4 - 12 May 2009

4 May 2009

Listened to the morning shortwave weather forecast from Chris Parker's Caribbean Weather Center.  Then pulled up the anchor at 7:10 am and headed over to Goat Cay.  Decided midway that the two-mile walk between town and Goat Cay would get old carrying groceries and water, so decided to move right into the anchorage just off Georgetown.  The Pequod has shallow enough draft to squeeze into some places the bigger boats cannot go.  Sure enough there was a spot.  Anchored at 0800 WT 2331 7547.  Rowed ashore and dumped a bag of trash.  Then walked to J & K Productions, the third-world shack internet spot, to update the blog and check email.  Rowing through the narrow cut into Lake Victoria was easy because the tide was flowing in.  But, it was still flowing in a few hours later when I left and getting out was hard.  The channel is barely wide enough for two 6-foot oars, so when you smack one rock wall with an oar you are swept back to the start.  A couple of fellow boater comments today reminded me that everyone else uses an outboard.  Oh well, the original advertisement for Seagull outboards in the 1940’s touted it as a device “for those too weak to row ashore.”

 

5 May 2009

Spent a couple of hours cleaning the boat, then went ashore and washed clothes.  Two weeks of laundry was less than one load.  Went to both grocery stores in Georgetown.  It is fun trying to guess which items are cheapest at which store.  In the end it is about as successful as playing the stock market.  Back at the boat, some fancy catamaran was anchored real close.  Looked like a charter boat with two vacationing couples aboard.  They made a big deal about getting ready to watch the sunset, but they were too close and the Pequod was blocking their view.

 

6 May 2009

Stayed anchored just off Georgetown.  Decided against docking at the marina.  Partly because the boat was ready, but mainly because of all the work of setting up fenders and docklines, and then adjusting them to compensate for the tide.  Then realized there would also be more noise, less cooling breeze, more insects, and more smells if tied up to land.  Anchoring can be much easier and nicer.  Arranged for a local Bahamian to pick Jim up at the airport.  The evening dinghy row against the wind and waves out to the boat with two people and bags on board a 7-foot, 6-inch rubber dinghy was a workout.

 

7 May 2009

Mark and Rachelle dinghied over in the morning and we discovered they were anchored close by.  Moved over to Stocking Island and anchored at 1100WT 2331 7545.  Walked across to the ocean side and swam in the surf.  Then ate lunch at the St. Francis Resort.  The proprietress, Jill, came to the Bahamas from South Africa several years ago.  We relaxed for awhile in some shaded chairs by the Chat-n-Chill Beach Club.  Then we sailed back to Georgetown and anchored at 1700WT 2331 7547.  Mark and Rachelle invited us to a delicious spaghetti supper onboard Markelle.

 

8 May 2009

Moved to Monument Beach, also known as Hamburger Beach, and anchored at 1100WT 2332 7546.  Helped a fellow cruiser, Dave on the catamaran Cimarron, remove his torn jib sail so he could take it to town and get it repaired.  Then hiked up to the monument, which is really the remaining concrete foundation of a long-gone beacon.  Then hiked down the other side of the hill to the ocean and swam in the surf to cool off.  We stopped by the Peace and Plenty Beach Club on the way back and found out they were definitely having their Friday night barbecue with music.  With some afternoon time to kill, we hiked north along the beach to a spot in the casuarina trees where several hammocks were hanging.  We lay in the hammocks until time to meet Mark and Rachelle at the barbecue.  The barbecue food was good, but the extra-loud Bahamian music seemed to drive most of the customers away right after eating.

 

9 May 2009

Linda, on the nearby sailboat Spitfire, came over mid-morning to see if we wanted a dinghy ride, since she saw we had no outboard.  She grew up on a boat and has been sailing her whole life.  Now she is fighting maintenance gremlins on her boat before sailing alone back to Connecticut.  Dave, on Cimarron, took his torn jib sail to a Haitian-run upholstery shop in a little shack in Georgetown.  The Haitians in the Bahamas are held in the lowest economic levels by a surprising amount of prejudice.  Some black Bahamians quote centuries of supposed African history and describe the traditional slave tribes the Haitians descended from as justification for their discrimination.  Mid-afternoon, we moved north to Lilly Cay (1530WT 2333 7547), snorkeled a hole in the reef, and saw several fish.  At the next hole, we saw the tail of a shark.  Jim thought I was teasing, but on his third cautious trip looking into the hole, he saw the shark.  We decided to move away.  Jim found a live conch on the bottom of a large grassy area.  Moved back to Stocking Island and anchored at 1820WT at 2331 7545.

 

10 May 2009

We went ashore mid-morning and relaxed in a couple beach chairs.  The bahamian proprietor of the Chat-n-Chill made an ugly display when he began harassing a lady for bringing food onto his property.  He wants to sell everything consumed there.  But, she had purchased her diet Coke at his bar and the small bag of meat she carried was to feed the stingray, which is a great attraction for the other customers.  Later, he tried a half-hearted apology to preserve our business, but the apology slipped into obvious lies as justification for his actions.  He seems to be spoiled by a great business location and is letting his hospitality degenerate.  This was the second time I have watched his quick-flaring hatred of customers.

 

11 May 2009

Still anchored off Stocking Island in front of the Chat-n-Chill.  Just after breakfast, world-cruiser Tina Dreffin, of www.yachtscud.com, and her visiting sister Lisa, invited Jim and I to snorkel at a couple of blue holes.  The first blue hole had a couple of large lobsters and a school of fish at the entrance.  The second blue hole was covered in murky water, so we did not dive down to it.  Swimming back to the dinghy, a leopard ray and a school of angel fish made appearances.  In the afternoon, Lisa accompanied Jim and me to the ocean side to play in the small surf on a boogie board and a surfboard.  The day ended with an enjoyable dinner at the St. Francis Resort.

 

12 May 2009

Moved to Georgetown and tied up at the marina (Exuma Docking) at 1130WT 2330 7546.  The marina is badly silted and the first spot was so shallow the ebbing tide would leave us aground, so we moved to a deeper spot.  Am now trapped by a shallow sandbar and can only leave at high tide.  The east wind brought so much nasty chop into the marina that I actually set an anchor off the side to keep the Pequod from beating against the dock.  We checked email, bought a phone card, used an ATM, ate a hamburger, and arranged for an early morning taxi.  Even got my first haircut since leaving Mississippi.  Then Jim packed to leave early in the morning.  After that we ate a delicious supper at the Peace and Plenty Hotel. 

30 April - 3 May 2009

30 April 2009

Spent most of the afternoon at Long Island Breeze Resort.  They require a $4.00 minimum purchase to use their WiFi, but most of the afternoon I was the only customer in the place.  They definitely are not getting rich.  Decided to leave in the morning for Georgetown, Exumas.  This will give me few days to get ready for Jim Boernge’s visit.  Stopped by to see Mark and Rachelle in the evening.  They will sail to Georgetown in a few days to get ready for the upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic via the Turks and Caicos islands.

1 May 2009

Pulled up the anchor at 08:00 am.  Sailing under just the Genoa at 4-5 knots made for an easy downwind sail all the way to Georgetown.  Hoisting the Main would have given me a little more speed, but the wind vane self-steering unit probably could not have handled the light air and following seas.  Quite a few cruising boats were still in the Georgetown Harbor after the annual Family Island Regatta, so I anchored at the northwest end of the boats along Stocking island, north of the shipping channel just off Monument Beach, also known as Hamburger Beach.  Anchored at 1740WT 2332 7546.  Hiked across Stocking Island to see if the beaches and waves were okay for surfing, but found too many coral heads and rocks for a beginning surfer to crash into. 

2 May 2009

A tremendous herd of boats left the harbor this morning.  At one time I could see 18 boats heading north in a long line.  Many are using the settled weather to make long trips back to the United States.  The radio waves were full of people saying goodbyes to new-found friends and promising to come back next year.  Many of the cruisers spend the winter in Georgetown.  They build a community much like the large retirement communities in Arizona.  Substituting yachts for motorhomes and dinghies for golf carts, their lives seem to be an endless cycle of planned activities.  Yoga, swimming lessons, Happy Hours, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and even Jehovah’s Witness church services are on the menu.  I spent the day on the boat consolidating and stowing stuff in an effort to get my second bunk free before Jim arrives. 

3 May 2009

More boats left this morning and the count of cruising boats in the harbor is now down to 70.  Went ashore in the early afternoon and hiked up to the monument on Stocking Island, to get some exercise and take some pictures.  On the way, noticed the Peace and Plenty Beach Club was open.  Of course my wallet was still safe and dry on the boat, so after the hike, retrieved the wallet and went to socialize at the club.  Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening talking with a cruiser named Gary from the Florida Keys who sails a 40-foot Hunter sailboat named Escada.

26 - 29 April 2009

26 April 2009

Mark, Rachelle, and I hitchhiked 12 miles north to Stella Maris Resort to use their WiFi.  Five dollars for all day WiFi was a good deal.  A local lady and her daughter gave us a ride all the way to the resort.  She was testing the new engine in her old car.  The high import taxes make new cars expensive, so the locals just keep bandaging their old cars as long as they can.  Very few accessories work, such as speedometer, engine guages, or air conditioner, so the car is basically nothing but a motor and a body rattling down the road.  Later, we walked about a mile back before a local family in an old minivan gave us a ride home.  It was almost dark when we returned, but Rachelle made her delicious lobster pasta for supper.

27 April 2009

Walked over to the ocean side today for some exercise and to explore a new stretch of beach.  I keep hoping to find a stretch of beach with good surf to try out my surfboard, but most of the beaches are protected by off-lying coral reefs that break up the surf.  Then, bought some groceries on the way home.  Basically did very little today except hang out for one more day in a tropical paradise.

28 April 2009

Long Island Breeze Resort re-opened today.  Mike, one of the owners, had been sailing in the Family Island Regatta over in Georgetown, while his wife Jackie was shopping in Fort Lauderdale.  Their WiFi is excellent, even though their resort lacks a certain air of hospitality.  In the evening, Mark, Rachelle, and I joined Peter and Monica Holter on their boat Tava for Happy Hour.  Tava is a remarkable steel sailboat the the Holter family has sailed on for several years throughout the Caribbean.  We experimented with various mixtures of coconut milk, pineapple juice and rum.  Peter's mixture won the taste test.

29 April 2009

Mark and I explored a nearby cave.  It was quite large, with many branches and side chambers.  Then we spotted the supply boat coming into the harbor, so we walked into town to watch it.  In the afternoon we walked over to the ocean side to snorkel the reefs again.  Several large fish were hiding amongst the coaral heads and Mark spotted a lobster.  I slid over a coral head and discovered an 18-inch diameter sleeping sea turtle.  His sixth sense saved him from my grasping hands and he darted away.

18 - 25 April 2009

18 April 2009

Smith Bay Harbor is very protected and it was a quiet, still night.  Mark and I walked a mile south to Ferndandez Bay Resort to check for WiFi.  Fernandez Bay Resort seems to be a family run affair.  Things were clean and well-arranged.  The overall air was one of very respectable hospitality.  Definitely not created by locals.  However, even though the had WiFi, they would not let non-guests use it.  Seems that people in the past had abused their limited bandwidth.  One of the teenagers did tell us that Sammy T’s Resort about 15 miles north had WiFi.  A phone call to Sammy T’s confirmed it.  Tomorrow we are sailing north to Sammy T’s. 

19 April 2009

Left Smith Bay Harbor at 7:20 am.  Anchored north of Bennett’s Harbor, right in front of Sammy T’s Resort at 1150WT 2434 7539.  Went ashore right off and were quite impressed with the landscaping of the resort.  They used native plants and really created a work of art.  However, their WiFi system was terribly slow.  Connecting was the first struggle.  Then, every page that finally loaded seemed to take forever.  In the entire afternoon, I read two emails and sent one.  Is there any useable WiFi on this island?

20 April 2009

Last night, Mark, Rachelle, and I decided to sail south to Hawks Nest Point today.  A resort there may have WiFi, and it also puts us closer to Georgetown.  I need to be in Georgetown the first part of May to meet Jim Boernge.  Then the boats Markelle and Pequod will sail together through the southern Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos Islands, and then on to the Dominican Republic to hide out from hurricanes.  Pulled up the anchor at 09:20 am.  Positions enroute:  1204WT 2421 7543, 1535WT 2418 7535.  Anchored at 2146WT 2411 7529.  Most of the trip was spent tacking directly into the wind.  Very slow trip.  Trailed a fishing line, but only caught some sea grass. 

21 April 2009

Mark took his two folding bicycles ashore.  We rode three miles down a dirt road to Hawks Nest Point Resort.  A real nice place with brightly painted cottages, paved streets, a private airport, and a clean marina stocked with high-dollar sport fishing boats.  We peddled right through the front entrance and settled down in the deserted marina clubhouse.  Their WiFi worked great.  What a surreal experience to finally find high-quality, open WiFi in a deserted building.  Nobody seemed to mind as we peddled home later in the afternoon. 

22 April 2009

An approaching weather system convinced us to head further south, back to Thompson Bay, Long Island.  That will put us closer to Georgetown.  This week in Georgetown is the Family Island Regatta.  The biggest event there all year.  It is a Bahamas national-level sailing championship, so anchorages, docks, and stores will be crowded with people in town for the regatta and the parties.  Pulled up the anchor at 07:30 am.  Positions enroute:  0900WT 2410 7533, 1207WT 2358 7530.  Anchored ate 2200WT 2321 7508 in Thompson Bay.

 23 April 2009

Pulled up the anchor and moved a little closer to shore, and closer to a good dinghy landing.  Without an outboard motor for the dinghy, I like to be close to shore.  In the afternoon Mark, Rachelle, and I hitchhiked eleven miles south to Max’s Conch Bar to use their WiFi.  The second car along the road gave us a ride to Max’s.  We spent a couple of hours relaxing in the shade and using their internet.  Mark and Rachelle were able to use their free, internet-based telephone service called Skype.  The trick is to find enough bandwidth.  Many of the internet connections in the Bahamas cannot support Skype.  Getting home took two rides.  The first was from a local policeman, since he was only going halfway he arranged our second ride with a friend.  Who needs a car?

 24 April 2009

Wired up a remote speaker to my VHF radio.  The engine, when it is running, makes too much noise to hear the radio.  Now, the remote speaker can be held next to my ear when I am steering the boat.  In the afternoon, walked over to the ocean side of the island, then a mile south along the beach.  There were many shallow reefs just offshore that broke up the ocean swells.  Along the shore were several small coves with sandy beaches.

 25 April 2009

Helped Mark repair a 12-volt power cord for his laptop computer.  Then we spent the afternoon snorkeling the reefs on the ocean side.  Saw lots of fish.  Several large parrotfish were hiding under the coral ledges.  A couple of large groupers caught our eye.  One fish was huge, but not sure what kind it was.  Mark came close to a nurse shark and I spotted a couple of young barracuda.  Finally, with the rising tide bringing more waves in, it was time to quit and head home.

8 - 17 April 2009

8 April 2009
Packed the laptop to town and connected to WiFi at the Long Island Breeze Resort, http://www.longislandbreezeresort.com/ The resort is the creation of three investors. In many ways it is much too nice for the area, but its poor location will keep it from ever being a destination resort. Two of the investors run the daily operations and it seems they are in a long, slow slide to losing their money. Their desperate actions to save money just drive away the few customers that do stop in.

9 April 2009
Mark and I decided to spend the day exploring. We sailed my boat a few miles and anchored at 2317 7507in the bight just south of Dutchman’s Point. Close to where we landed the dinghy is an old Spanish church, built in the 1500’s. It is in sad shape and there is no evidence of anyone trying to save it as an historical site. Then we hitchhiked about 12 miles southeast to the world’s deepest blue hole. Last week a woman set a world record there for free diving. Today, Mark and I swam around the edge of it while several European free divers were practicing in the center. The blue hole is 660 feet deep and the water is quite cool. We hitchhiked back to the dinghy and rowed out to the boat, only to find that the tide was out and we were stranded on a sandbank for 4 hours. Finally, the tide came back enough to clear the sandbank and we returned to Thompson Bay by 9:00 pm.

10 April 2009
Sailed from Thompson Bay to Hog Cay. Left Thompson Bay at 10:30 am. Positions enroute: 1215WT 2324 7513, 1420WT 2333 7521. Anchored west of Hog Cay at 1520WT 2336 7521. Snorkeled a nearby reef and found several coral heads with fish. Hit a couple of fish, but they were too close to the coral and the spear did not penetrate enough for the barbs to open, so the fish wiggled off and got away. I figured a couple of wounded, bleeding fish would attract any nearby sharks, so I quit for the day.

11 April 2009
Sailed from Hog Cay to the south end of Calabash Bay. Left Hog Cay at 12:30 am. Anchored at 1400WT 2338 7521. Several resort houses along the beach and a nearby dive boat full of divers from Stella Maris kept me from spearfishing, since there may have been some local regulation prohibiting spearfishing there. Instead, swam ashore to the beach about a quarter-mile away and swam back for the exercise.

12 April 2009
Left Calabash Bay at 10:30 am. Just a short sail north past St. Peters Point to the next bay. Anchored at 1130WT 2340 7521. Markelle and Pequod were the first two boats there. By evening there were three more. Mark and I took his dinghy about a mile north and climbed up the point where a monument stands to Christopher Columbus. We checked likely reefs for spearfishing spots on the way back. I then rowed to a nearby reef and speared a couple of fish. It was too easy. Climbed out of the dinghy onto a submerged coral head. Sank down the other side of the coral head, speared a small snapper, and put it in the dinghy. Went back and speared a medium snapper. Went back a third time for a big snapper hiding under the coral, but almost had to push a large barracuda out of the way. He was waiting to take the next fish I speared. If he already knew what I was doing, then surely the local sharks were coming over for dinner. Time to quit fishing for the day and eat own my supper.

13 April 2009
A cold front coming into the northern Bahamas will cause the wind to shift westerly and this bay is too exposed to the west, so we decided to head north to Cat Island. One thing to see on Cat Island is the Hermitage, hand-built by Father Jerome as a retirement home at the age of 62 on the highest hill in the Bahamas. Pulled up anchor at 10:00 am and put the dinghy on the foredeck. Nice day sailing north. The seas were fairly calm and there was a light southerly breeze. Positions enroute: 1201WT 2348 7524, 1405WT 2358 7527, 1808WT 2412 7527. Anchored at 1900WT 2414 7524. Anchored just west of Old Bight, Cat Island. Not sure what is in the water, but the bottom is quite dark. Unlike the clear water so far in the Bahamas.

14 April 2009
Went ashore about 10:00am and walked to the southern end of Old Bight. Then walked to the northern end. Lots of abandoned, small stone houses. The locals complain of a shortage of land, but they have a form of property ownership called “generation property” where property is passed to the entire surviving family. For anything to be done with the land, the whole family must agree and sign a document. One person can hold up the whole process. Much of the so-called land shortage in the Bahamas seems to be caused by this outdated law. Hence all the unused stone houses. Picked several coconuts and took them back to the boat for food, and the fun of chopping them open.

15 April 2009
Stayed anchored off Old Bight until 3:00 pm and then sailed north to New Bight. Quite rough because swell is coming straight into the harbor. Rowed ashore and walked a mile south along the main road. On the way back, I passed the local policewoman, Ella Mae Rolle. She was walking along the road carrying a swagger stick, going to her evening check on an elderly couple, a blind man and a crippled woman. Ella Mae, as a cop, definitely wanted to assess the new stranger in town, and called me over to talk. At the same time, she seemed to be a genuinely nice person. Maybe America could improve its police effectiveness by having cops to walk through neighborhoods, talk to people, and check on those who need help.

16 April 2009
Still anchored off New Bight, Cat Island, which is still quite rough with the westerly swell. When will the wind finally shift north? By 9:00 am was walking up Como Hill, the highest hill in the Bahamas. On top is the Hermitage that Father Jerome hand-built at age 62 and lived there until he died at 80. Father Jerome followed a wandering career path, starting as an architect, an Anglican priest, a wagon driver, a bush missionary, a Catholic priest, and finally a hermit. Explored a cave on the way back, but it was too full of bats. Carried a bag of laundry 2 miles south and washed clothes for the first time in a month. Actually, washing shorts and t-shirts in salt water works okay if you can dry them in hot enough sunshine to crystallize the salt, then shake the salt crystals off. Walked to a grocery store a mile north of town. Carrying groceries on the way back, decided to stop at a barbershop and get a haircut. No deal. Haircuts for “Whites, Indians, and Chinese” were $20 and about 3 times more expensive than for locals. The barber swore the price difference was because of the poor texture of their hair, but additional questioning drew out amazingly intense hostility. Not a friendly barber and not on the path to success.

17 April 2009
Move a couple miles north to Smith Bay harbor. Pulled up the anchor at 7:30 am and dropped it at 1030WT 2420 7528. Smith Bay Harbor is a small commercial basin where the supply boat docks. We rafted the two sailboats, Markelle and Pequod, to conserve room. Nice protected harbor with a short dinghy ride to shore. Filled several water jugs from a convenient spigot on the dock. Came here for the nearby Internet Café, which is a real disappointment. Once the ancient, ailing computers finally die, I think the proprietress will simply continue dusting them, while waiting for them to rise from the dead.