Changes in Latitudes....Changes in Attitudes

Changes in Latitudes...Changes in Attitudes
Today is Tuesday March 9th and we are in Black Point. Since my last entry we have met back up with First Edition, sailed 15 miles south to Galliot Cay and anchored for the night and continued on another 12 miles south to Lee Stocking Island where we have stayed for the last two nights. We had hoped to stay longer; however our plans of sailing to Cat Island and Little San Salvador evaporated when we listened to Chris Parker's forecast this morning. Once again we have a westerly cold front bearing down on us in the Exumas; however this time we are going to use the front to sail to the sothern part of Eleuthera....we hope.
The anchorage at Galliot Cay was very pleasant and we had the whole place to ourselves; however the temperatures kept the skinny dippers shivering and under cover. We have used our oil lamp most evenings to keep the chill out of the air. That being said the days have gradually been warming up and we seldom don't get in the ocean for a dip. We had a great sail down to Lee Stocking and were making high 6s and 7s on the knot metre. Once we got settled Peter picked us up for a walk ashore to stretch our legs. The next day we had a tour of The Caribbean Marine Research Centre. Its purpose is to conduct various reef and fish studies on the island and in its surrounding waters. One of the students who is interning there gave us our tour. She had just finished a three month study of tiger sharks in Eleuthera and is now studying the effects of global warming on coral...two very different subject areas. The centre had a group of 12 students from Bloomfield College in New Jersey there for a week's course. What a great experience for these young people. After our tour we hiked up Perry's Peak, (39 metres/125 feet) which is the highest spot in the Exumas. We made the mistake of taking a different route home along the razor rock edge of the island. It proved to be quite the challenge and we were grateful once we got safely back to our boats. Some of us are wearing bandaids today but for the most part we were very lucky considering where we had walked. After lunch we took the dinghy around Norman's Pond Cay where we had hoped to see the abandoned ruins in the salt pond. We had tried to get there when the tide was high enough to get into the pond; however by the time we had reached the mouth the tide had started to ebb so we decided to go shelling instead. We came away from the shelling with quite a number of conch shells that the captain is hoping to fashion into beautiful bowls. We were upset to see the number of small immature conch that were cut. Legally the conch are not to be fished until they have a significant lip which means that they are mature and can reproduce. As with so many sea creatures the conch are being over fished and it is not the cruisers that are doing the damage.
Today we had hoped to stay and do some more exploring at Lee Stocking but we decided that it was more important to take advantage of the good sailing day and to head north to Black Point. Before we left today we saw two dolphins fishing along the cay near where we were anchored. Unfortunately they did not come by and give us a smile for a picture but it was still nice to see them. We had a great sail up to Black Point averaging once again high 6s and low 7s on our knot metre. At least our short trip to Lee Stocking didn't cost us much in diesel fuel. Peter and Lynn had a two foot mahi mahi on their line but it spit the hook just as they had it up to the boat. We had one strike and the fish spit the hook before we even tried to reel it in. Thank goodness for chicken!? We are going to head into shore to do laundry and then to Deshemons for our usual conch pizza treat. Tomorrow we will continue north and stage ourselves for a sail to Eleuthera with the idea that we will still go to Harbour Island but from a different direction. Of course tomorrow is a new weather forecast and we always have to be prepared for changes in latitudes and changes in our attitudes!

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

The Waiting Continues

The Waiting Continues

We are all provisioned and set to sail to the Jumentos but the weather gods are not co-operating and we continue to wait for a weather window. This morning is(Monday February 22nd) it doesn't look like we will have an opportunity until after next weekend. That being the case it is likely that Lynn and Peter will be back in the Exumas before we leave. The problem with their motor is fixed (kill switch) so they are relieved. Lynn flies home tomorrow and will be back on Friday so depending on the weather they may be able to leave Nassau by Saturday. As the time goes by we are going to be more hesitant to go further south considering what a poor winter it has been for getting around. We have had lots of nice days but we have had more than our share of cold fronts that keep us from moving. I have read nine books so that tells you something about the weather. I would highly recommend the following...The motion of the Ocean by Janna Cawrse Escary, The Piano Man's Daughter by Timothy Findley, What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George, Isaac's Storm by Erick Larsen and The Cider House Rules by John Irving.

Since my last entry from Black Point we have checked out a couple of new anchorages in the Staniel Cay area. We stayed at Bitter Guana Cay the night before last. Bitter Guana Cay is home to dozens of iguanas. These iguanas are endangered and most of them have numbers painted on their sides so that they can be studied and identified. The only other place to see these animals is at Allan's Cay where there is a good population. Last year we saw iguanas in the Crooked and Acklins Islands but they were a smaller breed. These iguanas come right down to the beach looking for lettuce handouts. Lettuce for cruisers is like gold so I am not sure how much they get but they are definitely not too fearful of humans as you can see by the picture. Yesterday we anchored just north of Staniel by an island called Fowl Cay where there is a very small posh resort. Dinner for one is one hundred dollars so needless to say we aren't going out for dinner there. Sailing friends of ours, Heather and Murray on Windswept 4 call this area Oz. We hope to meet up with W4 in the next day or two. Heather and Murray have been coming here for a dozen years and have just returned from a month in the Jumentos. Yesterday we put Mr. J on Goldberry and did a little exploring. We had hoped to go further today but the front has come early and we are getting showers this morning. We are also getting some surge so I am feeling a little queasy so I will take a break from below decks and get some air in the cockpit.

How time flies when you are waiting for a weather window?! Today is Sunday February 28th and it has almost been a whole week that we have been hunkered down in Oz between cold fronts. The main problem has been the prevalence of north and west winds and short of Pipe Creek and this area there are not very many places that you can take a front and have the protection needed in high winds unless you go to Exuma Park and take a mooring. The other problem is that we can't seem to get more than a day or so of good weather in between the fronts. For instance yesterday was a beautiful day and we sailed Goldberry and went snorkelling and had a picnic on the beach with Heather and Murray. Last night the front came through with high winds and today it is still blowing. Tomorrow sounds okay but Tuesday we are expecting another front....the waiting continues. The good thing about this past week is that we have had an opportunity to spend some time with Heather and Murray. Murray has taken us to some great snorkelling places. Murray is a good fisherman and also hunts with a spear. We had a lesson in casting for snapper near a reef but the fish were too good at taking the conch bait and we were unsuccessful. We caught several pretty tropical fish but released them. Murray did spear some snapper for our dinner so we didn't go hungry. Our problem is that neither Rob nor I have the hunter instinct and would prefer the fish come to us cleaned and filleted. That being said we have tried to troll this season but have yet to catch anything to eat...the fish in The Bahamas have nothing to fear from us. In between cold fronts we have taken the opportunity to sail Goldberry which is such a joy and Heather and Murray had a little sail while we were onshore at The Goat Hair Salon. I had trimmed Rob's hair a couple of weeks ago but he is fearful of trimming my bangs so I try to do them myself. Both Heather and Murray have been cutting each other's hair for years and have all the right tools so by the time we left the beach we were all looking mighty fine. The beach we were on is a goat favourite as you can see from the picture. On the other side of the island there are some resident pigs that have become quite aggressive with dinghy visitors. They equate the sound of an outboard motor with food and have been known to try to climb into your dinghy. Both the pigs and goats belong to local Bahamians but there is no one living on the island. It has been a pleasure sharing some dinners and happy hours with W4 and we hope that we can introduce First Edition to them soon.

First Edition is on a mooring in the park north of here and may head south to meet us tomorrow. Lynn's trip to New Jersey went well and she is set until they return to the Chesapeake in May. We are undecided as to where we will try to go over the next three weeks but we will decide once we sit down with Lynn and Peter. They need to be to the Chesapeake in mid May and plan on leaving the Abacos about the same time we fly home in mid April.

Round Trip ...Norman's Cay and Back to Pipe

Round Trip...Norman's Cay and Back to Pipe

I am sittng under a towel on the patio at DeShemons Restaurant in Black Point using Simon's restaurant signal. We had hoped to have our usual conch pizza; however most of the residents couple of hundred citizens are in Nassau for a funeral of a 95 year old sea captain. The town is a little quiet; however Ida down at the laundromat is opening and closing Adderley's Grocery whenever someone wants into the store. We actually found several grapefruit there and some oranges...a wonderful find since Isle's Grocery had neither. We are now well provisioned and ready to head to the Jumentos if only the weather will cooperate? It sounds like it may be closer to the end of the week before we get our weather window. Once we leave you may not get a blog entry for a couple of weeks as we are really in the boonies in the Raggeds.

Before making the decision to go to Nassau Lynn and Peter had taken First Edition into Staniel Cay to try to find a motor mechanic to look at Mr.Mac the Merc. After waiting and not getting much help they decided that a trip to Nassau was a better choice so sailed back north to join us on the ocean side of Norman's Cay in a new anchorage for both of us. We had left in the morning (Monday February 15th) for the 35 mile trip to Norman's before we knew their new plan for Nassau. We have now decided that we will head to the Jumentos later this week rather than wait for First Edition to return from Nassau. We will pick up some diesel, do some provisioning in Staniel Cay and laundry in Black Point and take the next weather window to The Raggeds. We had returned through this area on our way back from the Dominican Republic last year and had really enjoyed getting off the beaten track. There are good charts for the Jumentos now but the navigating is tricky and there are no settlements for 60 miles so you are on your own. Lynn and Peter weren't with us last year because they had to pick up Peter's daughter in the Exumas so are really hoping to get there this year. If all goes well with Lynn's visit home and the outboard repair in Nassau we should meet up with them in the Jumentos or on our way back to the Abacos. At least we can stay in touch on the Single Side Band radio.

After reaching our anchorage yesterday we rowed to shore to do some beach exploring. There are a couple of lovely beaches but the shelling is poor; however it is always great to get to shore and stretch one's legs. This morning it is cloudy but we have decided that we will row to shore and explore the northern end of the cay. Lynn and Peter loaned us a book called Turning the Tide which is about Carlos Lehder's cocaine smuggling days on Norman's Cay in the 1970s so we are interested in exploring the ruins from those days. Rob rowed Lynn and I ashore in Goldberry and then returned for Peter. We explored and walked the north end of Norman's all afternoon. We found Lehder's house called the Volcano in his glory days on a cliff over looking the ocean. The house is being renovated slowly and has seen better days. We also found the remains of gates and other buildings in the compound. Another building built with a large deck over looking the ocean seemed to fit the description in the book of the party place. Ledher has been in jail since the early 1980s serving a 135 year sentence. He was in his late twenties when he was the king of cocaine. It is hard to believe that this small island was the centre of the Columbian cocaine trade. The book also mentions that Lehder was doing a fair amount of experimentation in the development of crack cocaine in a lab on the island. The captain rowed all of us back in one load...Lynn and Peter in the stern, then Rob and me in the bow. Goldberry was the star and the captain worked up an appetite for Lynn's dinner of linguine and clams. Lynn loves to cook and we are always spoiled when we have dinner on First Edition.

We had planned on staying for another day with First Edition but the wind direction was too good to pass up for a sail south. We seldom do our hull speed of 7.5 knots but we were seeing speeds of 8 to 9 knots and this is with a reefed main sail. The old girl was just a flying and the crew was working hard too. We had hoped to get to Staniel Cay for the mail boat but the wind direction and speed has driven us back to Pipe. We plan to leave tomorrow and with any luck there may be some groceries left because other cruisers couldn't get to the store. The mail boat can get to Staniel in most all weather conditions but the sail boats have to be more choosey. speaking of weather we have never worn our fleece as much as we have this year and we have seldom slept without a blanket on our berth. The cold fronts just keep on reaching the Exumas and that is not usually the pattern. Today we are bundled up in our fleece and staying below decks because the wind has a real bite to it. You can see from the picture of Rob at the helm that our fast sail back to Pipe was chilly. The captain keeps reminding everyone that it is winter in The Bahamas.

Fowl Cay and Back to Pipe Creek

A Trip to Fowl Cay and Back to Pipe

Today is Wednesday February 10th and we are back in Pipe Creek after a two day, one night trip north to Fowl Cay. Once again the weather has driven us back to an anchorage that gives us protection from the westerlies. Chris Parker, the morning cruiser's weather guru has said that this weather is very unusual for The Bahamas. In fact, the weather we are expecting this weekend is a frontal low rather than a high pressure front and he has said that he has never seen this happen in The Bahamas and he has been forecasting weather here for almost ten years. What that means for us is that we hunker down for the possibility of winds gusting to 40 knots or more. We don't worry because this is a good anchorage and Big Bruce, our Bruce anchor is well dug into the sandy grass bottom. Most days we snorkel over Bruce to see how he looks and once we know he is dug in we can sleep more soundly. Every once in awhile there is always a chance that another boat will drag so we always have to be on the alert but most boaters that have made it this far have learned how to anchor.

Last Sunday we headed out the Thomas Cut and north to a little cay just south of Exuma Park called Fowl. We snorkelled off of Lynn and Peter's dinghy in a grotto called Rocky Dundas. It was interesting to swim into the cave and see all the rock formations. There were also lots of fish and coral to see because Rocky Dundas is in the park. The exciting thing for me was that with a little help from both Rob and Peter I was able to hoist myself into the dinghy without hurting my arm. It wasn't pretty but I managed just fine. So far we have done all of our snorkelling off of Celebrian so this was a major breakthrough for me. In the afternoon Rob and Peter took the Spirit kayaks and circumnavigated the cay as it was quite calm. When they returned the admirals took a spin in the protected waters of the anchorage and I am delighted to report that my arm did not hurt me while paddling, nor did I suffer any pain as a result of the paddling. I am hoping that I have turned the corner on my injury and with due care will continue to improve. The next morning we left to return to Pipe to be ready for the next front.

Yesterday we ventured to shore for a sea glass hunt on the ocean side. The picture shows the sea glass hunters. Lynn made us a little votive candle with sea glass and now she is collecting it to do a lamp for their new house. I am going to try and put sea glass on one of our small lanterns to make it more attractive. Everyone has to have a hobby.

We had been invited to dinner on First Edition last night but had to cancel because the wind picked up and Rob wasn't sure whether he would be able to row us home? Lynn has also been dealing with losing a crown off a back molar tooth. She hasn't been in any pain but nonetheless it has been a worry. She has to fly home to New Jersey in two weeks to see her rheumatoid arthritis specialist so now she is seeing her dentist as well. Peter will stay on the boat and when she gets back we plan on going to the Jumentos. Lynn and Peter didn't get there with us last year so they would like to go this winter. Lynn has had her fair share of bad luck this past year but as always she stays very positive.

Today I have been catching up on computer work as well as doing some baking. Rob has been modifying a locker in the cockpit. The wind is blowing about 25-30 so we won't be going far; however we hope to snorkel off the boat on a nearby reef at slack tide this afternoon.

Last night the low pressure went through in the wee hours of the night with squalls gusting upwards to 40 knots....gratefully not the predicted 50. We were as ready as you can be with instruments on and clothes laid out if we had to re set the anchor; however Big Bruce was once again the hero of the night. we did not do anchor watches but we both were up and alert when the squalls went through. We had hoped to fill our water tank with rain but most of the squalls were dry. Gratefully everyone had an uneventful, albeit tiring night. Today the wind is blowing about 25 to 30 so everyone is staying put. I am making bread and yoghurt this morning and we hope to swim ashore this afternoon.

We have enjoyed the last couple of days before the wind started to howl yesterday afternoon. We sailed Goldberry for two days and toured the south end of Pipe Creek. Sailing the dinghy is so much fun and a great way to sight see. Peter and Lynn took some pictures of us so we may be on their blog. The evening before was so calm that Peter and Lynn came for a BBQ; however just like at home the weather can change at the drop of a hat.

Yesterday I saw an eagle ray jump twice out of the water and if that wasn't enough both Rob and I got to see the same thing while we were sailing the dinghy. I suspect it is the same ray and I have also seen him while snorkelling. Even from a distance he puts on quite a show so he is a good size. From a distance in the water his tail looks to be close to 4 feet long. The eagle rays are larger than the stingrays. Generally we see more sting rays while snorkelling so these jump sightings are very special.

For Valentine's Day we joined Lynn and Peter for a dinghy excursion to the outer banks at Pipe Creek. Mr. Johnson, our powerful 3 HP engine was the hero of the day as he had to pull Lynn and Peter's dinghy home to our anchorage after Mr.Mac the Merc, their outboard engine died. Rob and Peter had been working on the engine and had hoped that they had successfully fixed it; unfortunately it seems to be a problem that may or may not need new parts. First Edition has decided to sail to Nassau to get the motor fixed and buy a new motor if all else fails. Lynn has changed her flight to leave from Nassau next week. Celebrian will make her way south to the Jumentos and will either meet up with First Edition there or on the way north to the Abacos.

Chores Ashore

Chores Ashore

I had a good long blog entry but thanks to the wonders of computer glitches I have lost all of my work and I am feeling very upset at the moment. I can not possibly remember what was in the past work; however I will do my best to give you a little information about the pictures I am hoping to post.

Peter and Lynn and Rob and I went provision shopping in Staniel Cay...the picture taken at the Pink Store shows us in shopping form. The mail boat comes once a week and the cruisers try to time their shopping to the arrival of the mail boat in order to pounce on the fresh vegetables and fruits. One of the pictures shows the mail boat having a close encounter with First Edition. Isles General is the place to shop and one of our pictures shows the captain and I having icecream in their gazebo. First Edition can keep icecream but Celebrian can not in her fridge so when we get the chance we eat icecream on shore.

After we do laundry in Black Point we always go to DeShamon's Restaurant for conch pizza...the picture tells it all!

The other pictures I hope to post on the blog are pictures of me at the helm and a sunset at Pipe Creek.

Windy in the Exumas

We are soon off to Pipe Creek to shelter from the next front that is coming from the west. If you have looked at the Exuma chain of islands you will see that it is easy to get protection from the trade winds from the east but more of a challenge when the winds come from the west. Generally we travel on the bank side and always anchor on the bank side. Pipe has all around protection so that is where we are soon headed. Just a couple more pictures to add to the blog while I have a signal.

Pictures of the admiral and her first loaf of coconut bread, Peter, Lynn and Rob at Pipe Creek, a nurse shark taken from the dinghy in Staniel Cay, Rob on the beach in Pipe Creek and Peter, Lynn and I on our first evening together on Celebrian.

Christmas for Celebrian and First Edition

Today is February the 2nd and we are anchored outside of Sampson Cay Marina where we have been able to purchase a Wifi signal....thus the barrage of blog entries. It is a little like feast or famine when it comes to sailing and finding a Wifi hot spot.

First Edition joined us in Pipe Creek two days ago. It was wonderful to see Lynn and Peter again and we can't seem to hug enough let alone talk and get caught up. There is a special bond that develops between sailing friends. It is a mobile world but if you connect with another couple you make the effort to spend some time with them cruising each year if possible. Tonight we are celebrating Christmas and Peter is cooking a roast of beef that Lynn bought back in Florida. I will include some pictures and send them out tomorrow.

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with Lynn and Peter last evening. Ringing my holiday bell around my neck we arrived in Goldberry to Oh Holy Night wafting down from First Edition. We opened our presents while enjoying our happy hour. Lots of thought had gone in to our gift giving and I think everyone was touched by how well we seem to know each other.
Today we are soon hauling anchor and heading to Staniel Cay to time the arrival of the mailboat. We have done no food shopping since Marsh Harbour and are down to our last few fruits and vegetables; however we do not have scurvy yet!?! We hope to pounce on the produce this afternoon in hopes of getting something green that crunches. Thankfully cabbage keeps a long time even without refrigeration. From Staniel Cay we will move on to Black Point where we will haul several bags of laundry to shore. I do the small things by hand now that we have the water maker but Black Point's laundromat is the only one in the Exumas so it is a must stop for the all the cruisers. From Black Point we are heading back up to Pipe creek for the weekend to take a front that is bringing west winds. As I have mentioned before Pipe is well surrounded and a great spot to get all around protection.

No pictures today because the internet signal is not strong enough at Lorraine's Cafe in Black Point. I will add pictures to the blog the next time we have a good signal.

Rock and Roll in the Exumas

Rock and Roll in the Exumas
We decided that we had had enough rocking and rolling in the Bell anchorage the other morning so we hoisted anchor and headed around to the other side of the island hoping to find some refuge. We anchored in a bay that gave us more protection from the surge and enjoyed a calmer rest of the day. We had a nice snorkel around a small coral head in the bay. The water is so clear here that it is a joy wherever one snorkels. Yesterday we knew we had to leave Bell Island because of the next wind change so we meandered our way through some sand banks and anchored off of another private island called Little Hall's Pond Cay. The park controls the waters around these private islands but the islands themselves belong to some verrry rich people. They post signs on the beach asking you not to come ashore;however the beach is public up unto the high water mark just like at home. We might stop on the beach to get warm while we are snorkelling but we respect people's privacy; although we have yet to see a soul anywhere except a couple of people cleaning a beach back on Bell Island. The anchorage off of Little Hall's Pond was a little crazy with the tidal current and the wind direction until the wind finished its clocking and we were protected from the cay. It is very unnerving when the waves are hitting the boat from the stern and you are anchored and sometimes the boat goes around a full 360 degrees. This is when you hope that Big Bruce, (our Bruce anchor) is well buried and doesn't trip himself. The crazy water comes at tidal changes so that is four times a day. We both slept with one ear listening for changes and the instruments and the cockpit prepared if we needed to re set the anchor in the middle of the night. Such is life on a home that moves....sometimes you don't want to be moving but you don't always have a choice. Things are much calmer this morning because we have had the wind shift and we are in the lee of the cay.
Once again we took the opportunity to go snorkelling along the areas of our anchorage and once again we were rewarded with seeing another turtle and lots of other fish. The whole Exuma chain is one big sea aquarium but the fish are definitely most abundant in the park. We tossed a pot of chicken juices and bones overboard after dinner and as soon as the juice hit the water there was a skirmish of large fish...maybe jacks of some kind? The sting rays would hoover up the bones but the fish are after the fat. I decided to try the same test in our most recent anchorage at Pipe Creek out of the park and wouldn't you know it...not a single fish appeared. I think my theory that there are more fish in the park is correct. They also seem less skitterish in the park because they know that they are safe, not that Rob and I much of a threat to the fish in The Bahamas? Before heading south to Pipe Creek we did some snorkelling at a dive site called the Sea Aquarium and it is quite stunning. We had been there last year with Lynn and Peter and we knew that we wanted to go back. Both of us had our cameras so here is hoping that we got some good shots. Much like the Thunderball grotto in Staniel Cay the pretty little sergeant major fish come right up to you. The first year when i snorkelled at the grotto I took bread crumbs and was mobbed and had fish kissing my arms...quite the sensation.
First Edition is on her way north to meet us in the next few days. We are excited to see them and spend a couple of weeks cruising with them before Lynn flies home to New Jersey to see her rheumatoid arthritis specialist. Peter will stay here and we hope that once she is back they will join us in the Jumentos for a couple of weeks before we need to think about heading north again. Everyone thinks that three months is a long time; however the time flies by and when you live on a sail boat you aren't in a position to hurry.
Pipe Creek is a lovely spot to anchor as it is protected on all sides but it is a real challenge getting in and out of here. We always time our comings and goings on a rising tide but have yet to get in or out of here without going aground at least once. Even so...we really like it in here once we get in safely. We have tried a new anchorage and are in here by ourselves. We have seen far few cruisers this year and we aren't sure why. It would seem that the Europeans and Canadians are still coming but there are far fewer Americans. Perhaps Lynn and Peter will have an opinion on why that is?
Today the captain is scraping Celebrian's rub rails and tomorrow he will put on a coat of cetol. We aren't sure yet where we will go for him to varnish as that needs a good week but for now he is happy doing the cetol. I feel a little boat bound at times because of not being able to paddle with my arm; however I keep reminding myself that at least we are here and at least I can snorkel and get back on the boat. Hopefully we will get for an explore in Goldberry tomorrow after Rob gets the first coat of cetol on Celebrian. I use these times to catch up on the blog writing and do some baking. I have also been enjoying some reading time and am on my fourth good book so I can't complain.
Today is January 29th and the captain is doing his first coat of cetol and I am about to do some stainless steel polishing. Yesterday I did some snorkelling at slack tide on coral near where we are anchored and saw all kinds of fish...triggerfish, sergeant majors, groupers, angel fish, squirrel fish and an array of others. In the afternoon I did some exploring of Thomas Cay and found a path to the ocean as well as the cut. Cuts are the openings from the ocean or sound side to through to the bank or shallow side of the islands (cays pronounced keys). When the weather is good we like to sail out on the ocean and fish; however we always have the option of sailing on the more sheltered side of the islands. The water on the bank side is usually less than 20 feet so we don't troll unless we want to catch a barracuda. 
Some of the pictures in this entry are...Norman's Cay beach, our hermit crab George before his release, Pipe Creek Yacht club, Thomas Cut beach and Pipe Creek anchorage.

The Motion of the Ocean

The Motion of the Ocean
Today is Wednesday January the 20th and we are crossing from Royal Isand, Eleuthera to the northern chain of the Exumas as I write. The captain is to call me if he see dolphins or catches a fish. We made our escape from Marsh Harbour on Monday and had a raucous sail to Lynyard Cay averaging 6-7 knots...not bad for Celebrian considering she is full of 800 pounds of water and all our provisions. Lynyard Cay is often used as a staging area for the trip to Eleuthera. By the time the day was through there were almost a dozen boats anchored along the shore and most of those boats left the next day at the crack of dawn with us; however by the time you have sailed the 60 miles we are often out of sight of most of the other boats. Usually the Atlantic Ocean has a good roll but we had a very calm day and we were not bothered by the motion of the ocean. We were just able to keep our main sail filled which gave us a lift along with Mr. Yan working below decks. Ten hours later we anchored outside of Royal Island for the night. We didn't bother going all the way to the protective harbour because it was forecast to be a calm night so we anchored just after we sailed through the cut. It was a pleasant evening with bright stars and a beautiful crescent moon. Both the admiral and the captain were reading their books with their eyes closed before 9:00pm.
Up again at 6am this morning and off to the Exumas. It is another lovely day and we are in deep ocean water for about 3 hours hoping to catch our first fish of the season....a nice skip jack or a small mahi mahi would be welcome. We heard someone say on the radio yesterday that something had taken their whole line and lure so we are glad that we didn't have that happen. We aren't very good fisher people but we play the part and the captain picks up a new lure each season. We tend to troll only in deep water because the liklihood of catching a barracuda is much greater on the banks. Not that we haven't caught a barracuda in deeper water but they are hard to release and we don't want to kill them needlessly. The larger barracuda have a strong liklihood of carrying a ciguatera toxin in their flesh. The poison is produced by microscopic algae and it is passed up the food chain when carnivorous fish consume reef eating fish. Ciguatera poisoning is very dangerous and there is no antidote so it is important to identify your fish and not eat a msytery catch.
When we leave the deep ocean today we will be crossing what are called the Yellow Banks and we will need to be ever watchful for coral heads. Even Noah (it all), our chart plotter doesn't plot a course over the banks but says that you must use VPR, visual piloting rules and not rely on your instruments. I am sure that there are some boats that would drive right over a coral head if their chart plotter had a line over it!?! Using one's eyes is a very important part of cruising in The Bahamas as the colour of the water tells you everything. The picture of me steering is an example of visual piloting while steering with my foot while the captain was indisposed. Generally one of us is on the cabin top being the look out when we are watching for coral heads.
Our plans for tonight are to anchor in the lee of Highborne Cay with the hopes of hailing First Edition on the VHF radio. We need to be somewhere for protection from the south west Friday so we will have to decide where to go from here and where we will meet up with Lynn and Peter. As it has turned out it will be a little while before we see them as they have gone further south to Georgetown and are accompanying another boat to Long Island. Lynn says that they will be returning to the Exumas to have Christmas with us and enjoy some cruising time together in the not too distant future. In the meantime we will meander our way south in the Exuma chain and perhaps find a spot for Rob to do his varnishing? We may choose to return to Pipe Creek where he had done the varnishing the first year we were south. I need a spot where I can safely get off the boat so that I don't end up with cabin fever while he is merrily varnishing.
Our first evening in the Exumas was equisite. We arrived in time to anchor close to the reef and go snorkelling. It was our first dip in the ocean and it was a balmy 23 degrees celcius (about 76 degrees farenheit) much warmer than the water in the Abacos. We had our first dinner in the cockpit and there was absolutely no wind, not seen very often in the trades. Today we also saw our first dolphins of the season...two swam over for a quick look at us as we sailed through the coral heads. It is good to be back in the Exumas.
Today, January the 21st we motor sailed to Norman's Cay, once under the unfriendly control of drug lord Carlos Lehder. In fact there is a wreck of an airplane in the anchorage from the drug dealing days. Now much of the island is privately owned and there is a tiny fly in resort. We chose to come here because the anchoragw has all around protection and we are expecting some strong south westerlies tomorrow.
The winds were not nearly as strong as predicted and we were able to get off the boat for a snorkel over to the plane wreck. It is becoming quite the reef as corals are growing all over the plane. It is in shallow water just off the channel so it is great for surface snorkellers like myself. The following day we took Goldberry with Mr. Johnston (3 HP outboard) and were able to go out in the ocean and all along the island to the northern anchorage. The northern anchorage is for keel draft boats as the water in places is very skinny(shallow) and even at high tide Celebrian with her 5 foot 4 inch draft would not be able to get through. We explored for a couple of hours and had a great outing.
Rob's birthday was Friday January 22nd and I baked him some raisin oatmeal cookies in lieu of a cake. The picture shows him with his cookie and its little plastic sailboat. The admiral also gave him a nice pair of quick dry blue shorts for when he wears clothes?!?!
Yesterday, Saturday January 23rd we motor sailed about 20 miles in the ocean to Bell Island. We took the opportunity to troll and lost a complete lure to something large that chomped it or broke the line right off. Once in the Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park we were no longer allowed to fish. The park stretches about 22 miles from north to south and approximately 4 miles on either side of the cays. The area is a no take zone, no fishing, conching,shelling, or lobstering; nothing living or dead may be taken from the park. The park seems to be working because we have seen more fish here than anywhere in The Bahamas. I have also seen my only lobster here in the park. Yesterday we went snorkelling off of the boat and found a beautiful coral garden all along the anchorage. There were lots of fish as well as a turtle along the soft corals. We also saw the largest sting ray I have ever seen ...he was at least five feet or more from wing tip to wing tip and maybe more. I am grateful that rays are not aggressive. They certainly are prehistoric looking and just like sharks they haven't evolved much in millions of years.
Speaking of the motion of the ocean, the Bell Island anchorage has not provided us with as much protection from the easterlies as we had hoped. We rocked and rolled all night and unfortunately are continuing to do so this morning. We are hoping that as the wind moves more southerly the roll will settle down. We try to ignore it by keeping busy but needless to say that is not easy to do. Picture moving about your house and having to hang on to a railing everywhere you go because the floor is rocking back and forth. Nonetheless we are safe and that is the important thing. So I am going to brace myself in the galley and make some muffins while the captain is installing some pin rails in my spice lockers. Pin rails are small teak railingss that can keep things from toppling over on a shelf also known as a fiddle. See the next blog entry for more on the motion of the ocean.
Some of the pictures in this blog entry are....ocean sunrise, my fish face to lure the fish onto our line, toe steering through the coral heads, the captain and admiral's first night in the Exumas and Rob's birthday cookie.