Miami to Warderick Wells

Sent 3/18/2007 from Nassau, Bahamas

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We arrived in Nassau on St. Patrick's day, having departed Miami a week ago. This is the first chance we've had to send an update. Hopefully you all did receive a short note announcing our safe gulf stream crossing sent by Melaina. What follows is the ongoing saga of our adventures. Even though we are going to some of the same locations, innumerable events over which we have no control makes even the familiar seem new when colored by the changing lens of time.

Having straightened up the cabin after our gulf stream crossing, I started an update while the Captain got us squared away with Bahamian Customs since I'm not legally permitted to leave the boat until the formalities are dealt with. The taxi driver was prompt this time and the immigration officer got to see our real documentation paper rather than the "bad copy" Leonard took last year, so entering the Bahamas was quick.

We spent a quiet night anchored off Fisher's Island and enjoyed the Miami skyline at night before the planned pre dawn departure. We'd have taken some pictures, but even with a tripod (it's at home anyway) the boat was bobbing too much for the length of exposure time needed. We were treated to a display of fireworks from Marine Stadium in the next bay south.

Once again our early start was foiled. The anchor simply didn't want to be retrieved. Not a good sign. We could barely take in the line, to say nothing of the 60 feet of chain on the anchor. It was reminiscent of the wee hour fire drill we had years ago at Newport, RI, when we pulled an old outboard motor up with the anchor, but we didn't have kids on board to help this time. Eventually we circled around the anchor jockeying between reverse and forward to get enough slack and got the chain on the windlass and were able to take it in without damaging the windlass. When it came up, it came up clean! The land formation here has old coral rocks, and we must have wound the chain around one when the tide switched.

After we cleared the Miami entrance channel we had a nice sailing wind, so we shut down the engine and hoped the N part of the NE winds wouldn't kick up too much when we got to the Gulf Stream and give us a rough crossing. Leonard had taken a Dramamine just in case, but for whatever reason, it didn't help. Other than helping get some reefs in the main, he spent the much of the crossing down below, asleep.

Actually, it was great sailing, with the winds enough abeam to give us a reach. The winds were higher than forecast, hanging around 20 kts, rather than the 10 forecast for the morning. The gulf stream seas were about 5', and we got plenty of salt spray. There was very little traffic, 2 freighters crossing our path, one big sport fisherman and another sailboat both heading west.

We were about 15 NM west of Bimini when Leonard came out to check on things. While I was trying to get breakfast I felt a thump, and when I looked out he told me the jib furling line had broke, releasing the partially reefed jib. Luckily the wind wasn't too strong since at this point there was no easy way to furl the jib. It was frustrating since we had just replaced that line before leaving Fernandina Beach.

I suggested we eat and think of all our options since we had sea room and the boat was doing fine. Option 1, drop the jib on the deck, but that would be difficult with the wind conditions and the sail under load. Option 2, sail in lots of little circles to attempt to wrap the jib and secure it, somewhat far fetched given the seas and wind and doing circles might make Leonard feel sicker. Option 3, try to hand furl it up by the drum, lots of wet work with that one. Option 4, tie a knot in the parted furling line and try to wrap it on top of the drum since the knot wouldn't fit through the pulleys or drum and use the shortened line to roll it in.

In a bit of a lull we managed option 4 and chose to motor sail with just the main the remaining 6 or so miles. It helped that we were out of the gulf stream and the waves were smaller. Even with the delays and the time change, we arrived off South Bimini about 1300. It took some time to raise the marina on the VHF, but there wasn't a problem since the marina was virtually empty. We tied up next to a sailboat that was waiting for a weather window that had no N winds in the forecast.

Marina at Bimini Sands Resort

Once we were officially entered into the Bahamas we moved the boat to a dock that had water to rinse off some of the salt. We also inspected the various lines aboard to replace the furling line, and chose to change ends and use the one we replaced at Wrightsville Beach last fall. We don't see anything that should have caused the new line to fail, but we'll keep an eye on it until we can get more line. This time I think I'll be able to convince Leonard to get the best line available.

It was mid afternoon on a Sunday so it made no sense to ferry over to North Bimini since everything would be closed. We chatted a bit with the man from the other sailboat. They arrived in the Bahamas on New Years Day and spent the winter in the Exumas, only going as far south as Staniel Cay. He indicated there are now moorings in several of the places we'd anchored last year that are part of Exuma Park at Wardrick Wells. They were surprised at the number of boats in the Exumas, and chose to explore the Berry Islands east of Bimini where they had anchorages to themselves.

He had been the park supervisor at Ft. Lauderdale and had quit at least partially because of staffing problems. This was their first trip here, having cruised the Keys for years. They sail in the winter, hauling the boat at Indiantown by Lake Okocheebee for the hurricane season and go home to Colorado for the summer.

We debated staying a second night at the marina, but other than going to Alice Town on North Bimini, there isn't much to see or do. The resort attached to the marina has new buildings under construction, but not all the finished ones have been completed inside. Supposedly all the units are sold and people have been waiting since the late 90's to get access. I guess that's really being on island time.

Alicetown on North Bimini

With increasing easterly winds forecast for the rest of the week, we decided to bite the bullet and bash our way in the easterly winds and across the banks. We had a great sail south before entering the banks at Cat Cay, but paid for that pleasure with 2 days of going dead to windward cross to Chub Cay or head north a bit to the Berry Islands. I had buttoned up the cabin, but Leonard decided to open the forward hatch open since it's somewhat protected under the dinghy. While digging the computer out, I came across a foil survival blanket and deployed it over our bunk. One of my better ideas, as we took a big wave that had me wiping up salt water which had drenched the forward cabin. The bunk was dry, but I'll have to do laundry to get the salt out of Leonard's jeans and heavy shirt that didn't fare so well.

Cat Cay lighthouse at the entrance to the Great Bahama Bank

Leonard finally decided to unfurl the jib and fall off a bit so we could sail. While it was nice to be sailing, it became obvious that our windward progress would not be enhanced by this move. The banks, while less than 20 feet deep in most places, don't allow the big seas to form, but they do set up a rather nasty chop, and the short bigger waves would just about stop us cold, so we eventually resorted to starting the engine and motor sailing. This crossing was a lot more work than last year, when I'd cleaned the topside stainless, with the bow getting buried in some of the waves.

View from the cockpit crossing the Bahama Bank

Detail of windspeed and direction

We finally opted to drop the hook around 2100 when it began to rain. It was dark and we were both tired, and it looked like we'd have anything but a peaceful night given the size of the waves. It was nice to get some of the salt spray washed off the boat by the showers. A glow on the horizon had to be another boat that had also anchored since the chart didn't show any light in the immediate area, since we hadn't managed to reach Russell Light.

Checking things out after dinner we found leaks over the forward bunk. This was unwelcome news since we've never had a problem there in the past. It was too rough for Leonard to even think of sleeping up front, so I found a dry spot up front while he crawled into the aft cabin. It was not a restful night. We'd thought perhaps the wind would die after dark, and it appeared it might once the shower passed, but piped up a few notches instead. It took a long time to fall asleep up front, counting the big waves that seemed to come in droves, rather than every 7th wave.

Sunrise on the Banks - note fishing boat on the horizon

We were up bright and early and continued on our way with the same conditions of the day before. It was like riding a hobby horse, lots of up and down and not as much forward motion as we wanted. We decided to head north to the Berry Islands having skipped them last year. The boat that we'd seen the night before was a fishing vessel accompanied by several smaller boats. He was still anchored as we headed past, but the little boats went off in different directions. Other than that we saw very little other boat traffic. We were passed by a catamaran also heading for the Berry Islands, motor sailing like us.

What Leonard thought was land turned out to be a cruise ship anchored off one of the Stirrup Cays which is a day destination of a couple of cruise ship lines. Eventually we saw Great Harbor Cay, our intended destination for the night and dropped anchor off the town with a fleet of fishing vessels, each with attendant runabouts, and another sail boat.

Fishing boats at Great Harbor

Once we got the anchor set, Leonard called me back on deck. Our anchor locker is divided and has an overboard drain on the starboard side with a limber hole in the between the sides on the port side. The port side was filled with water that was definitely not draining as designed. All anchor line and chain was piled atop the dinghy, but still the port side was filled with water. It took a while to clear the limber hole which had gotten blocked by zebra mussels from the lake and general gunk from everywhere else. Once cleared, it drained as intended. We don't know when it got blocked since it was dark when we left Miami and we had difficulty retrieving the anchor. It was just as dark when Leonard dropped the hook in the middle of the banks, and he didn't notice it the next morning either as we headed out, and we hadn't opened the anchor locker at Bimini.

The next day was spent cleaning the cabin, monitoring the 'fridge temperature which has been acting up, and regrouping from 2 days of going to windward. We got 2 thermometers that measure indoor/outdoor temperatures, one wireless and one not. We've been using the wireless one to monitor the 'fridge, but the readings are all over the place from 32 - 45 degrees. Part of that is depending on where the sensor is, and if it is upright and has airflow around it. I wasn't concerned until I noticed the freezer compartment hadn't been building up frost or keeping things frozen hard. Leonard hooked up the other monitor with the sensor on the freezer and is confounded by the readings which swing between 4 and 29 degrees from when the compressor starts and the next cycle begins about 10 minutes later. I didn't want him to take the switch apart until we have access to another one, possibly in Nassau, in case it really broke.

In the late afternoon we launched the dinghy and went exploring. There is a marina that is accessed through a cut and it was much easier looking for it from the dinghy. Unfortunately neither the marina or the government dock in town have dinghy docks, and since it was low tide, the fixed docks at the marina were too high for me to get out of the dinghy. Leonard managed to climb out while I held the dinghy in place, but no one was around.

We talked to a sailor from a multihull who anchored after we did, who had used this as a port of entry in the past. Weather wise the marina is very secure and the rates are low as compared to stateside, and it would offer the chance to explore the area and wash our salty clothes. We decided to go to the marina the next morning and after doing some exploring, see what the latest forecasts predicted. It was less than a mile to the beach which also gave us the shore side view of another possible anchorage.

The easterly winds that had been forecast to calm down didn't. With an approaching cold front due to arrive by the weekend, the winds only shifted slightly to the SE and continued in the 15-20 knot range. This is not what we want, since that's dead to windward for us, and with the easterly winds blowing since Monday, the seas on the Atlantic have built. The problem is to get east of the Berry Islands before the cold front arrives this weekend, but after the swells die down. The banks here are too shallow for us to negotiate, so we need to get around the north end of the island chain and then find a place to duck back in that will offer shelter.

On Thursday morning, we pulled anchor and went to the marina. A big green hulled boat, a 51 foot steel vessel called Charlotte, that had dropped anchor behind us on Wednesday night, followed us after having checked out the marina from their dinghy. Upon seeing our hailing port, the woman said she'd gone to medical school at UVM, so once again there was the Vermont connection. Talking with her later while dealing with laundry, it turned out her husband had worked at Shore Sails when they had been on Pine Street. They had just gotten the boat in Ft. Lauderdale and plan on cruising for a few years once they get the usual list of improvements done and details with their jobs settled. The have a friend along and a 5 year old son who named their dinghy Charlotte's Web (the autopilot got dubbed Wilber). Currently they were doing a short shakedown trial cruise for a week to the Berry Islands before going back home to Seattle. Later this spring they'll take the boat to Newport to work on it before heading out.

Atlantic beach at Great Harbor in the Berry Islands

Leonard and I headed for the Atlantic shore for a walk on the beach. The island isn't very wide, about 3/4ths of a mile, so it was an easy hike. When we reached the shore, it was a beautiful curving beach and we headed out toward the point. The tide was coming in, so although there were sand bars barely awash almost out to the furthest cay, we stopped when it looked like it would be over knee deep. This would also be an anchorage providing the winds weren't from the east, but to reach it would require a sail of about 18 miles around the end of the island.

The settlement is about 1 1/2 miles in a different direction, but having seen it from the dinghy it didn't look like it had much to offer. The area around the marina and by the beach is in the process of development. There were a series of condos that looked like they might have been built 10 years ago. More cuts through the land have been added since our charts, with deep water channels that will offer docks space for new development.. Those docks would offer excellent protection, almost like a hurricane hole. Other than development, the local employment prospects are working for the cruise lines at the 2 cays to the north that are cruise ship destinations and fishing. Several landing craft type vessels that belonged to the cruise lines were tied up to docks in the protected area not far from the marina. There was also a glass bottom boat and several parasailing boats at the marina. As in many of the islands, women also bake and sell bread.

The fishing vessels, 4 of which were anchored off the settlement, were of the type that had anchored by us on the bank. Each one had a string of little boats, like ducks in a row, strung out behind it. It would appear everyone lives aboard the bigger vessel and uses the little ones to fish. One local fisherman came by with conch and lobster for sale, but since the 'fridge wasn't behaving, I declined since I still had a freezer full of food. With the strong east winds most of the boats just remained anchored. When we headed in to the marina, one of them headed out to the banks.

Fishing boats at Great Harbor

We were one of 4 sailboats at the marina, and as it turned out, we all left on Friday morning when the strong east winds let up. Three of us were headed around the north end of the island and heading south. The 30 second weather forecast still predicted a cold front to arrive sometime Friday night or Saturday, and the winds had switched in advance of it to the south. The folks on the green boat, Charlotte, planned on heading for the same anchorage as us, and the big catamaran planned to stop a bit further north.

We had a great sail north and around the end of the island before putting some reefs in the main and heading into the south winds. We soon rolled in the jib and resorted to mostly motoring, with just a hint of boost from the main, bashing our way into the waves. This was not our idea of cruising, but we didn't really want to spend another day at Great Harbor and wanted to find a snug anchorage while the front passed. We left ahead of Charlotte, but figured with their longer water line, they'd catch us before we reached the anchorage. They did, just as we turned in, and followed us.

Boat anchored in the official anchorage at Little Harbor

The guide books say there is a well protected area off the settlement that can be reached at high tide, and there were a number of boats already at anchor. However, when we tried to find the channel, there wasn't enough water for us to cross the bar. Having slid to a stop on the sand with both the wind and the tide pushing us, we managed to back slowly out. The sun was too low to try to read the depths, and given the one stop, we weren't too anxious to try again. There was a small pocket of deeper water depicted as an anchorage on the chart between 2 cays that would provide some protection from the west, so we tried anchoring there. We were glad to have the hook catch on the second try. There wasn't a lot of room, not as much as appeared on the chart. It got shallow to the west of us very quickly, the little cay to the east wasn't very far away, and we weren't all that far from where we'd touched to the north. Given the lack of protection from the southerly winds we'd had all day it looked to be a repeat of the sleep deprived night on the bank with the added complication of current which held us sideways to the waves.

Charlotte, who'd been right behind us as we grounded, backed out ahead of us, looked at the situation and decided to go west of the cay to try anchoring at a spot shown as a possible anchorage. They eventually moved about a mile to the south to a spot that looked to have better water, but no real protection once the front arrived and the wind switched to the W or NW.

When we looked out after dinner, Orion was busy chasing Pliedes across the heavens above us. However, to the north there were frequent flashes of lightening on the horizon. We watched them for a while, then Leonard fell asleep below. After watching the slow progress toward us, I figured it would likely arrive at 0200, a nice convenient dark time of the night, and went below to try and sleep, knowing I'd likely be getting up hourly to check on things.

Most of the time I like it when I'm right, but not this time. 0200 came with some bright flashes and low rumbles, so we got our foul weather gear on and watched. The wind switched, but didn't blow as hard as it had been all day, the sheets of lightening marched on eastward and left us with rain. Given the amount of salt we'd accumulated during the sail south, this wasn't unwelcome, we were glad to go through a couple of nature's wash and rinse cycles to help wash the salty decks.

About 0330 we crawled back into the bunk hoping for the winds to remain light and a few hours of sleep. We hadn't set a second anchor before the storm since we weren't sure where to position it. Usually we sleep better in these situations with the knowledge of another hook down, just in case, but given the added factor of current and the pitch black conditions it still wasn't obvious where to drop it to do some good. Actually the only thing visible, other than the anchor lights on the boats north of us and on a building in the settlement, was the reflection of our anchor light on the sun bleached coral rock not far behind us.

The little cay behind the boat after we reset the anchor

At 0700 I woke to the faint sound of beeping - the gps anchor alarm. I muttered "gps alarm" at Leonard who rocketed from the bunk to the companionway and said we have to move NOW! By the time I got out he had the engine on and in gear with orders to motor slowly forward. It looked like we could have stepped off the stern to the cay. After the second attempt the anchor caught and we stopped to breathe. We'd moved a bit more into the lee of the cay and out of the stronger wind. We also knew we'd anchored on a downward slope so while the situation was vastly improved, we weren't necessarily out of the woods. Although the bow had been in plenty of water, Leonard said he thought the back edge of the rudder had just made contact with the sand off the rocks as he put the gear shift in forward. Close calls like this isn't the way we like to start our days.

I fixed breakfast while we pondered alternatives. Not feeling comfortable spending another night at Little Harbor, we headed for Nassau. It would put us in town for a Sunday making running errands difficult as almost everything is closed, except grocery stores which close at noon, but it beat the alternative.

It turned into a fast sail. With the jib poled out and running, the seas, which built as we got into deeper water and as the day went on, were fun, especially since we didn't have to meet them head on, we just rocked and rolled. We averaged over 6 1/2 knots for the 34 nm trip. No one else was out there. We heard some of the locals on the VHF as we got closer to Nassau saying it was way too rough out there. We waited until we got some protection from the breakwater before we rolled in the sail.

Light house at Nassau harbor entrance

We received permission to enter the harbor from harbor control and even found a spot at a marina on the first try. We both agreed we'd sleep better not worrying about the current, poor holding and other boats anchored in the harbor, especially since the wind was still into the 20's. Leonard managed a fairly graceful docking considering we had both the wind and current pushing us forward as we docked. Not so a small catamaran that attempted to back into a slip 2 up from us who clipped the stern of the boat next to us and got pinned on the pilings. One engine wouldn't reverse and he got a lot of assistance from everyone around.

When we checked in we learned we had no choice regarding the water fee, (it, along with power, which we didn't need, are add-ons to the per foot charge) so we took advantage to give Antares a more thorough wash to remove the leftover salt. We also checked and didn't find a "hot spot" to access email, but Starbucks has arrived in the Bahamas and gives time with a purchase, so once I get this done, we can send it and get weather updates.

Sundown was accompanied by a bagpipe/rap duo. I would have preferred a bagpipe solo. Being a Saturday night, live music was amp'd from the party boats docked just behind us and Potter's Cay just west of us. Hopefully it won't keep us awake since it has the appearance of continuing until the wee hours of the morning.

We planned to depart Nassau by noon on Monday (checkout time at the marina) after attending to all our errands in town. Since everything is closed Sunday afternoon we'd play tourist and revisit some of the places we enjoyed last year, but with a camera this time. Hopefully some of the 7 cruise ships we passed as we came in will have departed.

Sunday Morning at Starbucks Cafe: Didn't Send - Get no response from the internet after connecting to the router.

Our breakfast at Nassau's Starbucks (there are 2, new since last year) didn't provide the promised connection to the internet, nor did the two subsequent visits in the afternoon. Theoretically you receive an hour of connection time after buying something, but the other cruisers with laptops weren't having any success either. This exercise was a reminder that things happen on island time down here so there's little to be gained by getting frustrated.

On our final pass through Starbucks we met a single hander who was also hoping to connect. He told us the latest weather report from Chris Parker, a forecaster who does special weather reporting for cruisers, was for more strong easterly winds starting Monday and continuing through the week. Not especially welcome news. We'd need to finish up loose ends early in the morning so we could get out of Dodge before the winds piped up, or stay until they calmed down.

While Leonard had spent time trying to connect at Starbucks after breakfast, I made a pass through the grocery store taking a bite out of the necessary provisioning list. There was little difference than at home on a Sunday, the store was packed, and as usual the shortest line was the slowest.

After taking everything back to the boat, we headed for one of our favorite places in Nassau, the rum cake bakery. I was surprised to find it open, but apparently it's close enough to the cruise ship docks that they do a landslide business whenever they're open. We stocked up on goodies before heading to the Hagen Daz store down the street. Next in the agenda was the hike up to Fort Fincastle. We tried to walk through the Government House, but were denied entrance this year. I don't know it was because it was a Sunday, or if they're on high alert.

Government House in Nassau

We climbed the 66 Queen's Steps up to the fort and eavesdropped in on one of the tour guides taking cruise ship folks around. It's amazing, it isn't far from the cruise ship docks, but those folks arrive via taxi, and get picked up by the locals waiting to act as guides. As we stood atop the fort could hear parade music, mostly tubas and brass, wafting up from town. When we asked about it, were told it was a church parade.

Queen's Steps to Fort Fincastle

Not wanting to miss some local color, we hiked back to Bay Street and were treated with a parade of local church bands. Each church was represented by a band and contingent of church folk and the clergy, most having a great time swinging to the music. It was a great people watching opportunity, so Leonard took a couple of short movies as the parade went past.

Church groups parade in Nassau

On the way back to the boat, we made a pass through Potter's Cay. It's like a very small Haymarket in Boston. While I got some sapodillas (native fruit), Leonard bought some conch fritters for a late lunch snack before we headed back to Starbucks for another attempt to connect up with the world at large.

View of local boat docks on Potters Cay with boats at anchor and cruise ships

Paradise Island "Nassau post card view" part of Atlantis Casino on the left

By evening, we'd walked through most of the the waterfront area and our feet were tired. By happenstance we went upstairs at the marina to see if there was a place to eat up there and instead discovered a place we could make an internet connecion.. The weather information we got confirmed what our fellow cruiser had said - the winds would switch to the ENE then E and blow for the foreseeable future. We'd been hoping we'd have one more day before they switched so we could finish our errands at a more leisurely pace on Monday.

Sent 3/26/2007 from Exuma Park at Warderick Wells

Having had our fill of windward sailing and not wanting to spend a lot of time in Nassau, we rolled out of bed bright and early so we'd be at the stores when they opened. We'd do without anything not readily available so we could get underway. With high tide around 0800, we didn't want to wait for the current to get running full bore since it would be tricky enough to get off the dock with the wind, let alone the added complication of backing out of the slip with the current. With the help of a dock hand we managed a graceful exit, thankful once again for the few extra horses, a 3 bladed prop and a boat that will back straight.

Our friendly dock hand also met us at the fuel dock so we could top off our tank before departing. Departing the fuel dock was relatively easy compared to the slip, it just needed a lot of pushing on my part to get the bow out. Having cleared out with Nassau harbor control, we headed east and joined with a few other hardy folks hoping to get the last 30 miles of easting before the winds really settled in for the week.

We set a double reef in the main and let out a bit of jib for a wet wild sail across the Yellow Bank heading for Allan's Cays. We were able to see the coral heads that are scattered over the Bank, which appear as black spots on the water, and go around them. It's interesting, as clouds pass, dark areas appear on the water, but they move and aren't as dark as the coral heads which remain stationary.

We arrived off Allan Cays around 1630 and decided to anchor in the lee of the island rather than work our way inside and deal with currents and the other boats already at anchor. We found a little bight and worked our way close to shore trying to get out of the swell that was wrapping around the island. We were thoroughly salt covered again and too tired to mind the rocking and rolling in the waves. Sometime during the night we got the rain that had been in the forecast, although we didn't hear it over the noise of the wind. Luckily Leonard had closed most of the ports and hatches when he came to bed. It was nice to find the decks mostly salt free again.

It continued to rain off and on all the next morning, completing several wash and rinse cycles while we sat below. Around 1400 we decided to check if it was any less rolly in the anchorage between the cays. This would also make for a dryer, shorter dinghy ride to go ashore. The waves weren't wrapping around between the cays as much as outside, but when the current ran, it would be enough to put us sideways to the waves in spite of the 20 plus knot winds.

A windy day on the Sound looking out from Allans Cays

The next morning we launched the dinghy and headed ashore for a walk. I'd brought along the compost from the fruit and veggies as a treat for the rock iguanas that live on Leaf Cay. This is the place where the iguanas come running down the beach whenever a dinghy lands. Tour boats from the cruise ships make trips here so folks can see the iguanas, however other than the boat that arrived shortly after we anchored outside, none have come. I guess it's too windy to make an enjoyable trip for the cruise ship folks.

Rather than land at the "iguana beach", we went to a sandy strip to the south and headed for the Exuma Sound side of the island. It was too windy to snorkel at the spot we'd liked last year. The whole sound was a wash of whitecaps and waves breaking on the shore. We found the path up to the ruins on the north end of the island, and after exploring them, some hungry iguanas found us. Along with notations not to feed them, the guide books warn that they can't differentiate between the food and the hand that feeds them. Leonard found out the hard way when one got his finger along with a scrap.

Rock Iguana on Leaf Cay

The biggest iguana wasn't interested in sharing with any of the others. We did get one picture when he had his back turned and a smaller iguana made off with an orange peel. Although they are vegetarians, they were not beyond snatching the flies that buzzed around their heads.

Not finding the path to the iguana beach, we walked back the way we'd come. Deciding it wasn't worth snorkeling along the beach, we dinghied out the cut to the banks and dropped anchor out of the wind to try there. We did see some fish, sponges and corals. As Leonard said, it was a practice snorkel. We need for the winds to die back before we can check out reefs we'd enjoyed last year.

As we were eating lunch another sail boat arrived in the harbor and dropped anchor. When I looked over I noticed his fore stay bouncing back and forth, not a normal motion. Somehow they'd snagged the jib sheet in the prop and broke the sheet. We watched as first the woman spent time diving off the stern, and then the man. In the evening they called us on the VHF telling us they'd sheared the pin in their prop and asked if we'd keep our radio on over night in case they had problems since they were unable to use the engine. A reminder to keep lines aboard, not necessarily all that easy given the current sailing conditions with winds continually in the 20's and waves washing down the decks on a regular basis.

They didn't call us, but the boat that anchored between us woke us up around 0400 with a 1000 watt spot light aimed alternately at us and the shore. When the wind died back it was just enough to let them swing in the current, bringing them closer to us than they liked. These folks were from Jersey, as in the Channel Islands, and by the courtesy flags they had on the spreaders one would have thought they'd have had some experience using 2 anchors in tight quarters with current. Apparently not since he seemed to use a 10 degree spread rather than the 90 degree that Leonard tries to get.

We dinghied over to South West Allan Cay in the morning and were met on the beach by a hungry contingent of rock iguanas. Since I was trying to be good I'd left the scraps on the boat so they were disappointed. It's a short walk across the cay to the Bank side that gave us a view of what to expect when we departed - lots of whitecaps.

Getting back on board the tour boat at Leaf Cay

As we went back to the boat one of the adventure boats landed on Leaf Cay and we watched as the tourists waded to shore to be greeted by the hoard of hungry iguanas. They didn't stay long, and were climbing back aboard by the time we were ready to leave. As they were departing a small powerboat from the marina on Highbourne Cay, the next cay south, arrived in the harbor and picked up some supplies from the tour boat.

We departed for Shroud Cay which is actually a number of small cays that ring a mangrove swamp with a series of creeks. The guide books warn of bugs, but given the high winds that didn't seem to be a likely problem. It appeared the Exuma Park had placed new moorings in the area, but not knowing what the protocol was, we anchored with a handful of other boats.

One of creeks at Shroud Cay

In the morning we went exploring with the dinghy. The guide books mention a place called Camp Driftwood that is on the Sound side of the cay. It can be reached by 2 routes via the creeks. Our first stop was on a beach. We tethered the dingy at the edge of the swamp and walked out to the beach. We thought perhaps we would be able to get to the camp along the beach, but the sand ended at an overgrown rocky hill that looked impassable.

View from Camp Driftwood

By taking a different creek, we did find the camp. Local lore has it that this is the site where a local lived for a number of years, constructing furniture from driftwood and making stairs with rocks and sand from the beach. The building is gone now, but the short hike up was rewarded with a great view. The park discourages leaving mementos of any kind now.

This time of year features tropic birds performing spring mating flights just offshore. They are a beautiful white bird with a very long tail and a few black markings (they are actually related to pelicans). Unfortunately they are very hard to photograph since our camera has problems focusing on them in the sky. The bottom of their wings reflected the color of the sea as they flew overhead. There is a rookery on Elbow Cay where we spent a night last year.

On the way back to the boat we stopped at several spots to snorkel. It was a bit windy, but we did get to see more fish. Back at the anchorage the number of boats seemed to have grown exponentially. Apparently Shroud is a popular anchorage. There was one interesting large power boat anchored near us. The front part looked like a wonderful, classic Chris Craft with interesting lines. However the stern portion had much more modern lines and together they gave the impression of a fast boat that had run over and almost swallowed a classic boat.

Meanwhile the winds continue to blow at a steady 15 - 25 knots from the N through the E with rain squalls delivering free deck washes on a daily basis. Listening to the weather reports we can get and to others on the radio who get Chris Parker's forecasts, there doesn't appear to be an end to this forecast. Something about a high pressure ridge over the mid Atlantic with upper level disturbances over the Bahamas all of which results in windy days and nights with storm cells dousing some places while missing others. The latest word is perhaps a change by mid week, but then again that's what they've been saying for weeks. Sure glad we left Nassau when we did, or we'd likely still be there.

Since we have this repetitive forecast we are slowly working our way south in the lee of the islands. This gives us the chance to stop at places we missed last year and do more exploring. After consulting the guidebooks we did a short hop from Shroud Cay to Hawksbill Cay which gave us a nice, albeit short, sail and a new place to explore. The anchorage at Hawksbill also had less wrap around surge and fewer boats anchored..

There was a Loyalist settlement on Hawksbill from 1785 until 1900 with the remains of buildings still standing. Loyalist here refers to those who sided with England during the Revolutionary War. A number of them settled in the Bahamas rather than remain in the states, and in some areas the Loyalists descendants are the founding fathers here. Most started or tried to run plantations. I wonder what Leonard's Dad would say about the land here since he thought Vermont was too rocky to farm. You look long and hard here to find anything but rocks!

It is a fairly long cay and the directions for finding the trail to the settlement read along the lines of "around the corner from the middle beach". After checking out the short creek that is passable at high tide, we headed toward what we thought was the middle beach. I wanted a walk on the beach, so we beached the dinghy and headed north, walking until it became apparent that "around the corner" meant along an impassable headland at the end of the beach.

Beach on the bank side of Hawksbill Cay

Also at the end of the beach was what looked like a camp site with a group of kyackers. Thinking it might be one of the tours led by the folks we met last year with the sailing kayaks, we went to check. As we walked the dinghy from the other boat where we'd anchored came ashore, also looking for the trail to the settlement. As we were talking, one of the kyackers came to talk with us. He had no idea where the trail was, but did have an interesting tale.

These were not the folks we'd met last year doing tours, but a group of German men who had left Georgetown about the time the cold front passed through. They flipped a kayak (by his gestures it was more end over end than a roll) on the first day in a big following sea, drenching everything about a kilometer from the shore. His English wasn't great, so it was a bit unclear what all their trip entailed. They had to have had head winds the whole trip, and although they can cut through the shallows and more protected areas, they still had to cross a number of cuts into the Exuma Sound and deal with strong currents and big waves. They were planning on reaching Norman Cay (2 north) by the 27th when they have flights arranged. I suspect they've had quite an adventure. When last we saw them, they were skinny dipping with their clothes hung to dry on shore.

We headed back to our dinghy while the other couple went to check out where the settlement trail was. It was a much longer walk than we anticipated by the time we got back to the dinghy and not all of it on a sandy beach. We met the other folks and they reported the trail was around the bend, but there really wasn't much to see, mostly mosquitos. We took a short hike up the hill anyway, but didn't spend a lot of time trying to locate all 10 of the buildings or the beehive ovens since the whole area was overgrown. We still wanted to do some snorkeling and check out the area south of the boat before we called it a day.

Our next stop will be at Warderick Wells, the Exuma Park headquarters, where we've arranged for a mooring for the night. Hopefully we'll be able to send this note from there and do some checking on the weather web sites. They did have a hookup available last year although no public phone.

P.S. After a rather interesting sail highlighted by high winds, squalls and a wave or two that found their way under the dodger and down below, we arrived at the mooring area at the park headquarters. We were assigned the same mooring as we had last year, so at least we knew where we were going. The north mooring field is a loop, spaced around a series of sand bars and reefs, and looks a bit harrowing the first time you see it, as the route looks dubious at best. It's not difficult once you've done it, and last year's conditions weren't quite as windy.

Boats at the Warderick Wells north mooring field (note dark blue channel)

We'd hoped to arrive before the office closed at 1200 (Sunday hours), which looked doable until we took in the factor that we'd have to do about 3 miles dead into the wind and current. We'd been scooting along over 7 knots with a partial jib, reaching in winds approaching 30 knots, until we had to make the easterly turn. Once we reached the anchorage we made an almost graceful mooring pickup. It isn't easy to pick up a mooring line that's line is larger than the working end of the boat hook while negotiating a hefty current, 25 knots of wind, somewhat limited maneuvering room and the usual "dockside" onlookers. The other day we overheard someone on the VHF mention that someone in the mooring field might want to go assist the folks trying to pick up their mooring since they'd dropped the boat hook overboard. By that comparison we looked like old pros, getting it done on the first pass.

Since we arrived too late to sign in at the office and get set up with a connection, we spent some time getting things squared away on board again. Sometimes I think it's a daily task to wipe down the interior with Murphy's oil soap to remove the saltwater that's found its way into the cabin. The cockpit and decks were covered with salt spray again too, in spite of the heavy rain squall we had in the morning.

Friendly bananachit

After lunch we ventured ashore which got us covered with salt too. The winds have been fairly constant in the mid 20's, kicking up waves that douse us in the dinghy. At least we had on our bathing suits with everything else tucked into plastic bags. At the beach we were greeted by a flock of little birds, called bananachits that look a lot like yellow throated warblers, looking for handouts. They were very tame and followed us up to the headquarters building and back to the beach.

Boat names atop Boo Boo Hill

We hiked up to BooBoo Hill and the blow holes on the cliffs. The waves and wind were such that the spray from the waves hitting the shore blew in a fine mist across the island toward the anchorage. The clouds looked like rain most of the afternoon, but seemed to skirt on either side of us with nothing more than a few sprinkles. Given that we and the boat had a crust of salt, I wouldn't have minded a bit of a rinse. We intended to walk to the north end of the island, past the blow holes, but the trail there was off limits due the tropic bird rookery.

Looking north from the blow holes on Boo Boo Hill

We also hiked on the lee side of the island to check out the boats at the mooring field off Emerald Rock. I forgot how sharp the rocks are on the trails. We had come ashore in our beach shoes, but hiking boots would've been more appropriate. If the winds remain as strong as they've been, we'll probably spend another night on the mooring and do more hiking, but we'll take better footwear ashore with us.

An interesting "stick lizard" - nature mimicking nature

Tree growing in a sink hole that Leonard climbed down

ghostcrab

Ghost crab on the beach

We want to stop by the Seaquarium and Cambridge Cay again this year, but if the winds don't settle down we won't be able to snorkel there. I know, we shouldn't complain. The days have been in the 80's with nights in the low 70's, and the wind does make it more comfortable, and it certainly beats 40 below and shoveling snow. But since it's paradise, why not expect breezes instead of gales? The unrelenting winds also make us question how far we'll get before it's time to head north. With these conditions the crossing to Long and Cat Cays, or Eleuthera would be miserable, and getting through the cuts into the Abacos could be dangerous. At least there's been no mention of another cold front headed this way, so we can enjoy exploring places we skipped last year.

This year the wind generator is working. In fact it works so well that Leonard regularly shuts it off so it won't overcharge the new glass mat batteries. I've also noticed he's quick to shut it off if it looks like it's going to storm so the power transistors won't get blown again. It's nice having sufficient power without running the engine. I think we've used more gas in the outboard exploring places than we've used diesel since we've been able to sail since leaving the Berry Islands.

I inquired at the head quarters about the weather and learned it is unusual. Apparently it's been blowing out of the ENE since before we departed the states and the latest forecasts show no let up in wind speed through the foreseeable future.

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