03/11/2010, Clarencetown, Long Island, Bahamas
Its hard to believe that anything can grow on these rocky islands but all around you can see "Pot Hole Farming." Somehow the Bahamians drill or blast large holes in the rock where they find fertile ground. It is there that they grow Bananas, Pineapples, Green and Red Peppers and Plaintains.
The flowers somehow look beyond beautiful here, perhaps it's because there is so much rock and gravel that when you see them in bloom they are that much more magnificent.
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03/10/2010, Cape Santa Maria to Clarencetown, Long Island
After a day at rest in Simms we got underway pre-dawn today and motor-sailed around Cape Santa Maria on the north end of Long Island and felt the winds and swells of the Atlantic as we travelled down the Long Island's east coast to Clarencetown. Here we hope to find good shelter from the upcoming Cold Front before moving east through the Bahamian out-islands to the Turks & Caicos. It made for a long day and the swells can really tire you out but we "rolled" into Clarencetown harbor well before sundown and set the hook for a good night's rest as winds clocked around through East in prelude to a cold front moving through this weekend. Our friends Robin and Cheryl on Just Imagine have finally finished their repairs in Georgetown and we look forward to our rendezvous with them here before heading to the Caribbean. Each step further from home holds some unknowns a touch of mystery that make the journey very rewarding. Unlike the USA you can't always get the parts or groceries you need, and sometimes getting fresh water or disposing of our garbage ashore is a difficult task, but the people are friendly and the seas are beautiful. The adventure continues...
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03/07/2010, Alligator Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
We got underway from Thompson Bay this morning with hopes of sailing up the West coast of Long Island to Calabash Bay with our friends John and Patty on S/V Anhinga. We hoped to stage there for our journey from the Bahamas to the Turks & Caicos islands, our next stop on the way to the Caribbean. The winds and seas would not cooperate however and after some rough sailing, including a 30+ knot gust that heeled us over way too far and brought a torrent of seawater into the cockpit, we re-evalutated the day's plan and stopped a bit short in what turned out to be a nice quiet and uncrowded harbor part way up the coast off the township of Simms. Islands can do interesting things to the wind, and sometimes those winds are not quite as predicted. All lessons learned though and we gained additional confidence that Sanctuary, as well as her crew, can deal with some of the challenges the ocean might throw our way. We also renewed our respect for the forces of nature. We'll catch our breath and move forward from here.
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03/02/2010, Long Island, Bahamas
Another beautiful sight on the island was the churches, two of which were designed by Father Jerome, a monk who was also trained as an architect and designed several churches in the Bahamas. Here is one of two churches we visited in Clarencetown, on the south end of Long Island.
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03/02/2010, Long Island, Bahamas
Yesterday we rented a van with our friends on S/V Slow Dancing (Paul and Susan) and the four of us (five if you count their little dog Mickey) drove to the northern end of Long Island to view the Columbus monument. The islanders debate whether Columbus initially landed in San Salvador or here. Either way the day was beautiful and so is the monument. From there we worked out way south viewing the various sights on the island, enjoying the sights and a chance to meet local people and see their way of life. We ate lunch at a roadside eatery, viewed some famous churches and got the land view of several places we may visit later on Sanctuary. The highlight of the trip was Dean's Blue Hole, a blue hole that measures over 600 feet deep where Free Divers practice their hobby diving to record depths under a single breath. I only dove down about 20 feet, certainly not a record, but it was a wonderous sight to see, and made for one of many memorable sights on this island.
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02/28/2010, Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas
We got just a bit too antsy sitting in Georgetown and took a nice weather opportunity to travel to Long Island to the East with our friends Paul & Susan on SV Slow Dancing. We would have preferred more wind to get us there but the sunshine and aquamarine waters dazzled us once again on the trip over. On our second day here we ventured ashore and walked the length of the settlement called Salt Pond enjoying the sights and meeting some locals. This picture shows how it's sometimes hard to distinguish the sea from the sky by their color. We sat out yet another cold front with high winds and rain here bobbing at anchor, but are still thankful we're not burrowing down to escape the cold and snow back home. However, we are looking forward to heading south to the Caribbean to escape this weather pattern.
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02/19/2010, Elizabeth Harbor off Georgetown
We've returned to Georgetown and greeted many old and new friends here. We just learned that our friends on "Just Imagine" have begun their crossing to the Bahamas and hope to see them within the next week or so. Until then we are re-provisioning and making some repairs, and perhaps will make a side trip to Long Island with other boats here. It's still too organized here for our liking, sort of like an adult Summer Camp, but it's good to be back anyway. This picture is of a cargo vessel that strayed too close to the reef and was stranded for a couple of days before being lifted off and towed back to the dock for repairs. The "mailboats" as they're generally called, bring much more than mail (cargo, supplies and passengers) to the various islands of the Bahamas and are a vital link with the outside world.
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02/13/2010, Cambridge Cay, Exumas
We spent several days on a mooring ball (anchored deep into the ground for better holding) while the Bahamas experienced some severe weather fronts with high winds and stormy conditions. In between the storms it wasn't too bad though and we did some hiking around the island as well as some great snorkeling nearby. Here we are posing by this incredible water. We NEVER get tired of looking out over the water and enjoying the beautiful colors of the ocean. We hear it's pretty cold and snowy back in the states. We wish you all could be here to enjoy this.
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02/07/2010, Little Farmer's Cay, Exumas
The weekend at Farmer's Cay was marked by an event of another sort when we heard some police activity on the radio. An old and heavily worn sailboat carrying over 60 Haitians was stopped by the Bahamian Defense Force vessels in the harbor. Word circulated that the boat had been at sea for over 4 days making it's way north from Haiti and while the fate of its passengers was not certain, it seemed certain that they had not eaten in some time. Not surprisingly the cruisers in the harbor sprang into action and began donating hot food and dry clothing for the people onboard as the police force worked to begin transporting them to Nassau for further disposition. I helped by running the dinghy around to numerous boats picking up donated items while Carrie prepared some food and a blanket for donation to the cause. While the boats moored at the local Yacht Club dock temporarily they had to get underway and we continued to pass food and donated clothing across to the passengers even as the boats moved out of the harbor. The Haitians were very thankful for all of the generous contributions and we wished them well on their journey to a better life.
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02/06/2010, Little Famer's Cay, Exumas
During the Farmer's Cay Festival and several others around the islands the locals race what they call a Class C vessel that copies the design of working vessels formerly used by the islanders to fish and travel between the islands. Vessels from several Cays came to the island and raced on Friday afternoon from Black Point down to the north end of Little Farmer's Cay where they anchored to celebrate their race and meet old friends. The vessels are brightly painted and are an item of great pride for the community that they represent. They don't have the budgets that most racing fleets we're familiar with have but there enthusiasm and comraderie certainly match those at any racing location.
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