Time to move on

Well it’s Almost time to move on. It has been two months here on Green Turtle Cay. Life definitely moves at a different pace here in the Bahamas. With all the holiday festivities going on this past month, we have met a lot of nice people, both locals and cruisers.  The nice thing about this little peace of paradise, is it’s not commercialized and their celebrations are from the heart and not the wallet. We have been to the settlement lighting ceremony, the tree lighting ceremony, a Christmas golf cart parade, Christmas Eve cruisers brunch at the Green Turtle Club, Christmas Day potluck, drum marches through the whole settlement every morning at 5:00 am the week before Christmas, New Year’s Eve pot luck, New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade and street party, with wonderful fireworks in the evening. Then after the New Year’s and holiday celebrations are all over with and this little island goes back to its daily routines. You have a moment to breath the fresh air, look around and see all the beauty the Mother Nature has to offer.  I have not passed by one person, with out them smiling, saying hello and offering help weather it’s for a ride up the hill our holding you painter line while getting in the dinghy to just holding the door open or loading you groceries into you golf cart. You feel welcome here as if you are part of their family. It is alway hard to say good bye to Green Turtle Cay, but we now that we will be passing this way again as we make our way home in a few month from now.

Our next adventure will be hanging out in ManJack and some of the close by island until mid February. At that time we will be renewing our visa for another 90 days and then we will start making our way to the Eleuthera islands.  Until next time, fair wind and safe journeys my friends.

Bahamas Crossing November 2018

11/20/18, Our Crossing was one of the nicest yet. 2-3’ seas and winds NE 10-15  We made it on the bank in 10 hours. Once on the bank for about an hour I notice lightning of in the distance. Kevin stated no worries it just heat lightning, because nothing is showing on the radar. He kept repeating that until one of them let out a big boom about 40 minutes later. Then he check the radar and yup, here comes this massive storm developing and moving rather quickly 10 miles away. I finally got him to at least take down the main, and we continued on. It was all talk at not much action when it passed over us, with lighting and rain, but no change in wind speed.  So once it passed we anchored for the night, around 2230 (1030 pm).
11/21/18 0630, we have pulled anchor and now heading to Crab Cay.  At this speed we will make Green Turtle by Thursday.
11/22/18 We have anchored off the settlement at Green Turtle at noon, then cleared customs and of course went to Ms Emily’s Blue Bee Bar and had a gumbay smash
Friday morning, at 6am,  we rode out a squall with 30+ wind gust.  The anchor held great and no dragging. So at 8am we got a call that our slip is ready so by 1030 we were all tied up at Donny’s Marine for the next two months.  The sun is shining and we are safely in the Bahamas, all is good. Safe journeys and fair winds my friends. Until next time, Serena Rose signing off.

Fall update

Thursday, September 27th,

I know it has been awhile since my last blog update, but my knee recovery has be a very slow, and unsuccessful journey.  Stating that, I do have slightly more range of motion and will be getting two knee braces for flexion and extension. The braces are worn three time a day for an hour in each direction.  This may help me gain some range of motion, but definitely keep me from losing any more than I already have. The month of September has been very tiring and emotional for both Kevin and I.  Coming back on board has been quite the challenge and then Kevin had a hernia that became a much more serious issue than originally thought. His surgery was moved up, after a trip to the ER with the hernia doubling in size and causing severe pain with in a few hours.  Two days later, he had surgery. That was a week ago and he is just able today to get a shower and walk the length of the boat without a pain level of 8 or 9/10. I will save all the details, but he will be at least another week or two before he can even manage walking down the dock. His manhood has grown to the size of a grapefruit and the color of a plum. I will leave it at that.

On a more spirited note.  We will be leaving this wonderful marina in Ft. Pierce, in mid November and then crossing to the Bahamas.  Our original plan was for the first of December, but our slip was reserved for the 15th of November , prior to us coming in.  Hopefully the captain and crew will be up for the voyage. As our time grows closer to the departure date we will be posting more frequent blog entries.  Until then Fair winds, my friends and smooth sailing.

Trip to West Palm Beach

June 25th, Monday

Making our way to West Palm Beach

Yesterday Kevin picked me up at the Rehab Center around 11:00 am, from there we went to 3 different pharmacies looking for one that would carry or order the oxycodone (no such luck). Then we went to publix and did a small amount of shopping for me, plus buying a new cane. My old cane needs to be sent to Davie Jones Locker, the handle is all sticking from being in the sun and the shaft has rust on it, from being in the water so much.  I used it everywhere we went in the Bahamas, including the beach. By the time we finished our errands and had lunch it was about 2:00 pm and I was done in. Time to get home and get some sleep. As for the oxycodone, luckily I have some from last year so this will get me by until we find a pharmacy that will fill it. Our Neighbor told us to try Walgreens, so that is first on the agenda for today. Getting on board the boat was a little scary and tricky.  We purchased a medical stool that is very sturdy and has a 38” high grab handle, it was most helpful. There is not much space for me to walk around and I do a lot of pacing, specially when the medication is starting to wear off and I still have an hour to go before taking any more. So today we will be heading down the West Palm Beach and stay at my brother Bill’s condo for the next month. This will be a big help in the healing process. I need to walk, a lot and can’t do that on the boats.

We left just as a rain cloud came over us and got soaked walking down the dock. Next we found the Walgreens and got my prescription filled, with an hour wait. That gave us plenty time for a nice lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. While at lunch we get a call from the marine that an amazon package came in, so headed back there and then picked up meds. It’s now 1:30 and we are finally on the road. I had to take off the wet shoes and change to a dry shirt, then cover with the blue fuzzy blanket I got while at Health South. We arrived at the condo around 2:30 and unloaded the car, then relaxed for a while before unpacking and making a grocery list for food and supplies.  We have some food for the next day or so, but need a few spices, rice, butter eggs, etc. shopping is on tomorrow’s list, as well as finding a outpatient PT facility.

Rehab Update

June 23, 2018

Saturday

Rehab update.

I have been here at Health South for almost a week and a half.  The therapist and most of the nurses are great. I’ve had a few Nurse Kratchet types. But most of them are great. If I had any other rehab or a family member that needed to be in a rehab facility, I would send them here.  My rehab (PT and OT) have been 3 hours a day, let’s just say my pain level is no longer zero and I take cat naps between sessions, it is intense. I have been able to keep my extension and now walk with the cane, unless it is for a long distance or in a crowd (like walking through publix).  The flexsion or bending is still a challenge and I know it will take a while since those muscles have not been used for the past year or so. The journey home will be one night on the boat and then down to WPB to stay in my brothers condo(thank you Bill). That is where I will continue my outpatient rehab.  

So long for now and as alway Fair winds and safe sailing my friends.

Knee Rehab update

June 17th, 2018

Surgery update

I had my full knee replacement on Monday the 11th, at Sebastian hospital.  Coming out of surgery my pain level was about a 2 on a scale of 0-10. Through the next few days in was usually a level of zero, except after rehab.  The next 4 days were spend in the hospital, waiting for an authorization from the insurance company to be moved to a rehab facility. Finally Thursday midday we got the authorization and I was on my way to Health South Rehab in Vero Beach.  The reason for the rehab facility, as you know I leave on a sailboat, this is to get me strong enough and have the mobility to be able to get on and off the boat, safely.

I arrived at Health South via Stellar Medical Transport.  This is a very nice, clean and professional company. My room is 105B if you care to visit, and I have a lovely view of the garden area.  The schedule for an average day here is rise at 6 am, breakfast at 8am and rehab (PT/OT) start around 9am. I have a total of 3 hours each day, some session an hour some a half hour with breaks in between. Lunch break is 12 until 1:30 or 2pm, then usually finish no later the 3:30pm.  So the best time to visit is in the late afternoon between 4-8pm or Sundays after 1pm. My pain level on average now with all this therapy ranges between 2-7/10. I usually have to take a half oxi after rehab and then the rest of the time its just Tylenol . The surgical bandage comes of on Weds. at my doctors appointment.

The facility and staff here at Health South Rehab is wonderful and clean. For those of you who use to work with me at TBC Dr. Kalman is one of the staff Doctors, I literally ran into him, on my early morning walk today. It’s nice to see a friendly face.  Well tata for now. Safe journey and fair winds my friends.

June 5th, 2018

June 5th, 2018

Well it has been a little over a month since returning home from the Bahamas. We have had a lot of changes and finished up a few projects plus more planned out in the near future.

Our new home for the next several months is a lovely, peaceful, and well protected marina in Ft. Pierce area on Hutchinson Island, Harbor Isle Marina. The main docks and finger piers are floating concrete docks with 60’ finger piers. This has been very easy getting on and of the boat with just one long step and the use of a stool. The area offers some nice restaurants and a great movie/dinner theater. Most shopping we do in Vero Beach. We have finally gotten used to the town without having to use google maps.

As for completed projects, we have; a new washer/dryer, all the canvas cover for the sails are new, the dinghy chaps have been patched, the main refrigeration heat exchange is replaced, all engine maintenance is done and over 10 boxes of personal items moved off the boat into storage (for putting her on the market next month).

My surgery to redo the right knee replacement is scheduled for the 11th of June. Once I have surgery, I will be staying at a rehab facility for probably 6 weeks. This will allow me to get daily therapy treatments and not have to deal with maneuvering around the boat with the many sets of stairs and steps. Once I’ve had surgery and started rehab, I will post on my recovery status.

Sorry this is not as exciting as some of the other post but not much happening at this time. Until next time, fair winds and happy sailing my friends.