Off to the Bahamas

Provisioning- Chris has been busy these past weeks making sure we are stocked up with supplies to last 3 months. Since this is our fifth season cruising the Bahamas we have a pretty good handle on what we need to bring along and what can be bought locally at a reasonable cost. Most food when available costs double what we pay here so we provision as much as possible. Beer is especially expensive but since it is heavy we limit what we bring. We can  our own venison, pork and our home grown fruits over the summer and also fill our freezer mainly with meat. Chris bakes bread and desserts regularly and I must say we eat well while aboard. Last year the fishing was excellent and we hope for the same luck this trip.

Shoving Off- Sat, Feb 22, 2014
    The weather is looking great for the next few days so we close up the house and move aboard. At 11am we are headed south to Lake Worth (Palm Beach) where we anchor for the night close to the inlet to make an early start.

Crossing the Gulf Stream- Sun 2-23
   Anchor up at 4 am and we motor out of the harbor with hardly a ripple on the ocean. We wait for calm seas to cross the Gulf Stream as it flows north at 4 knots and any North winds build big seas and make for a rough ride. By Dawn the south winds have built enough to raise the sails and we end up shutting down the engine and having a great sail for about half the trip. By 1pm we have crossed into the shallow waters of the Bahama Bank and are at anchor at our first landfall of Mangrove Cay by 5:30. This tiny uninhabited island is usually our first stop as if the winds are up we can get protection in it's lee from the waves. Very little boat traffic as we only saw 3 sailboats and 2 motoryachts all day. Dinner under the stars of fresh yellowtail snapper and Spanish Mackerel caught along the way topped of a great day.

On to Abaco- 
    Monday dawns with brisk winds and we head out under full sail flying along much of the day. Caught numerous fish with the best being a nice Mangrove Snapper we fixed for dinner and freezing 4 others and releasing a huge Barracuda. Anchored at Crab Cay along with 2 other boats.

    Tuesday brings calm waters and we motor all day stopping for lunch and clearing customs at Green Turtle
then continuing on to Treasure cay where we will wait out some nasty weather expected later this week.

    Wednesday is a beautiful sunny day and after spending the morning getting our phone and internet set up at the batelco office we were off to spend the afternoon at Chris' favorite beach. We are sharing this totally protected anchorage with 15 other boats but as the weather worsens more will pile in. The resort here charges us $10 a day to anchor but that allows us use of their pool, showers and internet. Cocktails with friends from the Catamaran True Colors who we met last year topped off another great day.

   Thurs-Fri The expected foul weather has arrived and we spend our time relaxing aboard. Winds howl but we are quite comfortable and dry reading and catching up on chores.

     Central Abaco

    Sat- Marsh Harbor- dawned sunny and cooler with brisk north winds, we headed south under full sail flying along at 7 kts and made Marsh Harbor in record time. Caught one big barracuda but cut it free, to big to eat. Our main reason to come into Marsh Harbor is for shopping and we picked up a case of our favorite local rum and a few fresh veggies.

at anchor Marsh Harbor sporting our new sun shades

Hopetown inner harbor, from atop lighthouse

at anchor below Hopetown Light

  Sun- Hopetown- with light winds we motor to Hopetown and anchor outside the crowded harbor. This quaint town is a favorite with boaters but the harbor is full of moorings with no room to anchor. Spent the afternoon wandering the narrow streets and walking the ocean beach.


     Mon- Lynard Cay- Sail south under gentle east winds to anchor in the lee of Lynard Cay. Caught a nice mutton Snapper that went on the grill for dinner. Had to cut off the head so it would fit the grill. After stuffing ourselves we still have leftovers for another meal. With a few days of moderate breezes predicted we have decided to make our way south to Eleuthra. This entails an open ocean crossing of 60 miles thru the northeast Providence channel crossing a major shipping lane along the way.  The seas on the ocean have been big for the past week and as we  settle in it’s hard to believe the weatherman that they will subside by morning.

Back to the Water 2014

After spending a great summer at our home in Northern NY we returned to our winter abode in Jensen Beach FL on Oct 15th. After a quick bottom paint job Apres Ski is back at her slip at the Pellicans Nest within an easy walk from our home.

    Winter Boat Projects
    Paint deck- My main project this year has been to paint the deck, cabintop and stern.  As with almost any project on an old boat this turned out to be much more labor intensive than planned. After removing all the deck hardware and window trim the process of sanding, patching, priming and lots more sanding was followed by multiple coats of Interlux Perfection 2 part epoxy applied using foam rollers. I then masked off all the smooth areas and applied the same paint in light tan to the non skid areas. I must say the paint was much trickier to work with than anticipated as temps, humidity and wind all played a major role in the final finish. I am quite happy with the final result and now Chris says it came out so good that I need to paint the cockpit next year.

new paint job

  Repair Transmission-Following problems with the gearbox slipping at slow speeds last year I researched this problem and found it is common with this unit in that the metal on metal friction cup and cone setup gets glazed. The suggested solution was to dissamble gearbox and burnish the clutch surfaces. This was an easy fix and was amazed at the the info available on the web especially on utube.
  Upgrade Alternator-The addition of a larger alternator, 80 amp combined with an external 4 stage voltage regulator will hopefully cut down on the time spent running the engine to charge batteries.
    Replace freezer-The freezer we bought last year (Dometic cool freeze) was a major disappointment in that it failed to keep food in the bottom frozen while the upper portion stayed at 10 degrees.  After numerous call to the company they had us return unit and refunded our purchase price including all shipping costs. I replaced this freezer with a Norcold unit that is bigger than we wanted but was a good price. Time will tell but so far this has been a great unit.(runs on same danfoss compressor but has a much larger evaporator plate.
    Sun Shades-In past years when it got to hot at anchor we would use old bedsheets attached to our enclosure to block the sun. While this was functional it wasn't very convenient or very yachty looking. This winter I fashioned sunshades using white filtertex (screen like shade material that still lets you see out) that can be zipped and snapped in place as needed.
    Mast Steps- One of the chores I hate on the boat is going up the mast for repairs and maintenance. I have always considered a set of mast steps but their cost and appearance deterred me. This fall I came upon a fellow sailor selling a box of new steps he had bought years ago and was able to get them for a song. It was a project installing them hanging from the bosuns chair as each step is held with 6 rivets. You might know that with only the top 2 steps to install I ran out of rivets! Poor planning meant another trip to the top.

North to Abacoe

Fri, May 24th-Lynyard Cay, Abacoe

 An early start with calm seas and wind finds us motoring north crossing the shipping lanes in the NE Providence Channel. The weather comes on at 6:30 on the SSB radio and the prediction sounded great, but as we entered the open ocean thru Egg cut dark clouds on the horizon had us questioning this report. A swell running in from the east makes for a rolly ride. After a day spent dodging numerous thunderstorms we arrived at Little Harbor inlet only to find it obscured by a heavy thundershower. Rather than attempt this cut with low visibility we stayed offshore until the storm had passed.    Anchored for the night at 4:30 and enjoyed a quiet evening under clearing skies.

Sat- Marsh Harbor

   With a strong east wind we had a great sail north in the protected Sea of Abacoe under reefed main and partial Jib. Anchored in Marsh Harbor by lunchtime and were surprised to find numerous other cruisers still there. A trip to the supermarket for fresh veggies then on to the liquor store for a case of our favorite rum to bring home.

Sun thru Thurs- Treasure Cay
     Once again a prediction of stormy weather is controlling our plans. The winds are expected to build into the 20 to 30 kt range with numerous t-storms thru the week. We fly north under reefed main and partial Jib making the anchorage at Treasure Cay in record time.  This is one of Chris' favorite spots with a protected harbor and use of the resorts facilities. Our days have been spent walking the 3 mile pristine beach, biking around between showers and generally being lazy. Cabin fever has definitely set in but it looks like we are stuck here for at least a few more days.

Northbound thru the Eastern Family Islands

Mon & Tues, May 13th-14th
Fernandez Bay-Cat Island

We work our way north with a short sail to the sandy cove off the small resort called Fernandez Bay. Fast wifi allowed us to call(skype) the girls and catch up on all the news. On Tues afternoon we were joined by another sailboat Dreamtime, the first we've seen in days and it happens they were a group of medical people from near our northern home (Saranac Lake). We met later in the resorts lounge and enjoyed an evening of live music and drinks from the self serve honor system bar.

Wed-Thurs, Bennetts Harbor

After settling  up our bar tab we made a stop at Smith Bay for water and a few veggies then enjoyed a great sail under reefed sails to anchor off of Bennetts Harbor. Walked around town and enjoyed a few beers at a little roadside stand called Yannies.

Fri, Half Moon Cay

Another great sailing day as we made our way west to Little San Salvador (aka Half moon Cay). Caught a number of fish along the way keeping only one large Jack as  our freezer is already full of fish.  Spent the afternoon on the beautiful beach along with a little snorkeling. This Island is owned by the Carnival Cruise line and is a day stop for many ships. Thankfully we had the place as our private resort but a ship is due in early morning so we weren't allowed to anchor in the preferred spot and spent a rolly night with swells rocking us to sleep(or not!).

dolphins escorting us into Half Moon Bay

Sat, Plum Creek Eleuthra

Off early as a cruise ship disembarked hoards of beachgoers via large tenders. Decided that another night of rolling around was out of the question so we sailed north for Eleuthra. A great sail with some fun fishing. While bringing  a small fish alongside I noticed it's tail was gone and right behind it was a big Mahi. Let the line out and watched as the Mahi grabbed the fish  and took off. Unfortunately it was a quick fight as he got off but was exciting to watch in these christal clear waters. Anchored in shallow Plum Creek and explored the creeks upper reaches by dingy.

Sun, Bush Cay, Exuma

Another change of plans as we are due for some stormy weather in a couple of days and have been having noises from out engines transmission that have had me concerned. The area we are traveling is very remote with no marine services. Our normal track would have taken us north thru Eleuthra but the we would have to pass thru Current Cut which as it's name implies is a narrow channel with very swift currents. Not something I wanted to attempt without a reliable engine. Thus we decided to cross west to northern Exuma and then head north thru an easier passage. 
   After an exhilarating sail across the 30 miles of Exuma Sound with large rolling seas on our stern we anchored in the lee of tiny Bush Cay. We knew we were in for a bouncy night as the island didn't give us much protection from the seas  but the only good anchorage would have taken us 6 mi out of our way to the south.

Mon thru Wed, Spanish Wells, Eleuthra

Anchor up at 7 and off sailing north under reefed main and small jib. Covered the 50 miles in record time keeping our speed over 6.5 kts all day. A little unnerving in one section as we dodged coral heads then passed thru a 5 mile stretch of 6 ft deep water over pure white sand. A rising tide and having passed thru this area previous years probably gave me undeserved confidence. Arrived in Spanish Wells by 3 pm and picked up a mooring planning to ride out the upcoming storms in this protected harbor. Hoped to find a mechanic to look at our gearbox here but after a walk to the supposed Yanmar dealer (pinders garage) I was discouraged by what I found.
    Tue- With fast wifi I was able to find a lot of info on our gearbox and it appears a slipping clutch caused by glazing is a common problem. I pulled the gearbox, and after draining and inspecting the spotless internals as far as I could go without a gearpuller I found I could adjust the foreward clutch engagement slightly. Back together and seems better but to stormy today to take out for trials.
    Wed- Thunder storms with torrential rains all night and most of the day have us holed up in the boat. This is the first real heavy rain this trip and I collected water to fill our tanks.

Spanish Wells Harbor

Thurs- Royal Island

With the weather expected to improve by tomorrow we move to the anchorage at Royal to be ready to cross to Abacoe. Still a few storms around but a much nicer day. Transmission seems ok at least for the 6 mile run here.

  

On to new horizons

Sun, May 5th-Long Island
      Decided it was time to move on and get back to the quieter spots we have become accustomed to. Civilization is great for a while but not why we are cruising. Our plan was to head south to explore southern Long Island and the Jumentos but like all plans we tend to adjust with the weather. For the shortest route south we need to pass thru the Hog Cay Cut and this has to be done at high tide even with our shallow draft. Had hoped to anchor and wait out the tide while exploring the area but it was to rough for comfort and decided to continue on to Thompsons Bay, Long Island. Anchored by 3 pm and had a quiet evening.
 Conception I
Mon-Conception Island
     Motor sailed north then east into the open ocean and made landfall at Conception by 5 pm. With the wind direction we chose to anchor on the beautiful east side but were exposed to a swell that made for a rolly night. Had planned to spend a couple of days here but as usual changed plans.

Tues- Rum Cay

    We have wanted to visit Rum Cay on previous trips but the weather had always kept us away. With light winds from a favorable direction predicted we set out under sail and made landfall by mid afternoon. The marina at Rum has been closed for a few years due to Hurricane damage but we heard that you could still tie up at their docks as long as you could make it in the shallow channel. Having bright sun overhead and a rising tide we carefully made our way in among numerous coral heads and were welcomed at the docks by the owners. Bobby and Grow made us feel at home and recommended a few of the nearby reefs for snorkeling. Later a neighbor Tyler cruising from Fl on a 25 ft Oday offered us a fillet from a nice Grouper he had just speared and invited us to join a few others for a great fish fry in the clubhouse. We had thawed the last of our lobster tails and added 6 tails to the feast. Even though the marina is  closed the owners still welcome the use of the facilities and only charge for the normal extras (showers,ice,water, garbage, wifi) but no dock fees(no electric). In it's heyday this must have been a hopping place as a mecca for divers and sportfisherman. Hopefully the owner Bobby can return it to its previous glory and we wish him all the best.

diorama from abandoned resort

Failed marina  excavated in limestone

Wed-Thurs
      After a very warm and buggy night with no breeze we were off for more snorkeling while the seas were calm.  Biked both days on the few roads in this quiet paridise visiting another huge failed resort, the great ocean beaches, and the abandonded salt works that were the livelyhood of the island in colonial days. There are very few cars and only a few atvs which made the biking a joy. The nights are still buggy but judicious use of screens and a bit more breeze has made it bearable.That evening we invited Tyler aboard for another meal of grilled grouper and still had enough left to freeze. 
    Sat evening we were included in a pot luck attended by about 20 boaters. A local fisherman supplied a huge Mahi and our contribution was a big batch of conk fritters and smoked sailfish spread. A big thunderstorm blew thru as we partied and we were happy to be in the protected harbor.

Boaters pot luck in marina clubhouse

awaiting a meal

crazy kids teasing the resident sharks

Fri and Sat- Conception Island West

     Time to move on while the winds are fair and we sailed back to Conception Island this time anchoring in the west bay.  Conception is totally undeveloped as it is part of the Bahamas National Park.  Chris has decided that this is her newest favorite spot but with no services (water) and limited protection is only visited in settled weather.  Spent our days on the pristine beaches and exploring the extensive system of creeks and tidal flats inland.  Numerous nurse sharks, hundreds of sea turtles, birds and conk abound in these shallow waters. Since we plan on traveling on Mon we celebrated mothers day and Chris was Queen for the day. I pulled the last of our stone crab claws from the freezer and we had a feast that included a berry tart I baked from our home canned stores.

tidal flats-up creek on Conception Is

Sun- Cat Island

    With a cold front predicted on Mon we move on to better protection on Cat Island. A great sail across the open ocean waters brought us into the Bight in southern Cat to anchor in the gin clear waters by 4pm. Brought in a great Mahi as we neared landfall and it put up a real fight leaping skyward at least 6 times. It was followed in by another smaller mahi that was bright blue. The colors of these fish are amazing but fade within minutes of landing them.  Chris did a great job handling the boat and gaffing the fish. Since we were under full sail running wing on wing with the jib poled out there was no easy way for her to slow the boat.  Once again the freezer is full and we had another great meal.

 Mothers day fishing expedition

a banner conk catch- Chris made me stop at 15 saying "remember how long it takes to clean them"

Georgetown, Great Exuma 2013

 South to Georgetown, Great Exuma

April 22nd- Little Farmers Cay

Decided that if we are to make Georgetown in time for regatta we need to move on. Motor south into wind and chop only getting to Little Farmers. Picked up mooring and bought a dozen cleaned conk from locals for $24.

Tues April 23rd- Lee Stocking Island

The research center at Lee Stocking has been a favorite stop and on a sad note we found it abandoned and being looted by the locals. From the extensive facilities it appears that in its day this was a bustling operation.  We picked up a mooring in the harbor and spent the afternoon exploring the abandoned grounds. A visit from Jeff and Sue on a neighboring boat bearing a gift of a couple meals of fresh Mahi topped off a pleasant day.

Wed-on to Georgetown

With winds from a favorable nne direction we head outside to move south in the open ocean waters. A rough exit thru Rat Cay cut turned into a sporty sail under reefed main and jib. Exciting fishing thru the day first bringing a big bull mahi(also known as dorado or dolphin fish) alongside only to loose it trying to set the gaff. Next brought a long battle with what turned out to be a 6ft 8in billfish. Not sure if it is a sword or sailfish but since it was dead by the time we got it in we kept it. Normally these fish are released unharmed so we felt bad keeping such a prized sportfish.  Soon after followed another mahi, not nearly as big as the first but at least we got this one aboard. The great part of this battle was seeing at least 3 other Mahi follow our catch right to the boat. I had read about this but to actually see these colorful fish in the crystal clear waters was fantastic.
    Prior to anchoring at Monument beach among the crowd of other cruisers we stopped outside the anchorage to clean our catch so as not to attract sharks inside the anchorage. Since we now have more fish than we can possibly freeze a dingy ride around to our new neighbors passing out gifts of fresh fish was greeted with enthusiasm and many thanks.

My greatest catch yet

Family Islands Race Week

Thurs thru Sun

    The races at Georgetown attract over 50 traditional Bahamian sloops from all around the Bahamas. Four days of racing in 4 classes along with major partying ashore late into each evening makes for a fun filled week.
    The dingy ride to town is a long wet ride with the strong winds each day but on Thurs we braved the trip to shop for much needed veggies and enjoy watching a few races while imbibing in a few local beers.
    Fri once again brought brisk winds and exciting sailing. We dingyed to the windward mark along with numerous spectator boats both large and tiny where we were close to the action. Later we spent the evening on the beach enjoying music supplied by local cruisers.

dueling A class racers

Beach party

    Saturday once again brought sunny skies with a brisk wind. We joined a group of about 50 cruisers for a water taxi ride across the harbor to enjoy the final evening of festivities. The Bahamians really know how to party with thousands jamming the waterfront of this tiny town. The final race of the series was run in 20 kt winds and was followed by a parade and concert by the Royal Nassau Police Band. This was quite a sight with the members dancing in the street decked out in their finery which included leopard skins for the drum corps.

Nassau police band-dancing in the street

Island freighter taking a load of racers home

Class A boats at the final finish

    The rest of the week has found us wandering about exploring the island, biking on the mainland, doing housekeeping chores-hauling water and fuel, groceries and propane. A dingy raft up for cocktails and appetizers on Mon. was great fun with about 20 boats drifting thru the anchorage. By Thurs many of the cruisers have left for both points north and also a group heading south to summer below the hurricane belt.
     Thurs evening we had friends Rick and Carla from Euphoria over for cocktails then headed in to Peace and Plenty resort for barbecue and a band around the pool.
 

Another perfect beach- stocking Island, ocean side

Friday- Sat
      More great weather, took advantage of wifi, Rick & Carla stopped and had cocktails late afternoon.  On Sat we rented a car together and toured the islands of Great and Little Exuma and Barratare. Big lunch at  Da-spot in Barratare. Topped off the evening with cocktails aboard Euphoria.

West to the Exumas

  South Eleuthra-

4-8  Ten Bay

Brisk East winds are again calling us to move on. Great sailing under reefed main and jib but no waves as we are in the lee of the island. Caught a tunny (bonito-released) and a nice Spanish Mackerel. Dinner of homemade pizza on the grill aboard Blue Wing with Duwan and Greg. Greg entertained us into the evening playing his ukealalee and singing.

4-9 thru 4-12  Rock Sound

Another great sail south once again under reefed sails making 6-7 kts. Caught 2 big barracudas (released) and a nice hog snapper that made 2 great meals.
    The next few days brought big winds so we find ourselves exploring the island, shopping for fresh veggies and propane and hiking to the ocean beach. Cocktails with Dave and Joanne from Tropical Breeze on each others boats a couple of nights.
    From here we have to decide whether to continue south along the eastern Islands or cross west to the Exumas. We will let the winds and seas make this decision as we have no set schedule.

tonites dinner

look at the size of those teeth!

West to the Exumas

 4-13 & 14  Wardrick Wells

The Southeast trade winds have calmed to about 15 kts and are predicted to drop further during the day. With the dinghy tied down on deck we head out at 7AM for Powell Point. Caught a nice yellowtail snapper as we exited the sound. Entering the open ocean 2 hours later the winds and seas are making for a wet sporty sail. We make good time even though we are pointing higher than is comfortable. By about 2 PM the seas have finally settled down so that at least it’s a drier ride. Had 2 big fish on and fought each for a good time before losing them. One broke 60 lb test line when my drag messed up and the other gave a good fight before getting loose. It’s difficult to slow the boat when sailing in big winds and seas so bringing in a big fish is a real challenge. Chris doesn’t like being at the helm in these conditions but relents when we have a fish on. 
    Arrived at Exuma Park Headquarters by 4 PM where we had called ahead to reserve a mooring. Every surface was crusted with dried salt spray but cleaning up will wait till morning as a swim and cocktails were called for. 
    Saturday evening the park ranger hosts a boaters pot luck at the pavilion on the beach. These get togethers are great as we get to actually connect faces to the voices we hear on the radio and also swap stories and info on the places visited.

Beach Party -Exuma park

Placing our boats name on cairn atop Bobo hill- 4th year

Sun 4-13
    Another beautiful day in one of our favorite spots. A climb up Bo-Bo hill to retrieve our boat sign so I could carve this years date adding to the previous 3 years. Tradition calls for each visiting boat to place their boat name on a piece of driftwood atop the hill and some of these signs have been updated for over 10 years.
    At sunset while enjoying a steak dinner in the cockpit I tossed a piece of fat over the side and the water erupted with fish. 2 small lemon sharks along with numerous other fish both small and large fought over our scraps. Guess no swim tonite!

                                        Aerial view of moorings at park headquarters



Monday 4-14
O’Briens Cay
    With a rising tide, lite winds and bright sun we decided to explore some of the channels that wind among the nearby islands. I am always amazed at how we can read the water depths in this clear water with sandy bottom.  This is a beautiful area but as they say the water is skinny, so not a place to explore with a falling tide. By early afternoon we picked up another park mooring and went snorkeling at the Sea Aquarium. Fantastic coral and fish but a fast current made for a short stay.

4-16 thru 21st
Pipe Cay
    Once again we found ourselves exploring new areas as we motor among the many islands. At Pipe Cay we tied up for the night on the seawall at the abandoned US Govt’s Radar installation. Having passed by on previous trips and seeing boats tied up we assumed it was a private island. We found this to be such a wonderful place that we have called it our own private Island for the past 5 nights. Great beaches, shallow bays filled with turtles and a few small sharks and a protected harbor all made for a peaceful stay. Sat we were joined by 2 big cats from Toronto. Both were around 40 ft and we managed to squeeze all 3 of us along the seawall. I think they felt bad for invading our privacy so they invited us for dinner. We had a nice evening celebrating my birthday with our new Canadien friends. Chris had baked a blueberry pie(wild berries from home) to top off the party.

relaxing on our private island

Sunday 4-21
Black Point
        Since we havn't had wifi in a week we move south to the aanchorage on Great Guana Cay. Caught a barracuda (To big to keep) along the way but the bad part of the journey was I broke my starboard genoa winch. apparently a screw came loose and a brass gear cracked under the strain. Since these winchs are nearly 30 years old I can't imagine parts being avail. I would like to be able to repair it since replacements are at least $1000 each and are used in pairs. Will try to figure out how to rig one of the other winches so we can still use the jib. To top off the day our charger for the laptop bit the dust. Thankfully we bought a car adapter before leaving so we can still charge with 12volts. At least we finally have fast wifi on the boat and were able to catch up on bills and skype the girls.