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