Thursday, January 26, 2017

The road to Nassau is through Spanish Wells

After enjoying our night in Hopetown we motored down to Lynyrd Cay where we anchored for the night before pushing off to Eleuthera. There was no wind for the trip down through the Abacos and we anchored off the last island in the Sea of Abaco.


House on Lynyrd Cay.

At the south end of the Sea of Abaco there are several islands. There is a large barrier island known as Lynyrd Cay that ends in reefs and shoals forming the southernmost cut through to the ocean just north of Little Harbor on island of Great Abaco. The night we stayed there about a dozen other boats were anchored there. We dinghied in to a little beach and walked across to the Atlantic side and walked on the ragged beach where we met several Canadian cruisers who were planning to continue cruising in the Abacos. We also saw a boat come in that we recognized from the Marsh Harbor marina. A Cabo Rico 38 named Alegria pulled in and we talked with them and they were planning to leave the next morning for Royal Island just like we planned. So we talked about getting together the next evening for a happy hour and we went on to explore Lynyrd Cay.


Lynyrd Cay looking toward to cut.


The rugged Atlantic beach on Lynyrd Cay.

Next morning at first light we got off our anchor along with about a half-dozen other boats and made for the cut. Tide was still going out and there was a light breeze from the west so wind and current were together and traversing the cut was a piece of cake. When going through a cut its important that wind and current are going in the same direction to avoid rages that form when they oppose.

The 50 mile trip from Abacos to Royal Island off of Spanish Wells was an uneventful motor although we did put up the spinnaker to sail for a short while but we got into the Royal Island anchorage with the anchor down before 1500. Royal Island is a deserted island just off Spanish Wells and Eleuthera that has a natural harbor in the center of it that has high ground protection almost 360 degrees except for the entry area that is open to the south which is not usually a bad weather direction.


Sunset in Royal Island.

We had a nice evening enjoying sundown with Ken and Sarah from Alegria as we made plans for the weekend in Spanish Wells.  After one of the most beautiful nights we saw in a while we headed in to Spanish Wells where we picked up a mooring just east of the main channel that we had used before. We thought about anchoring out but forecast was for heavy winds and storms coming through over the weekend with a frontal passage so we opted for the moorings which would be sheltered from the worst winds. Other than Royal Island there weren't any anchorages that offered protection. With the wind clocking around from south to north it would require several moves or if we anchored in Royal Island we wouldn't be able to enjoy Spanish Wells.

Spanish Wells is a very pretty community located just across a channel from Eleuthera and is the home of the Bahamian fishing industry. The town has many streets of charming brightly colored single or partial two-story homes with a gorgeous beach on the ocean side. One of our favorite Bahama restaurants is also here along with several other fun spots.


Some of the fishing fleet in Spanish Wells.

We planned to get a mooring in Spanish Wells because of the forecasted heavy weather coming. The mooring field would be well protected from the forecasted wind direction and give us the opportunity to enjoy the town. After getting on our mooring Friday, 20 January we needed to do some provisioning so we dinghied in and walked down to Pinders, the waterfront grocery store to pick up a couple things. We started to walk to the larger store when we decided we would rent a golf cart for a couple hours and go out to the Sandbar for a bit then make our other stops on the way back. The Sandbar a nice beach front bar/restaurant is another one of our favorite places. We sat there enjoying the beautiful day, downloading emails and just thinking how lucky we are to be here.



Views from the Sandbar.

Friday night we planned to meet Ken and Sarah Gross from Alegria for happy hour and dinner at the Shipyard, one of our favorite Bahama restaurants. Alegria is a Cabo Rico 38 very similar to one owned by another one of our friends and they’ve done extensive cruising in the Caribbean and we had a very pleasant evening and discussion making plans to visit Eleuthera on Saturday.


Sunset at the Shipyard.

Saturday Ken had made plans for us to get picked up by a boat and taken to Eleuthera where a rental car would be waiting for us to tour the island. Our first stop was the so-called Glass Window which is a point where the ocean and Eleuthera Sound are separated by a mere thread of land with a rock ledge that at high tide presents a view either way under a high bridge. The ocean waves crashing on majestic rock edifices in one view with the placid Sound the other.


Ken and I standing atop the cliffs over the Glass Window.


The Eleuthera Sound side of Glass Window.

The next stop was unique and very interesting. We drove back an unmarked paved road past some rubble to what was a former US Navy Facility Eleuthera where Ken had been stationed during the 60’s. Built in the 50’s and closed in the 80’s it was a small submarine and missile tracking station used to track Soviet subs in the Atlantic and missiles launched from Cape Canaveral. All the buildings were there but crumbling and overgrown with vegetation. The most unique feature that was still discernible was a water collection facility used to collect rainwater for use as the sole supply of water since other technologies for desalination hadn’t been available. The water was collected from pavement on the side of a hill and funneled into a holding area from where it was pumped into storage tanks. But the best feature was an absolutely beautiful unspoiled beach that ran for miles in either direction complete with the famous Eleuthera pink sand.


A look down from the top of the Glass Window.


Walking on the beach at the old USNAVFAC Eleuthera.


Linda deciding on a lunch selection at the Buccaneer Club.


Our waitress was kind enough to take our picture after lunch.

After exploring the ruins we continued on into Governor’s Harbor. A picturesque and quaint Bahamian town that was the first Capital of the Bahamas with very beautiful colonial style homes and farms. We stopped for lunch at the Buccaneer Club that is a mostly outdoor restaurant under lush canopy and a mix of carib and Bahamian style food. After lunch and on the way back we stopped just outside Governor’s Harbor at the Marriott French Leave Resort where we spent a few nights on a mooring last year. With another gorgeous day we enjoyed the spectacular scenery with a cold beer while sitting overlooking the harbor.


View from the deck at French Leave resort.  

Our final stop was at the roadside fruit stand where we stopped last year to buy some locally grown fresh produce. We were disappointed that they had no bananas or papayas because the trees had been damaged by Hurricane Mathew. But herbs and vegetables are all organically grown in their fields right by the side of the road.

So we spent a long but wonderful day with our friends seeing some wonderful sights and enjoying a beautiful day.


Sunset after a long day.

Sunday the weather began to deteriorate with an increase in the winds. Along with Ken and Sarah we rented a golf cart and drove out to the Sandbar for brunch and toured around to some of the scenic spots on the island. We ended up at Buddha’s for internet and a beer to see the end of the playoff football games.


The south coast of Russell Island by Spanish Wells with the building wind and surf.

Monday we saw the frontal passage with sustained high winds and thunderstorms passing through and stayed on the boat to ride it out. With the forecast we had secured the dinghy and really didn’t want to be out in the high winds and rain. So with the storm gone we start moving to Nassau. Back out to Royal Island for a night on anchor, then sail to Nassau with a night on anchor and then into the Nassau Harbor Club to pick up our friends flying in for 2 weeks.


The storms that passed over us on Monday. 

Spanish Wells and Eleuthera are beautiful islands with wonderful people and a very nice stop between the Abacos and Nassau. Of course Nassau is only a waypoint on the route south.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Moving on down to the islands

With the holidays gone and the calendar continuing to move we are ready for our departure from Marsh Harbor. We have become too comfortable here enjoying the comforts of being in a slip, having communications access but more importantly a regular source of supplies. As we move on we know that getting things we need to support our diet and boat maintenance will not be as easily available. Once we get to the Exumas fresh fruit and vegetables are few and far between. From what we’ve heard when we get to Jamaica and Guatemala good supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables will be available unlike here in the Bahamas where there is little agriculture.

Our plan is after leaving Marsh Harbor and we will be stopping a few places in the Abacos in the outer Cays and then move on to Spanish Wells and Eleuthera. We have friends coming in to Nassau on the 28th so we want to enjoy each island in the northern part of the Bahamas until then even though the weather has not been the best. Once they arrive we plan to head south to the Exumas where hopefully it will be warmer and drier.   We have had off and on showers here every day for the past two weeks. Usually the heaviest showers have come at night but they also come every time a dark cloud passes over.

Doing full time cruising we alternate between periods of layovers and periods of frequent moves. During the layovers we get comfortable and the boat becomes more “homey” and less fit for sailing conditions. On the other hand when we move frequently we are forced to constantly setup and breakdown so we try to stay places at least a little while so we can relax and enjoy where we are. When we get to places where we’ve never been we would like to spend a comfortable amount of time there to enjoy and explore. On the other hand each day is a day older and one day closer to the end so we have an interest in cramming as much into whatever time there is. We truly wish we would have started 10 years ago.

The night before we pulled out of Marsh Harbor we hosted some friends down the dock to a Captain Ron night. We offered drinks and popcorn and started out with our trivia quiz that we used last year at Harbor Cay Club in Marathon and then enjoyed the wonderful movie.

So now we’ve left Marsh Harbor and our first port of call is Great Guana Cay about 12 miles to the northeast of Marsh Harbor. Great Guana Cay is home to a mix of residents, part-time residents and commercial interests. One of the fun attractions is a hilltop bar called Nipper’s. It is almost legendary in the Abacos. In addition to their usual attractions like the Sunday Pig Roast is the occasional concert by the Barefoot Man, a Cayman Island legend who also spends time here. After our pilgrimage to Nipper’s we stopped by Grabbers for a snack and to watch the sunset over Fisher’s Bay where we grabbed a mooring rather than anchor.


Late afternoon showers moving in over Settlement Harbor in Great Guana Cay.


The road to Nipper's.



Nipper's world famous beach bar and grill.

Leaving Marsh Harbor we had a brisk easterly wind in the 15-20kt range gusting over 20. Perfect Island Packet kind of day so we had all sails out and after sitting at the dock for about a month it felt great to once again be sliding along the water under sail and we cleaned off some of the slime that had grown on the bottom. In fact, I expect we didn’t put an hour on the engine on the trip over. It was a beautiful sail under a nice blue sky and only a little chop in the Sea of Abaco.
  

Leaving the Jib Room.


Marsh Harbor in the rear view mirror.


A beautiful day under sail.

Next port of call is Hopetown where we visited back before the holidays. It’s hard to believe that it has been that long but we wanted to return one more time to WineDown SipSip for their roasted veggie flatbread. As we go further south the quality of eating out will also decline so we want to enjoy what we can. After that, a night at anchor before crossing the Northwest Providence Channel to Eleuthera. Looks like no wind for that passage. But, if we wait there is a big blow coming with winds out of the south which is of course the direction we’re going. So, it’s go with no wind or wait and hide. We’ll ride it out in Spanish Wells and then into Nassau.


Amekaya on a mooring.


Queens Highway in Hopetown.

On our last night that we spent at Hopetown we met up with Dave Hurd and Alice who were dockmates in Marsh Harbor for dinner at Wine Down SipSip for a wonderful evening.


After dinner with Dave and Alice.

So from here our trip will be south. Out of the Abacos, down to Spanish Wells and Eleuthera and then into Nassau before going to Exumas with our friends who are coming to visit to escape winter for a while. We must return north to Nassau to drop them off and one last shot at good provisioning but then it will be due south until we get to Jamaica and then west to Guatemala.



Sunset over Hopetown Harbor.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Layin low in Abaco at home for the holidays


In 1999 we spent Christmas in Puerto Vallarta thinking that it would be nice to be in the tropics for the holidays before the world ended at the stroke of the millennium. As we know nothing really happened at the stroke of midnight on 12/31/1999 as time continued in spite of the hype. But now for the second time in our lives we are spending the holidays outside the US safely ensconced in the Marsh Harbor Marina and Jib Room to enjoy the holidays and prepare for our trip south in a few weeks.

Since we got back home from our Thanksgiving sojourn to cold country we have been working on the boat, working on personal fitness and enjoying the Abacos which are a nice subtropical place where the living is almost as easy back in the US but more expensive. Being on this side of the Gulf Stream we don't need a weather window for crossing and can travel south with less issue. The weather just dictates where you can anchor.


Little Harbor after a lunch at Pete's Pub.

First let me talk about the work we've been doing. We're using the comfortable conditions to polish the deck and our stainless to clean the salt tarnish and wear to prepare for further travel. This is a task that's ongoing to keep the outside of the boat looking good and able to stand up to the elements. Tarnished metal turns into corrosion which turns into non-working parts which turns into mechanical failure. I've also undone loose bolts we're I found them and rebedded them to prevent water intrusion into the hull and below decks.


Sunset on Christmas Eve.


A beautiful Heron searching for food near the water.

Just before Christmas we discovered that our water heater was leaking and needed replacing. I had looked at replacing it last summer before we left but decided given it's apparent condition and knowing the previous owner probably didn't use it much we should be able to get another couple years out of it. Lesson is that if something is near the end of its useful life, replace it. Over the holidays it is tough to get replacement parts and deal with the challenge of the Bahamas bureaucracy. But in spite of the challenges I was able to get a replacement from the US and install it. I used the opportunity to paint the area under the water heater with Bilgekote to protect the fiberglass from moisture and dampness caused by the water heater. I was unable to prevent a loss of engine coolant which I will need to replace before we do another cruise.


One of the neighborhood streets near the marina we frequent on our walks.

But even though we are engaged in constant projects to maintain and improve our home we have spent times having fun. There are many folks hanging out here in the marina and we’ve shared some good times with several of them. Across our dock is a couple, Dave and Alice, on a power boat with whom we’ve become friendly and done some lunch trips 



View to leeward on the race course.

over to Man O War Cay and down to Pete’s Pub at Little Harbor. Dave also has a Rhodes 18 that he has fixed up and will be racing in the Hopetown Sailing Club races. I plan to crew for him as it’s always fun to sail on a small boat.



Having lunch at Pete's Pub.



Some of the crowd waiting in line to order at the bar.

We also met another IP cruiser. Cliff on his IP 40 Navigator was here a few weeks over the holidays and we shared discussions about cruising in the Caribbean where he’s been for several years. Just before he left we took a bottle of Pusser’s Rum on New Year’s to share painkillers which served as a good antidote to the holiday hangover.

We also took a couple of opportunities to snorkel over at Mermaid Reef. The first time we went the fish were biting us because they’re used to people feeding them. The second time we went they were much more sublime as there were lots of people on the reef and they were feeding them. As often as the word is disseminated people feed the animals. In fact, many rental places sell or give fish food with their rentals and some dive masters take food to attract fish. It’s bad enough the way many snorkelers abuse the reef but by corrupting the critters




Dining and dancing at the holiday parties.

While we’ve been here we’ve been stockpiling a supply of fresh coconut that we can enjoy until we can find more fresh coconut. Many of the islands in the Bahamas have little or no produce so we need to get as much coconut as we can here to enjoy through the islands that have none. I’m actually getting pretty good at husking the coconut and getting out the water for use with a little rum and lime. Coconut is a source of many vitamins and minerals and like avocados is a source of good fat having no cholesterol.

The highlights of the last couple week have been the holiday parties. On Christmas the marina sponsored a pot luck for folks spending the holiday here. Though we weren’t here at Thanksgiving they has less than 10 people for the potluck but for Christmas there were probably 40 people so there were lots of choices of dishes to sample. The marina provided roast ham and turkey and the bar was open. Happy to say we were among the last to leave because we had a wonderful time.


Our champagne New Year's brunch.

New Year’s Eve featured a very nice dinner and party that had probably 70-80 people attending with a DJ. By the time midnight rolled around the number had dwindled to fewer than 20 to share a champagne toast. On Sunday, New Year’s morning, we enjoyed a champagne brunch and then our dinner was stone crab and asparagus. We had planned for lobster rolls but that was too much for the same meal and we saved it for the next day.


The beach by Little Harbor.

As we look forward to the next couple weeks we have some specific chores to complete on the boat and we want to get back to Winedown SipSip again and a couple other places here in the Abacos before moving on. We have plans to meet some friends in Nassau later in the month who we will take to the Exumas for a few days and then after that work our way south to be ready to jump over to Jamaica when the weather works.

So, we’ve enjoyed spending the holidays here in the Abacos while we prepare to move down island working our way to the Caribbean.