05/06/2008, Rock Sound, Eleuthera

[Photo: Small beach on O'Briens Cay]

Day 55: Mon 05 May 08
Lat: N 24.8° Lon: W 076.1°

The wind certainly got light overnight as expected. There was enough to keep comfortably cool, but the water was almost mirror calm by dawn. I had a very restful night, but Diane was bothered by the dogs barking and roosters crowing.

Since it will be unlikely we will take any salt water spray on the boat for the next week, I used several quarts of water to sponge off the plastic windscreens and all the stainless steel that I could comfortably reach. I have friends with water making machinery aboard and long hoses who can give their boats a fresh water rinse, but that's a luxury we do not have.

Our main goals for this morning were to deposit three bags of trash, connect to the Internet, replenish our stores of gin and rum, get a few fresh grocery items, and poll some locals to see if the island is worth exploring by rented car or guide.

The dinghy dock closest to us is right across the main highway (actually the only road on the island and just wide enough for two cars) from Dingle Motors. They owners are white Bahamians whose family goes back many generations. They survive, and sometimes thrive, by diversity. They currently: sell, rent, and repair cars; provide Wi-Fi Internet for a fee; sell gas, diesel, ice, ice cream, lumber, auto and boat parts, and convenience items; provide DHL shipping services, free trash disposal for cruisers, provide laundry service, and maybe more. It is very small, but they manage it all quite well, it appears.

Mrs. D was very helpful with suggestions. Diane strolled up the highway to check out the stores while I connected to the Internet for almost an hour catching up on the bills, blog, email, etc. When Diane returned, we boarded the dinghy to return the laptop to Diva Di, and then motored up the very calm water to the only other boat remaining today. The solitary sailor was friendly and offered some advice, confirming what Mrs. D had said. We left him and tied up to another dinghy dock near an apparently recently abandoned waterfront restaurant and bar.

From there, it was less than a quarter mile to the main market and a great NAPA store where I got more spark plugs for the dinghy engine. The market was very impressive compared to everything so far in the Bahamas except for Nassau. Diane does not yet share my opinion, but I see a big difference in the cleanliness here. Yes, there is trash, but it is nothing like so many other inhabited places. There seems to be some pride that keeps people from spoiling their public and private properties with litter.

The liquor store was closed, despite the hours of operation posted on the door. It had just turned noon, so likely the operator was taking a lunch break. We'll just come back later and get another walk in. Diane stayed in practice by starting the dinghy engine with no coaching from me, and steered us back to Diva Di. She did a great job!

About mid-afternoon, a dinghy approached with a solitary guy with a heavy Australian accent. He was the skipper of the fifty ft Beneteau sailboat that was anchored close to a mile away from shore. His charts were pretty outdated, and not the Explorer Charts (which are the ONLY ones to have here), so his information was scaring him and his wife.

I invited him aboard and offered him a drink while we looked at our charts. After almost an hour of visiting, I offered to let him have our chart book to take back to his boat so his wife, the navigator, could update the more critical info. Their boat has a draft of nearly six ft, so they need to exercise a bit more caution than we do in shallow water.

Shortly thereafter, Antic arrived in Rock Sound and anchored. We had informed them via radio that we had made dinner plans ashore so they came over for cocktails about 1800 and we dinghied ashore by 1840 to walk to Sammy's Place. We were the only diners there, and found that the night's selections were somewhat limited. The fresh catch was dolphin (mahi-mahi) so we all ordered that, plus Diane and I shared a bowl of conch chowder.

The portions were very generous, but the only method of cooking you could get for the fish was battered and deep fried. It was very tasty, but we all would have preferred grilled. The chowder was very good, if a bit heavy with a taste of clove. We were looking forward to a meal ashore after 12 days since the last one, and it was good, but somehow not what we were hoping for.

Back at Diva Di, Clyde seemed to really enjoy his time topside. He seems to prefer calm nights when we are close to shore and he has lights and smells to keep his attention. Sitting in the middle of near complete darkness in a remote anchorage doesn't thrill him like it does me.

Day 56: Tue 06 May 08
Lat: N 24.8° Lon: W 076.1°

Well, Diane had very little good rest last night. It seems there is a barge being loaded with a crane not far from us and they started about 0300. The barking of dogs and crowing of roosters near 0500 added to the din. I was able to tune most of it out and slept fine. We may decide to move to another anchorage farther up island later today, or just move a mile offshore (still in less than 8 ft of depth) to be farther from the noise tomorrow. In any case, we plan to leave Rock Sound no later than tomorrow morning.

Diane is not thrilled with Rock Sound due to the noise, clarity of the water in the anchorage is far below anything else we have seen in the Bahamas, quite a bit of smoke from the burning of trash in the dumps, and the rather inhospitable dinghy docks here. There have been some positives, in my opinion: good markets and stores, friendly people, and a protected anchorage. I guess we would collectively say it is not a tourist or cruiser destination for a reason, and we would not likely see a need to come back on some future cruise.

Just before we headed ashore to deposit trash, check the Internet, and get water in our portable jugs, our Australian mate came over to return our chart. He was most thankful for the opportunity and we gave him our boat card to stay in touch.

Once ashore, we found that we could connect to their Wi-Fi network just fine, but could not get onto the Internet. When I asked Mrs. D if they were connected at that moment, she said they had been on the Internet earlier with no problem. That didn't quite answer my question, but I decided to just try later.

At that time, Tick and Andree arrived in their dinghy and we strolled over to the Ocean Hole past many interesting homes. I don't really mean interesting in the sense that they were unique or a "must=see," just offering different styles and colors to comment upon as we walked.

The Ocean Hole was well over 100 yards in diameter and supposedly quite deep (bottomless is the rumor, but that's certainly not true). The water was a green color which did not look all that appealing, although there were many fish congregating around the stone steps = apparently expecting to be fed. We passed many signs for local restaurants, but decided against another meal ashore here.

We did get the idea to purchase freshly=caught fish and share a meal aboard tonight. When we inquired at Dingle's about that, it was noted that we would need to watch the dock right across from our anchored boat towards min=afternoon. If the boat came back with fish, we could attempt to buy some then. We were quoted prices that were pretty expensive, which surprised us a bit. In the end, we finally decided to eat up some meat both of us had started defrosting, and save the fish meal for Spanish Wells, home of Eleuthera's famous commercial fishing fleet.

After some lunch aboard, I set out to wash the deck and apply special wax on the non=skid portion which makes up most of the deck.

[Note: It is 1700 and I am heading ashore to post this. We may not get ashore again with the laptop, so this may be the past blog post until we get to Spanish Wells later this week.]

Comments [2]

05/05/2008

[Diva Di with her aysmmetrical spinnaker pulling nicely]

We have received a few emails and read all your comments here and want to thank you for your compliments. It is nice to know that we are able to share this adventure with all of you.

Comments [0]

05/05/2008, Little Farmers, Compass, Cambridge, O'Briens Cays

[Photo: Rocky northeast shoreline of Camridge Cay]

Day 47: Sun 27 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

The morning weather forecast seems consistent with the two previous ones, so we are not leaving here today for sure. Before we left, we made general plans for the places we expected to visit, leaving the details and actual decisions until later. Now that we are at our southern-most planned stop, we took a bit of time to read as much as we could about several options.

At this writing, we have decided to skip going further south to visit Long Island. The guide books say it is best to find a good anchorage in settled weather, and hire a car to tour the island. Some other time we might be in the mood for exploration and history; this cruise it is more about pretty beaches, good snorkeling, and good sailing.

Antic hailed us on the VHF radio and we will get together later today for cruise planning. We are not cruising together per se, but we have stayed mostly together for the past two weeks and we love their company, just as we thoroughly enjoyed being with John and Marilyn while we could.

** posted to blog 27 Apr **

I dropped Diane off at the beach at Chat n' Chill with her book, while I continued on to the nearby St. Francis resort to connect to the Internet. I had better connection speeds this time and was able to conclude almost all the computer tasks I had scheduled.

After retrieving Diane and returning to the boat, we saw Tick and Andree approaching and we all boarded Diva Di for a while to discuss our plans. It appears we will be in synchronization for at least another week as we now plan to leave Tuesday for Cat Island staying two nights, then north to Eleuthera for perhaps two or three more nights.

They left to do some boat and shore side visiting, then we rendezvoused on the beach near a path to the eastern shore of Exuma Sound. The beach is great, but the surf was pounding with all the strong easterly winds we have been experiencing. It was a beautiful sight and one we were glad to be watching from the beach and not from sea.

The stroll northwest up the beach was enjoyable but difficult as all walking in loose sand can be. Eventually we found the right path up to the monument on the high hill of Stocking Island. The initial part of the path was very loose sand and a steep climb, but we all made it OK. The remaining part was quite easy and the view was stunning from the top.

We were not alone at the top and had conversations with several different cruising couples and families. We later discussed how amazing it is that people in their thirties can be out cruising with no working or retirement income to support them.

After the long hike back, we stopped at the Chat n' Chill for a few cold Kalik beers, while Antic ordered lunch. We met another young cruising couple at the bar who Antic had known from a recent anchorage encounter. We traded stories about cruising and living in the Gulf of Mexico shore with all the hurricane challenges. Time passed quickly and it was 1700 before we knew it.

More reading on the boat, then warming the leftovers from last night's dinner, and it was sunset. We tried to take Clyde ashore but the tide was at dead low and the flats just before the beaches would not let us land without slogging on foot for more than we wanted to in the rough surf. I think Clyde was happier just to stay on the boat, anyway.

When I checked email today, we discovered that John and Marilyn have crossed the Gulf Stream back to Florida safely, so that's nice to know.

Day 48: Mon 28 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

We have a problem to solve: the two large batteries which store energy for our use at night when the solar panels are not producing power appear to be getting very weak. Healthy batteries of their size should be able supply the 30Ah (amp-hours) of energy we use overnight with little drop in voltage from the fully-charged value of 12.7 or so. Ours are reading 12.2V or lower after just half a night of power drain, which indicates a very low state of charge. I confirmed the low charge condition using a hygrometer which measures the specific gravity of the electrolyte: it was low and consistent with what the voltage reading was indicating.

If it were not for the refrigerator, we could muddle through the night with weak batteries because our only other power draw is small: LED reading and anchor lights which provide ample light with little current draw. The refrigerator compressor motor, however, doesn't run well unless the voltage is over 12.4 or so. The question now is where and how to replace the batteries.

I decided to pose a question on the cruisers' net this morning and Bruce and Carla from Deuces Wild, who we had run into several times here this week, had good info. I went ashore to Epic and found they could supply me with two new Group 31 batteries, which are considerably smaller in size and weight than the 4Ds we have now. I was not unhappy with that result because I did not really want to replace the battery bank with 4Ds anyway. I am hoping the Group 31s, in their new and healthy state, will be perfectly adequate considering our large solar panels and generally abundant sunshine.

After agreeing to the purchase, the proprietor, Tammy, said to come back in about an hour. She also said her helper, Lyndon, would be able to assist me with the battery transportation, swap-out, and return of the old batteries, but I needed to move the boat close to the town. Diane and I weighed anchor and moved as close as we could, and about 90 minutes later, I dropped Diane off with laundry and was back in their shop.

Lyndon and I carried the heavy, but manageable, Group 31s to the dinghy dock and loaded them carefully into the dinghy. Then we had a mostly dry trip to Diva Di. At that point I could open the battery switch and finish the removal of the old batteries. With Lyndon's competent assistance (he was trained as an electrician in the postsecondary school system), we got the swap done in just over an hour.

It is polite not to just hand him his wages and shove off, so I offered him a drink. It is not unusual for Bahamians to drink alcohol during their workdays, but I believe most take it slow and don't get drunk (at least until after work). We chatted about his life here, his home he is building himself, his girlfriend and plans for the future. It was nice to have that personal contact.

When it came time to pay him for his services, he required a modest fee considering the circumstances, so I gave him that plus a $10 tip, for which he was very grateful. We manhandled the heavy old batteries into the dinghy and got them ashore, where I bade him goodbye. Diane was just finishing the laundry ashore so the timing was great.

Back at the boat, there was some cleaning up to do, but it feels great knowing that we should be in good shape now with our 12V electrical system. I recalibrated the meter that keeps track of the energy into and out of the battery bank to account for the theoretically smaller load capacity. Now, we will watch the next few nights to see how the system behaves.

We had been invited aboard Antic for Tick's birthday, but we knew it would be really wet going due to the wind and sea state. We tried our best, bringing dry clothing to change into after arrival and that helped. Appetizers and dinner were wonderful and we love the interior of their boat. We chatted over wine at the dinner table until almost 2200, then set off on the long trek back to Diva Di. We had two issues on the way. First, the seas were still rough and I did not want to risk planing and losing control at high speed, but at some point I noticed that I was at maximum throttle and we were not going all that fast. Why were we low on power? Second, only a few minutes after that revelation, the engine died.

I quickly discovered that the fuel hose had become disconnected from the tank. After reconnecting, the restart and subsequent trip went fine. It is easy to get panicky when you are in the middle of a large body of rough water in a tiny rubber boat on a dark night. The key is not to panic, but work through the problem. We did have our handheld VHF radio with us if it had become a problem.

The wind was still strong throughout most of the night, and it did not make for a comfortable sleep. Because I was awakened numerous times, I checked the status of the refrigerator and battery bank every few hours and was pleased with what I saw.

Day 49: Tue 29 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

[Anyone following along with latitude and longitude coordinates might notice that we are just a short hop from the Tropic of Cancer. That's the latitude where the sun is directly overhead on the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, and there is exactly 12 hours between sunrise and sunset. Had we crossed over to Long Island, we would have dipped south of the Tropic of Cancer, but we'll save that for another time.]

Up in time for the early SSB weather forecast and it looks to be as previously predicted: light and variable winds, starting from the SE and doing who knows what from there. I took the dinghy ashore (a much shorter ride from this side) to dispose of trash and get one last batch of free water. When we tried to add the water to our only partially empty tank, we were full after adding only 3 gallons, so the remaining 7 gallons are a reserve.

With Diane's help, I got the dinghy engine stowed and the dinghy on the davits in record time and we were ready to weigh anchor. We immediately put up both sails and made about 4 kts through the harbor until the wind strength was not enough to move us effectively through the rough waters as we neared the cut to Exuma Sound.

We tried for a while to use one or both sails to some good effect, but eventually we doused both and just motored. Fortunately, we had a fair current helping us along, so we made good time to our destination: Little Farmers Cay. I mentioned this before, but I am seeing a pattern I don't like. We get stuck in place for days upon days because the wind and seas are too strong for the comfort (not necessarily the safety) of the crew, then when we can move, there is not enough wind or from the wrong direction for our travels. I'm sure you can elect to just wait and wait until things are just the way you want them, but then you may only go 100 miles a month.

The cut leaving Exuma Sound into the anchorage by Little Farmers Cay was not really rough, but it was interesting to note how agitated and swirling the seas are inside these cuts with the tidal current running and wind blowing. We came through within 30 minutes of slack water (little or no current) and it still grabbed your attention.

We are not alone this time, for there are two power boats and one sailboat within a few hundred yards of us. The wind is very light, the sun is shining,
and Diane is on the foredeck in the hammock while I type this. Life is good!

After dining on some delicious meat, veggie, and pasta meal Diane threw together, we enjoyed a nice sunset. I took out my new conch horn and gave it another try. The first few tentative attempts were pretty bad, but I quickly found the right lip position and pressure and the note was long, loud and pure. I blew it again and heard cheers from another sailboat about 300 yards away. It was a proud moment. ;-)

I need to reinforce what a beautiful night this was in terms of calm waters, light winds, perfect temperature, and blazing stars. For the first time on our cruise, Diane (and Clyde) and I sat up on the foredeck for over an hour enjoying it all. Most of the other evenings have been way too windy and wavy to do that in any comfort.

Tonight we both happened to be looking toward the same section of sky when a meteor streaked into the upper atmosphere. It was the most spectacular nighttime meteor we had ever seen. It was so bright that there was a corona, or bright glow, surrounding it for most of its visible flight. [I did see a daytime meteor once, which was incredible. Imagine looking at a bright early afternoon sky and seeing a fiery streak traveling at incredible speed across your field of view. I discussed it with the local astronomy professor and he confirmed that was what I must have seen.]

Another day and night in paradise...

Day 50: Wed 30 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.9° Lon: W 076.3°

There was practically no motion in the boat last night and what a change that is. We took the last of our fresh eggs and made French toast with some coconut bread from George Town. That is one great way to enjoy the coconut bread!

We did not depart until about 0830 into calm seas and a gentle 10 kt breeze from the north. We were close-hauled (sails trimmed as close to the wind as possible) and still not able to sail directly to our destination, but it wasn't too far off. It was a delightful sail until near 1200 when I noticed a squall ahead of us. It did not look especially bad, but I assumed we would see heavier winds and probably rain.

Sure enough, shortly after we took everything below that we didn't want to get wet, the winds picked up and the rain was not far behind. I was carrying full sail, but did not see the need to furl or reef (reduce sail area). We saw perhaps 22 to 24 kts of apparent wind and up to 3 ft waves, which is not bad. One thing non-sailors don't often realize is that when the wind speed doubles, the force of the wind quadruples. I would have made a sail adjustment if the size of the squall or the waves beneath it indicated heavier winds. The driving rain got me fairly wet, but nearly so much as driving the dinghy in Elizabeth Harbour, George Town.

The only bad thing was the boat heeled (leaned) quite a bit at times and that allowed our collapsible water jug to tip over and start to leak. We didn't lose much water, but it made a mess of the rugs on the cabin sole. We had to tack a few times to get to our waypoint at the channel approach, but still got there in less than 7 hours.

I should note that Clyde got a workout today. Every time we tacked, the boat heeled on the opposite side, so he had to crawl from his current spot to leeward (the low, downwind side) to the other side of the boat somewhere. He had not done that very consistently before today. I guess he is learning.

The approach is quite tricky, but the marina owners marked it well, which helped a lot. The marks did not always correspond to the charts, but we followed the marks and used our eyes to read the water and got in just fine. We should be well protected here from any wave action, but the wind is blowing hard, and will continue to for another few days.

Right now, we are thinking of crossing to Eleuthera on Sunday, four days from now. There is not much on this private island except the marina and a some accommodations, but if we can get permission to hike ashore it should prove very nice.

The anchor is holding well in this sandy bottom. I can see it hasn't moved since I set it. The sun set behind a bank of clouds so we did not actually see it, but based upon the GPS's display of official sunset time for our location, I blew the conch horn in celebration of another day.

After a great dinner of taco-seasoned ground beef and healthy fresh vegetables we played a few games, did some reading and then spoke with John on Invictus docked at Islamorada, FL. We agreed to resume a nightly radio watch now that we are on the move and will be crossing some deep water again. Diane tried to impress upon him how much we appreciate his contacts and tracking our whereabouts. After that, we went to bed. The anchorage is well protected for almost all winds except south, so it was a restful night despite the winds being a bit strong.

Day 51: Thu 01 May 08
Lat: N 24.2° Lon: W 076.5°

This morning I lowered the dinghy from the davits and did a few maintenance items on the outboard engine. I suspected a spark plug issue was causing the loss of power and sure enough the lower plug was pretty fouled with carbon deposits. I cleaned it off rather than use my only spare (yes, I should have brought more) and will test it soon.

The major problem I discovered, however, was that the lower unit gear case had water in it instead of oil; that is not good at all. I drained all the water I could and refilled it with gear oil. Obviously there is a leak where the oil can be pushed out by the heavier water, but it is not likely something I can fix until I get home, unless it starts to become an even bigger problem and I find a competent repair shop.

I might as well make mention of the 4 HP outboard engine I brought along. The original thought was for it to be a spare engine and an alternative to use when the conditions warranted. For example, we could use it if the distances to travel were short, the current was light, and the waves were small. Guess what? We have had those conditions one or two days at most. So, as an alternative power source, it was a waste.

As a spare in case of emergency, I suppose if we found ourselves on Diva Di and the large outboard just would not run, and we needed to get ashore, it might prove helpful in certain cases. I doubt I would bring it again considering its space and weight versus the likelihood of its value. But, the cruise is only half over, so I should not make any firm statements.

Now that we have had three nights with the new batteries, it seems that all is normal again. The refrigerator cycles on and off normally with higher voltages, which has to be better for the compressor and motor.

We readied for a day ashore. First, since the cay is considered private, we would dinghy to the marina dock and ask permission to land. If granted, we would then inquire about lunch, Internet, trash disposal, hiking trails, etc. On the way, the dinghy engine performed like a champ until it suddenly ran with reduced power. We were able to get to the marina at a slower speed with me wondering what might be wrong.

Upon arrival, we noted it was occupied by large and expensive sport fishing boats. We asked some owners who were strolling the massive piers where the dinghy dock was located and he said we were headed straight for it, but there was an $8 landing fee - per person! These sport fisherman boats burn $8 worth of fuel before they can get the dock lines clear, so they were surprised to hear Diane say, "we're sailors; that's too rich for our blood." We did tie up just long enough to ask if the fee still applied if you had lunch at the restaurant (likely a pricey meal), and the answer from the employee was yes. To be candid, we can afford the $16 if we want to, but it was the principle of the thing, so we left immediately.

After lunch, the dredging barge ran aground coming back into the marina area, so they put over the side to check for damage, I assume. There was nothing we could do to help, so we weighed anchor and moved on to the northwest tip of Compass Cay. The idea was that it should be protected from the current winds, very close to Rocky Dundas for snorkeling, and to Rachel's Bubble Bath (a local attraction). We carefully made our way there at low tide and had no problems.

We anchored and went ashore in the dinghy, which ran great this time. [Hmmm? Maybe an intermittent break in the spark plug wire?] The beach was beautiful and deserted. It was low tide, so there was a small pool of warm water trapped in the sand. Diane and I looked for Rachel's Bath by walking along a partially dried out "creek," then along the rocky shoreline in a big circle. We found nothing that looked like a bathing area, so when we completed our loop Diane got out her folding chair and read while I explored more of the beach and cay.

While I was exploring, but still in sight of the beach, a man arrived by dinghy and walked with a towel down the path we had started down. I didn't think much of it at the time. When I had been back at the beach for a while, he came strolling back. I initiated a brief conversation and found that Rachel's Bubble Bath was farther down than we had looked, and not at all along the rocky shore where we thought it might be. I told Diane that was where I was headed, then regretted not bringing shoes for this second trip. I was able to find decent walking surfaces for my bare feet and got to the bath after just about one quarter mile.

The bath was pretty cool, really. Picture the rough ocean water of Exuma Sound pounding ashore against the rocks. A big dip in the rocks allows the surging water to splash up and over the dip into a pool of mostly clean, bright sand about 7 to 9 feet deep. After each big splash, the water near the edge is effervescent with bubbles from all the trapped air. I am sorry Diane was not there, and she did not care to come with me after I offered to take her there upon my return. Of course, I did not have the camera with me on my second attempt.

We realized shortly after anchoring that we were so close to the cut to the sound that we would be rolling all night with the swells coming in. We decided that after our excursion ashore, we would move (yet again) to Cambridge Cay, just a few miles to the northwest. It was an interesting and pretty jaunt, with lots of very deep and very shallow water to navigate through.

We decided to pay $15 for a mooring ball there, mostly to help fund the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (honor system where you put cash in an envelope and drop it into a secure box made for that purpose on the beach). There was only one other boat here (who chose to anchor), so it is not crowded at all. It appears we will be much more comfortable here.

We took Clyde ashore in the dinghy about 1700 and he seemed to enjoy his romp; it had been a while since he had been on land. We found a trail well marked with many hundreds of conch shells leading across the narrow portion of the northern section of the cay. Halfway across, with Clyde following along, we saw the famous Bell Rock just offshore in the Sound. It appears that you can get across at low tide and it looks like an interesting place to visit in the morning.

After a dinner of leftover pasta, vegetables, and ground beef, we spoke with Tick and Andree on Antic using the SSB radio. We had set up a frequency and time schedule before splitting up leaving George Town, and it was a good thing. They are not that far away for the VHF radio, but there are hills on the cays in between us which prevent the signals from reaching them. The SSB radio waves actually bounce off the ionosphere and back to earth to reach distant places and are not affected by hills in between.

Their report of the weather forecast that I missed this morning seems to indicate Monday might be a more comfortable day to cross the Sound to Eleuthera. We'll listen faithfully for the next few days and decide for ourselves. We like their choice for a landfall at Rock Sound; it should be a good place to reprovision those few items we need.

Day 52: Fri 02 May 08
Lat: N 24.2° Lon: W 076.3°

It was a very comfortable night's rest even though the wind is blowing pretty hard. The 0630 SSB weather forecast indicated the winds would move to the east on Sat and moderate a bit starting Sun. Antic is thinking Mon might be better, but we are now thinking Sun for crossing Exuma Sound to Eleuthera. While the sea state undoubtedly should be more comfortable on Mon, the winds are forecast to be so light that motoring the whole way could be necessary. Leaving Sun, we should be able to sail most of the way.

Not long after sunrise, we took the dinghy to the beach and hiked the short trail across the cay towards Bell Rock. At low tide on a calm day, you might wade across the 160 ft from the beach to the rock. If you were an agile climber with good shoes, you could climb the bell-shaped rock. We had three strikes against us: roaring high surf between us and the rock, no good shoes, and admittedly we're not quite that agile anymore.

Squally clouds were approaching, so we made our way back to the dinghy and Diva Di just before it started to sprinkle. After the light rain, the Exuma Park Ranger boat came up to collect the mooring fee, saving us the bother of going to the honor box. We chatted about the park and thanked them for their service to a great cause - preserving a beautiful ecosystem. I was disappointed to hear that the compliance of the honor system to pay for the moorings was not all that high.

Before they departed, the deputy warden asked if we would keep a lookout for some poachers who were reported to be heading this way. If we saw the craft he described, would we please radio Park HQ and use a special code phrase they use for anonymous poacher sightings. Unfortunately, we were planning to leave within a half hour, so we could not do much.

We dropped the mooring ball at low tide (not the best timing for our short repositioning cruise) and motored into the cut opening into Exuma Sound for just five minutes, but the waves were tall, steep, and almost scary. Had we continued out into the sound, it would have settled down a bit, but in the cut it was bad. We quickly and thankfully entered the lee of O'Briens Cay and it all got pretty quiet again except for the wind.

Negotiating the tight, shallow passage at low tide took some care, but Diane did a good job of reading the depths by the color of the water and we saw only one tiny spot near five feet over a sand patch (good thing we draw only 4.5 ft and there were no waves). We found the only anchorage of any value in the lee of the cay and set the anchor well. We are close to the shoreline and the hills are almost as tall as the mast, so we are getting excellent protection from any waves and pretty good protection from the wind.

After a small lunch of leftovers, we realized that this was the best time to check out the snorkeling place called the "Sea Aquarium," just a few hundred yards to the north. There were two dinghy buoys there, which was extremely important because the water is really too deep for the typical dinghy anchor, and the coral was too abundant to find a place to safely set an anchor without damaging any coral.

Let's start by saying we agreed this was the best snorkeling we had ever done. Each great snorkeling spot has one or more things that really stand out: the most variety of fish species, the most colorful or rare coral, the most numbers of fish, etc. We deemed this the best for the following reasons: well protected from the prevailing winds, a compact area of dense coral and marine life, plenty of variety of fish, the healthiest coral we have ever seen (nothing dead at all that we could find), a shallow wall dropping to about 20 ft just packed with beautiful and varied corals, dinghy moorings right in the center of the "garden," and crystal clear water that stays near 80F most of the year.

This is also a place where someone who doesn't want too get into the water could use a looky bucket and see quite a bit. We recommend it highly.

Back at Diva Di, Diane was a bit chilled (the current water temperature is only about 77F), so we showered in hot water on the transom. We could do that without bathing suits here since there is no one else around. Dried off and snuggled behind the dodger (windscreen in front of the cockpit), Diane was comfortable and ready for a relaxing afternoon.

We read, took short naps, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and reveled in the wind protection we had. At some point, two seagulls lighted on the dinghy engine and stayed for an hour or so. As the current started running near maximum, though, we noted a slight but noticeable beam swell which caused the boat to rock from side to side, which is not a comfortable motion for most people.

An hour before sunset, and close to high tide, we took Clyde in the dinghy to a small cay, Pasture Cay, located adjacent to our anchorage. The signs there indicated it was a nature preserve and landing was prohibited, so we motored away. On the way, I saw a very dark shape in shallow water and tried to steer around the "coral head." When it started moving, we realized it was a large ray, perhaps 5 ft across.

We headed right back past Diva Di and motored in almost mirror calm water just 20 feet from the rocky west shore O'Briens Cay in the lee of the wind. We rounded the point right next to the Sea Aquarium and aimed for a small, sandy beach nearby. It was actually very small, but very pretty, and Clyde got a chance to see some Bahamian lizards up close. Unlike the anoles back home in Florida, these lizards had no fear of a cat and actually moved within a foot of Clyde, who ignored them. We certainly weren't going to let him chase or harass the wildlife, but we thought he might at least find them interesting.

What he did find fascinating were the two, and later three, seagulls which reappeared on our dinghy after dinner. He sat at the transom for almost an hour while they occasionally moved from the engine to the boat and back. We were hoping he was not inclined to hop into the dinghy, but he rarely does more than just observe.

At 1945 we spoke with Antic on the SSB radio to confirm current positions, discuss the weather, and relate a little of our daily happenings. I have to admit that my earlier reluctance to go to the expense and effort of installing the SSB radio was ill-founded. The receiver portion allows us to listen to weather reports not otherwise available in many places, and the transmitter portion affords the capability to talk to other people (with SSB radios, of course, including distress calling) and maintain a contact that would not otherwise be possible. I give Diane credit for forcing the issue and insisting that we have a long-range radio capability aboard.

Day 53: Sat 03 May 08
Lat: N 24.3° Lon: W 076.3°

The night passed restfully and I was up well before 0600. I could not get the early SSB weather report due to too much static, unfortunately, but I could receive the local broadcasts of weather digests on the VHF. It still looks like a go to cross Exuma Sound tomorrow. It will likely be a 10 to 11 hour crossing to Rock Sound, but only 8 of those hours should be in open seas.

We happened to hear Antic on the VHF radio this morning and hailed them. We were able to converse just fine; it seems we could never hail them successfully over the past several days because they kept the radio mostly off due to all the chatter that occurs. I can't blame them.

During our morning discussion, I obtained their digest of the SSB weather report and reiterated our plan to move tomorrow, while they confirmed they will not be in position to leave the Exumas until Monday morning. If the forecast holds, they will likely have more comfortable seas but less (or no) wind for sailing than we will on Sunday.

While weather almost always dictates your movements, it helps to have a basic plan in place. We plan to reach Rock Sound by late afternoon Sun, and stay until Wed am. We will see if there is a recommended local guide to take Antic and us on a car tour of most of Eleuthera on Tuesday, since we understand from the guide books this is the only way to enjoy what the island has to offer. The weather is supposed to remain quite settled (not necessarily good sailing winds, but at least no heavy seas to contend with) for the remained of the coming week, so by Wed we will be ready to head north. We will likely make an overnight stop at Hatchet Bay, then leave early Wed to reach Current Cut by high tide in late
morning.

This is one of the interesting and necessary parts of cruising successfully; you need to account for many variables as best you can. In this case, using Current Cut to reach the northern section of Eleuthera, you can experience currents of kts or more at peak flow. Our sailboat can barely do a little more than that, so it only makes sense to time it for slack tidal current. Additionally, there are shallows you need to negotiate nearby, so high slack tide makes more sense. Consulting the tide tables, it is easy to see when that will be so you can plan your trip accordingly.

Now back to the present, after reading up on things to do in Eleuthera and planning tomorrow's navigation, it was time for lunch of leftovers (finally finished that pasta casserole), then a dinghy trip to two nearby snorkeling spots. First was a sunken 4 passenger airplane upside down with its tail about 4 ft from the surface at low tide. This was not particularly interesting, but there were a number of coral heads nearby that were worth the stop.

Next, we went back to the Sea Aquarium only to find two other boats and about 9 other snorkelers. No one got in anyone else's way and we enjoyed our second visit, even though it was a little clearer (less sediment in the water) and brighter (fewer clouds) yesterday.

We put up the dinghy for a blue-water passage, then took hot showers from the solar shower bag. The rest of the day passed with a few boat chores, reading, relaxing, and more research on Eleuthera.

Dinner was the second meal from a can of pressed ham, along with fresh parsley potatoes and canned peas. The potatoes were the only tasty part, to be candid. We sure are fortunate to be able to eat so many fresh and frozen vegetables back home. I had forgotten how bad a lot of canned food tastes.

Day 54: Sun 04 May 08
Lat: N 24.3° Lon: W 076.3°

It was easy getting ready for our crossing since the majority of work had been done the day before. The winds had decreased overnight and were especially light at sunrise. We timed our departure to motor through the cut to the sound at high water slack, which helped keep the waves a bit smaller.

The crossing was quite good overall. Once out the cut, we could use both sails and kill the engine. The wind was on our beam or slightly forward at about 15 kts which is great for sailing, and the swells were only 2 to 3 ft for the most part. Of all the deep water passages we have done here, it was probably the best. We were glad to have left today rather than wait for tomorrow when we would likely have no wind for sailing.

We had much better speed than I had planned for, so it was great to see Powell Point appear by just after 1100, only 4 hours after departure. From there, though, it seemed to take forever to reach Rock Sound as we needed to make some zig-zag courses across the Bight to avoid massive shoal areas and places just chock full of coral heads. We sailed more than the few other boats which were heading to the same place, but eventually had to douse the sails and use the engine for the last hour. At least we sailed for 8 hours and only motored for one!

The waterfront view of the Rock Sound settlement is not very pretty, but that's not anything new. We are anchored in a line just a few hundred yards offshore with 4 other sailboats. One funny comment: we were reading an advertisement in the Explorer Chart book for a restaurant at Rock Sound offering "waterfront dining." We used our binoculars and could not see anything that looked like a restaurant on the water. Finally, we noticed a picture in the ad; it showed a cheap, flimsy canopy on a gravel lot next to the restaurant with some people eating on folding tables. When we looked for that, we did find it and had a good laugh.

I made a pizza for dinner without burning it this time and it was very tasty (much more than the pressed ham we had the other night). After some reading and SSB radio contact with Antic in the Exumas, and Invictus and New Hope in the Florida Keys, it was time for bed.

Comments [1]

05/05/2008

[Photo: Bell's Rock by Cambridge Cay]

Special Note:

Our friend Kate reminded me via email that showing latitude and longitude for our daily positions would be helpful for them to follow along, so I spent an hour recreating approximate Lat/Lon positions for the places we already visited and will include them in future blog postings. To recap, here is where we have stopped so far:

Day 1: Wed 12 Mar 08
Lat: N 26.9° Lon: W 082.1°

Day 2: Thu 13 Mar 08
Lat: N 26.7° Lon: W 082.2°

Day 3: Fri 14 Mar 08
Lat: N 26.1° Lon: W 081.8°

Day 4: Sat 15 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.8° Lon: W 081.5°

Day 5: Sun 16 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.8° Lon: W 081.5°

Day 6: Mon 17 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.3° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 7: Tue 18 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.3° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 8: Wed 19 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.3° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 9: Thu 20 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.3° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 10: Fri 21 Mar 08
Lat: N 24.7° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 11: Sat 22 Mar 08
Lat: N 24.7° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 12: Sun 23 Mar 08
Lat: N 24.7° Lon: W 081.1°

Day 13: Mon 24 Mar 08
Lat: N 24.7° Lon: W 081.0°

Day 14: Tue 25 Mar 08
Lat: N 24.9° Lon: W 080.7°

Day 15: Wed 26 Mar 08
Lat: N 24.9° Lon: W 080.7°

Day 16: Thu 27 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.1° Lon: W 080.4°

Day 17: Fri 28 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.1° Lon: W 080.4°

Day 18: Sat 29 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.7° Lon: W 079.3°

Day 19: Sun 30 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.7° Lon: W 079.3°

Day 20: Mon 31 Mar 08
Lat: N 25.7° Lon: W 079.3°

Day 21: Tue 1 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.7° Lon: W 079.3°

Day 22: Wed 2 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.7° Lon: W 079.3°

Day 23: Thu 3 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.7° Lon: W 079.3°

Day 24: Fri 4 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.5° Lon: W 078.1°

Day 25: Sat 5 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.4° Lon: W 077.8°

Day 26: Sun 6 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.4° Lon: W 077.8°

Day 27: Mon 7 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.4° Lon: W 077.8°

Day 28: Tue 8 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.1° Lon: W 077.3°

Day 29: Wed 9 Apr 08
Lat: N 25.1° Lon: W 077.3°

Day 30: Thu 10 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.7° Lon: W 076.8°

Day 31: Fri 11 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.6° Lon: W 076.7°

Day 32: Sat 12 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.6° Lon: W 076.8°

Day 33: Sun 13 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.4° Lon: W 076.6°

Day 34: Mon 14 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.4° Lon: W 076.6°

Day 35: Tue 15 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.4° Lon: W 076.6°

Day 36: Wed 16 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.4° Lon: W 076.6°

Day 37: Thu 17 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.4° Lon: W 076.6°

Day 38: Fri 18 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.2° Lon: W 076.4°

Day 39: Sat 19 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.2° Lon: W 076.4°

Day 40: Sun 20 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.1° Lon: W 076.4°

Day 41: Mon 21 Apr 08
Lat: N 24.1° Lon: W 076.4°

Day 42: Tue 22 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.9° Lon: W 076.3°

Day 43: Wed 23 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

Day 44: Thu 24 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

Day 45: Fri 25 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

Day 46: Sat 26 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°

Day 47: Sun 27 Apr 08
Lat: N 23.5° Lon: W 075.7°
END RECAP

Comments [0]

04/27/2008, George Town, Exuma

[photo: Bahamian racing sloop amongst the anchored boats]

Day 44: Thu 24 Apr 08 (continued)

Well, I was able to post the blog and download the email messages we had waiting. Trying to log onto the Comcast web site to reply, however, proved impossible with the ridiculously slow connection I got there. It's a good thing we are doing this blog and not trying to send individual emails to keep you all abreast of our travels. It just wouldn't work the way things are turning out. I was not able to post any photos for the same reason. I tried twice and it kept timing out.

Our afternoon was a mixture of boat chores and reading. We had invited Tick and Andree for dinner to celebrate Andree's birthday, so I prepped the main dish and Diane made a cranberry cake with nuts and mandarin oranges from a mix given to us by our good friend from PA, Joan Marie.

They arrived at 1730, and the party began. Andree brought scrumptious cheese and jams and a vegetable hummus dip. The entrée turned out very tasty, I must say, and Andree's potato casserole was delicious, too.

Afterwards, we taught them to play RummiKube (a rummy game played with tiles instead of cards) and the ladies each won a game. It started to rain hard for about 10 minutes so we moved the game from the cockpit to the saloon and finished there. Had we been over at their boat, it is likely we would have come back to a big mess as we often leave our hatches open for ventilation unless we expect rain. Well, this rain was not expected, so that is a good thing to remember for the future.

Day 45: Fri 25 Apr 08

The wind is blowing stronger this morning than forecast yesterday. The predictions for the following several days are for higher winds, too. We need to decide whether we will go back up most of the Exuma chain of cays (seeing the few we missed on the way down) then over to Eleuthera, or sail from here directly to the southern tip of Cat Island and visit it, then Eleuthera. Hopefully, when we go ashore to the party and concert tonight, we can find other cruisers who have visited both areas to get opinions.

We checked out the volleyball beach area right near us since it was close and the water was too rough to go elsewhere. We were the only ones there at 1000 except for staff at the restaurant/bar called Chat 'n Chill. They were preparing a large quantity of food and icing down beers, but they said they did not open until 1200. No problem; we just wanted to sit in the comfortable beach chairs and read for a bit in the sun yet out of the wind.

Not ten minutes later we see four boats pull up loaded with American (we could tell, believe me) adults of all ages, but mostly 30 to 40 years old. They were whooping and hollering and acted like it was one big group who knew each other, so we assumed it had to be a company outing of some kind.

At first, we were disappointed that our peace and quiet was disturbed, but then we heard the organizer say they had to stay on a certain portion of the beach, which was away from us. Shortly thereafter, there was a steady parade of people coming over to our side to move chairs to their side. They didn't take ours, of course, so no harm there.

We had been curious on arrival that down the beach further were a half dozen large piles of sand, freshly deposited. The mystery was solved when the organizer spoke through the megaphone that the sand sculpture contest was about to begin. Another parade of people past our chairs = an interesting show. We were "entertained" by the organizer's reading of the rules and pail=by=pail commentary for almost an hour.

Wanting to try a bite to eat here, I was surprised to see reasonable prices for most of the food choices. When they started serving food at noon, we shared a cheeseburger and fries for less than $8 and it was quite good. [Yes, we are eating a lot of fried food out, but that's what they eat here. Also, we tend to eat healthy foods on the boat, so this is a treat, in a sense.] after lunch it was time to head back to Diva Di and watch the afternoon races. The boats were sure moving fast in the brisk winds.

We decided to brave the rough waters to get to the town center for the music tonight. With the wind mostly at our back, we got across staying very dry. At the dinghy dock, we put another 10 gallons of waters into our portable jugs and started walking towards the action. Even though it was early by Bahamian standards, there were many locals driving or walking just as we were. This is a BIG deal on the island.

It was interesting to see how most of the younger ladies were dressed: all dolled up with fancy hair, nails, clothing. The young men could have been completely at home in the black sections of any US city with the pants, shirts, gold chains, and ball caps they wore. A few were quite dapper in white suits with wide=brimmed hats. Two different groups of cruisers we chatted with told us independently that this is a prime opportunity for the locals to meet members of the opposite sex who they don't already know from living on a small island. I liken it to the boardwalks of the New Jersey shore where everyone is on vacation from some place and girls dress to impress boys they will likely never see again.

Our comments from our visit to the food and booze shacks at Regatta Point the other night still stand, but tonight the energy was multiplied manifold. I am glad we went, even though we had already eaten on board and did not purchase anything there. It was a people=watching event and we enjoyed very friendly encounters with many locals.

Coming back was a nightmare for Diane. The wind was in our face and no speed would keep the waves from throwing spray at us. I tried angling into the waves which helped a tiny bit, but not enough to matter and it just increased our time to cross the harbor. After 20 minutes, we got to the opposite shoreline. I used a technique of aiming deliberately south of our likely destination, and then when I reached the anchorage I turned north to find our boat. To aim straight for where you think it is would mean when you would not be sure whether you needed to go south or north. I only missed it by about 200 yards, which is not bad in the almost pitch black night (yes, I had full navigation lights operating).

Back on Diva Di, we showered to get the salt off then played some games before bedtime. The winds seem to be stronger than the forecast each successive day, so it will not be a really comfortable night.

Day 46: Sat 26 Apr 08

The morning's weather forecast shows it may be Monday afternoon before any moderation in the wind strength might be seen. We may try to leave Tuesday, but now the question is to include Long Island on the way, even though it takes us farther south. Hmmmm.

I dinghied the rather long stretch over to Antic to say hello and relate how the evening ashore had gone. We discussed future cruising options and things to do while we are still here in George Town. Leaving there, I proceeded to the town dinghy dock and stayed mostly dry because I was running with the wind and seas.

The mission was to fill two 5 gallon jugs with diesel, one 3 gallon jug with gas, two 5 gallon jugs and three single gallon jugs with water, and make a small purchase at the market. All went well until it was time to cross the harbor against the wind and seas. I could not have been more saturated if I had jumped into the water. Fortunately, it is 80F and for me that is not cold, even with a wind blowing. Diane would have been miserable, like she was last night coming back.

I must comment, again, at how incredibly unsafe and (by our standards) rude many Bahamian boaters are. My dinghy was almost capsized by a 30 foot boat running 30 kts only 50 feet by me. It is likely just the way they are brought up and not any deliberate act to be rude. The byword seems to be if you cannot handle whatever someone might do out there, then don't be out there.

The afternoon passed quickly by watching the racing from the boat, reading, and chart consultation for our options leaving here. Just before our dinner time, we noted a large number of boats and some dinghies were massing at the beach by Chat n' Chill just several hundred yards away. We decided to check out the excitement and we surmised it was just a bunch of locals associated with the regatta who were partying after the last race.

I prepared a nice dinner of chicken, parsley potatoes, and canned green beans, then we read until Diane's bedtime. I then watched a DVD movie on the laptop before sleep myself.

Day 47: Sun 27 Apr 08

The morning weather forecast seems consistent with the two previous ones, so we are not leaving here today for sure. Before we left, we made general plans for the places we expected to visit, leaving the details and actual decisions until later. Now that we are at our southern=most planned stop, we took a bit of time to read as much as we could about several options.

At this writing, we have decided to skip going further south to visit Long Island. The guide books say it is best to find a good anchorage in settled weather, and hire a car to tour the island. Some other time we might be in the mood for exploration and history; this cruise it is more about pretty beaches, good snorkeling, and good sailing.

Antic hailed us on the VHF radio and we will get together later today for cruise planning. We are not cruising together per se, but we have stayed mostly together for the past two weeks and we love their company, just as we thoroughly enjoyed being with John and Marilyn while we could.

Comments [5]

04/24/2008, George Town, Exumas

Day 40: Sun 20 Apr 08

Last night may have been one of the most peaceful for me, yet Diane had bad dreams and slept poorly. The temperatures are delightful for me: warm in the sun, cool in the shade. The water is slightly cooler than last week; it may be the geography here or the results of the cold front that swept through and chilled the water a bit. At 77F, though, it is refreshing and comfortable for me when you exit the water into a full sun.

I spent almost two hours in the early morning cleaning and polishing stainless steel parts on the forward half of the boat. It was a nice time to do it and it needed to be done. What makes it tougher out here is that there has been almost no rain and fresh water is too precious to waste rinsing the salt off the boat once you finish sailing for the day.

While I was cleaning, a large (relatively speaking) freighter came into the anchorage. It went safely and slowly past our stern by less than 100 feet on its way to the dock where it took on one of the Black Point racing boats, presumably to go to Georgetown for the regatta this coming week.

I am typing this now after cleaning up to go ashore today. We'll attend a local church (Baptist is the only choice here), stroll to Lorraine's Café and try to connect to the Internet while we await Lorraine to return from church and start preparing to serve meals. We have reservations for six (Antic just anchored here a short bit ago) and it could be late afternoon before we get our meal.

Well, the worship service was very inspirational. We had met the pastor, who is also the policeman for the settlement, yesterday and noted how mildly he spoke for such a large man. This morning when he delivered the sermon, he spoke with a booming voice that kept everyone at attention. His manner of speaking and the way most Bahamians pronounce certain words made it an interesting experience, in addition to the spiritual uplift and challenges it offered.

After church, Sharon let us into the little school room next door to use the wireless Internet service. In short order we checked our email and I posted to the blog. Marilyn emailed me the numerous pictures John had taken of us flying our spinnaker, and several angles looked very attractive.

Around 1330, we strolled up to Lorraine's Café and met Andree and Tick from Antic, by prior arrangement. We ordered our meals and less than an hour and a half later, we were dining. Nothing happens fast here. The fish and chips was good (fresh caught snapper), but I think my cracked conch was the best yet. The portions of chips (French fries) were better suited to soothe the guilt than fill the belly, but overall it a good meal.

The others elected to explore a bit more shore side, but Diane was interested in getting some hammock time, so back we went. It is another glorious day here in the Exumas and Diane noted that she had sat on a beach only twice since we left. We'll need to factor that into future planning.

Right before sunset, we noticed Blue Goose had prepped their dinghy for travel and was, therefore, boat-bound. We decided to dinghy over and say one last goodbye, giving them some of the ice we had been given the previous day. We shared some navigational advice and then hugged goodbye. Next time we see them will be in Punta Gorda in July sometime. It was fun being with them for the time we were.

Another beautiful sunset and then I spoke with Invictus on the SSB. The clarity was terrific and we agreed that we would limit the check-ins to every Wednesday evening at 2100. When we get back to doing long passages we'll ask him to resume a nightly check. For now, he is following our blog when we can find an Internet connection to post to it.

Day 41: Mon 21 Apr 08

I got up early, well rested, and enjoyed a coffee and the sunrise with Clyde. After Diane awoke, I readied the boat for departure, rigging the spinnaker in anticipation of a slow sail to the southeast in mild winds.

It turned out better than I expected as we made an average of 4 kts, which while slow, is pretty good for the light wind we had. It feels good looking at the fuel gauge and seeing it still reading full (although it must be a few gallons shy of full by now). We are not doing so well with gasoline for the dinghy, though. The last three places we stopped (including today) were reported to have gas for sale, but in fact there was none. We have less than 2 gallons and that is not a lot.

Getting into the anchorage we chose at Little Farmer's Cay took a lot of eyeball navigation (with the guidance of the GPS). We had been told by another cruising couple (Don and Ann) in Bimini that their Garmin GPS chart was off quite a bit right here and they were sure right. If you blindly followed the electronic chart, you would be on the rocks for sure. Fortunately, going in daylight, you could see where you needed to be, as opposed to where the chartplotter "said" you should go.

Once anchored in the crystal clear water 7 feet above a bright sandy bottom, Diane remarked that this was more like what she was expecting: a pretty anchorage with no other boats in sight. It made me realize that we had not spent any nights alone at anchor except in the middle of "nowhere" on the shoals at the Northwest Channel that bouncy evening.

It was before noon and the wind was getting even lighter, so the apparent air temperature started climbing. I rigged the hammock on the foredeck and Diane got several hours of quality sun time in peace and quiet. We both took a nap in mid-afternoon, then I went ashore to Farmer's Cay Yacht Club. It was essentially deserted except for the proprietor and a local using her laptop computer at the bar.

My inquiry about gasoline yielded the reply that they do sell gasoline, but they are currently out of it. That is not an uncommon thing here. Just because all the cruising guides and chart books say they sell something does not mean you will actually be able to buy it. They did have a pricey bag of ice, which we needed.

After taking the ice back to the boat, I was ready to go ashore at the center of the small island to the government dock where the main settlement is located. Diane decided to stay on the boat, so off I went. Prior to that, Antic radioed to say they were just anchoring on the other side of the cay and perhaps they would see us ashore.

When I tied up at the dock, there was no one around until I walked a short bit towards the road. I came across two men walking down the road and one asked me if I was going to the woodcarver's shop. I said perhaps tomorrow and he gave me his card. It was JR, the woodcarver, himself. The road makes a circle and I wanted to check out all the "shops," so I wound up walking past his shop anyway. Somehow he had gotten there before me, even though he had originally been walking the opposite way. He invited me into his shop and I was greatly under whelmed. It was a tiny shack with half for his tools and half for display. He had perhaps seven carvings on the shelves, none of which looked interesting to me.

However, he did have some nice conch shells which had been made into horns. This is where the shell is not notched as it would be for quickly removing the animal for eating. Rather, the shell is left whole and a hole is ground at the pointy end. I inquired about them and said I had never blown one successfully. He said he could teach me; his instruction involved pretending to spit. I have no bugle or trumpet experience, but I knew that was the technique you need, so I picked one up and tried it. The note was pure and loud; I couldn't believe it.

The price was lowered to $20 and a deal was made. I said goodbye and continued walking past one "super market" after another. Keep in mind a few of these stores were smaller than most people's master bathrooms, but how many grocery stores do you need with a population of fewer than 70 people? It was near closing time (not that a rigid schedule has any meaning here), and I did not wish to disturb anyone. It is an almost certainty that no one is sitting in the stores waiting for a customer. Usually, you need to find the owner somewhere in the yard, or house, and ask them to open up for you.

During my circle of the town and was surprised how many chickens and roosters where running around. There were plenty of young birds of all sizes, too. Unfortunately, like so many of the settlements here, there is so much trash just lying around. We Americans certainly do a lot to cause pollution on a very large scale, but it always saddens me that the people here don't seem to feel that piling trash and junk up around their small islands is a problem.

Completing my walk, I saw Tick and Andree walking at the dock. I joined them and demonstrated my horn-blowing prowess. They think they need to move on to George Town in the early morning due to the tide. We can either move early, too, and likely motor most of the way down, or see if the wind will shift as forecast to allow us to sail a bit. We will need to exit the bank side of the Exumas and use the cut to the very deep water of Exuma Sound. If we do not feel like pushing all the way down to George Town in one day (likely a long day in light winds), we have a number of places we can duck in to spend the night.

Day 42: Tue 22 Apr 08

I gave Diane the option for when to leave and she said we might as well go early. We exited the cut into Exuma Sound for the first time. The water went from 7 feet deep where we anchored to over 700 feet in less than half a mile. The very light winds yielded an incredibly smooth sea, which is ideal for vessels under power. We would have preferred about 12 kts of wind from the SW, but we knew that was unlikely.

After motoring at a low cruise power setting making about 5 kts, the wind started to fill in from the SW enough to make it worth putting the sails up. When the wind strengthened a bit for brief periods, the sails gave us an extra 1 to 2 kts over just the engine, but on average we only gained about half a kt with them up.

It was tough to decide whether to continue on all the way to George Town, using the engine the whole way (even if only at an economical power setting), or to stop part way and hope tomorrow's winds would be more favorable as forecast. I decided that we were already underway and the sea state was so comfortable that we might as well get there. The Family Island Regatta is being held here from today through Saturday and we understand it is a great thing to experience.

Elizabeth Harbour is quite large and long, with a fair amount of larger commercial traffic. Once cleared in, it still took a full hour of motoring a zig-zag course to avoid the reefs and shoals and get to the anchorage areas. There are many spots to choose from, except that the most desirable spots are always all taken by those getting here in the beginning of the season and not moving for many months until it is time to go home.

Diane wondered why we kept passing anchorage areas, so we dropped into a gap near volleyball beach. It is so-named because of all the volleyball nets erected there. It appears there is also a bar and grill on the beach. We'll listen to the cruisers' net on the VHF radio in the morning and get a better feel for it all.

Some folks feel this is a great spot to spend a few weeks or several months due to all the cruiser-organized activities here, not to mention all the conveniences of a big community like George Town. Others decide that is NOT cruising and prefer the solitude of remote areas. We'll get to see for ourselves what we think.

After anchoring perhaps a bit too close to a 70 ft motor yacht, due to the great number of boats and the deep water (meaning we all needed to have lots of anchor rode out), we readied the boat for a longish stay. It was an interesting evening watching the yacht's crew serve the owners. I had dinghied over to ask the captain if he thought we were too close. He must have been amazed that anyone would have the courtesy to ask, but he said guardedly, "I think you'll be all right."

We are also close to the most active beach for shore side activities, so the dinghies and larger runabouts keep flying by at high speed. We may elect to move to another anchorage, but it may prove OK.

We got cell phone service here for the first time in almost two weeks, it seems, so we made a few short and expensive calls to family. It was so comforting to know that everyone home is in good health (hope Michelle is healing OK; didn't get an word on her yet).

Day 43: Wed 23 Apr 08

I elected to go the mile plus across the harbor and deposit some trash and buy gas for the dinghy. The ride was bumpy and wet. I can see where a hard=bottomed dinghy is in our future if we keep cruising. In the meantime, the dinghy we have now was sold to us at a special price by our friend, Jim Carlile, and we are very grateful for it.

On the way I saw the little cove where many of the Bahamian racing boats were anchored. They do not all appear to be of identical design, but all similar, and very interesting to view. The dinghy dock for gas was just nearby and I headed there next. A short walk to the auto gas pumps, $33 later (for only 5.5 gallons!), and we had gas again. We'll need it here since it is such a long ride to and from the boat to town.

After getting the gas back to the boat and mixing in the oil (can't forget that or you can kiss your engine goodbye), Diane and I went back across together. As we neared the town, it was apparent that the first race of the morning was ready to start, so we kept station off to the side with perhaps a dozen other small boat and got a treat. At the starting gun, the crews pulled their boats up to their anchors and simultaneously hoisted their one and only sail (these were catboats).

It was not easy to get good photographs with the dinghy bouncing around, but we have a few that turned out OK. We were not planning to follow the racers around this morning, so we made our way under the narrow tunnel (above is the main road) into Lake Victoria and the nice, floating dinghy dock.

Walking around the main road from there, we stopped in to check out a very nice (by Bahamian standards) supermarket, where the selection was almost as good as in Nassau. and the prices for many things were generally only 30 to 50 per cent higher than back home. There were two liquor stores, a tourism office, bakeries, boat rentals and parts, and many other businesses in close proximity.

The straw market was interesting, and Diane says I was a sucker for buying one of an old lady's hand=woven baskets. I watched her work and it was good stuff. She could have been well over 80 years old and I felt sorry for her.

After our brief excursion, we made our other purchases and got back aboard the dinghy. Immediately after boarding Diva Di, we noted the trawler right in front of us was departing, so I got Diane's help to move and re=anchor closer to the beach and farther from the large motor yacht. It took two tries to get the anchor to set, but then we were in a good position.

Antic dinghied over to say hello and return some borrowed books, then we noticed that the second race had begun and they were sailing amongst our anchored fleet. I don't know what advantage there was to going inside all the boats, but most did and it made for spectacular views of their racing prowess.

In between legs (they raced three upwind and three downwind legs), Diane called me over to the port side as she saw a shark swimming close aboard. It measured maybe 5 feet long or more, which is long enough to get your attention.

Close to 1700, we dinghied over to town and got thoroughly soaked in the process. The wind is blowing 12 kts straight down the harbor and that makes for a rough sea. We walked directly to Regatta Point where we found several dozen shacks quickly erected of plywood (although some were quite nice, to be frank). All were serving either alcoholic beverage, local food, or both. The ratio was about one booze=only shack for each food shack.

We tried a gin and coconut water drink, which I liked. It was a bit like taking cream of coconut from a can, adding gin, and diluting it with water. It looked like milk, but tasted of sweet coconut, of course. We had run into Tick and Andree and they joined us in our search for some local fare. I was in the mood for BBQ chicken or ribs, having had lots of fish dishes all the other times.

I'm not sure how we made a collective choice of shacks, but we were ushered inside to a single table which seated four, conveniently enough. That was the only table which would fit inside the shack other than the kitchen area. Three of us ordered ribs, with rice and potato salad. Additionally, there was macaroni and cheese for some and plantains for me. Diane chose fish, which turned out to be a poor choice. It was overcooked and dry. The ribs and side dishes were good, but nothing to rave about.

For the price of $15 each, our dinners were not that impressive. I think we decided that we need to try unique local food from time to time to experience it, but for better and healthier food at half the price, we'll cook it ourselves on the boat.

We did get a bit of a show, however. There was some car horns honking and the server pointed out the door. Fortunately, there was a window opening near me and I could just stand up. Parading down the tiny street were about 7 cars (as fancy as a new Chrysler 300 and as mundane as an older Honda Civic), all polished up with beauty pageant contestants in dresses sitting on top and waving. It was cute.

The ride back was not nearly so wet as the wind had died down somewhat. After we got into the relative shelter of our little anchorage, the waves were almost gone, so we decided to take Clyde ashore to a deserted beach nearby. He seems to like the really soft sand to dig into for his "business." It was amusing watching him give an exploratory scoop of the paw closer to the surf line. It must have been too hard, so he walked uphill four feet and tried again. Still not to his specification, so another four feet into the real fluffy stuff. That's more like it!

The power boat aside us weighed anchor and left our little, but crowded, anchorage. He had fouled some line on his relatively small anchor and a nearby sailor shouted to his foredeck crew. Her reply was not very appreciative, so the sailor called the captain on the radio to "apologize" for upsetting his crew. It was obvious to me the sailor was injecting a lot of sarcasm into his message, but the motor yacht captain was not very gracious himself. He said this was the second time they had to move because other boats were crowding them in. Well, it is an anchorage for smaller boats, so what did he expect?

[Okay, I interrupt this blog for a confession. Our new friends back home, Paul and JoAnn Elliott, lent us a small guitar for me to practice and teach myself chords. It was a terrific thing to do and greatly appreciated. However, I really need to be in the right mood to practice and since we left I have occupied myself with many things, but not that. I can only hope that they will understand and that perhaps the mood will strike soon. Now, back to the regularly=scheduled blog.]

Day 44: Thu 24 Apr 08

[We are tracking our expenses in multiple categories to see how we are doing relative to our budget. For the benefit of those novice cruisers (like us), who want to know what to expect, we will report the end result upon return. For now, suffice it to say we are 44 per cent through our cruise and running about 38 per cent of budget, with 40 per cent of our cash used. So far, we greatly under budgeted for fuel (did not expect to use the engine so much and fuel is 20 per cent higher than when we left). We are under budget on most other items except for provisions and meals ashore, where we are right on target. It will likely come out just right overall.

A note to our friends and neighbors back home who were also planning a Bahamas cruise (they should all have left long ago, by the way): there was mention made to bring tons of cash, a notion we rejected because of the insecurity of carrying thousands of dollars in cash, and the fact that credit cards are now accepted in so many places. The latter statement is true, BUT no one mentioned anywhere that to use the card, the merchants charge you an additional 5 per cent! Had anyone mentioned that, I would have doubled the cash carried.]

It was a wonderfully comfortable night and I overslept until almost 0700. The wind was light in the early morning, so the harbor appeared relatively calm. After some more boat cleaning chores, we took our dinghy and shopping list across the harbor, timing it to watch the start of the 0930 dinghy class. It really is cool to be bobbing on the water just a dozen yards from the start line and felling the enthusiasm of these young racers.

I tied up the dinghy at the water spigot and gave Diane my wallet to stroll to the market while I filled our two 5 gallon collapsible jugs. I joined her in the market and we made our purchases. We are treating Tick and Andree to a birthday dinner tonight on Diva Di. The ingredients for our planned meal of chicken cordon bleu were not as readily available or affordable as we would have liked, but in the end it wasn't too far off the mark, so we stuck with that plan.

To our surprise, there were many young boys in the market helping to bag groceries and offering to carry them out to the car or dinghy, as the case may be. We tried to inquire why they were not in school, but never got a straight answer. There was a bit of a "turf war" going on as the younger boy who bagged our groceries was told by an older boy that they would 'both' carry out our bags. I was involved with the paying part, so Diane related this info to me at the dinghy dock.

As the older boy tried to put the bags in the dinghy, a package of chicken breasts and container of bread crumbs fell into the water. The chicken breasts were well sealed, but the paper carton of bread crumbs was suspect, so the boy offered without prompt to exchange it. We were sitting there with melting ice, so it was not the best timing, but we waited a few minutes until here returned saying something we could not immediately comprehend. It turns out he was saying the entire inventory of bread crumbs had been infested by weevils and we would have to come back to the counter for a refund. It was not worth the wasted ice or hassle to go back, so we elected to depart. We had given $2 to the younger boy who bagged our stuff and told the older boy we had already given out tip. I suppose they will sort it out.

Back at Diva Di, Diane stowed all the groceries while I lugged the water jugs to the bow and emptied them into the forward tank. We checked out log and noted we had left Nassau 15 days ago with 78 gallons of water in the three tanks and 10 gallons in the jugs. We have used somewhere between 30 to 40 gallons of water in that time, averaging fewer from 2 to 2.5 gallons per day. Too bad we can't all do that at home.

I am ready to dinghy to Stocking Island, on the opposite side of the harbor from George Town, and where we are anchored only 200 yards off. My goal is to buy some Internet time to post this log and check email. Until next time...

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