Mike
04/27/2008, Man-O-War Cay

April 25...It has been quite windy from the north for the last few days so being in the anchorage has been nice. We spent most of the morning working on the computer while we have a good internet connection. I made a mid-morning breakfast of hash browns and eggs but didn't do much else. We read most of the day. In the afternoon we dinghied over to the marina to visit Jim and Nancy from "Solitaire" who arrived today. Although we have followed them via email, Thanksgiving was the last time we have seen them. Nancy radioed "Madcap" and we all went out to eat. On the way down the dock we ran into Steve ("Restless") and talked them into joining us as well.

In another life Jim and Nancy were pilots... Jim lived in Wahpeton, North Dakota for a time and knew my dad's cousins Russell and Joe Thane. Actually I think he knew one of their daughters better. ....

As usual we had too much fun but made it home unscathed.




April 24...We had a little more laundry to finish up so we left in the morning to finish running our errands. We are well stocked now and ready to spend some time in the northern part of the Abacos where there are no towns.

"Madcap" pulled in to the anchorage this afternoon and later came over for Jambalaya. It was nice to see them again.


April 23...Marsh Harbor (with side trip to Man-0-War Cay)

After the weather, some coffee, and the Abacos Cruisers Net we tore up our sole (floor) in an attempt to fix our water guage and to make some changes in our counterpoise. After a couple of hours we failed at the first task but had some success at the other.

I turned on the Honda to heat some water for a shower and then we were off to Conch Inn Marina to leave our dinghy tied to "Restless" and hike to the Ferry dock with Carol. Our destination was Man-o-War Cay which was only about a 20 minute boat ride.

We opted for a Ferry because the harbor on Man-o-war is narrow and we would probably end up anchoring outside. With north winds forecast for the next few days there really isn't much protection there.

Unlike most of the stops in the Abacos, Man-o-War is not a tourist center. There are few if any resorts, only a couple of restaurants and only a few shops. The folks who live there are descendants of the Loyalysts who settled here in the late 1700's. They have always been know for their boat building and are still at it today.

The boats we saw being built were mostly of fiberglass construction.

The town consists of about 8 blocks on the harbors side of the island and another 8 on the Atlantic side. The homes are mostly small and older except for a few on the ocean that are out of place retirement or vacation homes. One home on the ocean side was named Costa Lotta-that says it all. Everything is neat a tidy and there were flowers blooming everywhere. The streets are paved and are just wide enough for two golf carts to meet. We saw one tiny car and two or three Suzuki trucks, but everyone else operated golf carts. It's dangerous for pedestrians because they are almost silent and have the habit of sneaking up from behind.

Comments [0]

Mike
04/23/2008, Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco, Bahamas

April 22...Marsh Harbor

After coffee and a snack for breakfast we were off to the laundry by 8:30. Harbor View Marina is the easiest place here in Marsh Harbor but not the cheapest. The place was empty so there was no waiting. While Kathy worked on the wash, I returned to the boat and topped off our fuel tank from our jerry cans and then dinghied over to another marina to purchase 10 gallons of diesel. Back at the boat I emptied the water containers from last night into the tank. By then it was time to go pick up Kathy.

We spoke with one of the Ferry Captains to see about a trip to Man-O-War Cay tomorrow- just to see the place.

We had a chicken salad for lunch and spent the most of the afternoon reading. At about 4 we dinghied over to visit Carol and get another load of water.

We had meatloaf with jalapenos for dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans.


April 21...Marsh Harbor

We spent the morning reprovisioning, making two trips to town with stops at the grocery, bank, etc. Kathy tried, without success, calling here mom so will have to work on that again today. The afternoon was cloudy with a few light showers so we sat outside and read.

Later, we dinghied over to "Restless" who is in a slip with free water, to check on Carol and steal some of the afore mentioned water. I made two trips while Kathy and Carol chatted, for a net gain of about 40 gallons. We'll probably stop by again tonight.

In the evening we had dinner and watched most of a movie.

Since I have a few minutes here waiting for hot water, it may be useful to go over a few things that have learned on this trip. (Sam, you can skip the numbered part-sorry, Mom)

1) Don't leave home without polish for your stainless steel rust remover for fiberglass. We like Collinite metal wax and Wink.

2) Bring spare regulators for your grill

3) Make sure that you have a method of monitoring (accurately) your electrical consumption and charge rate. The Link 10 and Link 20 are what most boats use.

4) Don't leave home without a working SSB or HAM radio. In some areas of the Bahamas it is the only way to get a weather forecast.

5) Make sure that your dinghy and motor combination allow you to get up on plane with another passenger. There are places that you need to go that are just too far away to putt along.

6) Make sure that you have adequate electrical connectors... butt connectors and terminal ends of all sizes. The ones that come in shrink tubing are best. Bring two or three times as many as you think you may need.

7) Think carefully about spare parts. ...Filters, belts, fuses, and the like go without saying. We now have two spare alternators (, a spare starter , a spare water pump (sea water) a spare engine mount, refrigerator motor, all the gaskets that our engine uses including a head gasket.

8) Understand your power consumption needs. We have not been plugged into a dock for almost 8 months. Although we do not, most boats here have both solar and wind generators. Our solar array is 20 square feet and on sunny days produces all the power we need. However, to heat water we need to run either the Honda 2000 or the main engine.

9) Do the research and purchase a good wi-fi antenna.

10) Our lifelines need replacing. We have decided to run amsteel or another of the new high-tech lines (something that won't rust).

11) Don't sail to the Bahamas without Explorer Charts. We have both paper and electronic and have found both to be invaluable. Skipper Bob guides are also musts on the ICW.

12) Water makers are a luxury not a necessity in the Bahamas. (and probably all of the Caribbean) We have only paid for water twice @10cents a gallon. Having said that we will probably install a water maker this summer for convenience.

13) In regard to provisioning...here are real grocery stores in Marsh Harbor, Nassau, Spanish Wells, Rock Sound and Georgetown, so there is always food available. We have found that most of these stores have a good supply of vegetables if you arrive shortly after the supply boat. Pork and chicken is readily available. Everything is expensive but some are more so than others. .. paper products and snacks to mention a couple. When we provision for our next trip we will focus our thinking on items that we can use for snacks that we might take to another boat in the late afternoon. You can save money by provisioning in the States but there is a trade off on storage space. Beer is $35 to $45 a case so if you're a beer drinker it would make sense to use your cargo space for beer and purchase canned stuff here as needed.

Bring tortillas, tortilla chips, paper towels, toilet paper, pretzels, and snacks... they are out of line price-wise here.

14) Bring two rebuild kits for your head.

15) Make sure that you have jerry cans to haul fuel and water. We have three for diesel, two gasoline, and two for water. We also have four 5 gallon plastic containers for hauling water. (they are collapsible and are stored below) Covers for the fuel containers are a good idea so that expansion (and fumes) are reduced.

I know I'll think of more to add to this list in the future (Great! says the editor).


April 20th....Lubbers Quarters to Marsh Harbor

After coffee we weighed anchor and headed north at high tide to Hope Town then on to Marsh Harbor. The trip was about 12 miles and the water was flat. I was able to stand on the bow pulpit and watch the bottom go by. It was mostly less that 10 feet and you could see everything down there ... which really wasn't that much. There was a little grass from time to time and a few starfish and small conch.

When we left Marsh Harbor there were about 150 boats anchored. Today there were about 20. The difference was the weather. When we were here last, there was a severe front going through with winds to 40kts. Now the weather is perfect and people are either heading north to the US or are out and about in the islands.

We read most of the afternoon and then went over to visit "Restless" in the Marina. Steve flies home tomorrow to put in an appearance at work... He will be back Friday . Barry and Susan stopped by on their way to dinner on "Jock's Lodge." They plan to head out tomorrow for a week or so in the northern Abacos. In order to go north from here we have to pass the "Whale" which is a cut out into the Atlantic for about a mile then back inside to the calmer waters of the banks. When there is any wind or ocean swell, going out and back in around Whale island is usually impossible so the passage is made when winds are down.

We ate so many chips and salsa that dinner was unnecessary.

...There is quite a transition happening here in the Abacos. The winter people are crossing back to Florida or further north and the summer folks are starting to move in. We were surprised that there were "summer boaters" here due to the threat of hurricanes but in truth the hurricane season isn't viewed as a serious problem until the later half of August and into September.

Oh, and Abby, Dad has been hungry for sweets and has started baking cookies-mostly from mixes. It is not me-although I did bake cookies once or twice. Mom

Comments [3]

Mike
04/20/2008, Tahiti Beach, Elbow Cay, Abacos

April 19th...Lubbers Quarters

After breakfast I worked again on locating the "rattle" that we have been plagued with and this time I was successful. It was the exhaust pipe but it was rattling in a different spot than I thought. Since I was down in the basement of the boat again I checked the packing gland and needed to loosen it another quarter turn.

We went to "Cracker P's" for lunch with Steve and Carol and had a nice meal. They don't have a fryer so everything is grilled or baked.

Later we all went to Tahiti Beach. We sat in ankle deep-water about 110 yards off shore for awhile than moved in to the beach. The last two days are the first times that we've gone to a beach just to sit ...

On our return we read until it was time to make supper....Shrimp and fresh spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil with a dollop of sour cream added at the end ....served over rice.

April 18.. Hope Town to Lubbers Quarters

We left Hope Town at about 8am on high tide and worked our way south along Elbow Cay. We only traveled about 3 miles to an anchorage just off Tahiti Beach. Tahiti Beach is a huge sand bat that at high tide s mostly submerged but at low tide is a long beautiful sliver of sand. There are probably about 10 acres of shallows that are less that knee deep.

Once anchored I went to work trying to locate a rattle that we are hearing al low rpms. I thought I had it fixed, but the noise was back today. In the process I ended up removing our prop shaft alternator which we haven't been using much. Since I was in there, I changed the transmission fluid as well.

I tightened a few of the motor mounts but failed to find the cause of the rattle. Then, I went down below the cockpit and backed off the packing nut about 1/3 of a turn to insure that our we are getting a little water on the shaft.

Finishing at about 2pm we read for a while and then headed for the beach with Steve and Carol. We wandered in the shallows for a while and then sat on the beach watching the tide slowly cover the sandbar.

On our return I dove on our anchor and looked for conch for a while before taking a shower on deck and grilling some chicken for dinner.

Comments [1]