It's almost Christmas in the almost Caribbean

Weather here has gotten a little cooler in the evenings. Days are still in the upper 70's and 80's but nights are getting into the upper 60's and low 70's. From watching the weather many places back in the US have lots of snow and many areas are likely to have a white Christmas. As nostalgic as all that is I'm enjoying being in a bathing suit and t-shirt. Swimming, sailing and walking beaches seems like a much nicer way to spend the holidays than trying to stay warm. Spending time with family at the holidays is missing but hopefully they will come visit us in the warm.

During the week our routines of work and errands continues and probably will through our stay here. But, the past weekend we enjoyed some favorable winds and sailed to Hope Town on Elbow Cay to visit a town we spent a few days in several years ago. On the way over we had a east northeast wind that gave us a good upwind sail on 2 tacks to where we had to bring in the sails to go in the Hope Town channel. The way back we also had a good sail downwind on the jib that brought us from Hope Town right to the Marsh Harbor Channel. Really fun to get out sailing.

Sailing to Hope Town.

Looking across Hope Town Harbor.

Hope Town is a quaint community of small homes with unpretentious big homes with narrow lanes for streets Transportation on most of the Cays in the Abacos is by golf cart, bicycle or very small car whereas on Abaco Island it is mostly by cars. In the Bahamas there are only a few large islands that are actually called islands. Great Abaco Island, Little Abaco Island, Grand Bahama Island, New Providence Island, Great Exuma Island, Andros Island, Cat Island and Eleuthera Island. All the smaller islands are called Cays (Keys).

Amekaya on her mooring.

Weather over the weekend was not really pleasant. Apart from having good wind to sail It was mostly overcast with intermittent rain. As we were on a mooring we had to dinghy in and were able to do that without getting wet.

Hope Town Memorial Park with monument overlooking the beach.

Friday night after walking about we stopped into a unique and very un-Bahamian type place called Wine Down and Sipsip. A kind of pizzeria and wine bar with a very appealing menu and interesting wine list of reasonably priced wines. We ordered a veggie flatbread that was excellent with a modest bottle of wine that complemented the meal. We even had leftovers that we took back for lunch the next day.

Inside Sipsip.

Saturday morning we went in to the "Farmer's Market" as it was called but only had 1 farmer and a baker. The farmer is a local hydroponic gardener that grows small herbs, spices and greens for sale locally. We were able to get some salad greens and cilantro. The arugula didn't look so hot. By the time the market opened there were numerous folks lining up to buy the fresh produce which is otherwise unavailable most places. We also met another couple from the Chesapeake Bay who were on a sailboat First Love. For the afternoon we walked about the island admiring the holiday displays and in the Park where folks were setting up the Christmas Village that was to open on Sunday night.

Saturday evening we invited the couple on First Love that we had just met over for a Happy Hour and also a gentleman on Cattitude that we had met at the Jib Room when he was there for Rib Night last week. In spite of the wind and rain we enjoyed a fun evening together discussing boats and sailing.

Sailing back to Marsh Harbor.

Sunday we sailed back to the slip and with the heavy cross wind had a difficult time backing into the slip. We had lots of help and finally got in. Not one of our better entrances.

Views out at the reef.

Midweek we finally were able to get on a dive trip out to Fowl Cay National Park. So on Wednesday we went on a trip with Dive Abaco out to the reef with 1 other scuba diver and four other snorkelers. It was great to actually log some bottom time which I haven't done in a while. The coral formations were very nice but not lots of fish varieties. Last week we snorkeled Mermaid Reef which is just across the road from our marina and it is teeming with lots of varieties of tropical reef fish. So even though the water is getting cooler it is very doable with a light wetsuit for extended swimming. Hopefully the weather will continue and we can get back out again soon. On our trip south I would like to get to dive some other locations. Especially in the Caymans and Belize.

As we've walked about the neighborhood around the marina we've seen lots of coconuts on the ground but have been reluctant to collect any. Well, we found out that nobody cares so we've begun collecting and husking coconuts. Using my machete they are fairly easy to open and the water in them is great with rum and lime. It's also very nutritious as is the coconut meat. I scrape out the meat and eat it raw or dry it to shred and use on cereal and salads. It has lots of nutrients that are not otherwise readily available and one of the healthier foods almost being a superfood. So we plan to build up a store of coconut to carry us south.

Inside our first coconut the stark white of the meat.

Getting a cup full of water out of the coconut.

But with all that we prepare for holiday festivities and meals. Tomorrow we're going shopping and get food for our Christmas cooking that we'll do over the weekend.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and happy holidays to all.

Winter is coming

We're getting settled in here at the Jib Room for our temporary stay. Hard to believe we got here about a month ago but of course we were gone for 2 weeks back to Chicago. We've been working boat chores everyday and socializing at the Bar with other marina guests and locals. Boats are coming in almost daily. The anchorage out in the harbor is getting more crowded from when we first got here last month. Between now and Christmas things will start to get busy around Marsh Harbor as many people bring their boats here then head back to the States for the holidays while many on holiday come here to get a break.

After a hard day of boat work enjoying a "Bilge Burner" the house specialty rum punch.

We've been trying to maintain a daily fitness regime of some kind that we do in the morning and then do any errands we have. Fresh food arrives on the island and is available Thursday so we ride over to Maxwell's the Marsh Harbor grocery store to stock up on the fresh things. Fresh food here is available although it is often outdated or close to expiration by the time it's available. It's disappointing to pay the premium price for fresh food only to have much of it be unusable. We try to keep a diet of fresh fruit and vegetables which is hard but we usually find things to keep up our diet. Once we leave here that will become more difficult so we are enjoying it for now. Maxwell's is about a 15-20 min bike ride from our boat.

One of my projects was to assemble this motion sensor light by attaching a 12 volt DC charger plug on the end so we can plug it into the cockpit 12V DC outlet as another security measure.

We've also found that here in the Abacos unlike most other parts of the Bahamas there is some agriculture. Maxwell's sells Abaco Chicken which is raised locally and not badly priced. Surprisingly it is organic and good. Interestingly the way they cut chicken and turkey here is unusual. We got a package of chicken thighs to try and the thigh included a portion of the back. The fresh turkey leg packages in the store cut the bone in cross-sections rather than as a single piece. There are also some locally grown fruits and vegetables which advertise themselves as organic which is surprising but certainly there are fewer pests here to worry about although I would think the thin soil would require fertilizing. Many homes have fruit trees growing in their yards and we've seen lots of gardens around homes near the marina.

A papaya tree in a local garden loaded with fruit at the top and under the lower limbs.

Last week on Wednesday we went to one of the signature events here at the Jib Room and that was "Rib Night" where they offer a prix fixe rib dinner. It was good but not something we will do often. Again, the cut of the ribs was different than what we've known in the past although they were big and meaty.

One of the places in the neighborhood that we walk by.

One day last week a local fisherman came around on the dock selling fresh-caught stone crab claws. We've had them before here in the Bahamas and they are so much better than the ones in Florida. We had a couple for lunch that day and they were huge and really good. Today a guy came by selling lobsters and we passed but asked him to come back next week. Some folks in a boat across the dock bought some and they looked really good. We brought a bottle of champagne along for New Years and plan to have lobster and stone crab. Should be a nice way to celebrate a great 2016 and usher in a new exciting 2017. But, again can't eat that stuff all the time.

The stone crab claws to be devoured.

Over the past several days we had 2 cold fronts come through beginning Thursday night. While the temps weren't too cold they brought in lots of unstable air with lots of moisture and wind. As a result we weren't able to keep up with our outside cleaning and polishing so we focused on inside work. In this miserable weather it was nice being tied to a dock where we could at least get off in a lull and walk to the bar. We watched the boats on anchor get thrown around knowing the folks were trapped there or face a wet ride into shore. Saturday and Sunday had a few breaks but rained monsoonal rains without letup much of the day. At night we sat in and watched movies. Internet access and even the TV cable was intermittent mostly because of the weather. Just life in the third world.

In the upcoming week as the rains stop we plan to get back at exterior work and maybe do a dive midweek and then go out sailing again for the weekend. We'll see as the weather materializes and winter in the Bahamas develops.

The Jib Room street view.

If we're in the Bahamas it must be Thanksgiving

Several months ago we began laying out a timeline that would get us to the Bahamas earlier this year than in the past. Several reasons for that. The first is the weather. It is more probable to get better weather for a crossing in November or early December than when lots of people want to cross in January and February. Second, we wanted to be able to move farther south early in the winter to enjoy the Bahamas and be in a position to get to the Caribbean early in the spring to enjoy more time there before heading for hurricane shelter. Finally, we needed a place to leave the boat while we traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The day before we left Marsh Harbor we went for a walk. The first image was just across the road from the marina and made a very perfect view with the color contrasts and artsy view. The lower image is a Papaya tree loaded with fruit.

So doing a little backward planning yielded the idea to be in Marsh Harbor for the holidays at the Jib Room where they had a really reasonable rate for 2 months and we could get back to the US for Thanksgiving and march south whenever we wanted. Having accomplished that we cleaned the boat in preparation for our trip deferring the bigger projects until after we returned as we planned to bring back many things with us that we either forgot or didn't realize we needed. Most things are available in Marsh Harbor for a price so we endeavored to bring back what we could. With no specific missions to accomplish we packed and relaxed to prepare for our trip back to cold country.

The contrast of where we left to where we went.

Here we are enjoying 80 degree sunshine and packing to go to below freezing temperatures.  We had to dig out gloves, hats, sweats, sweaters, coats and every bit of cold weather clothes we had on board. Hard to think of what you need for cold weather when you're in a t-shirt and bathing suit. But we pulled it all together and got some extra bags to bring back the stuff on our list. The good thing was that the Chicago area where we were going was fairly warm but was getting colder so it wouldn't be too bad when we got there.

With everything ready we left our home in a foreign country, again, to travel back to where the sun isn't shining.The flight from Marsh Harbor to Miami was short, on time and pleasant. Clearing in through Miami with Global Entry is really a piece of cake. This time unlike the last it was very quick getting back through Security but still no TSA Precheck lanes.

Bundled up to deal with the cold.

We got to Chicago as the sun was setting and the cold northwest wind was beginning to drop the temps. When we landed and got to the gate it was in the 50's. By the time we got to where we were going it was in the 30's. Not too bad except when you're in shorts and flip-flops. Getting inside at my sister-in-law's house where we were staying I thought I was running into a bunker during an artillery barrage to get out of the cold. So our time in cold country began.

Originally we planned to leave Chicago the week after Thanksgiving but with all the things we had to do it became obvious we needed more time so when calling the airline we were able to get a flight back the Thursday after Thanksgiving instead of the day after Thanksgiving as planned. So for the first time in months we had time to relax, visit, socialize and shop as necessary. But most importantly it gave Linda the chance to spend more time with her 96 year-old father before we moved to more remote locations.

Over the next 2 weeks we visited with several family and old friends almost daily. Our days were spent shopping and visiting Linda's Dad. We had the opportunity to meet a college acquaintance and fellow sailor Jeff and Sandy Melim on the way back from Champaign, IL after visiting Linda's son, Seth on the day after Thanksgiving.

After dinner with Jeff and Sandy Melim. Great visit catching up.

We had a small family turkey dinner on the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving but Thanksgiving Day we got several family members together and hosted Linda's Dad for a Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant close to his home so we could all have a very nice meal together. I think it was even snow flurrying to keep in the spirit of the season.   As much as the concept of snow felt alien to us.

Linda's 96 yo Dad at Thanksgiving.

Linda's Niece Sheri and her husband Rick VanOverloop at Thanksgiving.

The family gathered at Thanksgiving.

On one of the final days that we were in Chicago we drove down to the Loop to visit one of the few West Marine stores in Chicagoland, walk around Michigan Avenue but more importantly to enjoy a classic deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Due. We used to go there frequently in the past but haven't been there in years so it was a nice gesture to enjoy the veggie pizza sitting among all the classic Chicago sports memorabilia. But time came to get out of town before traffic built so we were gone back to the burbs for a final day.

Linda enjoying lunch at Pizzeria Due.

Chicago's famous Water Tower.

Strolling down Michigan Avenue.

Our return flight left Chicago O'Hare at 0500 so we could connect in Miami to the once a day flight to Marsh Harbor. So the last night there we went to bed about 8 and got up at 0130 to prepare and get to the airport. The trip was uneventful and by noon that day we were once again enjoying 80 degree sunshine.

Chicago O'Hare at 0400.

Back home again at the Jib Room.

To celebrate our return to the sun and reconnect we decided to go for a sail the weekend after we got back. Friday we did some shopping and got a new SIM card from BATELCO, Bahamas Telephone. Saturday with a nice wind we sailed down through the islands and dropped the hook by Tiloo Cay which is a National Park. With nice warm temps and plenty of sunshine it was a beautiful day for a sail. Once firmly anchored I swam out to check the anchor and then later snorkeled the rock ledge for about a half-mile in front of us. After a very pleasant night watching movies and then our usual Sunday morning breakfast we picked up the anchor and had a great sail with 10-15 kts of wind on the beam and bright sunshine.

Sailing out of Marsh Harbor on our weekend sail.

Matt Loew's Cay off Abaco Island.

Looking out over the Sea of Abaco.

Full sails heading toward Elbow Cay.

The iconic Hopetown Lighthouse on Elbow Cay.

Scenes from the anchorage.

Sunset at anchor.

What a beautiful weekend and time to get back into our lives after two weeks of cold. It's good to be home.

A circumnavigation begins with hauling the anchor

Our night at Ft Pierce was very pleasant. The temperature was warm, there was a nice moon and just a light breeze. Our planned destination was Spanish Cay in the Abacos where we had a reservation for our first night once we cleared customs there and we expected that it would take us about 24 hours to get there. Since they didn’t open until 8 we really didn’t need to leave early despite the desire to get underway. The slack water after high tide would be about 0900 and forecasts were for the seas to come down during the day so we planned to get underway about 0830.

Our last sunset in the US.

With a nice warm sun and light NE wind we brought up the anchor and slid out the channel very quickly with the outgoing current. Since the anchorage was very close it didn’t take long to get out. Once safely out of the channel we headed southeast. The western wall of the Gulf Stream was about 18 miles east of Ft Pierce but closer in the south so we estimated 3 hours at 7 knots we should hit current and then we would turn due east and maybe slightly north so as not to fight the current. Forecasts also were for the current to be very light where we were crossing so we shouldn’t be pushed far to the north.

Those first 3 hours were uneventful. For once, the forecasts seemed to be correct and as expected right about 3 hours out we started to see current so we turned due east with the swells now coming more ahead of us and the wind continuing its decline. As planned we motored east for about 4 hours as the swell continued to decline and we stopped moving north so we turned southeast once again and headed for a waypoint called “The Little Bahama Bank” which is just north of some reefs and Memory Rock. In all I don’t think the stream pushed us more than a mile north so we had little ground to makeup and the seas were calming. Of the 5 crossings of the Gulf Stream I’ve done this was the most benign. We did have dolphins swimming with us on occasion that added some excitement watching from the bow as they swam through the bow wave and back and forth under the keel.

Florida in the rearview mirror.

It was dark when we got on to the Bahama Bank but it is mostly wide open water about 20’ deep. So we set out a route based on waypoints in the Explorer Charts to navigate our way through the upcoming shoals and cays. About 0300 we began to see lights on islands so we knew we were getting close. As the sun rose we could see Spanish Cay and then motored in a few minutes after 0800 as expected. A successful crossing albeit by motor but we each got some good rest and were ready for the day. This would be our last overnight until we leave the Bahamas in the spring to head to Jamaica after having done 4 nights offshore since leaving Beaufort.

Spanish Cay Marina scenes.

First order of business was to clear in through Bahamian customs and immigration. Spanish Cay is the only place to do that in the Abacos outside Marsh Harbor and we wanted to make some other stops before Marsh Harbor so we elected to clear in there. Afterwards we had a champagne brunch to celebrate the crossing and after a short nap went to the beach to enjoy the beautiful day.

Our champagne breakfast celebrating our arriving in the Bahamas.

Our swimming beach.

Next morning we traveled on to Green Turtle Cay and went ashore to visit New Plymouth Town and hope for Asian food but the takeaway was closed for Monday. Oh well. Then on Tuesday morning on schedule we moved on to Marsh Harbor for a 2 month sojourn over the holidays, some relaxation and an unhurried opportunity to do some long overdue boat chores. But on the way we had to pass through Whale Cay Cut or “The Whale” as it is known. The Whale is rather infamous around the Abacos as it is open to the northeast and when winds blow from that direction it “rages” and is unpassable. Sometimes it may be weeks before it can be traversed but we were able to cross over very smoothly and went on in to Marsh Harbor.

Looking NW from the Whale Cut.

Looking SE from the Whale Cut.

Infamous Whale Cay as we were giving the passage report to the Abaco Cruisers Net.

With no wind or current getting in our slip was easy and then began the cleanup tasks and preparing to leave the boat to fly back to the US for Thanksgiving. The weather began to deteriorate as expected and rain moved in for the night. But during a lull in the rain we walked around the end of the Bay to Snappa’s for a happy hour celebration.

Celebrating Marsh Harbor at Snappa's.