Post #101: The Five F’s and Some Fish

Saturday, February 5 to Friday, February 11, 2022

Sometimes it is difficult to find out what is or isn’t happening on the islands we visit due to Covid or other factors. We had heard about the 5 F’s (Farmer’s Cay First Friday in February Festival) last year but it was cancelled. This year rumors were floating that the regatta had been cancelled but that the three restaurants on the island (pop. 74) were still holding the festival and invited cruisers to come visit. So we did!

To work up an appetite for the pig roast on the 6th, we first hiked up the bluff behind Oven Rock and peered into the cave along the way. Gotta love the trail “blazes” set out by previous hikers. I wonder if the Appalachian Mountain Club would approve???

And here’s a 360 degree view of our destination:

We returned to the Ocean Cabin, one our favorite restaurants, for dinner the next night.

Host Terry Bain and his wife, Ernestine, (an awesome chef) put on a fabulous feast of cole slaw, Bahamian mac & cheese, island chicken, rice and beans, fried fish and The Best grilled lobster tails. He then led us in the requisite singing of the Little Farmer’s Cay national anthem.  Our group joined in heartily—except for Robert, the 13-year-old. He appears at the end of this video and you can just imagine what he’s thinking…..LOL

We moved on to Rudder Cay, past Musha Cay (owned by magician David Copperfield and available to rent at about $3000 per person per night with a minimum of 12 guests) and Goat Island, recently sold by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw for a cool $35 million.

But our favorite place at Rudder is a small u-shaped bay that provides safe haven to many green turtles. Here’s a video David took of one who enjoys life in the slo-o-o-w lane in the Exumas:

A couple of posts ago, I promised to send the first fish photos I took with my new underwater camera. Here they are!

Finally, on February 11 the six boats who had sailed together as a pod for 2+ months during Covid in 2021 were reunited in George Town on Great Exuma Island. How fortunate we were to be together last year during such an uncertain time and how blessed we are to be able to enjoy some time together again in 2022, sharing old memories and making new ones. Three of the boats, Happy Together, Pleiades and Fantasea are headed southward, with Fantasea eventually hoping to reach Honduras. The other three boats, Miss Adventure, Equinox, and Onward will stay here in George Town for a week or so and then begin a slow journey north to Eleuthera and the Abacos before returning to the states. We’ve met many new boats this year, especially since the Canadians have returned. Our new friends hail from Ohio, Colombia, Brazil, Quebec, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and even New Hampshire! So stay tuned—there are many more adventures to come!

Post #100: Lending a Hand

Sunday, January 30 to February 4, 2022

We left Warderick Wells on a gorgeous Sunday morning and sailed to Staniel Cay.  I wrote about it last year (see post # 69). This time we simply enjoyed lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, got fuel and fresh food. I took these photos on the walk to the Blue Store and the Pink Store for provisions but have no idea what these beautiful plants are:

We also caught an unexpected view of the SpaceX launch on Monday night!

We all agreed to once again have a “fun race” to Black Point, some 10 miles further south on Tuesday morning. You could use your engine only to raise and lower the anchor and rely on the wind for everything else. 

I’m not sure my husband understands the phrase “fun race” because this soon became a competition of near-Olympian proportions. Two Canadian boats have joined our flotilla—Refuge (a Dehler 39) from Toronto and Cielo (a J 120 from Quebec). So I’m sure you can appreciate that this became a matter of national honor. To make things more of a challenge, we were the next to last ones off anchor so David trimmed the sails and took off as quickly as possible, focused on overtaking each boat ahead of us. The last boat to leave, Cielo, simply blew past us within a half hour and we knew we didn’t stand a chance of catching up to her. However, we took the silver by passing Refuge just before we arrived at the harbor.  

To achieve this moment of glory and national pride, we were close-hauled and heeled over for most of the run. This means that everything below has to be carefully secured, cabinets locked, and valuables stowed so that nothing falls or slips and is damaged. This was a bit tricky, however, because I had made the particularly foolish mistake of thinking I could make focaccia Tuesday after the race. I had to find a safe, level place to raise the dough while underway. As you can see below, I was able to wedge the pan so that the dough was fairly level even though the boat was not! 

Once we anchored at Black Point, the boat righted itself, of course. Consumed with the flush of (near) victory, I forgot to check on the bread dough and remove the items I’d wedged underneath it. Fortunately, I remembered in time before we had a blob of focaccia dough covering the shelf!

We really enjoyed spending time at Black Point (see Post #70) last year. Only about 150 folks live on the island and they are so friendly and welcoming that we felt at home. Wednesday night we had the buffet at Lorraine’s and formed a conga line to celebrate. (Sorry, no photos or videos will be shared of this event. Evah!) Thursday found us at Scorpio’s, the local watering hole, enjoying happy hour and (wait for it)…Bingo! (Wouldn’t Aunt Harriet be proud, Ron?)  Our group of fellow travelers has grown so much that Scorpio’s ran out of markers and we had to improvise:

I did overhear one of our younger friends (in her 50’s) lament, “OMG, I’m in bed by 9 p.m. (cruiser’s midnight) and now I’m playing bingo. What’s happening to me???

Lest you think all we do is party, here’s a view from the beach we hiked to—5 miles round trip and worth every step:

We also spend time helping each other out. So far, our group has had to solve problems relating to refrigeration, canvas repair, dinghy engine failures, leaky toilets, blocked up hoses, propane systems, solar panels, etc., etc. With no hardware or marine supply stores to visit and no Amazon deliveries, we have to rely on each other’s willingness to share spare parts, expertise, experience, and collaborative problem-solving skills. 

This holds true for those living on the islands, too. One of the residents of Black Point posted a call for help on a FB group and a bunch of cruisers volunteered to help him put a plastic roof on his new, large chicken coop:

Sometimes I think we all need to stop and reflect upon just how interdependent we all are. Truly, no man is an island.

 

Post #99: All’s Well at Warderick Wells

Wednesday, January 26 to January 30, 2022

You have to have a reservation in order to use the mooring balls in the north field of Warderick Wells, headquarters to the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. You start the process 24 hours before your desired arrival and then are put on a waiting list. So you may get a spot if a ball becomes available or you might have to wait another day…or more. However, once moored, you can stay as long as you’d like but usually boats move on after a night or two.  We were lucky to secure 5 of the 22 balls and waited out another northerly blast for 5 days. Actually, this was the same storm that pummeled New England—we just didn’t get the cold temps and 24” of snow! 

The north mooring field is a breath-takingly beautiful U-shaped bay with a sandbar in the middle which you absolutely must avoid or go aground.

We went on three snorkeling expeditions and took the requisite hike to the top of Boo Boo Hill to add our offering to King Neptune (a piece of driftwood with Onward 2022 written on it)

We met a few new friends along the way—a scurrying land crab,

a flitting killdeer,

and a giant termite mound.

All the while we avoided the Poisonwood tree because, according to the sign, “All parts of the tree contain an allergenic compound called urushiol, which will cause an itchy skin rash when touched. The only known antidote…is the sap of the Gumbo-Limbo tree.” (Not sure where to find one of those so we maintained our distance. Trust me.)

We have taken this hike before (see Post #66) but have only seen evidence of the elusive hutia, a furry mammal that looks a bit like a little woodchuck to me.  Come to find out, they are nocturnal and are found at only three locations in the world, all small islands in the Bahamas. According to the Park info, hutias were an important food source of the native inhabitants of the Bahamas. But over the centuries their population became so depleted that, prior to 1966, they were thought to be extinct. They were “rediscovered” on East Plana Cay, and in order to protect the species, small populations were exported to Warderick Wells and Little Wax Cay. The current colonies are thriving and we saw their footprints everywhere:

The Park Headquarters has a stuffed example on view.

I mentioned above that we took three snorkeling excursions. My kids gave me an underwater camera for my birthday in anticipation of this trip.  How do I tell them that I have so far taken 45 photos—half of them blurry selfies since I hit the wrong button and almost all the rest of them show, well, grayish rocks. I know I took way more photos, definitely of fish, but I must have somehow shut the camera off to save battery life and just kept clicking away.  And the fish keep moving, folks, c’mon give me a break!

The thing is, I know that my children will not be surprised to read this. Sigh. I’ll try to post the two good photos soon. Somehow.

If you’re enjoying working from home during Covid, you might want to consider applying to be the Park Warden since this would be your view:

As an after thought, now that you’ve seen the map of Coco Cay, I thought you might get a chuckle out of these two from Warderick Wells. Pretty simple presentation, but you gotta love the names of the trails and beaches.

Post #98: Water, Water, Everywhere and Now a Lot to Drink!

Tuesday, January 25 to Wednesday, January 26, 2022

This is the day that we are going to learn how to make water!! Inspired by Mike and Sheri’s system on Fantasea (they live full time on their boat and even have a washing machine!—see below) we bought a Rainman desalination system and had it installed last August.

As I wrote the words “we bought,” I have to explain that before the ‘buy now” button was finally pushed, David and I had debated for over 2 months (1) which brand to buy; (2) where to put the equipment; (3) what size system; (4) where to put it; (5) whether to go with an AC or DC powered model; (6) where to put it; (7) whether to plumb it in permanently; (8) where to put it.  We made mock-up models out of cardboard and moved them around the boat. Finally (as in FINALLY, THANK GOD!) we agreed on a Rainman AC model that runs off our generator. We had the encased filters installed next to the shower head in the aft bathroom.  The pump, pre-filter and various hoses have a home on a new shelf built into the locker seen in the first photo below. The power supply unit (PSU) provides the power and pumping ability to draw water from the ocean, pressurize it and then press it through two 48” long reverse osmosis (RO) filters. The salinated brine is separated and pumped back into the ocean. The result: 35 gallons of potable water in an hour which we send directly into our water tanks.  We run it every 3 days or so to keep the membranes/filters clean.

Why is this worth the investment, space on the boat, and time and effort, you may well ask. Surely there must be water readily available if people are living on the islands we visit, right? 

Well, yes. And no. The operative phrase here is “readily available.” The RO water system on some of the islands is not always working.  Or is available at only some hours of the day.  And sometimes costs $ .50+ per gallon. That may not seem like much but last year we needed to buy water not only for drinking but for cooking, washing dishes, flushing toilets, handwashing our clothes, showering, etc. In addition, it’s important to remember that the municipal systems were built with taxpayer dollars for Bahamians.  We are guests and should not squander their precious aqua vitae. We are so fortunate in the US to have immediate and usually free sources of water that we don’t even give it a second thought. Yet it is an indispensable and limited resource to respect, conserve and treasure.

Last year David would take the dinghy to shore with our 5-gallon water jugs, fill them at the municipal pump or at a marina, carry and load them back onto the dinghy and come alongside Onward. We devised a pulley system to get the jugs (which weigh over 42 pounds when full) up from the dinghy, over the lifelines onto the mother ship and then, when it was calm enough, pour them into our water tanks (which hold almost 130 gallons total). Ever conscious of our aging back muscles, we opted for the water maker.

The riches of the sea have not only provided us with potable water but also fresh fish to eat (thanks to Mike on Fantasea and Sue on Miss Adventure).

and creatures who delight and others who sometimes give us pause.

The manatee above swam about in the marina on Great Harbour Cay. They are gentle, harmless animals that feed on sea grasses and algae, both plentiful in the Bahamas. But it is unusual to find manatees here.

There were two green turtles hanging around our boat in Warderick Wells in the Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park for the five days we were moored there. Sometimes they would just float for 15-20 minutes at a time, lifting their heads to take a breath and then continuing to just chill out. Unfortunately, they are endangered throughout the Caribbean and the total world population may be fewer than 500,000.

This nurse shark was attracted to the ultraviolet light shining off the stern of one of the boats in our fleet. Everyone says they are harmless. I am not interested in testing that theory.

Post #97: Treasured Islands

Tuesday, January 18 to Tuesday, January 25, 2022

The weather calmed down so off we went, bound for an anchorage at Little Harbour Cay and then spent the next night on the hook at West Bay on the island of New Providence (home to Nassau). 

We had to first go around the two small islands at the northern tip of Great Harbour Cay, each owned by cruise lines. You may have seen photos of them in TV ads for Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, promoted as their “private islands.” Although the islands were once called Little and Great Stirrup Cay and bordered Slaughter Harbour (I guess the marketing folks didn’t care much for those appellations), the two developments couldn’t be more different from each other.  Seen from a distance, Norwegian’s beach appeared to be a separated series of colorful lounge chairs and umbrellas for rest and relaxation. On the other hand,  Royal Caribbean’s island brought to mind the 1964 World’s Fair (remember the Unisphere?)!  

The “Perfect Day Coco Cay” sign could be seen a half mile off shore. (Since “cay” is pronounced “key,” I’m stymied by this phrase. What say you, Louise?)

You know by now that I felt compelled to learn more about this intriguing amusement park so I checked the Royal Caribbean web site. Looks like a lot of fun!

Our evening on Little Harbour Cay was a bit more subdued, but we felt like we were on our own private island paradise, too:

After a quiet night at anchor, we sailed to West Bay and then to Shroud Cay, one of our favorite places last year (check out Post #64). We had a terrific sail and tracked our friends on AIS.  A couple from Toronto, Jackie and Steve on Refuge 1, have joined our fleet. They sail a 39’ Dehler with a 6’ draft. They are one fast boat so we look forward to racing against them.

Our favorite adventure on Shroud is taking the Lazy River ride on the dinghies through mangrove forests to a pristine sugar sand beach and a natural “shoot the chute” rushing sluice. We met two couples from Greece who were visiting the Bahamas on a charter.  They whetted my appetite for chartering a catamaran and sailing the Greek isles! 

Here are three videos to give you a sense of the experience:

Since we were now in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, the islands, seabeds, flora and fauna are protected and the land is undeveloped except for the park headquarters. What a treasure!

But those north winds were following us and we needed to move on to a bay with more protection.  We moved all of 4.3 nautical miles to Hawksbill Cay to hopefully avoid rolling and pitching at anchor all night. We did not. After a night that felt like we were inside a washing machine, we were really glad to get back on land for a hike.  

We were joined by a family from Buffalo, NY, who sold their house, car, and belongings after the first 6 months of Covid, and bought a catamaran, New World. They moved aboard with their 7- and 5-year-old children and took off for the islands! 

Young Oliver led us to the site of a fresh water source that has been surrounded by a manmade wall. There was a bucket and sponge nearby and a sign that asked visitors to keep soap out of the well. Although we were all pretty hot, no one ventured to take a “shower” as the water was rather green and slimy.  However, I’m guessing birds and animals depend upon it.  There are very few sources of fresh water in the Exumas, one of the reasons we hardly hear or see any birds.

Another trail led us up a steep incline but the view from the top of the hill was well worth the climb.