Day 51 and 52 – 2/21 - 22/11

No, I am not trying to consolidate days; it’s just that this day started at 6:30 am and ended at 9:30 am the next day.  The goal today was to get out on the banks and according to the weather; the winds were to subside near evening.  We motored out of West Bay, and even before we hit the outside, there was a swell running into the bay.  Even the reef near the entrance of the bay had waves breaking on it.  Once outside we found that there was indeed a swell, but it was not until we were 3 to 5 miles from the bay did we get the true effect.  The waves were about 3 to 5 feet, but I set a course so that they were again on our stern, and we consistently hit 7.5 knots (max of 9 knots) surfing down the waves.  After about 5 hours of surfing, we were out of the main fetch of the swell. 

Initially, we were going to stop at Chub Cay, but we hit that point around 1:30, way too early to throw out the anchor, so onward to the Northwestern Channel light.  At that point we turned west and headed out over the banks.  We were now waiting for the winds to subside so that we could anchor for the night.  Well the winds finally let up around 8 pm.  We showered and had a light dinner and I went to sleep around 8:30, only to be awakened at 11:30 with the sound of wave slap and the anchor alarm going off.  After resetting the alarm and trying to get back to sleep in the salon, I realized that the freshening wind was not going to allow me to return to dreamland.  So, at 12 am, we upped anchor and were off for Cat Cay.

I motor sailed by the moonlight, while Beth went back to sleep in the salon.  Around 2 am I passed a couple of sailboats heading east about 1 mile off.  Sailing at night is a different experience.  In the moonlight, I could see the coral heads and rocks but since the depth sounder noted that we were in 12 feet of water, I felt very comfortable.  I had also added several layers of clothing to my t shirt and board shorts.  Even though it was in the high 60’s, I had gotten a chill after being at the helm for 5 hours. 

At 5 am, I was a bit punchy and woke Beth to take over at the helm.  I napped by her on deck until she came upon two more sailboats heading west.  At that point I took the jib down which gave her a better view of the traffic coming at us.  Around 6 am I felt better and we made the turn for Bimini.  We entered Bimini around 9 am and were docked in Sea Crest marina around 9:30. 

We checked in with customs as we were overdue, but they noted that there was nothing they could do to extend our stay.  We noted that we were probably leaving by Sunday, which was ok.  We found out that we could have gone to immigration and extended our stay when we first checked in.  Lesson learned number 386!!!

After we returned to the boat, I went to sleep for about 2 hours and woke fairly refreshed.  We decided to venture off to the beach for a brief walk.  As we walked south to the entrance to Bimini, we noted a monohull stuck on the reef and already starting to lean with the outgoing tide.  Lesson number 1 in the Bahamas, no cutting corners. 

Back at the marina, showers in a bathroom were a welcomed treat, and back to the boat for grilled soy burgers.  After our shower, our neighbors came back and parked their flybridge fishing boat.  Then then lowered their dingy off their deck, which has an engine twice as large as ours.

Day 50 – 2/20/11

After a restful night and a semi-lazy morning, I added 10 gallons of gas to our stocks, and we paid our bill.  We motored out of the marina around 9:30 and headed for West Bay, retracing our steps that lead us to the Exumas.  With a following breeze and sea, I was a little concerned with the wave size, but we steered a course where the waves were off our stern.   We let the jib fly again, as putting up the main in the seas would have been very difficult.  Regardless, we moved right along through the day, and made the 40 plus mile journey by 5 pm.  We motored into West Bay and anchored, showered, and cooked dinner.  We went to sleep early knowing that we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow. 

Day 49 – 2/19/11

Hooray, we are on our way!!!  We loaded the dingy aboard and eased off the mooring ball motoring north.  The winds are north / northeast, not great for sailing, but I put up the jib and we’re getting an extra knot.  With the winds and seas, we have to correct our course, but it is a relatively smooth ride.  In fact, the 15 to 20 knots that they had predicted, were more like 13 to 17; very doable. 

We decided to take a slip, the first in about 5 weeks of anchoring out and mooring balls.  After we tied up, I re-filled the water tanks and put power to the boat, not using the generator this time.  We took showers, but not long ones, as they give you tokens that give you five minutes of running water.  Well after showering on the boat for over a month we were able to get through a shower and shampoo, as well as wash and rinse our shorts. 

One thing that we noted was that we were one of the smallest in the marina, and we were the only sailboat.  The only smaller boats were the tenders for the yachts. On another note, as we were making the turn through the channel into the marina, we noticed these people waving at us.  I was too busy negotiating the channel due to the tidal change, but afterwards we met a couple and their son who were at Warderick Wells.  We had talked to them at the party, and now they were anchored just outside the marina.  They stopped by and we gave them the grand tour, and Beth noted that their son was the first child on our boat. 

Since we had showers, Beth changed the sheets, while I cooked dinner.  I was so exhausted from not sleeping the prior night that I was in bed shortly after dinner. 

Day 48 – 2/18/11

OK, enough is enough.  We’re totally out of water and borrowed some from Dennis and Mary for showers tonight.  Any dishes will be washed when we get water tomorrow, as I have determined that we are leaving.  The weather forecast for tomorrow is about the same , but should be fine in the morning and early afternoon. 

We did venture south again, and found another beach that we had not explored.  We walked the beach and then over the short trail to the sound.  We found the southern mooring field total deserted, but if we were to come back again, we would try this location.  It is in a secluded cut, between the main and a smaller outer island.  There is a tunnel in the outer island where we could see the water pushing through. 

Before returning to the boat, we stopped by Dennis and Mary’s to let them know that we were leaving tomorrow.  They are planning to stay until Sunday, and then move north to Normans Cay, and then to Rose Island north of Nassau. 

Day 47 – 2/17/11

We are running low on water for washing dishes and bodies.  The park does not have water nor garbage disposal, and we are filling our second trash can liner with the smaller trash bags.  The only plus is that the boat is lighter and well above the water line.  One mistake that I made was not going back for another load of water while at Stanley Cay.  We are washing everything in salt water then rinsing in fresh. 

After Beth’s beach stint, we ventured south to some of the beaches that we had not seen.  We saw the construction what is supposedly Johnny Depp’s house on the next island.  It will be huge once completed.  We tried to go ashore at one beach, but it proved to be too rocky, so we motored a little further north and went ashore.  We found some broken coral and beautiful shell, but we only took their picture. 

Back on the boat, we settled in for the evening.  Dennis and I have made some conch horns and have been blowing them as the sun sets.  We still need some work; sometimes we sound like a junior high band tuning up; but other times we’re not bad. 

Day 46 – 2/16/11

We’re still in the sea park waiting for the weather to be more cooperative.  Beth is off to the beach and I am reading and doing boat projects.  We did not even do the “exploring another part of the island” today.  The good news is that there are several boaters like us in the same holding pattern.  One of the cruisers decided that we should have a beach party tonight.  I made some salsa and we dingyed in to the beach with most of the 20 boats in the northern anchorage and even some from the Emerald Rock anchorage.  It was a great party.  We met people from all parts of the US and Canada, and some from other countries.  It was fortunate that we were directly off the beach, so the commute home was easy. 

Day 45 – 2/15/11

Day 6 in the Exumas Land and Sea Park dawned sunny and breezy as was to be expected.  Beth and I took a ride to one of the northern beaches that we had seen a couple of days prior, but when we turned into the channel, we were met by some 3 foot waves.  Not good in a little 10 foot dingy with 12 inch sides.  We turned around and I once again got to surf down the waves in the dingy again, the only surfing I’ve done in the Bahamas.  (I have looked at some spots that had potential, but it was either too small or too rocky or populated with sea urchins.)

We headed back to the park headquarters and then hiked down the Causeway Trail again.  On the way we passed a tannish snake sunning itself.  Given that we do not know what snakes are poisonous here, we gave it a wide berth.   We hiked across the Causeway Bridge and walked down by the water to some of the beaches.  In all we found several beaches that look out over Emerald Rock.  We hiked back to the top of Hutia Hill and then made the return trip. 

Once back at the boat, Beth took a nap while I went to chat with Dennis.  While we were discussing “world affairs”, a small sea plane landed to the south of us and cruised up through the southern entrance.  Excitement in the sea park.  The plane parked near the beach where we park our dingy when going ashore, and deposited its two passengers.   The park ranger showed up, but clearly this was a usual event.  Within a half hour the plane departed, not much time for wondering around the park. 

Day 44 – 2/14/11

Happy Valentine’s Day, and our gift was clear skies and reduced wind, although last night we were bounced a bit because of the current and the swell pushing in from the north.  After breakfast and some boat chores, we struck off south to visit some of the other parts of the island.  Instead of walking, we took the dingy and motored to the places that we wanted to explore.   We found some of the ruins of a former settlement and were going to continue hiking from there, but the paths were not well marked, and with no map, we thought it better to move to another spot.  We travelled south to another beach, but with some rocks near the shore, we tried another beach for our landing.  Once ashore we were able to explore the beach we tried to land at and the adjacent beaches.  As we motored south, we saw cranes that were contructing a house.  We found out later that one of the islands, Hog Cay, had been purchased and the house was being built on that island.  (It is interesting that some of the islands are marked "private" on the charts, although you can anchor off the island and explore the beaches.)

We headed back to the boat and chatted with Dennis and Mary on their way back from their walk.  Mary took a bit of a tumble, but only had a couple of scrapes for her tussle with the rocks.  We showered and I had the generator going to charge the computer and other devices.  Dennis hailed me and asked if I would pop some popcorn in our microwave; no problem, with a yahoo response from Mary.  I was microwaving the ziti leftovers with some broccoli for dinner. 

A beautiful sunset enveloped the anchorage, and Dennis and I broke out our conch horns to herald the sun setting.  We definitely need some practice. 

Day 43 – 2/13/11

Last night the wind raged in the middle 20’s and the boat sailed back and forth on the mooring ball.  I did not sleep well even though we were securely fastened.  We had a shower that forced us to button up the port hole we had open for ventilation.  Morning brought more cloudy weather with continued 18 to 25 knot winds.  We decided that after spending the entire previous day on the boat that we would get off and at least get internet access.  Additionally, we wanted to call both Lauren and Richard.   Well, internet access is easy once you purchase the time; calling is another matter as we were forced to walk to the top of Boo Boo Hill.  Once there we were able to contact Richard, and left Lauren a voice mail.  Returning to the boat, we contacted Lauren via Skype, and chatted with her. 

We again deliberated the dinner menu, which Beth decided would again be ziti, with more cheese this time.  After dinner we turned in early and read while the wind continued to howl.

Day 42 – 2/12/11

The day dawned cloudy and ominous.  For once the weather reports were going to be correct.  As the day progressed, clouds continued to roll in, and the wind speed increased.  We stayed on the boat the entire day, and I ventured forward to check the lines leading to the mooring ball.  Wind howled through the rigging as I watched the wind speed climb through the teens into the twenties.  We were waiting for the rain that seemed to be off to the northeast and we had a few sprinkles but no downpours that we were expecting.  We read and watched some movies.  Beth suggested that I make some ziti given that the weather was cool and we could use the oven without overheating the boat.  Voila, dinner with red wine. 

Day 41 – 2/11/11

We have been in the Bahamas for a month now, and it is wonderful.  We are still resting comfortably on the Land and Sea mooring ball.  As it is another tropical day, I again ferried Beth to the beach and set her up on the sand with an umbrella and beach chair.  I went back to the boat to do a little maintenance. 

 Once the tide was almost high, I retrieved Beth from the beach and again ventured out again to try and snorkel some of the reefs within the park.  We motored north around the northeast end of the island, but seeing nothing of interest doubled back to the northwest.  One of our neighbors had their dingy anchored on a mooring ball and we motored over to investigate.   They were in the water so we looked at the “chart” from the park and were soon moored on the same buoy.  We entered the water and we were immediately taken by the beauty beneath us.  We were over one of the most incredible coral reefs we have ever seen, which include the Keys and Hawaii.  Between the flora and fauna beneath us, I was snapping pictures as fast as the camera would reset.  Completing the documentation, I just drifted with the current over urn and pipe shaped coral, with fish swimming between.  We discovered schools of fish suspended over the reef, with a barracuda unmoving while lunch swam above him. 

After climbing back in the dingy, always an elegant activity, we returned, stopping by Dennis and Mary’s.  We popped back to our boat to retrieve some refreshments and were back at Dennis and Mary’s relating the events of our excursion.   Returning to the boat, we showered the salt away, and prepared dinner and a peaceful evening, knowing that the weather was about to change, and not for the better. 

Day 40 – 2/10/11

Sitting on a mooring is a relaxing experience, knowing that there is little chance that you will end up drifting several hundred yards away in the middle of the night.  The day dawned sunny and breezy, and Dennis and I are looking at the weather charts to determine if we can make the crossing tomorrow to Eleuthera.  Apparently, while the winds may calm down, the seas will l still be running about 3 to 4 feet, and we have had our share of bumpy rides for this trip.  It appears that we will be here for at least four more days, maybe longer depending on when this latest front moves on. 

Here is one more thing about cruising life, at one point you will be forced to help with an item that you never have done before.  Yes, here I am helping Beth color her hair in the cockpit, since a marina is several days away.  As I am applying the “tint” via a brush, this is the touch up version, two guys dingy by and just looked at me with that strange “are you kidding me” expression.  After it was done, Beth suggested that I make a sign “Hair color by Richard”; after she noted that the results were much better than hers.  After my hair coloring experience, I shuttled Beth to the beach and set up her umbrella and chair, while I went back to some “more manly” boat maintenance items.  My Bananaquit helpers showed up looking for a handout, but soon left finding no crumbs on the deck. 

In the afternoon, we again tried snorkeling, but with little luck due to the winds and current.  We swam around near some of the rocks, seeing very little, and then ventured down to Emerald Rock.  There was a bit of a swell running and I got the dingy surfing down some waves and did a couple of off the tops until the admiral reined me in.  We stopped at Rendezvous Beach and wandered along the sand, admiring the wonderful views.  On the way back to the boat, we stopped by the park headquarters to get another wifi card, and captured a hermit crab crawling down off of the walk way; not your tiny hermit crab that you find at the beach shops. 

Back at the boat, Dennis stopped by and we compared notes on our conch horns that we have been working on.  I have the mouth piece finished and have to close the hole where the conch divers crack it to remove the conch.  Dennis commented that I was probably the only boat with masonry bits on board, but I noted that they came with the “kit”.  We drilled a hole in the top of his conch so that he could then finish shaping the mouth piece with his dremel tool.  Yes, we both carry those tools as they are indispensible for cutting and other projects.  We covered the hole and tried mine, which has a decent sound. 

Day 39 – 2/9/11

We are heading north to the Exumas Land and Sea Park as there is some nasty weather on the horizon, and we would prefer to be on mooring ball rather than watching the GPS all night.  In fact, once we were secured to a mooring ball, I turned off the GPS.  We did some chores while Dennis and Mary went to the beach where we found our shells yesterday.  After leaving Compass Cay and once we were back on the banks we hoisted the jib which gave us an extra 1 to 1.5 knots and resulted in us only burning a little more than a gallon of gas.  In hind sight, I should have put up the main and burned the gas to get us to and from the banks.  The trip up was a little bumpy with the wind from the east / southeast.  I altered our course after we took a couple of waves on our beam which sent things flying, almost losing the microwave from its perch on the counter.   By the time we reached our waypoint we were about .3 miles off course, but with a more comfortable ride.  Back in the park, we are on the same mooring ball as last time. 

Once we set up shop, we dingyed ashore to register.  We met some people who were cruising from Kentucky, their boat kept in North Carolina, near where we rent our beach house on the Outer Banks.  We all related tales of stripping sails and canvas off our boats before a hurricane, and all noted that most of the time proved unnecessary.   I made pasta sauce as we had plenty of time, which makes enough for three meals, two being refrigerated.  As I was washing one of the bowls, there were several yellow fin snapper cruising around the boat, large enough for a couple of meals, but since we are in the land and sea park, no fishing is allowed. 

Day 38 – 2/8/11

The morning was spent getting fresh, hot wheat bread from Emerald’s bakery (their kitchen).  After slicing the bread and loading the dingy with gas and water cans, off we went back to the dock.  We offloaded the stores, and hoisting the dingy and engine back aboard, we are on our way to Compass Cay.  Part of the duties when leaving an anchorage is disposing of the waste from our holding tank once we are in deeper water.  Well, Houston we have a problem, the waste is not draining, and unlike a house, you can’t call a plumber to fix it.  I finally resolved the situation by getting in the water and unplugging the problem.  Ah, the joys of cruising.  With this situation resolved, we motored into the anchorage with an all sand bottom.  When we set our anchors, they buried so that all you could see the chain.  We’ll sleep secure tonight, even though the front was to blow through and switch the winds from the north / northeast at 10 to 15+ knots. 

Soon after we were anchored, two women rowing a dingy came by.  With the tie going out, a strong current was running making it difficult for them to return to their boat.  They asked if they could rest by holding on to our boat, and we chatted.  We found that their boat was a Wharram, which only draws about a foot of water, a foot less than our boat.   After offloading the dingy, we he went exploring the island.  The water is so clear that we could see the ripples in the sand in 6 – 7 feet of water.  Today was one of the hottest days that we have had, and getting in the water, 78 degrees, felt great. 

We dingyed to the east side of the island through the channel, and at the point little waves were breaking.  I got closer to look at the break, and what it was breaking over, which was sand and rocks.   The waves were too small to ride, so off we went to a beach on the west side, which we had passed on our way to the anchorage.  After pulling the dingy ashore we explored the beach.  We were finding several beautiful shells including a sand dollar and a purple conch with its resident still at home, until I ventured into the water and retrieved several small conch shells.  Beth capured a starfish in the water and then joined me gathering the conch shells. 

We dingyed back to the anchorage snapping some pictures of our boats.  We stopped at Dennis and Mary’s for some libations and snacks.  We all agreed that this was one of the most beautiful places we had been including the land and sea park.  Back at the boat, I grilled some soy burgers before calling it a day. 

Day 37 – 2/7/11

With no ill effects from the night before, we prepared to move up to Staniels Cay.  Again we trailed the dingy.  With the winds blowing 10 to 18 from the south / southeast, we had a following swell.  Both the boat and the dingy surfed down the waves.  Dennis and Mary had left about an hour ahead of us, but since we were retracing our routes, it was no problem getting back.  We anchored in the same place next to the grotto, in shallow water, and took stock of our supplies.  This time the anchorage was crowded, with some 15 to 20 boats in front of us. 

We dingyed ashore, and went to see if there was any bread at the Emeralds.  None today, but they were making some for tomorrow.  We headed to the government dock, and Beth picked up a large conch shell.  Back at the boat, we decided that we would get water and fuel tomorrow as it was still windy, and offloading the water and gas tanks would not be easy in the bumpy water.   Dinner was fish and broccoli as we watched another beautiful sunset descend upon the anchorage.  Dennis took some great shots of our boat silhouetted in the sunset.  He even avoided capturing this large motor yacht that was lit up like a starship.  After some discussion between us, we decided that we would go to Compass Cay tomorrow, although some were thinking of going to Samson Cay for the party they were having. 

Day 36 – 2/6/11

My back is feeling better and we’re heading back in Black Point.  We trailed our dingy rather than hoisting the engine back on the steps of the boat.  On the morning VHF, someone was looking for a dingy that broken loose from their boat.  Fortunately, someone found it adrift in Black Point, 5 miles away, as the cost of the dingy and motor cost was about $5k.  It was a short trip from Farmers Cay, and we found an easy anchorage near the same spot where we anchored before.   We went ashore to dump some garbage, get water, and bought more minutes for our cell phone.  Since I am still nursing my bad back, we are not walking far today; no death marches as Beth calls them.  We met Dennis and Mary having lunch at DeShaMons restaurant, as they have free WiFi.  Dennis and I looked at the weather and winds for the next week to see when we might have a chance to cross to Eleuthera. 

On our way back to the dingy, we met Brad and Kelly, two young people who bought a boat, put their lives on hold and are cruising for a while.  Their boat name explains it all, “All In”.  They too were getting some water, and we discussed where they were going to watch the Super Bowl that evening.  We went back to the boat to off load everything and I went back to resting my back.

 Later that afternoon, we dingyed back to the dock, and I remembered to turn on the anchor light should we return after dark, which we did.  We went to Lorraine’s, but it was too crowded and the drinks weren’t very good. We went down the street to Scorpio’s, a local’s bar, and had great service and drinks.  They had 2 for $5 Kalick’s, and the bartender made a great Bahama Mama.  Dennis and Mary finally found us at Scorpio’s, as they had just served us some popcorn as a snack.  Having popcorn is a treat, as you have to have a microwave or other type of popper.  Dennis decided that this would be a great place to watch the game, as we noted that they were going to serve appetizers once the game started.  We settled in for about a quarter, and then left for home in the dark.  We motored out into the mooring field looking for our boat.  Fortunately we were the furthest boat out on the north end of the anchorage, but we found a monohull, and I remembered that we were moored closer to the beach than they were.  Dennis came out with his spotlight and illuminated our boat, although it was not necessary as I had spotted our boat.  Safely aboard we turned in for the night. 

Day 35 – 2/5/11

I am no better today, so I am in bed reading.  Last night I started Kiss the Girls and finished it this morning.  Dennis and Mary arrived, and Dennis stopped by to see how I was doing.  I was still in bed, as moving around is still painful.   He relayed his Nassau experience, and said unless you are going to one of the resorts; you can afford to miss this city.  They got back yesterday, and cruised down from Staniel Cay.   Mary is doing fine, although she has an appointment on Monday to see the nurse. 

I started and finished Alas, Babylon.  During my reading, we were obviously in the race course again as several boats sailed by; one so close that Beth could have shook their hands.  I was able to get up and view a couple of races and then back to bed.  By the end of the day, I was feeling much better.  Between the rest and the stretching, the back pain is reduced. 

The shower felt great, even though we are limited to about 3 – 4 gallons per shower between both of us.  We rinse, soap up, and rinse.  Water is expensive, .30 to .50 per gallon.  Gas is $5+ per gallon. 

Dennis stopped by again to review some options.  Given that there is limited fuel in Georgetown, we are probably heading for Eleuthera, and then to the Abacos.  Dennis and Mary are heading back to Black Point tomorrow and if my back allows it, we will also. 

Day 34 – 2/4/11

Well my back is no better, and I am stretching so that we can enjoy the festivities.  Several people are calling the organizers regarding the schedule, and I believe that they were still working on it!!  It doesn’t matter, we’re on island time.  One person got a little nasty after one of the cruisers commented that “you’re in the Bahamas, relax”.  In truth, it did not matter.  It was a beautiful sunny day, with 10 – 15 knot winds.  We sat on the boat and waited for the first race between the Bahamian boats.  These boats are all wood including the mast and boom, had one large sail and 5 crewmen, with boards that extended over the side and the men would crawl out to provide ballast.   It turned out that we were anchored at finish lines for both races.  From our vantage point we got some great pix and videos. 

After the first race, we motored to the beach, and even though my back was still a little sore, we walked around.  We looked at some of the crafts they were selling and nothing interested us.  So back we went to the boat.  Well that walk turned out to be a BIG Mistake!!  When I got back, I ached and had a little trouble even walking without pain.  Pain meds did not help.  I was able to watch the final race where the finish line was about 50 yards off our stern.  It was an upwind and downwind course, and on the second upwind leg, one of the masts snapped, which turned out to be the boat that our neighbor was crewing on.  That boat did not finish that race, but there were replacements for the mast, and we should see them sailing tomorrow. 

With me hurting, dinner was limited, and I climbed into bed and tried to sleep.  Not a great night. 

Day 33 – 2/3/11

Off we go to Little Farmer Cay.  Mary and Dennis are off to Nassau, as her bite is not getting any better and the nurse recommended that they see a doctor.   In talking to Dennis later, he saw us sailing south as his flight stopped at Little Farmers before heading to Nassau, and snapped a couple of pictures from the sky.  Oh yeah, while hoisting the engine back on the boat, I threw my back out.  It wasn’t bad, but anchoring and putting the engine back on the dingy hurt like hell, even after stretching.  It was a short 8 mile trip to the West Bay anchorage on Little Farmers Cay, and we anchored next to a Lagoon 38 in about 3 – 4 feet of water. 

We went ashore, leaving the dingy on the beach, and went to the Farmer Cay Yacht Club which has docking for about 4 boats.  They had specials on rum punch and we decided to try them, not bad, and I was hoping that they would ease my back pain, which unfortunately they did not.  We met several people asking about Dennis and Mary, and we would let them know once I spoke with Dennis.  We met the couple on the Lagoon 38 who sold everything and now live on the boat.  They are on their way north having been cruising through Central America this winter. 

We went back to the boat and showered and had dinner.  When we returned, the anchorage was filling up for the festival tomorrow.  I went to bed hoping that a good night’s sleep would help my back, not that the 2 mile walk helped it. 

Day 32 – 2/2/11

Day 2 in Black Point was laundry day.  We lounged around the boat until 9:30, and dingyed to the laundry, which has its own dingy dock.  The day before, some people we met from Maine had arrived at 9 am to find the place mobbed.  When we check it out yesterday at around noon, there was no one there.  When we reached the laundry, Dennis and Mary were there and two other people.  We had no problem getting a washer for our single load.  We met cruisers from the Annapolis area who moor their boat near the Gemini factory.  They have a 38 foot Sabre and we exchanged some boat update stories. 

If you had this view from your laundry, we would probably compete for who would do the clothes.

After laundry, we returned to the boat and did some rearranging now that we do have provisions store everywhere.  We are learning what we need and can do without for our next adventure, and Beth is making detailed recordings.   After lunch, we dingyed to the dock, choosing a new ladder, and walked to the beach which was about a half a mile from the cliffs we surveyed yesterday.  It was a small beach, rock lined like most we have encountered.  We did not find many shells, but found several pieces of broken coral in some of the pools in the rocks.  After wandering across the rocks, I spotted several round black and pinkish round orbs in amongst the rocks, sea urchins.  If you step on one, you will be in for a visit to the clinic to have the spines extracted and a heavy dose of antibiotics. 

Wandering back to the dock, we ran into the couple from Maine, Jim and Ruth, and asked where their next port of call would be.  They are going to Little Farmers Cay, which is the site of the 5 F's festival this weekend.  We are heading there tomorrow, and provided we can find a decent anchorage will stay both Friday and Saturday.  Dinner is soy burgers and proceeded by some of my homemade salsa. 

Day 31 – 2/1/11

We left Staniel Cay for our short journey to Great Guana Cay, about 7 miles.  If we could navigate between the islands and channels, not advised, it would only be about 2 miles. With the waypoints in place, we led the way west, and the southeast to Black Point anchorage.  The anchorage is huge and we had no problem finding a place to anchor.  Dennis and Mary found a spot further towards shore, and were still in 6 feet of water.  There is a sand flat near the beach that is dry at low tide. 

After we anchored, off we went to town.  At the dingy dock we found a place to tie up, but had to climb some not so secure steps.  At the top, the right side of the ladder was missing.  Once we negotiated the climb, off we walked into town to check out the stores.  We found the famous Loraine’s café and a laundry.  We decided that tomorrow would be laundry day at least for sheets.  Note, next trip three changes of sheets.  

We walked south passing the police station and the clinic, until we came to Regatta Point, where we turned north to walk by the palms in front of anchorage.  Near this site was a road that led to the sound, so I pushed Beth on another march to the ocean.  Here we encountered some rock cliffs, and down I went to investigate.  Beth stood atop while I wandered about, uncovering a sea fan that was about 20 feet from the water. 

Heading back to the dock, we managed to climb back down and stopped by Dennis and Mary’s boat for cocktails.  On the way in Dennis bombarded us with some carrots that had seen better days.  After a few beers, we returned to our boat for showers and dinner. 

One thing that has been unreal is the night sky.  With no light pollution, there are so many more visible stars.  Every night after dinner, I have sat outside just staring off into space, admiring the beauty of the evening sky. 

Day 30 – 1/31/11

Well it has been a month and we are still travelling, although not going anywhere.  Our traveling companions have an issue that will keep us here another day.  Damn, another day to explore the island and again snorkel the Thunderball grotto.  After discussing the issue with Dennis, we decided to stay until they are ready to move on.  Having them as traveling companions has helped us a great deal in making decisions and understanding cruising.   In fact, Dennis commented on my strategy to move when the anchorage became too crowded, and noted that where we set up was a wise decision. 

After it was determined that we would be staying another day, we dingyed in to discard another load of trash and add some water and gas to our inventories.  We went to the Emerald's bread kitchen and obtained a loaf of their whole wheat bread, which was still warm.  After returning, we off-loaded the supplies and waited for the tide to change for a second attempt at snorkeling the grotto.  We brought our fins this time and were rewarded with being able to cruise with ease through the water.  We captured several of our finned friends as well as the cavernous view of the grotto.  It was well worth hanging around for another day. 

After drying out, off we go to explore the island.  We headed south, stopping at Isles General Store, hoping to find a spare spark plug for our generator.  As we have detailed in our upgrade log for the next trip, we need an additional solar panel and battery.  The culprit is the freezer which draws significant amps, but we wouldn’t want to travel without it.  Buying the goods, broccoli, spinach, soy burgers, rolls, etc., stored in our freezer, if you could find them, would be expensive.  The store while fairly well stocked did not carry the plug we needed.  Beth commented; do we really need this?  Responding; no as long as we find one, we’ll never need it.  I do have one in the garage that I neglected to bring. 

We hiked on to the south end of the island, where it was all private; so turning around we headed back.  As we reached the government docks, a fisherman was cleaning his catch, and selling to the residents who had gathered.  He had sold 4 lobster tails, and was beginning to clean the conch.  I watched intently as he hit the top of the conch with a hammer to crack the top, and then inserted a knife to release it.  As he was cleaning, several large rays circled below waiting for the leftovers.  As soon as the good had been separated from the waste, into the water it went.  Small fish first grabbed at the waste, and then the rays swooped in scattering the fish. 

Returning to the marina, we stopped by the bar for an afternoon cocktail with Dennis.  Two Kalick’s for Dennis and I, and a Bahama Mama for Beth, and we recounted the day.  At the end of the bar was a TV, the first time in a month that we had watched, and we now know that Green Bay and Pittsburg are in the super bowl.  We also know that the Midwest and Northeast are about to get another major snow storm.  We will have gusty winds tonight, and I will be on GPS patrol.  When we returned to the boat, a new boat was in the same area as we were. Up to now the closest boat has been over 300 yards away.  One additional thing to consider tonight. 

Day 29 – 1/30/11

When we dozed off to sleep last night the winds were light and I was expecting a good night’s sleep; survey says, well partially.  About 4 am the anchor drag alarm started going off.  After determining that we were still within the pattern that we had established the last few days, I finally extended the drag range from 100 to 120 feet and it stopped.  After breakfast we went over to Dennis and Mary’s boat to drop off some things and see what was on their agenda.  We also spoke with the people from Belgium, and his dingy engine had been fixed, so I did not need to ferry them to the grotto. 

We walked to the “bread” house and got a loaf of their coconut bread and a loaf of the cinnamon raisin for Dennis and Mary.  Back at our boat we cut into the fresh baked bread, savoring the warm moist flavor. 

We decided that we would snorkel the Thunderball grotto this morning.  We were about to leave when several boats arrived.  We waited about an hour until the crowds thinned out and ventured over.  The cruising guide notes that fins were not necessary; again survey says, wrong.  There was a bit of a current which prevented us from getting into the grotto.  The water is in the 70’s, and still a bit of shock when you first get in.  We were able to swim and wade to the outer parts of the grotto.  We brought the coconut bread crumbs, and the little fish gobbled them down.  After getting back to the boat, we warmed and dried out.

Later in the afternoon, we dingyed back to the marina and decided to go for a walk on the beach.  Well the beach is no a direct shot from the marina.  We ended up walking around to one of the middle beaches.    While at the beach we spotted a turtle swimming in the water.  He was obviously camera shy as we were unable to capture a clear picture.  Compared to most of the islands, this island has the most construction.  This was confirmed by a woman who has lived here most of her life. 

After the beach, we went to the marina restaurant for a drink and some conch bites, light fried breaded conch, absolutely wonderful.  Back to the boat for a shower, and pasta and spinach for dinner.  Tomorrow we are off to Black Point, a short 10 mile trip.  In fact on our walk back to the marina, we ran into a couple that we had met the other day in our dingy, and asked if we would like a ride (they had rented a golf cart, the major conveyance of the island).  After walking for close to 2 hours we agreed, and found that there are headed for the eastern Caribbean.  The also said they were thinking about taking their dingy there; they do have a 12 foot dingy with a hard bottom and 20 HP engine.