Season's Greetings from Annapolis, MD

The blizzard that has buried much of the east coast treated our area pretty nicely.  From as far south as North Carolina and up the Coast to Maine, snow falls were counted in feet.  The Annapolis, D.C., and Baltimore area only received four inches or so. We're not complaining.  We did get the wind that was forecast, and we're still getting gusts in the 30's. 


We cooked Turkey and dressing and all the trimmings for Thanksgiving, but for Christmas we chose true Maryland fare, Crab Cakes using local Blue Crab.  We started the day with one of the only family traditions we've been able to keep, a grog type drink that we call Milk Punch.  Drinking the Ice Cream/Milk/Bourbon concoction from our Pusser's cups lent a Caribbean touch to the chilly, snowy day.

We stay busy adjusting to living aboard in a cold climate.  When the water was too cold for our Reverse Cycle Central Heat to work, we serviced our Espar diesel heater and started it up.  The boat's first owner had installed it and we had never used it before (not much of a need).  We were amazed at how toasty it kept the boat. But, alas, it clogged up and stopped working.  Until it is cleaned and repaired, we are using two electric heaters, plus one small electric heater in the engine room.
 
We wish you all peace and happiness this Holiday Season and throughout the year.

New York City

Our first trip to Manhattan!!!!!

The cool, crisp fall days were perfect for miles of walking and sight-seeing.

The Amtrak train ride is about three hours from the BWI station (30 minutes from our marina) to Penn Station in Midtown, close to Madison Square Garden and within walking distance to our hotel and so many 'must sees.'  Trains are the best way to travel.  No hassle  --none!  Just buy your ticket, pick your comfy coach seat, and relax and enjoy the view.  Of course, commuters use Amtrak, so sometimes the trains are crowded.

But our train was not crowded.  On a train, there's much more legroom, the seats are wider, and the aisles are wider than on a plane, plus the windows are bigger.  Very enjoyable.  Passengers do have to pay attention to ensure they depart the train at their chosen destination!

The fall colors have been gorgeous, and Central Park's fall foliage was reported to be so as well.  And that it was.  Our three day, two night trip included many hours within the one-half mile wide and two and one-half miles long Park, and we still only covered about half of the area.  In addition to meandering trails accented with granite boulders, forests,a reservoir and several lakes, the Park is home to restaurants, gardens, museums and a zoo.



The Imagine Mosaic in Strawberry Fields, John Lennon's memorial in Central Park.







Remote Controlled Sailing!





We walked everywhere as we located other sights we wanted to see.   The New York Public Library, the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, Fifth Avenue  -- oh what fun.
So much we didn't see, but that means another visit!

A few other favorites:



Top of Rockefeller Plaza - What a view
 

Remember the
Soup Nazi
from Seinfield? 

But it was not yet open!




Beauty and grandeur in the New York Public Library, as well as extensive collections.  I love libraries (and parks).

St. Patrick's Cathedral
Historical, Gothic-style
Cathholic Church

Rockefeller Plaza
We also were on the Plaza while the Today show was taping, but we were cold and too hungry to wait for Matt and the other anchors to join the crowd outside.

Grand Central Terminal
Transports thousands of commuters daily.
Lots of high-end restaurants and shops.





In the lobby of The Plaza Hotel, on our way to The Oak Room  - martini time.

Fall on the Chesapeake

Hard to believe it's late October.  In between long days of boat cleaning, maintenance, and repair, we've been exploring the area, sampling delicious fresh crab and seafood, and attending local festivals.  The numerous  festivals held throughout the state celebrate Maryland's seafood, its wine, and its harvests.

A small state, Maryland provides a bounty of food, wine and seafood. Our veggies and most of our produce are chosen from several Farmer's Markets and local produce stands.  Maryland has over 40 'Direct Farm & Pick Your Own' markets.  We purchase very fresh seafood from a local shop.  Yes, we are enjoying the area.

We've even been cruising! This last weekend, we left our marina in the Rhode River, sailed up the Bay past the South River, past Annapolis, and turned into the Severn River where we met other Valiant Sailboat owners for a fun outing. We rafted up for  a while for pictures.  Lapidus is between the two red 50' boats.  Our organizers and hosts, Bernie and Kate of Rogue Wave Yachts, own a beautiful home on the Severn and keep their Valiant, Mahalo, there.  We appreciate their hospitality. 

The Bay is crowded on the weekends, especially around Annapolis.  A beautiful site, but maneuvering through all the boats out racing Sunday afternoon was a challenge. 

Cooler Weather -Thanks to Earl

Hurricane Earl,  the monster storm that caused damage to several Caribbean islands, brushed by the Turks and Caicos causing big wave action, and menaced the US East Coast all week, brought a little wind and cooler weather to our area.  Before it fizzled, it made land fall in Nova Scotia, giving several cities a pounding of wind and rain.

The resort town of Ocean City, Maryland, located on the Atlantic coast and about 100 miles from here, braced for a hit from Earl.  The area experienced turbulent waves and wind, but fortunately received no major damage.

We're in Holiday Hill Marina on the Rhode River several miles south of Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay. 
As this serene view indicates, we're in a lovely, tranquil cove. The Smithsonian Institute prohibits development on the entire south side of the Rhode River, thus the marina is secluded and quiet.  While a big storm can do damage here or anywhere, we do have nice protection from the waves caused by wind and Bay boaters, plus no muscle boats or jet skis are allowed (thanks to the Smithsonian).

We're getting into the rhythm of marina living.  Being secured in a slip results in an easier life than being on a mooring ball or at anchor.  Here we just step off the boat and walk up the docks (and, thankfully, to our pickup)   -no need to launch the dingy, start the motor, head for the dingy dock, secure the dingy, and then complete whatever activity was planned, which might be something simple and or it might be laundry day, so the dingy is full of clothes.  Then, of course,  back on the dingy to return to the big boat.  But, because we're in a slip and not anchored with our bow in the wind, we're not enjoying the breeze blowing in our hatches.  And slip life offers far less privacy than living at anchor, where you experience the feeling of having your own, private sunset.  Slip life is easier, but not nearly as rewarding. The Bay boasts hundreds of lovely anchorages and we'll be visiting a few of those this fall.

Right now, we're enjoying this beautiful weather and keeping track of the current tropical storms.

Notes and Pics from the Captain

Lapidus - Close to time to depart for passage from Turks and Caicos to Annapolis


With no chartplotter from the second day on, we navigated with paper charts and our two handheld VHF's.  We came all the way in like this without any trouble. We came into the Chesapeake at 3 in the morning and no moon. It sure beats dead reckoning.

On the third morning we were motoring and there was a loud growling sound. I slowed the engine and checked everything, but found nothing wrong. I started motoring again and within 15 to 20 minutes same sound. I shut the engine off for the next two and a half days and watched the windex on top of the mast spin around and around. After two and a half days I started the engine and ran it at 1500 rpms for a while and then up to 2200, with no problems and no more unusual noises. We ran the engine sparingly to be sure we had enough diesel to enter the marina, which we did, but not much extra. 

Six different pods of dolphins joined us during our voyage.
They came to play, and we were glad to see them.



I was only able to understand Chris Parker two days while we were in the middle of our voyage, but it was a big help. He gave us a couple of good waypoints that helped us out on some eddies and gave us some wind part of a day. The eddies lasted until we got to the gulfstream. We basically sailed north on longitude 72 and then curved in west to Cape Hatteras, then into the Chesapeake.

It was really hot out there. There were two or three days where we did not see a ship, plane or a bird. Again, we were always glad when a pod of dolphins decided to hang out with us for a while.  Unusal cloud formations also added interest.  One cloud with a hole in the middle?
 

South Side Marina

The new bar and restaurant has been started and will be a welcome addition to the south side of Provo.

Annapolis Arrival

Larry and Robert left the Turks & Caicos Sunday afternoon, August 1, and pulled into a slip in Holiday Hill Marina Wednesday afternoon, August 11.  The forecast was for a sailing wind, though moderate; instead, there was not enough wind and they were becalmed for several days, which added a couple of days to the length of the trip.

While the weather was too uneventful, they did have challenges.  The Furuno Chart Plotter and Radar decided to take a vacation starting the second morning.  No data was on the screen.  Though Larry was able to get some old waypoints back, none of the charts would come up, nor was anything visible on the radar.  They had all the needed paper charts to chart their route, so that's what they did.  Taking regular Lat and Long readings with our handheld Standard Horizon and keeping a good log kept them occupied and on their route.

Also, on a calm day early in the trip, the engine made an unusual noise, though it continued to run.  After the second time it made the noise, Larry thought it might be the cutlass bearing and decided to not run it, not wanting to cause more serious damage.  After a few days of averaging little more than two knots, they again turned on the engine, but ran it only at low RPM's and only ran it when there was no wind. It made no more noises and they were able to use it to come into the marina.

Kenya and I had a fast, fun road trip.  We left OKC Sunday afternoon, made a detour to Ponca City, then stopped in Memphis for the night and arrived in Wilmington, NC Monday night, after 1,400 miles.  Though not exactly on the logical road to Annapolis, Wilmington is a lovely coastal city and we wanted to check it out; we're so glad we did.  Then Wednesday morning, we drove the 390 miles to Annapolis and met up with Larry!

I'm loving being back on the boat, trying to find a location for all the extras I brought on board, mostly clothes I bought because I did not take much with me when I left.  We're getting the boat in order, which will take a while.  We'll take the Furuno Chart Plotter to the dealer to have the software reloaded, and hope that's all that needs to be done.  Also, we have the engine to take care off.

Larry plans to write more info about the trip.  Plus, we'll be sharing what's happening here and what plans we make.

Underway to Annapolis

Larry and his crew member Robert began their passage Sunday afternoon at high tide.  The sandy-bottom shallow route from Southside Marina to Sapodilla Bay is only possible at high tide and takes about two hours.  From the Bay, they followed the Sand Bore Channel still needing as much water under them as possible, as much for random coral heads as for depth.

Out of the Channel late in the afternoon, they turned north and will be underway until they reach Annapolis.  We don't have a satellite phone, so I won't talk to Larry until he has a phone antenna somewhere on the east coast, probably in the Chesapeake.  We do have a Single Side Bank, so he can talk to Chris Parker (weather forecaster) as well as make other connections if needed.

Time to Move - Ourselves & Lapidus

Time for an update: I'm still in Oklahoma, but Larry has flown back to the Turks and Caicos and is preparing the boat for a move to the Chesapeake, specifically Annapolis! In June, Larry flew back to take down all the sails and canvass, since hurricane season had begun and we weren't sure when we would be continuing our cruising.  So, now, he's putting them all back up, along with the usual preparations for an offshore trip. 

While we had planned to spend some time in  Oklahoma (and Texas) to visit family and friends this summer,  we left the boat in the Turks and Caicos and flew to Oklahoma earlier than planned due to my Mom's health.  She's had a tough summer, but is doing pretty well at this time.

We plan to be in the Annapolis area for a while.  Flying to Oklahoma is a lot easier from the East Coast than from the Caribbean.  Plus, we will easily be able to be contacted when the need arises.  Cruising the Caribbean is still a priority, just moved to the future for now.

Larry and Robert (his very qualified crew) plan to leave August 1, weather permitting.  To find crew, we used an organization that specializes in helping captains find crew and crew find captains-  www. sailopo.com.  Robert wanted to make the trip because he is interested in purchasing a Valiant.  Larry's plan is to take the shortest route with the best weather and with no planned stops.  I'm sure I'll be missing a great passage, but at the time we decided to do this, I did not want to be 'unreachable' for at least ten or more days.

Kenya is flying to OKC from LA to join me in a sure-to-be-fun mother-daughter road trip in our pickup, which we will want in Annapolis.

At this time, the weather forecast looks great for Larry and Robert to leave Provo, Turks and Caidos on Sunday, August 1.  I'll keep you updated. 

Georgetown to Provo, Turks and Caicos

Held every April, the 57th Family Island Regatta brings much excitement to the  Georgetown area.  Locally built sloops, representing each of the major islands, race competitively and fiercely for the coveted title Best in the Bahamas.  It's a week of parties and festivities.  Food and drink shacks are hastily built on the government docks to handle the influx of people. 

The week before the races, ships arrive in the harbor laden with the participating sloops. These canoe type sloops carry a tall mast and a long boom that sits low in the boat and several feet past the stern. Classes A and B sail only a traditionally made main sail.  Class C carries a head sail as well as a main, both traditionally made.  No light-weight sail cloth adorns these boats.  These boats can go really fast, 20-25 knots for the C class boats.

The end of race week seemed a perfect time for leaving Georgetown, and we had a pretty doable weather window. We left on Sunday, April 25 with plans to stop in Provo and then on to Luperon, Dominican Republic if the weather held.  Doug and Marlene on Solar Eclipse are returning to Florida to take care of necessary engine repairs.  We plan to meet up with them next year in the Eastern Caribbean.  Harry and Linda on the catamaran Kuhala also left that morning but planned to stop in Conception and to make other stops on the way to Provo and then Luperon.  They had the best plan because our forecast did not hold, the wind clocked several times, and the current slowed us down.

Larry gives more detail:
With a nice brisk wind, we sailed north to Cape Santa Maria, Long Island.  As we sailed out of the protection of Long Island, the seas increased and the ride was a little rough.

We sailed east bewteen Conception and Rum to the southeast side of Little San Salvador, but still underneath the island, then slightly S.S.E.  The current slowed us to 3 or 4 knots. After not making very much progress, somewhere around the middle and east of Rum, we tacked ESE and later SW.

We should have gone on south by Rum, because we slowed the same going east. At the southeast corner of San Salvador we turned south, still very slow, toward the bottom of Rum or just before we tacked east.  And the wind was 20 to 24 true from San Salvador. I hailed a ship about our taking a different route so we could get out of the current and he said there's not one. We were going into the waves and it was NO FUN. We tacked and headed to west of Samana and even though we still had a lot of wind and slow going it was a much smoother ride. This was Monday morning. The wind went down later to 15 to 18. We passed Samana; then 32 kts hit us in a wind change from north or west, maybe northwest, with just a little rain. The good thing was we picked up from 2 and 3 kts to 7+ kts. About an hour later the wind had subsided to between 12 and 14.  We talked to another ship about that time and he said they had experienced 42 kts true, but we never had high wind again.

We had a nice sail across the top of Acklins and Plana Cays then S.E. to Mayaguana.

Tuesday afternoon, we anchored just inside the cut in Abraham's Bay, Mayaguana. We left at 11:30 p.m. that night in very light wind of 5kts but it picked up to 10 or 12 after daylight. Wednesday morning around 10:00 a.m. we entered the Sandbore Channel and, using the waypoints from the Wavyline chart, sailed the rumline with a rising tide and no coral head problems. We anchored in Sapodillo Bay; Thursday morning at high tide, we moved to Southside Marina, a great marina with a great staff. 

We plan to leave the boat in the marina in Provo while we return to Oklahoma for a while.  When we return, we'll check out the beaches and other sights.  And we'll post pictures and stories about the beautiful Turks and Caicos.

Enjoying George Town

Last season, George Town was our first destination.  After finally getting a good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream, we left Fort Lauderdale for an overnight passage to Nassau, where we checked in and spent the night, and then another overnight passage to George Town. We slowed our speed so that we had daylight to read the water and follow the waypoints through the cut and into the harbor. The varying depth of the water requires several direction changes. We arrived Sunday morning and our daughter Kenya and friends Pam and Shari arrived in Georgetown late Sunday afternoon.  We spent the next week exploring and discovering this beautiful area.  With its many crescent shaped white sand beaches surrounded by magical waters, gin clear to turquoise on the Harbor side to cobalt on the Sound side, this is an extraordinary place.  

While the beauty of the area is without question, George Town dominates as a Bahamas cruising favorite for many reasons.  Most cruisers anchor off Stocking Island, a small island several miles long that helps define the mile-wide Elizabeth Harbor, with Great Exuma Island and the town George Town on the other side of the Harbor.  The Kid Cove is another anchorage option located just outside George Town.  In all, the large, spacious Harbor can, and often does, accommodate 300+ boats at one time. Cruisers come for the winter or just visit a while.  

We like the beaches, the hikes up to the Monument, and socializing with other cruisers.  Of course, we’re always involved in boat projects, maintenance, restocking, planning.  And then there’s reading and DVD time.                               We are currently anchored just off Volleyball Beach, near Chat and Chill and the Conch Salad Stand.

Our new Spectra water maker makes living aboard much easier.  We began to notice that our tank level was going down faster that we thought we were using water.  When you have to fill water jugs to have water, you have a pretty good idea about your water consumption.  We had no extra water in the bilge and we checked and rechecked every hose and connection.  Larry discovered the water was going out a thru hull because of a bad solinoid on the water maker.  We just received a new one yesterday and should have it on by tomorrow.

Our wind generator also quit, even though it had been upgraded with a new kit last summer. After completing several troubleshooting tests, Larry was able to order replacement parts at no costs, but installing the new kit and parts will be time consuming and not easy while at anchor.

Daily, on the Cruisers's Net, boaters request information, advice, help, tools, etc.  And, usually immediately, someone comes back with a reply.  We all benefit from this great network. 

A hike up the trail to the Monument offers a grand view as well as a close up view of the osprey next.

Good to Go!

Our creative plan to receive the custom manufactured bell-housing worked - more or less.  Shipped to Ft. Lauderdale, then flown to Staniel Cay on Watermakers Air, the part was stuck at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. With no one available on this island to pick it up by boat, we made arrangements with Flamingo Air to fly it to Little Farmer's, but the only flight with the correct flight plan was for Friday, four days later. At Terry's suggestion, we had it put on the mail boat when it stopped by Staniel Cay Thursday.  But, when the mail boat arrived here, the captain mistakenly included the part with another order bound for another island, and off went the bell housing to the Research Center on Lee Stocking Island.  But cruisers came to the rescue!  The sailing catamaran, Nike, departed the Research Center Friday morning with our bell-housing.  A few hours later, the boat was on the mooring by us and we had our part.

Then, the fun began for Larry.  Several days later, he had the new bell-housing in and everything back together.  It didn't always go smoothly. Had this happened in the States, we would probably have used a boat yard (and Tow Boat US to pull us in), but that's not really an option in the Bahamas.  No boat yards in this area and certainly no Tow Boat. 

When it was time to start the engine and check for alignment, the engine wouldn't start, but eventually that problem was solved by repairing a wiring problem.  Then the engine over-heated and now that problem is solved (well, it seems to be).

While awaiting the part, we had two anchors out as well as being on a mooring.  This mooring field is in a little leg of water close to a shallow sandbar on the south west corner of Great Guana Cay, across the bay from Little Farmer's Cay.  With fronts containing strong winds (35knots +) and unable to start our engine, we put two anchors out.  To get out of this arrangement, Larry brought the CQR in by hand; then at high tide, we untied from the mooring and brought in the big Bruce anchor with the windlass (touching bottom several times). That's when the engine started overheating, but before we turned off the engine we were able to move to a bigger mooring ball in deeper water. 

After those really windy fronts, the weather is now nice and boats are on the move (other boats!).  We've met new cruisers and caught up with past acquaintances. We were glad to have a nice visit with Jim and Nancy on Solitaire.  Ocean Cabin is a popular gathering place daily at 5:00 for cruisers, many of whom stay for the best lobster, cracked conch, and conch fritters in the Bahamas. The restaurant is so well known that boaters stop here going down the Exuma chain and again when going back up the Exuma chain.  Not only is the food delicious, but Terry and Ernestine are great hosts and island treasures.  After dinner, they lead the group in singing the Little Farmer's theme song.  Guests are made to feel special.  Last year, we were there for my birthday.  Lots of friends (some new), great food, birthday song and cake!  Thursday night, a couple was celebrating their 43th birthday.  Of course, Terry had found a Happy Anniversary song that everyone sang, or at least tried to.

Beautiful Little Farmer's is one of our favorite stops.  All the island residents are friendly and helpful.  Little Jeff and the other local fisherman are back at the docks everyday about one, cleaning their fish, conch, lobster and selling it to those of us looking forward to a very fresh dinner.  They are also always available to take people out to fish or dive. Today we purchased a grouper and a lobster to grill for dinner tonight.  All very delicious.

 Saturday morning - leaving for Georgetown, about 40 nautical miles.

Little Farmers Cay

One of the most picturesque islands and a truly Bahamian community, Little Farmers Cay is a special place.  Our idea was to stop here for a short time, continue south down the Exumas to the Research Center for a visit, and then sail on to George Town to regroup and plan our next passage.

We've been here a week, with no date of departure set. But our reason for staying so long is mechanical.  We are having a bell housing manufactured; it will then be sent to Watermakers Air in Ft. Lauderdale, and next flown to Staniel Cay, which is about fifteen miles north of here.   One of the island boaters from here will pick it up for us. Then comes removing the current bell-housing that has broken away from the motor mounts and installing the new one. 

As said, this is a special place and we are among friends.  During our nearly week-long stay here last March, we became well-acquainted with many of the local residents on Little Farmers as well as retired cruisers living on Big Farmers.  Terry Bains, a driving force behind the success of Little Farmers, knows our circumstances, and we appreciate him checking on us daily, plus he and all the residents are willing to lend a tool or give a helping hand as needed.

We've been here through two fronts, one with 35+ knots of wind.  Today is nice, so we'll be off the boat, getting in some hiking on 'paths' of rock and shrub (yes, low elevation, but higher than most islands) and beachcombing.  The N/NE wind is clocking, bringing stronger SE/SW winds tomorrow and then NE/NW 20+ with 30-35 gusts and with possible squalls Wednesday.  We'll probably stop by Terry and Earnestine's Ocean Cabin Restaurant (home of delicious lobster, conch fritters, cracked conch, etc.) today, since Tuesday and Wednesday will be boat chores and projects plus reading, while we're rockin' and rollin' on our mooring ball and anchor.

Terry gave us this noni fruit. The small tree with elliptical leaves, white tubular flowers, and yellow fruit goes well with the colorful houses, flowing palms, and blazing shrubs in this Polynisian-looking settlement (pics next time).  Following Terry's directions, I blended the fruit (the fruit has a rather an unpleasant odor) with a little water and strained it to remove the seeds.

I had read about the health benefits of noni and even once brought home a small bottle from the health food store.  It was colorless and odorless, obviously a very diluted second-cousin to this whitish pulp.  We added it to our breakfast smoothie, which is always a one-of-a-kind concoction made in our powerful Blendtec machine. This version included fresh cabbage, carrots, sprouts, apples, and frozen blueberries with a good dose of noni.  This morning, we added the pulp to cranberry juice.  Larry liked it better than I did.  We have one more fruit.  Any suggestions?

Staniel Cay & Big Major's Spot

We traveled the Bank from Little Hall's Pond Cay to an anchorage in Staniel Cay.  The 'path' out was narrow, but the fifteen nautical miles was soon covered and we were anchored very close to the Thunderball Grotto.  When we went into the spectacular skylit underwater cave, slipping in was easy, swimming out another story.  The thousands of colorful fish and marine life have no problem though.  We brought a squeeze bottle filled with cous cous and we were covered with fish with every squeeze.  Sweet.

Piggy Beach on Big Majors Spot was even better this year with piglets everywhere.  We took turnips, carrots, and cabbage.  They ate it, but they probably had their hearts set on Hamburgers and Fries.



Lots of dingy rides and beachcombing.  Time spent at Staniel Cay Yacht Club enjoying Bahama Mamas, Kalik, Cracked Conch, and Fresh Mahi Mahi Burgers and also playing a little pool.  Our last night on Lapidus was Surf and Turf, with Georgia shrimp and grass-fed beef-steak. But all too soon, Saturday morning came knocking.  It was time to take our precious cargo to the Staniel Cay airport where they would spend too much time in Nassau, then Miami, and finally, a long flight to L.A.
We miss them.

For more about this trip, visit http://http://www.bewellgroomed.com
For more pics, visit http://gallery.me.com/natecreates#100160  
For video, visit http://devoutdabbler.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/devoutdabbler


This lovely little beach is another picture from Norman's Cay.  It's also a good picture of our two Honda motors for Lit'l Lap.  We bought the small one at the Annapolis Boat Show.  It's nice to have a backup, but we really bought to have a lighter motor to get down for those one-night anchorages and/or short dingy rides.

Bahama Fun with Family & Friends

After two nights at the Chub Cay Marina, we sailed across the Northwest Channel in the Tongue of the Ocean into Nassau Harbor Club Marina, again for protection from another approaching front with strong wind. Being in a marina allowed us easy access for shopping, laundry, and meeting our daughter Kenya and son-in-law Nathan. After an overnight flight from L.A., they arrived in Nassau February 14. The next morning, Solar Eclipse and Lapidus left Nassau for a stop in Norman’s Cay, close to 50 nautical miles.

Crossing the Yellow Bank is necessary on routes from Nassau to the Northern Exumas. Our new crew was on the bow, enjoying the sun and turquoise water, but also keeping an eye out for large black coral heads off our bow that seemed too close to the surface. We had no problems and a great day of sailing, though we did have to motor sail part of the way. Norman's cay is popular, and we dropped anchor in a large group of other boats. The water is beautiful, the sand is white, and McDuff’s (great hamburgers and conch) is fun.

Weighing anchor Tuesday morning, we set sail for another adventure. We entered Exuma Sound through Norman’s Cay Cut, very narrow with 2.5 meters over rock. Though the cut is challenging, we were soon in the deep cobalt-colored Sound, for a 22 nm run to Little Hall’s Pond Cay, a private island owned by Johhny Depp, but also a dingy ride from a natural sea aquarium. The light wind became strong and gusty as we put down our sails and inched our way through Soldier Cut, described in the Chart Book as “use only in excellent conditions.” The thought crossed my mind that maybe we should have picked destinations that we had already previously visited, but Kenya and Nathan helped us pick our way through and didn’t seem to notice the sound of our hearts (or way it just mine?) pumping.

We snaked along three nautical miles of avoiding shallow coral and sliding sand bars took a while, but we did take pictures of Captain Jack’s Sparrow’s place as we slowly made way through the beautiful area. We saw masts from the mooring in Cambridge Cay a mile away, but as we motored around the end of Little Hall's Pond Cay, we and Solar Eclipse had a private anchorage. We skipped the anchorage noted on the chart to gain a little protection from the gusty northeast wind behind a small, unnamed island, which gave us a great place to explore, along with the Sea Aquarium, nice snorkeling short dingy ride away.

Though privately owned, Little Hall’s Pond Cay, as well as four other neighboring private islands are part of the Exuma Land & Sea Park, a no-take marine conservation park that covers 176 square miles of cays, rocks, and reefs. Many Bahamians are voicing concern about the development on these privately owned cays causing harmful effects on the Park. I think their fears may turn out to be justified, though, at least for now, the development seems modest.

When not underway, we enjoyed just being together. Snorkeling and beachcombing are great activities, but enjoying great meals and rum cocktails are high on our list as well.

Another one-night anchorage and Lapidus and Solar Eclipse set sail for Staniel Cay and Big Major's Spot, islands we visited last year, and loved!

To be continued……..

Return to the Bahamas

We are in the Bahamas, Chub Cay Marina in the Berry Islands to be exact. With all the fronts arriving this winter, weather windows have been few. After listening and talking to Chris Parker (weather guru) Monday morning, we, as well as Doug and Marlene on Solar Eclipse, changed our Tuesday departure to Monday to catch a new forecast for a better weather. Our plan was to sail overnight with arrival in Nassau Tuesday afternoon, a 220 nm trip. We expected a really mild NE wind of 5-10. But, it was always 10-15 and turned East by afternoon. We knew we would be heading into the wind, thus the light wind would be better. We motor sailed from Marathon into the Gulf Stream, hoping for a lift to South Riding Rock. We didn’t get much push from the current, but at least, the wind was not causing confused seas against the current’s NE flow.

The wind clocked SE as expected, but, again, was stronger than expected, in the 20’s, with higher gusts. The SE wind put a little air in our sails, at least, though we were close hauled. By mid-morning Tuesday, the seas on the Great Bahama Bank were big, wet, and rolly. We left the Bank moving into the deep Northwest Channel knowing that it can be a slog with a SE wind, and it was, keeping our speed 4-5 knots.

We also knew that we would not make the last 49 nautical miles to Nassau by dark, and we we needed a protected place to stop for the night. The forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday was S/SW/NW 20-25 knots with 30+ knot squalls. The Berry islands have a few choices. But finding a spot that offers protection as a strong wind clocks is difficult.

We decided on a mooring at Frazier’s Hog Cay, if we could contact them and if they had any left. Then the large trawler in front of us said on the VHF that he was going into Chub Cay, a well-protected marina on our route and 35 nm closer than Nassau and 7 nm closer than the mooring at Frazier’s. Both cays are part of the Berry chain. We had not considered Chub Cay because we had been told that it was closed. The wind picked up and started clocking to the south, giving us a better sail for the last five miles. The trawler, Solar Eclipse, and we were in and secured in a slip by 4:30. Other boats came in for shelter as well. We are glad this beautiful marina is open, though the club house is not. Sure, one reason is that we needed shelter. But marinas and other businesses in the Bahamas have felt the results of the poor economy of the United States and other countries. We all benefit when they stay in business. We get to visit hundreds of beautiful cays and gain access to marinas, fuel and supplies when the need arises. And, of course, they benefit from tourism and business.

Another front, much stronger than this one, is forecast for Friday night and Saturday. So, we may only get as far as the Nassau area for a few days.

We were in Boot Key Harbor too long. We worked on the boat, caught up with cruiser friends, and met new boaters. We also nearly froze for a couple of weeks. I understand that those of you who have experienced blizzards and extremely cold temperatures are probably not going to offer much sympathy, but traveling across the Harbor in our convertible (dingy -no ragtop) on a day with a stiff north wind and a temperature in the 20's (including the wind chill) is just not fun, plus it's usually wet. Moderate weather returned, with temperatures usually in the 70's.

Larry, all bundled up while getting water.
As always, the dingy dock is crowded.

The days went by really quickly. Working on projects always involves needing another tool or a part, so a trip in the dingy to the Marina and a walking trip of two or three miles to Home Depot or West Marine is required and them back to the boat in the dingy. Publix and Winn Dixie are cose to each other and about three miles from the marina, round trip. Just carrying two or three boat bags at a time means lots of grocery trips and plenty of exercise. The best hardware store, Walgreens, Office Depot, and a great Cuban Restaurant are five miles one way, so that's a Taxi. Everything just takes longer. It's the cruising lifestyle.

Marlene, Larry, and Doug just hanging out.

Stone crab, one of our favorite foods from the ocean, is in season. The claws are filled with delectable sweet, white meat. A quick walk from the marina is Keyes Fishery, a great seafood/bar restaurant that serves stone crab during happy hour for a dollar for each crab claw. The Florida stone crab loses its limbs easily to escape from predators or tight spaces. And their limbs grow back. For food purposes, the crabs are caught in cages and one claw is removed (none on egg bearing females). The crab is then returned to the water and the claw regenerates.

We'll miss the stone crabs, but we are glad to finally have made it back to the Bahamas; even though we're seeing little good weather this week, next week sounds great.

We wer