Sea of Abaco

Having entered the sea of Abaco we will spend the next week or so in mostly protected waters. This body of water is protected from the west by Great Abacoe Island and from the ocean to the east bu a string of reefs and beautiful barrier Islands.

Friday March 18 thru thru Monday Mar 21st.-
We setteled in at Donnies dock in Black sound and were pleased to meet up with friends from last year. Had a great time biking about enjoying this quaint community and its wonderful beaches. On Sat eve Chris cooked up our St Pats dinner (overdue) and had Donnie over, we rode to the beach to watch the full moon rise over the ocean at dusk . Sunday Donnie invited a few friends for local caught Tuna dinner at his house which was a great treat.

Tues

Off with the tide to head south. The winds have calmed down allowing us to head out to the ocean thru the Whale Passage. This is the only spot in the Abacos where you have to leave protected waters and this channel is notorious for big seas. Anchored in beautiful Bakers Bay on Great Guana Cay, Walked and swam in the ocean then enjoyed another great sunset from our protected anchorage.

Andros anchored at Archers Cay

Seas crashing on Whale Cay as we exit to the ocean

Wed
Sail to Archers Cay on Great Abaco as wind is predicted to shift overnite. Wandered about the sand flats at an exte low tide. The moon is currently at it's closest to the earth for the year and tides have been extreme the past few days.

Thurs
Sunny with a brisk west wind, sailed about, checking out Treasure Cay anchorage we found it very crowded so sail back south anchoring in the lee of Great Abaco.

Fri thru Sun
Another sunny day but the winds have shifted to the north. Sail back to Treasure Cay as the anchorage has now cleared out somewhat. This resort is located on Chris' favorite beach where we spent the afternoon basking in the clear waters and white sands. For a fee of $10 a day boaters are allowed to anchor in the resorts dredged harbor and use all the facilities including pool, showers and wifi.
On Sat we biked a few miles in the hot sun to a nautical flea market where we found a few items we couldn't live without. Chris spent the afternoon baking up a storm; bread, muffins and best of all a blueberry pie from wild berries we picked and canned this past summer. The boat is loaded down with canned raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and venision that we brought from up north and are real treats in the remote islands. Cocktails aboard Stardust with Harvey and Nancy, friends we met in Lake Worth, capped off another great day in paradise.

Back to the Bahamas 2011

After spending the past 8 months ashore we are finally back on the water. We had a great summer dividing our time between our home in Piercefield, NY and camp on the Racquette. October found us back in our winter home in Jensen Beach, FL where we kept busy with some major renovations.
Having stored our boat in Fl for the summer which made the trip south a bit quicker by car this year. Once again we were able to rent a dock within walking distance of our home and enjoyed being able to bike to the boat daily. Some of the boat projects completed this winter included a larger fuel tank, dingy davits and a better solar charge control.

I won't even admit to how much wine went aboard!

Friday March 11, 2011- Even though sailors consider starting a journey on a Friday to be a bad omen we are off to Lake Worth (Palm Beach) to wait for weather to cross to the Bahamas. A sunny cool morning gave way to a brisk north wind that brought us into the anchorage in North Lake before cocktail hour.

Sat thru Mon- Sunny days and cool nights, Biked about visiting the beaches at McCarthur State Park and doing a few last minute errands. As the weather looked favorable for a Tuesday passage we moved the boat south Monday afternoon to the harbor entrance to be in position for an early morning exit. Two other boats, one our size and the other a 26 footer(yikes) will be making the crossing at the same time.

ACROSS THE GULF STREAM

Tues March 15th

Anchor up at 4:15am under a starry sky with a bright moon. Seas were lumpy and the wind once again didn't cooperate as predicted. Our little diesel chugged away and after bashing into the waves with just a reefed main we finally anchored at Mangrove Cay on the Great Bahama Bank
at 9pm. After trolling 2 lines for 60 miles with no action as we left the deep waters of the Atlantic to enter the Bahama Bank Both reels started screaming. Brought a nice Barracuda alongside where he managed to bend the snap swivel as I was trying to gaff it. the other rod brought in a nice smaller but tasty Spanish Mackerel that made a fine dinner and chowder for lunch.

Wed
After a tiring crossing we enjoyed a quiet sunny day motorsailing in light winds to Great sail Cay where we met up with friends on S/V Stardust .

Thurs
Lite wind found us motorsailing once again. Fished the whole day catching a small(30") Barracuda, but losing two huge fish, one to a broken swivel, the other to a broken 50lb test braided line. Both were exciting fights but it seems I have a lot to learn about landing these big fish. The only consolation being that they were most likely Barracuda, which aren't good to eat at sizes over 36"(they build up a toxin from eating reef fish) and I would have had to release them anyway. Anchored at Allens Pensocola Cay with 5 other boats. Quiet night after a refreshing swim.

Fri
Finally a fair wind. Our plans were to visit friends on Manjack Cay but we were having such a good sail we continued on to Green Turtle where we wanted to visit Donnie who took such good care of us last year. Arriving at the harbor entrance at low tide we anchored off to wait for the water to rise so we could enter the shallow channel. While we waited we dingyed in to clear customs and greet a few friends from last year.
Wed
Sunny with light wind

Back across the Gulf Stream to Florida

Mon June 14th- Sunny and hot. Light winds found us motoring much of the way to Allens-Pensacola Cay where we anchored mid afternoon. Storms around much of the afternoon but we managed to avoid them. After Chris dove to check anchor I was set to dive in when I spotted a 6 ft shark lying on bottom just below swim platform. Needless to say a shower sufficed until later when a quick swim was in order.

Tues- Sunny and hot again, no wind so we motored to Great Sale Cay. Dinner aboard our buddy boat Integrity with Jane. Slept under the stars in cockpit. Very warm in boat. The water is 87 degrees so the boat doesn’t cool down much at night.

Wed- Sunny and hot again, thunderstorms around. Motor sail to Memory Rock arriving at 5 pm. Anchor in 8 ft of water with no land in sight. Another hot night spent sleeping in cockpit.

Thurs- Off at 7 AM for our gulf stream crossing. Sunny skies and calm winds made the crossing to Fl an easy one even if it was a bit boring. Caught 2 barracudas and a jack along the way. As we arrived at St Lucy Inlet storms over land had us on edge for a bit but we managed to make it to our old dock in Jensen by 7:30pm. A great trip has come to an end having logged 1200KM (1380 statute miles) with no major problems.

Nassau and north

Nassau

Wed June 2nd - Sail downwind wing/wing 38 sm to Nassau. Arrived late afternoon and after checking out the busy harbor decided to anchor at east end past cruise ship dock off of town beach

Thurs - We hadn’t planned on stopping in Nassau as considered it just another busy city but I must say we have enjoyed our stay here. Being able to spend a few days exploring lets you get a different perspective than when here for a day on a cruise ship.

Fri- Bahama Labor Day, Attended a local festival in the park next to our anchorage. All kinds of Bahamian foods, beers and a Junkanoo parade. Summer is here with lots of colorful trees in bloom and temps in the 90’s .



Sat- Another hot day and the beach is full of partiers. This is the first day we have stayed on the boat and I must say it’s time to find a quieter spot. Lots to see with the huge Cruise ships coming in right next to us. There have been 6 ships in port most days and downtown is very busy.

Back to Eleuthra

Sun- Had planned on an early start but had to wait on cruise ships before we were allowed to leave the harbor. Was another hot sunny day but light winds had us motoring most of the 36 st mi. to Royal Island, Eleuthra. Picked up one of the free moorings for a secure night even though there were storms all around.

Mon- spent most of the day lounging under the sun awning and swimming in the 86 deg water. The only problem with the water being this warm is that the boat doesn’t cool down much at night. The wind scoop and fan help but it has been very warm sleeping.

Tues- to Spanish wells for groceries and propane, we had planned on staying on a mooring in the harbor but was a warm spot and water wasn’t clean enough for swimming so it was back to Royal Island for the evening.

North to Abacoe

Wed June 9th-Off at 7AM for the 60 st mile trip north across the Providence Channel. Predicted winds never materialized and we motor sailed most of the way. Anchored at Lynyard Cay by 5 PM. Another very warm night. We now find ourselves looking for . anchorages where we get a good breeze as opposed to most of the trip where we were looking for protection from the winds.

Thurs- Back to Marsh Harbor dodging thunder storms much of the afternoon.

Fri- After a quick trip to town for fresh veggies we sailed north to Treasure Cay stopping at water Cay to wait out one of the many t-storms that passed thru. Apparently this is a fairly normal summer weather pattern but what we find difficult is judging the path of these storms as they seem to move very erratically and pop up quickly.

Sat- Another hot sunny morning and we headed out early to get ahead of the afternoon storms. The ocean passage thru the Whale was like glass and as we neared Green Turtle Cay we decided to stop and visit our friends at Donnies to avoid yet another blossoming storm. Spent a hot night on mooring in Black sound after a walk to town for conk fritters and beer then a swim on the beach.

Sun- Motor the short way north to Manjack Cay, where we spent a warm afternoon swimming and lounging under the sun shade watching storms build.

Time to point our bow northward

Wed May 26th- Started our way back north with plans to see some of the cays we missed on the way south. Our first stop was Musha Cay which is a posh resort owned by David Copperfield. Beautiful protected anchorage where we enjoyed dinner of fresh caught Spanish Mackeral.



Thurs-On to Little Farmers where we explored the cave on Great guana Cay. Apparently some more adventurious souls snorkle here with lights, but we weren't up to that much adventure.





Fri-Sunny and hot, motored to Staniel Cay where we enjoyed some fantastic snorkeling in the Thunderball Grotto. This is the cave where the James Bond movie was made. Chris amazed herself by actually entering the cave after saying "you expect me to swim into there?" Anchored off Big Majors where we fed the resident swimming pigs.





Sat-great sail to Cambridge Cay where we snorkeled in the fantastic Elkhorn coral reefs. We are back in Exuma Park and these reefs abound with colorful fish and some huge lobster.





Sun- After a quick stop to snorkle the sea aquarium on O'briens Cay we had a great sail to Wardrick Wells where we picked up a park mooring.





Mon-Memorial Day- Great sail to Hawksbill Cay where we once again picked up a park mooring. Hiked around in the afternoon. Temps have been in the hi 80's with water about 83. Quite a change from the holiday weather up north.





Tues-Started the day anchoring at a plane wreck on Normans Cay with plans to snorkle there but the current was running stronger than we felt safe in. Rather than wait for slack tide we took advantage of fair winds for a great sail to Allens Cay. This island group is known for it's resident iguanas that come out in force to be fed when you approach.

South to Georgetown

Fri,May 21st- Headed out early under blue skies and a brisk north wind. Great sail the 40 miles to Georgetown/Elizabeth Harbor. Trailed 3 lines and only caught 1 big Barracuda that we didn't keep (to big to eat, seems a shame but the big ones carry ciguatera which can make you very ill.) Lost a big fish but it probably was bigger than we would have been able to get aboard. Anchored at volleyball beach mid afternoon . The harbor is huge with at least 4 anchorages but hardly any crowd at all. We have been told that during the winter there were 400 boats here, now we count about 25 total.

Caves near Little Farmers

Beach at Stocking Island, Georgetown

Sat thru Tues May 25th- Have enjoyed a few sunny hot days moving about this great area. Spent a night at each of the popular anchorages: Hamburger beach, Sanddollar beach and Kidds Cove. Was great to be able to reprovision as our stock of fresh veggies, beer and wine were depleted. I can see why so many boats spend the winter here as the town really caters to boaters. Hiking trails and beaches on Stocking Island were great. It will be interesting to return here some day during the winter when the place is busy with regatta and all the resident cruisers.

Wed- After enjoy ing a great dinner of fresh caught grilled Mahi and sushi aboard Desdemona, a boat we have traveled with intermittently since Abacoe, we parted ways in the morning as they continue south and we are now headed back north. This was as far as we planned on exploring and the time has come to work our way back to Fl. After a day of motorsailing in light winds we anchored off the beautiful Misha Cay (Island Resort owned by David Copperfield) and dined on fresh caught Spanish Mackeral.

Thurs- Lazy day exploring our way to Farmers Cay. Stopped along the way for snorkeling at a few spots hoping for some conk but no luck.

Exumas

Fri, May 7th- After a walk thru town for shopping and laundry(oops- no laundrymat here) we sailed across to cape Eleuthera where we anchored for the night just off the marina there. There was a sportfish tournament going on with dozens of big sportfish boats at docks. The first boat we stopped at was cleaning dolfin and offered us a full fillet. Had a great dinner with balance going into freezer. They were after Marlin but apparently not having much luck.

Sat- Sailing by 8 am under warm blue skies and perfect wind. Trailed 3 lines hoping for fish in the 3000ft deep water of Exuma sound. 30 miles later never had a strike but was great sailing. Picked up a mooring at Warderick Wells which is the hq for the Exuma land & Sea park. Joined about 20 other boaters ashore for campfire and partying on beach.

Sun, Mothers Day- Another hot sunny day. We actually used fans during the night and put up sun awning to keep cool for the first time this trip. Hiked about the island in morning followed by some great snorkeling in 82 deg water in the afternoon. Feasted on conk fritters and the last of our frozen venision for dinner.

Mon, May 10th Thru Sat May 15th- After a few beautiful warm calm days the wind picked up and howled at about 20-25 kts for 5 days. Since we were in a great spot we decided to wait out the winds. We spent our days snorkeling on great reefs, many in protected spots close the anchorage. The variety of colorful fish is amazing due to the fact that no fishing or taking of any sealife is allowed in the 176 sq mile park that stretches along 22 miles of the island chain. I spent 4 mornings volunteering making up eye splices in 1-1/4 inch mooring lines. Hiking on the islands very rough trails and lounging around on some of the remote beaches filled our afternoons.
The Sat evening party on the beach was well attended as all 22 moorings were full with many boats having spent the week.

Sun, May 16th- The trade winds have finally subsided and we had a great sail south to Staniel Cay under reefed main and jib. We anchored in the lee of Big Majors Island as one of the resident wild pigs roamed the beach. This area is where the James Bond film Thunderball was made and our plans were to snorkle the famous Thunderball Cave. I have been having ear problems so this may have to be put on hold until they clear up.

Mon- To town for supplies, dingy gas and propane. We found what Island time was really about when it took nearly 2 hours to get our propane filled, then a half hour wait for gas. Groceries were very limited and beer was $80 a case with wine being equally expensive(needeless to say we will make due with what we have). Sailed south in the afternoon beating into 15 kt winds to Black Point. Quiet anchorage off of cozy little town.

Tues- Black Point is the 2nd largest town in Exuma, something like 200 residents but it has a school, groceries, laundry and 2 restuarants with wifi. As I type this Chris is doing laundry and getting a haircut. Town even has a spigot with free R/O water(which has been $1.00/gal at many spots).

Wed- Overcast with squalls pred for the afternoon so we motorsailed south to Little Farmers Cay. Great protected harbor with moorings at $10/ night. Town of only 50 people but has broadcast tv and wifi.(unfortunately we didn't even try either until Thurs night). Showers much of day.

Thurs- Still overcast but no rain. Hike around Island, neighbor Bill over for dinner, he supplied Fresh fish that Chris fried up.