Hello Again and Seasons Greetings.
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| Christmas Festival - Bahamas |
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| Entrance To Manatee Pocket |
Our last week in Stuart, Florida was spent checking and
re-checking everything to make sure we were ready for the next cruising
season. We picked up our new sun shades
for the back deck – which were not quite the correct fitting, but we had waited
so long for them and I could make the necessary adjustments. On our last day we
moved SHAMAL over to the fuel dock at Sailfish Marina for a final pump out, to
fill up the diesel tanks plus the ten jerry cans, fill the four petrol cans for
the outboard motor, and fill up the water tank as we have not been making water
in Manatee Pocket as the water is filthy.
Then it was off to the markets for the fresh fruit and vegetables. As for the tins and dry stores, once again I
have stocked up with enough to go around the world again!!! We have been told that we will find it more
expensive out in the Bahamas, and, in Cuba most items will be impossible to
find, so stocked up we are. Alec is now a little concerned how low we are
sitting in the water!!
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| Pelicans in The Pocket |
We have also noticed with the three plus months we have
spent sitting in the water in Manatee Pocket it has given us a horrid beard of
coral worm growth just below the water line on the inside of each hull, something
we will attend to once we are in cleaner waters. Another cruiser who lives in the Pocket was
telling us he saw an alligator in here a few nights ago !!!! Our copper coat anti-fouling has now been on
for nine years, so we have had a good run from it, but it looks like at our
next haul out we will have to make a decision as to what we put on next – re-do
the copper coat or go for something else?
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| Sports Fishing Boats - The Pocket |
Mark Beiser on s/v “Rainbow” has been our neighbour since we
arrived in the Pocket. He has a 39 foot Westerly built in the UK, and is
heading back out into the Bahamas, waters which have been his home for many
years. He has offered to be our guide
and take us around some of the less visited Cays and show us his fishing,
lobster and conch spots. Who could turn
down such an offer, especially as he has taken us shopping and armed me with a
lighter fishing rod to catch my bait and also the snapper etc. which I should
be able to catch off the back of the boat for an evening meal, but also Alec is
now armed with an Hawaiian sling – a type of hand spear. So, with the hurricane season nearly behind
us – it officially ends on the 30th November – but we are not so
naïve to know that they can form well out of season, so will keep a vigilant
watch on the weather - we can’t wait to get moving again.
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| Following "Rainbow" out of Pocket |
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| Leaving Manatee Pocket |
It is 0800 Wednesday 2nd November as we up anchor
for the last time and follow “Rainbow” with Captain Mark, his cat James, and
his new crew member Alice, on board and motor on out of Manatee Pocket. We start the last leg down the ICW, heading
for West Palm Beach. It is grey and
overcast and we have a brief heavy shower of rain as we pass through
Jupiter. By early afternoon we have
dropped the anchor once again in Lake Worth on the south side of the West Palm
Beach inlet. A northerly has been coming
down the coast so we will wait here another 40 hours before making the crossing
of 53nm to Memory Rock on the edge of Little Bahama Bank. Within the first hour of us anchoring we have
fellow boaties popping by in their tenders, on paddle boards, and in kayaks to
say hello and find out in which direction we are heading next, and when. Everyone seems to be ready to move out and
are just waiting for that weather window.
Early the next morning some do leave including a large Turkish
Gullet. As the seas and winds are still
on the nose he returns after only six miles.
One 60ft yacht broke down and is towed back in a little later, so it was
prudent we waited.
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| Trip down I.C.W. |
The Gulf Stream is considered the dominant navigational
concern as one makes passage between the East Coast of the USA and the Bahamas.
It is described like a 45 mile-wide river with an average flow of 2.5 knots,
but that can increase to 4 knots. It is
north flowing, so when you get a northerly wind blowing down the coast it
creates horrid short sharp seas as you get wind against current. The locals call those waves “elephants”. It flows the whole way up the east coast, and
one is never too sure how far out you will encounter it. For us we have been very lucky, as each time
we have been out we have never encountered those “elephant” seas.
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| "Rainbow at dawn" |
Friday 4th November – 0600 – we have upped anchor
and are once again following “Rainbow”, this time out through the harbour
entrance. It is pitch dark and the seas
are still a little lumpy, but the winds have dropped. Bye Bye U.S.A. We have totalled up 3,400nm in
your waters in the year and a half SHAMAL has been here. We have sailed as far south as Fort Lauderdale
in Florida, and as far north as Portland in Maine. The New England coast line
is quite challenging with lobster pots whales and shoals and currents, but also
quite stunning. America was, and is an
amazing place. We have met so many
wonderful people who really went out of their way to make us feel so
welcome. Thankyou. Sailing (motoring) the ICW was an experience
we will never forget, passing through some of America’s historic towns, but
also into lovely wildness areas where all we had for company was the
pelicans. But it is a relief now to sail
back into wide open waters again. For
the wind to blow through your hair, and feel the freedom of these wide open
spaces. To set the sails and let the
wind take us to new cruising grounds, and blow away the complexity of a country
and system that does not know how to gain control of an order on which they
base their Constitution on. The rights
and freedoms of the average American have been blown away on the winds of
time. In its place is a system of too
many checks and balances. It’s been
incredible listening to the political battles going on in this the year of the
Presidential elections. We wish you well
America, and hope the correct decision is made.
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| Our hitch-hiker |
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| My Herb Garden |
1215: We are motor
sailing – We have S.E. winds of 7-10kts and are in the North flowing Gulf
Current but it is only 2.5ks so one hardly notices it. A little yellow land bird flies in and lands
on my back while I am sun bathing. Mark
later tells us it is a banana bird. Well
he –the bird - decides to do the rest of the crossing with us. In fact he moves in and makes himself quite
at home living in my herb garden – all four pots – and spends the next three
days with us. Plan “A” was to arrive at
Memory Rock, one of the popular way-points marked out on the edge of the Little
Bahama Bank, anchor there for the night as the waters are only around 3mts
deep, then continue on up to Grand Cays, another 40nm, and check in there. By early afternoon we have arrived at Memory
Rock and are now seeing the shimmering cobalt seas. The Cays ( Cay is pronounced “Key” and is a
small low-lying island often coral fringed and made up of sand on a limestone
and coral base) and Islands are still not in sight as they are so low lying.
The highest point is only 62 meters. We
have now entered the 90,000 square mile area which makes up the Bahamas, which
are said to be seen from space as an “orb” of brilliant colours. Mark calls on the radio and says we will keep
going till night fall. Then he makes
another radio call just before dusk saying he will lead us in to Grand Cays as
he still has his old track on his chart plotter. OK captain we will follow. We are not in an area of coral bommies and
sand banks, and only have one major group of rocks to avoid (Triangle Rocks), still
we are glued to the chart plotter following the depths as we motor on in. Exactly on midnight we have dropped anchor on
the south side of Grand Cay. The “Big”
moon is bright enough to give us a clear view of the bottom in these lovely
clean waters.
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| Waters change colour on Bank |
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| Leaving Grand Cay |
Next morning in the safety of daylight we move our boats
closer in. We do not take them into the
harbour, but stay on the south side.
Then we take the tender ashore to check into the country, US $300 including a local fishing licence. We were asked if we had
bikes so did not declare them as one has to pay a bond. Maybe Customs want
tourist to hire the local bikes. So, here we are in the Northern Abacos (top
left hand corner of the Bahamas).
Walkers Cay, some 7nm to the NW was one of the many ports which one
could check into the Bahamas, but since the ravages of hurricanes have taken
their toll, the Customs and Immigrations officers now come over to Grand Cay to
check you in as all commercial establishments on Walkers have been closed. We are in a little more remote area of the
Bahamas – not on the main cruising highway, which makes it all the nicer. Grand Cay is very basic, but the people and
friendly and welcoming. After check-in
and a wander around the settlement, then we head back to our boats with a
“local” takeaway. A meal sold in front of someone’s home who has set up a kitchen
on their front lawn with large pots of different dishes – we had rice, a pork
stew, a slice of cheese and macaroni
pie, and a cabbage and fish mix- yes, all most interesting !!!! Pity I couldn’t
try it all, but it was not all gluten free !!!!
So after our hefty lunch we were
off to do some fishing. First we had to
catch our bait. Mark lent me one of his
small rods set up to do this, but once I mastered the art of catching them I am
now able to use my new slightly bigger rod. We were catching Jacks, which are
like our small trevally. One uses a
yellow fly and you flick your rod as you troll a at reasonable speed in your
tender – Great Fun. Then that evening we
caught snapper off the back of our boats.
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| My first conch |
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| Alice & Mark Double Breasted Cays |
Next day we motor the 3nm to Double Breasted Cays. This really was a beautiful stop with its
rocky islets, beautiful white sandy beaches and the amazing clarity and colours
of the waters. We move the boats a
couple of times for easy access to the different beaches and dive spots. Here we give SHAMAL’S hull its first good
clean, we catch more fish, Alec gets his first crayfish – lobster - with the
Hawaiian Sling, and I find my first conch which Mark shows us the “ local” way
to remove the meat from shell. That must
be the national dish of the Bahamas, and it is delicious both raw in a salad,
or served as cracked conch – fried.
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| Another beautiful sunset |
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| Strangers Cay |
Our next stop is at Strangers Cay. Alec is back in the water, this time with the
Power Snorkel, to check the hull and do some more cleaning. “B” the thing dies on us. We will have to wait till we can now find
somewhere for someone to take a look at it. Strangers Cay does not get a
wonderful write-up in the cruising guide saying it is a difficult area of
banks, shoals, rocks and reefs. We found
the entrance in straight forward in good clear depths of water, and the
anchorage very comfortable with good holding. Again we take the tenders off
exploring. While exploring the northern
end of the cay we came across what appeared to be the wreck of a rowing boat
between 26-28 feet long with a cabin on it and the name PSVITA- PlayStationVita
on the cabin. So I took a photo and once
back in internet contact did some research.
Very interesting story - It took
part in the Whisky Atlantic Challenge Race, which is considered to be the
World’s toughest rowing race. On
December 13th 2011 during the race the boat capsized with its two
crew members. They were rescued the
following day by a cruise ship. Their
rowing boat drifted across the Atlantic washing up on Strangers Cay in the Abacos
– Northern Bahamas. From here we moved
on to Fox Town which is which is situated on the northern shore of Little Abaco
Island. Again it is a quiet community,
but with a very friendly welcome. We
were able to get internet here and catch up with the family and check up on the
weather. Looks like we are in for a
settled period, warm and sunny with some cloud about and with winds out of the
NE for the next week.
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| Islet off Strangers Cay |
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| Strangers Cay |
Then we made a short run of 10nm out to Moraine Cay. We have our lines out trolling and Mark
catches a beautiful 12lb Mutton Snapper from the back of “Rainbow”. We are all a little worried about Ciguatera
Poisoning, something one can get from eating larger reef fish, so James – his
cat – became the “food tester” !!!! Yes
he survived the night after a good meal with no ill-effects. It was now ready for human consumption
!! As we dropped anchor at Moraine Cay
we had two large dolphins playing around the bows. Later as Mark was cleaning his snapper he had
two large sharks pay him a visit. Swimming
will be restricted here!!! Moraine Cay is one of the many privately owned cays,
but is open to visitors. It was here we
found our first coconuts and Alec got more crayfish, on the other side of the
cay away from the sharks. Once again we
use the tenders to explore the cay. It
was a very pretty place again with all the wonderful colours of the Bahamian
waters, coconut palms and four little
Island style cottages, just picture post-card perfect.
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| Mark's 12lb snapper |
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| Boys cleaning conch |
Then it was on to the Allans Pensacola Cays. This is two
cays which have been joined by a sand bar during a hurricane. It was here we hiked to the other side of the
cay to see the “signing trees”. A place
where cruises leave anything from a loo seat, old shoes, old fenders and buoys,
to their boat card in a bottle of sand, all signed with their boat name and
date on. Again we all have crayfish for
dinner.
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| Moraine Cay |
On leaving Allans Pensacola we are able to hoist the sails
and have a lovely run for the next 16nm to Powell Cay. Again uninhabited but quite beautiful. This cay is more elevated with lots of
casuarina trees growing. It has long
white sandy beaches. We spend a couple
of nights here at different anchorages.
For the second day we move our boats to the southern end of the cay then
take the tenders off to explore High Cay which is also privately owned and has
a manmade harbour which would make a perfect hurricane hole. We took the tenders right into the harbour –
no one was on the cay at the time. Oh we
have a night off from a fish meal here – chicken stir fry for a change !!!!
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| Man-made Harbour |
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| The Signing Tree |
We up anchor from Powell Cay. We have a cold front passing through from the
north with winds 17-20kts. giving us a lovely sail over to Manjack and Crab
Cay. These two Cays are joined by a sand
bar at low tide. This time we anchor with seven other boats, the most we have
seen in one anchorage since we arrived in the Bahamas. Manjack is beautiful. Again people live here, but cruisers are
welcome. They residents have cut walking
paths so you can reach the northern coast through the dense scrub. Here you look out on the barrier reef to the
Atlantic Ocean. Again the colours of the
waters are spectacular. You look from
the white sandy beaches to the turquoise and aquamarine waters, then on to the green and brown shades
where coral heads, rock and sea grass are. Then on out to that sapphire blue of
the deeper Atlantic with the white waters breaking on the reef. Later Mark guides us into the lagoon among
the mangroves in our tenders to see the turtles. Again in crystal clear waters we see so many
turtles in here in the protected waters.
Then it is off to catch more bait fish.
It is here later that evening I catch my second shark!! Only a small one, but still a shark.
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| Turtle - Manjack Cay |
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| New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay |
We are having days with temperatures between 25 - 27 deg c.
and the water temperature is much the same.
Some days the wind chill factor does determine whether we swim or not,
but most days we are in the water. Our
next anchorage is back in civilisation.
We are roughly at the halfway point down the Sea of Abaco at Green
Turtle Cay. We drop anchor in Settlement
Harbour off the town of New Plymouth at the southwest end of the island. This is a really quaint historical settlement
where we receive a very warm welcome from the locals. We spend five nights here exploring the area
on foot and by tender. There is Black
and White Sounds, two natural Harbours where the marinas are located. We do a little shopping, eat the locally made
conch salad – yummy, visit the Albert Lowe Museum – the first in the Bahamas,
and walk to the Gilliam Bay on the other side of the island. We spend Thanksgiving here. Mark cooks the roast chicken which he thaws out
in the sea in a bag – it was going to be either chicken or fish for dinner that
evening, but the fish did not come thank goodness. I did the vegetables, made stuffing and a
desert.
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| Making conch salad |
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| Swimming Pig |
Next stop was No Name Cay just across a small channel, but
we had to go around a sand bar so our trip was 2nm. Again uninhabited by humans, lovely white
sandy beaches and big casuarina trees along the shore. This cay is a very popular stop as here we
see the swimming pigs. Yes that is
correct. Pigs and chickens are the only
inhabitants, so one is encouraged to get rid of your food scraps here. We spend the night anchored here. Early afternoon Alec and I are back in the
water cleaning SHAMAL’S hull. Early evening Alec and I head off to catch more
bait fish. Instead I catch a small cero
mackerel which are considered top eating, and yes it was delicious. Later that evening I am fishing yet again,
and yes I catch shark no. 3. Again a
small one, but still a shark!!!
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| Nippers Bar Great Guana Cay |
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| The Atlantic from Nippers |
Another north-easterly is coming through and our next stop
is Great Guana Cay. To reach this we
need to pass through “The Whale”. A
channel which will take us just out into
the Atlantic around Whale Cay for a couple of miles, then into Loggerhead Pass
and back into the Sea of Abaco. When the
winds kick up the seas too much this entrance like any reef passage, becomes
impassable. Mark is on the radio talking
to a local fishing boat going out at just after 0600 and he says it will be a
little rolly, but we should be fine, so we up anchor and are on our way just
after 0700. The run is fine and we
encounter seas of about 1.5mts on the beam as we are heading along the northern
shore of Whale Cay, but are very soon back in calmer waters again. Our next stop is Fishers Bay on Great Guana
Cay. We are here with the charter
catamarans. About six come into the bay
in the course of the afternoon and tie up to mooring buoys. We anchor out a little and sit comfortably as
the front passes through. It was only a
16nm run, so in the early afternoon we take the tenders ashore and set off to
see this part of the island.
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| Pelican Cays |
Great Guana has many big homes with the northern end closed
to cruisers. That end is for the rich
and famous, and unless you are a member of their “yacht club”, you are not
welcome!!! Not even to walk the beach
there. From the anchorage in Fishers Bay
it is but a short walk to the famous “Nippers” Bar and Grill. They are known all around the Abacos as being
famous for their Sunday Pig Roast, and rum punches. It was Sunday when we were there, but decided
to just enjoy the view out over the Atlantic and watch the waves crashing up on
the reef which is a short way off shore here.
We are in tourist-ville here with lots of little shops, restaurants, and
a bunch of tourists about.
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| Charter Fleet on Moorings |
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| Local Transport - Golf Carts |
Like on most of the cays, the mode of transport here is
mostly golf carts, hence the roads are nearly all concert and not very
wide. Monday morning we decide to up
anchor again and move on to Marsh Harbour which is the “big city” of the
Abacos. It has a very sheltered harbour
with excellent holding when at anchor.
There are three marinas situated around its shore line, and it is also a
base for a charter boat fleet, Sunsail/Moorings. It will also be the best re-provisioning stop
for us before we head further south. It
is also here that Mark and Alice parted company as they were not
compatible. Alice’s sailing skills were
zero, he felt she was not willing to learn, and Mark was finding he was doing
EVERYTHING. But within 24 hours she had
found another boat to crew on and was on her way.
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| Mutton Snapper |
So it is here in Marsh Harbour that we will leave you for
this posting.
We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and all the very very
best for this festive season, and, a Very Happy, Safe and Prosperous New
Year. Where will we spend Christmas –
anchored out in the shelter of another one of these paradise Cays eating Crayfish/Snapper/Conch
– away from the stress and maddening crowds.
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| Sand Cay |
Lots of love
From
The Admiral and The Commander
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