Feb. 24-25
We had a very nice sail across the Gulf Stream arriving in Port Everglades around 3:30. On the way across we noticed 100's of the strangest looking jellyfish. They had a rectangular blue bottom and a clear top with a sail shaped fin and floated on top of the water. We thought they were made of plastic at first and filled with air.
The first bridge we came to is 55' and of course we are 55' plus 1' of attena/wind vanes so we requested an opening. Once clear, the bridge master told us to pay attention to the height boards cause the tide was down and we could have gone through without an opening. Hmmm...my opinion is that if we're off by a couple of inches, we loose the attena. I'll stick with the opening, thank you very much!
We headed up to Middle River to the anchorage only to find it full. So it's back downstream to anchor off the ICW. It's only a so-so anchorage with a lot of boat traffic and wake, and not a lot of swing room. Good for the night but anxious to move on.
We were invited to have supper with friends of Mark and Kay, but not having gone through Customs, and not secure in the anchorage, we felt it best to stay on board. Probably a good idea as we were in bed and asleep by 7:30.
We listened to the weather at 6:00 the next morning and felt that we needed to leave today or be stranded in Fort Lauderdale until next week. We quickly ate breakfast and pulled anchor to make the 7:30 am bridge opening to get out to the ocean again. We were both upset that we couldn't say goodbye to our friends but we are counting on meeting up with them again in Lake Worth.
It was a beautiful day to be on the water with winds just off the bow and motor sailing at 6 knots. It almost felt like coming home as we entered Lake Worth and headed for our old anchorage spot. We managed to get in to Customs 10 minutes before closing making for an unhappy Customs Officer, but we cleared without incident..other then he forgot to give us back our passports and we had to go on a mad search to find someone to get them back for us.
The wind picked up considerably through the night and we were both awake most of the night listening to the creaks and groans of the boat. But since she has weathered 30 and 40 knot winds without incident, I was not too concerned with the 20 knot winds here.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Feb. 19-22. Bimini
Feb. 19-23
I made my first visit to a casino where I actually sat down and tried a few slot machines. We all went in with $20 to throw away. I played my first dollar for about an hour getting up to $13.50 before I lost it all. I tried $4 more to get get it back but ended up $5 in the hole when we left. Greg came out ahead at $21. It was fun..and the plus side is that Greg got to buy me lunch with his big winnings.
We did a fair amount of walking around which is the best way to see a place. Nassau has a very bad reputation for its high crime rate, but we were fortunate that we did not encounter any of it. There were some areas that seemed a bit sketchy, but the people couldn't have been any nicer. I got a hand bump from an 80 year old lady when she learned we were from Canada. She has two grandsons in Canada on university basketball scholarships.
We were very pleasantly surprised Saturday night with an amazing fireworks display in the harbour. It was very loud and very beautiful and no one knows what it was for. We figure it was some rich guys birthday celebration. Whatever it was for it was one of the best fireworks displays I've seen.
We enjoyed being on the dock as it gave us a break from having to dinghy ashore all the time. One downside was that this week we were experiencing extreme tides and so every low tide had us bouncing on the bottom and it was a bit of a stretch for someone with short legs to get from the deck of the boat to the dock.
We left Sunday morning for Chubb Cay, once again in a following sea. It was a 39 mile trip and we were pretty glad to pull into the cove to drop anchor. The plan was to get supper, relax a few hours and then head out at 1:00am to make Bimini by 4:00 pm the next day. However, the surge at the anchorage was so bad, there was no way to get any rest so by 7:00pm we had hauled anchor and had a very nice night sail to Bimini, arriving by 9:30 am.
Our arrival was greeted with a group of dolphins, the first we've seen since leaving Florida. I take this as a good sign. We also saw quite a large shark so that put an end to any thoughts of a last swim in the Bahamas.
We went to shore looking for sea beans. Mark and Kay found some, but I came up empty handed.
This was the perfect day to commemorate our last day in the Bahamas. The weather was perfect, sunny and hot with a gentle breeze. No other boats except our friends on CKII, and no traffic noise from the island. Greg and I celebrated together with a final Bahamian sundowner and talk of what we would be doing next year at this time.
I made my first visit to a casino where I actually sat down and tried a few slot machines. We all went in with $20 to throw away. I played my first dollar for about an hour getting up to $13.50 before I lost it all. I tried $4 more to get get it back but ended up $5 in the hole when we left. Greg came out ahead at $21. It was fun..and the plus side is that Greg got to buy me lunch with his big winnings.
We did a fair amount of walking around which is the best way to see a place. Nassau has a very bad reputation for its high crime rate, but we were fortunate that we did not encounter any of it. There were some areas that seemed a bit sketchy, but the people couldn't have been any nicer. I got a hand bump from an 80 year old lady when she learned we were from Canada. She has two grandsons in Canada on university basketball scholarships.
We were very pleasantly surprised Saturday night with an amazing fireworks display in the harbour. It was very loud and very beautiful and no one knows what it was for. We figure it was some rich guys birthday celebration. Whatever it was for it was one of the best fireworks displays I've seen.
We enjoyed being on the dock as it gave us a break from having to dinghy ashore all the time. One downside was that this week we were experiencing extreme tides and so every low tide had us bouncing on the bottom and it was a bit of a stretch for someone with short legs to get from the deck of the boat to the dock.
We left Sunday morning for Chubb Cay, once again in a following sea. It was a 39 mile trip and we were pretty glad to pull into the cove to drop anchor. The plan was to get supper, relax a few hours and then head out at 1:00am to make Bimini by 4:00 pm the next day. However, the surge at the anchorage was so bad, there was no way to get any rest so by 7:00pm we had hauled anchor and had a very nice night sail to Bimini, arriving by 9:30 am.
Our arrival was greeted with a group of dolphins, the first we've seen since leaving Florida. I take this as a good sign. We also saw quite a large shark so that put an end to any thoughts of a last swim in the Bahamas.
We went to shore looking for sea beans. Mark and Kay found some, but I came up empty handed.
This was the perfect day to commemorate our last day in the Bahamas. The weather was perfect, sunny and hot with a gentle breeze. No other boats except our friends on CKII, and no traffic noise from the island. Greg and I celebrated together with a final Bahamian sundowner and talk of what we would be doing next year at this time.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Nassau
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| Cruise ships in Nassau Harbour |
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| The Atlantis Hotel and Casino where I lost a whole $5. Luckily Greg was the big winner with $21. |
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| CKII leaving Nassau |
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Feb 15-18. Nassau
Feb. 15-18
Sunday the 15th saw us pulling up anchor and heading back to Royal Harbour Island. We'ed had enough of the rock and roll nights and were anxious to maybe get a good night's sleep. Once settled we took the dinghies into the dock and walked around the island. There is a resort on the end with a beautiful gym, restaurant and pool and five chalets on a quiet beach.....and it was all empty and locked up. Another development scheme that has failed in the Bahamas. On our way back to the dinghies we met the security guard, who also as it turns out was our bartender at the Shipyard Restaurant. We had a great chat with him and left very saddened by the future outlook for the islands. An all too familiar story of other countries coming in and over fishing stocks and the government not doing a thing about it. The Bahamians have to follow strict fishing regulations and the others come in and take what they want. And to top it off, the weather has been so bad this winter that the locals can't get out and fish.
Monday we left for Nassau. With the front due to hit Tuesday or Wednesday, we wanted to be on a dock to ride it out. The current forecast looks like we'll be here for a while.
The winds coming across stayed pleasantly steady at 9-13 knots, but the sea state was off the charts. We had following 2-4' quartering seas that saw us twisting like a cork making for an unpleasant 6 hours. But we landed in Nassau, squeezed into our dock space and are very comfortable here. Shortly after arrival we took a quick trip to the grocery store which is just across the street. It is a place of beauty, and the prices reflect it. Example: cranberry juice-$8; Oreo cookies -$8; Chips-$6; lg chocolate bar $5-11. Can you tell what I've been missing this trip....guess I'll have to wait to hit Florida before I can satisfy my cravings.
On the 17th we walked to the Straw Market. On the way we went to Potter's Cay which is a small local business area under a bridge. The buildings are very small providing libations and conch meals. There are also a number of vegetable stands and you can also pick up fresh conch and fish right off the boat. From there we walked to the tourist section of town with the Gucci, Rolex, Fendi, etc and too many diamond and precious stone stores to count. After a couple of beers we hit the straw market. It goes on forever and the vendors are so packed in you can't see anything and everything is the same cheap jewellery, t-shirts and straw bags. I didn't buy anything as I'm guessing most of the items are imported from Taiwan or China.
Wednesday, and it looks like the winds and rain are soon going to hit. I did manage to get out and scrub the deck. So nice to have unlimited water. We pay $6 a day whether we use it or not, so we are definitely making use of it.
Sunday the 15th saw us pulling up anchor and heading back to Royal Harbour Island. We'ed had enough of the rock and roll nights and were anxious to maybe get a good night's sleep. Once settled we took the dinghies into the dock and walked around the island. There is a resort on the end with a beautiful gym, restaurant and pool and five chalets on a quiet beach.....and it was all empty and locked up. Another development scheme that has failed in the Bahamas. On our way back to the dinghies we met the security guard, who also as it turns out was our bartender at the Shipyard Restaurant. We had a great chat with him and left very saddened by the future outlook for the islands. An all too familiar story of other countries coming in and over fishing stocks and the government not doing a thing about it. The Bahamians have to follow strict fishing regulations and the others come in and take what they want. And to top it off, the weather has been so bad this winter that the locals can't get out and fish.
Monday we left for Nassau. With the front due to hit Tuesday or Wednesday, we wanted to be on a dock to ride it out. The current forecast looks like we'll be here for a while.
The winds coming across stayed pleasantly steady at 9-13 knots, but the sea state was off the charts. We had following 2-4' quartering seas that saw us twisting like a cork making for an unpleasant 6 hours. But we landed in Nassau, squeezed into our dock space and are very comfortable here. Shortly after arrival we took a quick trip to the grocery store which is just across the street. It is a place of beauty, and the prices reflect it. Example: cranberry juice-$8; Oreo cookies -$8; Chips-$6; lg chocolate bar $5-11. Can you tell what I've been missing this trip....guess I'll have to wait to hit Florida before I can satisfy my cravings.
On the 17th we walked to the Straw Market. On the way we went to Potter's Cay which is a small local business area under a bridge. The buildings are very small providing libations and conch meals. There are also a number of vegetable stands and you can also pick up fresh conch and fish right off the boat. From there we walked to the tourist section of town with the Gucci, Rolex, Fendi, etc and too many diamond and precious stone stores to count. After a couple of beers we hit the straw market. It goes on forever and the vendors are so packed in you can't see anything and everything is the same cheap jewellery, t-shirts and straw bags. I didn't buy anything as I'm guessing most of the items are imported from Taiwan or China.
Wednesday, and it looks like the winds and rain are soon going to hit. I did manage to get out and scrub the deck. So nice to have unlimited water. We pay $6 a day whether we use it or not, so we are definitely making use of it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Nassau
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| I know...you can't see them, but that''s, Mark and Kay at Casablanca enjoying very cold beers! |
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| Potter's Cay |
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| Potter's Cay |
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| Potter's Cay |
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Eating out in Spanish Wells
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| Kay, Mark, me, Greg at Shipyard Landing, Valentine's Day |
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| Valentine's Day supper....so good! |
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| Kay, Mark, Mary Ellen, Mike, Me, Greg enjoying Sands beer at Bubba's, Spanish Wells |
Feb 12-14
Feb. 12 - 14
I forgot to mention that during the storm, ( this would be the evening after we thought our boat was going to end up on the island) we heard a tiny clunk on the deck. I was in bed at the time and Greg was watching a movie. We both went outside to see if we could find what made the noise and came across a 3 inch bolt. A quick look around in the dark did not reveal where it came from so we knew we'ed have to look again in the morning. We had already had to hammer in loose pins on the dodger and bimini frame that had been shaken loose from the wind.
In the morning we discovered our loose bolt was actually the piece that held the boom on to the mast. Can you imagine if we hadn't heard the "tink" of the bolt falling or if the bolt had fallen overboard. We would have set sail, totally unaware that there was nothing but the sail holding the boom to the mast. That could have been interesting! It took Mark, Greg and I to push the boom back in place and get another bolt in.
This is definitely a storm that won't soon be forgotten. Even the locals in Spanish Wells were talking about it.
So, we are now relaxing and enjoying Spanish Wells. We spent this morning site seeing by way of golf cart, the dominant mode of transportation here. The area is very clean with houses from cottage style (my favorite) to modern suburb type homes. Unfortunately, a lot of the homes are for sale and we've learned that employment is becoming a serious problem and banks are repossessing homes.
Friday the 13th was not such a bad day. The winds are directly out of the west instead of the northwest as forecast, making our night a bit bumpy and rolly, but we've come to expect that. We had a nice stroll in the beach with Mike And Mary Ellen from Persuasion, a 37' C&C from Ottawa. They left home in June and were at the LaHave River Yacht Club about a week after we left. We have been enjoying their company and may meet up with them agin in Nassau as we are both heading there.
Last night, February 14th was our "Big" night out. We don't eat out in the evenings as the meals are a bit pricier and we are usually in bed early, but this being a special day we thought it was a good excuse. We made reservations at Shipyard Landing on the East side of the Island. Kay and I started out evening with the Devil's Punch and Greg and Mark went for the Bahama Mamas. They were so good. Then we ran into Happy Hour, 2 for 1 so we all had two more. I think we were the happiest table in the restaurant :)
The meals were fore-nominal, the best we've had down here. I had the Pork Cubano, a very tender pork tenderloin with BBQ sauce along with double baked potato salad and a Mac and Cheese like we've never had before. It was a penne with white sauce and absolutely delicious. This was such a great evening!
Then it was back to the boat where we bounced and rolled again for another night :(
I forgot to mention that during the storm, ( this would be the evening after we thought our boat was going to end up on the island) we heard a tiny clunk on the deck. I was in bed at the time and Greg was watching a movie. We both went outside to see if we could find what made the noise and came across a 3 inch bolt. A quick look around in the dark did not reveal where it came from so we knew we'ed have to look again in the morning. We had already had to hammer in loose pins on the dodger and bimini frame that had been shaken loose from the wind.
In the morning we discovered our loose bolt was actually the piece that held the boom on to the mast. Can you imagine if we hadn't heard the "tink" of the bolt falling or if the bolt had fallen overboard. We would have set sail, totally unaware that there was nothing but the sail holding the boom to the mast. That could have been interesting! It took Mark, Greg and I to push the boom back in place and get another bolt in.
This is definitely a storm that won't soon be forgotten. Even the locals in Spanish Wells were talking about it.
So, we are now relaxing and enjoying Spanish Wells. We spent this morning site seeing by way of golf cart, the dominant mode of transportation here. The area is very clean with houses from cottage style (my favorite) to modern suburb type homes. Unfortunately, a lot of the homes are for sale and we've learned that employment is becoming a serious problem and banks are repossessing homes.
Friday the 13th was not such a bad day. The winds are directly out of the west instead of the northwest as forecast, making our night a bit bumpy and rolly, but we've come to expect that. We had a nice stroll in the beach with Mike And Mary Ellen from Persuasion, a 37' C&C from Ottawa. They left home in June and were at the LaHave River Yacht Club about a week after we left. We have been enjoying their company and may meet up with them agin in Nassau as we are both heading there.
Last night, February 14th was our "Big" night out. We don't eat out in the evenings as the meals are a bit pricier and we are usually in bed early, but this being a special day we thought it was a good excuse. We made reservations at Shipyard Landing on the East side of the Island. Kay and I started out evening with the Devil's Punch and Greg and Mark went for the Bahama Mamas. They were so good. Then we ran into Happy Hour, 2 for 1 so we all had two more. I think we were the happiest table in the restaurant :)
The meals were fore-nominal, the best we've had down here. I had the Pork Cubano, a very tender pork tenderloin with BBQ sauce along with double baked potato salad and a Mac and Cheese like we've never had before. It was a penne with white sauce and absolutely delicious. This was such a great evening!
Then it was back to the boat where we bounced and rolled again for another night :(
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Governor's Harbour and Spanish Wells
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| Govenor's Harbour |
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| Bucchaneer's Restaurant. Where they serve fresh poultry |
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| Kay and Greg |
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| Spanish Wells - fishing community |
Feb. 8-11
Feb. 8 - 9
(Happy Birthday Mom!)
What a wonderful sail from Rock Sound Harbour to Governor's Harbour. We covered 27 miles in just over 4 hours. That was an avg of 6.5 nm/hr with just the jib. The water was a little wooly, but it was such a treat not to have the engine running. I'm really liking Eleuthera. Until you get up close, it really looks a lot like home with the hills and trees. Even the architecture is similar to home with a lot of the houses sporting dormered windows and covered porches. We were all very sad to only have time to spend one day in Governor's Harbour. It is a very pretty little town and even though we had a quick walk around today, it would have been nice to see more. There are a lot of little gift shops and boutiques that were closed, being Sunday, that I would have liked to check out. Guess it just gives us a reason to come back next year.
We had to cut our visit short due to the impending front headed our way. They are forecasting westerly winds at 25-30 kts with possibility of 40-50 kts in squalls. There are not a lot of places in the Bahamas that can offer good protection from Westerly blows, but Royal Island is one and it is just 40 miles from Governor's Harbour.
We were a bit surprised when we walked by the grocery store and saw that they open in the mornings at 6:30. We now know why they go to work so early, after we were awakened by the horrendous crowing of 500 (maybe an exaggeration, but not by much) roosters at 5:30 this morning. No one could sleep through that racket. We left anchor at 8:15 am and 3 minutes after the anchor was up, we put on the automatic pilot and made a straight 31 mile run to Current Cut. We knew there was not going to be much wind today, so there was no thought of putting up any sails. Turned out there was not even a wiff of wind for the first 6 hours. The water was like a sheet of glass. Greg and I sat up on the bow enjoying the smooth ride and watching the jellyfish go by. We were in 30' of water and we could see the bottom so clearly. It still amazes me.
We had read a bit about Current Cut and the currents that flow through it, with everyone advising to time the passage carefully as the current can be 4-8 kts. We were a little nervous as we were getting conflicting information as to the best time to go through, and even when the tide was high or low. It seems all our worrying was for not. Yes, there was a good current, but we passed through with ease, going with the current at 7.5 knots, and continued the next 8 miles without incident to enter Royal Island Harbour, a great little hurricane hole. There are 8 boats here to ride out the weather with us tomorrow.
Feb. 10
Oh My!! We just survived our first Bahamian White Squall. It hit last night around 2:00 am. First the rain, then amazing flashes of lightening and crashes of thunder. Then the storm really hit. The wind was howling and the rain was beating so hard on the deck we could barely hear ourselves talk. At one point, we thought we were going airborne. The wind threw the boat sideways and then back the other way. I checked the anenometer after that gust and we were at 43knots, so we're guessing we must have hit 50 knots with the last gust. Thank you Chris Parker for the heads up weather forecast! This was definitely an eye opener and something I don't want to go through again. Part of the problem was that it happened at night and we were totally blind as to what was going on outside. We used the spotlight but could not see the shoreline. The best we could do was keep an eye on the other anchor lights and pray none of them got any closer. All I can say is....I love our Rochnar and those magazines that said it was not the best anchor for holding in sand are full of shit!
Oh My!! ( have I said that already). 24 hours of awful! The winds have barely let up, although they are not going over 30 knots. It's been very uncomfortable and can't wait to get off the boat for a rest. The noise is definitely the worst part.
Feb. 11
At last, the winds have died down enough for us to leave and make the 5 mile run to Spanish Wells. What a beautiful place....like coming into Lunenburg Harbour. Quaint little cottages painted bright colours and the harbour is filled with fishing boats. People are great and everything is so clean...a nice change from the rest of the Bahamas. Love it here.
(Happy Birthday Mom!)
What a wonderful sail from Rock Sound Harbour to Governor's Harbour. We covered 27 miles in just over 4 hours. That was an avg of 6.5 nm/hr with just the jib. The water was a little wooly, but it was such a treat not to have the engine running. I'm really liking Eleuthera. Until you get up close, it really looks a lot like home with the hills and trees. Even the architecture is similar to home with a lot of the houses sporting dormered windows and covered porches. We were all very sad to only have time to spend one day in Governor's Harbour. It is a very pretty little town and even though we had a quick walk around today, it would have been nice to see more. There are a lot of little gift shops and boutiques that were closed, being Sunday, that I would have liked to check out. Guess it just gives us a reason to come back next year.
We had to cut our visit short due to the impending front headed our way. They are forecasting westerly winds at 25-30 kts with possibility of 40-50 kts in squalls. There are not a lot of places in the Bahamas that can offer good protection from Westerly blows, but Royal Island is one and it is just 40 miles from Governor's Harbour.
We were a bit surprised when we walked by the grocery store and saw that they open in the mornings at 6:30. We now know why they go to work so early, after we were awakened by the horrendous crowing of 500 (maybe an exaggeration, but not by much) roosters at 5:30 this morning. No one could sleep through that racket. We left anchor at 8:15 am and 3 minutes after the anchor was up, we put on the automatic pilot and made a straight 31 mile run to Current Cut. We knew there was not going to be much wind today, so there was no thought of putting up any sails. Turned out there was not even a wiff of wind for the first 6 hours. The water was like a sheet of glass. Greg and I sat up on the bow enjoying the smooth ride and watching the jellyfish go by. We were in 30' of water and we could see the bottom so clearly. It still amazes me.
We had read a bit about Current Cut and the currents that flow through it, with everyone advising to time the passage carefully as the current can be 4-8 kts. We were a little nervous as we were getting conflicting information as to the best time to go through, and even when the tide was high or low. It seems all our worrying was for not. Yes, there was a good current, but we passed through with ease, going with the current at 7.5 knots, and continued the next 8 miles without incident to enter Royal Island Harbour, a great little hurricane hole. There are 8 boats here to ride out the weather with us tomorrow.
Feb. 10
Oh My!! We just survived our first Bahamian White Squall. It hit last night around 2:00 am. First the rain, then amazing flashes of lightening and crashes of thunder. Then the storm really hit. The wind was howling and the rain was beating so hard on the deck we could barely hear ourselves talk. At one point, we thought we were going airborne. The wind threw the boat sideways and then back the other way. I checked the anenometer after that gust and we were at 43knots, so we're guessing we must have hit 50 knots with the last gust. Thank you Chris Parker for the heads up weather forecast! This was definitely an eye opener and something I don't want to go through again. Part of the problem was that it happened at night and we were totally blind as to what was going on outside. We used the spotlight but could not see the shoreline. The best we could do was keep an eye on the other anchor lights and pray none of them got any closer. All I can say is....I love our Rochnar and those magazines that said it was not the best anchor for holding in sand are full of shit!
Oh My!! ( have I said that already). 24 hours of awful! The winds have barely let up, although they are not going over 30 knots. It's been very uncomfortable and can't wait to get off the boat for a rest. The noise is definitely the worst part.
Feb. 11
At last, the winds have died down enough for us to leave and make the 5 mile run to Spanish Wells. What a beautiful place....like coming into Lunenburg Harbour. Quaint little cottages painted bright colours and the harbour is filled with fishing boats. People are great and everything is so clean...a nice change from the rest of the Bahamas. Love it here.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Wardrick Wells and Rock Sound Harbour, Eleuthera
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| Quiet Beach at Warderick Wells |
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| Channel for mooring boats in Exuma Park, Warderick Wells |
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| Okay...so these are the Davis Ruins...? |
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| Boo Boo Hill where you can leave the name of your boat on a piece of driftwood. More like a junk pile! |
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| CKll just made anchor at Rock Sound Harbour when the skies turned black. |
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| How quick the weather can change. This black cloud brought torrential rain and 38 kt winds for about an hour. |
Feb. 1-7
Feb. 1 - 6
Okay....so what is it with me and snakes. We came across my third snake on the trip. Admittedly I did not see the second snake due to Kay giving me a push around it (thank you Kay!). It was dead by the way...same as the third one which I almost stepped on in the road at Black Point. Mark said they have copperheads and rattlers around their place in Georgia but he's never seen any. Huh...wait till I come for a visit...I bet the place will be crawling with them :(
The boys went to Lorraine's Cafe to watch the Super Bowl. They really enjoyed themselves with good food and a good game. I stayed on the boat with no desire to watch football. Instead I watched a couple of George's movies.
Next morning we did laundry and then set sail for WardrickWells, in the Exuma Park. It was a pretty good trip but again we had to motor sail.
There are two mega yachts just outside our anchorage. Their crew set up tents on the beach and even had a table and chairs set up in the water with a white tablecloth. Guess they don't want their guest to get their feet too hot. We are still waiting for our invitation.
Today, Feb. 4 is a quiet, laid back day. I had a shower which I was in desperate need of...one of the big things I'm looking forward to when I get home....long, hot showers.....EVERY DAY!!! I'll make bread this afternoon. Greg had made me a peanut butter sandwich the other day. One bite and all I had was a mouthful of mold....euckkk. I was tasting it for an hour afterward.
So I guess it's not only snakes I get to see. I saw my first Hutia. It's a small rodent like animal, about the size of a rabbit, without the long ears. Apparently they are nocturnal and it is very rare to see one during the day. They are also the only animal on WardrickWells. He was kind'a cute :)
We did some walking around WardrickWells, going to the Davis Ruins and up to Boo Boo Hill. Very interesting terrain....glad we don't have it at home. From desert like sand flats to craggy outcrop (great ankle twisting country) surrounded by scraggly brush. The place has a very desolate feel to it. Unfortunately there is no signage at the ruins to indicate what we were looking at. No way to know if the structures are part of a house or barn, and how they lived. The foundations are very small, so it is left to the imagination as to wether the inhabitants only used them for sleeping or for meal preparation as well. We understand that funding for the park is very limited, but some information would definitely be welcome, even if only on printed handouts at the Warden's Office.
Our lives revolve around the weather, so after three days, the winds finally turn to the SE and are due to drop to mid teens, so off we go to Eleuthera. This is a 48 mile crossing and I'm looking forward to being out on the "high seas" again. Of course, as always, it is motor sailing the entire trip. The wind is just off our stern, but shifting, so it is a continually effort to keep the boat on course without letting the sails snap. With these kinds of winds, and because I don't know the answer... I always wonder how much strain and snapping the sails can take before damage is done to the mast or furler break!!
Nine hours later we are dropping anchor in Rock Sound Harbour. We averaged 6nm/hr....not bad. We no sooner had the anchor down when we saw black clouds forming in the north. 15 minutes later we were hit with cold winds and torrential rain. We were told later by another boater that the winds hit 38 knots. I don't even want to think what it would have been like to be caught out in that storm. I think someone must have been watching over us that day.
Looks like we'll be spending the next couple of days in Rock Sound as the winds won't be easing off until the 10th. We've already checked out the two grocery stores and laundromat and visited the Ocean Hole, a blue hole about 1/2 mile inland. Apparently it is fed by underground tunnels to the ocean. There were all kinds of fish around the edge, so sure beats snorkelling.
One of the downsides of heading north...the temperature is dropping. Of course this may be due to the fronts coming in, but looking at Windfinder, it doesn't look like anything above 21-22 Celsius for the next week, and some days only 17. Chilly!
Yesterday we had lunch at Sammy's Restaurant. It was a nice little spot and we had a good chat with the waitress, Sammy's daughter. We stuck to known items on the menu, having the fish and hamburger, passing up on the Pig's Feet Sousa and Lamb's Tongue Sousa, even though it came highly recommended by another boater.
Feb. 7
We just came back from a 3 hour walk.....so exhausted...but it was nice to get out and see the countryside. But... Get a load of this... Within 10 minutes of walking I come across two dead snakes in the road about 100' from each other. What gives! I'm really not liking the snake situation here very much at all. Kay is now running point for me, bless her heart. We could have the guys go out in front, but they walk so slow, I'd rather take my chances with the snakes. There's been talk of another severe weather system coming our way, so unless we want to be stranded here for two weeks, we may have to move tomorrow and make a run to Spanish Wells for protection from the winds. This will mean only an overnighter in Governor's Harbour which will be too bad. We were looking forward to spending a few days there. Time will tell.
Okay....so what is it with me and snakes. We came across my third snake on the trip. Admittedly I did not see the second snake due to Kay giving me a push around it (thank you Kay!). It was dead by the way...same as the third one which I almost stepped on in the road at Black Point. Mark said they have copperheads and rattlers around their place in Georgia but he's never seen any. Huh...wait till I come for a visit...I bet the place will be crawling with them :(
The boys went to Lorraine's Cafe to watch the Super Bowl. They really enjoyed themselves with good food and a good game. I stayed on the boat with no desire to watch football. Instead I watched a couple of George's movies.
Next morning we did laundry and then set sail for WardrickWells, in the Exuma Park. It was a pretty good trip but again we had to motor sail.
There are two mega yachts just outside our anchorage. Their crew set up tents on the beach and even had a table and chairs set up in the water with a white tablecloth. Guess they don't want their guest to get their feet too hot. We are still waiting for our invitation.
Today, Feb. 4 is a quiet, laid back day. I had a shower which I was in desperate need of...one of the big things I'm looking forward to when I get home....long, hot showers.....EVERY DAY!!! I'll make bread this afternoon. Greg had made me a peanut butter sandwich the other day. One bite and all I had was a mouthful of mold....euckkk. I was tasting it for an hour afterward.
So I guess it's not only snakes I get to see. I saw my first Hutia. It's a small rodent like animal, about the size of a rabbit, without the long ears. Apparently they are nocturnal and it is very rare to see one during the day. They are also the only animal on WardrickWells. He was kind'a cute :)
We did some walking around WardrickWells, going to the Davis Ruins and up to Boo Boo Hill. Very interesting terrain....glad we don't have it at home. From desert like sand flats to craggy outcrop (great ankle twisting country) surrounded by scraggly brush. The place has a very desolate feel to it. Unfortunately there is no signage at the ruins to indicate what we were looking at. No way to know if the structures are part of a house or barn, and how they lived. The foundations are very small, so it is left to the imagination as to wether the inhabitants only used them for sleeping or for meal preparation as well. We understand that funding for the park is very limited, but some information would definitely be welcome, even if only on printed handouts at the Warden's Office.
Our lives revolve around the weather, so after three days, the winds finally turn to the SE and are due to drop to mid teens, so off we go to Eleuthera. This is a 48 mile crossing and I'm looking forward to being out on the "high seas" again. Of course, as always, it is motor sailing the entire trip. The wind is just off our stern, but shifting, so it is a continually effort to keep the boat on course without letting the sails snap. With these kinds of winds, and because I don't know the answer... I always wonder how much strain and snapping the sails can take before damage is done to the mast or furler break!!
Nine hours later we are dropping anchor in Rock Sound Harbour. We averaged 6nm/hr....not bad. We no sooner had the anchor down when we saw black clouds forming in the north. 15 minutes later we were hit with cold winds and torrential rain. We were told later by another boater that the winds hit 38 knots. I don't even want to think what it would have been like to be caught out in that storm. I think someone must have been watching over us that day.
Looks like we'll be spending the next couple of days in Rock Sound as the winds won't be easing off until the 10th. We've already checked out the two grocery stores and laundromat and visited the Ocean Hole, a blue hole about 1/2 mile inland. Apparently it is fed by underground tunnels to the ocean. There were all kinds of fish around the edge, so sure beats snorkelling.
One of the downsides of heading north...the temperature is dropping. Of course this may be due to the fronts coming in, but looking at Windfinder, it doesn't look like anything above 21-22 Celsius for the next week, and some days only 17. Chilly!
Yesterday we had lunch at Sammy's Restaurant. It was a nice little spot and we had a good chat with the waitress, Sammy's daughter. We stuck to known items on the menu, having the fish and hamburger, passing up on the Pig's Feet Sousa and Lamb's Tongue Sousa, even though it came highly recommended by another boater.
Feb. 7
We just came back from a 3 hour walk.....so exhausted...but it was nice to get out and see the countryside. But... Get a load of this... Within 10 minutes of walking I come across two dead snakes in the road about 100' from each other. What gives! I'm really not liking the snake situation here very much at all. Kay is now running point for me, bless her heart. We could have the guys go out in front, but they walk so slow, I'd rather take my chances with the snakes. There's been talk of another severe weather system coming our way, so unless we want to be stranded here for two weeks, we may have to move tomorrow and make a run to Spanish Wells for protection from the winds. This will mean only an overnighter in Governor's Harbour which will be too bad. We were looking forward to spending a few days there. Time will tell.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Jan 28-31. Cave Cay - Black Point
Jan. 28
Had another nice walk on Crab Cay; Mark and Greg did a quick snorkel on the reef and then we were off for George Town. Sorry to leave Crab Cay. It was wonderfully quiet and private.
We will fill up our water, get some cash out of the bank ( no banks from here to Eluthera) pick up some essentials at the grocery store, and then motor the mile across Elizabeth Harbour to Hamburg Beach. This will put us in place for a quick departure out the cut when the winds decide to cooperate.
The plus side of coming into George Town...I get to eat out at the Peace and Plenty Restaurant. :)
In case you are wondering...it's not all sunshine and roses down here. Today the temperature dropped to 21 degrees and I had to put on my jeans and long sleeved shirt tonight. Brrrrr....
Jan. 29
Had a very quiet day today. Took a walk to the other side of the island and very thankful we didn't have our hearts set on leaving today. The ocean side was a rolling fury. It would have been ludicrous to attempt sailing in those waves. After the walk we took the dinghy to the three holes where boats are kept seasonally or moored for extended periods. The holes are just behind Volleyball Beach and the Chat and Chill Restaurant. Very good hurricane protection, but I suspect you might not survive the insect attacks. We sat at the Chat and Chill for a beer and fries, and then made our way back to the boat for a lazy afternoon.
This is a great anchorage, but I would never want to stay here for long as I would never be able to adjust to the number of boats. At last count, which someone here does once a week, there were almost 266 boats spread out over Kidd's Cove (George Town), Sand Dollar Beach, Volleyball Beach, Monument Beach, and Hamburg Beach. Keep in mind that you can dinghy to all these anchorages in about 1/2 hour, so there is not much of a delineation between them...ie. boats are fairly close together. Give me the likes of Crab Cay any day!
Jan. 30
What a long day. We're not used to spending a full day sailing. We covered 38 miles in 7 hours. We were supposed to have NE winds which would have been perfect. Instead we had NW all day and the last 2-3 hours was on the nose. The weather is great, but so far we haven't had a lot of luck when it comes to good sailing weather. Other then two or three days, we always seem to have to motor-sail. I guess we need to learn patience and appreciate a slow sail, or learn how to enjoy tacking.
We came back to Cave Cay Cut, an anchorage we enjoyed on the way down. Unfortunately, we were faced with a NW wind instead of the NE, so we had no protection from the land. To top it off, we must have dropped our anchor six or seven times trying to find good holding, and each time it would pull loose when I backed down. One time we had a good hold only to find our boat drifted back over a coral head. We were both getting pretty frustrated at this point but one more try was the charm and I think (fingers crossed) we are good for the night. This is only the second time that we had trouble with the holding. The other time was in Staniel Cay. You really have to watch to be sure to hit only sand and not drop the anchor in any sea grass. It's easy when the water is calm, but when it's rough and wooly, it's hard to see the bottom.
A couple of fisherman came by this evening selling lobster and conch. I was looking forward to BBQ lobster tail, but when he asked $20 each, we nearly chocked. He dropped the price to $15 each, but we had to decline. We don't pay that much at home, and our lobster are so much better then these.
Jan. 31
So now I know where the Canadian Weather Forecasters go to do there training. They come to the Bahamas. They graduate when they get the weather completely wrong here at least two days in a row. You should be seeing a new crop of them in Canada any day now. I can't believe the winds we have been getting. They were supposed to increase this morning getting to 13kts by 10am and reaching 18kts by afternoon. Therefore we left at 7:00am to be in Black Point by 10:00. By 8:00am it was blowing 18kts. By 9:00 it was pretty steady at 20-22kts apparent. Our OGS (over grounded speed) was 4-6kts, and I was pinching all the way. When we finally turned in to the harbour our speed dropped so much I thought we were having engine problems. We could only make 1 - 2.5 kts and it took us another hour to go 2 miles. As always we had to motor sail. What a horrible sail!
Had another nice walk on Crab Cay; Mark and Greg did a quick snorkel on the reef and then we were off for George Town. Sorry to leave Crab Cay. It was wonderfully quiet and private.
We will fill up our water, get some cash out of the bank ( no banks from here to Eluthera) pick up some essentials at the grocery store, and then motor the mile across Elizabeth Harbour to Hamburg Beach. This will put us in place for a quick departure out the cut when the winds decide to cooperate.
The plus side of coming into George Town...I get to eat out at the Peace and Plenty Restaurant. :)
In case you are wondering...it's not all sunshine and roses down here. Today the temperature dropped to 21 degrees and I had to put on my jeans and long sleeved shirt tonight. Brrrrr....
Jan. 29
Had a very quiet day today. Took a walk to the other side of the island and very thankful we didn't have our hearts set on leaving today. The ocean side was a rolling fury. It would have been ludicrous to attempt sailing in those waves. After the walk we took the dinghy to the three holes where boats are kept seasonally or moored for extended periods. The holes are just behind Volleyball Beach and the Chat and Chill Restaurant. Very good hurricane protection, but I suspect you might not survive the insect attacks. We sat at the Chat and Chill for a beer and fries, and then made our way back to the boat for a lazy afternoon.
This is a great anchorage, but I would never want to stay here for long as I would never be able to adjust to the number of boats. At last count, which someone here does once a week, there were almost 266 boats spread out over Kidd's Cove (George Town), Sand Dollar Beach, Volleyball Beach, Monument Beach, and Hamburg Beach. Keep in mind that you can dinghy to all these anchorages in about 1/2 hour, so there is not much of a delineation between them...ie. boats are fairly close together. Give me the likes of Crab Cay any day!
Jan. 30
What a long day. We're not used to spending a full day sailing. We covered 38 miles in 7 hours. We were supposed to have NE winds which would have been perfect. Instead we had NW all day and the last 2-3 hours was on the nose. The weather is great, but so far we haven't had a lot of luck when it comes to good sailing weather. Other then two or three days, we always seem to have to motor-sail. I guess we need to learn patience and appreciate a slow sail, or learn how to enjoy tacking.
We came back to Cave Cay Cut, an anchorage we enjoyed on the way down. Unfortunately, we were faced with a NW wind instead of the NE, so we had no protection from the land. To top it off, we must have dropped our anchor six or seven times trying to find good holding, and each time it would pull loose when I backed down. One time we had a good hold only to find our boat drifted back over a coral head. We were both getting pretty frustrated at this point but one more try was the charm and I think (fingers crossed) we are good for the night. This is only the second time that we had trouble with the holding. The other time was in Staniel Cay. You really have to watch to be sure to hit only sand and not drop the anchor in any sea grass. It's easy when the water is calm, but when it's rough and wooly, it's hard to see the bottom.
A couple of fisherman came by this evening selling lobster and conch. I was looking forward to BBQ lobster tail, but when he asked $20 each, we nearly chocked. He dropped the price to $15 each, but we had to decline. We don't pay that much at home, and our lobster are so much better then these.
Jan. 31
So now I know where the Canadian Weather Forecasters go to do there training. They come to the Bahamas. They graduate when they get the weather completely wrong here at least two days in a row. You should be seeing a new crop of them in Canada any day now. I can't believe the winds we have been getting. They were supposed to increase this morning getting to 13kts by 10am and reaching 18kts by afternoon. Therefore we left at 7:00am to be in Black Point by 10:00. By 8:00am it was blowing 18kts. By 9:00 it was pretty steady at 20-22kts apparent. Our OGS (over grounded speed) was 4-6kts, and I was pinching all the way. When we finally turned in to the harbour our speed dropped so much I thought we were having engine problems. We could only make 1 - 2.5 kts and it took us another hour to go 2 miles. As always we had to motor sail. What a horrible sail!
Black Point
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| This water was so green...it looked like grass. The clouds overhead caused this. Really bizarre! |
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| Belicia and Jerry followed us on our walk at Black Point. Can you imagine kids at home being allowed to go with strangers? |
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