BAHAMAS
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DATE: January 29, 2001
Miles Traveled (nautical- we are not on the ICW now)
Engine Hours: 33 Expenses: We have decided to only include major/unusual expenses in future. |
GUN CAY
We left for the Bahamas from our anchorage near the Miami Yacht Club at 6.00 a.m. with Whim of Arne and Barefoot'n. It was a rough ride through the government cut in the half-light. At one point we motored by Ecstasea, a gigantic cruise ship as it approached its dock. At the entrance to the Florida Straights there was a line of large ships coming in and some going out, creating a 6 to 8 foot chop for about a mile. We were relieved when we finally left the channel and started our run across to GUN CAY. There was a light breeze on the nose of course! This was supposed to be a 43-mile run which would normally take us around 7 hours plus the extra hour going through the harbour. With the additional time caused by fighting the Gulf Stream, it ended up taking over eleven hours plus extra anchoring time, as our first choice for an anchorage (just north of the Gun Cay lighthouse) was untenable. We were forced to share a small and very shallow anchorage at the north side of Gun Cay with about a dozen other boats but were pleasantly surprised to meet Le Jordan and Douce Follies, two boats that we had last seen in Castleton on the Hudson. Perce Neige went aground shortly after we anchored but with assistance from Gordon of Whim and Steve of Barefoot'n we were able to put out a second anchor and winch her off the mud into slightly deeper water.CHUB CAY
We were glad to leave GUN CAY and make a very careful rounding of the southern tip, staying away from the shoals on the north of CAT CAY.
We then proceeded across the Bahamas Banks in 10 to 15 feet of water. The water was various beautiful shades of turquoise/green depending upon the depth. A slight breeze rippled the surface so that the creatures below appeared shadowy and mysterious.
In the evening we stopped on the banks to sleep overnight as no one wanted to travel in the dark. Instead we went south of the regular route about two miles and anchored in 15 feet of water. The wind came up and gave us a bumpy night and we were glad to leave early the next morning for the Northwest Providence Channel. At this point our depth sounder appeared to have stopped operating. We went from depths of 10 feet to over 1000 feet in a mile or so and continued until Chub Cay. On approaching Chub we became the lead boat as Whim was having engine problems. We hoisted our yellow Q flag and went in on the computer, and when closer, on the range markers. The entrance was very difficult to see until we were about 100ft. from it, when fortunately another sailboat came out and demonstrated that it really was there. We docked with assistance from the friendly locals between widely spaced posts built for the very large sport-fisherman boats, which graced many of the other docks. Another perfect landing!
Jeffrey was allowed off the boat to check with customs at the gas dock. The attendant gave him three sets of customs papers to fill out and instructed me to have each boat complete them and wait for the customs officer, who would send word when she was available. It took 3 hours for her to arrive. We were a little frustrated, but as she also services the airport it was just part of the way things were. We were issued Cruising permits for a year but told if the boat left the country we would have to re-apply and pay another $100.
We celebrated by eating at the Chub Cay Club restaurant and had our first taste of Bahamian food - Great! and Bahamian restaurant prices- not so great !
We happily stayed for four days waiting out some bad weather, which included heavy rain (good for washing down the salt spray all over the boat) and heavy winds (30 knots +). On the Tuesday during a near gale, a 42 ft center cockpit Hunter arrived with a couple on board and attempted to dock. Although several people tried to assist, the couple did not get a line on an upwind post and ended up broadside to the main dock. During attempts to place them between the posts they hit the main dock several time causing a bent Danforth anchor and some damage to water piping and cleats on the dock. The next day, they were told not to worry about the cost of repairs to the dock and they left.
NASSAU
By Wednesday morning, the wind was down. The three of us including 16 other boats left for Nassau and encountered light winds but 6-8 foot seas, after leaving the lee of the Berry Islands. It was a lumpy trip with motor and foresail (part of the time). We arrived in NASSAU harbour at 15.30 and anchored near Club Med and were almost immediately boarded by the RBDF (Royal Bahamas Defense Force), who boarded us and checked our documents: cruising permit, registration, passports etc. It was all very professionally done and over in a few minutes.And thence to Whim of Arne for well deserved sundowners!
The next day, Thursday, we dinked across the channel, and docked on the BASRA (Bahamian Air Sea Rescue Association) dock where we ran into Val and Steve, who had also docked there. They had discovered that there was lunch meeting for cruisers at a restaurant called the Crocodile, adjacent to the BASRA building. A large contingent of cruisers turned out, as this was apparently a weekly affair run by BASRA. We talked to the BASRA people and purchased an economic phone card (23c per minute) Explorer charts (the best type of Bahamas Chart) for the outer islands as it seemed possible that we may visit Eluthera on our return trip north.
Later during the lunch the wind increased and someone mentioned that there was a vessel across the channel that was dragging anchor. Diane and I had just checked out Perce Neige and heaved a sigh of relief when we saw Steve and Gordon racing down to Whim's dinghy, which was nearby in the restaurant dock. They jumped into it and sped across the harbour at full speed. It was apparent that Barefoot'n was the dragger and was rapidly nearing the most westerly of the two harbour bridges. The dinghy crew reached Barefoot'n with about a hundred feet to spare and re-anchored. After congratulating themselves they realized that Whim was also dragging although more slowly and they were forced to change boats and effect a second re-anchoring.
Jeffrey took Val and Enid back to their respective boats leaving Diane to pay the bill and pick up the chart book. This was easier said than done as Perce Neige's dinghy was trapped by Barefoot'n's dinghy and the bow had been lifted by the wind and tide onto a short horizontal wood brace attached to the dock. The bowline was so tight that the trusty Spiderco serrated knife had to be used to cut it free. After delivering the ladies he then took Steve to Perce Neige where they let out another 20 feet of anchor chain for extra security and then dropped off Steve back at the BASRA dock to pick up his boat.
The waves were several feet high and the spray had drenched us all. We were all glad to get back, change our clothes and just relax for the rest of the afternoon.
We toured the island of New Providence by dingy to the Atlantis complex, which has a marina that charges $4 per foot. We also went by bus to Cable Beach and beyond to the Lyford Cay area, and walked around Nassau.
On Monday we moved to a The Nassau Harbour Club and Marina to prepare for the next leg of the trip, making our way down the Exhuma Island chain to Georgetown. We charged batteries filled up with diesel and water and did some mailing and emailing.
While checking the engine oil and batteries Jeffrey discovered that a welded aluminium engine support had cracked leaving one corner of the engine largely unsupported. We could not travel safely with this problem and so our departure was delayed a day while Jeff and, Steve from Barefoot'n, cut and drilled a bracket to bridge the cracked area and provide support. After our adventures at Waterford (see Erie Canal/Hudson River installment) where we had needed aluminium pieces to support the stern rail, we had picked up extra aluminium and steel pieces and so were prepared.
ALLEN'S CAY (Exhumas!)
After leaving from Nassau around 9.30 a.m. we cut a torturous path through some very shallow areas to reach ALLEN'S CAY and when we turned the corner into the cay we found a dozen boats enjoying the clear blue skies, turquoise water, great snorkeling and cooling breezes. We stayed for three days making friends with fellow cruisers. We also met most of the iguana population on two different Islands and hundreds of fish when we took a day to enjoy snorkeling on a reef a mile or two south, on the north side of HIGHBORN CAY On our second evening at Allen's Cay there was a potluck dinner and beach bonfire, which was attended by many of the cruisers. During the celebrations we noticed a small (5ft.) shark; it came close into shore, feeding on fish parts, which had been discarded by a cruiser fisherman and swam so close to the shore that a cruiser was able to grab it by it's fin and tail. We hope cruising does not drive us that crazy! Later a stingray swam around the area for a while. It had a short tail. Perhaps the shark grabber had grabbed it too at some time. We did not ask him.NORMAN'S CAY
After three days in Allen's Cay we motored the 12 miles or so into the south anchorage of NORMAN'S CAY which evidently has a checkered past, but which appeared to us to be quite innocuous, except for the sunken twin-engine DC-3 just north of the main anchorage. We were told that at one point the D.E.A. had sent in teams of agents and had arrested numerous drug smugglers including a South American drug lord. All we found when we walked north from the dock was a very cute and colourful little beach bar and restaurant named Mac Duff's, where we enjoyed the proverbial cheeseburgers in paradise accompanied by the local Kalik beer. Mac Duff's had three cottages for rent at $1200 per week, a mile long beach with only one couple on it besides us, and an airport, which consists of a couple of apparently unoccupied buildings and 3000ft. runway. There were 4 small planes parked in front of the buildings. We liked Mac Duff's so much we came back each of the next two days.
After anchoring in the southern anchorage we continued our exploration in the dinghy by motoring to the northern anchorage, which was too shallow for Perce Neige. It looked like a difficult entry; however there were several boats anchored so was obviously not too difficult. Two of the sailors were wandering around in the shallow sandy areas, one with an article of clothing covering her head, which we realized as we got closer, was her bikini top! In tropical countries it is well known that brain cells need more protection than mere mammary glands.
Later on our return trip we found our own sandbar and enjoyed some leisurely time swimming, snorkeling and beachcombing.
We managed to refill two of our 5-gallon water jugs from a cistern in an abandoned house near the small dock. Later just before dark a large black boat with a small crane on the after deck, motored through the anchorage and occupied the dock. Our imaginations soared: drugs, the CIA, the DEA? We settled for the optimistic probability that it was the supply ship for Mac Duff's bringing cases of thirst quenching Kalik beer.
While on the beach at Mac Duff's we met a fellow HAM who knew about email using the AIRMAIL program. This encouraged Jeffrey to have another stab at rewiring the ham/email/TNC connections. However almost as soon as he started, there was a knock on the hull and behold Rob and Karen of KAROB arrived directly from Nassau. At this time Diane was on a kayak from Barefoot'n, so Jeffrey served them beverages until Diane arrived. All four couples then decided to go snorkeling around WAX CAY.
After three days in Norman's we decided that we had to head for a more secure anchorage as the wind was forecast to go to 15 to 25 knots from the east the next day and Normans southern anchorage does not give protection from that direction.
SAMPSON'S CAY
We headed out from Norman's Cay expecting 10 to 15 knots and instead found 20 to 30 knots! It was blustery and wet and Jeffrey once more cursed himself for not having a dodger installed in Toronto. After 6 hours we tucked into Sampson's Cay anchorage and, although much of the wind remained, the waves were reduced to a foot or less, but still with whitecaps! No one felt like entertaining, so for the first evening we each stayed on our own boats and slept well.On the second day at Sampson's we were entertained on Whim of Arne and on the third Diane did her magic and provided four couples with a great meal of chicken, pasta, vegetables and delicious trifle with sherry and whipped cream.
STANIEL CAY & BIG MAJORS SPOT
On the third day Whim left to try an even better anchorage on BIG MAJORS SPOT, an island very close to STANIEL CAY. The rest of us decided to visit Staniel by dinghy and were rewarded by getting very wet for our troubles. We ploughed through shallow spots and sheltered areas and not so sheltered areas. The result was that in spite of wearing our wet gear we were soaked and the dinghy had about two inches of water by the time we landed on the beach beside the large "Welcome" sign in Staniel Cay.
We wandered around the narrow poorly maintained roads of Staniel Cay and found the local Batelco office, which sent us to the only two phone booths in the town, although we found out later there was a public phone in the office! We found the Blue Supermarket (smaller than our average convenience store), which was open but unattended, and the Pink Supermarket, which had someone willing to take our money if we were willing to pay the ridiculous prices, ($6.00 for a very small box of Raisin Bran).
We had lunch at the Happy Peoples Bar and Grill where the menu, we were told, was hamburgers and fries or cheeseburgers and fries, and where it took an hour to get the cheeseburgers, although there were only three groups of people, perhaps twenty in total, in the restaurant. The rain clouds had threatened us all day but we managed to be eating lunch when finally the heavens opened for a short tropical storm.
Enid and Gordon had been to Staniel Cay before and we ran into them in the Yacht Club where one could get a choice of lunches, where the only usable phone booths in town stood in their glory, and where lots of people, including us, lined up to use them to call home and send pocketmail.
We found our dinghies high and dry and had to launch them in teams across the rocky shore. The return trip was much drier and less eventful, as the wind was behind us, only being punctuated by several groundings as the tide was rapidly receding.
On the fourth day Perce Neige and the other two boats (Barefoot'n and Karob) joined Whim anchored on the west side of Big Majors Spot. We motored the few miles avoiding Sandy Point and anchored close to the south side of the island as the coastline turned west there and gave us the most protection from the east and southeast winds. We then continued our exploration of Staniel Cay. There was a library fundraiser cookout that day, which proved interesting. We discovered that the library itself was kept in the oldest house on the island, a small yellow building in which, the elderly lady in the Pink Supermarket, assured us that her husband was born. When we went in there was no librarian; if someone wanted a book they simply took it out and returned it later. We wandered around the island and found the airport and the third general store, which had not only food, but also some hardware and even marine items. We were pleasantly surprised.
On our way back from the store in the 80+ degree heat, we met several friendly young male islanders and we greeted each with our usual cheery "Hi, How are you" which they returned. Some of them were drinking beer and Diane remarked as they went by how thirsty she was. One immediately gave Diane two bottles of cold Heineken to share among the six of us. Diane has charm!!!
Also on our return we ran into Gordon from Whim, who informed us that there would be fresh bread available this afternoon. Val volunteered to pick up some for each of us. It was still hot when we brought it back to the boat, ($3.50 per loaf).
The next day was a Sunday and while Jeffrey struggled with the HF email Diane went to the pigs. No I do not mean she went to the dogs! There are two wild pigs on the beach in Big Major's, and they came and importuned Diane for food as she landed the dinghy.
Later on the Sunday we went looking for snorkeling spots checking out the various small islands to the west of the anchorage. At one particular island, appropriately called Sandy Cay, we decided to land on a beautiful beach on the east side and after landing Steve snorkeled around to the west side. When he did not come back, the others men followed and found that they had found the snorkeling mother lode! There was a steep rocky face going down around 30 feet to a sandy bottom and all kinds of coral in between. The fish varied from very small to 3-foot barracuda and even an 8-foot nurse shark sitting quietly on the sandy bottom. Jeffrey snorkeled until he was exhausted and then went back to the beach to rest.
At low tide we all went in our dinghies to Thunderball Cave, the cave used as a set in the James Bond Movie. At high tide we would have had to swim through a submerged tunnel but we picked low slack tide to avoid that problem and avoid the strong currents. As we snorkeled into the cave we were met by thousands of gorgeous fish. They seemed oblivious to us. This is a well-known tourist spot and they are used to being fed by visiting snorkellers. We finally got to use the underwater camera and Diane went a little crazy with it. Who could blame her! Even outside of the cave there were gorgeous fish feasting on the coral. We cannot wait until the film is developed. After the cave we headed for Club Thunderball, where we purchased the required tee shirt. Been there, done that etc…
BLACK POINT
The next day we motored to BLACK POINT on GREAT GUANA ISLAND. This involved about 10 miles traveling to go 5 miles south. It was easy to dinghy over to the sturdy mailboat dock with its pink government building. For some reason the exquisite shades of the surrounding aqua water was more prominent here. This proved to be the friendliest out-island settlement so far and much less tourist driven than the previous islands. A walkabout revealed a bustling school brimming with young children playing marbles, two groceries stores, two telephones, and several restaurants.
As we were walking to hand over our laundry to a lady who washes for $5.00 per load, we ran into a native gentleman named Bill who brought us to "The Garden of Eden" which just happened to be in his front yard. He was somewhat artistic, quite knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna and quite a character. He had collected various branches and rocks and arranged them into structures, which with a little imagination could be seen as art forms. He gave us a tour of the area and ended showing us how to safely and easily remove a conch from its shell and then how to make it into a conch salad of his own recipe. The conch salad was delicious and he was very entertaining and well worth the gratuities, which he graciously accepted.
In the afternoon we returned to our boat and while sitting in the cabin Jeffrey experienced a pain in his left side, which became progressively worse. After 15 minutes or so, Diane went for help and other people arrived and did their best to make him comfortable. In a few minutes Diane returned and said that he Island Nurse was on the dock waiting with her car, if he could get ashore. By this time the pain had lessened and so Jeffrey was tenderly transported in the dinghy to the dock and then over the 200 yards in the nurses car (the only one on the island) to the clinic. The nurse was very professional, but quite friendly. After some tests and a call to the Medical Officer of Health on another island she decided it was probably a small kidney stone, which had hopefully passed. Jeffrey was given an injection, which by this time hurt more than the kidney pain and some painkilling drugs to be taken as required. Fortunately they were not required. The good thing about this exam was that his blood pressure checked and found too be 110 over 60, a great improvement from the 145 over 80 of a year ago.
The next day Jeffrey was his usual happy self and so the eight of us wandered around the miles of beaches and ran into a German couple, who were avid beachcombers. We stopped at one beach and munched on a coconut, which Gordon had picked along the way. We saw the waves crashing in from Exhuma Sound onto rocky bays and found a blowhole where the sea came up in spouts. It turned out to be an exhausting day; we were glad to get back to prepare for the Valentine dinner which was put on by Lorraine's Café. We even showered extravagantly in fresh water for this joyous occasion.
Dinner was conch fritters and chicken wings followed by local lobster for Diane and Grouper for Jeffrey, with cake for dessert. This was the best deal for 10 dollars that we had seen since Miami! We were then entertained with a sing-along, lead by some very British types judging by the songs (circa WW2) and the accents. Our own Steve and Val from Barefoot'n followed this and were very well received. Finally songs from some of the island children topped off the evening. It was a very memorable evening, lacking only wine, which was missing as the mail boat, had not yet arrived. We returned to Perce Neige and celebrated with our own wine (Chateaux Neuf de boix)!
FARMERS CAY
A day later we moved the 10 miles to Farmers Cay. We anchored west of the island and went out in the dinghies to explore. We walk up and down the roads nearest the main dock and then went to the closest restaurant, the Ocean Cabin, where we got a quick taste of reality as we saw the new US president on the TV screen justifying the air attack on Iraq. The owner/barman of the establishment gave us his philosophy on the entire state of the world. Great conversation! We had left the dinghies on the main dock and luckily some members of our party were still there to move them when the mail boat came into that dock. After it tied up the crew used the crane on its foredeck to unload building materials, a used electric golf cart, and a moped as well as various other items. A local lady came down to the boat with a large parcel, which was being shipped, balanced on her head. We saw the local post office a very small green building that opened only the day before the boat to collect outgoing mail and the day after to allow pick up of mail delivered by the boat.
Later we all dinghied out to the Farmers Cay Yacht club for happy hour and a chance to enjoy free conch fritters and meet other Yachter. We decided after talking to some of them that it would be a good idea to go to Georgetown the next day rather than wait for a north wind the day after.
GEORGE TOWN
We left Farmers Cay around 7.30 a.m. on the morning of February 17th and negotiated the tricky shoals before we tackled the breakers at Farmers Cut. We then turned southeast for what turned out to be an eight-hour motor with the wind on the nose into Georgetown's Elizabeth Harbour. The entrance to the harbour involves several doglegs to avoid rocks and shifting sandbars, but was actually not as tough as it seems on the chart, especially as we had several other boats to follow.
We anchored near the town so that we could get our bearings, do some quick groceries at Exhuma (Super) Market and enjoy dinner at Sams Place overlooking the bay. On the Sunday we decided to move to a better-sheltered area as we were expecting a Norther to arrive. We moved into the lea of Stocking Island and put out a solid anchoring system or so we thought. The Norther came and for the most part we slept through it. We allowed ourselves to sleep in and when we finally got out of bed we were shocked to realize that we had dragged 100 feet or so during the night. At the same time Barefoot'n started dragging and decided to come closer to shore. They motored past us and took up the space we had occupied prior to dragging. We were quite close to a Tartan 40 and thought it prudent to let out more anchor chain.
This is as far south as we plan to go. It is just north of the Tropic of Cancer and is the limit of our insurance coverage, so we have to either go back north from here or pay even more for insurance. Many cruisers cancel their insurance at this point as insurance rates south of here can be steep depending upon the coverage requested. We have chosen to stay in George Town for up to a month depending upon friends who may me joining us, and then go back north by one of several routes. This will probably include the Abacos and will end with leaving Perce Neige at a fresh water winter dock near Lake Okeechobee sometime in early May.
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