March 23, 2006   From Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

I started writing this portion of the journey Friday, the 17th, while Leonard cleared customs at South Bimini.

We spent a quiet, albeit short, night in Miami by Fisher's Island getting a slightly different perspective of the Miami sky line by night. Fisher's Island is a "moted" community just past the entrance channel that is condominium covered, has a protected harbor and a private ferry to run the jet setters and their cars over to Miami Beach.  While not an all weather anchorage, it was great for the conditions and allowed us an extra hour's sleep in the morning as well as an earlier dinner the night before.

We got up at 3:00 and cleared the Miami entrance channel before 4:00. There was some big boat traffic, several cruise/casino ships and a freighter, and once clear of them Leonard took the watch. As we headed out, we heard a call on the VHF from a sailboat that had lost his engine.  He was a bit further south and east of our position, and since there was virtually no wind, drifting north with the Gulf Stream.  Later on, the TowBoatUS boat approached us to see if we were the boat that had called, and after talking to Leonard, called the other boat who flashed a light.  Leonard could see the light, now to the north, but not the boat.

We had raised the main after leaving the channel, but there wasn't enough wind to keep the sail full without flopping in the swell, so down it came and stayed as the wind was light all night.  At daylight we could see little cat's paws on the water mixed with bigger glassy swells, so it was an easy crossing for us even if we weren't able to sail. After breakfast I took over, and tried to keep the GPS arrow pointing ahead.  The GPS makes it simple to crab across the Gulf Stream and end up where you want to be without worrying about the effects of the current.

As I finished my coffee, I was startled by something flying past my hand.  I thought it was a butterfly, but when I looked down, I had a yellow warbler sitting on the rim of my mug!  I guess he didn't do coffee, as he flitted to the stern pulpit and looked at me.  I told him we were heading east, not north, but if he was headed that direction he was welcome to a ride.  Apparently not, as he soon went on his way.

Unfortunately we were sans camera, so I couldn't get his picture.  We'd taken the camera with us while touring Ft. Lauderdale with the Chupacks, and when Leonard tried use it, it wouldn't turn on.  What a bummer!  While not a super fancy camera, we had enjoyed using it and expected more than 2 years of use even with the rapidly changing technology.  We had sent it in to Minolta in December to repair the eye view feature which had stopped working in the fall.  We almost got a new camera then, but since the credit card extended warrantee covered the repair cost we had it repaired. 

About 10:30 I saw the islands appear on the horizon, about 10 miles away.  I also saw several big dark objects that were on the surface of the water behind us.  They didn't act like dolphins, but might have been sharks or small whales, I was too far away to tell, and after a minute or so, they disappeared under the water.

Our passage through the shoals was easy when a local freighter headed out through the cut showing us where the channel was.  We even spotted the range on shore that hadn't been obvious before.  The cut into the marina we were headed for was obscured by a dredge that was deepening the channel between North and South Bimini, but it was easy to see as we paralleled the beach.

We were surprised to find the docks almost empty when we pulled into Bimini Sands Marina since everything thing Leonard had read indicated finding space can be difficult.  After filling out the required paperwork for customs, Leonard went off in a taxi to the local airport to clear us. Only the captain is permitted ashore prior to clearance.

After lunch we checked out the marina.  It was a sport fishing mecca, with nice floating docks and a bunch of pink condos for sale or rent.  We walked the half mile to the ferry dock and hitched a ride on a boat to North Bimini with a few other tourists and some locals.  I don't think it was the official ferry, but it worked and the captain didn't want any money.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Alice Town, the main settlement on the islands.  The Bahamians were very friendly and greeted with a smile. The beach to the west side of the island was being filled in with sand from the dredge we'd seen, and bulldozers and a bucket scoop spread the sand on beach.  It looked like the beach might have eroded in a nor'easter, but when I talked to a local woman, I learned the problem was the supply ships running aground in the channel.  They needed a deeper channel as bigger supply ships with deeper drafts were starting to be used.

The boat for the week was at the dock unloading supplies, so town was bustling.  Vans and trucks hustled supplies to all the stores.  We met a man who sent us  down to the waterfront to watch the local boat builder at work. We found the shed and watched as two men cut long trim pieces on a saw. The builder showed us a beautiful runabout in his shop with nice lines, a shiny blue hull with mahogany and a local wood trim gleaming with varnish. A real piece of craftsmanship.  He was waiting for the buyer to come pick it up so we were fortunate to see the finished product.  He said it takes about 5 months to build one, and they cost $30,000 with about half that being materials.  When I asked how long he'd been making boats, he said he'd built them as a young man and had begun again after 30 years.

We checked out the local stores, but most were either waiting for the new shipment or busy unloading it.  I bought some homemade coconut bread, a fairly dense, white loaf of slightly sweet bread that would make great French toast.  I also got a lemon cake.  Most islands have women who bake and sell their wares, and these are quite good.  A fisherman offered us 12 conch for $20, but I needed to find something to use as a mallet to tenderize them (5-10 minutes of pounding with a heavy object) before I got any. 

We walked back to the dock to catch the ferry back.  This time the ride cost $2 a piece.  The boat was a better size for the cement quay. I could step on and off, on the trip over I was hoisted off by a local man! When we got on the ferry all the local folks were up front in the sunshine talking with the captain so we went to the back of the boat in the shade. A mistake as we were soon busy swatting no-seeums. Both of us got covered with bites.

We walked out to the waterfront at the marina to watch the dredge work and admire the catches of the day being cleaned on the docks.  One fellow was trying to catch fish at the dock.  In the clear water you could watch the fish take his bait and swim with it, but every time he tried to set the hook, the line and bait would fly in the air, but no fish. After making use of the swimming pool, we cleaned up had dinner and both fell asleep trying to read the guide books.

While I fixed dinner, Leonard tried in vain to use the local phone to let folks know we'd crossed over safely, but none of the phones worked. On his last attempt, another man convinced the guard to let them use the marina phone to make a short call.  I think Leonard's was under a minute, but at least the Coast Guard won't be looking for overdue boats. We expected a charge on the bill, but it wasn't there.  Having functioning phones at ports of entry would seem to be a must but, then again, we're in the islands.

In the morning we headed south about 8 miles to enter the Great Bahama Bank between Gun and Cat Cays.  The Bank is like a huge swimming pool, aqua blue and shallow.  We spent the night off the beaten path with no land in sight.  The other choice was to run overnight, but the winds were light enough to make anchoring possible, and sailing at night is strongly not recommended since  navigational aids frequently don't work, and the locals do run at night, usually without lights.  The wind hadn't been quite strong enough to move us unless we wanted to spend 2 nights on the Bank, so we went from motor sailing to just plain motoring. 

Continued Wednesday  3/22/06

The wind gods were kind to us and our night anchored at "Nowhere" was peaceful.  We snorkeled a bit after anchoring, but didn't see many fish, as the light was going since we didn't anchor until 6 PM.  Once it got dark, we could see three lights around the horizon that must have been navigational aids.  With no city lights casting a loom in the sky, it was just like being on the ocean with a myriad of stars filling the sky. Even knowing they were there, the lights we'd seen weren't visible in the morning as we pulled the anchor.

Originally  Leonard had planned on taking the northern deep water route which would have taken us to Great Harbor rather than go across the Bank.  As we approached Chub Cay in the Berry Islands, he realized the marina he had planned on taking on fuel at wasn't going to be where we were. Fortunately we weren't in need of fuel.  Any marina became a moot point, since the one at Chub Cay was closed and being renovated, so we anchored with a fleet of other boats by the cay for the night.  A local approached us selling lobster as we were trying to anchor, but I had trouble understanding the price and also realized I wasn't sure they'd fit into the pressure cooker, my largest pot.

The weather forecast (the local ones, about 30 seconds worth, are given twice a day and cover maybe 24 hours) was for a wind switch to the SE and then S, and increase the next day, so we got started at first light since we needed to go SE for 25 miles to reach Nassau.  We did set sail, but after making several tacks we still had a long way to go with the wind on the nose, so we resorted to motor sailing.  This part of the trip took us across a deep channel known as the Tongue of the Ocean that's between the Berry Islands and Providence Island.

We'd read that Lyford Cay Marina on the west side of Providence Island was a better choice for folks heading south than Nassau Harbor which is busy and has strong currents. It also had a nice straight deep channel heading into a protected area, and after many attempts to raise the dock master on the VHF, we finally went in to get fuel and spend the night.  While we were at the fuel dock a huge yacht departed, we were about the size of his dinghy.

Leonard must have been tired since he asked for a slip for the night without inquiring about the cost.  There were plenty of empty slips which surprised us since the guide books implied finding space is usually hard.  Before we went to our slip he finally asked about the price. His jaw dropped when he was told $3.50/foot.  The dock master agreed it was rather steep and told us we could easily anchor in the cove just east of the channel, which we did.  He let us top off one of our water tanks which was about half full.

We spent the night rocking gently in the ocean swell that was wrapping round the cove.  In the morning a stronger SSW wind had filled in so we headed over to Nassau to see if we could find a spot at one of the more reasonably priced marinas.  Since it is a small, busy harbor, all boats must call harbor control to receive permission to enter the port.  We listened in as others called in so we'd know the protocol.  I tried contacting some of the marinas to see if they had space, but without success.

We'd become spoiled by all the modern conveniences we take for granted.  Our cell phone didn't work here.  Only a few companies have compatible service with BATELCO, and then they only work in very limited areas.  Without a phone we had to rely on VHF which required someone to be listening at the other end. The places I was able to contact had no room. We received permission to enter the harbor and told the controller we would anchor, but hoped to get into a marina later in the day. 

As we entered we heard another boat's conversation with control.  You are to give the boat name, registration or document number, last port of call and your destination in the harbor.  These folks got hung up the the registration number which they didn't seem to have, giving her the hull ID instead. There was also a question if they'd actually officially entered the Bahamas yet.  They were flying the Bahamian flag which indicated they had, but then the woman ran up the yellow Q or quarantine flag which you do before you clear customs.  We passed them on the way in, searching for the correct numbers and finally heard the woman at control say they could enter the harbor.  The boat had no name or any identifying markings of any kind that we could see.

We intended to go to the east side of the bridges across the harbor, but when we saw a nice open spot in the  fleet of boats anchored on the west side, we decided to anchor with them.  The bottom in the harbor is known for being hard to get an anchor to hold.  On the second try we got the CQR to catch.  A neighbor headed over immediately to advise to us set a second anchor for when the current switched or the wind direction changed.  We thanked him and got the other anchor out and set before we launched the dinghy.  In the Bahamas the water is so clear you can easily see your anchor, and the guide books suggest diving in it to make sure it's well set, but the water didn't look quite so inticing. Later we checked the anchors from the dinghy and they looked OK.

We explored the downtown area with all the folks from the cruise ships that were in town.  We'd hoped to find an inexpensive digital camera at one of the duty free shops to we could take a few pictures. Unfortunately the prices were higher than we wanted to spend.  I expect Leonard will take ours apart to see if he can fix it since it can't get any more broken.

We also stopped at a bakery that makes rum cakes.  After tasting a sample, we got three small ones, in different flavors.  We tried the pina colada last night for dessert, but the main flavor is rum.  We've been assured they have a long shelf life due to the amount of rum in them.

The town has 2 main streets parallel to the waterfront, each a one way, and filled with traffic.  It's not a particularly pedestrian friendly place with narrow or none existent sidewalks.  A big project was being built on Paradise Cay which is reached by the 2 high rise bridges.  There was a constant stream of heavy dump trucks ferrying sand to the cay.  They were so loaded they barely  make it up the bridge incline before thundering down the other side.  Add to this a mix of big cars, buses, limos and semis and you have Nassau traffic, which frequently comes to a standstill on the narrow streets.

We tried to find a more pleasant street to walk down, and ended up at the Government House on a hill overlooking the waterfront.  We were met by security at the gate, but were let through provided we not cross the yellow line painted on the drive.  It had a very nice view.  We were there shortly before Secretary Rice arrived for her conference.  Her visit was at the top of the local news, followed quickly with local sports and announcements about paying overdue electric bills to avoid getting disconnected.

We also learned a lesson regarding the locals.  We were looking at the "tourist" map to see how far we were from a shopping center located west of downtown when a man called out to us.  Not wishing to appear rude, we stopped walking.  He wanted to "assist" us, and make sure we found the store, walking up the street with us, pointing out the laundry where it cost $1 to wash (not according to anything I've read).  When we got to the store (not the one we were looking for) he wanted to shake hands and then requested money for a cold beer.  He had a song and dance about the kids not having enough to eat, but I bit my tongue and didn't question his priority of beer over food as I gave him a bit of cash.  We learned to simply decline any assistance immediately with a smile.

We also tried calling the states with a MCI calling card and no success.  If it doesn't have something to do with the local phone company, BATELCO, it won't work.  We got a Bahamian phone card and had better luck with that, but there was an additional fee of $.25 for every 5 minutes. Unfortunately I'd given most of my change to our tour guide.

In the morning we walked along the waterfront heading east and explored the local fish/food stands at Potter's Cay before going to the shopping center we hadn't located earlier.  Along with the food store, there was a bookstore with an internet cafe with a reasonable connect rate, that gave us access to get and send messages with our laptop.  We had stopped at an internet shop earlier that charged by the minute and quickly read our messages.

For the hop to the Exumas we hoped to have NE winds so we could sail and have a secure anchorage once we arrived.  It was about 40 nautical miles to the Exumas, and further if we needed protection from a NW cold front wind.  While waiting to cash some traveler's checks at a bank we watched CNN and saw a cold front was going through Indiana with snow and winds.  We just weren't sure of how far south the front would go.

April 2, 2006    From Staniel Cay

We spent another day in Nassau taking in some of the sights.  We walked up the Queen's Steps (168 of them) to Fort Fincastle, which is elevated enough to give a view of the harbor and island.  The water tower was closed for renovations or we would have had an even better view.  While we were up there I noticed a native sloop being sailed eastward through the harbor in graceful tacks with its big billowy main sail.  It looked almost surreal and I thought maybe it was part of one of the cruise ship's agendas.

We walked back through the Government House grounds (staying past the yellow line) and over to the art museum which had a show of African art from the extensive collection of an American ambassador.  The museum is located in what was a large home, and exhibits works done by Bahamian artists.  It was interesting to see the somewhat upscale, older neighborhood that had interesting architecture with narrow streets. Some of the historic places are now fancy inns.

We wandered back along Bay Street through the cruise ship shops on our way back to the boat.  I was still looking for a "take away" place to sample local food, which the guide books say have good food at reasonable prices.  Leonard didn't want any conch salad which is made with chopped onions, tomatoes and raw conch, but was willing to try fritters.  So we walked back to Potter's Cay where the local boats come with their catch.  There are a number of stalls selling fruits and vegetables as well as fish markets and little shops with cooked food. The conch fritters were very good, and a real deal at 12 for $2.

When we got back to the boat we noticed a multihull from Minnesota was anchored near us.  I had some concerns regarding his anchoring technique, a single anchor with very long scope while the rest of us had 2 anchors down with a shorter scope to accommodate more boats in the anchorage.  We watched the boat for a while and it appeared to stay clear of us. 

A weak cold front was due to pass through during the evening and overnight hours and the clouds to the north were evidence of its presence.  We watched lightening flash through the clouds around us but there didn't seem to be much wind associated with it while we were watched.

Leonard had gone below and fallen asleep while reading - we are on island time and find ourselves ready to turn in for the night around 9 PM most nights.  As I watched the lightening, the sloop I'd seen sailing east during the day made her way back through the harbor, almost ghostlike as she sailed west amidst the hustle and bustle of boats motoring every which direction.

I decided to call it a night too and had just crawled into the bunk when I heard a noise at the bow, not one of those "normal" sounds we've learned to ignore.  I yelled to Leonard, grabbed my clothes, and hopped out on deck to see what was happening.  When I got there, the multihull was alongside of us with his dinghy on our other side, I'd heard the dinghy rubbing across our anchor line. The wind had switched as the cold front arrived.

Leonard hollered for them to wake up and fended the boat off.  He managed to get the dinghy painter loose and tied off on our stern and they drifted slowly away as the man shortened his anchor line.  Leonard was about to tow it over to them with our dinghy when the wind really piped up and it started to rain hard.  After about 20 minutes, things quieted down and Leonard returned their dinghy.  It was much nicer than ours, maybe we should have traded.

We departed Nassau in the morning after waiting out one heavy rain shower. I saw the wind speed hit 40 knots and heard the wind generator howl and start to brake - it's supposed to withstand strong winds and shut itself down if they are too strong.  However, the power transistors that we've had problems with twice in the past failed, and it is no longer generates anything.

Sort of ironic, here we were in the trade winds where it should keep our batteries charged and it quit.  It's still under warranty, but we have neither the part nor the place to repair it.  We need to be at a dock to lower the generator, so it looks like our only alternative power source is our solar panel until we get back home.

There have been enough clouds that we have had to resort to running the engine from time to time to keep the house batteries charged.  We've tried to cut back on our power consumption by not using things like the computer, especially since we can't access the web from here anyway. There certainly was been enough wind that the batteries would have been fully charged.  I guess that's part of the cruising life, having things break in distant places.

We thought the weather would clear after the front had passed, but the day remained mostly cloudy.  Not ideal for crossing the Yellow Bank, a mostly sandy, shallow bank that has outcroppings of coral heads that appear as black spots in the water.  Supposedly there is enough water over them for us to clear, but the books advise going around them.  They would have been interesting to explore with a snorkel, but we'd gotten a late start due to the weather, so we just sailed around them.

The anchorages south of Nassau are far enough away, that most cruisers look for an anchorage as soon as they've crossed the bank. Leonard thought about anchoring in the lee of the Beacon Cay or Bush Cay, the first of the cays, but both looked too exposed, so we headed for Allan's Cays and hoped we'd have some sun to help us judge the water depths heading into the anchorage.

We could see several masts already in the anchorage as we sailed to the entrance.  The sun came out to give us reasonable visibility as we made our way in.  We worked our way to just south of a sand bank in the middle of the harbor, found enough room, and set 2 anchors to keep us off the bank when the current switched and settled in for the night. This looked a lot more like what we were expecting in the Bahamas, especially after all the harbor traffic in Nassau.

The anchorage is between several cays with a fair amount of current running through them.  In the morning we reanchored after a number of boats left which put us in deeper water and away from the sand bank that was barely awash at low tide.  We launched the dinghy and went exploring.

Two of the cays are home to numerous iguanas that are only found here. They are very accustomed to people after having been fed by many, and come to expect food as soon as anyone appears on the beach.  As we were getting ready to go ashore, two tour boats from Nassau, with about 30 people on each, roared up and beached on Leaf Cay so the cruise boat folks could swim or look at the iguanas.  Luckily they didn't stay long.

When we got to the beach, the iguanas seemed almost aggressive, walking right up to us, and when Leonard bent down to anchor the dingy on the beach, tried to approach his hand.  The books warn no to feed them since they have sharp teeth and can't distinguish between food and fingers even if they herbivores.  More came out of the undergrowth and followed us when we went to check out the ruins on the island.

We took the trail to the Sound and noticed some people snorkeling off a small cay just north of us.  We explored the beaches and the south end of the island and, as we headed back, they landed their dinghy on the beach and we learned there was a dinghy mooring at the reef.  We went over to check out the reef.  The pickup buoy was an empty gallon jug, but it looked to well anchored to the bottom.  There were a number of fish, with a lot of blue chromis, a small beautiful neon blue fish.

After lunch we checked out Allan's Cay which gave us a view of the Exuma Bank when we climbed to the top.  We went across the entrance channel to SW Allan's Cay and found more iguanas.  There was a fruit on one of the trees that looked like an apple, but with a hard skin with a softer seeded center.  Leonard split one of these and the iguanas quickly gobbled up the seeds, but ignored the skin.
We went back to snorkel at the reef again and, as we were snorkeling, I noticed a boat in the anchorage with its main sail set and figured it must have been someone who really knew the harbor to have come in under sail.  As we headed back to the boat the sail was still raised, but the boat sitting on the shoal, just rocking slightly, but not going any where.  A couple of people approached in a dinghy to offer help as it was obvious they'd run aground - not at the best of times since the tide was going out.  After we unloaded our snorkeling gear, Leonard went over to see if he could help.

They ran an anchor out and tried to kedge off the shoal, but in the first attempt they tried to move the boat back over the shoal to deep water. Leonard used an oar to locate the deeper water.  After several attempts at kedging, they also ran a line from the top of the mast to a couple of the dinghies to try and heel the boat.  Like us, it had a wing keel, and it takes a lot of heeling to be effective.  Leonard was one of the dinghies trying to heel the boat and said it took a lot of effort for very little effect.

I thought they had the boat off the shoal once, but apparently something went wrong, and they were back trying to move it again, using the dinghies, kedge line and the motor.  Leonard said there was a loud thunk, and then the engine stopped.  One of the men assisting went in the water and came back with the news that they'd wrapped a line around the prop (at max RPMs), bent the drive shaft and sheared the strut. They were going to stay aground until the tide came back in and they could use the anchor to pull themselves free.  With the bend shaft, they'd be without an engine until it could be repaired.

It certainly put our problems with a broken camera and a wind generator with a blown transistor into perspective.  There are inconveniences and then there are problems.  These folks were headed north and would have to sail to Nassau with northerly winds.  They had been traveling with another boat who would go with them and most likely have to tow them into the harbor at Nassau, but they'd need to wait for more favorable winds and it would be an expensive yard bill.

In the morning the wind was blowing from the north.  We'd spent most of the night stern to the wind in the current with the stern slapping in the waves.  Since it had been almost dark by the time Leonard had gotten back to the boat, we had to unload the dinghy and get everything back on deck before we could leave.  We looked at the charts and decided we'd try anchoring off Elbow Cay which while not listed as an anchorage, would give us protection from the northerly winds.  If that didn't work out we'd have an alternative anchorage at Hawksbill Cay a bit further south.

It was a fast downwind sail over some lumpy seas, and as we rounded Elbow Cays, it looked like the swell was going to wrap all the way around the island.  We finally tucked under the largest hill, close to shore, and dropped anchor.  After sitting a while, we decided it was a tenable anchorage given the wind conditions.  Later in the afternoon we launched the dinghy to explore the area.  We were going to paddle, but the wind was strong enough that we thought better of it - if we were blown south, we could go a long way, certainly further than we'd want to paddle.  There were no beaches, the island being formed from rough stone, so we checked the anchor to make sure it was well set, and went to check out an area that looked like a cave.  It was a peaceful night for us - no other boats to worry about, and no shoal to run aground on.

In the morning we were awakened to the sound of birds.  There were a group of graceful white birds with long tails flying around the island. I couldn't find them in my bird book, but later learned they were tropic birds that nest on the cliffs in the area.  They have black on the top edges of their wings and a bit of black markings on their faces.  We'd also seen a group of great white egrets fly over us the night before.

We'd called the Exuma Land Sea Park office to get on the list for a mooring for Monday.  The park has 20 some moorings that are available at Warderick Wells Cay where the park offices are.  Since it is a popular stop, moorings are at a premium and become available as people leave. Requests are only taken one day in advance, and you have to listen in the morning on the VHF to see if you got one.  We were surprised to hear that we'd gotten a mooring, so we headed toward the park.

It was approaching low tide as we headed across the sand bank west of the island.  It looked like to would be too shallow, but we made it across and then headed up the narrow entrance channel into the park moorings which are in the center of the channel.  We had the next to the last mooring, which meant we had to thread our way past boats and sand banks in water that looked too clear to be deep enough for us and with a swift current running.

We made it to the mooring and now the trick was to pick up the mooring lines with limited maneuvering room.  I managed to get the boat hook into the heavy line by the ball, the loop I wanted was well under water, which left me with a very short hold on the line by the mooring ball and an almost fully extended boat hook.  Maybe in my younger days I could have pulled the line up high enough to grab, unhooked the boat hook and gotten a line through the loop and onto the cleats, but I doubt it.  It took both of us to get the boat attached in the current.  (I've since learned that other wives had similar problems, so I don't feel so inadequate now.)

After checking in at the park office, we set out to explore the island. The highest hill was called BooBoo Hill and has a monument made of offerings from boats who've left name plaques from their vessels.  It's the only place you can leave anything in the park other than your footsteps.  We walked over to view the Sound and find the blow hole that's on the cliffs.  I inadvertently found it and it gave me a start when it roared!  Leonard checked the air pressure with his hand and said it had quite a kick.  Supposedly a boat load of missionaries died here and when the moon is full you can hear them singing hymns on the cliffs.

There are a number of trails on the island.  It was somewhat hard walking since the sandstone has eroded the softer portions leaving the rock surfaces with sharp points.  Also, since it has eroded sections, the island is riddled with sink holes, some fairly deep with water or muck in them.  There was also a dried creek bed running between what used to be two islands that filled in during a storm.  Hutias, a mammal that looks like a cross between a small rabbit and a guinea pig are found here, but we didn't see any.

There was an announcement at the park office that one of the boats in the anchorage south of us was inviting everyone to the beach before sundown for an informal gathering with music.  We heard several of the boats discussing it on the VHF, and decided we'd go meet some people. The two guys who were providing the music had been in Allan's Cay anchorage with us, and we were joined by a British couple who now live in Florida.

While the one guy played his guitar we traded sailing stories.  He spent time as a chef in London and was currently between jobs, spending 6 weeks sailing the Bahamas and then joining another friend to hike the Appalachian Trail.  His friend who had the boat, a 47 footer, had just got it this winter in Annapolis and had it shipped south since the marina where it was had started to freeze over.  It sounds like he has been spending his time in the Bahamas picking up friends in Nassau and sailing around the cays.  I don't know why we didn't do something like that when we were young. We will likely see more of the British couple since they are also headed south toward Georgetown.

The guys had also brought their laptop and had hooked up at the park office.  It was nice to see a real weather report again and they offered to let us check our mail. We also got the the VHF weather forecast times from the ranger's office, learned there reports at 7:30 and 8:00 so we have a better idea of what's coming our way.

Tuesday morning brought stronger winds and more clouds.  It looked like only one boat left the mooring area.  After a brief morning rain shower, the wind continued to blow out of the ENE.  We took the dinghy down to one of the beaches on the south west part of the island and hiked over to the south mooring area.  We watched a boat sail in and pick up one of the moorings there.  I didn't feel so bad about my pickup technique, after hooking the line close to the ball, someone in a dinghy came to help and actually put the loop over the boat hook.

We checked out some ruins of a Loyalist cotton plantation that had been built about 1785.  Given the current growing conditions, they really had their work cut out for them!  From what I've read, the islands used to be more lush with Lignumvitae forests, but once the trees were cleared, what top soil was here eroded away.

That evening we listened to the VHF as a report came in of 5 missing divers.  A dive boat had dropped the divers off at Conch Cut for a drift dive, but the choppy water made it difficult for the boat to "follow the bubbles" from the air tanks and they hadn't used a flag.  They had a very experienced dive master with them, but it was getting dark and they knew the divers were out of air.  The Exuma Park was involved since it was in their turf.  Folks with bigger dinghies joined in the search as did the park warden boats.  When they left the harbor it was definitely not at idle speed, with 10 miles to go and not much time.  The divers were found shortly after dark.  The dive master had a flash light which made them much easier to spot.  The park personnel were interested in the coordinates where they were found as they wanted to add the information to their "drift knowledge".

Before heading out the next morning we hiked back up BooBoo Hill and the blow hole again.  Only this time the tide was up, and what had been dry trail across an old creek bed now had about 6 inches of water covering it and we had to wade across.

We thought about going out on the Sound, but the wind was still blowing and the Sound was awash with whitecaps, so we retraced our way back across the Banks.  The charts show a spot called a "seaquarium"  close to O'Brien's Cay that looked like a interesting spot to snorkel.  It took come careful navigation to get there with only one gentle grounding. The one cut was right next to a point on a cay, and to me that water looked to be "brown" which means not enough water, but after gently backing off the sand bank further out, that's where the deep water was!  The rest of the trip was threading between 2 big sand banks, past a sunken airplane, past the seaquarium to the recommended anchorage.

It was worth it.  There were 2 dinghy moorings at the site and we joined another boat and got into the water.  We were able to stay in the lee of the cay, out of the current which was flowing quite strongly. The coral started at the side of the cay and dropped down in a 20 foot or so wall. There were lots of fish, including a small spotted ray and different corals. Apparently some folks must feed the fish as the sergeant majors, a black and white striped fish with a bit of yellow on it, swam right up to us.  They were like a cloud around our heads, you could almost touch them, but the change in water pressure as you move your hand must alert them. As we left, a group of kyackers we'd seen on our way to O'Brien's Cay, came over and snorkeled from their kyacks.

The spot where we were anchored was quite rolly, so we decided to find a calmer anchorage for the night.  The ranger at Exuma Park had recommended one off Cambridge Cay, so we retraced our GPS path back to Bell Cut and we fought our way through the current flowing in.  The anchorage was beautiful.  I'd expected a raft of boats, but there was only one large yacht, "Quintessa", flying a Maldive Island flag was there. There was very little current in the anchorage and the anchor caught well, so for once we didn't worry about setting a second anchor.  We watched them observing us from the upper deck as we cleaned up and rinsed the salt off with the cockpit shower.

We decided to have a lazy morning, so I made scones for breakfast, and then started a batch of bread.  As the baking was finishing up, our neighbors departed, leaving us alone at anchor.  We watched as the kyacks we'd seen yesterday approached Cambridge Cay under sail and anchored the boats with their paddles off the beach.

The guide book said there was a trail from the anchorage to the beach on the sound, so we went in to explore too.  Following the example of the kyacks, we left our dinghy floating at anchor.  The tide was on the way out and it was a long gradual beach which might mean a long haul back to the water with the dinghy.  The trail to the beach was lined with conch shells.  The rock formations at Bell Cut are very unusual, one is almost like a pyramid, the wave would splash on the front side, and then wash back through a large hole toward the beach.

We met the kyackers, and the world being a small one, the folks who run the tours are from Ely, Minnesota, the woman having grown up in Grand Rapids, not far from where my parents retired.  We chatted briefly - they'd seen a large barracuda and a shark swim into the spot we'd snorkeled at yesterday after we'd left. We headed up the path that overlooked the harbor and the sound.  It still looked very windy out on the sound, with waves crashing into the rocks below us.

We went over to one of the little islands behind the boat and found a nice protected spot to snorkel.  The sand bank that was just awash in low tide wasn't far away, but the current had carved out a deep channel between the islands and the bank.  A large ray swam around the bottom and looked at us before settling under a coral head.  There were a lot of different fish, and none of them behaved like they expected to get fed.

Later in the afternoon we dinghied to a different beach and walked along the beach and rocks to look at a channel that would take us to Conch Cut if we were brave enough to try it.  Another group of kyackers arrived to spend the night on the beach.

In the morning we checked out the nice reef between Bell Cut and the entrance to the anchorage, but the current was flowing too strongly (we'd seen 2 1/2 - 3 knots when we'd come in) and there was a strong surge coming in from the sound, so we went back to the place we'd been before.  It was fine in the lee of the island, but even here there was a distinct current running when we swam toward either side.

We were planning on threading our way back through all the tight spots, but decided to go out into the sound since we planned to go back to the banks at the next cut.  This saved us time too, but with the current bucking a 20 knot wind, the waves and surge on the way out were big and square.  It wasn't as bad once we got out of the current and into the deep water.

We passed more good dive and snorkeling spots that it were too rough to use as we came through Conch Cut.  The charts have notations at every cut warning of strong currents, and when it is windy too, it doesn't make for fun snorkeling, maybe another time.  We were headed for an island named Big Major's Spot that has a large anchorage on the west side, but first we'd have to work our way around some sand banks.

There were 25 sail boats and 6 big yachts already at anchor when we arrived.  Thankfully the anchorage was large and we had no problem finding a spot.  It was about a mile away from the Thunderball Caves that were made famous in the James Bond movies, so we were treated to a parade of dinghies puttering past us.  We also saw the pigs that come to the beach on the island with our binoculars.  They were fat and pink, not feral, and like to be fed, as the guide book mentions bringing carrots when you go ashore.

We had problems keeping the batteries properly charged without the wind generator.  Things would be great if it would finally earn its keep since the winds blew 15 to 20 knots almost around the clock, however since it isn't working it is hard for the solar panel to generate enough juice to keep everything (mainly the 'fridge) running. Leonard wishes that he would have installed a "smart" alternator, he'd replaced the one battery Sears said was fine when we took it in for replacement but we knew wasn't up to snuff, and/or he could reach the card for the wind generator that is hanging in the basement over the saw at home to see if he could jury rig a repair.

In the morning we called the marina at Staniel Cay to see about tying up for the night in hopes that the onboard battery charger could get the batteries closer to a full charge.  We had planned on taking on fuel and water anyway, unfortunately there were no laundry facilities, nor do they have shore side showers.   Leonard did impress the dock master with his backing skills.  He commented it looked like we'd done it a time or two before, and that most folks in sail boats don't know anything about reverse.  Now that the tide is out, I'm glad we arrived at high tide since I'd have had trouble throwing the lines up or reaching the dock.

We explored the town and walked to Club Thunderball and the beach and looked at the airport.  It looks like this would be a convenient place to pick up and drop off passengers.  The marina has several rental cottages and we noticed a few others on our walk.  We spoke with a former Vermonter who has a house here on the cay, and another guy who went to UVM.  There has been a steady stream of people behind our boat all day. There have been several sharks swimming between the docks for an added attraction.  We have reservations for dinner tonight too, which will be a treat.

Our dinner, a four course meal, was very good.  I tried the cracked conch and Leonard had ribs.  You're seated at numbered tables  by your boat name so they can serve the right dinners and it went very smoothly, especially given the size of the crowd.  The bar had a mango pango frozen drink that was heaped into the glass, tasted delicious, and went down like a smoothie.  Leonard had watched the bartender and said they also had a big slug of rum in them, so we didn't yield to the temptation to have another.

We met some of the other cruisers at the bar before dinner and enjoyed talking to them.  They're headed north now, but one couple offered us use of a hurricane mooring ball by their place in the Melbourne, FL area where they live on an island that I've always thought looked interesting, so we'll see if they're around when we get back to the States.

Leonard tried to equalize our batteries in the morning before we left the dock to see if that would extend their use.  The winds were lighter for the next several days so we needed to use the engine more which helped keep the batteries charged.  It's hard to use the engine when you can sail. We still planned to head for Georgetown with a few stops between.  If the weather cooperates we planed to head to Eleuthera and work our way north to the Abacos.

April 8, 2006  From Georgetown, Great Exuma, Bahamas

April 15, 2006  From Staniel Cay Again

We are back in Staniel Cay after about a week in Georgetown.  Our stop there was a blur of reprovisioning, sightseeing, anchoring and reanchoring, walking on the beach, and wet dinghy rides!

When you talk about the Exumas with other cruisers, Georgetown appears to be the ultimate goal, but no one really talks all that much about what's there, so I really didn't know what to expect once we arrived. It's supposed to be nicer than Nassau which was deemed a place to pass through, not unlike purgatory, to reach to the interesting places.  It would have more provisions than the quaint towns in the cays, which unless you happen to hit on "boat day" only have a few desiccated vegetables and a couple of shelves of canned and dried goods at double stateside prices.  There would also be a couple of interesting shops and restaurants, an unique approach to the dinghy docks, and lots of cruisers.

It was all of the above, and still hard to describe.  Starting with the number of cruisers - Leonard counted over 90 boats that could be seen from the place we anchored off Regatta Point.  I'd heard the number of 450 throughout the area during the high season, we'd seen a steady stream heading north since we arrived in the Bahamas, while some folks, like us, are going against the flow.

The dinghy docks were located in Lake Victoria, a little spot of water around which the town was centered.  It had a very narrow, one way passage into it which was spanned by a pedestrian bridge.  Incoming traffic had the right of way.  It was convenient since there were several docks to use depending on where you needed to go.  The main one was at the grocery store and featured a free potable water tap.  This explained all the jerry cans we've seen lashed on decks as there was always one or more boats filling and transporting them back to fill the water tanks.  The one marina in town charged $.10/gallon and would be difficult to dock at in any kind of an east wind.  Very few boats used the marina - jerry cans also transported fuel that could be filled at local gas stations.

I don't know if there was an affiliation, but the Exuma Market used Kroger plastic bags.  They received shipments several times a week, and if you timed it right, the produce was nice, if somewhat expensive.  It was interesting to see an Asian section that rivaled the one at home.  Much of the meat was frozen, which was great as far as I was concerned since it saved me the effort of freezing it onboard.

I noticed a small bakery/deli on our walk a picked up a loaf of bread and a cherry rum cake for a treat.  There was a sign for "Mom's Bakery" with a phone number tacked onto a tree, but since we arrived on a weekend, she wasn't there. She operated out of a van weekdays and had really good bread and treats which we sampled on our next trip to town.  We discussed baking - she had two big mixers for the bread and a Kitchenaid for the cakes and a big double oven.  She invited us to Easter Monday dinner in Williamstown that was sponsored by her church, but we planned on leaving before then.  Her coconut bread and chocolate rum cake were divine.

Our internet connection in town was unusual.  We saw a sign on a small local grocery shop for internet connections and stopped to talk with the owner.  He offered us the rest of the day for $2, but we didn't have the laptop with us.  He charged $.10/minute or $3/day and the "cafe" setup was on dusty boxes or the counter with milk crates for chairs.  There were a couple of other places in town that offered service, but we used him since he was convenient and inexpensive.  He told us we were welcome to stop by on Sunday, he'd be closed, but wouldn't have changed the password.  It worked just fine even if it was rather unusual to be huddled over the laptop while sitting behind his shop!  He had a variety of used computer equipment in the shop along with rice, canned and paper goods.

After several inquiries we were directed to "Robert the Fisherman" as the man to help change the badly corroding zinc on our prop.  Given the price he charged, he would make a very good living at zinc or hull cleaning, but it was one less worry knowing a fresh zinc was on and the through hulls wouldn't corrode into holes under the water.  Leonard had tried to replace it earlier on a calm day, but had trouble holding his breath long enough to get the job done.

The one shop in town had an interesting mix of local crafts, books and locally batiked clothing.  We saw another guide book to the Exumas that would be useful should we cruise the area again.  It was easy to spend time looking in the air conditioned store. The local straw market had a barrel of old regatta T-shirts on sale, so we picked through and found some to use when sailing on warm sunny days.  They also had a few vegetables and a number of women working on baskets as they tended shop.  Most of the bags and baskets were made from palm fronds.

The local library was the book swap for cruisers.  They had limited hours in the mornings, and when we took books in, the woman first looked to see if they had copies in their stacks before putting them on the swap shelf.  The had a special on books on tape - 3 for $2, so Leonard got 3, but we haven't listened to them yet because of our battery charging issues.

There was a marine/hardware store in town too.  They had a Group 27, 12 volt, deep cycle battery in stock that Leonard looked at several times.  It was expensive and didn't come with any guarantee.  If we wanted that we'd have to deal with the NAPA shop that was 2 1/2 miles out of town.  They had none in stock, but expected a shipment in by Thursday.

The plan was to get the zinc done on Wednesday, check about the battery at NAPA and then leave on Friday.  Robert showed up Tuesday morning, which was fine with us.  However a call to NAPA revealed they'd gotten a shipment, but no batteries included and due to the holiday weekend wouldn't expect anything until the next week.  At this point Leonard had pretty much decided to limp home thinking if we kept moving we'd be able to keep a charge in the batteries and a replacement would be easy to do once we were back in the states.

Then there was the weather.  It had been sunny since we arrived in the Bahamas, which we'd come to take as the norm and gave us solar charging faithfully every day.  How easily one forgets there are cloudy days in paradise too.

On Sunday we motored over and joined the fleet anchored off Volleyball Beach where most of the actives take place to take a walk on the sound side of Stocking Cay.  We managed to find a spot amongst all the boats that felt secure.  The clouds that had been around during the morning, began to look a bit more showery, but since we were there, we'd go for our walk.

We walked north along the beach and found the path up to the monument on top of the cay.  It's not that high, about 30 meters, but the path was in loose sand, so for every step up, we slid down half a step.  It was worth the view when we got to the top which gives a 360 degree panorama of the sound and harbor.  Coming back down was like being on snow shoes - step and slide.  We walked to the end of the beach before heading back.

At the anchorage we watched a volley ball game and thought about getting a snack or a drink at the shack, but realized we had no money.  The clouds had broken up during our walk, but were rebuilding north of us, so Leonard decided we'd get out of the fleet in case it decided to blow, so we motored back to the Georgetown side of the harbor.  It was the right choice.  We'd finished dinner when the flashes started, and we sat out and watched them get closer as night approached.  We'd set the anchor with 2000 rpms, it caught well and would be good for 30 plus knots of wind.  Also, the boats were better spaced on the Georgetown side.  It blew and rained and the wind shifted, but the GPS said we didn't move.  Leonard saw a number of running lights by Stocking Cay, an indication that things might be a bit more hectic over there.

In the morning, a much larger number of boats than usual moved over to our side of the harbor.  Apparently the storm had caused a few anchor resets during the wind switch.  Usually boats move from one side to the other of the harbor to avoid a long dinghy ride.  The harbor is about a mile wide and 5 miles long.  They run errands and return to the east side of harbor which offers better protection from the usual NE winds.

Monday afternoon was calm, so we took a long dinghy ride on the west side of the harbor to check out some anchorages that are billed as hurricane holes.  They looked secure, and a couple of boats were anchored there, but it would be a very long dinghy ride to get to town. We timed things just right, as the wind picked up and the sky clouded over after we got back to the boat.

Sunshine disappeared from the forecasts.  We'd reprovisioned on Tuesday planning to depart on Wednesday morning to start our trek back.  On Tuesday afternoon we went to a different anchorage on the east side of the harbor to see a different part of Stocking Cay.  We went ashore and found a path that took us to a cliff overlooking the sound.  The wind had come up from the NE and the sound looked choppy.  There was enough wind borne sand along the edge that we didn't stay long.

Everyone's wind generator was humming but ours.  We'd spoken with a multihull cruiser who had 2 mounted and tied off since he didn't like the noise and found his 4 125 watt solar panels provided enough energy for his needs.  He planned on getting rid of one, but along with the problem of accessing the units, he wanted more than we were willing to pay since ours is still under warrantee.  (I'd suggested asking him how much he'd give us for removing it for him.)

The sun also had been behind clouds most of the day and we began the 0300 feeding of the batteries.  Leonard rigged our inverter to alert us to low battery conditions, and it looked to become a nightly ritual. Leonard's "pig in a poke" battery  purchase might just be "an ace in the hole".

Wednesday brought rain and wind (20 - 25 kts) most of the day and the realization that limping home with our current batteries would cost us more in peace of mind than the price of the battery in Georgetown to say nothing about interrupted sleep every night.  The problem would be anchoring and transporting the battery in sloppy conditions on the west side of the harbor.  There were little whitecaps by us with little fetch, across the bay they would be waves.  We joined a small group of folks motoring across the harbor the next morning, and the one ahead of us took the last viable spot in the small protected area behind Regatta Point.

We anchored as close as we could to shorten what would be a very wet ride back to the boat.  The marine store had a new shipment of batteries, so hopefully we got a fresh one - they remove dates and other such information.  We did get it aboard having kept it much drier than either of us during the dinghy ride.  We would have gone into the marina but it offered no protection from NE winds and the boats already there were bouncing and bobbing on the docks.  We got it installed and the old battery secured before heading back across the harbor to get out of the waves.

After Sunday night's anchoring issues, the boats by Volley Ball Beach were much better spaced, and we found a spot with adequate room.  We took another walk on the beach - the rain we'd been getting daily had dampened down the sand on the beach so the sand didn't blow around.  We climbed back up to the monument and then watch two guys kite surfing in the breakers behind the reefs on the beach.  They made it look easy, but none of the cruisers asked to give it a try.

Leonard was champing at the bit to get underway Friday morning.  My request for breakfast at anchor fell on deaf ears, but I got a reprieve when it began to rain.  The cruiser's net weather forecast was for NE winds at 15 to 20 with scattered showers and seas 4 to 7 feet.  Since it would be a reach north we decided to go for it once the rain stopped and sky cleared.  We saw 2 sailboats leave ahead of us and we were passed by a freighter and a big yacht before we cleared the harbor.

All of our fresh water rinsing we'd gotten on a daily basis was for naught as we took on a couple of waves over the deck.  The first one came under the front of the dodger dumping water below and all over us.  Things settled down once we got further out and we ran under a reefed jib, dodging showers most of the day.  The last one caught us just before we reached Cave Cay Cut, our intended route back to the banks.  It was a straight shot and we weren't fighting a tidal rip, so our arrival was easy.  We planned on working our way a bit further north before anchoring, but with a steadier rain falling decided to anchor off the entrance of a marina under construction.

We spent time wiping the boat down in the rain to remove some of the salt we'd acquired during the day.  We met and talked to only one boat heading south all day. Not many had ventured out in the wind and waves.  A large group of boats planned on departing Georgetown when the weather settled down later in the week.  We had quite a sail - at times the shore would  disappear as we slid into a trough.  Only a few waves caught us wrong, they must be cresting as they hit the boat.

Other than rolling in surge wrapping around the cay, it was a peaceful night.  Two multihulls were anchored south of us and when the weather cleared in the morning, we could see 2 others anchored off Little Farmer's Cay to the north.  We got an early start.  I'd hoped to do laundry at Black Point, but realized the likelihood of it being open on Easter weekend was small.  Easter weekend is a big holiday down here, with things locked up tight on Friday, very curtailed hours on Saturday, forget Easter, and then they celebrate on Monday too.  So we kept heading north to take on fuel and water at Staniel Cay and then dinghy in and use their internet service to send and receive messages.  The docks were packed with little room for vessels so small (and uneconomical to them) as us.

Sent April 24, 2006 at Spanish Wells - From Staniel Cay to Eleuthera