Sailing Keeper (2024)

24/06/2024

After 6 weeks of beautiful Bahamas weather, our first guests arrive just in time for the worst weather we'd seen in the Bahamas since our arrival late in December. Andrew's sister and family pulled up on the dinghy soaking wet from head to toe, but all smiles with excitement for their adventures on the water. Dark clouds rolled in, bringing in rain, wind, and waves, which was projected to last several days. While we were disappointed in this forecast, our guests were content to be skipping some of the cold Labrador winter in February. We were stuck on the boat for 4 out of the 9 days they had with us. We kept ourselves entertained with things like endless games of UNO, goldfish, coloring, and Youtube Kids (thank you starlink!!!!). Once the weather started to let up, we pointed south to Long Cay, one of our favorite stops in the exumas. We were excited to share this location with family as it has one of the best beaches to bring kids. Beautiful clear, shallow, blue water and lots of sea life to keep everyone entertained. After some excellent beach and sea time in Long Cay, we moved north to Allen's Cay to see the Iguanas before having to head back to Nassau to catch flights home. Allen's Cay and the sail back to Nassau were a perfect ending to this trip. Unfortunately, we didn't catch any fish, but the young fisherladies were excited about the impressive clumps of seaweed we caught 🤣. Through the tears, tantrums, laughter, and sunburns, I think everyone had a great time, and we are so happy we could share some of our Bahamas adventure with them. Cheers to Aimee, John, Bea, Maggie, and little pirate Alexandra! We can't wait to see you all again ❤️

Cheers!
-Megan and Andrew
(Feb 4th - 13th, 2024)

26/05/2024

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Keeper's beautiful First Mate Megan!! 🎂 🎈 🥳

Freddy and I (Andrew) are so lucky and happy to have Megan in our lives and are especially grateful for her on her big day. Thank you for everything you do everyday and I hope you can relax and enjoy your birthday on Keeper, even if we are broke down 😅.

For looking super cool on benches, for hanging upside down like a pro, for taking shifts at the helm and for being an incredible pitbull mama: we love you - never change, my chicken ❤️. Here's to another year! 🥂 🍻

23/05/2024

Wow, it's been some time since we've posted! We last mentioned we were setting our sails north, back to Nassau, to pick up some guests who were flying in from Canada. We made the trek over the following 3 days, stopping first in Norman's Cay for protection from some forcasted high winds. After dropping the anchor, we decided the anchorage felt a little too crowded, so we pulled it back up and moved around to another nearby anchorage called Boots Cay. While this anchorage was more exposed for the incoming weather, we felt much better having more space and were treated to a beautiful sunset. We stayed two nights while the weather passed over, and then we made a short hop back up to Allen's Cay. We had previously stopped here but did not get to go to shore due to the conditions of the water. We wanted to scope this place out as a potential spot to bring our guests as this is where you can feed iguanas. We had a lot of fun checking out these dinosaur-like creatures and the beautiful beaches in the area and put it on the list to come back. The next morning, we set off toward Nassau, where we would spend the next few days making space for our incoming guests: Andrew's sister, her husband, and 3 young daughters. That's right, Keeper was about to gain 5 extra crew for 9 days!

Cheers!
-Megan
(Jan 27-31, 2024)

25/03/2024

We decided to continue south with a few buddy boats before we started our treck back to Nassau. Our planned route had us returning to Nassau to pick up some guests who were coming in from Canada for a visit! We dropped the anchor in Little Farmers Cay where we would hang out for a couple days, choosing to spend most of our time in the water. My underwater camera simply does not do this water justice. It was so incredibly clear and the coral was full of life. I love to bob around the surface just watching the fish do their thing while Andrew looks for some supper 😅 We also ventured to land and hiked to Gemstone Cave! The hike provided beautiful views overlooking the east and west side of the island where we were anchored. Inside of the hilltop cave we discovered some cyrstal clear fresh water full of little shrimps! They were swimming around in their protected little pond, seemingly oblivous to the world around them. They weren't alone in the cave, though, as it was also home to many little bats!🦇🧛‍♂️

When our time was in Little Farmers Cay was up, we said farewell to our friends, knowing we would meet up again in about a month. Then, we turned Keepers bow north!

Cheers!
-Megan
(Jan 25-26, 2024)

09/03/2024

Did I mention we loved Black Point? Here's some more moments captured from our time there 😁⚓️🍻

07/03/2024

Our next stop in the exumas was Black Point Settlement. What an absolute gem of a place! The bay is wide open for easy anchoring with tons of room for everyone. This small town had the best vibe and we felt truly welcome visiting here. So welcome, we ended up staying here for 10 days! We visited a small blow hole, explored the town, swam/fished, lazed around the beach, joined friends for a few happy hours, and enjoyed amazing coconut bread made fresh daily by a local lady known to all as "Loraine's Mom". We had a great time here with friends and will forever look back on this place with fond memories.

Cheers!
-Megan

(Jan 15-24, 2024)

02/03/2024

We left the parks and headed further south in the exumas to join some friends in Thomas Cay. Filled with absolutely breath taking scenery and incredible waters this anchorage offered great protection from all directions. It was an easy spot to spend a few days with friends. One of our favorite spots so far! 🤿🐠🐡🐟🦞🐢🏖

Cheers!
Megan
(Jan 11-14, 2024)

21/02/2024

From Long Cay we headed into the Exumas Land & Sea Park. This park covers 112,640 acres of land and sea and is the first marine reserve in the Bahamas established in 1958. We tucked into Soldier Cay Anchorage next to an island previously known as Johnny Depp's Island! (Rumoured to now be owned by J.K. Rowling). We waited for some weather to pass here before we checked out the beautiful "Aquarium" close by. This is a popular dive spot to view incredible sea life. Since it is prohibited to fish here, many of the fish will eat right out of your hands! Upon jumping into the water you're met face to face with tons of fish in crystal clear waters. It was quite the experience!

Cheers!
-Megan
(Jan 8-10, 2024)

28/01/2024

After Nassau we continued south to explore the beautiful islands of the Exumas. This chain of 365 islands is known for it's stunning sapphire-blue waters and world famous swimming pigs 🐖. Of all Bahamas has to offer, I think I was most excited to snorkle in the Exumas. Our first stop brought us to Allan's Cay where, unfortunately, we didn't get off the boat to explore the nearby beach as the water was a little too rough to lower the dinghy and engine. It's a shame because the beach is supposedly filled with large iguanas which would make for quite the experience! We didn't sleep well in the rolly anchorage and decided early the next morning to continue on to Long Cay with hopes for calmer waters. It did not disappoint! The conditions were more calm and that water more beautiful than any other water we'd seen. The water temperature was optimal for swimming and was full of stingrays, fish, and lots and lots of conch. A little paradise 😁🐚☀️🏖

Cheers!
-Megan
(Jan 4-7, 2023)

24/01/2024

From Soldier Cay in the Berry Islands we started making our way further south and stopped for a couple days in the capital city of The Bahamas. Nassau is the largest city in the Bahamas and holds over 70% of the Bahamian population. Here we picked up more provisions so we could continue exploring some of the more remote islands.

Cheers!
-Megan
(Jan 2-3, 2023)

18/01/2024

Happy Birthday to Keeper's Captain! 🥳🍻🎂 Without you this adventure would never have begun. You're hard work, courage, and endless research has opened us up to opportunities I once never knew were possible. I am so grateful for our life together and to be able to share this experience with you.

Birthday celebrations started last night enjoying happy hour with great friends at a local bar with the most incredible views followed by great sushi 🍣 prepared by our friends using tuna they caught on their passage over to Black Point. For the big day today we spent all day in the water, snorkeling and fishing with friends, and later enjoyed today's catches and some cake together. I think it's safe to say that hot weather birthdays beat celebrating in the snow back home without any doubt 🤣 I hope you enjoyed every second of this beautiful day!

Happy Birthday Captain Drew! Love you 🥰

Cheers! 🍻
-Megan

13/01/2024

On the east side of Great Harbour Cay is where we first jumped in the wonderful Bahamian waters for some snorkeling and spear fishing. While it was a bit on the chilly side, what an amazing experience. You can see absolutely everything under these waters and it was filled with beautiful coral and sea life. We weren't successful in fishing the first day but we were hooked. The next day was NYE. While the girls explored the beach, Andrew and our friend Jeremy on SV Willow caught a monster of a lobster. We were lucky enough to meet up with most of the crew we spent Christmas day with to ring in the new year. Everyone came to feast on lobster and hang out on Keeper. At one point, believe it or not, we had 11 extra people aboard Keeper for the pre-party before heading to a local beach bar to celebrate the New Year. The next morning we set sail for Soldier Cay where we explored the waters and had a stunning little island all to ourselves for the night. Tough life, eh?

Cheers!
Megan
(Dec 30 - Jan 1)

05/01/2024

We spent our first few days in the Bahamas exploring Great Harbour Cay. We arrived on the west side of the island and after checking in, we rested while anchored in crystal clear water. It was a very surreal experience after years and years of dreaming of this moment. We spent the next day checking out an old airplane wreck, exploring a mangrove river, and hanging out with friends. After a couple of nights we sailed around to the east side of the island to find a better protected anchorage for the coming west winds. The east side of Great Harbour Cay has the most amazing aqua blue waters and soft white sand beaches. Here are a few pics to enjoy! 🇧🇸🌴🤙⛱️

Cheers!
Megan & Andrew
(December 28-29, 2023)

28/12/2023

If you've seen our latest reel, you know the exciting news. WE MADE IT TO THE BAHAMAS!! After 33 days in West Palm Beach we got to spend our last night there celebrating Christmas with an incredible group of like-minded sailors ready to cross to the Bahamas. We embarked on our 2nd attempt to cross over to the Bahamas around 2pm on boxing day. The sun was finally shining and we were ready. A bright full moon took the sun's place as we settled in for the overnight passage. We passed many cruise ships, cargo ships, and tankers, but overall it was a very welcomed uneventful night. As we neared our destination we lowered our US flag, which unfortunately after 3 months and some pretty nasty winds, came down rather tattered. We hoisted our quarantine flag over beautiful blue waters. To our surprise the water was about to get even more beautiful. In the distance we could see a distinct change in the water where it goes from this amazing blue to an unreal turquoise. We anchored close to land and Andrew went to shore to clear in. Once cleared we hoisted our Bahamas courtesy flag and had some friends over from our buddy boat for a celebratory drink! Now the real fun can begin!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

Cheers!
Megan
(Dec 26-27, 2023)

17/12/2023

This is a gear appreciation post.

Last night, anchored in Lake Worth FL, we experienced some of the worst winds we've seen at anchor. Over 30kts sustained with gusts over 50kts. There was chaos all night, 3 or 4 mayday calls, boats adrift and bashing into others, lost dinghys and, for us, a snapped anchor snubber.

Our 85lb Mantus anchor held us all night and never budged an inch at 5:1 scope. Even during the worst of night, as Keeper was getting bashed by waves, heeling over 30 degrees and nearly 40,000lbs of boat was pulling on it, it never complained. We are so happy we decided to go with the Mantus anchor. It's been an amazing asset to Keeper and her crew's ability get a good night sleep.

Also, a massive shout out to our VERY old school Ideal V5 windlass. She may be slow and designed in WW2, but I'll never complain about her again. When our anchor snubber broke and the massive shock load of the chain yanking on the windlass rattled Keeper violently, I went on deck expecting the worst. Fortunately the windlass seemed to simply shrugg it off . Zero damage. The windlass held the entire load of the anchor chain while a new snubber was rigged up. Sometimes, there really is something to be said about old and seemingly obsolete equipment.

09/12/2023

...With a puff of black smoke and a loud engine roar, it was very obvious things weren't idyllic in our lazerette. As with most cruising sailboats, our lazerettes are like the "garage" of the boat, full of gear. We knew right away what happened, our exhaust hose broke. Our first instinct was to drop the engine RPM to idle and empty the cockpit locker. When we grabbed the first object, it became apparent just how serious the situation was. Everything was ridiculously hot. Too hot to touch. We grabbed some gloves, shut off the engine, and dug in.

Everything was covered in a hot black soot. The white walls of the lazerette were stained black and soon enough, so were we. We are so thankful we caught this in time. Believe it or not, the most dangerous thing on a boat isn't the mighty ocean or giant storms on the horizon. It's fire. With diesel, propane and a wooden interior, a fire on board a sailboat is not something to play around with. With the locker empty and engine off, we knew Keeper and crew were safe. We also knew our plan of reaching the Bahamas on this day was over. We sailed 2100nm and had to turn around with 40nm left to go. Can you believe it? What luck.

We set our sails due West and made as much head way as we could. We were about 7nm from the WPB inlet when the wind shifted and we started to lose our battle with the Gulf Stream. We were being pushed to Fort Pierce (40nm north). We decided to try our tow insurance that we had purchased for the ICW. We said if they couldn't come get us, then we'd pull out the spinnaker and head for Fort Pierce under sail. Fortunately, one call on the radio was all it took to get a 600hp tow boat to come get us. We can't say enough good things about the Tow BoatUS service, possibly the most efficient use of $160 you could ever spend in US waters.

Within an hour, we were hooked on and headed back towards the inlet. It definitely felt like a tow of shame as we passed an exodus of boats headed to the Bahamas. The tow boat dropped us off in a protected anchorage and just like that, we were back in West Palm Beach. Disappointed and dirtier than when we left, but also more determined than ever to reach the Bahamas.

(Dec 3, 2023)

09/12/2023

We were in West Palm Beach, FL for 10 days before our first viable weather window to cross the Gulf Stream came. We spent the days provisioning, exploring the area and, mostly, waiting for our Star Link to arrive. It's an absolutely beauitful city (in the downtown area), certainly a little too luxurious for our budget, but it's cheap on anchor 🙂 We had a great time here, but we were anxious to arrive at our goal: The Bahamas!

We had an ideal window: 10-15knot south winds, a small swell and mostly clear skies. We left at 2:30am on Sunday morning, silently putting the skyline of WPB to our stern as we slipped by the flashing channel markers. The passage was set to be perfect. Too perfect.

With a ripping 3 knot north current the passage between Florida and Bahamas is no joke. On a boat like Keeper, you need to have the correct weather and the right heading to "crab" across the straight. If you don't point south enough, the current will push you too far North, past the Bahamas. If you point too South, you'll end up fighting the current and struggle to make any headway. We quickly had our sails set and our engine on low RPM to get all the drive we had to push through the current and maintain a good course.

We were 90° COG, 120° mag heading and making 6kts with a comforting rocking motion as Keeper pushed over the small waves. It was blissful. Everything was going absolutely to plan as we reached the 10 mile mark. It was good, far too good. It couldn't last...the universe decided to remind us just how fickle this life can be and forced us to make a hard decision.

It started with both us commenting how warm the cockpit combing was getting. Slightly warm to the touch at first and then over the next hour, hotter and hotter. I went down and checked on the engine, all good - so we continued on. But it was too hot, the cockpit walls were now getting warm. Megan was the first to notice things weren't right. Her seat in the cockpit was hot now. So she opened up the lazerette she was sitting on and that's when we discovered the mechanical failure that would derail our idyllic crossing...

06/12/2023

From Fort Pierce we set sail for West Palm Beach. We had originally planned to hop back in the ICW for this passage, but the beautiful day called us out to the ocean. We were treated with a gorgeous golden sunrise as we departed the Sunrise City. Winds were light so we motored with a little extra push from our colorful spinnaker. Because of the calm conditions and the close proximity of the Gulf stream, we stayed within 2 miles of shore the entire time. It seemed like the beaches stretched endlessly on the part of Flordia and it made for a scenic trip. We were extra glad to be "outside" when 3 dolphins came to play off Keeper's bow. Not 5 minutes after the trio left, a mother and baby dolphin came up for a short turn. It's always such a highlight to see dolphins. The passage took about 9 hours and we settled on anchor just after 4PM with...A LOT of other boats (this is a popular stop). We would stay in West Palm Beach for quite some time to have packages delivered and to provosion for our crossing to the Bahamas!!

Cheers!
-Megan

(November 23, 2023)

28/11/2023

We didn't explore too far into the Fort Pierce scene. We mostly stuck around the nearby beach ⛱️ and surrounding area. We did, however, check out The Marine Connection Liquidators! They are a giant 30,000 square foot warehouse full of surplus marine supplies. It was fun exploring every isle of the store. Apparently they had 10 acres of outdoor stuff as well! Pretty cool spot if you're doing boat work. We also got to hang out one evening with a wonderful family we'd met in St Augustine aboard their beautiful 45 foot Catamaran "Unfettered". Hopefully we'll meet up again in the Bahamas! It's amazing just how many other boats are making this same journey south.

We only stayed in Fort Pierce 3 days, but it left a great impression on us. Up next, the final passage in the USA!

Cheers!
-Megan
(Nov 20-22, 2023)

28/11/2023

After 10 days in St Augstine we said a bittersweet farewell to our cozy anchorage and relaxed routine. We only intended to stay for 3-4 days, but with the rough ocean seas and high water in the ICW we embraced being "stuck". With improving weather, we were finally ready to pull up anchor and were excited to get another step closer to the Bahamas.

Our planned passage was an easy 168nm (about 30hrs), which took us down the Flordia coast to Fort Pierce. We set off just after sunrise in a beautiful Flordia morning. The scerenity didn't last though, as the St Augistine inlet lived up its reputation. We pushed through the mile long stretch, while feeling like we were in a washing machine. Once out of the washing machine (and hoping not to see the spin cycle), the day started off with some easy motorsailing with the goal of shutting the engine off early, as we knew we would need it again when the wind would die down by evening. Unfortunately, since the swell was rolly, we decided to keep the engine on for the majority of the day to maintain speed for the stabilizing effect and to avoid bobbing around like a cork at 3 knots. Just as forecasted, the wind died down and we were relying on our trusty Perkins to putter us down the coast. And putter we did.

We spent the day in turquoise waters having a spontaneous cockpit foam party (the ocean broke our boat soap bottle). Overnight views consisted of space ship launching platforms, giant cruise ships, a night sky with countless stars, and a thunder line that luckily stayed away. It was largely an uneventful passage and that was fine by us. We had a great late night radio chat with "Cygnus", a large yawl from Maine, headed the same direction as us. You never know who you'll meet out on the ocean, very nice people. Sorry we couldn't meet up for those bloody marys Cygnus!

We arrived in the scenic Fort Piece, right on schedule, at midday. We had time to get settled on anchor and go for a walk to explore our new surroundings before dark. We were anchored just off the beach in the mighty inlet current, surrounded by sand and palm trees. This is what we imagined Flordia sailing to be :)

Cheers!
-Andrew
(Nov 19-20, 2023)

23/11/2023

We lucked out stopping to tour Castillo de San Marcos on a free entrance day! The masonry fort is the oldest in the continental United States and was built to protect and defend Spain's claims in the New World. It's a National Monument and, at more than 320 years old, it's the oldest structure in St. Augustine and serves as one of it's main attractions.

Keeping on theme with free things to do, we later visited the St Augustine distillery which offers a free self-guided tour of their factory including 4 free taste tests. Yes, please! What a great way to end our time in St Augustine. We truly enjoyed it here. We then returned to the boat to prepare to head back out to the ocean to travel to our next destination.

Cheers!
-Megan

(Nov 8-18, 2023)

22/11/2023

St Augustine, FL is known for it's Spanish colonial architecture and lays claim to being the oldest city in the USA. We felt it's charm from the moment we dropped the hook and it instantly became the highlight of our trip so far. We would spend hours just strolling around, taking in the beautiful historic buildings and streets lined with palm trees. There was lots to see and do, no matter the time of day. We would highly recommend St Augustine as a vacation destination.

18/11/2023

We arrived in St Augustine early in the morning. We relaxed for a bit on the boat but were anxious to stretch our legs and decided to scout out a free dinghy dock close by. Vilano Beach is a quiet coastal community on the east side of Tolomato River where we'd anchored. Though some of it's main area seemed under construction, it still felt very relaxed and inviting to explore and we would find ourselves returning several times in the following days to take advantage of the grocery store and beach that stretched for miles. Florida is a big milestone in our journey south, with it's warm weather 🌡, stunning beaches ⛱️, and beautiful palm trees 🌴, it marks the last US state before we cross over to the Bahamas!

Cheers!
-Megan
(November 8, 2023)

14/11/2023

WORLD DIABETES DAY: I was 15 years old in the middle of 10th grade. With an unquenchable thirst, I'd drink water to the point I could hear it swashing around in my stomach, but I always needed more. I was tired and sluggish. I could barely make it through a class. Seemed all I could do was drink water, relieve the water, rinse and repeat. Then I started dropping weight. After a few months and about 30 lbs lost, my clothes were starting to hang off me. I was skin and bones and a belly full of water. One night I was leaning on the bathroom counter as my sister and I got ready for bed. My mother came in and thought I had something tucked in the waistband of my pjs. When she realised it was actually my hip bone protruding, she was shocked at just how much weight I'd lost. She called for a doctor's appointment the next day. Despite the classic symptoms, the doctor said I was likely just going through a growth spurt but he would send me for some bloodtests. I remember when my mom and I came home from shopping for some new pants that fit, my dad broke the news to her first, and together they told me. "You have Type 1 diabetes and we have to take you to the hospital in the morning". Diabetes didn't mean much to me yet. I have a cousin with type 1, but never really saw how he needed to care for it. I knew another kid in elementary/middle school but only knew he was never allowed treats at school. I had no idea what to expect. The next day I was admitted at a mere 90 lbs to spend March break in the hospital. I was lucky to not be in worse condition. I learned that I could dose insulin based on carbohydrates and that my diet didn't need to be strict like the old way of management. Sounds easy, right? Well fast forward 20 years later and I'm still learning new tricks. Since that day, my days are filled with medical decisions based on the foods I eat, the macros of these foods, activity level, temperature, weather, hormones...basically every human function affects blood sugar. Now, I'm making all these decisions while living out a dream traveling on a boat where no two days are the same! We only have one life, we take what we have and do our best! Live for NOW! 💪💙

13/11/2023

PART 2:...At about 6:10PM we were 3 miles north of the St Marys entrance channel, getting ready to cross the channel perpendicular. At first, it seemed a lot like the Brunswick channel, dark and empty. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, we spotted some flashing blue lights directly ahead of us. The sun had just set and it was impossible to tell if the flashing blue lights were in the channel or on land, next to a massive building. Nothing was showing on AIS or radar. As we got closer I was keeping on eye on the situation with binoculars and I remarked to Megan "It looks like the shape of a submarine, but it's too big. It must be a building." Wrong. It was a submarine. A 560ft long Ohio class nuclear submarine being escorted out to sea by two armed patrol boats with flashing lights. I put out a general call on channel 16 to "the patrol boat with flashing blue lights" and after a short delay, I received a response from a friendly sounding fellow, who introduced himself as a number and referred to me as "sailboat". He advised me to veer off and hold position until they were clear of the channel. No problemo. Leave it to Keeper and her crew to be on a collision course with a ship carrying enough firepower to wipe out several countries. We quite like our freedom, so we happily obliged and bobbed around in the ocean waiting for the dark ship to go by.
If stumbling upon that in the dark wasn't weird enough, even weirder was how they disappeared. And disappeared they did. One moment there was a dark silhouette and flashing blue lights about 2 miles away, the next moment, nothing. Gone. No lights, no AIS/radar targets, nothing. Given the speed they were going, I can only assume they submerged quickly. Creepy. For the next several miles I was waiting to hear a "thunk" on the bottom of Keeper's keel as we crossed the channel. Fortunately, no thunk ever came.
The rest of the night was easy and uneventful. No more nuclear submarines, just a very tired sounding dredge captain asking me to change course so she should could dredge where I was headed. We dropped the hook in St. Augustine after 270nm and 48 hours near the palm trees and Spanish architecture of America's oldest city.

Cheers!
-Drew
(November 7-8, 2023)

Sailing Keeper

24/06/2024

26/05/2024

23/05/2024

25/03/2024

09/03/2024

07/03/2024

02/03/2024

21/02/2024

28/01/2024

24/01/2024

18/01/2024

13/01/2024

05/01/2024

28/12/2023

17/12/2023

09/12/2023

09/12/2023

06/12/2023

28/11/2023

28/11/2023

23/11/2023

22/11/2023

18/11/2023

14/11/2023

13/11/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Videos

Shortcuts

Share