Some thoughts on the Cruising Life

Occasionally I interrupt our travelogue and just make comments about the cruising lifestyle.   This is intended for readers that only know about cruising from what they read in cruising magazines or a sailing course although other cruisers may wish to comment on common experiences or other thoughts they may have.

Working to get the boat outfitted back in 2014. Connecting the solar panels and installing the bimini frame.

Some time ago I commented that there are 3 types of folks that we've found. There are live-aboards, cruisers and live-aboard cruisers. Most of the folks we meet fit the cruisers grouping meaning they are on the boat for some number of months a year and then have a place on terra-firma to which they return each year. We on the other hand have only our boat and leave it only to visit family and friends who reside on terra-firma.

This changes the dynamics of living significantly and especially this year as we will not be returning with our boat to the US for the foreseeable future. The past 2 years when we returned to the US we could do repairs, maintenance and acquire things (especially food items) from normal sources of supply that we have become accustomed to in the past 10, 20 or 50 years of our life. This year is different. When we provisioned before we left in the Fall we essentially bought as much of what we thought we needed as we could fit on the boat. In several different ports we stocked multiple car loads of items and amazingly it all got stowed. The challenge becomes as we use those items finding sources of resupply.

Where to find resupply?

Living in a home in an average US community it is never difficult to replace things used, broken, lost or damaged. However, offshore things used, broken, lost or damaged are just gone and replaced only by some repair, jerry-rig or locally procured replacement. Back in the US almost anything is available through Amazon. But, they have yet to use their drones to fly to offshore. Getting things from the US requires (in most cases) a convoluted supply chain of transportation resources such as airlines, couriers, etc.; a way to get them through local customs offices; and doing it all in a cost-effective way. When we replaced our water-heater over the holidays getting it onboard cost almost twice the price of the unit and because of the holiday I considered myself lucky to get it in a week. An earlier shipment of machts-nichts parts took 3 weeks. In some countries, deliveries never arrive.

Food is another interesting acquisition. Outside the US larger towns have supermarkets that are a shadow of what we know in the US and have a variety of goods but usually what 80% of the people buy. So if you're looking for a particular product you may not find it. For example, for health reasons we both opt for a low sodium diet and when we buy canned products we look for low or no-salt options. Good luck finding that in the land where a box of Ritz crackers is $9. On the smaller islands it's worse. The day after the supply boat arrives you might find some fresh produce that is already beginning to wilt or rot because it was shipped from the US, sat in Nassau and finally delivered to the merchant for sale. Fresh fruit and produce are expensive when you can find it. We are hoping when we go to Jamaica and Guatemala there will be good quality local produce for sale by local farmers.

One of the few examples in the Bahamas of local supply.

Offshore everything is finite. The resources we have when we leave port are the resources we have until the next port. That goes for fuel, water, food and beverages. When you're on an island that has nobody you can't send out for things. On an island, if you don't bring it there you won't find it there. Even if you have the internet through some marvel of technology you can't get the stuff here.

Having on board the amount and types of stores requires a careful inventory and space management which is a challenge given the dynamics of living and moving about. One of the key challenges is clearing out areas to work and then ensuring the restocking maintains the original configuration. Another key challenge is the very limited real estate in the refrigerator and freezer so to maintain control only Linda adds or removes food. I'm allowed to get ice and drinks (sometimes).

A typical view from our back porch.

This harsh reality keeps lots of people home, or close to home so they fail to explore the riches of the world that is out there. For all the hardships there are work-arounds and there are some compromises but in the end the experience is worth it. The beauty, the serenity and the wonderful people make it all worthwhile. Having a boat with lots of storage doesn't solve the issues with managing stores but it really helps. Our boat has nooks and crannies everywhere to put stuff. For all the stuff we bought before we left we had lots of room for more. Many boats do not have the storage we have. We have friends that bought a big Jeanneau and then realized there was nowhere to put anything so they have to convert a cabin into storage.

With what we stocked we should do fine all the way to Guatemala. Then the question is: How do we replace the stores we left with? We are still exploring those options although I'm leaning toward trying to ship items with us when we return from the States after our visit this summer. I believe we can also work with the local marine store at our marina in Guatemala to buy things we will need like oil, paint, etc.

Just another place to stop.

We're looking forward to our Caribbean adventure and realize that it is hard for folks sitting in their homes to fully rationalize the challenges we go through on an almost daily basis to make things comfortable. But in the end it is worth it. For someone that needs Starbucks every morning and a soaking tub at night this probably won't work. For anyone with a sense of adventure this is the best.

Another island in the sun.

This is what cruising is all about while back in the Exumas

After our busy sojourn in Nassau we closed out our visit and celebrated at Syrah a very nice wine and tappas bar across from the marina. Syrah is a very sophisticated restaurant with very unique styling using wine racks to create an ambiance of privacy at each table. The wine selection is good for the Bahamas and the food was unique for here. We had a flatbread and bottle of wine that were both very nice. We got there for a sort of late dinner because we were busy and after we got there the place filled up with locals and around 9 an ensemble began playing a very nice selection of 70's-80's selections. What a nice find.

Enjoying our dinner at Syrah.

The ambiance.

Sunday began with the wind blowing nicely but frustrating because we pulled around to the fuel dock before leaving but the pumps weren't working. We had tried to fill-up on the way in and they weren't working. We have had the problem elsewhere in the Bahamas. Sort of typical to expect things not to work.

We motored out of the Harbor into a strong northeast wind and when we turned southeast toward the Exumas we began to sail. We sailed nicely for a couple of hours before the wind began to die as we crossed the Yellow Bank. South and east of the island of New Providence are shoals that cross the paths to the Exumas. They feature relatively shallow water, rocks and coral heads that pose a threat to deep draft boats and a possible threat to shallow draft boats. In crossing them we've never seen anything much less than 10' and it was high tide when we crossed this time although we still did a watch and with the wind dying slowed as we went through.

Sunset back in the real world at Shroud Cay.

We motored for a short way and the wind seemed to be enough that we could use the spinnaker close hauled and we sailed on that for a while until the wind died again and then motored again until the wind seemed to be really filling in and we pulled out the sails for a very nice upwind sail for the last 15 miles. We sailed almost the entire way into Shroud Cay and dropped the hook for a couple nights.

Taking a break on the beach after kayaking up the middle creek.

Monday was a beautiful day at Shroud Cay and after a late start we kayaked up the middle creek like we did last year for several hours but with it being high tide we didn't find much wildlife. We did meet a couple, Craig and Sharon on an Island Packet 38, Bonavista 2 that anchored next to us who came by and invited us over for happy hour. We obliged and had a wonderful time making friends with this very pleasant couple from Newfoundland.

Heading out Hawksbill Cut.

The weather forecast was for some high winds later in the week so we needed to find a shelter. Most of the anchorages in the Bahamas offer protection from the easterlies but few offer shelter from strong westerlies. We found out our old friend Dave Sikes was anchored behind North Gaulin Cay near Big Majors and since we wanted to catch up with him we decided to go there. It was less than 30 nm if we went down the Sound instead of the Bank so we left early on Tuesday. There was no wind so we motored out at high tide through the Little Cistern cut which was rather tricky. We went through an area where the chartplotter showed us going over a hazardous reef but saw nothing shallow. Not sure if the GPS was off or we actually crossed the hazard. But, we got to open water without any issues and then went in the Big Rock Cut by Staniel Cay and anchored in the beautiful sheltered calm between several islands.

Our hideaway for a couple days.

Dave came over for happy hour and we had our usual fun time with him for the evening. Overnight swells started coming in from the north and he and several other boats left for other anchorages on Wednesday. Shortly after they left the swell abated so we stayed. Later some other friends, Bill and Sandy Miller from L'Attitude Adjustment came by. We literally ran into them at the BTC Office in Nassau and they heard us on the radio on Tuesday so they came by and we planned to get together for an early happy hour but ended up cancelling because Bill's back issues were acting up. But, we also found some other friends, Bob and Marsha on a Cabo Rico 45 had anchored not far from us after they aborted their trip to George Town due to the weather. So we spent a happy hour with them as the wind built as forecasted.

The weather didn't materialize as badly as predicted although we did have some rain squalls move through on Thursday that kept us from going to town. Although late in the day Bob and Marsha came by and we dinghied up to Sampson Cays to do some shelling.

Beautiful wind caves along the beach on Bitter Guana Cay.

Friday the winds abated and it was time to move on but we didn't move far. We were headed for Blackpoint for all their amenities but we wanted to stop by Bitter Guana Cay for a night. Usually there are few if any boats anchored there so after the crowd in our anchorage for the squalls we wanted a night alone. We motored the short 5 miles between anchorages going out Big Rock Cut and in Lumber Cay Cut making the trip in about an hour. We had come in Big Rock Cut Tuesday but this was our first experience with Lumber Cay Cut and the charts made it look difficult but it turned out to be fairly straightforward.  Going through cuts in the right conditions make them very doable. I prefer high tide, a little opposing current, good visibility and the calmer the better.

The protected iguanas of Bitter Guana Cay.

We got to Bitter Guana and there was another boat in the anchorage but we anchored far away from them. Bitter Guana Cay is home to a rare protected species of Iguanas. We've been here before and they can be very aggressive expecting food from anyone coming ashore. Unfortunately, tourists come here from Staniel Cay and Blackpoint and they feed them so the iguanas expect it. Walking around through their habitat is very interesting watching them do things like climb up shear rock faces and seeing the little ones scampering about.

We walked across the island to a small cove that came in from the ocean with a little beach and waded in and snorkeled out to the reef. On our way there we met the folks on the catamaran that was anchored next to us. Lots of very interesting undersea life forms and fish in the breaking surf. As the tide was going out we didn't stay long because it would have made it difficult to swim back to the beach. With the small corals and many sea urchins we needed to be able to swim and not walk our way back.

The beautiful little cove with a small sand beach right at the front.

View looking on out to sea.

We climbed the cliffs by the anchorage to enjoy the beautiful views of this and the surrounding islands before we snorkeled the wall off the north side of the anchorage.  After we got back I went over to exchange boat cards with the folks on the catamaran and they invited us over for happy hour. After showering we went over to meet Brian and Kim and their daughter and son-in-law. We had a great time and hope to see them again around the islands.

The beach cave.

That iguana just climbed straight up the wall next to the cave.

View from the top of the cliff.

Looking southeast.

Looking south.

Saturday we will move over to Blackpoint to maybe do laundry, take on some water and meet up with some other friends that we haven't seen in a while. This is what cruising is all about. Enjoying great natural beauty and meeting wonderful people. This past week we reconnected with old friends and made several new ones. In Nassau we were busy doing the business side of cruising and out here I've worked on cleaning and more maintenance but seeing the stars at night and enjoying friends makes it all worth while. The challenges are a small price to pay for the wonderful times that can never be experienced sitting around on shore.

Two parts of Nassau and one part of the Exumas

We arrived in Nassau on the 27th of January to pick up 2 friends that were interested in experiencing what it's like to cruise. After spending a nice night anchored off Rose Island Beach we motored in to Nassau for a few nights while we prepared for our 10 day cruise. Friends Rod and Gina Thomas came for a visit to escape the cold Wyoming winter for a short time. Rod and I worked together a few years back.

Nassau is an interesting dichotomy for many reasons. Some cruisers despise it and refuse to come here while some of us think it's not so bad. Those who avoid it claim they do so for reasons of crime, violence and claim its a gritty town. The US State Department had even issued a travel warning a few years back. But, in my mind Nassau is about the same as any tropical third world city. Better than some and worse than some. It's not even as bad as cities in the US that folks like. Despite these shortcomings Nassau has much to offer. The affluent playground of Paradise Island is like Miami Beach with casinos. Nassau has fun restaurants, great stores and probably the best availability of marine supplies anywhere in the Bahamas. It's even fun to watch the cruise ship travelers be ferried about in an assortment of excursion boats. On any given day there are usually 4 cruise ships in the commercial port. Unfortunately, many of these travelers think that once they'e seen Nassau they've seen the Bahamas. But the Bahamas are so much more.

First order of business was to provision. Right across the street from the marina were we stay is probably one of the best stores in the Bahamas. Solomon's Fresh Market almost feels like Whole Foods when you walk in featuring lots of fresh produce, organic selections, large choice of cheeses, a deli and fresh bakery. So we loaded up on what we needed for the 10 days or so we would be on the boat in the Exumas.

Our first night out in the Exumas with Rod and Gina.

Sunset over Allen's Cay.

We left Monday with a nice tailwind. Surf was up so we opted not to go through the Yellow Bank shoal because the rough water makes it hard to see rocks and coral heads that would be crossed so we went a bit longer route bypassing the shoal and sailing on just the headsail. We could have used the spinnaker on such along run but about midway through we would need to jibe it and that's no fun so we went slower but more comfortably. With the sun winding down we opted to head into Allen's Cay instead of Shroud Cay for our first night since we had never been there. Allen's Cay has some very unique Iguanas and some very tame birds. After visiting the critters we headed to Shroud.

The beginning of our spinnaker run to Shroud Cay.

When we left Allen's Cay we were pretty far downwind so we decided to raise the spinnaker for the 18 or so mile sail. But, as we traveled the wind came up more to our beam so we pulled out the main and cranked in the spinnaker and really sailed well. Some other boats that were coming down from Nassau that we knew were hard on the wind and surprised to see us with a spinnaker up. Reaching with the spinnaker with the wind on the beam is really fun but tricky so I hand steered to turn off when the wind came up but otherwise keep the boat at a fairly constant wind angle. One of the folks on one of the boats commented that they were going to take a picture of us with the spinnaker up but they couldn't catch us.

Scenes from Warderick Wells.

The weather wasn't really nice while we visited Shroud Cay but was a little nicer when we visited Warderick Wells. From there we had a very nice sail into Big Majors Spot where we enjoyed snorkeling, our guests visited Pig Beach, we snorkeled "Thunderball Grotto" (so-called because it was used in the James Bond movie of the same name) and enjoyed the Superbowl Party at Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

At the Super Bowl party we met up with friends Bob and Kathy Lyon from Sea Lyon along with our friends Rod and Gina for dinner.

The beach on Cambridge Cay.

At this point it was time to turn and head back toward Nassau. First stop was Cambridge Cay where we snorkeled the Aquarium and plane wreck sites by Johnny Depp's island and walked across the island to a fabulous beach. Next day we had another fantastic spinnaker run up to Hawksbill Cay where shallow water kept us out of the main anchorage and we dropped the hook far from shore. Hawksbill has some fantastic beach scenery and some colonial ruins.

The beach on the Bahama Bank side of Hawksbill Cay.

The beach on the Exuma Sound side of Hawksbill Cay.

A mermaid and her dinghy on Hawksbill Cay.

The next day it was a motor back to Nassau to beat some heavy weather moving in but we had one more night to anchor and we returned to Rose Island and it's beautiful beach and reefs to snorkel. The reef there has some of the best coral I've seen in the Bahamas. After our last night it was back for our second part of Nassau.

Sunset from Rose Island Beach looking over Nassau.

Back in Nassau we said our goodbyes and moved on with preparing for our continual move south. While here we are stocking up on provisions and other items we need to get us at least to George Town and Jamaica. Time for maintenance and engine servicing. Our trip here happens to fall on our 22nd wedding anniversary so we are enjoying our last nights in civilization for a while and heading to the tropics.

Enjoying another late night dinner at the Green Parrot while listening to a local band playing tunes to a reggae beat.

After a busy day of errands and boat chores time to celebrate our anniversary at Lucianos of Chicago in Nassau.

Toasting 22 years.

Wind looks good for sailing back to the Exumas on Sunday as we now resume our trip south headed to the Caribbean after one more day in Nassau getting ready for departure.