2000-2002
We bought Encore II in 2000 after
she had been delivered to Ft. Lauderdale from South Africa. She was
previously called "Centime".
s/v Centime
At that time she had a white hull, blue sail covers, and stainless steel dinghy davits and a trampoline mounted off the radar arch at the stern.
Encore II at Bahia Mar, Ft. Lauderdale
Over the next two years, Encore II was sailed between Florida and the Bahamas. While in Ft. Lauderdale, we added new sails, new paint, and lots of new equipment and systems.
Here, we are about to go out and perform sea trials with her new sails.
Man-O-War Marina, Bahamas
For most of two years, Encore II was moored in a very protected harbor at Man-O-War Cay, which is an offshore barrier island across from Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Man-O-War is a very close knit community originally settled by British Loyalists after the Revolutionary War, and nearly everyone is related to just a handful of families.
When we were away from Encore II, we could keep an eye on her via the Internet via the marina's Web Cam.
There are many churches but no bars or resorts on the island. We made great friends with local residents such as Tommy Albury and Darvin Sands. In recent years, this area has been struck many times by hurricanes, although none while we were there. The protection of the harbor has kept the boats there from being severely damaged.
Hurricane Floyd as it strikes the Abaco's and Man-o-War in 1999
Satellite photo from NOAA on 9/14/99, of Floyd as a Category 4 hurricane.
For all the years we've had boats in the tropics, we've been lucky not to be affected by hurricanes.
Most boat insurance policies now require boats in the Caribbean to go as far south as Trinidad or Venezuela during the hurricane season. We've kept our boats in the Bahamas, St. Lucia, Trinidad, and Antigua during hurricane seasons, and for other extended periods in Venezuela, Grenada and St. Maarten.
Sunset at sea enroute to Antigua
Finally, over Christmas, 2002, we left the Bahamas for Antigua. It was the first long passage with our entire family since we finished the year of the Round the World Rally in 1998.
The passage to Antigua started off with light winds, and a great sunset.
Rainbows on Passage
Our first offshore passage on Encore I was from Man-O-War to the Virgin Islands, about 1000 nautical miles. That took about 6 days. This trip bypassed the Virgin Islands, and was about 1300 miles and took about 7 days.
Storm Clouds
One of the attractions of offshore cruising are the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This is another sunset enroute to Antigua with tall storm clouds on the horizon. Fortunately, these were going away from us.
Fishing
After maybe 20,000 miles at sea, we finally figured out the best way to catch fish. We troll two heavy duty fishing lines at all times, with artificial lures (pink and white squid work best for us). The aft deck of Encore II is perfect for reeling in the unlucky fish that go after these lures.
Billfish on the Line
Although we've seen billfish (perhaps sailfish or marlin) jump near our boats on occasion, we've only hooked one. We think this was a juvenile blue marlin, about 3-4 feet long. We let it go.
Mahi Mahi becomes a Meal
The most common fish we catch are tuna and mahi mahi (aka dolphin fish). These become dinner, or sometimes as sushi or sashimi appetizers.
We've sometimes reeled in fish that had been half eaten by a shark before we got it aboard.
Christmas at Sea
This was the first year we celebrated Christmas at sea. We were about 500 miles from the nearest land, about halfway to Antigua.
We agreed that all of the presents we exchanged had to fit into the stockings we brought from home.
We had planned on having a smoked turkey for Christmas dinner, but the mahi mahi we caught that afternoon became our main course, truly a more meaningful blessing.
Green Island, Antigua
After clearing in with customs and immigration, we sailed around Antigua to Nonsuch Bay to complete our cruise with a few days at anchor. We did return to Falmouth Harbour for New Year's Eve, and to watch the University of Michigan play in its annual bowl game.
This site was last updated 01/04/06