to Staniel Cay

Jan 31 2012

We moved to Shroud Cay for a couple of nights, another cayin the Exumas Land & Sea Park. There are no people on this cay, also nophone service and no wi-fi, so we were out of touch for a while. We thenreturned to Warderick Wells Saturday, where they had a cocktail party on thebeach in the evening. We met some of our fellow cruisers, including one guy,Forrest, from Portsmouth,RI, a retired electrical engineer.We are always learning things from the people we meet. Warderick Wells haswi-fi for a fee, but it was not working well. Some windy weather wasapproaching, so we decided to sail south to Staniel Cay. We had a good sail,and found a place to anchor near the town. The wind did pick up last night, butnot too strong, about 20 knots, instead of the 30 knots they predicted. Thetown is small, but there are 3 stores to get groceries. Each one is smallerthan our living room at home, and none had the olives for Dave’s martinis. Wedid get some basics, and were able to get our propane tank refilled. We’ll stayhere Tues and Wed night, then, when the wind dies down, proceed to LittleFarmer’s Cay, which is 15 miles further South toward Georgetown. We think we’llsee the Pats in the Superbowl there. We have 2 weeks to get to Georgetown,where Judy, Sarah, and Todd will fly in to join the trip.

Exumas, first stop

The photo above is of our 4 crew leaving DD and heading for the airport from Spanish Wells several days ago.We left Eluthra from Powell Point, and had a nice 30 mile sail to the Exumas in the ocean. We are currently in the Exumas at Warderick WellsCay, in the Exumas Land and Sea Park,where wildlife is protected.We did  a little snorkelling and walked a trail over some rough rock, waded a salt water pond, and climbed up BooBoo hill, the highest point on the cay, with a 360 degree view. We've been dodging rain showers today. Windy weather is coming around Monday And Tuesday, so we want to head for a protected anchorage before then. Internet connections are sparse down here, so we might be out of touch at times.

After bidding adieu to departing crew members Judy,Jeanne, Peggy & Skip, Dave and Andy set to work, doing laundry, checking the dinghy motor(better, but not all the way better), and cleaning the boat and dinghy. The rumor was that the Pats game would be on at the club, and we were tempted, but decided to use our weather window to start the trek toward the Exumas. We sailed to Governor’s Harbour, a seven hour trip.We used the time to do several minor repairs, and more cleaning. We went ashore and to our surprise, the grocery store was open on Sunday! We did a little inpromtu provisioning.  Jeanne was texting Dave the highlights of the Pats game Sunday night. Monday will take us to Powell Point, a jumping off spot for the 30 mile ocean crossing to Highborne Cay in the exumas. I'm still learning about blogging, so I need to work on the photo attaching part.
Andy

Harbour Island Explorations

This is our final day of explorations for this trip. We ended up having some nice meals on Harbour Island in restaurants that looked right out onto the sea.We enjoyed our time together and are getting ready to head home. Many thanks to all of the crew, Jeanne for her help with the blog, Dave for his first mating and Skip and Peg for their enthusiastic support of the journey. Signing off for now.  Andy will pick up the authorship on his next leg to the Exumas.

Some signs that made us smile

Marshalls of the Bahamas

Life on a dry island

Waiting for our package to arrive

We did not choose the first item on the menu!

Little Woody brings it on home

Little Woody chatting us up

Our pilot, "Little Woody" boarded the DD around 9 am to take us through the  Backbone. In true Bahamian style, he brought us a loaf of freshly baked bread and a homemade carrot cake. He says that it is tradition that his wife supports the trip by sending along some local baked goods. He immediately took over the Captain's seat and began a non stop story that was a combination of history, geology and local lore. It seems that we picked a really good time to do this trip as the water was calm and with his expertise we snaked our way through the reefs, trying our best to learn how to "read the water". As it turns out the sun angle was not good for using the water color and instead he was relying on landmarks to get us through. In the interim we heard many stories of boats who were wrecked on the Backbone, about shark attacks when people were spear fishing on the reefs, with all the gory details. At the end of the morning, we pulled into Harbour Island, a safe journey with some local color.

The girls enjoying the lunch

Best fish of the trip

Good to the last bite

Woody recommended Wade's Restaurant where we headed for a local Bahamian Lunch. Conch, fish, coleslaw and Kalik! The Bahamian spices were at their best, all agreed that this was the real deal.

Andy prepares Stone Crab for Dinner with a Hammer and a Rope?

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Nature in the Bahamas

A day of sightings….finally the wind settled down and we were able to get out and do some ocean exploring. Some by kayak, some by dingy and some on the big boat.  Kayaking in Royal Harbour we discovered a small reef and were able to spot some fan coral, turtles,sea urchins,  starfish and a ray.  While fishing off the back of the DD, were excited to be accompanied by a school of flying fish. In addition  we had porpoises  following the boat. We scrambled for the camera, but then decided to just relax and enjoy the experience. So, no photographic proof, but a good memory.

Skip and Peg out exploring

Heading back to Spanish Wells to prepare for to Harbour Island in the morning. We have hired a pilot, “Little Woody” to take us through Devil’s Backbone”.  The ladies are looking forward to a dinner ashore, a needed break from the cooking. The boys will look forward to a break from the dishes

Hanging out with friends

Skip and Peg arrived and we celebrated with a cocktail party in their honor. When they joined the crew, they thought that they would be the entertainment, but alas, we had invited our new Aussie friends, Peter and Kay, and they regaled us with stories of their sailing adventures.  They are headed back to Australia on their boat, Dancing Brave. 

Andy and Peter share sailing stories
Notice the similar "old salt" hairstyles!

We were desperate to see the Patriots/Denver game and as there are no bars or venues to watch TV, the locals told us about The Members Only Club. They assured us that it does not require you to be a member and encouraged us to give it a try for the first quarter.  Prior to sunset we took a spin in the dingy to “check it out”. It looked like Spanky and Our Gang’s original hangout, but with a television wire strung out to it.

Friends on the beach! 

Members Only Club

Tiles from the ruins

The next day we circumnavigated of Spanish Wells, walking along the beach and the inlet.  We then headed out to Royal Island. We did some exploring of a ruin, met some fellow yachtsmen who told us about their routine of snorkeling and fishing using a Hawaiian sling. They have more fish and lobster than they can eat!  We think it might be time to invest in that technique.

Dave and Peg doing some fishing

The wind is in today and so we had to stay put. Lots of reading, listening to music and relaxing. Too much time on our hands makes for creative food preparation. Today a ripe avocado prompted Grouper Tacos!

We hope to be back in Spanish Wells tomorrow for our trip down the Devil’s BackBone.

THe Devil's Bacbone Crew Arrvies.

Andy and Dave preparing the table to turn into a bed.

 We are standing by in Spanish Wells awaiting a weather window to go through the Devil's Backbone.The cruising guide describes the passage "It is the frightful stretch along the northern most shore of Eleuthera.. The passage itself is awe inspiring in its beauty and its danger, the golden coral heads set in the glimmering turquoise sea."  Our hope is to go down to Harbour Island through the Backbone as soon as the weather calms down. We will hire a pilot to get aboard DD to take us through.  We eagerly await the arrival of Peg and Skip to round out our crew.

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A different perspective on the trip

Looking down from the top of the mast. Notice the bathing beauties on the deck.  We look really good from this  perspective.

Lightening Rod or Bust

1. Andy heads up the mast to affix the lightening rod. Wow is he quick!

From the galley

Provisioning.

The fruit hammock

While the real talent in this trip is navigating, weather forecasting and sailing, there is a small side line to provisioning the boat with just the right amount of food and wine to keep the Captain and crew happy.

Local fishermen offering up some conch

The larder is found under the floor boards, in labeled boxes.  At each landfall it is a challenge to locate the grocery source, purchase fresh goods , load them into the dingy and onto the boat.  Produce is generally hard to come by in the Bahamas. You would think with the marine tropical climate that it would rich with tropical fruits, but the soil is poor and not much farming is done here. So, we go for the staples, bananas, lettuce, sweet potatoes, and apples.  We are always on the lookout for the local fishermen, as this is getting more common as we move further south

The grocery store at Harchett Bay

This is a desperate situation.

 Now the beer and wine is another story. Some of the islands are “dry” so we are getting attuned to knowing where those are located.  Kalik is the Bahamian beer and is $48.00 per case.It is challenging to load and store wine bottles. Our solution was to load the boat up with box wines in Florida. Those spouts make it so easy to keep pouring, that in December we ran out!  

Just as good as you remember it!

 When fresh is just not going to happen, we adapt.

Our instant potatoes are a real favorite! 

R and R

How tall can you make this tower....the game goes on

When was the last time that we really felt rested and relaxed? Well we can’t remember ever being so rested  with so much time on our hands. With darkness falling in around 5 o’clock, the evening meal is drawn out for a few hours, and then the challenge is to stay awake after some nice wine and dinner.

This gift of time gives way to lots of reading, knitting, charting, word games,  an occasional card game,  and sometimes just being able to do some daily tasks with more care and detail. 

Making some bling for the Captain and the First Mate

Making time for an artful presentation for lunch aboard the DD

We still have one more level to get down…we have not yet found the hammock. Then we will have “laying in it” as a new very restful activity.

Crossing to Eleuthera

We sailed 40 miles down the coast of Eleuthera to a rural anchorage known as Governor’s Horbour.

Except for the passage at Current Cut, we did not see another boat. We followed the coastline for miles, in turquoise seas overlooking the tropical hillside.






 Upon arrival, the fisherman had just come in with their catch and we had to choose between the langoustines, the snapper, the parrotfish and the grouper. All were ready to be cleaned on the beach and a small crowd of natives gathered for this daily marketing opportunity. We settled on the grouper, and bought ourselves a nice bottle of white wine to accompany this wonderfully fresh fish.

Langoustas ready for purchase

At midnight the Goveour Harbor Rooster  Community Chorus began their full moon concert. Apparently this group has moved way beyond cock-a doodle-doo , as advanced screeching and screaming seemed to be the work of the soloists. It would be my guess that  cacophony  was the musical theme for this evening.  Apparently no one ever told them about the crowing at the  “break of dawn” These guys  were clearly pulling an all nighter as we found them still hanging out at the cemetery at 9 am.

Spanish Wells

The New Bedford part

The day-glo part

Spanish Wells is like a day glo painted New Bedford. A fishing town, specializing in langoustines, the harbor is busily humming along with boating activity. The Spanish Wellers have an unusual accent, not quite British, Bahamian, or American , yet somewhere in between standing quite on it’s own. 

We call this our beach villa!

The architecture is colorful, the houses dating back 150 years. Today we will rent a golf cart to explore the island and do errands. Jeanne and I met a couple who is letting us use the front porch of their beach house and their free wifi. It took Dave and Andy  a little while to settle into the idea of sitting on someone else’s porch and settling it in, but with a Kalik in hand, they relaxed into the moment.

Baha Machanics

Bahmachanics defined, is 2 retired engineers pooling their years of problem solving expertise to analyze ongoing mechanical issues with all that is involved with 3 engines, and all the sail rigging. This is accomplished in balmy breezes with turquoise water all around.

Andy and Dave down in the engine room

Now on to the dinghy motor!

Back to the chart plotting

David taking a turn in the hole

Almost everyday this problem solving, known as " 2 men down in the hole", is taking place  On the less glorious side of the “Adventure” we have been experiencing engine issues, first with the dinghy, which took a few days of thinking and problem solving to get to an idea of what the next steps might be. Then, just as we pulled into Spanish Wells the port engine on the big boat died. After a few hours of "down the hole" work, a call was made to the local mechanic, who let us know that in a few days he might be available. So with some additional reading, midnight thinking, a fresh approach was engineered in the morning. Good news! Problem solved, no island mechanic needed and we are back on our way. With great appreciation for the problem solving talents of our Captain and First Mate.