4000 nm in 14 months aboard RhumbLine:
Travels in the North West Caribbean - where the number of dirt roads measure the size of a town, and chickens ride buses.

The things that occupy your day when you're on an extended trip are sometimes exhilarating, other times ordinary and at times, even downright frightening - but when you set out to go cruising along Central America's extensive coast line, the last thing on your mind would be how to escape a 5-foot long grouper, how to survive a near collision with an airplane, or how to negotiate for fuel from a Colombian tanker.

"It's all part of cruising - what is appealing to us is you have to be self-reliant - you have to think through problems and that even includes getting through slow times," says Jean Ozimek, who along with husband Stan, left from their home in Venice, FL end of January 2004 on the first leg of what has been dubbed their "Big Trip" aboard RhumbLine, their PDQ 34 Powercat.

Before heading into Central America, the Ozimek's went to the Bahamas. Taking advantage of the first weather window to cross the Gulf Stream, the Ozimek's left from Key Largo to the Bimini Islands on February 12th to revisit many of their favorite destinations from earlier trips aboard their sailboat.

They originally wanted to head into Central America past Haiti and the southern coast of Cuba, but the political turmoil in the area and the prospect of unwillingly transporting illegal immigrants, the Ozimek's decided to alter their route and go only as far south to Flamingo Cay in the Jumentos with stops in Nassau and George Town.

"It's so much easier to maneuver in the really shallow water in our Powercat, and we could anchor in better places," said Jean, adding they also had the advantage of additional speed and a flybridge for better visibility over their Brewer 44 sailboat.

With 12 grandchildren in the family, Stan and Jean have come to expect and welcome family to drop by. And that's exactly what happened when their daughter Jill, son-in-law Dan and three grandkids, Danielle, Katie and Kayla joined them in George Town, Exumas.

"At one time we had 7 people staying with us, let's just say there was a lot of togetherness," says Jean.

RhumbLine docked at the Atlantis Marina, next to several mega yachts that literally looked down at them, taunting them about their size with: "rub a dub dub, 2 men in a tub".

Of course, it was all quite amusing for Jean and Stan, who particularly enjoyed the visit to the Atlantis' beautiful lobby and the Leap of Faith waterslide.

"The Bahamas are extraordinary for the water - the fishing is wonderful, with lots of places to snorkel and dive. And George Town is the destination for cruisers - there's 500-plus boats anchored there - it's a mega society for cruisers," said Jean.

Each morning on the Internet, there are announcements for events, dances, and classes - from macramé to bridge. For Jean and Stan who enjoy the social aspects of cruising, it didn't take long to get involved.

Three months later, they retraced their steps through the Bahamas and returned to Venice for a short stay and to re-provision for their cruise into the North West Caribbean. They started out well provisioned, with every nook and cranny aboard RhumbLine fully packed.

"When we set out for our 'big trip', we had to take the boat off the lift at high tide, which was at noon. It was so loaded we had to wait until 3:00 - it was a little anti-climatic", says Jean.

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