This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship

Yesterday morning we had a plan that would accommodate the weather challenges and allow us to accomplish things like shopping and visiting some highlights like Nipper's on Great Guana Cay. So we pulled up the anchor with our intention of going to Man of War Cay a scant 8 miles to the north and we would plan to get a mooring to ride out some bad weather coming in and then go to Marsh Harbor for Wednesday and Thursday nights to ride out the really bad weather coming in Thursday.

Since it was a short ride from Lubbers Quarters we pulled out the sails and sailed in the light breeze. We sailed up past Elbow Cay and the very scenic lighthouse located at Hopetown Harbor and then around some

shallows and right up to the entrance to MOW Cay. The entrance channel to MOWis probably no more than 20 meters wide through a cut in the rock with mean low water readings under 5' and it was just an hour after low tide.

We got in no sweat and motored over to where the mooring field is but it was packed. Boats were on moorings and anchors so close we almost couldn't get through. People came in early and nobody was leaving. So we motored through the main channel to the other mooring field and anchorage and it was the same story. Boats were so close I can't believe they had enough  swing room given the impending bad weather.

So we called the MOW marina and they had a slip available and we took it. Later in the afternoon when a squall came through it was really good we were in a slip. During the squall the winds clocked an entire 360 degrees while it was blowing in the 20'sand 30's with gusts in the 40's. I would have like to watch the boats in the mooring field but i was raining so hard I didn't get off the boat.

When we checked into the marina we found they had free wifi and television! So for the first time in months we got to have cable.

This island has changed greatly since we were here in 2007 on a charter. One of our boats anchored down in the first mooring field with only a couple other boats, we anchored across the channel from the marina and one of our boats actually stayed in this marina. When we were here before there were 2 places to eat. One was a fast food snack bar right by the marina and the other was in someone's house. Now there are 3 regular-type restaurants and an ice cream shop. The boat works that were here before are all still here and busy and there is a hardware store that seems very well-stocked. I bought a small section of chain to hoist the dinghy to replace the wire lift support that broke on the way from Spanish Wells.

But the real story here is the weather. We knew we were in for 3 days of bad weather but the story changed constantly. It originally seemed like we could ride over the first night here, go to Marsh Harbour and ride out the next 2 days and do errands while the weather blew itself out. Well this morning as we were getting organized another squall blew through as we thought it would but the forecast changed that today was to be the worst day. Tomorrow will be bad but not as bad as originally predicted. Forecast Monday was for 30+ kts of wind Thursday. Well we needed to raise the dinghy before going to Marsh Harbor. We had been towing it on te short trips around the islands. By the time we got the dinghy secured another squall blew up. I saw winds of 40+ as the rain came down in sheets. Fortunately, we had already changed our plans to stay here and push back our 2 night in Marsh Harbor.

There was another weather development last night. We've been trying to plan our staging for crossing back over to the US. Our plan was to leave here early next week. Work our way up to some very northern islands and then jump off for an overnight sail to St Augustine. Looking at the forecasts for the next week the swells in the Gulf Stream will be out of the north from now through the end of the current forecast range which does not make for a good crossing. Then when I looked at the charts for next Wednesday the wind patterns indicated a cyclone wit a clearly defined eye and almost storm force winds extending out to the east, north and west. The pressure charts showed the circular isobars that confirmed the wind pattern. Wave height estimates in the Gulf Stream were for 4-5 meters. Probably an uncomfortable ride.

Looking for expert help I emailed our weather and gulf stream routers Dane and Jennifer Clark to give them a heads-up that we would be looking for route assistance. Dane wrote back that the forecasting models were showing the probable formation of a preseason tropical depression just north of the Bahamas. So today I spoke to the marina here to see if we could get a slip after visiting Marsh Harbour and possibly Guana Cay before returning to get secured for the high winds that will start by Tuesday. Looking at the charts this morning the current fronts are moving faster than originally predicted and the tropical low may be forming further north and less well defined but travel will still not be good. But, we may be able to begin heading north Tuesday or Wednesday and jump off Thursday or Friday but we'll see. So we may be getting well acquainted with this little island. It is a friendly place and one that is well tended so it is not a bad place to be.

Our first morning in the Abacos

With our arrival in the Abacos we have returned to a lattitude equivalent to Ft Lauderdale. It wasn't that long ago we were in the tropics.

We enjoyed our first day in the Abacos on a day I think is Monday anywhere else. We slept late for the first time in many days. It’s amazing how every morning there are things to do that require an early rise. Sunday we got up before sunrise for our trip up to Abaco. So after a lazy start we had French Toast from some of the remaining coconut, cinnamon and raisin bread we had in the freezer from Black Point.till excellent!

We puttered around the boat all morning and then went into Pete’s Pub for lunch. There were several turtles swimming around the boat and in the lagoon. Pete’s place was busy, the food was good and it came out fairly quickly for an island place. After lunch we took our dinghy and ran the entrance channel using our portable depth sounder to check the channel depth. We saw no readings less than 6’ so we went back to the boat and secured everything.

Forecast was for the NW winds to die off into the evening and have weaker north winds come in behind. The rest of the week the weather is going to be very unsettled with 2 quick cold fronts coming through. Thursday is 100% chance of rain and gale force winds so we made marina reservations for Wednesday and Thursday nights in Marsh Harbor. During the day we can get errands done like shopping and laundry while the wind howls and the rain falls. I can also get a section of chain to use in hoisting the dinghy to replace the wire that broke. Being on anchor wouldn’t be profitable because we would have to stay in the boat all day as we wouldn’t even want to dinghy around in those conditions.

So we successfully made it out of the channel at mid-tide. The trip to our planned anchorage was less than 10 miles and the course required turns which would have taken us right into the wind so we opted to just motor. It usually take us about a mile to get the sails up and a mile to get them down so we would only sail less than an hour and with the heavy wind doing both would be challenging.

Well when we got out and away from the protection afforded by the harbor the wind was howling between 25-30 kts, not the 15-20 as expected. But the wind varied and the chop was worse in places as we motored through some very pretty but disturbed water and once behind the island where we intended to anchor relative calm prevailed. 

Setting the anchor was a bit challenging. I tried to use the CQR since it was relatively shallow and we only planned to be here one night. But it didn’t hold well. I dove on it and it didn’t inspire confidence in its ability to hold the boat in a blow. The bottom here is very grassy and hard so anchors to dig in really easily. So we pulled it up and I worked down the big Rocna and it seemed to be holding. I dove on it and it too was not well dug in but was digging in. So I let out more scope (have out about 60’), put on the bridle and backed down it. Dove on it again and it was dug in better.  Rocnas tend to work themselves in with load. So far we haven’t had much load and hopefully we won’t need to test it any more.

After the anchor excitement we went for a swim with our snorkel masks to see if there was life in the grass. Saw a few fish, a few conch and some junk. The water is shallow so retrieving the anchor in the morning shouldn’t be too difficult.

Tomorrow on to Man of War Cay which is just another short jaunt and hopefully another mooring so we can visit one of the town we did in our trip here in 2007.

A long sail to the Abacos

After 2 nights in Spanish Wells we regrettably left the shelter where we moored and headed out for our trip to Little Harbor, Abaco, The trip is about 60 miles from mooring to mooring and the wind forecast was for 15-20 out of the SW for a perfect beam reach.

Saturday night before we left we had dinner at the Shipyard. This was the view from our table and a picture of Linda imitating a palm tree.

As we left the small channel that is the main entry into Spanish Wells we came out into 25+ knots which was not as advertised. Fortunately with the shallow water and limited fetch at that point the waves weren’t too large so we were able to motor into the wind to the point where we could clear Egg Island  and turn north.

Just before we made the turn we heard a loud pop and a big drop in the dinghy. The transom of the dinghy was held up by a mounting wire and the far leg broke leaving the dinghy hanging at a severe angle. I had strung security lines around the dink to reduce the swinging so they kept it from falling off. With no options for safe harbor we continued on and turned while I quickly strung a dock line around the engine bracket to help hold the weight. Then I got out our spinnaker sheet and tied it to the mounting bracket in the transom and ran it up over the arch to the turning block for our spinnaker and back to the jib winch. Since we would be sailing on port tack we could use the port winch. We then winched the dinghy back up to level and I tightened the line on the motor and the dinghy was secure.

After finishing with the dinghy we went to sails and had a great sail over the remaining 50 miles to Little Harbor, Abaco. Winds were from 7-25 kts mostly out of the SW until we got closer to Abaco where they became more westerly and we went to a close reach. With the wave action it was hard to keep a consistent speed but we made the 50 mile trip from Egg Island to Abaco in about 7 hours. 

The sun rising as we prepare to leave and a view along the way

There were 2 boats we found on AIS about 10 miles ahead of us that no doubt also came from Spanish Wells. They were far to the east of us initially so they must have come out the east pass which would have been a lot closer but is strewn with reefs and coral heads so I deemed it too risky in the conditions having never done it before. Instead we did the slog into the winds and probably added 10 miles to the trip. We are continually amazed at how fast and comfortable at sea this boat is.

The entrance to Little Harbor is narrow and shallow. At low tide the channel is less than 5’. We came in at high tide and got low water alarms. Once inside we found a very sheltered mooring to hold us in the gusty winds. After securing the boat we dinghied into famed Pete’s Pub for his famed Blaster’s and enjoyed the shade of the surrounding palm trees.

Just before the sun set we went back to our boat for a great dinner of vegetable pasta with wine sauce and the rest of the bottle of wine.

Next is just wait for the tide to come in on Monday to continue heading north.

Every hour is happy hour

As much as we enjoy the places we've visited we still enjoy getting out and sailing. Tomorrow, 26 April we will be doing a 50+ mile sail from Spanish Wells to Little Harbor, Abaco across open ocean. From there we will work our way up through the islands to the northwestern most point to jump off for an overnight sail to St Augustine, FL sometime around the 5th or 6th of May.

Today we rented a golf cart and drove around the islands. Absolutely beautiful. Unlike the other Bahama islands we've seen everything here is clean, in repair and functional. The restrooms actually have soap and hand towels. Spanish Wells is obviously a prosperous area with the nation's fishing fleet and real commerce. There doesn't seem to be lots of tourists and no mega-yachts although a faiir amount of cruisers.

We crossed the bridge over to Russell Island and drove to the end of the road. Along the road were lots of fruit groves of bananas, mangoes, papayas and of course coconut. There were many large and very well kept homes. There is a new beach bar opened over there, the Sandbar that we stopped by for a view.

At the end of this island was a very nice park and the water was just incredible.

Weather tomorrow is forecasted to be squally with winds out of the south-southwest at 10-20. Should give us a good beam reach all the way to Little Harbor and give us the chance to run at 8 kts the whole way. Should be a great ride.

So next update should be from Pete's Pub in Little Harbor or maybe someplace else.

View from the Galley

As most people do we prepare and eat most of our meals at home, or for Maris and I it's dinner 'on board'. I truly enjoy preparing meals on board! We have a wonderful galley. Of course we don't have a dishwasher, garbage disposal or state of the art fridge but you can't beat the view! I have one beautiful view after another as we journey to one beautiful anchorage after another.

                                           Galley View at Bitter Guana Cay, Exumas

                                                          Galley View at Shroud Cay

It requires more preparation to make meals aboard. It's best to gather all ingredients before preparing. I have figured out a system that works well for me. Last night I made sauteed conch with carmelized onions over a bed of quinoa with a green salad. I tenderized the conch and set it in a marinade in the morning after breakfast. After a day of swimming and snorkeling it was time to make dinner. I find that just about everything cooks faster our propane stove. Rice and other grains simmer to finish in just about half the time or less. So I begin with the quinoa while I prep the the other ingredients and make the salads. I then carmelize the onions, dredge the conch in seasoned panko crumbs and saute them. Below is a pic of the conch cooking with the rest of dinner already done. Dinner is about to be served! 

Coming from such a large kitchen on land I am surprised I don't find our galley confining. I always feel our galley is a joy to work in. I can say at this point the trade off is worth it. Yes, I gladly give up the conveniences of a "land" kitchen to the beautiful, changing views from my galley.                                       

Off to Eleuthera

After completing several errands in the morning we untied our dock lines and left Nassau. We motored out of the harbor and navigated our way through the shoals and reefs that line the northwest edge of the Bank into deep water. There is a line of shoals, reefs and islands that run all the way from New Providence to Eleuthera with a few navigable cuts along the way. Once in deep water it was a straight line to Eleuthera. Eleuthera is about 40 miles northeast of New Providence.

Initially there wasn’t much wind and it was behind us so we motored for the first hour in order to ensure we would complete the long trip before dark. Into the second hour of motoring the wind became more northerly thus increasing our apparent wind and we went to sail. As the wind wasn’t all that heavy the chop was minimal and we sailed very nicely right up to where we needed to pull in our sails to enter Spanish Wells.

The sun was warm and the breeze pleasant with very few other boats in sight.

We motored into the narrow and shallow channel for Spanish Wells and took a mooring in the mooring field by the east end of the island. There were many moorings available but the space between moorings limited. In fact when we took the wrong mooring because we didn’t even see the mooring we were to be on because the cat on the mooring next to it was covering it. With the wind shift we could get on the ball now and we may move to the other one but there isn’t much room.

Spanish Wells is a beautiful little town. It looks more like the towns in the Abacos than it does those in the Exumas or New Providence. This is the center of the Bahamas fishing industry and compared  to the towns in the Exumas it looks very prosperous with homes and businesses in good condition. There is also a big cruiser community here like in some of the other islands.

We went to Happy Hour at the Shipyard Inn and it was busy. The place was well kept and the heads were clean and orderly. We had an order of conch poppers which were exquisite. Beer was 2 for 1 so it was the best priced beer in the Bahamas! The scenery was great as well. We’re going back there for dinner. What a great celebration after a beautiful sail.

Next stop, Little Harbor on Great Abaco as we continue moving further north along the route back to the US. Wind is forecast to be from the southwest so it should be a perfect beam reach for the 50 mile sail over open water.

Leaving Nassau

Our week in Nassau is ending and the long road back beginning. We had a very fun week with our good sailing friends Al and Trish Del Negro who flew in from Annapolis to get an early taste of summer after the brutal winter. We enjoyed some very low-key but excellent local cooking as we visited and enjoyed the summer-like weather.

When we arrived in Nassau over a month ago the weather was still in a winter pattern with frequent cold fronts and northerly winds taking the temperature down every few days. While we were down in the Exumas the pattern changed to a mostly eastern but dry trade winds. Now the wind has moved around to the south, increased the humidity and brought with it frequent rain showers which is typical of the summer pattern.

The good thing about this pattern is that it will make it easier to cross the gulf-stream when the time comes but increases the likelihood of short but severe squalls in a period of otherwise light wind.

So we wrap our week in Nassau by taking advantage of the shopping and provisioning with fresh fruit and produce to keep us for the next week or so. We also accomplished several boat chores, got our one dinghy engine fixed and bought a new Yamaha 15 hp 2-stroke engine. That happened really fast. The chandlery we used for the repair was really good. I walked down there Monday morning to inquire about the repair, they sent a guy with a truck up here with me to pick it up, I went back later in the day and it was repaired. First thing the next morning they delivered it. What great service!! Couldn’t even get that from a contractor at Herrington Harbour Marina!

So we’re ready to head out first thing in the morning and our plan is to go to Spanish Wells on the island of Eleuthera. Actually it is on a different island just off Eleuthera but it is all part of the Eleuthera Islands. The Bahamas has territories that are like states. There is Andros, New Providence, the Exumas, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and Abacos. There are probably a few more but each has their own territorial administration. So tomorrow we are heading to Eleuthera for 2 nights.

We have pretty much laid out our plan for the next few weeks. One of the things we wanted to do was avoid having a schedule. But so far we have been unable to do that. Our first time constraint was to get south before it got cold. We were late there. Because of that and spending a time a few places doing repairs we short-changed many of the places we wanted to visit so we could make it to Marathon for the slip reservation we had. Then it became a slalom of going to the places we wanted to visit and getting to the Bahamas. Now we are here and now we have a new litany of things to do. We need to go to our storage area in Jacksonville to get records to file our taxes. We need to visit family in FL, NC and Chicago but we need to make it back to the Chesapeake by about the 7^th of June for medical appointments and where we need to have work done before heading north to New England. Hopefully we will soon be able to take our time.

So the next few months will be busy with lots of travel and getting our punch list of repairs accomplished so in the Fall we can head south and keep on going. We have found that most of the places where we have been would be so easy to just stay there. Warm weather, friendly people, beautiful scenery and always something to do (or nothing at all) make it easy to want to stay.

Back in Nassau

After first arriving here a month ago we are back again. This time hopefully will be more fun with one of our sailing buddy couples, Al and Trish Del Negro visiting for some R&R and warm weather.

We left Georgetown and the Tropic of Cancer about a week ago and made several stops along the way in new places and one we visited before to enjoy the beauty that this Island nation has to offer. It’s easy to understand why so many people come here year after year. This year I think the number of people makes it almost uncomfortably crowded. But there are beaches and islands we didn’t stop at where there is a chance to be alone. But, we’ll be back here next season as we pass on to the Caribbean.

From here our schedule actually gets busy. We spend this week with our friends and then up to the Abacos working out way north to cross back to the US mainland. On up the coast to visit one of my son’s and his family, a trip to Chicago to visit Linda’s family and finally getting back to the Bay in early June for doctor’s appointments and boat work before heading up to New England for the summer.

Even though we spent a month in Marathon and weeks here and there the time has flown by. Since we left Oxford, MD in December the only nights we spent out of the boat was when we traveled to MD in January to sell our old boat. But somehow when we anchor in a different place it seems like a new home even though our home doesn’t change, only the view changes. Imagine if your house had a different view every few days. Ours does. At each place we meet nice new people who each have a great story to tell. We’ve made some great new friends who along with our existing friends will keep us very busy.

I’m still looking or the place to just drop anchor and have nothing to do. May never happen but maybe the things can be done manaña which is the busiest day of the week. 

I think today is Friday everyplace else but here it is the day after yesterday and the day we left Bitter Guana Cay. We could have enjoyed just staying there another day but we needed to move onto get back to Nassau to meet up with some friends who are coming in next week.

It was another spinnaker day with the wind almost dead behind us. When we left the anchorage this morning the wind was dead behind us when we were heading 315dm and that was just about the direction we needed to go. Bitter Guana lies south of Staniel Cay but to head north the course is very far west around Harvey Cay almost 7 miles west.

Once we got to the course we raised the spinnaker and main and headed westerly of our northern course for about an hour as the wind decreased from 15+ kts to 10 kts and became more southerly. So we jibed which was extremely time consuming with our spinnaker and main. I had to douse the spinnaker, jibe the main and then switch the sheets between the tack and the clew. All the time we’re holding the sail and the line to keep them from blowing off or going in the water. 4 hands were barely enough but we got it done.

 After the jibe we set off on a course of about 25 miles. The wind declined into single digits where it stayed foor most of the trip. With the low wind we found the main blanking the spinnaker so we pulled in the main and just sailed slowly and peacefully all the way to the anchorage at Shroud Cay.

We stopped at Shroud Cay on the way south but wanted to come back to enjoy it some more. When we got here we found some surprises. First, there were actually moorings available which there weren’t on our way south. Secondly, we saw an Island Packet 380 that we met in Black Point and met the folks onboard when we were headed south.

We’ve met some very great folks on this trip at the places we’ve stopped and made many new friends in the process. We enjoy meeting other Packeteers so we can exchange ideas about the boats and share common ideas. So after getting situated, Linda and I snorkeled over to Gotta Jibboo an IP 380 with folks who now live in Punta Gorda having just moved from New Jersey. We shared refreshment in the cockpit and then Linda and I snorkeled around the rock ledge surrounding the anchorage.

Tonight I’m sitting in the cockpit just enjoying the breeze, the quiet and just savoring being here. When I think back to all the things we did on land and had great times doing them I just enjoy how wonderful it is to be here. It’s not cold. Every time it seems hot I think about how cold it could be and I enjoy it being warm. Although I keep thinking about fall because it seems like we’ve had summer. Our objective is to have an endless summer. If we never see snow again it will be fine. I enjoyed it, there were many great times in the cold but being able to just jump off the back of the boat whenever we feel like it. That’s cool!

Tomorrow we plan to try and see more of the Cay by dinghy if the motor works or kayak if we can find the air pump and snorkel. Maybe we can find a nice secluded beach where we can just hang out and enjoy nature.

  

Beginning our return trip

It’s been a busy couple of days. Well, busy is relative. We enjoyed our stay in Georgetown and if we didn’t need to get back to Nassau we would have stayed who knows how long. The marina was very nice with some very super folks. It’s amazing that the boat that called me on Friday about conditions and then decided to wait for Saturday showed up and we became great friends. A wonderful couple that we will hopefully see again.

We left Georgetown on Tuesday. I only remember because there was a happy hour at the marina Monday. We sailed up to Little Farmers Cay. It was a downwind sail with following seas so it wasn’t too bad. We made it through the cut as easily as we made it out and anchored in about 7’ of water where we would spend 2 nights. After anchoring and getting set we dinghied in to Ty’s Sunset Bar and Grill for dinner. We each had the rib dinner. What great ribs. The meat fell off the bone and we caught up on internet.

The next day we went back in to town to see what was there. We found a local fisherman who had not been out fishing but he had some conch so we bought 2 large conch for dinner and headed back to Ty’s. At Ty’s we got caught up on internet and then headed back to the boat. After a quick lunch we snorkeled around the boat. We found many starfish including one huge one that must have been about 16”across. We also found some real conch, tridents and a nasty crab who kept attacking me when I got close.

But the coolest thing was this little fish who came to me as soon as I got in and then followed me around everyplace we went. When I dove down to the bottom he went right along and then back up to the surface. Occasionally he swam over to Linda but he always came back to me. It was a pretty yellow, black and white striped guy about an inch or two long. Not sure what it was but I need to look it up.

Today we sailed to Bitter Guana Cay and had another exciting event. With the wind mostly behind us I put up our spinnaker for the first time. I didn’t want to put it up offshore with the rocking and bigger wind. But we got it up and flew. We were running mostly between 6-7 kts with 10-15 kts of wind without the main sail. The sail is huge and a lot to douse when the time came. But, with today’s experiences we will do it again and then all the way to Nassau. What a beautiful run.

Once we got to Bitter Guana Cay we went ashore and saw the protected Bahama iguanas. They ae very rare and not like other iguanas. The signs say not to feed the iguanas but they came right up to us looking for food. In fact one almost attacked us because we didn’t have any food. There is nothing on the island since this a preserve but there is an 85’ Oyster parked to our starboard with a rowdy bunch of folks. But we leave in the morning for Shroud Cay and a 30 mile spinnaker run and hopefully some secluded beaches.    

Today we crossed into the Tropics

Today we crossed into the Tropics. We are currently located at N23.37.805 W 75.54.848. We drove into Georgetown that is located at N 23.30.704 W75.46.567. The Tropic of Cancer is at N 23.26.25 (appr) and we had dinner at N 26. 26.165 W 75.35.929. On March 20 the sun crossed the Equator and is headed for the Tropic of Cancer. On June 20, about 2 months it will be directly overhead here and that will be hurricane season. A view of the beach at the Tropic of Cancer.

With the sun rising earlier now I got up and went for an early morning run. His is the first time I did a run since Key West. It has been difficult to keep up with working out when we spend all the time aboard. I’ve often thought of swimming to shore with my shoes in a dry bag and then running but I need to limit my runs and often times there is no good place to swim in to. But, we have a fitness center here so tomorrow I plan to go there in the morning. Since it’s warming I can do more swimming which is an excellent all around workout.

After working out I took a very nice shower in the marina facilities. This is the first “regular” shower I’ve taken since Daytona Beach. Since we left Nassau we’ve been taking cockpit showers where we get wet with salt water, soap up and then rinse with the cockpit sprayer to save water. Other than that we’ve used the boat shower. But, it was nice to set a water temperature and just let the water run and I’m going to do it again tomorrow.

This morning for breakfast Linda made French Toast with the coconut bread we bought in Black Point. One of the elder ladies there made this excellent coconut bread with cinnamon and raisins. What a delight as French Toast. Before we left we bought a second loaf for the freezer.

Then we picked up our rental car and drove into Georgetown, the principal town in the Exumas. In the Bahamas they drive on the left side of the road and our rental car had the steering on the right. What an experience to have everything in driving a car exactly opposite to what I’ve done most of my life. We’ve driven on other islands where driving is on the left but it is always an experience. The gear shift is with the left hand, the rearview mirror is to the left and of course turns go into the left side of the road. We saw one gas station on the island so this morning we filled up so we wouldn’t have to later.

In Georgetown we went to the Exuma Market that was stocked because the boat just arrived on Thursday and it was very busy as the cruisers from the boats in the Harbor came in to stock up. Friday may have been better but we were able to score some fruits and vegetables that will hold us for another 2 weeks until we get back to Nassau. We did, however, get some frozen conch from a fish market that will go really well for dinner on Sunday. The availability of fresh food is a challenge in these remote locations that count on multiple links on the logistics chain for resupply. Again, shoppers in the US don’t appreciate how well they have it with the abundance of choice.

This evening we drove to Santana's Beach Bar that had been recommended to us by several folks. For some reason we didn’t see the lobster on the menu but I had conch and Linda ordered the grouper but we shared. It came with the usual cole slaw, peas and rice. It was good but everything was fried which is how most places here prepare food. Again, Americans don’t know how well they have food choice options. Santana’s is also south of the Tropic of Cancer.

We have been in the Tropics many times before but this is the first time we made it by sailing our own boat here. After we return north this summer we expect to return south this Fall into the tropics and continue traveling into the real sun belt. But for now, we made it.      

Made it to Georgetown

Well we made it to Georgetown, Exuma in the Bahamas today Friday 10 April. We left Black Point on Great Guana Cay pulling up the anchor about 0800. The anchor was dug in but we were able to use the boat power to break it free and then Linda winched the line I attached to the anchor and I pulled up the chain. The anchor came up fairly easily. With the wind blowing 15-20 we kept the boat under power so we were able to haul the anchor and keep the boat under control.

Once we got the ground tackle secured we went to sail and had a very nice sail down the Banks in the 15 kts of breeze quickly catching and passing several other boats. At one point Linda got on the helm and found the autopilot was on standby. We had been sailing for some time with nobody on the helm, autopilot off and the boat sailed in a straight line not far off the plotted course. That means the boat was perfectly balanced and sailing without any helm. A sailboat can be steered through trimming its sails appropriately for the heading. It’s always nice to get such a confirmation. Of course, the boat also has to be designed to sail true.

Since the weather was a concern we left open the option of stopping at Little Farmer’s Cay or continuing on to Georgetown. Forecast was for winds 15-20 from the E or SE with seas 4-6’ and chance of rain. When sailing down the Banks the winds were as forecasted but more to the SE. Coming down the inside that was fine but crossing over to the ocean would put it just off the nose. When we were approaching the decision point I saw a boat on AIS offshore and radioed him and ask about conditions. He told us pretty much what we already knew but it confirmed for us that we wouldn’t be in for any surprises so we agreed to push on. We figured that we would motor sail with the main and staysail to get lift and power from the wind but none of the sails would flog.

We motored out the Galliot Cut without any surprises. The tide was coming in and the wind was behind it so it was rather docile. In a matter of minutes we were out in the ocean. The ride was not too bad. We were able to average about 7 kts so the 27mile trip took less than 4 hours. The wind and waves were pretty much as advertised and going into the waves at the angle we did the ride was not bad at all. There were a few bigger waves but all in all the ride was pleasant.

Shortly after we began heading south out in the ocean we got a call on the radio from a sailor inquiring about the conditions. I gave him the details and assured him it wasn’t too bad but he opted to go Saturday instead. Our concern with waiting was that even though the wind was forecasted to be a little less it would be more SE and right on the nose. With the wind as it was today I can get power and lift from the sails. Tomorrow would just be a slog into wind and waves and even if the wind was a little less it would not be as good.

Conditions here are actually quite normal for the season. These are normal trade winds that blow from the east. Some days it blows more south than east, some days more northerly. Some days it blows 10-15 and some days it blows 15-20. Boats like ours are made for these conditions so why shy away. Just unfortunate that we couldn’t have sailed more.

Here in Georgetown we opted to stay just north of the Harbor where all the cruisers stay. We are in Emerald Bay Marina which is part of the Sandals resort here because we couldn’t resist the deal. At this marina (which is very nice) they have an option with no services that is $.50 a foot plus they have a 10% discount for active or retired military. They have very nice floating docks, nice heads we can use to take a “real” shower, no traffic, a fitness center, free laundry, free trash  and a pool all for less than the cost of a mooring. Tomorrow we are renting a car to go to drive into Georgetown for shopping and dining. We can bike here, we don’t have to use gas in our dinghy and we are still only minutes from the Tropic of Cancer. We are about 12 minutes as I calculate it.

Speaking of the Tropic of Cancer. There is a note on the charts that the Tropic line is an estimation and that each year it changes. The currently designated tropic line is from 2013 and that it moves south a slight amount each year as the result of shifts in the earth’s axis. What impacts does that have on climate change? Does driving a hybrid have an effect on that?

Here in the Bahamas most places charge for water and trash disposal. Trash disposal is an amount per bag either $2 or $5. In Black Point they have a trailer by the dock and ask for donations. Here the marina charge is $.40 a gallon which is typical. At the marina in Nassau they charged $8 a day for water. In the 9 days we spent there we paid $56 for water but no doubt used more water than if we paid $.40 a gal. We added water to our tank 2x and washed the boat so I’m sure we got our share.

Living on board in the islands requires adoption of new routines. They’re not difficult but less adventuresome folks may find it difficult sacrificing land-based routines developed over a lifetime. For me in all the years of camping and being in the woods these don’t seem so unusual. To sacrifice the familiar conveniences in exchange for the beauties and pleasures of being here seem a bargain well supported by the sunsets, the people we meet and the beauty of the sea.     

Enjoying Black Point

We motored over to Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay from the bay in Big Majors Cay on Tuesday in heavy wind and rain squalls. We anchored off the Government Dock and went ashore to explore and make dinner reservations. This island has lots of amenities for cruisers. There are 3 or 4 good eateries, multiple internet access points, free trash, free water and a good laundry. Pickings in the stores is low since the mailboat came last week and not expected back soon.

Today we dumped our water cans into the tank and refilled them ashore. We added a total of 36 gals and the tank is almost full. We filled up before we left Nassau almost 10 days ago so we have been doing well on water. Probably will not need to get any water until we get back to Nassau. Of course we have been using heavy conservation measures to stretch our water. We've been washing our dishes in salt water with a fresh water rinse, getting wet in the sea and then soaping up with a fresh water rinse. Also, any rinse water we save and use for other gray water uses. Of course we've been flushing our head with sea water so in all we have been able to conserve very well.

There are many cruising boats here. Most are sailboats with a few power boats. Totally different than our last anchorage that had many mega-yachts with all their toys. So far most of the places we've been have been very crowded. Many of the cruisers are heading north but since this is spring break apparently lots of folks come to the Bahamas. Hopefully over the next few weeks things will thin out and we can find some secluded beaches to just hang out and enjoy the quiet and do some more time consuming boat chores.

We plan to head to Georgetown on Great Exuma Cay for a few days and that will be our turnaround before heading north.

At Home in the Bahamas

We’ve been here in the Bahamas over 2 weeks and in the Exumas over a week. We are currently anchored by Staniel Cay off Big Majors Cay. Our position is N24.11.12/W76.26.67. We are less than a degree of Latitude from the Tropic of Cancer which we hope to cross next week and more than 14⁰ from our origin in the Chesapeake. Considering the northern hemisphere is 90⁰ we will have covered 25% of the distance between the equator and the North Pole.

Tonight in Staniel Cay is the first night we’ve spent out of the Exumas Land and Sea Park in the past week. We spent 6 nights on 3 different islands. The Bahamas have done a great job preserving a bit of their natural state through the Park.

The sailing has been really great too. Each day we’ve sailed nicely in about 10 kts of easterly breeze. We’ve run the engine 10 hours since refueling upon our arrival in Nassau 2 weeks ago.  We haven’t run the generator so we’ve only used about 15 gals of fuel. The only reason we’ve used so much is to get into and out of our anchorages. Sailing along the islands we have been heading generally southeast and the wind has been easterly. But because of the shallows and coral heads we’ve had to run about 2 miles west of the islands so we need to motor into and out of the anchorage because going in is dead into the wind and coming out is dead down wind. Plus the occasional motor heats the water and ensures our batteries are fully charged. So far we have been able to maintain our batteries from our wind and solar.

Weather has been consistent each day with sunny skies and a comfortable breeze although tonight a squall came through with the first rain in over a week and rinsed off all the salt on the boat and brought in some much higher winds. Today we deployed our CQR anchor instead of our primary Rocna because it seemed like settled weather but with the change we may want to reconsider and deploy the Rocna. The water is only about 10’ deep (less at low tide) so diving on it to tie the retrieval line isn’t that difficult. So we will probably pull up our CQR and reanchor with our Rocna. Although this will be a test of using our CQR but we will be keeping anchor watch.

The anchorage here at Big Majors has about 30 boats this evening. Seems like each anchorage we’ve been in has been busy. Supposedly this is now less busy than say in February. But we keep looking for some solitude. So far the only place we found It was by dinghying up the creeks on Shroud Cay. Each day sailing we pass numerous boats mostly headed north. Much of the traffic has been large motor yachts that come loaded with toys. We saw 2 here in the anchorage that in addition to jet skis, boston whaler’s and paddle boards had portable waterslides! Lots of boats seem to be crowded with kids probably on Spring Break. While snorkeling the airplane wreck reef we tied up next to a skiff with a family from Arlington, VA that was staying on Staniel for the week. No doubt on Spring Break.

It’s now been 4 months since we left Oxford and cold weather. Although we had some chilly weather in Florida there was still nothing as bad as up north. Since about the time we left Marathon the day time temps have been in the 80’s and lows probably in the 70’s. We had the AC on a couple times in Nassau and Key West but generally it had been pretty comfortable.

Most of the people we’ve met spend the winter months on their boats in the warm weather but have a home they go to other times during the year. While we still have some organization issues and some additional repairs and upgrades to accomplish things seem to be falling into place and living on the boat instead of a house just seems natural. The boat is where we sleep, prepare food and get out of the weather but the outside is where we do everything else. The sound of the wind and water is very soothing.

Tonight we enjoyed a very nice dinner that Linda prepared along with our last bottle of 2005 Del Dotto Cabernet while we watched the sun set. One of the beauties of this life is that we get to see the sun set almost every day and often the sunrise. Among all the art galleries in the world there is nothing as beautiful as the sun crossing the horizon as it does each day where it can be seen. A close second is the sky at night with no light pollution to destroy the deepness of the universe and the brilliance of each star no matter how far away it is.

Tomorrow the canvas gets painted again and we have a new port to explore.

We spent the last day of March exploring Shroud Cay. The island is actually very big but it is a few outcroppings of rock with lots of tidal wetlands that are covered with mangroves. In the morning we dinghied up to a creek that went back into the mangrove but since it was nearing low tide we couldn’t get back far. So after some walking about we headed back to the boat.

In the afternoon we went to a creek near the south end of the island where we found a very nice secluded beach and enjoyed the sun, sand and water. After enjoying the beach for a while we were able to dinghy up the creek as the tide was coming in and flooding the low spots.  

Shroud Cay is part of the Exumas Land and Sea Park that is an effort to preserve some piece of the original Bahamian landscape. Wednesday we moved further down the chain to another island piece of the Park, Warderick Wells which is the primary island in the Park. Tuesday afternoon we called to reserve a mooring and got on the list.

Tuesday the weather finally cleared off in the afternoon and it was perfectly clear without a cloud in the sky. As the sun drew to the horizon we could watch it sink into the ocean on its way to coming back up Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday morning we listened to the Park broadcast and learned that we were lucky enough to get a mooring so we worked up the anchor and left. It was a beautiful day for a sail with between 8-10 kts of wind just ahead of the beam so we sailed about 6 kts until we had to turn into Warderick Wells which was right into the wind.

Since getting fuel in Nassau when we arrived there we’ve run the engine 7 hrs which should have burned not more than 11 gals of fuel. So we should have no problem. If we return to the Beaufort, NC from the Abacos we will probably want to top off before we leave.

We motored into the narrow channel and got our mooring. We arrived at just about low tide with a strong following current. The channel is just wide enough for boats of our length to swing 360’ so coming in we stayed close to the boats already on moorings and went past our mooring and turned where there was an empty mooring and came back up into the current and got our mooring ball. Being low tide the channel was easily discernible because much of the shallows were dry or nearly dry. At high tide the channel is less well defined.

After checking in we went for a hike across the island to Boo Boo Hill. The highest spot on the island and so named because supposedly at full moon you can hear ghosts from a ship that wrecked offshore back in the early 19^th century.

Most of the islands we’ve seen so far have been low rock outcroppings covered with mangrove and scrub palm. Lots of old conch shells. On the beaches there are crab holes and a couple different types of lizards. We haven’t been to the Iguana islands yet but we got very close and personal with one little lizard.

We plan to spend a few days here in the Park before heading on. Probably Sunday or Monday we’ll be on Staniel Cay and be able to get full internet and upload pictures. 

Our first day in the Exumas

In other hemispheres I think today was Monday but here in the land of no Mondays we made our traditional Sunday morning breakfast of pancakes and bacon since we didn’t do it yesterday before we left Nassau. All of these new places and things are so exciting that we celebrate everything.

Our first night in the Exumas was enjoyable with a beautiful sunset and a gorgeous sunrise to the new day. We took a leisurely morning before deciding to move on to Shroud Cay. It was a split decision. I was just as happy to stay but Highbourne Cay had little to do so we decided to move on to Shroud Cay.

Last night we started washing our dishes in salt water and I dumped the gray water overboard. This morning after I dumped the water I saw about 6 or 8 Remoras swimming through the dump looking for food morsels. Later when I was swimming I saw them hiding under the boat waiting for a new handout. 

As we were pulling up the anchor we continued to have issues with our windlass. We tried to address them before but this morning while raising the anchor our windlass died. The motor burned out so we were stuck with our anchor now dragging with only 25’ of chain out in 15’ of water. We have a 75# anchor and 25’ of chain in the water that weighs about 3# a foot. Trying to bring that up in 15’ of water by hand would have been impossible.

So I decided to dive on the anchor with my spinnaker sheet which is 3/8” line and I tied it around the roll bar and then led it up through the bow roller to the jib sheet winch in the cockpit. The spinnaker sheet is one of the longest lines we have at 90’ so it provided plenty of length. I was going to use one of our 50’ anchor lines but it probably would not have been long enough or fit into the winch well. Linda winched the sheet and I pulled up the chain and it came right up. With the winch pulling the weight I could easily lift the chain. We pulled it in and secured it and motored off the Shroud Cay.

The wind had dropped down to single digits so we motor sailed and made it to the Exumas Park and Shroud Cay about 1500 and dropped the anchor and got settled in. Dropping the anchor was easy. I simply disengaged the clutch on the windlass and the anchor fell to the bottom. We anchored in about 10’ of water so retrieving it would not be as hard as in 15’ of water. After we had the anchor set I dived down to check it and it was dug in well so we should be good until we’re ready to leave. When we’re ready to leave I will dive on it again and attach the sheet to retrieve it. Add the windlass to our issues to resolve when back in CONUS.

The anchorage here really filled up. We were hoping to get a mooring to avoid the anchor issue but they were all filled. After we anchored several boats with lots of people came in and the noise is still going. We’ve been looking for solitude but it ain’t here. Maybe many will leave tomorrow and we will have a beach to ourselves.

Tonight we watched another movie after dinner since there is no TV or Wi-Fi reception.  There was a beautiful sunset with many shades of red and gray. The pictures really do not fully depict the beauty of the sunsets. Only God could make a sky so beautiful.

Tomorrow we’re off to explore the island. 

Nassau in the rear view mirror

Due to limited band width pix will be uploaded later.

After considerable deliberation about the weather we launched from our slip and made the approximately 30 nm trip from Nassau to Highbourne Cay in the northern Exumas in about 5 hours. Winds were blowing in the upper teens and low twenties for most of the trip. Instead of taking the rhum line we opted to take the route around the Yellow Bank because with the sea state, visibility for coral heads was limited due to the poor water clarity caused by the rough conditions. Leaving Nassau Harbor was slow as we secured all of our docking gear and worked into the flow of traffic until we got clear of the narrow passage and turned south.

Winds were out of almost true north and the first leg of the trip was almost due south so we were almost dead downwind and given the proximity of coral heads we had reefed sails to go slow so that we could pick our way through the Yellow Bank. After we cleared the Bank and turned southeast we went to full sail and increased our speed running between 7.5 and 8.5 knots for that leg. We were being lazy and didn’t use our staysail as we were enjoying the sail and didn’t need the extra speed. There was a lot of chop and some fairly good size waves for the shallow water.

Highbourne Cay is a very popular anchorage and there are probably 20 boats anchored here. There is some protection from the north wind but the wind is supposed to clock around to the east overnight and this should provide good protection. In any event the chop is not too bad here so it is comfortable. We anchored in about 15 feet of water and our anchor caught pretty quickly.

There really isn’t much to do on this Cay so we will head further down the coat to Shroud Cay tomorrow. The trip is less than 10 miles so no need to start early. With an east wind it should be an easy sail. From here it is an island to island hop down to Georgetown, the principal town in the Exumas. No hurry to get there and we’re looking for some islands with privacy so we’ll take our time. We can spend as much or as little time at each place as we want. We’re looking for the deserted secluded beach and hopefully we’ll find it.

After the front passed on Saturday the weather got really chilly. Today the high was only in the 70’s. We expect it to warm up back into the 80’s because we want to get into the water and enjoy some of the beaches. Water temp is near 80 but coming out into cool temps is not fun.  But, it’s warm enough to swim in for some exercise which I will do when we get some sunny days.

This morning when we checked out of the marina I finally got the fuel bill from when we checked in. We used almost 43 gals of fuel for 34 hours of motoring. A rate of 1.26 gals/hr. So far for the entire trip since we fueled up in Herrington Harbour we’ve burned about 1.57 gal/hr which seems relatively good considering we burned about 1.3 gal/hr in our 380 that was a smaller boat with a smaller engine. We average at least 7 kts an hour so with our 160 gal tank we have a range of over 700 miles. 

Hopefully we never need to motor that far but it’s nice to know and given the price in the Bahamas we may be able to make it back to the US before needing to top off. Although 2 months is a long time to let the tank low. We have 5 gals in a jerry can and if we don’t use a lot we might be fine. Today we didn’t motor more than an hour in total. We haven’t run our generator much so that hasn’t been a factor. We did run it the other night for AC when the power was off. But, it only burns about .25 gal/hr so no big deal there. We don’t have that many hours on it yet but maybe we will have more now that we will be on the hook more.

In Nassau we saw lots of mega yachts in our marina and coming and going in the Harbor. Today on the way down we saw several and there are quite a few anchored here with us. One in particular pulled in just before sundown and anchored right where we want to take sundown photos so you will see it in our sundown pix.

Tonight for dinner Linda made her very great pasta dinner complete with one of our remaining bottles of truly great wine that we had from when we had a house. It was a bottle of Del Dotto Clay Pot Zinfandel 2009 that we bought in Napa Valley. It had not lost one iota of flavor in spite of the move from our wine cooler to the boat and then to this boat. We are sorry to see the end of that purchase.  It is difficult to buy good wines for the boat since we don’t have a good storage for them. So we are limited to wines we can keep or wines we can buy and consume fairly quickly. Good wines quickly degrade in warm temps.

We spent about 10 days in Nassau and will be spending more later in April when some friends come to visit. Despite all the bad cruiser press we enjoyed our time there. Lots of good restaurants, good shopping and the people were very friendly. There are a variety of marine supply stores that I found to have needed stock. As I think I discussed earlier it is no different than other tropical cities. If you don’t like Nassau, don’t go to any city on Hispaniola, Central America, South America, the Virgin Islands, most Caribbean islands, New York or Florida. They are as bad or worse. I agree that it is not my idea of Paradise, but any place that’s warm, has palm trees and friendly people can’t be all bad.