Life at anchor in the Bahamas

 We knew that going to the Bahamas we were likely under prepared. However I am happy to report we are doing ok. The one good move we made was adding a new solar array to the boat. Mind you it is only 400 watts BUT on a normal sunny day we run the generator for about an hour while we make coffee and by about 2 pm the batteries are full again. Now water is a different story. Here in the Bahamas water is a premium at $0.50 per gallon. Typically we go go about six days before we have to fill up our tanks. Conserving we can go almost two weeks. Thats less than 20 gallons per day. So water rationing is a must but surprisingly you really don’t need much water if you are careful. Turning on the faucet means cracking it so just a small stream comes out. Yes we get a very brief shower at the end of the day.  Many of the cruisers down here have water makers on board. Fortunately our boating buddy has a legit portable water maker that he lets us use. It makes about 35 gallons per hour.

We  have to run the generator but having fresh water is a good thing. So to date we have been at anchor for over two weeks without going to a marina. We are truly off grid.  Restaurants are around but to be quite honest none of them are very good. We are still looking for a good one but have not stumbled across one yet. They too are suffering from both supply and help issues. It’s sad but the Bahamian people seem to take it all in stride. 

So Sunday morning April 16th we began our journey north. Our first stop was Rudder Cay about 40 miles north. Rudder Cay is largely uninhabited. Musha Cay is just to the north and is owned by famed magician David Copperfield. Monday night they actually had fireworks that we watched from the boat which we learned are launched from David Copperfields’ rental property. In case you are interested you can  rent the island complete with full staff for up to 12 people for a mere $50K per night with a minimum of 5 nights.

Damn well better include fireworks. Who’s in? We spent the afternoon snorkeling around. That evening I worked on the dinghy which developed yet another leak. This one was from a failure of the large patch we had done in Annapolis. Now having a dinghy is critical in the Bahamas. Fortunately the leak is in the center tube so we can still get around. I tried to repair it once but it failed pretty quickly as the patch from the inside let go. I was fortunate enough to get some of the correct glue from another boater in Georgetown via the Cruisers Net. Now taking off recently applied glue that was put on too thick is no easy task. It was a couple of hours work over two days but I got it done. My strategy this time is to use 4200 on the inside patch and then use the contact cement on the outer patch. So far the 4200 is working such that we can partially inflate the tube. Tomorrow I will glue the outer patch and hope for the best. That dinghy is possessed. As soon as we get back to the states and I can get my hands on another one this baby is gone.

On Tuesday our plan was to cruise 26 miles to Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay but we delayed our departure until late in the day as we wanted to explore Darby Cay which has an old abandoned castle built back in 1938 by a plantation owner. He reportedly was a Nazi sympathizer and would signal German U boats by way of flashing lights at night. It was pretty neat and must have been quite the place back in the day.

It has a commanding view of both the sound and Atlantic Ocean. The history of it all makes your mind run wild. Truly one of those places, “if the walls could only talk.” To think that location is only about 300 miles to Miami. After we walked around the place I made another attempt to spear fish in a nearby reef but was unsuccessful. However snorkeling around reefs is never dull. When I got back to the boat we pulled the anchor and cruised on the outside in the ocean hoping to catch dinner trolling behind the boat but no luck.

When we got to Black Point we ran into the crew from Salt Wife and Inked Mermaid who had arrived earlier. We got their late in the afternoon so we just stayed onboard. Back to life at anchor once again the weatherman lied. Winds were supposed to be out of the south but instead they clocked to the south west. What does that mean you ask? In short, think about trying to sleep on a rollercoaster. The anchorage is exposed completely to the west so waves and swells come in and make for a rough ride while  at anchor.

So when we went to bed I dug up some old Ambien from a previous international trip we took. We popped one of those and lights out. I know many of my boating buddies are rolling their eyes. When we woke in the morning our bleary eyed friends came by and asked, “what did you think of that storm last night?” Sue and I looked at each other and laughed. We replied, “what storm?” Turns out a pop up storm came through about midnight with intense lightning and 45 knot winds. Better living through better chemistry! My only comment is, God looks over drunks and fools. Looks like we checked both boxes as our anchor held us securely and nobody else near us drug their anchor. In the morning we took our bikes to shore and pulled the dinghy up on the beach as I wanted to reglue the patch that had come lose. When I opened the tube of glue it was bad. Ughhhhh. We made the best of the day and rode our bikes around the island and stopped to look at a blow hole. This one made a eerie deep noise as the waves crashed on the shore. For dinner we went back ashore to Black Point Yacht Club for dinner. It was actually quite good for a change. We enjoyed sitting at the bar conversing with a couple of locals hearing about life in the Bahamas. It was another great day at anchor. 

It’s the one that gets away that hurts the most

 Tuesday April 11th at first light we got underway. We had a shallow area that we had to cross and it was only an hour past low tide. So Sue manned her position on the bow pulpit on coral head watch. So we tiptoed thru it no problem and entered a deeper channel. No sooner had she come up on to the bridge I said, “hey we are running out of water.” Fortunately I was at a crawl and went out of gear. Bump!

We slid onto a shallow. The good news was the tide was coming up and would pushed us off. So we both went onto the bow sprit and waited. About ten minutes later we slid off and we were back in action. Disaster averted.  We passed thru the cut into deep waters so I put out a line to see what we might catch. Well about an hour into the cruise Sue was fighting a Dolphin. It gave us quite a show coming out of the water a couple of times. They are likely one of the prettiest game fish you will ever see in the water. Well as I previously mentioned we were woefully under prepared meaning no gaff hook. So we tired the fish out really good. My mouth was salivating at the thought of fresh Mahi. So I carefully grabbed the leader and eased it out of the water and onto the swim deck. As I walked up the stairs it made one desperate attempt and back into the water it went. We were crushed but hey it was fun trying. On we went to our southernmost milestone Georgetown on Great Exuma Island. For us this was quite an accomplishment. We anchored up right near Chat and Chill on Stocking Island just across the harbor from Georgetown. There is a great boating community here that is very organized.

Each morning on VHF 72 they have a broadcast that covers everything from what is going on socially, requests for help, arrivals and departures, and even a swap and trade. Our buddy boat, Unplugged caught up with us later in the day. The harbor was packed with cruisers. The April count was 278 boats. Well we got right into the swing of things. 

Now on an aside Georgetown has a special place in our hearts as we have been there 25 years ago with none other than Steve Shirley and then soon to be fiancée Diane. We can tell you that things have grown tremendously since we were last here. We did manage to find the beach where my best buddy got down one his then one last good knee and proposed. The rest as they say is history. We have some crazy stories from that trip. 

We spent a total of five nights in Georgetown. Chat and Chill is a small ramshackle place dotted with coconut palms where you can get a drink and sometimes grab a bite to eat. It is where all the cruisers and their families hang out for the day. We were surprised how many full time cruising families we ran into. Of course Sue could not resist so she went to work organizing an obstacle course for the kids.

She announced it on the Cruisers Network and got over 16 kids to participate. They all had fun although I think Sue had the most fun. There is always a pick up volleyball game going on. If you walk by its almost guaranteed they will ask you to play. Friday night we went to a potluck on Sand Dollar beach where there is a makeshift shack, a couple of picnic tables and a fire pit. It was great to meet so many interesting people.

I was fascinated listening to their stories of how they separated from all the “stuff” on land and embraced the cruising lifestyle. Watching the fire while looking out at the harbor full of mast lights was magical. We did a number of hikes one of which was up Monument Hill where there is the obelisk that used to guide the salt ships into the harbor. It give a 360 degree view. Down below cruisers spell out their boat name with rocks. It is quite a sight. If you zoom in on the attached picture you can see what we are talking about. 

Georgetown really embraces the cruising community. They have a big dinghy dock with free potable water. A rarity in the Bahamas. Unfortunately it is within Victoria lake so the water has to be carried out in  jerry cans. The grocery store has about everything you could need however you need to get it when you see it. By the time the next supply boat is due in the shelves are picked bare. The town itself is pretty spartan.

There is really no decent place to eat a nice meal. Here it is all about the water and boating. The sand has a pink hue and is never hot to walk on as it is mostly small bits of ground up coral. Although it was difficult to find footsteps on most of the beaches 25 years ago,  Georgetown is still a unique place. We loved every minute of out time there and were sad to leave. 

                   Zoom in on the pic to see the boat names

Beach on the Atlantic

                                          View from Next Chapter

Hurricane Hole at sunset

            Friends from Unplugged on Monument Hill

Potluck at Ship Shack

    Art walk where boaters line a trail with all kinds of self created art. 

     More of the art on the trail

                                                                               It so hurt to see him go!

Exuma Land and Sea Park Where Pigs Swim but do not Fly

 

On Friday morning we left Norman Island anchorage and headed 24 miles to Warderick Wells Cay in Exuma Land and Sea Park, a Bahamian National Park. Once again we needed a weather window to make the final run to Great Exuma Island as we would have to run on the outside of the Bank. Based on the forecast it looked liked we would have one in three to four days. As we arrived into Warderick Wells we thought we had seen beautiful water but when we got there our jaws just dropped. We have been to some pretty spectacular beaches over the years but I must say the scenes here top anything we have ever seen.

On a calm day it is almost disorientating as the boat looks like it floating in air. We traveled with Liming and met up with another Looper boat Unplugged. The crew was John and Tanya from Montreal, Canada. John is a hoot reminding me of my two French Canadian roommates during Chiropractic college days. Once we settled on a mooring ball we all mounted the amphibious assault vehicles and headed to explore. First we had to register our arrival at the park office. Then we headed off to hike up Boo Boo Hill where cruisers have erected this crazy monument where they write their boat name on an old board and screw it onto this pile.

There is hundreds of them. The view was 360 degrees from the Bank to the Atlantic Ocean. Once back to the boats we had an extended Friday night special extended happy hour aboard Liming. We joked that on the loop every evening is Friday night and everyday is Saturday. You do truly loose track of the days of the week. 

Saturday morning we all headed 26 miles down to Staniel Cay where the famous Thunderball Grotto is located. The colors of the water stretched from a deep cobalt blue to pool blue to lime green ending in white in the shallows where the depth was a foot or so. I can sit all day and just aimlessly stare at it. Just amazing.

We all did a group run to the grocery store to grab some provisions and get some dinghy fuel. After that the tide was just right to explore the Grotto. Some of you may recall the 1967 James Bond movie, Thunderball. One of the major scenes was filmed in the Grotto that we were able to explore. To get into the grotto you can swim underwater in these small short tunnels.

On the outside the coral was beautiful, inside it was loaded with fish. Look up images of the grotto as we did not have a underwater camera to take any pictures. Sue found a sea turtle that I worried was going to lead her out to sea. That evening we did a dinghy raft up just floating aimlessly in the current where ever it wanted to take us. Sunday morning my new Canadian friend stopped by and asked if I wanted to I go spear some dinner.

I of course obliged and off we went. Spear fishing is no easy task. Somehow they are keenly aware when something pointy is aimed at them. We did bag a couple of small fish but nothing to write home about. We went back to the boats and picked up the girls who had packed a picnic lunch. We all headed off to swimming Pig island where you guessed it, pigs will come off the beach and swim up to your dinghy and look for food.

So many years ago this local decided to raise pigs on this island. They would roam the beach and when boaters would come ashore they would feed them. Well it now has become a major tourist stop. Now we had a little trouble with one of them. Remember the picnic that we had onboard? Well one of the porkers decided to help himself and made off with a bag of potato chips. You also have to keep an eye on the pigs as they have been known to bite people to get them to drop the food they have. Personally I was not a fan of the whole thing but hey it was pretty unique. After that we headed of to a small patch of Elkhorn Coral we found earlier spear fishing. It was beautiful. When we got back to the boat we decided to make to late run 20 miles south to Farmers Cay. We wanted to reduce the the travel time the next day to Georgetown. We had a very peaceful night on anchor with a great sunset to cap the day off. 

Gang snorkeling a plane wreck

                       Potato Chip thief. He is lucky he did not end up on the BBQ

These yachts are a dime a dozen here. 

                         Looks like there might be a pot of gold on that sailboat

At anchor Warderick Wells Cay

                              Staniel Cay Yacht Club

Yep they like to sunbathe 

Running to the Exumas

 

Late Tuesday morning we headed out from Hoffmans 50 miles to the east end of a Nassau at an anchorage off Rose Island. We did a little early morning beach exploring as nobody had any interest to actually go into Nassau. Once in the deep water I dropped a line to see what we could catch. When we were in Great Harbor I was talking to a guy who lives in Bimini and does a lot of fishing. He handed me a couple of lures and said, “drag these around you will get your fill of fish’. Well don’t you know we managed to land a Cero Mackerel and a 15lb Skip Jack Tuna. That type of tuna is not a good eating so he went back into the sea. The Cero is an excellent fish both cooked and Sushi style.  It was delicious. We were about five miles from the anchorage and we noticed that Liming had black smoke pouring out of his exhaust. All of our hearts sank as things like that can happen to anybody. They were in a couple thousand feet of water so an anchor is no good. Fortunately with the help of Rick on Inked Mermaid he was able to get one of the engines started and continue to the anchorage. 

Turns out a clamp broke on the turbo. The great news was he had another one onboard and was able to solve the problem. What luck! By time all that was done it was 5 pm by time we got settled. The plan was to leave at first light and head for Norman Island which was about 55 miles to the south east.  The forecast in the morning called for 1’ seas that would be on our nose with 10 mph of wind. Well there was 1’ waves and 2’ waves and some 3’ waves with winds closer to 15 mph. Sometimes they all get it wrong. Well we beat our way across the Bahama Bank and set anchor about 1:30  and then had some lunch. Norman Cay is actually a private island once reportedly owned by Pablo Escobar. It was also the original location for the famed Fyre Party that scammed tens of thousands of dollars out of many people. If you haven’t seen the Netflix show on it it is worth a look. Now some other Uber rich guy owns it and has a exclusive private marina for the mega rich. The marina caters to 200’+ club. As the winter cruising comes to a close the mega yachts are moving north and Norman island is on the circuit. Crazy enough there is nothing on the island. 

The bigger yachts anchor off the south end of the Cay. There is also a private air strip that caters to the cruising elite and their private jets. Let me tell you it is quite busy. I spoke to an owner of one of the big yachts and he told me it cost $30,000 a week for him to dock his boat there. Yep you guessed it Next Chapter stayed at anchor. The only service on the island beyond the marina is a small overpriced restaurant called MacDuffs. We went there Thursday for lunch with eight other cruisers, Green Envy, Inked Mermaid, Saltwife, Liming and yours truly.  Sue and I split a burger and a house special rum punch and the bill was $75. The price you pay to eat in paradise. 

To be fair the atmosphere was awesome. We stayed for four nights exploring by dinghy and snorkeling. We even snorkeled an old drug running DC3 airplane that had crashed in the local waters. The winds had arrived and were blowing a steady 20 mph. Even at anchor in the lee of the island we were moving about quite a bit. One afternoon at happy hour on Green Envy, Ken gave us a presentation of the spots where they went in the southern Exumas. 

It was very helpful. What was even more helpful is he lent me a pole spear to use on our trip down. Sue and Kris really hit it off as Kris is also a retired educator. Well once again I saw a weather window that would get us to our furthest point south that we would be going. Getting to Great Exuma Island meant we had to go on the outside with no protection. So the next morning we would pull off and begin moving again. 

There was eight of these mega yachts anchored up here at one point. These are what the show, Below Deck is all about.They are all positioning to cross over to the Med for the summer season. 

  Sue following a couple of big blue rays.  She hovered over them observing them eat.  Their preferred diet being bony fish and crustaceans.  They suck the food into their mouth and spit out what they don’t want.  The stingrays Sue swam with get up to 6 feet in length and live to be 25 years old.

                                                          Ahhhhhhhhhh!

 Happy Hour aboard Next Chapter

                              Todd and Mary enjoying the view

    Dinghy Raftup

                                          Marina at Norman Island

                 No Sue did not murder me on the high seas although it may have crossed her mind!