Bahamas, 14-22 March 2009

14 Mar 09 –

Wanted to move out of the marina to the anchorage off Bullocks Harbor today, but spent too much time exploring the island the last couple of days, so now it is time to work.  Finished charging every battery big and small.  Filled the main water tank and several extra water jugs.  Walked into the village in the afternoon and bought a couple bags of groceries.  Going in, found a five-pound SCUBA weight along the road and stashed it to pick up on the way back, but received a ride back to the marina.  Will have to get the weight tomorrow.  Some local government recognition for the Pinder family was at the Rocky Hill Bar this evening.  About 8:00 pm the speeches were dying down and the food line was open, so I filled up on their free food.  John and Margie, who came in this morning on the S/V Free Spirit, were there for the free food too.  We talked until almost midnight.  John is from Denmark and they spent several years as missionaries in the Philippines.  Several people left today:  Mike and Harriet on the M/V Dual Dreams, Bill and Betty on the M/V Walkabout, and Dan and Myla on the S/V Keiros.

 

15 Mar 09 –

Left the marina around noon.  Spending $105 for three days’ stay is not bad.  Motored out to the anchorage, rowed to town, and picked up the SCUBA weight I found yesterday.  None of the stores were open on a Sunday afternoon, so it was really just a nice walk.  The two main Bahamas radio stations seem to be simply gospel shows, so Sunday is pretty focused on worship.  Sure enough, just after sundown an unintelligible grossly-amplified racket started up from the church in the village.  I cursed myself for anchoring so close to town.  No escape.  Eight boats were anchored in the darkness between me and the open water.  Stuck listening to a wounded buffalo bellowing in tongues through a cheap microphone.  There was nothing godly about that racket, so I figured the good Lord was too far away to hear my prayers.  But he did and she either keeled over, or the microphone shorted out, because the noise stopped and I was raptured into the mercy of sleep.

 

16 Mar 09 –

Headed northwest to Sandy Point in the Abacos.  Am playing the wind shifts to work my way east to Eleuthera.  Since the wind this time of year is predominantly from the east, it means jumping on any beneficial changes to work to windward.  It will be critical later in the trip working directly into the trade winds.  Left Bullocks Harbor at 0920WT.  Positions enroute:  1240WT 2552 7752, 1502WT 2558 7744, 1756WT 2600 7733.  Anchored at 2029WT 2601 7725.  By then it was dark and I anchored a ways off to avoid running aground.

 

17 Mar 2009 –

Pulled up the anchor and moved closer to town.  Rowed ashore and found one working phone booth.  Asked about the Internet at the phone company office and received a too-proud reply of, “Oh no, we don’t have that here”.  Walked to both ends of town and ate a lunch of fried chicken, salad, and French fries at Nancy’s Seafood, seemingly the only restaurant in town.  Two grossly-overweight, not yet sunburned, American couples were also eating there.  I just sat there in awe of their genuine display of ugly-americanism.  Bought a couple bags of groceries and 5-gallons of diesel, and rowed back to the boat.  Took a nap and woke up about 6:00 pm to find the wind was just right, so I pulled up the anchor and was underway for Eleuthera by 8:00 pm.

 

18 Mar 09 –

Several ships out in the channel.  Positions enroute:  0440WT 2539 7719, 0602WT 2536 7717, 1352WT 2524 7714, winds very light with a leftover 6-foot swell, 2345WT 2522 7706.

 

19 Mar 09 –

Quite a bit of rain last night.  Am wet all over and chilled.  Dug out the wool long underwear again.  Positions enroute:  0405WT 2519 7658, 0741WT 2513 7654, passed through Fleeming Channel into the Bight of Eleuthera.  Anchored at 1344WT 2510 7648 out in the open in 22-feet of rough water simply to sleep.  Thinking was very foggy and was making dumb mistakes.  Where to go now?  If the wind helps, I will go to Rock Sound, Eleuthera.  Decided last night not to go to Spanish Wells in northern Eleuthera, but to keep working south wile I can.

 

20 Mar 09 –

Woke up at 1:00 am and the boat was bouncing all over.  The wind still had not shifted enough.  May have to skip Eleuthera all together and head straight south to the Exumas.  Pulled up the anchor at 0908WT at 2509 7644.  Positions enroute:  1148WT 2508 7635, 1438WT 2508 7624, was able to set the wind vane, 1658WT 2502 7618, 1835WT 2456 7616.  Anchored off the town of Rock Sound at 2117WT 2451 7610.  From five miles away, I heard loud disco music.  Not sure what the event is, but maybe that is why they call this place Rock Sound.

 

21 Mar 09 –

Pulled up the anchor about 8:00 am.  Motored straight into a strong wind to get closer to town.  Seven other sailboats were anchored there and many of the people on the boats were watching the new guy.  Anchoring is the first test.  Nobody wants someone too close, or someone who might drag anchor and become a hazard.  Dropped anchor at 0900WT 2452 7610 just offshore from the new 4 Points Bar and Marina (lots of bar and no marina).  Spent a couple hours changing from sailing configuration to living configuration.  Rowed ashore and found a bank with an ATM.  The first I have seen in the Bahamas.  This ATM had a maximum limit of $3000 and did not charge any usage fee.  Why can’t we have ATMS like that in America?  Walked to the ocean side of the island.  Thank God for the harbor.  The ocean was a raging mess.  Stopped to look at a blue hole on the southern edge of town.  Met three couple from the other sailboats.  Sailors who anchor seem a little stoic and not as friendly as sailors who tie up in a marina.  Talked to several locals at the 4 Points Bar.  They complained that the tourism companies were building big self-contained developments isolated from the real Bahamas, so the locals saw very little of the tourist dollars.  It was ironic that the 4 Points Bar itself was created to capture those tourist dollars by busing passengers there from the cruise ship to see the “real Bahamas”.  The 4 Points Bar is a tacky, Disney parody of a tropical bar.

 

22 Mar 09 –

The wind was gusting 25-30 knots today and the boat was bouncing around on a one-half inch nylon anchor line.  Amazing that it holds.  My anchor routine is:  Pick a sandy spot.  Throw the anchor out about ten feet and let the weight of the chain pull it into the correct position as it sinks.  Let out about seven times as much line as the water depth.  Tidy up the boat and give the anchor at least an hour to wiggle itself into the bottom.  Strip down to swim trunks, rub shampoo into my hair, jump in the water, swim down to make sure the anchor is set properly, swim back to the boat, dry off, and put on clean clothes to go to town.  Today was Sunday.  Wasn’t sure what to expect in town.  The grocery store was closed, but their WiFi was still on.  Connected to the Internet for the first time in almost a month.  Walked to the northern side of the sound to see the beaches.  It is amazing how remote and undeveloped most of this country is.  I think the locals would be content to all sit under the same tree, drinking from the same bottle and listening to the same preacher.  They do not have the individualist, explorative nature that prompted Americans to settle a vast wilderness.