Racing back to Nassau

Shroud Cay is probably the loveliest in the Exumas. We had a great day. The weather was perfect.
For three days now Idette has had a rash on her forehead that has been getting worse every day.
We had decided to race to Nassau: the loser pays for dinner at the Poop Deck restaurant.
The wind is helping and we are probably going to get there by three, in time for Idette to be seen by a doctor.
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Keeping up with the Joneses

I can't get over the image of zingaro looking at us, while it tried either to join us at the second anchorage or escape to Nassau without us.

Zingaro might have been onto something because contrary to the forecast it blew 19 knots from the SW , the side from which we were totally unprotected in that anchorage. To make matters worse there swells coming from the cut were at least three feet, so we rock and rolled all night long. Juan must have got up at least ten times to tie lines and try to stop the banging.

This morning, Sweet Tides smarting with envy and dying to get on the blog, since it couldn't untie itself, it let go of the dinghy. Luckily again the wind at night blew against the shore so it landed on the beach rather than in Nassau, so Juan and Mike were able to retrieve it, full of water and sand but intact.

Now we are on our way to Shroud Cay, closer to the Batelco tower so hopefully I won't need to hoist the Blackberry to the mast. I must confess that as we saw Zingaro loose yesterday my first concern was the Blackberry hanging from the mast. Talk about prorities, right?

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Zingaro on the loose

We finally cut our ties with the wifi in Warderick Wells and started moving north again. We stopped in Hawksbill Cay which is absolutely gorgeous. The weather ia helping too. After we tied to the moorings we went exploring in our dinghies. We had lunch at a lovely beach further north from our anchorage and as we were preparing to go further to see some caves we see the boat that was tied next to us, with its captain waving frantically at us. When we got closer they told us one of our boats was dragging. We sped back to the anchorage to see Zingaro completely loose and luckily drifting into the ocean rather than against the rocks. Somehow the knot had slipped and it got loose. What a fright.

Once we were sure it was secure we went out again.

Ths blackberries only work when we hoist them top the mast. So I am writing this and replying to emails and then up it goes again. Idette took hers to the beach and climbed a hill from where she also made it work. All this while our husbands complain. The latest slideshow shows Mike and me with our hands us holding the blackberries.

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Still in the Park!

We are tied down to the park, not because of its beauty, and it is beautiful, or the great many things you can do here. The reason of course is its wifi. Since the last Batelco tower was in Highborne and the next is in Staniel, our wonderful Blackberries are not working (except if we climb Boo Boo Hill, the highest elevation on the island). The truth is we have had  many decisions to make and tickets to buy so we did need the internet.

Tomorrow we will cut off our umbilical cord and be gone

The best laid plans...

Between the weather that has been very unstable, one day good and two bad and the need (mine and Idette's as our husbands constantly remind us) to find spots where we either have coverage for our blackberries or a hotspot for the internet, planning hasn't been easy. Especially if we add to that the need to be in places where we can pick up visitors and a job Idette and I were offered in the Dominican Republic,  and another job I was offered a job which more or less coincided with it so I couldn't accept and one of my friends who was coming over took it, so then her visit was postponed, too many balls up in the air.  So finally after going back and forth for a few days thinking where are we going to be to pick up Idette's friends and then be back in Georgetown to catch our planes, we managed to get it all squared away.

And then I called my daughter Joanna and asked her if we had received any mail - my daughter Sophia who normally takes care of our mail was away on holidays - and lo and behold we received a letter from the INS saying we had to be back in Washington on February 20 for our interview!! The worst part is in reality only Juan's letter arrived, and it had been re-mailed, (our mail is being forwarded so all sorts of things happen to it). I have to believe since we filed together that I also will have to be there for the interview. This means of course that tomorrow we will have to call to make sure and go back to the drawing board!!!!!

So with these news and Sweet Tides also worried about their son's choice of residency program and the weather which was gray and drab our exploration efforts were really half-hearted. We dinghied all the way to the Pirate's Lair, where we hadn't managed to get to the day before, and it was very beautiful. We just were too preoccupied to fully appreciate it.

We do have a plan for the next few days, we'll go back north first to Hawksbill, then Shroud, then Nassau again. The rest will depend on our phone call tomorrow. 

The best laid plans...

Between the weather that has been very unstable, one day good and two bad and the need (mine and Idette's as our husbands constantly remind us) to find spots where we either have coverage for our blackberries or a hotspot for the internet, planning hasn't been easy. Especially if we add to that the need to be in places where we can pick up visitors and a job Idette and I were offered in the Dominican Republic,  and another job I was offered a job which more or less coincided with it so I couldn't accept and one of my friends who was coming over took it, so then her visit was postponed, too many balls up in the air.  So finally after going back and forth for a few days thinking where are we going to be to pick up Idette's friends and then be back in Georgetown to catch our planes, we managed to get it all squared away.

And then I called my daughter Joanna and asked her if we had received any mail - my daughter Sophia who normally takes care of our mail was away on holidays - and lo and behold we received a letter from the INS saying we had to be back in Washington on February 20 for our interview!! The worst part is in reality only Juan's letter arrived, and it had been re-mailed, (our mail is being forwarded so all sorts of things happen to it). I have to believe since we filed together that I also will have to be there for the interview. This means of course that tomorrow we will have to call to make sure and go back to the drawing board!!!!!

So with these news and Sweet Tides also worried about their son's choice of residency program and the weather which was gray and drab our exploration efforts were really half-hearted. We dinghied all the way to the Pirate's Lair, where we hadn't managed to get to the day before, and it was very beautiful. We just were too preoccupied to fully appreciate it.

We do have a plan for the next few days, we'll go back north first to Hawksbill, then Shroud, then Nassau again. The rest will depend on our phone call tomorrow. 

Blustery, blistery day

True to the forecast, for once, it started blowing very early today, over 20 knots. So we decided it was the perfect weather for a hike. We packed a picnic and by 10:30 we had left our dinghies in the dinghy dock and hit the trails. Hiking trails are well marked on the island and there are several options. Of course as is always the case we started full of energy and ambitiously decided to go all the way to the southern end to a place called Pirate's Lair. It's a long hike and you climb up and down shaggy rocks. The island is made of coral and the stones are really jagged so you have to make sure where you put your foot. The views were magnificent and in fact it was perfect for hiking because otherwise we would have melted. Three hours into the walk we were still miles away from the Pirate's Lair so in a wise and executive decision lead by Idette and me we decided to go back. Of course we had walked three hours, se we knew we had to walk another three. By then our energy was definitely half full. 

We had our picnic lunch on Beryl Beach, on the protected side of the island so we went in the water and then ate. Eating made the energy level go to half empty. But the weather was beginning to change for the worse and it looked as it might rain. So we dragged ourselves up and marched back. We managed to find a shortcut through the beach and going around the rocks in the water where it was shallow. My feet were already sore when we sat down for lunch but the sand and the water made it much worse. I don't think I will ever be able to walk again!

The forecast tomorrow is for calm weather so dinghy rides and snorkeling

Exuma Park

I was sad to leave Norman Cay, I could have stayed several days, but the weather forecast for tomorrow again talks of high winds from the North so we decided to play it safe and come to the Exuma Park where there are mooring balls and we would be more protected. The park has grown and now there are mooring balls in other cays, not just Warderick Wells. It is as beautiful as we remembered and the added bonus is that is has wi fi. Not a minor enticement given that the Blackberry does not work here. We left the Batelco tower in Highborne and the next is only in Staniel Cay.
Today the weather is perfect, we went snorkeling for a while, but the water is so transparent you don't need to get off the boat to see the fish.

Dolphin, dinghy ladder and great day

The only thing I don't like about snorkeling is having to climb back into the dinghy. I have no strength in my arms or I don't have knack of how to do it or whatever it is but the truth is it always ends up with Juan having to pull me in anyway he can and not only is it not a pretty sight but one of these days I could end up with a dislocated shoulder. The steps we have tried to improvise never work because the dinghy is round and they end up underneath and useless.
But while we were on Allan cay we saw a dinghy ladder which Spartina had that juts out and works perfectly.
I thought of ordering one but it would have been a certain hassle to have it delivered here, somewhere and plus and it has to go through customs so we need to send our cruising permits. Also it cost 250 dollars which is not a minor consideration. So ever since I have been bugging Juan for him to build me something similar
Yesterday we arrived in Norman Cay at midday. The weather is not quite settled, there were still a few showers but as soon as the sun came out we went for a walk on the island. Its claim to fame is that it used to belong to a Colombian drug dealer so it has a landing strip, a plane that obviously missed it and is now in the middle of its inner pond and a dump with stuff that used to be in the housing complex. Among all the engines and refrigerators and even another small plane wreck was an aluminun recliner which Juan recognized as the skeleton for my dinghy ladder. And today he went over in the dinghy, sawed off what we didn't need and brought it back. We sanded it and put some padding on the areas it touches the dinghy and on the steps and it worked!!
We went snorkeling by the plane wreck and when Idette and I chickened out when we saw a big barracuda we were able to swim back, climb onto the dinghy and wait for Juan and Mike to return. Then we went exploring in our dinghies. We saw turtles, a nurse shark and tons of conch. At times it was so shallow we had to walk the dinghies. A great day.
The dolphin was yesterday. After our walk as we were dinghying back to our boat we saw a dolphin right in front of us which jumped out of the water with a pirouette. Awesome!!


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Storm over, for the time being...

 It blew and it blew and then it blew itself away. So now we are getting ready to move again. Only the weather forecast is predicting another storm for the weekend so we are already trying to see where we are going to hide. Probably the Exuma Park in Warderick Wells, if we manage to secure to mooring balls. 

Yesterday was mostly a gray day se we just did things around the boat, clean, organize. But at night it was nice enough that we managed to barbacue in the the marina's grill and dine in their gazebo. 

Today we are off to Norman Cay which is about an hour or so away, we will probably leave by midday.

Like Lazarus he's back!

My computer came back to life and it has made me extremely happy. As it died when I was uploading photos, I won't even try now.
We are in Highborne Cay, at a marina because the forecast was ominous:30 knot winds and rain. It did rain and it has been blowing but the marina is extremely protected and we haven't really felt it. Also as always, the forecast was off, it should have started blowing on Saturday, but did not start till late last night. The good part was that we got to take a long walk on the island, the beach on the Atlantic is gorgeous, as nice as Harbor Island's, and then came back bathed in the beach that overlooks the banks - with a lot of trepidation because we also saw the sharks swimming off the docks and when we looked out at the water some of the "rocks" we saw out in the water around us. moved. Of course these are all nurse sharks and everybody says they are harmless, but they are really big and there are a lot of them. Pictures will follow - from another computer.
The bad part is we have to stay one more day at the marina because it is still blowing today, but if all that is bad was like this...

Hiding from a storm in Highborne Cay Marina

We had a wonderful day yesterday in Allen Cay but this morning it already started to blow over 20 knots so we weighed anchors and left to hide in a marina for the next two days when the forecast says it will blow up to 30 knots. 

Highborne is right next to Allen Cay, because of the corals you have to go out and around before entering the marina so it took us about 45 minutes to arrive. We were glad that we had made the reservation before we left Nassau because the marina is full and boats are still calling in asking for a slip. 

Everything here is atrociously expensive, you have to pay 4 dollars if you want to shower, water costs 50 cents a gallon, laundry 10 dollars and the beach is full of sharks, nurse sharks which apparently are harmless, but they are big enough to put you off swimming. The marina brochure says they are "pets"  and most of them are tagged so that they can be studies, but I am not so sure I want to be food for pets.

The cold front will have passed by Monday night, by then we should have left the marina and will go back to blackberry postings.

We made it!!

We are finally in the Exumas, in Allan Cay where almost exactly seven years ago we sailed in with Zingaro in its maiden voyage. And it's everything we remembered and more. The abacos are not for sailboats, too shallow. If you don't have a boat and want to spend a week in the Bahamas, don't choose Nassau, go to Marsh Harbor find a place in any of the islands and go island hopping on the ferries. Harbour Island in the Eleutheras was really special but again you reach it by ferry because it is surrounded by a reef called the devil's backbone.
The exumas on the other hand you can only really see if you come in a boat. The water is crystal clear, the snorkelling exceptional. But of course no internet (except for my blackberry) or hardly anything else. The new guidebooks say things have improved in the last eight years. But ypu know guidebooks! See to believe.
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Propane delay

Nothing truer than the saying that the only animal to hit the same obstacle twice (and thrice) is man. The last time we were in Nassau we bought our propane at a marina. You leave the bottle in the morning and the next day you pick it up. That much we rembered, what we hadn't remembered but has come back very clearly now, is that the next morning is a very broad concept. We had planned to leave by ten, as soon as we had picked up the propane and fueled. Well the propane arrived at two so we stayed one more day. While we waited Idette and I spent 4 hours at the starbucks using the internet. I couldn't stand so much coffee after a while. In the afternoon Idette and Mike went downtown with the other couple that crossed with us while we slept, read, and then Juan fixed a few things around the boat.
Now we are waiting for the Swetyes who are coming over for dinner (last night it was at their boat) and hopefully tomorrow at 8 we'll take off.
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Nassau

After reading the guidebook carefully and because we were worried about a cold front that was looming in the horizon we changed our plans and decided to come to Nassau and travel to the Exumas from here. Everywhere south of Spanish Wells in the Eleutheras was described as not cruiser friendly, either the holding was poor in the anchorage, or it was not protected so we decided after a lot of debating to sail into Nassau. It was a good crossing, the first calm ocean passage of the trip, but we made it just in time with rain pouring in as we sailed into the harbor. Nassau is always interesting, the anchorage is crowded and there is always a lot of traffic so you rock all the time but the weather is more settled today so we'll go across to the Atlantis to look at the aquarium and then tomorrow we head to the Exumas. My other computer died so I am here trying to get organized with this one, no more slide shows for the time being.

Serious Paradise

Guidebooks can be very deceiving, they talk about pristine beaches, pink sands, turquoise waters, "picturesque" towns and you end up looking at shacks by the water. Harbour Island on North Eleuthera however has outdone all our expectations. The town is indeed picturesque and full of character and the beach is UNBELIEVABLE!!! If you ever have money to spare and maybe a long weekend the Pink Sands resort in Harbour Island is the best investment. We went with two other couples in the high speed ferry that comes from Nassau and spent the day there: walked around town, had drinks at 11 am on the terrace of the Pink Sands, overlooking the sea and pretending we were staying there (we figured if we got a room we could have two hours per couple like the watches on the boat during overnights that's all we could afford). Then we walked on the beach and had lunch at a lovely place on the other side of the island overlooking the sound. On the way back we hired a water taxi.

Unfortunately the only internet connection here in Spanish Wells where we are, is my blackberry so I cannot post photos but I will as soon as I can. Tomorrow morning we leave for Hatchet Bay. Judging from what the guide says I doubt we'll have internet but we' ll see.

Apparently the weather is going to turn on the next few days, especially Thursday, if anybody finds any information we would appreciate it!

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Wonderful Royal Island

The weather is wonderful, we are in a secluded anchorage with five other boats and the snorkeling on the reefs on the north side of the island is spectacular. The night before last, we got together with the other cruisers aboard a Catamaran and decided to go snorkeling together, which is always better, the reefs are a mile or so out and the more we are the safer. We are always looking out for each other. We spent over two hours in the water which was absolutely transparent. At night we got together again and sang our hearts out. We even managed to stay awake until 10:30! Quite a feat. Today we will go snorkelling again and in the afternoon we'll head off for Spanish Wells where we will probably stay a couple of days. We need to get rid of our trash, get water, diesel and prepare for the next leg to the Exumas. Hopefully we'll also have internet.
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Redefining "doable"

When talking about the ocean passages we often heard them called doable by cruisers who obviously didn't want to say they did it but they wish they hadn't. Today was doable. We left with ten or twelve other boats who were anchored off Lanyard Cay ready to cross the cut in Little Harbor. This morning since 6:30 there was a lot of traffic on the radio, people exchanging weather information, because as always it was blowing much harder than what been forecast. In the end after many doubts and discussion we weighed anchor and left. All the boats left. When asked by the cruiser's net about the conditions on the passage one of the boats said doable. Yeah, right. It was very, very rough. Marcos was right on the button. 8 to 11 feet rollers from the side. Barfy, idettes ginger cookies came back to haunt her. Twice.
But after seven and a half hours of suffering (though four hours into the trip the waves came down a bit: seven to nine) we are back in parqadise: Royal Isalnd in the Eleutheras. No internet just the blackberry. So sorry for the typos its hard in this little keyboard!!!
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Aborted departure

We left Man o War calmly, headed south to Tiloo Cay when ten minutes into the trip, Sweet Tides called us to tell us they were burping the stuffing box yet again. A few minutes later they called again to say they had A LOT of water coming into the boat. So much that Mike asked us to call Tow Boat US, I did but they did not answer. Idette drove the boat while Mike tried to stop the water, getting all scratched in the process and bleeding all over the shaft. They had to stop the engine, open a sail and slowly make their way to Marsh Harbor. Juan remembered that Tow Boat US had told us - when they thought we had a problem in our stuffing box, to put a plastic bag around it with duck tape to hold the water. Mike did that and it helped. Water started trickling instead of pouring. Luckily Man o War is only an hour away from Marsh Harbor and the wind helped so jiving and jiving they made it to Marsh Harbor. Once inside they turned on the engine and tied in Harbor View Marina, again...
A mechanic from a boat yard on the other side of the island came over and apparently fixed the problem. The shaft had moved so no amount of burping would fix it. We will see tomorrow whether in fact it's fixed: see to believe. So no plans until we know. Juan is saying that cruising is stressing him too much, this is the last time we are doing this. Again, see to believe...
The mechanic's helper talked to Idette while the other guy was doing the work and told her the Abacos are infested with sharks!! and that his father had almost lost his leg to a barracuda!! I am glad we did not have the courage to make it to the mooring balls in Fowl Cay.

What a difference the sun makes!

Sunshine and calm winds made all the difference in the world. We explored the island on foot, dinghied from one end to the other and dinghied all the way to the Fowl Cays. We did not dare go out all the way to the mooring balls because it was very low tide and the only passage through the reef was through the inlet into the ocean which was rough or all the way to the other end, which would have meant at least two more miles. But we landed on the deserted cays, walked on the beach and saw hundreds of hermit crabs.
Today we are leaving Man o War. Pretty but a bit weird. The local population seem to be all members of the same family. All businesses belong to some Albury, Tom or Peter or Steven... This morning at 7 the ferry brought in Bahamian workers who leave the island at 4, none of them live on the island.

Man'o war Cay

Finally we managed to uproot ourselves from Marsh Harbor. The wind is still blowing over 20 knots but yesterday afternoon we left the marina and anchored in the harbor. Sweet Tides decided to stay one more night in the marina charging their batteries. Only last night there was a power outage in town and they did not notice their charger had stopped charging. Today we were all set to leave at two from Marsh Harbor when they realized their batteries were down to sixty four percent. So they stayed an extra half hour charging their batteries and we left at two forty five. Just so we could add some excitement to the blog their stuffing box needed burping, big time burping because a lot of water was coming in, but after some TLC it stopped and we managed to make it to Man'o war, barely. The entrance was really, really narrow and shallow, but once inside it is very protected. We grabbed some mooring balls and went for a walk in town where we took the pictures in the slideshow. Then we we came back, got our dinner ready and had another gourmet feast aboard Sweet Tides.
Tomorrow we will spend the day walking around the island, it is really very pretty, and then we will sail to Tiloo Cut and Little Harbor to get ready to make the passage to Eleuthera on Thursday when the winds and waves will hopefully be much better.

Man'o war Cay

Finally we managed to uproot ourselves from Marsh Harbor. The wind is still blowing over 20 knots but yesterday afternoon we left the marina and anchored in the harbor. Sweet Tides decided to stay one more night in the marina charging their batteries. Only last night there was a power outage in town and they did not notice their charger had stopped charging. Today we were all set to leave at two from Marsh Harbor when they realized their batteries were down to sixty four percent. So they stayed an extra half hour charging their batteries and we left at two forty five. Just to we could add some excitement to the blog their stuffing box needed burping, big time burping because a lot of water was coming in, but after some TLC it stopped and we managed to make it to Man'o war, barely. The entrance was really, really narrow and shallow, but once inside it is very protected. We grabbed some mooring balls and went for a walk in town where we took the pictures in the slideshow. Then we we came back, got our dinner ready and had another gourmet feast aboard Sweet Tides.
Tomorrow we will spend the day walking around the island, it is really very pretty, and then we will sail to Tiloo Cut and Little Harbor to get ready to make the passage to Eleuthera on Thursday when the winds and waves will hopefully be much better.

Still put in Marsh Harbor

The wind continued to blow hard today but luckily it has been veering and now the waves stopped knocking on our bedroom wall. Last night we slept in the front cabin but the noise of the lines kept waking Juan up, so he kept going out to ease the pressure. Mike and Idette had the same problem. With the wind change we managed a great nap. Maybe, just maybe we might be able to leave the marina tomorrow and start crawling out. Maybe to Man'o war Cay and then Little Harbor to wait for weather to cross to Eleuthera. It's an almost 60 mile stretch of open ocean so we have to make sure the weather helps.
In the meantime we walk to town. I have been in more hardware stores in a few days than in my whole life, and the worst is that given the lack of options I even relish it!! (well, not quite). In the evening we continue having wonderful meals. Since we slept in the afternoon we might even make it through a movie. Our last movie viewing experience was not too successful. It was the Sound of Music, with commercials. Juan went to bed halfway through, but he has seen it many, many times: my children and I love it. Mike said he had only seen it once when it first came out in the theater and dared claim it was corny! He did not see it this time either because he slept through it and only woke up during commercials to continue claiming it was corny!! (You know now what DVD he needs to get as a present) Idette and I saw it through. Idette hadn't seen it for a long time, but I even know the script by heart! - but with the commercials it went on forever, only for hardcore fans.

Revisionist History and Junkanoo

Come New Year and it seems nobody was sleeping through midnight but me! I heard the band play Auld Lang Syne when I was already in bed and remember nothing else, but all blog readers will be witnesses to the fact that at 11 pm I was awake writing. Juan says he woke up at 12:20, and Idette and Mike say they woke up at 11:58 and watched the revelers in the bar through the binoculars. I just record what they say, I cannot attest to anything but snoring. 

On the 1st however we made up for not popping the champagne to see the old year off, by celebrating the new with mimosas and a wonderful breakfast. Then we went off to Green Turtle Cay to see their Carnival which takes place on New Year and is called Junkanoo. We went in a bus rented by the cruisers in the marina and then took the ferry. The parking lot where we left the bus was packed. The Junkanoo is popular with the Bahamians themselves. There were food stands in the streets and after the carnival parade was over we went for a walk on the island and people watched. 

The forecast was for the weather to turn last night and it did, it started blowing really hard and it was hard to sleep with with the water hitting the hull. It blew the whole day today and is likely to continue tomorrow. The boat rocks and heels and it has cooled considerably. Not fun. Hopefully it will be over in a couple of days. In the meantime we continue to do things around the boat and add lines to make sure we don't take off like Peter Pan's boat and end up in Neverland!