2.11.11
We have been here in Georgetown for a few days and have already grown accustomed to the goings-on of the area. It is easy to see why people get sucked in here.
With so many cruisers coming and going, or staying the season, there is lots of camaraderie here. There is a cruisers net every morning where cruisers can hear the events of the day, buy and sell items and get help with problems that they are having. There is softball every Tuesday and Thursday, Texas Hold'Em on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and volleyball everyday. The Chat and Chill is the local hangout restaurant, located on Volleyball Beach. All the cruisers are anchored around this beach - it is the epicenter of life here.
We have a long dinghy ride in to town, but probably won't go there frequently; and unlike in Key West, this time we are prepared - we have a super dinghy now!
We have so many things on the boat that are broken or need repaired, so we have been keeping ourselves busy! We have gotten a lot done so far and hope to complete everything and have the boat in tip top shape before continuing on. We are heading over to the Aucklins next week and then will come back here to get ready for some of our friends who will be visiting!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Trek down to Georgetown
2.9.11
We left Black Point Monday morning after catching up on our laundry. We almost turned around once we got out there, but toughed it out – it ended up being a motorbash!! We were going dead into the wind and the waves, choppy and confused, were slamming into our bow every few seconds. It was annoying and stressful at first, but as with all things sailing, you grow accustomed to it and soon it just became a rhythm that we slipped into.
We made it down to Cave Cay, a small island that was in the works for becoming a large resort. We anchored outside and then dinghied into their protective harbour. We docked and were greeted by the construction workers, who filled our jerry cans and told us about the construction. The project was supposed to be completed 15 years ago – they had been on the island for 18 years total. The island started as just an area of sand at low tide and they dredged all around the island and dredged the harbour to form what is now a decent sized island. There were a few houses built that would later be part of the resort and the crew of 5 lived in those while they were finishing the project. It didn't seem like a bad gig -they get to live in beautiful cliffside resort houses, go out lobstering and fishing most afternoons and explore the many caves around on their days off. None of the boys there seemed to mind their job at all!
Tuesday we headed down to Lee Stocking Island in hopes of visiting the Research Center – they give guided tours of the facility to cruisers. We had a beautiful day, although there was no wind. We went into the Exuma Sound for the first time and had glass-like conditions. We could see straight through the beautiful turquoise blues to the bottom up until we hit 70 feet of water!! It was amazing! I also hooked up our fishing rod and we trolled all day, hoping to catch a Mahi! No luck. But, despite the fact that we had to motor, the weather was gorgeous and we had a great day.
We had trouble anchoring around the harbour at Lee Stocking because it was all shoal – our anchor would not bite. We attempted to anchor twice and then decided we might as well head farther around and pick up a mooring ball. On our way over to the ball, we were finally able to reach the research center on the VHF - much to our dismay, they only give tours Tuesday and Friday morning; we had missed it!
We decided instead of going farther into the harbour, we would backtrack and anchor out near the cut so that in the morning we would able to get up and go.
Wednesday we awoke to perfect sailing conditions and we were itching to get out into the Sound. We quickly loaded the outboard onto the mothership so it wouldn't weigh the dinghy down and made a beeline for deeper water.
What a perfect sailing day! Winds were off our beam at 15 knots and we were speeding along at around 6 knots – at this pace we would be in Georgetown by lunchtime! The weather was great, the wind was perfect and we just sat back and enjoyed the day.
We made it to Georgetown by about 1pm and just as we were about to head into the cut, we got a bite on our line! We were so excited, but when we saw the fish jump out of the water behind our boat we both groaned. We had hooked a barracuda. Ugh. We had thought about pulling the line in a few minutes prior, but hadn't...and now we were going to pay for it!
I got the gloves and a pair of pliers and reeled him in. But when I got him to the boat I realized how big he was – upwards of 30 pounds! And feisty! He was flailing and diving and jumping – no way was I going to stick my hands near him when he was so angry! So I paid the line back out and we drug him the last few miles into the Elizabeth harbour. Once we were in calmer waters, I put on a pair of tennis shoes, stepped carefully on the back transom, pulled him back onto the boat, put my footon him and pulled the hook out. He was much more tired by that point and barely put up a fight. I thought he might not make it, but as soon as I kicked him back into the water he shook it off and high tailed it back to deeper waters. Well, at least we knew our line worked! Hopefully next time we will catch something edible!
We wound our way into the treacherous Elizabeth Harbour entrance and were greeted by hundreds of sticks – we were looking at over 200 masts, all crammed into this small harbour! It was unbelievable! I couldn't believe so many boats were in one place! This is the farthest south that most cruisers travel with many of them staying here for the entire season.
We opted to drop anchor in one of the first anchorages instead of going through the maze of boats. We set the anchor, set our boat up for the next few days and then sat outside and took in our surroundings. Much to our surprise, we were anchored right beside our friends “Quality Time”! What a small world! We joined them for sundowners and dinner – a great welcoming to the harbour. Tomorrow we work on the boat and get her cleaned up for the next leg of our journey.
We left Black Point Monday morning after catching up on our laundry. We almost turned around once we got out there, but toughed it out – it ended up being a motorbash!! We were going dead into the wind and the waves, choppy and confused, were slamming into our bow every few seconds. It was annoying and stressful at first, but as with all things sailing, you grow accustomed to it and soon it just became a rhythm that we slipped into.
We made it down to Cave Cay, a small island that was in the works for becoming a large resort. We anchored outside and then dinghied into their protective harbour. We docked and were greeted by the construction workers, who filled our jerry cans and told us about the construction. The project was supposed to be completed 15 years ago – they had been on the island for 18 years total. The island started as just an area of sand at low tide and they dredged all around the island and dredged the harbour to form what is now a decent sized island. There were a few houses built that would later be part of the resort and the crew of 5 lived in those while they were finishing the project. It didn't seem like a bad gig -they get to live in beautiful cliffside resort houses, go out lobstering and fishing most afternoons and explore the many caves around on their days off. None of the boys there seemed to mind their job at all!
Tuesday we headed down to Lee Stocking Island in hopes of visiting the Research Center – they give guided tours of the facility to cruisers. We had a beautiful day, although there was no wind. We went into the Exuma Sound for the first time and had glass-like conditions. We could see straight through the beautiful turquoise blues to the bottom up until we hit 70 feet of water!! It was amazing! I also hooked up our fishing rod and we trolled all day, hoping to catch a Mahi! No luck. But, despite the fact that we had to motor, the weather was gorgeous and we had a great day.
We had trouble anchoring around the harbour at Lee Stocking because it was all shoal – our anchor would not bite. We attempted to anchor twice and then decided we might as well head farther around and pick up a mooring ball. On our way over to the ball, we were finally able to reach the research center on the VHF - much to our dismay, they only give tours Tuesday and Friday morning; we had missed it!
We decided instead of going farther into the harbour, we would backtrack and anchor out near the cut so that in the morning we would able to get up and go.
Wednesday we awoke to perfect sailing conditions and we were itching to get out into the Sound. We quickly loaded the outboard onto the mothership so it wouldn't weigh the dinghy down and made a beeline for deeper water.
What a perfect sailing day! Winds were off our beam at 15 knots and we were speeding along at around 6 knots – at this pace we would be in Georgetown by lunchtime! The weather was great, the wind was perfect and we just sat back and enjoyed the day.
We made it to Georgetown by about 1pm and just as we were about to head into the cut, we got a bite on our line! We were so excited, but when we saw the fish jump out of the water behind our boat we both groaned. We had hooked a barracuda. Ugh. We had thought about pulling the line in a few minutes prior, but hadn't...and now we were going to pay for it!
I got the gloves and a pair of pliers and reeled him in. But when I got him to the boat I realized how big he was – upwards of 30 pounds! And feisty! He was flailing and diving and jumping – no way was I going to stick my hands near him when he was so angry! So I paid the line back out and we drug him the last few miles into the Elizabeth harbour. Once we were in calmer waters, I put on a pair of tennis shoes, stepped carefully on the back transom, pulled him back onto the boat, put my footon him and pulled the hook out. He was much more tired by that point and barely put up a fight. I thought he might not make it, but as soon as I kicked him back into the water he shook it off and high tailed it back to deeper waters. Well, at least we knew our line worked! Hopefully next time we will catch something edible!
We wound our way into the treacherous Elizabeth Harbour entrance and were greeted by hundreds of sticks – we were looking at over 200 masts, all crammed into this small harbour! It was unbelievable! I couldn't believe so many boats were in one place! This is the farthest south that most cruisers travel with many of them staying here for the entire season.
We opted to drop anchor in one of the first anchorages instead of going through the maze of boats. We set the anchor, set our boat up for the next few days and then sat outside and took in our surroundings. Much to our surprise, we were anchored right beside our friends “Quality Time”! What a small world! We joined them for sundowners and dinner – a great welcoming to the harbour. Tomorrow we work on the boat and get her cleaned up for the next leg of our journey.
Superbowl Celebration
2.6.11
We decided to head back up to Black Point today to watch the Superbowl. There were no festivities on Farmers Cay as they had the Regatta all weekend, so we headed up to check out some of the smal restaurants on Black Point. We were not alone. We walked into once of the restaurants, Lorraines, who was having an all you can eat buffet and it was standing room only! All the cruisers heard about the all you can eat and came running!
We opted for a more low-key restaurant, DeShamon, who was serving free conch fritters and cheap rum punch. We were the first cruisers there and were welcomed with open arms. They set us up outside where there was a nice breeze blowing, giving us a flat screen TV and some big spray, just in case! We were soon joined by some other cruisers, but mostly the locals were in the bar. There was some good-natured ribbing about who was going to be the champion that lasted throughout the game. The game was great, even more so because the Packers won!!! GO PACK GO!!
We did have a small bit of excitement in which a local, who had consumed way too much alcohol, came stumbling onto our patio, yelling and mumbling to Brad and some of the local guys. The owner quickly called the police and some of the locals escorted him off the patio until they could get here.
“They” as it was, was just one guy. A kid of no more than 22, wearing street clothes. He came over, shoved the drunk down, smacked him around a bit (nothing rough, just to let him know who was in charge), cuffed him and then literally dragged him to the police car. HA! How's that for culture differences! Don't let this image tarnish your image of the Bahamians – no harm was done to the man and he deserved what was coming to him.
We opted to head out the following day to start our trek down to Georgetown.
We decided to head back up to Black Point today to watch the Superbowl. There were no festivities on Farmers Cay as they had the Regatta all weekend, so we headed up to check out some of the smal restaurants on Black Point. We were not alone. We walked into once of the restaurants, Lorraines, who was having an all you can eat buffet and it was standing room only! All the cruisers heard about the all you can eat and came running!
We opted for a more low-key restaurant, DeShamon, who was serving free conch fritters and cheap rum punch. We were the first cruisers there and were welcomed with open arms. They set us up outside where there was a nice breeze blowing, giving us a flat screen TV and some big spray, just in case! We were soon joined by some other cruisers, but mostly the locals were in the bar. There was some good-natured ribbing about who was going to be the champion that lasted throughout the game. The game was great, even more so because the Packers won!!! GO PACK GO!!
We did have a small bit of excitement in which a local, who had consumed way too much alcohol, came stumbling onto our patio, yelling and mumbling to Brad and some of the local guys. The owner quickly called the police and some of the locals escorted him off the patio until they could get here.
“They” as it was, was just one guy. A kid of no more than 22, wearing street clothes. He came over, shoved the drunk down, smacked him around a bit (nothing rough, just to let him know who was in charge), cuffed him and then literally dragged him to the police car. HA! How's that for culture differences! Don't let this image tarnish your image of the Bahamians – no harm was done to the man and he deserved what was coming to him.
We opted to head out the following day to start our trek down to Georgetown.
5F's Festival (First Friday in February Festival on Little Farmers Cay)
2.5.11
We woke up early this morning in anticipation of the Bahamian racing which was supposed to start at 9am but, as is usual for island time, the races didn't start until around 12. No matter; we took Koa over to the beach where a few spectators had already gathered – both Bahamian and cruisers. This is a big event for this little island – they even bring people in from Nassau on the large mail boats just for the weekend!
Around 11 all the Bahamian racers were getting their little boats set up for the big races. There were about 9 boats altogether, each around 15 feet long and only about 6 feet wide with crews of 4-5 men in each. 1 to handle the sail, 2-3 to be on the rails and 1 to steer. There were two buoys that they would have to circle for a total of 3 legs of the race – one right in front of the beach and one about 2 miles out.
They started out at the farthest buoy and we could see them raise their sails and then – they were off! Their sails filled and they came racing back towards the beach.
If you have never seen Bahamian racing before, it is a sight to behold! The pictures probably won't even do it justice. This tiny little boat has the same size sail that we have on our mothership! And they don't have a heavy keel keeping them from tipping over – they use crew to balance the weight. 2-3 crewmen sit out off the boat on long boards (called rails), and they got at least 4-5 feet out of the water, just hanging in the air, with the boat heeled over and the bottom of the sail sometimes even dipping in the water! The greatest thing about these races is that the Bahamians allow one cruiser to crew with each boat and work the rails. So the cruisers get to be part of the action too! Next time, we are definitely volunteering!
We watched the first leg from the beach with some of the other spectators, then most of the cruisers took to their dinghies and headed out to be in the midst of the race. There were so many boats in the water at this point – there were boats anchored throughout the racing field and they provided obstacles for the racers, there were skiffs and powerboats that belonged to the locals, and there were at least 50 dinghies putzing about! While the skiffs and powerboats followed the racers out to the far buoy, our little dinghies fare better for short distances, so 15 of us cruisers rafted our dinghies together in the middle of the field and waited for the racers to return closer to shore. We laughed and drank beers, all the while floating along in the water tied together.
When the racers came back to the anchor field, we quickly disbanded and everyone followed them around taking pictures and cheering them on. Even Koa joined in on the action, barking at them as they raced by!
It was all so exciting and was over before we knew it. When the first boat crossed the finish line, there was cheering from the beach and the boats in the water, air horns and conch shells being blown in celebration. It was quite the excitement!!
There were three more heats in which the same boats raced, each hoping to take home the big trophy. After the final heat, everyone congregated on the beach at this little tiki hut that the people of Farmers Cay had built specifically for this annual event. There was rum punch and beer, BBQ ribs, spicy chicken and other delicious Bahamian fare. The local island band, comprised of high schoolers from various islands, even marched around the airstrip for us!
The local television station was there and some of the politicians even came from Nassau and spoke at the awards ceremony. And these awards – they are no joke! The smallest trophy stood about 1.5 feet tall and the largest trophy was at least 3 feet tall – with the year and a sailboat on top. It was a great day and we are so glad we got to be part of this exciting regatta.
We woke up early this morning in anticipation of the Bahamian racing which was supposed to start at 9am but, as is usual for island time, the races didn't start until around 12. No matter; we took Koa over to the beach where a few spectators had already gathered – both Bahamian and cruisers. This is a big event for this little island – they even bring people in from Nassau on the large mail boats just for the weekend!
Around 11 all the Bahamian racers were getting their little boats set up for the big races. There were about 9 boats altogether, each around 15 feet long and only about 6 feet wide with crews of 4-5 men in each. 1 to handle the sail, 2-3 to be on the rails and 1 to steer. There were two buoys that they would have to circle for a total of 3 legs of the race – one right in front of the beach and one about 2 miles out.
They started out at the farthest buoy and we could see them raise their sails and then – they were off! Their sails filled and they came racing back towards the beach.
If you have never seen Bahamian racing before, it is a sight to behold! The pictures probably won't even do it justice. This tiny little boat has the same size sail that we have on our mothership! And they don't have a heavy keel keeping them from tipping over – they use crew to balance the weight. 2-3 crewmen sit out off the boat on long boards (called rails), and they got at least 4-5 feet out of the water, just hanging in the air, with the boat heeled over and the bottom of the sail sometimes even dipping in the water! The greatest thing about these races is that the Bahamians allow one cruiser to crew with each boat and work the rails. So the cruisers get to be part of the action too! Next time, we are definitely volunteering!
We watched the first leg from the beach with some of the other spectators, then most of the cruisers took to their dinghies and headed out to be in the midst of the race. There were so many boats in the water at this point – there were boats anchored throughout the racing field and they provided obstacles for the racers, there were skiffs and powerboats that belonged to the locals, and there were at least 50 dinghies putzing about! While the skiffs and powerboats followed the racers out to the far buoy, our little dinghies fare better for short distances, so 15 of us cruisers rafted our dinghies together in the middle of the field and waited for the racers to return closer to shore. We laughed and drank beers, all the while floating along in the water tied together.
When the racers came back to the anchor field, we quickly disbanded and everyone followed them around taking pictures and cheering them on. Even Koa joined in on the action, barking at them as they raced by!
It was all so exciting and was over before we knew it. When the first boat crossed the finish line, there was cheering from the beach and the boats in the water, air horns and conch shells being blown in celebration. It was quite the excitement!!
There were three more heats in which the same boats raced, each hoping to take home the big trophy. After the final heat, everyone congregated on the beach at this little tiki hut that the people of Farmers Cay had built specifically for this annual event. There was rum punch and beer, BBQ ribs, spicy chicken and other delicious Bahamian fare. The local island band, comprised of high schoolers from various islands, even marched around the airstrip for us!
The local television station was there and some of the politicians even came from Nassau and spoke at the awards ceremony. And these awards – they are no joke! The smallest trophy stood about 1.5 feet tall and the largest trophy was at least 3 feet tall – with the year and a sailboat on top. It was a great day and we are so glad we got to be part of this exciting regatta.
Little Famers Cay
2.4.11
We sailed down to Little Farmers Cay on Thursday. It was a perfect sailing day! The wind was blowing just enough to go full sail and allow us to travel at 5 knots – our perfect speed. We left early to try to get a jump on the other boats, but when we made it out of Black Point and onto the “highway” (the nickname we have for the Bank, since all the boats follow the same waypoints like drones, it puts them all lined up on the same track), we realized there were at least 5 boats ahead of us! And, by 10am, we were out on the highway among about 12 other boats! It was incredible! And it was so beautiful to see all those sails in the air.
We were among the first 10 boats to reach the anchorage and chose a spot a bit south and out of the way – we like our privacy. As usual, the other boats all anchored closer to the yacht club and near each other in what we have deemed the “herding style” of boating.
We quickly dinghied over to the island to visit the grocer and the fuel dock – we didn't want them to run out of supplies before we could get there! We got the necessary items at the grocer and then headed around the corner to the fuel dock. Along the way, we stopped and talked to a boat that we recognized from Marathon! It is a small boating world for sure!
Much to our chagrin, when we reached the fuel dock, we found out that they don't carry gas or diesel anymore! We were down to our last 5 gallons of gas – not nearly enough to run out generator and our outboard! The owner of the yacht club generously filled 5 gallons from his private stock for as, with added inflation of course, but beggars can't be choosers! At least this will be enough to last us till our next stop...we hope.
Throughout the day, the cruisers filed in on their boats slowly filling the anchorage. Around 4pm, the yacht club sponsored a happy hour so we headed over to meet and greet. We pulled up and to our absolute shock, saw “Quality Time” waiting there for us! We thought they were long ahead of us and had already reached Georgetown! It was a very pleasant surprise and we all headed in for free conch fritters and some mingling.
We found ourselves amidst a group of boaters from Marathon, all discussing our travels this far and comparing the places we had gone. It was a great night and we hated to leave, but wanted to get back before sundown.
Friday, we went back to land in the early afternoon for the start of the festivities. There was a group of cruisers hanging around Ocean Cabin, participating in events that would normally be found at Spring Break gatherings for college kids. Wet T-shirt contests, best butt, best legs (the last two were men's competitions!) - all participants were over 40 and were baring things that should not in normal societies see the light of day! There was lots of laughing and good-natured ribbing as the Kaliks flowed freely. We did participate in the hermit crab races. Everyone places bets on one of 9 crabs, then they are all placed in the middle of a ring and the first three out are winners! It was hysterical watching these hermit crabs slowly crawl towards the edges where people were enthusiastically urging their crab to victory.
We went back out to the boat for dinner and opted to stay in for the evening. The Bahamian C-class boat racing starts tomorrow and we are taking Koa over to the beach to enjoy the fun!
We sailed down to Little Farmers Cay on Thursday. It was a perfect sailing day! The wind was blowing just enough to go full sail and allow us to travel at 5 knots – our perfect speed. We left early to try to get a jump on the other boats, but when we made it out of Black Point and onto the “highway” (the nickname we have for the Bank, since all the boats follow the same waypoints like drones, it puts them all lined up on the same track), we realized there were at least 5 boats ahead of us! And, by 10am, we were out on the highway among about 12 other boats! It was incredible! And it was so beautiful to see all those sails in the air.
We were among the first 10 boats to reach the anchorage and chose a spot a bit south and out of the way – we like our privacy. As usual, the other boats all anchored closer to the yacht club and near each other in what we have deemed the “herding style” of boating.
We quickly dinghied over to the island to visit the grocer and the fuel dock – we didn't want them to run out of supplies before we could get there! We got the necessary items at the grocer and then headed around the corner to the fuel dock. Along the way, we stopped and talked to a boat that we recognized from Marathon! It is a small boating world for sure!
Much to our chagrin, when we reached the fuel dock, we found out that they don't carry gas or diesel anymore! We were down to our last 5 gallons of gas – not nearly enough to run out generator and our outboard! The owner of the yacht club generously filled 5 gallons from his private stock for as, with added inflation of course, but beggars can't be choosers! At least this will be enough to last us till our next stop...we hope.
Throughout the day, the cruisers filed in on their boats slowly filling the anchorage. Around 4pm, the yacht club sponsored a happy hour so we headed over to meet and greet. We pulled up and to our absolute shock, saw “Quality Time” waiting there for us! We thought they were long ahead of us and had already reached Georgetown! It was a very pleasant surprise and we all headed in for free conch fritters and some mingling.
We found ourselves amidst a group of boaters from Marathon, all discussing our travels this far and comparing the places we had gone. It was a great night and we hated to leave, but wanted to get back before sundown.
Friday, we went back to land in the early afternoon for the start of the festivities. There was a group of cruisers hanging around Ocean Cabin, participating in events that would normally be found at Spring Break gatherings for college kids. Wet T-shirt contests, best butt, best legs (the last two were men's competitions!) - all participants were over 40 and were baring things that should not in normal societies see the light of day! There was lots of laughing and good-natured ribbing as the Kaliks flowed freely. We did participate in the hermit crab races. Everyone places bets on one of 9 crabs, then they are all placed in the middle of a ring and the first three out are winners! It was hysterical watching these hermit crabs slowly crawl towards the edges where people were enthusiastically urging their crab to victory.
We went back out to the boat for dinner and opted to stay in for the evening. The Bahamian C-class boat racing starts tomorrow and we are taking Koa over to the beach to enjoy the fun!
Black Point
2.2.11
Happy Groundhog's Day!
We left early this morning to get to Black Point by noon. It was a motoring kind of day – slim to no wind and it was right off our bow. We needed to charge the batteries anyway, so it worked out. Black Point is supposed to be one of the largest settlements in the Exumas, and one of the few places where Bahamians and cruisers mingle easily.
As soon as we dropped the hook, we dinghied in to get some laundry done – it has been almost 3 weeks since we last did laundry!! The facilities were great! Very clean and easy to use and the house was situated up on a hill, so the view was spectacular! It was one of the best laundry experiences of my life!
While we were on shore, we also visited one of the local restaurants for a bite to eat. We chose Scorpios, one of the local bars. When we walked in the door, there were a ton of Bahamians there, crowded around the bar, shooting pool and just socializing. It was a bit intimidating, as we were the only cruisers there. They were all very nice and joked around with us for a bit, making us feel welcome. We ordered our lunch and some Kaliks and listened to the conversations going on around us. 30 minutes after we got there, all the Bahamians had to go back to work, so we were left alone in the bar. It was very quiet after being amidst all the raucous of the men.
Later we took Koa for a walk around the island to the Eastern beach. There wasn't much to see and we decided we would leave the following day and head down to Little Farmer's Cay. The 5Fs festival starts on Friday and we had heard a lot of boats headed that way. We wanted to make sure we had a good anchorage for the festivities!
Happy Groundhog's Day!
We left early this morning to get to Black Point by noon. It was a motoring kind of day – slim to no wind and it was right off our bow. We needed to charge the batteries anyway, so it worked out. Black Point is supposed to be one of the largest settlements in the Exumas, and one of the few places where Bahamians and cruisers mingle easily.
As soon as we dropped the hook, we dinghied in to get some laundry done – it has been almost 3 weeks since we last did laundry!! The facilities were great! Very clean and easy to use and the house was situated up on a hill, so the view was spectacular! It was one of the best laundry experiences of my life!
While we were on shore, we also visited one of the local restaurants for a bite to eat. We chose Scorpios, one of the local bars. When we walked in the door, there were a ton of Bahamians there, crowded around the bar, shooting pool and just socializing. It was a bit intimidating, as we were the only cruisers there. They were all very nice and joked around with us for a bit, making us feel welcome. We ordered our lunch and some Kaliks and listened to the conversations going on around us. 30 minutes after we got there, all the Bahamians had to go back to work, so we were left alone in the bar. It was very quiet after being amidst all the raucous of the men.
Later we took Koa for a walk around the island to the Eastern beach. There wasn't much to see and we decided we would leave the following day and head down to Little Farmer's Cay. The 5Fs festival starts on Friday and we had heard a lot of boats headed that way. We wanted to make sure we had a good anchorage for the festivities!
Thunderball Grotto
2.1.11
Yesterday we went snorkeling with Mike at Thunderball Grotto – our first time, his second. He has an underwater camera, so he was able to get some great shots of us in the cave. At first it was kind of daunting – looking into a pitch black hole that has jagged rocks coming down from the ceiling, just waiting for unsuspecting snorkelers. But, once you dive underwater and go through the hole, the sun from above lights up the grotto in the most beautiful hues of blue imagineable. Fish are so used to snorkelers feeding them, they swarm around you hoping for a snack. They are not afraid of you at all and will bump up against you and ram your goggles if you don't fend them off! They are small and harmless and their attention span is short-lived. As soon as another diver joins you in the grotto, they are off to harass them as well.
There are multiple holes around the cave for snorkelers to come and go and the skylights above provide plenty of light to enjoy the brightly colored reef fish and coral. Outside the cave are some of the largest brain coral I have ever seen as well as a few fish who decided to make the surrounding coral home, since the grotto is already overcrowded.
Later that day we took Koa to the beach to run around and get some exercise and then we met back up with Mike for a bonfire on the beach. We had brats, dogs, beans and Kalik beer. We stayed for about 4 hours and had a blast. We were on our own beach, looking out on the 20-30 mast lights on all the boats in the anchorage. They look like twinkling stars just hovering over the water. Pictures don't do it justice.
The following day, we readied the boat for sailing, snorkeled the grotto once more and then headed over to Mike's. He made us homemade pizza and a loaf of homemade bread to take with us. We had a great time and the pizza was amazing – all fresh ingredients right from casa de mike!
Tomorrow we head down to Black Point to get some much needed laundry done!
Yesterday we went snorkeling with Mike at Thunderball Grotto – our first time, his second. He has an underwater camera, so he was able to get some great shots of us in the cave. At first it was kind of daunting – looking into a pitch black hole that has jagged rocks coming down from the ceiling, just waiting for unsuspecting snorkelers. But, once you dive underwater and go through the hole, the sun from above lights up the grotto in the most beautiful hues of blue imagineable. Fish are so used to snorkelers feeding them, they swarm around you hoping for a snack. They are not afraid of you at all and will bump up against you and ram your goggles if you don't fend them off! They are small and harmless and their attention span is short-lived. As soon as another diver joins you in the grotto, they are off to harass them as well.
There are multiple holes around the cave for snorkelers to come and go and the skylights above provide plenty of light to enjoy the brightly colored reef fish and coral. Outside the cave are some of the largest brain coral I have ever seen as well as a few fish who decided to make the surrounding coral home, since the grotto is already overcrowded.
Later that day we took Koa to the beach to run around and get some exercise and then we met back up with Mike for a bonfire on the beach. We had brats, dogs, beans and Kalik beer. We stayed for about 4 hours and had a blast. We were on our own beach, looking out on the 20-30 mast lights on all the boats in the anchorage. They look like twinkling stars just hovering over the water. Pictures don't do it justice.
The following day, we readied the boat for sailing, snorkeled the grotto once more and then headed over to Mike's. He made us homemade pizza and a loaf of homemade bread to take with us. We had a great time and the pizza was amazing – all fresh ingredients right from casa de mike!
Tomorrow we head down to Black Point to get some much needed laundry done!
Swimming Pigs!
1.30.11
We left early this morning for a short trip down to Staniel Cay, only about 5 miles. We were there within an hour and somewhat dismayed to find that the anchorage we had chosen was filled with other boats – 24 of them to be precise! At least we knew it was a good anchorage! We butted up to some of them, dropped anchor and headed in to Staniel Cay – the first civilization after exiting the Exuma Land and Sea Park, this was supposed to be a good place to provision and fill water and fuel.
We were greeted by “Quality Time”, who was leaving just as set our anchor – it seems they are always just a day or two ahead of us! And we were ecstatic to find “Wind Dancer” (the 57' Hylas) at the docks when we finally made it into town. It seemed that Terry had left Mike there while he went back to Florida for a bit and was undecided if he was coming back and when. So, Mike had been there a week and although there are worse places to be “stuck”, it can be a bit boring if you are traveling alone. So he was happy to see us and joined us for lunch at the marina restaurant.
We had arrived at the island on a Sunday, and the whole town was shut down (as apparently it is every weekend, all weekend). We did get to see a few small planes land and take off at the airport, and we located the grocer, although he was also closed.
We had a few drinks with Mike at the docks and then we all headed out to where our boat was anchored. We had actually anchored off Big Majors Spot, a small island just to the North of Staniel Cay that provides a bit more protection and is also home to the infamous swimming pigs! So, I cut up some produce that was about to go bad and we headed out to the beach. We were not to be let down. We were immediately greeted by two large pigs that moseyed right down the beach, into the water and swam right out to our dinghy! We threw some of the produce in and they ate what they could, but they are really not coordinated enough to swim and eat at the same time. We laughed and took a million pictures and then went up to the next beach to see if we could see the goats that supposedly inhabited the North end of the island -quite an exciting little island it would seem!
Unfortunately, we didn't see any goats, but we did find three baby pigs (weighing at least 100lbs each) that were a bit more shy, munching some undergrowth up on the beach. We fed them some food and they allowed us to get a little closer, but ran when you tried to touch them.
We went back to the boat for some sundowners and all had a good laugh over the swimming pigs. Tomorrow we go to Thunderball Grotto, where one of James Bonds movies was filmed (I believe it is called Thunderball?!), for some snorkeling and fish feeding!
Sampson Cay
1.29.11
We headed out early this morning and took the dinghy 3 miles North to Compass Cay. We had heard there was some good snorkeling and a great Eastern beach. We beached the dinghy on the South side of the island, hauled it up as far as we could, set an anchor and prayed it would be there when we got back.
There was nothing on this island with the exception of a few houses and a marina, all of which were on the western side. We started walking around towards the Eastern beach and soon realized we were in for quite a hike. It was a gorgeous day and the views were incredible, we hiked up and along cliff tops - some craggy limestone, some layers of long ago hardened sediment. We found a cool cave right along the water and went in for a quick peek. We hiked for a bit farther and suddenly came to what looked like a dried out lake in the middle of the island. It stretched across the whole island and now looked like a flat desert – kind of strange for an island surrounded by water.
After about an hour of hiking, we made it to “The Beach”, and it was gorgeous. Crescent shaped with beautiful soft white sand, protected from the Eastern swells by rocks and reefs, it sat recessed back in a cove. We swam about for awhile, although the water was too rough to go out snorkeling.
We finally had to head back and opted to travel across the dried up lake to the western side of the island in hopes that there was a quicker way back to the dinghy. We were going along at a steady clip when suddenly the sand beneath our feet went from hard packed to soft and wet. We sunk in with every third step up to our knees; it would appear we had stumbled on a bog of some sort.
We back-tracked and went around the “wet stuff” on harder sand until we got to a beach on the western side. From there it was a short walk back along a rock strewn beach to our dinghy, which was thankfully, still there!
We took our time going back and stopped at a few places along the way to check out some possible reefs. Unfortunately, the tide through Pipe Creek, which was our path home, was ripping so we weren't able to get out of the dinghy. So, I would steer while Brad would stick his head over the side of the dinghy and let me know if there was anything worth seeing. Unfortunately, most of the reefs were unimpressive and the only exciting thing we saw was a 6foot nurse shark.
We returned home and took the short dinghy ride over to Sampson Cay for some dinner. We had an excellent Bahamian meal of beef tenderloin kabobs and cajun chicken – all very spicy! We decided there wasn't much to do here so we would head down to Staniel Cay tomorrow for more exploring.
We headed out early this morning and took the dinghy 3 miles North to Compass Cay. We had heard there was some good snorkeling and a great Eastern beach. We beached the dinghy on the South side of the island, hauled it up as far as we could, set an anchor and prayed it would be there when we got back.
There was nothing on this island with the exception of a few houses and a marina, all of which were on the western side. We started walking around towards the Eastern beach and soon realized we were in for quite a hike. It was a gorgeous day and the views were incredible, we hiked up and along cliff tops - some craggy limestone, some layers of long ago hardened sediment. We found a cool cave right along the water and went in for a quick peek. We hiked for a bit farther and suddenly came to what looked like a dried out lake in the middle of the island. It stretched across the whole island and now looked like a flat desert – kind of strange for an island surrounded by water.
After about an hour of hiking, we made it to “The Beach”, and it was gorgeous. Crescent shaped with beautiful soft white sand, protected from the Eastern swells by rocks and reefs, it sat recessed back in a cove. We swam about for awhile, although the water was too rough to go out snorkeling.
We finally had to head back and opted to travel across the dried up lake to the western side of the island in hopes that there was a quicker way back to the dinghy. We were going along at a steady clip when suddenly the sand beneath our feet went from hard packed to soft and wet. We sunk in with every third step up to our knees; it would appear we had stumbled on a bog of some sort.
We back-tracked and went around the “wet stuff” on harder sand until we got to a beach on the western side. From there it was a short walk back along a rock strewn beach to our dinghy, which was thankfully, still there!
We took our time going back and stopped at a few places along the way to check out some possible reefs. Unfortunately, the tide through Pipe Creek, which was our path home, was ripping so we weren't able to get out of the dinghy. So, I would steer while Brad would stick his head over the side of the dinghy and let me know if there was anything worth seeing. Unfortunately, most of the reefs were unimpressive and the only exciting thing we saw was a 6foot nurse shark.
We returned home and took the short dinghy ride over to Sampson Cay for some dinner. We had an excellent Bahamian meal of beef tenderloin kabobs and cajun chicken – all very spicy! We decided there wasn't much to do here so we would head down to Staniel Cay tomorrow for more exploring.
Warderick Wells - Exuma Land and Sea Park
1.28.11
We had a great sail on 1/26 and made it to Warderick Wells by 3pm. We grabbed a mooring ball and quickly dinghied in to the park headquarters to check in and get some internet (since Verizon wasn't working for us, they had wifi that you could pay to use). We were given some pamphlets about the island and told where the good snorkeling grounds were. We were in too late to actually go out and explore the island, so we just relaxed for the evening and plotted out our actions for the next day.
The weather disappointed us the following day, as we woke up to overcast skies and chilly temperatures. For those of you reading this who just had a snowstorm this week, please read, chilly = 65 degrees. While this may not seem cold to you now, when you get in the water and get out again, it is not so pleasant.
We waited until the early afternoon, hoping that the sun would warm up the day a bit – no such luck. We opted to go anyway and suck it up. We dinghied over to our first snorkeling area at slack tide. The park provided moorings for the dinghies so that people's anchors wouldn't ruin the coral heads below. We slipped over the edge of the dinghy and into a different world. The water was crystal clear, we could see a hundred yards in either direction underwater. The coral was only 10 feet below us and there were fish aplenty! Fish of every color darted in and out of the reefs, some shyly swimming close to us and then darting away when we turned to look at them. Huge parrotfish and grouper, both at least 15-20lbs in size swam lazily beside us. Smaller fish stayed in schools and stuck close together, ebbing and flowing based on our movements. The coral was different shades of brilliant blues and purples, swaying with the tide. We even found one coral head that looked like a huge brain, coming to within a few feet of the water's surface.
We snorkeled a few other locations, finding fish and coral just as vibrant and full of life as the previous ones. We snorkeled until I couldn't feel my toes anymore, then headed back to warm up and have a hot dinner.
The following day we woke up early and went to land. We hiked around the island to some blow holes, which, much to my chagrin, weren't blowing at the time because it was low tide. We also hiked up to the top of this large hill that is called “Boo Boo Hill”. In the past, sailors took an item off of their boat that they had brought that they later realized was useless here – things that needed to be plugged in, extras of things – and left them on this hill. Apparently the “trash” pile had become so large that the park rangers cleared everything out and decided that no more pieces of trash could be left. So, now boaters carve or paint their names and boat names on pieces of drift wood and leave/post it at the top of this hill. We carved our name into a piece of wood that was lying around and left it as our mark. The hill also afforded gorgeous views of the East beaches and the sailboats all moored below around the park headquarters.
We were back by lunchtime and packed up and headed south to Pipe Cay. The wind was considerably higher than predicted and also out of the West, which is unusual for the Bahamas. This made for a bumpy sail and we soon realized that our anchorage was unfit for Westerly wind protection. We decided to go a bit farther south and found some solace in the more protected Sampson Cay anchorage. We will just have to dinghy back up to Compass Cay and some of the other islands that we passed by.
We had a great sail on 1/26 and made it to Warderick Wells by 3pm. We grabbed a mooring ball and quickly dinghied in to the park headquarters to check in and get some internet (since Verizon wasn't working for us, they had wifi that you could pay to use). We were given some pamphlets about the island and told where the good snorkeling grounds were. We were in too late to actually go out and explore the island, so we just relaxed for the evening and plotted out our actions for the next day.
The weather disappointed us the following day, as we woke up to overcast skies and chilly temperatures. For those of you reading this who just had a snowstorm this week, please read, chilly = 65 degrees. While this may not seem cold to you now, when you get in the water and get out again, it is not so pleasant.
We waited until the early afternoon, hoping that the sun would warm up the day a bit – no such luck. We opted to go anyway and suck it up. We dinghied over to our first snorkeling area at slack tide. The park provided moorings for the dinghies so that people's anchors wouldn't ruin the coral heads below. We slipped over the edge of the dinghy and into a different world. The water was crystal clear, we could see a hundred yards in either direction underwater. The coral was only 10 feet below us and there were fish aplenty! Fish of every color darted in and out of the reefs, some shyly swimming close to us and then darting away when we turned to look at them. Huge parrotfish and grouper, both at least 15-20lbs in size swam lazily beside us. Smaller fish stayed in schools and stuck close together, ebbing and flowing based on our movements. The coral was different shades of brilliant blues and purples, swaying with the tide. We even found one coral head that looked like a huge brain, coming to within a few feet of the water's surface.
We snorkeled a few other locations, finding fish and coral just as vibrant and full of life as the previous ones. We snorkeled until I couldn't feel my toes anymore, then headed back to warm up and have a hot dinner.
The following day we woke up early and went to land. We hiked around the island to some blow holes, which, much to my chagrin, weren't blowing at the time because it was low tide. We also hiked up to the top of this large hill that is called “Boo Boo Hill”. In the past, sailors took an item off of their boat that they had brought that they later realized was useless here – things that needed to be plugged in, extras of things – and left them on this hill. Apparently the “trash” pile had become so large that the park rangers cleared everything out and decided that no more pieces of trash could be left. So, now boaters carve or paint their names and boat names on pieces of drift wood and leave/post it at the top of this hill. We carved our name into a piece of wood that was lying around and left it as our mark. The hill also afforded gorgeous views of the East beaches and the sailboats all moored below around the park headquarters.
We were back by lunchtime and packed up and headed south to Pipe Cay. The wind was considerably higher than predicted and also out of the West, which is unusual for the Bahamas. This made for a bumpy sail and we soon realized that our anchorage was unfit for Westerly wind protection. We decided to go a bit farther south and found some solace in the more protected Sampson Cay anchorage. We will just have to dinghy back up to Compass Cay and some of the other islands that we passed by.
Just Like Heaven
1.26.11
We arrived in Hawksbill Cay by noon on 1/24 and picked up a mooring ball in an otherwise deserted anchorage. (We had just entered Exuma Land and Sea Park (google it, it's gorgeous here!) and they provide moorings so sailors don't mess up the reef with our anchors). By this point we had realized that we moved much slower than other sailors – we spent longer at the various islands and hit the small islands in between, not just the larger more inhabited islands. This particular anchorage was off of a small island that most people passed by. It was a very protected anchorage and the beach was a short dinghy ride away.
We went out snorkeling the first day and hiked around the various trails in the island. We hiked among more ruins, this time from early British Loyalists who left America after the Revolution. The ruins were from 1786 and although there wasn't much left to the buildings, you could still clearly see the outlines of the buildings. Granted, we had to pick through palm trees, thorny bushes and cactus (yes, there are cactus in the Bahamas!), but they were still there. We also saw our first Bahamian land critter – a snake! Which I almost stepped on and quickly recoiled nearly running Brad over trying to back away from him. I think I scared him just as much because he was gone almost as quickly as he appeared.
The following day we hiked all the way across the island (all the way = ½ mile...haha) to the eastern beaches. The day was windy with the prevailing Easterlies blowing in from the Exuma Sound. Our side of the island was calm, but when we got to the other side, we were greeted with an angry sea. The waves were crashing against the rocky cliffs and the beach was no more than a small slab of sand that was constantly being eroded by the waves. It was cool seeing that side of the islands, as up until then we had only seen the west side. But the beach was mostly unimpressive so we went back to our quiet side of the island.
We got neighbors that night – a catamaran called “Bikini” with 3 Canadians aboard (apparently these islands are the stomping grounds for Canadian sailors). We took Koa to the beach around 3pm and played in the surf with him for a bit, then started a bonfire to burn off all our paper trash. Since the islands we had been visiting were uninhabited, we hadn't been able to dump our trash for almost a week. We had separated our burnables from nonburnables and were finally getting rid of some of our trash. We had also brought along some sundowners and hotdogs and items to make smores! It was a perfect night. The sky was clear, the wind was down, the temperature was up and we were having a great time. Just before nightfall, the catamaran people dinghied to shore and joined us around the campfire. We talked to them for a bit, then decided to reconvene on their boat for some drinks. We enjoyed an evening on their beautiful 47' new catamaran and also watched some TV with them on their big screen TV!
We left the following morning for Warderick Wells – the Exuma Park headquarters.
Normans Cay
1.24.11
We left Highbourne Cay 1/21 and arrived in Normans Cay in the early afternoon. We anchored amongst other boats in the “cut”, meaning strong current that flips around every 6 hours with the tides, despite the direction of the wind. We had a bit of trouble anchoring, and when we finally got the anchor in, realized that we were in the middle of the channel. Oh well, we decided; in the channel we would stay!
Norman's Cay had some good snorkeling and also the ruins of Carlos Leder's drug cartel. He used this island as a stopping point for his drug smuggling business. We hiked amongst the ruins and could even see the bullet holes in the walls of the houses from when the cartel was raided. It was cool to think we were standing in the spot of a shootout that occurred decades ago!
The next day, the wind was too strong for snorkeling so we took Koa in to land and went in search of a beautiful harbor on the upper east side of the island (sounds swanky huh?) We walked for about an hour and finally came upon a smaller, more southerly portion of the lake. Some boats anchor in this harbor, but the channel in is shallow and more suitable for catamarans with shorter drafts. It was a beautiful, shallow pool of water. Crystal clear waters bordered by mangroves and hills. Unfortunately, the sun was high and Koa was hot and we had already been walking for a bit, so decided against continuing further to see the rest of the harbor.
We headed back to the south end of the island where we were anchored and stumbled on an airstrip and a small “resort” with 4 condos and a small restaurant. Brad was excited about the airstrip and we hung out for a bit hoping that a plane would land. We were not to be so lucky. And when we say airstrip, don't think small town airport, think flat 20 feet by 200yard slab of cement laid down for the occasional prop plane. No welcoming committee, no airport at all. But, as soon as you land, you can run next door for a quick bite to eat. We took Koa (pets were welcome of course) and he was immediately greeted by the welcoming committee - a lab, a chihuahua, and an old jack russell, all eager to meet him. The other lab, a female named “Salt”, was particularly excited to meet him and hung around our table the whole time we were there.
We ordered the most amazing conch fritters that were the size of baseballs with large chunks of freshly caught conch and split a burger. The people that own the restaurant were extremely welcoming and friendly and eager to sit down and chat with us.
We spent a particularly nasty night out at anchor, with the wind coming across our beam and rocking us from gunnel to gunnel all evening. We were more than ready to leave the following day and find a better anchorage.
We left Highbourne Cay 1/21 and arrived in Normans Cay in the early afternoon. We anchored amongst other boats in the “cut”, meaning strong current that flips around every 6 hours with the tides, despite the direction of the wind. We had a bit of trouble anchoring, and when we finally got the anchor in, realized that we were in the middle of the channel. Oh well, we decided; in the channel we would stay!
Norman's Cay had some good snorkeling and also the ruins of Carlos Leder's drug cartel. He used this island as a stopping point for his drug smuggling business. We hiked amongst the ruins and could even see the bullet holes in the walls of the houses from when the cartel was raided. It was cool to think we were standing in the spot of a shootout that occurred decades ago!
The next day, the wind was too strong for snorkeling so we took Koa in to land and went in search of a beautiful harbor on the upper east side of the island (sounds swanky huh?) We walked for about an hour and finally came upon a smaller, more southerly portion of the lake. Some boats anchor in this harbor, but the channel in is shallow and more suitable for catamarans with shorter drafts. It was a beautiful, shallow pool of water. Crystal clear waters bordered by mangroves and hills. Unfortunately, the sun was high and Koa was hot and we had already been walking for a bit, so decided against continuing further to see the rest of the harbor.
We headed back to the south end of the island where we were anchored and stumbled on an airstrip and a small “resort” with 4 condos and a small restaurant. Brad was excited about the airstrip and we hung out for a bit hoping that a plane would land. We were not to be so lucky. And when we say airstrip, don't think small town airport, think flat 20 feet by 200yard slab of cement laid down for the occasional prop plane. No welcoming committee, no airport at all. But, as soon as you land, you can run next door for a quick bite to eat. We took Koa (pets were welcome of course) and he was immediately greeted by the welcoming committee - a lab, a chihuahua, and an old jack russell, all eager to meet him. The other lab, a female named “Salt”, was particularly excited to meet him and hung around our table the whole time we were there.
We ordered the most amazing conch fritters that were the size of baseballs with large chunks of freshly caught conch and split a burger. The people that own the restaurant were extremely welcoming and friendly and eager to sit down and chat with us.
We spent a particularly nasty night out at anchor, with the wind coming across our beam and rocking us from gunnel to gunnel all evening. We were more than ready to leave the following day and find a better anchorage.
Highbourne Cay
1.20.11
Today we sadly left Allens Cay and headed just 5 miles south to Highbourne Cay. We were sad to leave the gorgeous snorkeling grounds, but eager to head to Highbourne Cay to attempt to fix our internet. Our cell phone has, at this point, been cut off twice and we have racked up an $11,000 bill. Thanks Verizon. Today we will use a pay phone to get in touch with them and hopefully get the problem resolved! In the meantime, I continue to blog on Microsoft Word in hopes I will soon be able to post our adventures for everyone!!
If we were excited by Allens Cay, we were not to be let down by Highbourne. We have finally realized that the Exumas are all as exceedingly gorgeous as the pictures. Imagine your screen saver or the calendar picture on your desk right now – yea, we are there. Reefs are around every corner and sandy white deserted beaches are an everday occurrence. We dinghied in to the only marina on the islands to resolve our Verizon issue. No such luck – they kept me on hold for 30 minutes (an entire phone card worth of minutes with no results). Don't worry, I sicched my Pops on them – they are in for it now!! We caroused the marina and were so excited to find a nurse shark sitting on the bottom of the crystal clear harbour. We kept walking further down the marina piers and happened upon two guys who had just come back from a fishing excursion out in the Exuma Sound (deeper water). They had caught a number of Wahoo and were filleting them off the end of the pier. Much to our complete surprise, as he tossed the gutted fish into the water, they were welcomed with open jaws by about 30 nurse and reef sharks! They were literally circling under and beside the pier eagerly awaiting his catch of the day. We took tons of pictures and were in complete aww of the event. Who knew so many sharks could be in one place?! We could hear them sucking and biting at the fish as he threw each piece in. As he was finishing up, we thanked him for letting us watch and he offered us two fresh fillets. How generous! We hadn't caught anything of this caliber yet and were so excited about our new dinner item!!
While Dad was stuck dealing with ignorant Verizon idiots all day, Brad and I went back to the boat and enjoyed a lunch outside and then took Koa on a dinghy excursion. We went over to one of the aforementioned white sand beaches and played fetch with Koa and found a few “perfect” conch souvenirs. (If anyone wants a beautiful Bahamian conch shell, speak now or forever hold your peace!) And sunburn in January – ouch! Who knew?!
We found more coral, but since we had Koa couldn't get out of the dinghy. We again snorkeled head over the side of the dinghy and then headed back to the boat for sundowners and fresh fish dinner.
Today we sadly left Allens Cay and headed just 5 miles south to Highbourne Cay. We were sad to leave the gorgeous snorkeling grounds, but eager to head to Highbourne Cay to attempt to fix our internet. Our cell phone has, at this point, been cut off twice and we have racked up an $11,000 bill. Thanks Verizon. Today we will use a pay phone to get in touch with them and hopefully get the problem resolved! In the meantime, I continue to blog on Microsoft Word in hopes I will soon be able to post our adventures for everyone!!
If we were excited by Allens Cay, we were not to be let down by Highbourne. We have finally realized that the Exumas are all as exceedingly gorgeous as the pictures. Imagine your screen saver or the calendar picture on your desk right now – yea, we are there. Reefs are around every corner and sandy white deserted beaches are an everday occurrence. We dinghied in to the only marina on the islands to resolve our Verizon issue. No such luck – they kept me on hold for 30 minutes (an entire phone card worth of minutes with no results). Don't worry, I sicched my Pops on them – they are in for it now!! We caroused the marina and were so excited to find a nurse shark sitting on the bottom of the crystal clear harbour. We kept walking further down the marina piers and happened upon two guys who had just come back from a fishing excursion out in the Exuma Sound (deeper water). They had caught a number of Wahoo and were filleting them off the end of the pier. Much to our complete surprise, as he tossed the gutted fish into the water, they were welcomed with open jaws by about 30 nurse and reef sharks! They were literally circling under and beside the pier eagerly awaiting his catch of the day. We took tons of pictures and were in complete aww of the event. Who knew so many sharks could be in one place?! We could hear them sucking and biting at the fish as he threw each piece in. As he was finishing up, we thanked him for letting us watch and he offered us two fresh fillets. How generous! We hadn't caught anything of this caliber yet and were so excited about our new dinner item!!
While Dad was stuck dealing with ignorant Verizon idiots all day, Brad and I went back to the boat and enjoyed a lunch outside and then took Koa on a dinghy excursion. We went over to one of the aforementioned white sand beaches and played fetch with Koa and found a few “perfect” conch souvenirs. (If anyone wants a beautiful Bahamian conch shell, speak now or forever hold your peace!) And sunburn in January – ouch! Who knew?!
We found more coral, but since we had Koa couldn't get out of the dinghy. We again snorkeled head over the side of the dinghy and then headed back to the boat for sundowners and fresh fish dinner.
Iguana Central!
1.19.11
We left Ships Channel Cay this afternoon after a much-deserved relaxing morning. It was a gorgeous day and we couldn't believe the colors of the water. This was by far the clearest water we had been in yet and what we had been expecting to see since entering the Bahamas. You could see straight to the bottom in the aqua-turquoise water. It was a calm day and we took our time sailing down to Allens Cay. While Brad sailed, I cleaned and soon found a disaster we had not planned for. MOLD!! A sailor's worst nightmare!! It had consumed our V-berth, which was our storage closet for the trip. We had jammed so much up there that we hadn't even noticed it happening. So while Brad navigated, I hauled everything out of the front and cleaned like a mad woman.
We were able to visually navigate our way down to Allens Cay and made it there by 1600. We set anchor in a narrow harbor amongst 5 other boats and looked forward to the next day when we would be able to snorkel.
We woke up early the next morning to a clear glass water type day. We ate breakfast outside and enjoyed the sunrise and were off the boat by 0900. Allens Cay is home to a large wild iguana population. They are semi-tame as cruisers frequently go over to the island and feed them...or so we had heard. There are two iguana-populated islands and we went to the less frequently visited one as the iguanas were supposed to be less-tame. We came armed with diced fruits and veggies and cameras. We were not disappointed – our dinghy was greeted by no less than 5 iguanas, one of which seemed to be the grandfather of all iguanas. They came right out to us and looked expectantly at us, hissing and all the while creeping closer. We started throwing bits of food at them and were soon overwhelmed with iguanas. There were over 20 iguanas at one time scurrying in and out hoping for a hand-out. They ranged in size from the size of your hand to about 30 pounds!! They were larger than Moo and some were the size of small dachshunds! As soon as the food was gone, they lost interest and faded back in to the background.
We donned our snorkeling gear and headed out to some of the coves in the harbour. We snorkeled some easy coves and found nothing of real interest except extremely clear water. Underwater you could see half a mile away everything around you. We got back to the dinghy and as we passed by one of the other boats in the anchorage, they hollered out and told us where the good snorkeling was.
We didn't time the tides right and got to the snorkeling grounds during a rushing tide so were not able to anchor our dinghy and get out. Instead, we floated slowly over the coral heads and stuck our heads over the edge watching the life as we went overhead. It was incredible the life down there – so many different species of fish!! It was a beautiful reef and we were sorry that we didn't get to snorkel it the right way; but for our first reef snorkeling experience, it was gorgeous!
Afterwards, we beached our dinghy on the East side of the island and snorkeled along the shore where there were some less impressive but still dazzling reefs and fish life. We walked around the island and found a deserted house, all the while hearing iguanas scurrying in the bush around us.
It was a great day and we finally found out that we had finally found “sailing heaven.” We were anchored among other cruisers who enjoyed the scenery and life as much as we were and who were as much in awe of the thriving life here as us.
We left Ships Channel Cay this afternoon after a much-deserved relaxing morning. It was a gorgeous day and we couldn't believe the colors of the water. This was by far the clearest water we had been in yet and what we had been expecting to see since entering the Bahamas. You could see straight to the bottom in the aqua-turquoise water. It was a calm day and we took our time sailing down to Allens Cay. While Brad sailed, I cleaned and soon found a disaster we had not planned for. MOLD!! A sailor's worst nightmare!! It had consumed our V-berth, which was our storage closet for the trip. We had jammed so much up there that we hadn't even noticed it happening. So while Brad navigated, I hauled everything out of the front and cleaned like a mad woman.
We were able to visually navigate our way down to Allens Cay and made it there by 1600. We set anchor in a narrow harbor amongst 5 other boats and looked forward to the next day when we would be able to snorkel.
We woke up early the next morning to a clear glass water type day. We ate breakfast outside and enjoyed the sunrise and were off the boat by 0900. Allens Cay is home to a large wild iguana population. They are semi-tame as cruisers frequently go over to the island and feed them...or so we had heard. There are two iguana-populated islands and we went to the less frequently visited one as the iguanas were supposed to be less-tame. We came armed with diced fruits and veggies and cameras. We were not disappointed – our dinghy was greeted by no less than 5 iguanas, one of which seemed to be the grandfather of all iguanas. They came right out to us and looked expectantly at us, hissing and all the while creeping closer. We started throwing bits of food at them and were soon overwhelmed with iguanas. There were over 20 iguanas at one time scurrying in and out hoping for a hand-out. They ranged in size from the size of your hand to about 30 pounds!! They were larger than Moo and some were the size of small dachshunds! As soon as the food was gone, they lost interest and faded back in to the background.
We donned our snorkeling gear and headed out to some of the coves in the harbour. We snorkeled some easy coves and found nothing of real interest except extremely clear water. Underwater you could see half a mile away everything around you. We got back to the dinghy and as we passed by one of the other boats in the anchorage, they hollered out and told us where the good snorkeling was.
We didn't time the tides right and got to the snorkeling grounds during a rushing tide so were not able to anchor our dinghy and get out. Instead, we floated slowly over the coral heads and stuck our heads over the edge watching the life as we went overhead. It was incredible the life down there – so many different species of fish!! It was a beautiful reef and we were sorry that we didn't get to snorkel it the right way; but for our first reef snorkeling experience, it was gorgeous!
Afterwards, we beached our dinghy on the East side of the island and snorkeled along the shore where there were some less impressive but still dazzling reefs and fish life. We walked around the island and found a deserted house, all the while hearing iguanas scurrying in the bush around us.
It was a great day and we finally found out that we had finally found “sailing heaven.” We were anchored among other cruisers who enjoyed the scenery and life as much as we were and who were as much in awe of the thriving life here as us.
South to the Exumas
1.17.11
We left Nassau at 0800 to sail down to Allens Cay – our first stop in the Exumas! We were so excited and it was a gorgeous day for sailing! We hoisted the sails and looked forward to a day of clear water and sun.
Of course, with our luck and Murphy's Law once again on our tails, it was not to be. We soon realized we would be sailing into the wind all day and were having to go a bit off-course to keep our sails full. We started up the motor to compensate for our bad wind direction, but the damage had been done. The wind was not to shift all day and we were being pushed more away from the islands than we had planned for. We soon realized there would be no reason to fight the wind and tide, which was only allowing us to go forward at 1 knot/hour and instead embraced the wind direction and found a new destination. It was slightly North of where we wanted to go, but not too far off our course. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it there until after dark, so our first anchoring in the dark experience was a bit scary. There are coral heads everywhere in the Exumas and you should always sail during the day so that you can see them, since the charts and GPS are not reliable. If only....we had no choice at this point and were just praying to the sailing Gods that we made it safely.
After sailing for 9 hours on a day that was supposed to be only 6, we were more than ready to be safely at anchor. Finally things went our way and a full moon shone brightly through the approaching clouds. We were able to see enough to safely make it into the anchorage, set the anchor and get settled before the next front came through. It was a bumpy night, but the anchor held and we slept soundly all night.
We left Nassau at 0800 to sail down to Allens Cay – our first stop in the Exumas! We were so excited and it was a gorgeous day for sailing! We hoisted the sails and looked forward to a day of clear water and sun.
Of course, with our luck and Murphy's Law once again on our tails, it was not to be. We soon realized we would be sailing into the wind all day and were having to go a bit off-course to keep our sails full. We started up the motor to compensate for our bad wind direction, but the damage had been done. The wind was not to shift all day and we were being pushed more away from the islands than we had planned for. We soon realized there would be no reason to fight the wind and tide, which was only allowing us to go forward at 1 knot/hour and instead embraced the wind direction and found a new destination. It was slightly North of where we wanted to go, but not too far off our course. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it there until after dark, so our first anchoring in the dark experience was a bit scary. There are coral heads everywhere in the Exumas and you should always sail during the day so that you can see them, since the charts and GPS are not reliable. If only....we had no choice at this point and were just praying to the sailing Gods that we made it safely.
After sailing for 9 hours on a day that was supposed to be only 6, we were more than ready to be safely at anchor. Finally things went our way and a full moon shone brightly through the approaching clouds. We were able to see enough to safely make it into the anchorage, set the anchor and get settled before the next front came through. It was a bumpy night, but the anchor held and we slept soundly all night.
Nassau and Atlantis!
1.16.11
Well, we never re-anchored, just pulled in some line so we were more out of the way. We also met up with our friends on “Quality Time”, who had gone to a marina for the evening to wait out the front. They generously allowed us to dinghy over to their boat and tie up alongside, thus alleviating our problem of finding dinghy dockage on that side of the city (a difficult feat!). They allowed us to traipse in and out of their boat all day as we ran our errands. We also joined them for lunch at a local restaurant, the Poop Deck. It was a great day and we got a lot accomplished thanks to them!
The next day, since we were still having trouble with our macerator, we knew we needed to be pumped out. Unfortunately, the only marina that did pumpouts in Nassau was Atlantis. Dagger. Although it was expensive, we decided we would splurge and head in for the day to enjoy the resort and empty our holding tanks.
Atlantis is AMAZING!! We stayed in the cheapest slips available which are a long trek from the marina office and an even longer trek from the actual resort. But, never fear, they have golf carts that pick you up and take you anywhere on the resort you want to go! So we were escorted up to the office, where we checked in and got our resort map. We were pumped out and ready to have some serious fun by 1300. We had another golf cart ride up to the casino – my first trip to a casino ever! We had to walk through to get to the water park (of course), so I insisted that we play the slots. We pulled the arm 5 times and walked away with...nothing. Ah well, easy come, easy go!
We continued through to the water park, walking through the grand hotel lobby. There are 8 pools on the property, two lazy rivers and over 10 waterslides! It was chilly that day, but after some nagging from Brad I sucked it up and got in anyway. We had a blast! There was even a waterslide that took you through a tube through the shark tank! It was amazing! We also did the Aquarium, which was great too. There was a walk-through tube that took you through the tank, we even had some sharks swim over us. And there were two huge manta rays!! They were beautiful!
That night, we went back to the casino and I learned how to play BlackJack – I was even pretty good at it! I had Brad on one side telling me what to do and a kid from St. Pete on my other side telling me what he thought I should do. Between the two of them, I made my own decisions and came out on top! It is very overwhelming; so many people, bright lights everywhere and the noise of the slot machines and chips. It is easy to see how people get so caught up in that atmosphere.
We enjoyed the water park and casino so much the first night that we decided to stay a second night! A bit expensive and not in the budget, but who can have a budget when they are on vacation?! We spent another day at the water parks and loved every second of it!! That night we watched the Ravens lose pitifully to the Steelers and then gambled a bit more!
We had a blast and would have stayed forever if we were rich, but alas, it was time to return to anchoring. We filled our tanks and went back to our trusty Northern anchorage, this time making sure we were safely out of the channel.
Well, we never re-anchored, just pulled in some line so we were more out of the way. We also met up with our friends on “Quality Time”, who had gone to a marina for the evening to wait out the front. They generously allowed us to dinghy over to their boat and tie up alongside, thus alleviating our problem of finding dinghy dockage on that side of the city (a difficult feat!). They allowed us to traipse in and out of their boat all day as we ran our errands. We also joined them for lunch at a local restaurant, the Poop Deck. It was a great day and we got a lot accomplished thanks to them!
The next day, since we were still having trouble with our macerator, we knew we needed to be pumped out. Unfortunately, the only marina that did pumpouts in Nassau was Atlantis. Dagger. Although it was expensive, we decided we would splurge and head in for the day to enjoy the resort and empty our holding tanks.
Atlantis is AMAZING!! We stayed in the cheapest slips available which are a long trek from the marina office and an even longer trek from the actual resort. But, never fear, they have golf carts that pick you up and take you anywhere on the resort you want to go! So we were escorted up to the office, where we checked in and got our resort map. We were pumped out and ready to have some serious fun by 1300. We had another golf cart ride up to the casino – my first trip to a casino ever! We had to walk through to get to the water park (of course), so I insisted that we play the slots. We pulled the arm 5 times and walked away with...nothing. Ah well, easy come, easy go!
We continued through to the water park, walking through the grand hotel lobby. There are 8 pools on the property, two lazy rivers and over 10 waterslides! It was chilly that day, but after some nagging from Brad I sucked it up and got in anyway. We had a blast! There was even a waterslide that took you through a tube through the shark tank! It was amazing! We also did the Aquarium, which was great too. There was a walk-through tube that took you through the tank, we even had some sharks swim over us. And there were two huge manta rays!! They were beautiful!
That night, we went back to the casino and I learned how to play BlackJack – I was even pretty good at it! I had Brad on one side telling me what to do and a kid from St. Pete on my other side telling me what he thought I should do. Between the two of them, I made my own decisions and came out on top! It is very overwhelming; so many people, bright lights everywhere and the noise of the slot machines and chips. It is easy to see how people get so caught up in that atmosphere.
We enjoyed the water park and casino so much the first night that we decided to stay a second night! A bit expensive and not in the budget, but who can have a budget when they are on vacation?! We spent another day at the water parks and loved every second of it!! That night we watched the Ravens lose pitifully to the Steelers and then gambled a bit more!
We had a blast and would have stayed forever if we were rich, but alas, it was time to return to anchoring. We filled our tanks and went back to our trusty Northern anchorage, this time making sure we were safely out of the channel.
Chub Cay
1.12.11
Our first day here we had another front roll through the area. It appears that in the winter, fronts come through every 3-4 days. We opted not to go into the marina and instead spent the day bobbing up and down out in the harbour. Although it was annoying and slightly uncomfortable, it was not unbearable. We were definitely welcoming the idea of a calm harbour and dry land though! We also encountered our first water spout while here – luckily it was from the safety of about 3 miles away. It was eerie how you could see it forming high in the clouds and then it just suddenly appeared, connected to the water. I got chills just watching it and sent up a silent prayer that we would never be in the near vicinity of one of those things.
We made it into Chub Cay yesterday. The boats before us had told us there was nothing there, but since it was our first Bahama anchorage, we wanted to see a small Bahamian town with our own eyes. Well, “nothing there” was a very adequate description. There was a very nice marina that had been recently bought and turned into a power boat marina – complete with pool, beach volleyball courts, small restaurant and bar area and laundry facilities. But, there were maybe 5 boats there, the restaurant didn't open until 1pm for lunch and the only Bahamians that lived there worked at the marina. We walked around a bit for the fun of it and then headed back out to the mothership.
We decided Koa had waited long enough to go ashore so we dinghied over to a neighboring deserted island and let him play on the beach for an hour or so. This was our first encounter with “gin clear” water and we were amazed by how shallow everything looked. You could see the same in 40 feet of water as you could in 4 feet. It was amazing! And there are conch shells EVERYWHERE! It seems that every Bahamian “conchs.” Conchs are found in about 20 feet of water, so they dive for them, load up their boats with their findings and then on the trip back into shallower water, they shell them and toss the shells overboard. So all of the conch shells that are on the beaches are deserted and empty shells that have been cracked by the Bahamians. It's a “don't shit where you eat” mentality – if other conchs see empty, broken shells around them they will not live there. So, they leave the conchs to their deep water and throw their ill-fated relatives' shells in the shallows.
The next morning we got up at 0400 and headed down to Nassau. Although the trip was only an easy 30 mile day sail, there was a front coming through that we were racing. We made it to Nassau by 1300 and were greeted by the overwhelming size of Atlantis resort and 5 large cruise ships. We motored right by the cruise ships and it was a bit daunting as their 20 decks towered over our one. Koa was undeterred and barked at them to tell them they were too large to be close to us – he likes to make sure everyone knows who is boss.
We attempted to anchor in a small, tight anchorage where the current was ripping, but we couldn't get the anchor to hold and when we weighed anchor to try another spot, we realized we had hooked an old canvas. Apparently the whole harbor is wrought with old trash and leftovers from previous boats and hurricanes. We finally settled on a great anchorage on the North side of the harbor and looked forward to an early evening.
Unfortunately that was not to be...
Around 9pm, we were watching a movie with all the lights out in our cabin, when a large spotlight caught our ship, blinding us through the windows. We both jumped up to see what was going on – a LARGE ferry boat was going by not 30 feet off our stern, spotlighting us as if we were in the channel. Which, as it turns out, he thought we were as he yelled to us as they passed by.
We decided to ignore him for the evening since boat traffic would be slim to none overnight and we would re-anchor in the morning. We like living on the edge, what can I say?!
Our first day here we had another front roll through the area. It appears that in the winter, fronts come through every 3-4 days. We opted not to go into the marina and instead spent the day bobbing up and down out in the harbour. Although it was annoying and slightly uncomfortable, it was not unbearable. We were definitely welcoming the idea of a calm harbour and dry land though! We also encountered our first water spout while here – luckily it was from the safety of about 3 miles away. It was eerie how you could see it forming high in the clouds and then it just suddenly appeared, connected to the water. I got chills just watching it and sent up a silent prayer that we would never be in the near vicinity of one of those things.
We made it into Chub Cay yesterday. The boats before us had told us there was nothing there, but since it was our first Bahama anchorage, we wanted to see a small Bahamian town with our own eyes. Well, “nothing there” was a very adequate description. There was a very nice marina that had been recently bought and turned into a power boat marina – complete with pool, beach volleyball courts, small restaurant and bar area and laundry facilities. But, there were maybe 5 boats there, the restaurant didn't open until 1pm for lunch and the only Bahamians that lived there worked at the marina. We walked around a bit for the fun of it and then headed back out to the mothership.
We decided Koa had waited long enough to go ashore so we dinghied over to a neighboring deserted island and let him play on the beach for an hour or so. This was our first encounter with “gin clear” water and we were amazed by how shallow everything looked. You could see the same in 40 feet of water as you could in 4 feet. It was amazing! And there are conch shells EVERYWHERE! It seems that every Bahamian “conchs.” Conchs are found in about 20 feet of water, so they dive for them, load up their boats with their findings and then on the trip back into shallower water, they shell them and toss the shells overboard. So all of the conch shells that are on the beaches are deserted and empty shells that have been cracked by the Bahamians. It's a “don't shit where you eat” mentality – if other conchs see empty, broken shells around them they will not live there. So, they leave the conchs to their deep water and throw their ill-fated relatives' shells in the shallows.
The next morning we got up at 0400 and headed down to Nassau. Although the trip was only an easy 30 mile day sail, there was a front coming through that we were racing. We made it to Nassau by 1300 and were greeted by the overwhelming size of Atlantis resort and 5 large cruise ships. We motored right by the cruise ships and it was a bit daunting as their 20 decks towered over our one. Koa was undeterred and barked at them to tell them they were too large to be close to us – he likes to make sure everyone knows who is boss.
We attempted to anchor in a small, tight anchorage where the current was ripping, but we couldn't get the anchor to hold and when we weighed anchor to try another spot, we realized we had hooked an old canvas. Apparently the whole harbor is wrought with old trash and leftovers from previous boats and hurricanes. We finally settled on a great anchorage on the North side of the harbor and looked forward to an early evening.
Unfortunately that was not to be...
Around 9pm, we were watching a movie with all the lights out in our cabin, when a large spotlight caught our ship, blinding us through the windows. We both jumped up to see what was going on – a LARGE ferry boat was going by not 30 feet off our stern, spotlighting us as if we were in the channel. Which, as it turns out, he thought we were as he yelled to us as they passed by.
We decided to ignore him for the evening since boat traffic would be slim to none overnight and we would re-anchor in the morning. We like living on the edge, what can I say?!
Crossing the Bank
1.9.11
We left Bimini yesterday in a rush. We were supposed to buddy boat out with Mike and Terry, but they left in a big hurry a bit earlier than we had planned. So we were hurrying to catch up with them. We finally launched and headed out the channel towards the ocean, both of our hearts pounding as the waves outside seemed to be about the same as they were when we arrived. We were definitely more prepared this time around though. We knew what path we had taken on the way in and we could see a bit better through the water to determine the safe depths. There was also a large power boat that went out of the inlet ahead of us. He got stuck on a sandbar while trying to cut across too early, so we knew not to make that mistake!
Despite the fact that the current and winds were again raging, we had a very successful exit. We had no problems getting out and raising the sail before we were off again! As we were coming out, we saw a catamaran lowering their sails preparing to enter the channel. We thought the boat looked familiar but were too busy getting our sails up and getting on track that we didn't have time to hail them. We set off on our 10 miles ocean trek up to North Rock, our cutover point to cross the Bank. The waves were again around 6 feet and the wind was blowing in strong 15-20 knot gusts. We had the lowest amount of sail out possible and were still slicing through the water at 6-7 knots. It was an uncomfortable sail since the waves were hitting us off the beam and rocking us over onto our side with each new set of waves.
Before we made it around Bimini, the catamaran we had met at the entrance hailed us on the VHF. It was one of the boats we had met in Marathon, “Bluewater Cat” and were keeping in contact with as we were supposed to be crossing the Stream the same day. We had lost touch with them once we crossed over, having no way to contact them, but it seemed our paths had once again overlapped.
We could see the Hylas about 5 miles ahead of us and just stayed on her course, eventually making it onto the Bank and into calmer waters. The Bank is a large 70miles across body of water that is 20 feet deep all around. It was smooth sailing for the rest of the day, and while we couldn't catch up to the Hylas with her hull speed, we kept her in sight all day. We stayed in radio contact with Mike and decided to anchor near each other. Since the Bank is so wide, you cannot cross it in one day and it is not recommended to cross in the dark due to coral heads close to the surface that you can only see during the day. So, we finally caught up to the Hylas as the sun was setting, anchoring in the middle of nowhere, and dinghied over to their boat for dinner. It was nice having them get there ahead of us, because when we arrived, they had already prepared all the food and set the table and all we had to do was show up and enjoy a nice hot meal! And, to top it all off – in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around us, we were able to watch the Saints/Seahawks game on the satellite TV!! HA! We were in heaven, if only for the night! Talk about roughing it...
We arrived at Chub Cay around 4:00pm today and set anchor. Upon our arrival, we found the other boat that we had kept in contact with already anchored there! “Quality Time” with a wonderful Canadian couple onboard had been our original “buddy boat” but had left before us since we had encountered some technical issues. It was nice to see we were on the same travel track and what a small world the sailing community is!! We had a nice dinner of chicken fettucine and enjoyed the sunset. We hope to make it into the town of Chub Cay within the next day or two, then travel on to Nassau to have our macerator fixed.
We left Bimini yesterday in a rush. We were supposed to buddy boat out with Mike and Terry, but they left in a big hurry a bit earlier than we had planned. So we were hurrying to catch up with them. We finally launched and headed out the channel towards the ocean, both of our hearts pounding as the waves outside seemed to be about the same as they were when we arrived. We were definitely more prepared this time around though. We knew what path we had taken on the way in and we could see a bit better through the water to determine the safe depths. There was also a large power boat that went out of the inlet ahead of us. He got stuck on a sandbar while trying to cut across too early, so we knew not to make that mistake!
Despite the fact that the current and winds were again raging, we had a very successful exit. We had no problems getting out and raising the sail before we were off again! As we were coming out, we saw a catamaran lowering their sails preparing to enter the channel. We thought the boat looked familiar but were too busy getting our sails up and getting on track that we didn't have time to hail them. We set off on our 10 miles ocean trek up to North Rock, our cutover point to cross the Bank. The waves were again around 6 feet and the wind was blowing in strong 15-20 knot gusts. We had the lowest amount of sail out possible and were still slicing through the water at 6-7 knots. It was an uncomfortable sail since the waves were hitting us off the beam and rocking us over onto our side with each new set of waves.
Before we made it around Bimini, the catamaran we had met at the entrance hailed us on the VHF. It was one of the boats we had met in Marathon, “Bluewater Cat” and were keeping in contact with as we were supposed to be crossing the Stream the same day. We had lost touch with them once we crossed over, having no way to contact them, but it seemed our paths had once again overlapped.
We could see the Hylas about 5 miles ahead of us and just stayed on her course, eventually making it onto the Bank and into calmer waters. The Bank is a large 70miles across body of water that is 20 feet deep all around. It was smooth sailing for the rest of the day, and while we couldn't catch up to the Hylas with her hull speed, we kept her in sight all day. We stayed in radio contact with Mike and decided to anchor near each other. Since the Bank is so wide, you cannot cross it in one day and it is not recommended to cross in the dark due to coral heads close to the surface that you can only see during the day. So, we finally caught up to the Hylas as the sun was setting, anchoring in the middle of nowhere, and dinghied over to their boat for dinner. It was nice having them get there ahead of us, because when we arrived, they had already prepared all the food and set the table and all we had to do was show up and enjoy a nice hot meal! And, to top it all off – in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around us, we were able to watch the Saints/Seahawks game on the satellite TV!! HA! We were in heaven, if only for the night! Talk about roughing it...
We arrived at Chub Cay around 4:00pm today and set anchor. Upon our arrival, we found the other boat that we had kept in contact with already anchored there! “Quality Time” with a wonderful Canadian couple onboard had been our original “buddy boat” but had left before us since we had encountered some technical issues. It was nice to see we were on the same travel track and what a small world the sailing community is!! We had a nice dinner of chicken fettucine and enjoyed the sunset. We hope to make it into the town of Chub Cay within the next day or two, then travel on to Nassau to have our macerator fixed.
Bimini
1.7.11
We are finally rested up from our journey over. We have explored Bimini a bit and gotten a bit of the local flavor. We ordered fresh baked Bimini bread (sweet bread) right out of someone's kitchen. After walking the beach, we saw an amazing old wreck washed onshore; when the waves came onto the beach they crashed into it spraying upwards of 50 feet in the air. We walked through several old graveyards with headstones dating back to the early 1800s.
But, sadly, we have mostly spent our time here on the boat fixing our macerator. This is the one piece of equipment that you do not want to malfunction while out cruising – this is the thing that expels our black water from the holding tank. In the US every marina has a pump out system, where they literally pump out the black water into large tanks that are emptied weekly. In the Bahamas, they hadn't even heard of a pump out system. There is so much water around them, deep ocean water, that you don't have to go that far to be out in open water where you can discharge your black water yourself. That is, if you have a pump that works. Which we do not. I will spare everyone the gory details and just suffice it to say we have had a really shitty week.
In between working on that and other minor repairs, we met our neighboring sailboat – a kid of about 30 who is actually a Captain for this large 54 foot Hylas sailboat. The owner, Terry, sold some sort of microsoft company and now Mike, the Captain, singlehandedly sails this boat around, meeting Terry in various places around the world. There are only about 5 Hylas boats made every year and each one can be made to specific specs designed by the owner. The boat Terry owns now is a 54 Hylas, year 2009 but Terry has already been eyeing a newer Hylas, this one a 70 foot that is waiting in dry dock until he can sell his current Hylas. Since there are so few of these boats made, Mike has each of the different mechanics on speed dial and can call them anytime he is having a problem and get help from them. Hylas has specialized guys that only work specific parts of Hylas boats, so they are each experts in their division.
We were invited over for drinks and cocktails and given the grand tour – it is straight out of a boat show magazine. Plush interior, suede cushions, 125hp inboard, diesel generator, 3 berths, 2 full baths, washer and dryer, and satellite TV. But to meet Terry and Mike, you wouldn't know it. They are both very down to earth and friendly and have been more than generous towards us. Mike even came over to help Brad with our macerator!
We are all planning on crossing the Grand Bahama Bank tomorrow and will buddy boat across. Brad and I are a bit nervous since we had such a hard time getting the mothership in the inlet. But they have a 7'2” draft on their boat, so if we follow behind them, we shouldn't touch bottom again. We are all geared up and ready to continue over to the east side of the Bahamas where the relaxation can begin!
We are finally rested up from our journey over. We have explored Bimini a bit and gotten a bit of the local flavor. We ordered fresh baked Bimini bread (sweet bread) right out of someone's kitchen. After walking the beach, we saw an amazing old wreck washed onshore; when the waves came onto the beach they crashed into it spraying upwards of 50 feet in the air. We walked through several old graveyards with headstones dating back to the early 1800s.
But, sadly, we have mostly spent our time here on the boat fixing our macerator. This is the one piece of equipment that you do not want to malfunction while out cruising – this is the thing that expels our black water from the holding tank. In the US every marina has a pump out system, where they literally pump out the black water into large tanks that are emptied weekly. In the Bahamas, they hadn't even heard of a pump out system. There is so much water around them, deep ocean water, that you don't have to go that far to be out in open water where you can discharge your black water yourself. That is, if you have a pump that works. Which we do not. I will spare everyone the gory details and just suffice it to say we have had a really shitty week.
In between working on that and other minor repairs, we met our neighboring sailboat – a kid of about 30 who is actually a Captain for this large 54 foot Hylas sailboat. The owner, Terry, sold some sort of microsoft company and now Mike, the Captain, singlehandedly sails this boat around, meeting Terry in various places around the world. There are only about 5 Hylas boats made every year and each one can be made to specific specs designed by the owner. The boat Terry owns now is a 54 Hylas, year 2009 but Terry has already been eyeing a newer Hylas, this one a 70 foot that is waiting in dry dock until he can sell his current Hylas. Since there are so few of these boats made, Mike has each of the different mechanics on speed dial and can call them anytime he is having a problem and get help from them. Hylas has specialized guys that only work specific parts of Hylas boats, so they are each experts in their division.
We were invited over for drinks and cocktails and given the grand tour – it is straight out of a boat show magazine. Plush interior, suede cushions, 125hp inboard, diesel generator, 3 berths, 2 full baths, washer and dryer, and satellite TV. But to meet Terry and Mike, you wouldn't know it. They are both very down to earth and friendly and have been more than generous towards us. Mike even came over to help Brad with our macerator!
We are all planning on crossing the Grand Bahama Bank tomorrow and will buddy boat across. Brad and I are a bit nervous since we had such a hard time getting the mothership in the inlet. But they have a 7'2” draft on their boat, so if we follow behind them, we shouldn't touch bottom again. We are all geared up and ready to continue over to the east side of the Bahamas where the relaxation can begin!
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