Idyllic Islands - April 7th & 8th

Double Breasted is a group of small cays, totally uninhabited, with beautiful white sand beaches and gorgeous blue water. Our choice of anchorage is a small slough which can only be navigated on a rising tide with good visibility, as the controlling depth is about five feet. We draw 4.6 feet!Just to make matters interesting, there's a really strong current that flows through the cut where the Bahama Bank and the Atlantic meet. So we wanted to wait for slack water. We arrived about 40 minutes ahead of low tide. The seas were choppy and confused with southerly waves left over against a west wind. We thought we might set an anchor to wait for slack water, but with the bottom washed clean by the current it was a no go.

"Well, let's just go for it!" Peter finally said, and my adrenalin level spiraled up a few notches. It's not that our lives were in peril, but the narrow channel passes over several shallow bars and runs at places about six feet away from the rocky shore and I was the one who would be standing on the foredeck calling out the shallow spots.

As I directed Peter from the bow where I could clearly see the bottom, I remembered our last visit here when we were greeted by a rather close brush with a waterspout. The rocky coral outcroppings to our port seemed menacingly close. But it immediately became obvious that we had enough water under our keel and that all was well. We could clearly see the bottom and we had no trouble finding our way through the maze of shoals.

Once inside, the anchorage offered us full protection and peaceful isolation. Only two other boats were in the entire area and none in our anchorage. We carefully placed our anchors up and down current in anticipation of a wind shift. We knew to make sure they were well set because on our previous visit here with cruising friends several years ago, we awoke to discover their boat nestled among the rocky outcroppings on the lee shore. We had spent the better part of a day kedging them off!

The setting sun, limned the coral and mangroves with golden glow. Nearby a lone cattle egret in full breeding feather seemed out of place among the rocks and mangrove roots. He stayed nearly immobile on his branch since we first arrived as if awaiting the arrival of a his bride-to-be or perhaps guarding a nest.

The wind died as the sun settled behind the narrow island. Millions of stars pierced the velvet sky that night, and it seemed as if our little boat was a world unto itself.

We spent the following day bird watching, exploring the beaches and puttering with the dinghy through the several channels that run among the small cays. In our opinion this is one of the most beautiful spots in the Abacos.

After a second peaceful night, we got up early so we could catch the tide on the way out. How much easier it was to exit following the magenta line of a GPS track we had created on the chart plotter on our way in! A short motor sail brought us to our next destination, Grand Cays.

Dragging our Feet -- April 3rd - 7th

We had fine sailing from Treasure Cay to the Northern Abacos. Once again, we traversed the infamous Whale Cay Passage successfully. We stopped for the night at Manjack Cay. We dinghied ashore for a stroll on the beach and then relaxed for the evening and watched a beautiful sunset.

In the morning we checked the weather to see if we would have enough time to explore the far northern Abacos. These cays are scattered along the north rim of the little Bahama Bank, a fragile barrier between Grand Bahama, and Great and Little Abaco. There is only one settlement among these cays and not many harbors. They are out-islands in the truest sense of the word.

Wind direction is the determining factor in cruising here, for there are no all-around protected anchorages. Because the wind was beginning to clock ahead of a cold front, we decided to sail to Foxtown, a settlement on the north coast of Little Abaco where we would find protection from strong southerly winds under its high limestone bluffs. Here we anchored for the night with a few other boats. We arrived close to sunset, so we had supper and went to bed.

The next day, we headed for Great Sale Cay a very large sprawling cay in the middle of the little Bahama Bank. The afternoon we arrived was warm and languid so we anchored off the western shore, swam and dinghied ashore to visit with other cruisers who were planning to sneak back to Florida ahead of an approaching squally cold front.
When we awoke the next day, all but a few of the boats that had shared the anchorage were gone. The wind had clocked, so we sailed around the southern tip of the island to anchor in the wide harbor for shelter from a strong northerly wind that was expected. There are lovely beaches on this cay and shelter from many directions.

This beautiful cay is totally uninhabited and undeveloped . Yet, of course, Great Sale, too, is up for grabs,. If you happen to have 7.5 million dollars and you can buy your own piece of Great Sale paradise!

We were now close enough to get the weather reports from the states and knew that if we timed it right we could visit a couple more islands in the northern Abacos. So on Tuesday morning, we hauled up the anchor, unfurled the main and staysail, and headed north before a fresh westerly breeze to revisit one of our favorite spots.

Different of Abaco

"Don’t forget to stop by Nettie’s Different of Abaco for lunch or to see Auntie Nettie's flamingos and other eco-tourism delights."

Having read such advice in a couple of guidebooks, we were definitely planning to check out the flamingos on the way back during our road trip. So when we saw the sign for Netties, we left the highway and headed about a half hour down the secondary road in search of Different of Abaco.

Set in the natural surroundings, and landscaped with hundreds of plants, including sapodilla, mango, sugar apple, coco plum, bougainvillaea, and sea grape Different of Abaco was the dream-child of Nettie Symonette. Born in Eleuthera she was a successful hotelier in Nassau before she started her eco-touism lodge and bonefishing resort on Casaurina Point just north of Cherokee. Her resort showcased the natural life and native art of the Abacos.

One of Nettie's dreams was to establish a flamingo population on Great Abaco, so she brought a flock of the birds to her wildlife refuge, along with other native animals such as iguana. The first flock of birds did not do well and the remainder were destroyed by a hurricane, but she tried again bringing another flock of 19 birds to the resort several years ago.

It was not easy to find Nettie's place. Only a small sign was visible on the road and it was surrounded by vegetation. There was no obvious place to park, so we pulled off the road and walked to the entrance. Imagine our disappointment and curiosity when we discovered the Different of Abaco was no longer in operation. Yet it was a fascinating site to explore.

It was obvious that something had happened. We later heard that Nettie had passed away, but do not know this for sure. The resort appeared to be abandoned. The slatted gate at the entrance was locked. The interior of the building which looked to be a bar and restaurant was left with only sparse furnishings and a carpet of pine needles.

The walls and fixtures were decorated with primitive carvings of birds and unique paintings and on one wall were hand written testimonials of former patrons who had thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Outside, the gardens were overgrown.

The rooms behind the hotel were still furnished but unused. There were no signs of the flamingos, but a few peacocks still wandered in the gardens. It was all very eerie and sad.

Different must have been quite a destination in its day, because it still has quite a presence on the Internet. One couple wrote on a travel website about their experience visiting the resort in 2006, at which time it may already have been closed. One site says it may reopen in 2008. Leaving Different, we couldn't help but respect the accomplishment of Nettie Symonette who raised up in the wilderness such a unique realization of her dream.

"It's very important, because as I see it, this is the way the world has to go. One has to have respect for the environment," "I found myself living among these birds and animals and whatnot, and then I found that they became like a tremendous closeness to God." ...Nettie Symonette

Cherokee

Cherokee was the next stop on our road trip. It's a tiny village of about 160 residents. As we approached the village, we passed a sign that said "Parking lot this way.

"That's interesting," we thought, "what's the parking lot for?" We drove on and discovered the answer a bit too late.

What a peaceful town Cherokee is.! Narrow concrete streets are lined with neatly kept houses. The community sits on a lovely shallow bay and has a history of wrecking, sponging and fishing.

We drove along the waterfront lined with an assortment of boats and as we proceeded, the road became more narrow.

We started to wonder what exactly the traffic pattern was. There wasn't much traffic, but cars and trucks were parked in some of the driveways.

Then we came to an intersection where a pick up truck obligingly backed about 75 feet to let us through and after that the only way to turn was left. Just one detail: the road, barely wide enough for our Toyota seemed to have the middle third dug up! It appeared that the village was undergoing a transformation to buried utilities.

Gingerly we maneuvered our seemingly behemoth car onto the two edge thirds of the road without dropping into the ditch in the center. Oh, no! As we reached the end of this lane, we were faced with a right turn. The front yards on both sides of the street were encircled by chain link fences! Would we be able to make it?

Gamely, Peter swung the Toyota into the turn. What else could he do? Thump. The front bumper grazed a fencepost. He kept going and we squeezed into the road. Whew! The fence appeared to be unscathed. We continued driving and saw that this road ended at a parking lot. The very same one we had passed on the way in. AHA!

Right about then, I happened to turn the page of the guide we had been following. There I saw a little note. "Visitors' cars are not permitted in the village of Cherokee and are asked to park in the lot at the edge of town."

Oh! So why didn't the sign say something about that??? We parked the Toyota and somewhat sheepishly walked back into town to explore a little further. Luckily the villagers were friendly, and no one complained about our nerve-wracking drive through Cherokee.

If you'd like to know more about this charming village including how it got its name. Click on the title above.

Parrot Walk

The Bahama Parrot (Amazona leucocephala bahamensis) was formerly found throughout the Bahamas Presently it remains on only two islands, Great Abaco and Great Inagua Island. The Abaco population is unique because it is the only ground nesting parrot in the West Hemisphere . The Abaco population is also the only fire adapted parrot in the world. The Abaco population breeds in a small 5 kilometer radius area on the south end of Abaco Island in the Abaco National Park.
The park occupies a large section of the southern tip of Great Abaco , A rough track road leads back into the forest for 15 miles. At the end of the road stands the Hole in the Wall Lighthouse which has warned sailors away from the dangerous reefs that lie offshore to the north. since 1836. We really wanted to see the lighthouse and spot the elusive Parrots of Abaco, but that wasn’t to be. No rental car is allowed to traverse the rugged track road leading to the lighthouse. To us though, the first part of the road didn’t look too bad, so we sneaked down the road about a mile and then armed with binoculars, we walked further into the preserve. Well, we spotted a LaSagra’s Flycatcher, but, alas , we saw no signs of the elusive parrot! Disappointed, we headed back to the car.
Perhaps on our next visit, we’ll spring for a guided tour!