Nimue's Log

In the News

2009-03-24T13:39:00.003-04:00

Writing about a boating mishap reminded me of a story I recently read in The Abaconian, the wonderful semi-monthly newspaper of the Abacos.

A man had just purchased a new 31-foot boat with twin 300 HP engines. He had been in the islands for only a few days and was near Great Guana Cay when he noticed that one of his antennas was not in the proper position. With the engines idling, he climbed on the gunwhale and hung on to the T-top to fix the antenna. Then he slipped. As he fell, he knocked both the throttle controls causing the boat to take off at high speed. He clung to the boat for a few moments but the seas were choppy and he was soon thrown off.

Another boater witnessed the mishap and rescued the man. The boat ended up 45 feet above the water in the yard of a Guana resident. It now has a gouged out hole in the hull.

The boater who rescued the man took him up to where his boat had landed. The man grabbed his jacket, cell phone and briefcase, and said ”How do I get to the Marsh Harbor Airport? I want out of here now!” He flew out of Abaco the very same day.

As far as I know, the boat is still on land at Guana Cay!

Just Hangin' Out?

2009-03-24T13:26:00.003-04:00

On the Cruisers Net the morning we were at Matt Lowe’s Cay we heard a boater thanking BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue) for their help the previous night. Naturally we were curious as to what had necessitated the emergency help, so when we heard the same boater calling a friend a bit later on the VHF, we couldn’t resist eavesdropping!

“How are you doing?” The friend asked. “I heard you on the radio this morning thanking BASRA.”

“Well, we’re a little high and dry right now.” replied the boater calmly. We’re aground over by Matt Lowe’s Cay.”

“That’s too bad,” said the friend. “What happened?”

“Well, we were coming back from Guana around 12:30 last night and we decided to go to Hopetown instead of Marsh Harbor, so I went below to look at the charts and (----) was steering and while I was below, I suddenly heard her take a hard turn to port. We heard a loud crunch and we stopped abruptly. Everything went flying in the boat.”

“Oh, wow, that’s terrible,” said the friend. How fast were you going?”

“About 13 knots”

Oh, my gosh! Did anybody get hurt?”

Not really, just a few bruises.

“So was there any damage?”

“We lost both the rudders, and there’s a three meter gash in the side of the hull….” We had to go below and gather up all our belongings and stuff them in plastic bags, because there was about two feet of water in the boat at high tide.”

“Oh, man, that’s awful. If you lost the rudders, you must be really hard aground.”

“We are. The whole boat’s out of the water.”

“What did BASRA do?”

“Well, basically nothing. They checked out the boat but we were too far out of the water to pull us off.”

As the bad news unfolded, the boater’s friend offered to help if needed, but then seemed at a loss for words. Finally after a long pause, he asked … “So what are you doing now, just hanging out?”

“Pretty much,” said the hapless boater. “Just waiting for the charter company to get here and yell at me for wrecking their boat.”

We felt very sorry for the unlucky charterer and his crew. As we got underway for Marsh Harbor later in the day, we sailed around the corner of Matt Lowe’s Cay and there indeed was the beautiful powercat. High and dry on the rocks.

The most surprising thing to us was not how cruisers came to be zooming around the sea of Abaco at 17 mph in the dark after a day of fun at Guana Cay home of Nippers and the Guana Grabber. It was the fact that the charter company didn’t equip their expensive yachts with chart plotters, a relatively small investment that might have prevented the ruination of a very nice boat and the untimely termination of an expensive charter vacation.

The Sugar Loaf Cays

2009-03-24T13:16:00.002-04:00

We had never anchored near Matt Lowe’s Cay and the Sugar Loaf Cays which lie just off the Eastern Shore of Great Abaco near Marsh Harbor. So when the wind suggested we move from Tilloo, we decided to check out the anchorage.

Matt Lowe’s Cay is a small island with several beautiful beaches. It rises high out of the water and is covered with low trees and palms. There are seven homesites on the island, some of which are beautifully developed. The narrow peninsula which runs from Great Abaco toward Matt Lowe’s is protected to the south by the tiny Sugar Loaf Cays. A stream of deeper water provides a channel between the cays and the mainland.

We explored the channel by dinghy. It is a shortcut used by the Abaco Ferries on their way to and from Marsh Harbor, and we saw a number of pretty cottages and one large “estate” complete with tennis courts docks, a boat house and observation decks. One of the cottages is Blue Dolphin where Patty Toller lives. She has anchored the Abaco Cruisers net for more than 16 years a wonderful service to visiting boaters. Her website Barometer Bob.com provides local weather and streams the cruisers net every morning after nine o’clock.

The large bay formed by Matt Lowe’s Cay, the Sugar Loaves and Great Abaco is a very pleasant anchorage with the added entertainment of watching the boats heading into and from Marsh Harbor which was the next destination on our itinerary.

Sky Shows

2009-03-24T13:06:00.004-04:00

The sky above the Islands of Abaco is brilliant with stars on clear nights, especially in the quiet barrier islands. The sun setting into the Sea of Abaco on pleasant evenings paints gorgeous pinks, oranges and purples from the horizon to the rising moon.

The March full moon was particularly stunning this year sailing low over the cottages and boats in Hopetown Harbor on Elbow Cay. Its creamy reflection sparkled in the water as the sunlight waned.

But the most spectacular sky show I have ever witnessed occurred on Sunday March 15th when the space shuttle Discovery was launched at 7:43 in the evening. From the cockpit we watched as the blazing rocket streaked through a low bank of scattered dark clouds to our north. Because the sun had just set, the con trail left by the shuttle looked like a column of flames streaming across the evening sky. As the con trail dispersed we could just make out in the distance the faint track of the rocket as it arced across the heavens.

Suddenly a bright white cloud burst out of the darkness when the booster rocket separated from the spacecraft. So high above the earth that it was still in daylight, this ghostly cloud spread out and cast its reflection on the waters of the Sea of Abaco. We watched, mesmerized, as the cloud turned a beautiful sapphire blue and then the top half reflected a pure, pale yellow.

Slowly the cloud faded and dispersed into the velvety night and we were left with the stars and a near full moon peeking through the scattered clouds. . . this normally lovely sky show paled in comparison to the sight we had just witnessed.

Tilloo Cay

2009-03-24T12:52:00.019-04:00

Wild and beautiful Tilloo Cay stretches for four and half miles between the ocean and the Sea of Abaco. We have always liked this Cay for an anchorage near Tavern Cay that no one seemed to use very much. This year there was construction going on ashore and several boats in the anchorage, so we sailed further west along the rocky coast to a shallow bay near Tilloo Pond an almost landlocked harbor in the center of the Cay.

The Sea of Abaco was tranquil with only a light chop and the high bluffs of Tilloo made this a serene spot to spend a few days all by ourselves. A lazy high pressure ridge had taken up residence above us, giving the islands days and days of beautiful weather. Out on the ocean huge rollers lumbered onto Tilloo's rocky coast.

On our second day at Tilloo we ventured ashore taking the dinghy into Tilloo pond and tying it up on the edge of the mangroves where there was a bit of bare land. The island is mostly covered with low coppice. At the western end of the island the land rises to a bluff. Storms have eroded a section creating a gully in the dune where spiky tan limestone spires crowd together in the golden sand.

The ocean face of Tilloo is guarded by a parapet of grey limestone spires standing like soldiers guarding the shore.

Three wooden utility poles flung high like matchsticks upon the backbone of Tilloo bear witness to the power of ocean storms wearing away the middle of the Cay. These storms have also worn a dip into the middle of the island near where Tilloo pond lies.

This shallow basin on the ridge of Tilloo is littered with sea tossed rubbish. The magnitude of plastic rubble accumulated there dri ves home the fact that plastic leaves a lasting scar on the environment. Shoes and plastic bottles are particularly plentiful in this debris. At one point Peter was able to collect more than twenty plastic shoes and soles within a ten-foot area!

Despite this area of trash, Tilloo is one of the most beautiful and undeveloped of these islands. Only a few homes and cottages cluster around Tilloo Pond and the ends of the Cay. On our dinghy ride back to the boat, we surprised a family of Oystercatchers fishing along the rocky shore.

As the high pressure ridge began to weaken, the winds began to clock more to the south making our secluded anchorage a little bumpy, so we raised our anchor and sailed across the sea of Abaco to find another quiet anchorage in the vicinity of Matt Lowe’s Cay, just off Great Abaco.

The Footfest

2009-03-24T11:42:00.004-04:00

Once again the Barefoot Man came to Guana Cay. This time the festival was expanded to become almost an Abaconian Woodstock! There were three days of celebration highlighted by a two concerts featuring the famous Barefoot Man and his group. In addition, there was a wonderful steel drummer form Trinidad, Coco Loco from Cocoa Beach Florida and Stone McKuen another popular island group. Delicious island food was an important part of the festivities.

A good crowd gathered for the three-day event, although it was much smaller than last year. Tourism and cruising in the Bahamas is suffering from the economic downturn and the number of visitors has fallen off markedly this season.

The small turnout was good for those of us who did show up. We had a virtual backstage pass to the Foot Man’s performance as he charmed the crowd with his laidback music and island humor.

On top of the hill at Nippers famous Beach Bar and Grill, concert goers had a stunning view of the ocean and didn’t seem to mind the clouds and brisk chilly winds. Meanwhile down on the other side of Guana Cay at Grabbers, cruisers and cottagers rocked to the sounds of Coco Loco. There was plenty of dancing, lazing in hammocks and beach chairs and sipping “Guana Grabbers” by the pool. And this was only the first day of the Footfest. . A good time was had by all.

With the possible exception of the crew of Hunter 40 who returned from the concert at sunset to find their boat hard aground on a rock ledge in Fishers Bay. They spent an uncomfortable night waiting for the high tide at 4:30 AM to lift them off. Luckily their boat didn’t suffer any serious damage.

We only spent just one day at the Footfest and then headed for Man O War Cay to spend the rest of the weekend in solitude at one of our favorite beaches.

Food and Friends

2009-03-24T11:32:00.004-04:00

Some of the best cruising times are those shared with new friends and old. This year we have met many new cruising friends with whom we have shared some special times. We crossed with Mike and Jan on Pathos and their little dog Beauty from Canada. This was their first trip to the Bahamas, and we introduced them to some of our favorite anchorages over a couple of delicious lunches in Green Turtle Cay. Mike introduced us to Greek Coffee.

We also shared a series of enjoyable evenings with the cruisers on Rafiki, Jingles, and Sea Mist. These folks were also new to the Bahamas and for three nights in a row at Guana Cay we had dinner together on their boats. Although Nimue is a little small for any more than 2 extra people to dine, we tried to do our share by contributing desserts and salads. After three nights of cooking, Jim and Bob from Jingles joined us at Grabbers on Guana for their weekly pot luck. We sampled a variety of casseroles, salads and desserts from the 80 + attendees and listened to an impromptu concert led by Jan and Cam from Te Amour and their Nova Scotia friends.

A week later we met our friends Brian and Sonja on Flash 2 at the Barefoot Man Concert, We were happy to see them again after missing them for a couple of years, but soon we had to say goodbye as they began their journey back north.

Once again there are several boats from Lake Champlain in the Abacos and we have chatted with them from time to time. They seem to have settled on Hopetown as their second home in the Bahamas.

In the small world department, we were sitting all by ourselves at Tilloo Cay when a small power boat came up and hailed us. It was acquaintances from Plattsburgh who were mighty surprised to see fellow Plattsburghers so far from the North Country. They were staying at a cottage on Elbow Cay and just out for a picnic and a swim. They were lucky in their timing. They picked a period of beautiful tranquil weather for their visit.

The friendship of the Abaconians and our fellow cruisers always makes us feel at home when we visit these lovely islands.

Heading for the Whale

2009-02-23T11:54:00.008-05:00

Here's Nimue (last year) motoring out the Channel from White Sound, Green Turtle on her way to the Whale. We had enjoyed our stay at Bluff House Yacht Club and visits with new friends that we had made on our way to the Bahamas. Before we left, we, of course paid our bill at Bluff House. That's when we discovered we still had a few "Docking for Dollars" left on our tab. So we treated ourselves to an order of delicious conch fritters with some Kalik beer to go with them. By 12:20 we were pulling away from the dock.

You may be asking yourself. What's the big deal about the Whale Cay Passage? I've written about it before in Nimue's Logs, but I thought that this description found on Marinas.com (click for a picture of the Whale) was a good indicator of why mariners approach it on tiptoes:

"Whale Cay is perhaps one of the most treacherous areas in the entire Abacos island chain. While Whale Cay (uninhabited) is not of any particular danger, the surrounding waters and shoals are sometimes among the most treacherous anywhere, due to shallow water and long ocean fetches....If you draw more than 4 feet, you must navigate the outside east edge of Whale Cay, where depths are not a problem, buy waves and wind can be. If the wind is blowing out of the northeast, the passage around the outside of Whale Cay, especially around Whale Cay Channel, can be deadly. Yes, deadly. The shallow water in this area and a long fetch to the northeast can result in sea conditions often referred to as a “rage.” No boat should be out in this are during these conditions. "

With that said, we decided to make our passage on Saturday, February 21st. We left Green Turtle at low tide so we would have the current with us in the cuts. The wind was from the dreaded northeast, but was about 10-15 that morning. Other boats going through had described the seas as 4-6 feet. We headed for the Whale Cay Channel and decided it was doable. The seas were confused and the boat got a good rocking and rolling and a nice coat of salt, but we motor-sailed through the passage without incident. The two boats sailing with us who didn't raise their sails seemed to be tossed about much more than we were.

By 5:30 we were safely anchored in Fisher's Bay on Great Guana Cay. The rest of our sailing, until we head home we be in the protected waters of the sea of Abaco. Whew!

Hello from the Bahamas

2009-02-23T10:33:00.007-05:00

We are in the Bahamas. We had a good crossing. Left Palm Beach at five thirty AM on February 12th and stopped for the night at 8:30 pm on the little Bahama Bank off Mangrove Cay which is just north of Grand Bahama. It was a long day, but very nice to cross in daylight.

Friday, February 13th was sunny and warm and a very light fog gave the Banks an etherial charm. Two dolphins greeted us as we sailed about 25 miles to Great Sale Cay. Stopping for the night, we hoisted the dinghy off the deck and stowed the crossing gear. Several boats who also made the passage shared the anchorage at Great Sale. If you look closely, you can see the dolphins just below the surface.

On Saturday, we sailed about 45 miles to anchor off Cooperstown, a village on the eastern shore of Great Abaco Island . We were so close to shore we could hear the children playing in the schoolyard and watch the cars go by on the Bootle Highway.

Sunday morning we left Cooperstown and made a 10 mile sail to arrive at Green Turtle Cay around high tide. We planned to stay at the Bluff House Marina where we hoped to check in to customs and immigration. The dock boy told us we could check in at the marina, but as it turned out, he was wrong. So on Monday morning Peter donned his foul weather gear and took the dinghy to the western end of the island to go to the customs house in the village of New Plymouth. Finally we could take down our yellow quarantine flag and hoist the Bahamas courtesy flag, all nice and legal. This was the first time we had bypassed the usual customs stop at West End. The dock fees there are very pricey. At Bluff House, we not only had a reasonable rate, but were able to spend our dock fee at the marina. So we had several tasty meals at the Jolly Roger Bar and Bistro, essentially for free!

While Peter was ashore, a cold front blew through the harbor dragging loose a lovely little Ketch from Halifax named Annie Laurie. Several cruisers hastened to help the young lady who is single handing the vessel. Withing about 20 minutes she was all once again secure.

Our next leg of the journey would take us out and around the Whale Cay. So we stayed about a week at Bluff House to await favorable conditions to make the passage.

A Quirky Little Island--April 9, 2008

2008-07-01T15:19:00.000-04:00

Other cruisers had told us that people on Grand Cay were "funny."

"Funny ha-ha or funny-peculiar?" we had asked.

"Well, they looked at us funny, when we walked down the street." We had to find out for ourselves. What we discovered was a quirky little island and lots of friendly people...no funny looks.

Entering the shallow harbor for the first time was a tricky enterprise, again, because of shallow water and current, but there were a few landmarks and other boats heading in and out to help us navigate.

We tried calling the marina owner, Rosie, who is a big guy and uses a call sign of "Love Train," but we got no answer. The marina docks didn’t seem to have enough draft for our sailboat, so we anchored near a few other cruising boats. The holding was a bit iffy, but the weather was settled and the harbor well-protected.

We set about to explore this little settlement, the farthest north, in the Bahamas. Grand Cay was settled because of its proximity to the deep waters of the Atlantic and the beautiful coral reefs just off its northern shore and it still reflects the maritime heritage. Hundreds of fishing boats were tucked into the many coves and creeks that surround the harbor of Grand Cay.

The closing of a resort at nearby Walker's Cay left many men here unemployed. Although playing pool in the local pubs seemed to be a major pastime for some of the young men, a number of the non-fishing men have taken to commuting weekdays to Freeport for employment. There is also quite a bit of pleasure diving here, as some say the reefs are the most beautiful in the Caribbean.

We strolled the narrow streets. The settlement is one of contrasts. Near the center of town is a dead mangrove swamp where trash and derelict boats languish in the brownish muck, and there are signs of gang-style graffiti on some of the abandoned buildings.

Yet, new houses are being built, there are several quaint churches and a lovely school where Bahamian youngsters laugh and learn in spic and span gold and green uniforms.

Friendly ladies offer bread, and other home-made goodies for sale. People strolling the streets, waved and greeted us with genuine friendliness. We traipsed from one end of the island to the other, and no one looked at us funny!

I was particularly delighted by a toddler whom I spotted walking up a hill with her grandmother. She was obviously very proud of her walking prowess. We stopped to chat with Tanesha and her grandma. By the end of our little visit, she gave me a big hug and kiss!

Tanesha and Grandma helped us find the local ice cream store and we treated ourselves to the last of the shop’s ice cream before we returned to Nimue.

To top off our visit to the Grand Cays, we went ashore for a lobster dinner at Rosie’s Place, the marina restaurant. Though we were the only customers that night, the lobster was plentiful and succulent.

All in all, our brief stop at Grand was a charming end to our stay in the Abacos. The next morning we headed southwest to Mangrove Cay on our way home.

Idyllic Islands - April 7th & 8th

2008-06-06T11:03:00.011-04:00

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

2008-06-05T15:37:00.010-04:00

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

2008-06-03T14:02:00.014-04:00

"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

2008-06-03T12:46:00.010-04:00

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

2008-06-03T12:31:00.002-04:00

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!

Road Trip!

2008-05-31T18:15:00.022-04:00

After leaving Hopetown, we visited a few favorite anchorages before turning north again. We ended up back at Treasure Cay on March 30th. Here we planned to wait for an opportunity to go "around the Whale" and then spend a little time in the Northern Abacos before heading home.

We decided to rent a car in order to explore the parts of Great Abaco Island that are not easily accessible by boat.

At nine o’clock sharp, we arrived at the Treasure Cay Beauty Shop that doubles as a rental car outlet. The clerk was happy to learn that Peter was familiar with right-hand drive, since that was apparently the car of choice for the day.

One long two-lane highway, completed in the 90's, runs the length Great Abaco. The island is nearly 100 miles long. A number of settlements are scattered both north and south of the main city of Marsh Harbor. Since we were familiar with the northern third of the island, we drove south.

Our first stop was a rickety fire tower which gave us an awesome view of Abaco from shore to shore.

To the west were The Marls, an area of shallow water with many tiny rocky cays.

To the east we could see the miles of pine forest stretching to the Sea of Abaco.

Further south we came to Crossing Rocks. Once a fishing community perched on a wildly beautiful beach, it was destroyed by Hurricane Floyd.

Only about three buildings were left standing. The government of the Bahamas relocated the town about a mile inland.

We continued our trip south to the end if the Highway, the extreme southwestern point of the island. We arrived at the friendly fishing village of Sandy Point just in time for lunch.

We had a wonderful lobster lunch on the porch of Nancy's Seaside Inn Restaurant and Bar.

Peter had a hard time not sharing his lobster with a village cat who, understandably had made the Restaurant his home!

Back on the highway northbound, we encountered a bit of traffic. This potcake was on his way somewhere and chose to take the highway!

For a little more on our travels on Great Abaco, see the next entry!

A Walk Up-along: March 22nd

2008-04-02T16:43:00.006-04:00

We spent the rainy Easter weekend in on a mooring Hopetown Harbor (pictured here). During breaks in the rain, we ventured into town on Saturday and Tuesday for some shopping and exploring. Easter Monday is a holiday in the Bahamas and most stores and offices were closed.

On Monday we took a hike southward on the center road of Elbow Cay about mile and a half to see what was happening in up-along and visit the Abaco Inn. This was an area we hadn't explored before. Along the way, we found many pretty cottages and also a couple of roads off into the "bush" where a small community of Haitians are squatting in makeshift homes.

These folks are mostly illegal immigrants who find employment as laborers or service people in the resorts and private homes. Many speak only Creole. As in the US, illegal immigration is a thorny issue here in the Bahamas. There are several squatter communities one of which is only a few blocks away from the Police Headquarters in Marsh Harbor! Despite the often meagre living conditions here and some half-hearted attempts by the government to crack down on it, illegal immigration continues. The immigrants are better off here than in Haiti. Here their children attend school and they find better paying jobs.

Our walk up-along, was interrupted by a substantial rainfall. Luckily, we had just reached the Abaco Inn, our destination. As the rain continued, we sat on the enclosed porch visiting with guests of the Inn and reading. Eventually, lunch time arrived so we had enjoyed some delicious conch fritters and dolphin. By the time we were finished with lunch, the rain had stopped. We gladly retraced our steps back to the harbor, so we could work off a few of the calories we had just consumed.

At right is a view from
Turtle Hill which is the "Up" that the name refers to. The dirt road in the distance leads to some of the pretty homes along the shore. It's the shortcut we took to Abaco Inn. Off this shortcut is where we saw the track road leading to the Haitian enclave.

For a map of Elbow Cay, Click here

The Gospel Singer: March 21st

2008-04-02T16:35:00.002-04:00

Hopetown never fails to offer us at least one special moment, every time we visit. On Good Friday as we finished our walk to the north end of the island, we heard the sound of music coming from the vicinity of the Harbor. We decided to see what it was all about and quickly arrived at Jarred Park, the tiny public park on the waterfront.

There we discovered Bahamian Gospel Singer Leo McCarthy. He stood facing the village with a microphone and small sound system which provided background music. The lovely traditional and modern gospel songs cast a spell over us as we leaned on the white picket fence and listened to him sing. His voice was full of joy and spirit and bought us a feeling of reverence and peace. His lilting Bahamian accent gave his performance a special charm. His audience was small, just a handful of passers-by, but the applause was sincere and his enthusiasm was undaunted.

We learned from a resident of Hopetown standing next to us that he is a native of Long Island Bahamas and makes his living doing painting and carpentry. Occasionally he comes to the Abacos to give free concerts of Gospel music. With him were his daughter, who handled the sound and kept his lyrics sorted out and his granddaughter, an adorable five year old who skipped around the park and encouraged her papa by clapping and saying, "Way to go Papa."
He sang for about 90 minutes and just as he was wrapping up, a group of small children appeared at the park which is also a playground. He gathered them together and sang a special song just for them.

We left the park with a feeling of reverence and peace, inspired by the beautiful voice, the simple faith and the joyful spirit of this humble man.

Cat Lady's House: March 22nd

2008-04-02T16:06:00.006-04:00

One day we walked down-along Hopetown for a while and were surprised to discover that the Cat Lady's house had been torn down. Miss Lilly, the elderly lady who had lived there alone for many years was the self-appointed guardian of probably 20 or more stray cats. She spent her days striding around Hopetown rounding up her stray kitties or sitting in her doorway watching the tourists, probably because her house was so stinky inside from all the cats! Anyway, she died a few years back and a couple of other folks fed the cats, who mostly seem to have dispersed or disappeared. Recently the house has been torn down. Only a tiny portion of one wall has been left standing. I don't know for sure, but it seems as if the residents of Hopetown may have left it there as a tribute to the cat lady. Or perhaps it was just left standing because of the little sign tacked to it that points the way to Froggies Dive Shop. I don't know. There is much more on the web about Miss Lilly. If you are curious, click on the title above to see oneof the sites.

Upalong and Downalong :March 20th

2008-04-02T15:56:00.002-04:00

Hopetown is informally divided into two sections by the residents. Up-along and Down-along. Up-along is southward on the island where the ground is higher, and the higher income people lived. Of course, Down-along is the reciprocal. You might think the point of division would be the lighthouse the prominent landmark in the area, but it's actually a little cottage called The Jib. This happens to be one of the cottages that Peter's parents rented on one of their several visits to this cay.

On the day we walked down-along, we met the owners of the Jib so we stopped to visit and talk about the old days when the cottage was a rental. The present owner is an artist and part of the cottage is a small studio and gallery where he paints scenes of Hopetown and sells his work. While we were there we purchased one of his prints. Once we are home, it will bring us fond memories of Abaco.

Hopetown

2008-03-21T14:08:00.003-04:00

We are spending a few days on a mooring in Hopetown Harbor, a special place that still retains a charm despite the invasion of tourists. The first night or two we anchored off the lighthouse and as darkness fell, I watched through binoculars as the keeper lighted the kerosene lamp. At first just a small spark in the darkness, then a pail orange glow, finally the bright warm light of the lamp shone out and the lense began to rotate, sending its occulting beam across the Elbow Cay Reef. The candy striped lighthouse is one of the prettiest sights in the Abacos.

Turtle Again

2008-03-21T13:55:00.002-04:00

Here in Hopetown Harbor, I found another turtle, much friendlier. this time it was a young Hawksbill turtle, with his beautiful tortoise shell. He actually swam alongside the boat long enough for me to take his picture!

"Free" Lunch

2008-03-21T12:58:00.003-04:00

While we were in Marsh Harbor this time, we decided to use the gift certificate I had won in the silent auction on Guana. We dinghied across the bay on a hot windy Sunday to have lunch at Curly Tails restaurant at the Conch in Marina. While we chomped on our conch burgers we watched the activity on the docks below us.

This marina is home to both Sunsail and Moorings charters and the docks were abustle with employees and charterers getting boats ready to go out. Both operations have good sized fleets here with catamarans becoming increasingly popular.

After lunch we wandered over to Boat Harbor to check out all the pretty boats, the white sandy beach and the amenities of the Abaco Beach Resort. The Sea of Abaco sparkled in the afternoon sunshine while we sat on a picnic bench merely enjoying the view.

Snake!

2008-03-21T12:41:00.006-04:00

From Man-O-War, we crossed the Sea of Abaco to the Angel Cays. A group uninhabited cays off the east coast of Great Abacos. They have some unlikely names for Angel Cays--we anchored between Snake and Cormorant Cays. Deep Sea Cay lies to the south and between the Cays and mainland Abaco are tidal flats with warm water that's good for bonefishing.

Snake Cay was once a busy community, the port for a logging operation run by Owens-Illinois Corporation back in the 60's. When that dried up, the community was abandoned. Now all that's left are ruins. When we explored the area by dinghy, we discoverd that the shore of Snake Cay is littered with huge pieces of rusting equipment and tanks. We were saddened by the waste of resources, both natural and man-made, but that seems to be the way of things here.

The spot was a tranquil anchorage for a night, although after dark, we saw a huge fire just behind the casaurinas and wondered what had happened. We planned to go ashore the next day to investigate, but the weather had other plans, so we left and sailed north to Marsh Harbor to see what the next cold front would bring.

Just as I was about to pull up the anchor to head out, I looked down into the clear water and saw that a starfish was napping on top of it. With apologies, I took his picture and hoisted the hook!

The Heritage of a Craftsman

2008-03-16T18:56:00.007-04:00

We anchored for a couple of days at the sandy beach in beautiful, but windy weather after the cold front. When the next front approached, we moved into the harbor and took a mooring for a couple of days.

Our first visit to Man-O-War was 35 years ago with Peter's parents. Then as now it was a boat-building center. Back in the seventies, craftsmen still built sturdy boats of native woods, now they have switched to fiberglass.

This island was settled by the first Albury who came ashore at the age of 16 and married an Archer lass. Today the Alburys still dominate Man-O-War. They run the marina, the major ferry service in the Abacos and they still build boats; the Albury women bake bread, work in the gift shop and run the sail loft which now makes canvas bags of all sorts for the tourists.

One evening during our stay, we went ashore to the Island Take-Away to order some fish in a bag. While we waited we wandered down the main street of the settlement past the sheds where the boats were built and repaired and noticed that someone was still working.

Peter stopped at the door to say hello and that is how we met Andy Albury. We had a wonderful chat as Andy described his background in woodworking. His grandfather built boats of wood and was the craftsman we had watched back in the seventies. Andy's father died when he was sixteen so Andy and his brothers worked for the grandfather helping him in his boatbuilding shop.

Andy, himself, became a master craftsman who built furniture, coffee tables, chairs, etc. and now he also makesbeautiful half-model boats which he sells at craft shows and art auctions here in the Abacos. When he learned of Peter's interest in woodworking, Andy invited us into his shop to show us something special. The floor was ankle deep in wood shavings. Tools and scraps of wood and projects in various stages covered every horizontal surface. This was the same shed that his grandfather had used when building some of the beautiful wooden boats of days gone by.

What Andy showed us was a small piece of aromatic cedar. He and his brother had discovered a fallen cedar tree which, he said, is a rarity here in the islands and they salvaged and used the wood in several projects. This was his last little scrap.

The cedar smelled wonderful and he gave me the piece to take with me. It's an odd souvenir, but to me it symbolizes the spark of human spirit that struggles to keep the old ways alive in the face of a changing world.

Man-O-War

2008-03-16T18:31:00.006-04:00

On the ninth of March, we headed southeast from Treasure to Man-O-War Cay. We anchored in a lovely bight just off the narrowest part of the island.

A few other boats were in the anchorage including a classic ketch and schooner which are part of a sail training fleet that hosts Sea Scouts from the US and The Bahamas.

The beautiful clear water was deep almost to shore where a lovely little sand beach provided a convenient access to the island. We spent two days in this beautiful spot sheltered from the wind and we went ashore each day to explore.

The main road on the island runs its entire length. Known as the Queen's Highway, it is paved in some sections, but at each end of the island it dwindles to a track. Many cottages and gardens are along the Queen's Highway and we explored the highway from end to end. This is a stretch of the highway near the end.

The next entry will tell you more about our visit to Man-O-War.

The Dreaded Trough: March 6th

2008-03-16T18:16:00.003-04:00

Weathermen hate troughs which are what's left over when a low pressure system runs out of steam. We don't like them either, for they bring unpredictable and unsettled weather.

While we were at Archers Cay, a trough settled over the area bringing squally weather. Just as we were finishing our dinner, a cold blast of air entered our cabin from astern. That's not a good sign when you're at anchor, so we sprang into action. The blast was soon by rain, thunder and lightning. Out in the cockpit, Peter quickly turned on the GPS to see if we had dragged. Sure enough we were quite a bit closer to the rocky shore as the wind now clocked with the squall. The wind was whistling right across the Sea of Abaco and our boat rocked up and down in the waves that quickly built up.

For over an hour the nasty weather hung around. Peter kept watch at the helm ready to start the engine if necessary, but the anchor held in its new position. I cleaned up the dishes and made coffee. We listened to other boats who were anchored nearby us. One had a particularly nasty situation with its anchor chain caught on its keel. It circled throughout the storm and eventually lost its anchor. Luckily the couple had a spare. Finally everything settled down.

The trough hung on, though, and the next day more squalls began to form. It seemed as if we were circled with black clouds and an occasional bolt of lightning decorated the horizon. We decided to pull up anchor and sail about five miles to a safe harbor at Treasure Cay.

It would have been a quick sail, but a large field of rain moved into place between us and our destination. Visibility up at Treasure was nill. So we leisurely sailed back and forth in the Sea of Abaco with a nice breeze and only a light chop as we dodged the rain squalls. Finally a clear patch of sky that had teased us for over an hour made it to Treasure . A rainbow arced over the tip ofr the island. We hurried into the harbor and anchored there until the trough was shoved out by a cold front two days later.

With the new plastic cockpit enclosure Peter made last summer for our boat, we stayed snug and dry despite the rain.

Archers Cay: March 5th

2008-03-16T17:55:00.005-04:00

We had never been to Archers Cay, but it looked like a neat anchorage and the wind was right to check it out. So we sailed there from Guana to pay it a visit.

We were rewarded with an interesting time. As you can see, anchorage is a small bay formed by a group of tiny islands, the largest of which is Archer. We dinghied ashore to explore. In one of the tiny bays we found what looked to be a long dock that had been pushed out of shape by hurricane winds. It curled like a ribbon but was still attached to its pilings.

The dock turned out to be a bridge that connected a track road on Great Abaco to Archers Cay. We tied off the dink and started out to explore the road. The first thing we came to was an area that seemed to be a dumping spot of sorts. Here Peter discovered a dandy of pice of stainless steel that must have been a bow pulpit on a large boat. Still fastened to it, were several shiny stainless fittings. These might be useful, Peter thought and made a plan to come back the following day with some tools to retrieve them. We also found a tremendous quantity of PVC piping.

We followed the track road for a mile or two. The road passed from one to another hammock floating in shallow streams or small tidal pools.

Off in the distance we could see the pine forest. Abaco once had abundant pine forests but they were heavily harvested back in the 60's. They are all inland on Great Abaco, so we had never seen them. We followed the track road which must have been part of a lumbering operation and came to the forest. The wind whispered in the pines a soothing sound I hadn't heard since my last ramble in Macomb Park back home.

We saw lots of birds on our walk and the next day I returned to the pinewoods to take a few pictures while Peter retrieved his stainless. Archers were one of the original Loyalists to settle here, so I imagine this remote area of Abaco was at one time part of that family's land. Our visit here was cut short by the weather, but we hope to return and explore a little more.

Peter's Lucky Day

2008-03-08T17:01:00.003-05:00

You may recall that we had a malfunctioning water pump which we planned to replace.

Eventually we left the luxury of Treasure Cay and sailed to Marsh Harbor so we could see about getting a new one, or at least some parts.

We were somewhat disheartened to learn that a new pump would cost $349 plus $150 for shipping plus a 7 percent "stamp tax." Mercifully, the 35 percent duty would be waived because it is a necessary boat part. That was what it would cost to have the part sent from the US.

On the other hand, we learned that there was a Yanmar Dealer in Marsh Harbor. Fellow cruisers told us we might be able to get parts there. So after a strong cold front kept us boat bound for a day, we headed ashore and walked a mile or so to Marsh Harbor Boat Yard.

There we found the most accomodating folks who cheerfully looked up all the numbers for our pump that needed to be replaced. Ian, one of the employees told us we'd have to wait for Victor, the parts guy to come back from an errand before they could tell us whether the parts were in stock or whether they would have to be ordered.

We hung out at the marina for a while waiting for Victor to arrive back "in the black pickup truck," wondering what the odds were that all the little parts we needed would be on hand. If so, we would be back in business.

As we strolled the docks we admired a pretty schooner named the William H. Albury, a charter vessel, which I believe was built here in the Abacos in 1963. It is a recreation of a 19th-century working schooner that can be chartered for six-day journeys throughout the Abacos. If you think you'd like to sail away on a schooner, you can buy it for a mere $220 grand!

Eventually, we spotted Victor arriving at the marina office so we walked back to see what would happen. Victor disappeard into the back room and came back a few minutes later. "If I were you, I'd go straight to the casino," he said. "It's your lucky day!"
Not only did he have all the parts we needed, but the bill came to a meager $34.00! We felt lucky indeed that our problem had been solved so easily!

A Million Dollar Lot: February 21

2008-03-08T16:51:00.003-05:00

One day we were out for a walk on one of Treasure Cay's waterfront roads when we spotted a great white heron. At first I thought it was a statue beside a swimming pool, but when it took off and flew to a nearby vacant lot, I realized it was the real thing. I always enjoy the challenge of photographing a bird...never mind that I probably already have half a dozen pictures of herons on my computer. So we stopped at the edge of the lot while I aimed my camera at the wary bird.
A couple rode up on their bikes as we stood there. "A million bucks and it's yours," he said, coming to a stop.

We thought at first he was joking. "Wait a minute, I'll get my checkbook," I replied.

"No, I'm serious, we own it. It's for sale," he assured us. "We bought it a long time ago, thought we'd build a house for our parents, but life happened, they passed away, our kids moved out, so now we're thinking we'll just stay where we are." They had a house on the opposite shore of Treasure Cay.

We chatted for a while about the high price of property in the islands, an on-going source of debate here in the Abacos. Like us, these folks were retired snowbirds. They lived in Minnesota in the warm months.

"Well, it's out of our price range," we said finally.

"That's OK," the fellow assured us. "It's not a very good lot anyway. When the hurricanes come everything on this side of the peninsula gets trashed. Well, nice meeting you."

"With that sales pitch, it'll probably be a while before he sees his million!" I said to Peter as the couple rode off around the corner.

Of course, by that time the heron was barely visible behind a clump of vegetation. I snapped him anyway!

And the Winner is . . .

2008-03-08T11:09:00.007-05:00

This year we were determined to see the Barefoot Man Concert, a free festival held at the famous Nippers Bar & Grill. So we headed to Guana Cay on Friday February 29, an eleven mile sail with a solid breeze. We joined quite a few other boats in Fisher's Bay. One of the sailboats was already in the spirit of the weekend displaying signal flags that spelled out Barefoot Man.

On Saturday afternoon, we went ashore to check out the settlement. We joined a crowd of visitors who were already ashore After enjoying the music and view of the ocean at Nippers (at left)., we headed down to Fisher's Bay to listen to the tunes of Steel Daddy at Grabbers, a bar at Sunset Beach. (below)

We also stopped by a fund-raiser for the newly formed Guana Cay Youth Sailing Club. Folks were raising money to purchase Optimist Prams to teach local youngsters the basics of sailing. The parents and kids had a bar set up along the street, a raffle and a silent auction.

In the spirit of the moment, I bid on a lunch for two at a popular Marsh Harbor restaurant named Curly Tails. Then I bought a Barefoot Man T-Shirt to further help the cause. Unfortunately I now had less cash than I had bid for the auction.

Peter chivalrously volunteered to return to the boat for more money. Good thing he did, because mine was the highest bid. Now we can look forward to Conch Burgers and Kaliks at Curly Tails the next time we head for Marsh Harbor. MMMMmmmm....Tasty!

Eclipse

2008-03-08T10:41:00.002-05:00

February 20th was a total eclipse of the moon. We enjoyed watching from the cockpit as the moon drifted in and out of silvery cumulous clouds across a starry sky. At its point of totality, the moon appeared as bright as a shiny copper penny almost directly over our boat. It was a lovely sight combined with the anchor lights of boats, the festive lights of the resort ashore and the shadowy outlines of the palm trees that lined the harbor. We wanted to make the sight last in our minds because there won't be another to watch until 2010! (The photo is from Space.com)

A Curious Fellow

2008-03-07T12:50:00.002-05:00

Treasure Cay Harbor seems to have a new resident, a young green turtle. I say "young" because this little guy is only about two feet long and probably weighs about 12 pounds. These long-lived reptiles range from 100 to 200 pounds full grown.

It seems that every time I go into the cockpit for a look around, I see the turtle poke his brown spotted head out of the water like a sock puppet, his bright eye peering back at me. He sinks slowly and then surfaces for a second look before he continues his rounds. Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to snap a photo of the little guy. Guess he's camera shy!

Despite it's name these turtles are not green but brownish in color. Their name is derived from their gelatinous green body fat! they are an endangered species, so it's very nice to see one paddling around looking healthy and happy!

PS: Since I wrote this, we have returned to Treasure and our fellow has a buddy. Ah, it's spring (well, almost!)

A Little Passage: February 16th

2008-03-07T12:21:00.003-05:00

After a couple weeks in northern Abaco, we decided to head south before the next cold front caught up with us. To do this we had to scoot outside to the Atlantic for an hour to round Whale Cay. A sand bar stretches from Great Abaco to "the Whale" dividing the Sea of Abaco in two for all but the shallowest draft boats which are able to navigate the shallow "Don't Rock" Channel. The Whale Passage is always a little intimidating, especially since we had recently read an article about a small freighter that had capsized on the route when a storm 800 miles away caused 20 foot waves to break in the cuts.

Our passage was quite uneventful with good wind and four to five foot swells and a two foot wind chop. Once through the passage we had a rolly broad reach to our next port o'call, Treasure Cay. As we entered the sheltered harbor at Treasure, we speculated as to how many boats would be there and whether or not we would be lucky enough to get one of the three moorings.
We couldn't believe our eyes when we rounded the last turn and saw that the most desirable of the three moorings was sitting there empty!

Without a moment's hesitation, we snapped it up. We planned to stay at Treasure for a while enjoying the pool, beautiful beach, nearby shops and restaurants, free water and showers. It's the best of deals at only 12 dollars a night!

The next night there were 26 other boats in the little harbor seeking refuge from the cold front. One skipper who knocked on our hull early that morning wanted to know how long we were staying and was very disappointed when Peter said, "Oh, maybe eight or ten days!'

Into the Woods

2008-02-22T17:17:00.006-05:00

One of the most interesting elements of cruising here, is getting to know a new location. What mysteries lie around that point of land or deep in that tropical coppice? Manjack Cay was one of those place we had yet to thouroughly explore, so after our stay at Green Turtle, we returned there.

While we were anchored a second time at Manjack Cay, we met the owner of one of the few homes on that island. He and his wife have lived on Manjack for quite a number of years and have developed an extensive homestead. He invited us to explore the many trails he had made that traversed the island and led to each of the coves and beaches along its shores. So one afternoon, we took off to do just that. We were still hoping to find the so-called nature park and a trail to the ocean beach that others had told us about.

Walking the interior trails of the island we passed through what almost seemed like a jungle habitat at times. The first trail we took led from the anchorage northward around a mangrove swamp and then eastward across the island to the ocean beach. The narrow trail was thatched with many roots and small stumps from trees that had been cleared. We heard the feather rustle of unseen birds taking flight at our approach. After a mile or so the coppice thinned and we reached a beautiful beach. We could see the northernmost tip of the island so we decided to walk up the beach as far as we could. We hoped to find a trail to the other side.

After another mile of wandering the strand, we came upon a picnic table and shelter. This, we thought, was the spot referred to in the cruising guide. Only it was at the north end of the Island. The rafters of the shelter were hung with pot markers from as far away as New York and various other drift relics such as pieces of net and old sneakers and flip flops. Another group of beachcombers came up to the shelter and told us this marked the beginning of the path across the island and the park referred to in the cruisers guide. We trudged on along a wider trail heading across the island. This area, we later learned, had been purchased by a wealthy individual who planned to put in a subdivision. More trails leading off in many directions crossed the one we followed.

Eventually we came to a coconut palm lined beach where a young couple was just coming ashore to camp. Here we found a sign welcoming us to the nature trails and the dock referred to in the guide. We asked the campers who had been here often, if there was another trail back to our harbor but there was not, so we knew we had to retrace our steps back to the boat.

But Peter still had another mission. He wanted to find the property on the north end of the island that a friend of ours had just purchased where he planned to build himself a home. We started back, looking for the path to that spot. After a couple of false leads Peter found a trail that led to the lovely cove where our friend's lot was located. It was a beautiful spot. We imagine that our friend will have quite an adventure building his island home, a quiet cove with no electricity or telephone, but thanks to modern ingenuity the internet!

By now the sun was getting low and I was getting a little worried that we might not make it back by dark. A little quicker, we retraced our steps and arrived back at our starting point just before sunset. Altogether we had hiked over five miles. Now at last we felt that we knew Manjack Cay.

?Donde Este Mi WD-40? ( with apologies to my Spanish Speaking Friends)

2008-02-14T16:00:00.004-05:00

While we were at Bluff House Marina on Green Turtle, Peter and I had occasion to wish we had followed through on our plan to learn some Spanish. Tied up at the end of the dock near us were two 25-foot cuddy cabin fishing boats with two Hispanic men aboard each. A third boat belonging to a couple more Spanish speakers was also tied up at the Marina. They were obviously having problems with one of the twin engines on one of the two boats. It was the source of much heated conversation and gesturing, none of which was understood by us.

Suddenly one of the guys came up to our boat and started to converse with us in some sort of Spanglish we could barely make out. It seemed he wanted some kind of spray for the engine. We asked him if he wanted to dry it out or maybe try some WD-40, but he couldn't understand us and he walked off to get another person to translate. Another of the guys walked up to our boat who looked like he might know English, but when he started to speak we could understand even less that he said. Finally, the two decided after conferring that they'd try our WD 40 and we lent it to them.

For some time, they continued to work on the engine and then took off for a test run. Oh, Oh, we thought, what about our WD-40? Maybe we'll never see them again. We looked at each other realizing how little Spanish we knew, the colors, the numbers, cerveza, si, no, etc. Finally I came up with something like Donde Este mi WD-40, but wasn't sure that would really fit the bill.

Some time later, the guys came back, but no one brought back our spray. They all left the dock. "Watch this," Peter said. He walked over to the boat and casually spotted the WD 40 on the crippled vessel. the motor had seemed to be running a little better and it appeared that the guys were through with it, so he snagged it back. The next day all the guys came back out on the dock for more conversing and gesturing. Finally, one came over to us and told us, that guy your spray half hour... Oh, we already have it, said Peter with alacrity. That's Ok. The guy looked a little puzzled and walked away.

Because of the weather, it appeared that these six guys were stranded at Green Turtle. They hung out throughout the weekend, occasionally leaving for a short while on the ferry or in the boat that was working and then reappearing. They sometimes dangled a fishing rod over the dock, but never caught anything. By the time they left, today, Valentine's Day, everyone on the docks was familiar with them. We thought maybe they had come over to do some fishing, but the consensus on the dock seems to be that they were most likely engaged in a bit of smuggling.

Once the weather cleared up, we decided to head back up to Manjack for a day or so, to do some more exploring. The next cold front won't get here until Sunday.

Docking for Dollars at Green Turtle

2008-02-14T15:45:00.004-05:00

From Allen's Pensacola we made a short sail south to Green Turtle Cay, one of our favorite all weather anchorages. We tied up for five days at the Bluff House Mariana and took advantage of their off season promotion. Whatever you spend for dockage you get back if you buy stuff at the resort. So we had several tasty meals at the resort bistro and docked five nights for free!

Our second night here, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of a wedding that took place on the deck of the Resort overlooking the marina. We very much liked the live music, especially a ten-minute piece of exciting music that we later discovered reflected the sounds of the Bahamian Festival of Junkanoo.

A couple of weather fronts blew through while we were here, but we did get a chance to take a stroll to the other side of the island and visit the beach. It's one of our favorite places to walk. The whole area is pretty quiet right now because it's not in season, but that's just fine with us.

Manjack Cay

2008-02-14T15:30:00.007-05:00

Our next stop was Manjack Cay, (pronounced "Munjack"), a sparsely populated Cay in the Northern Abacos. We had heard there was a lovely beach and a nature park at this spot. We dropped anchor and went for a dinghy ride in search of the park. Unfortunately, it was low tide, so, at one point, we actually had to tote the dinghy across a grassy bar. n

The water was sparkling clear and we could see lots of starfish and conch on the bottom. We found a striking beach guarded by large rocky formations and the remains of a dilapidated dock, but no nature park. At dusk we dinghied back to the boat with about a foot more water. There was a beautiful sunset and I initiated a friendly salute by sounding my conch horn. Several others answered my call.

Long Reach

2008-02-14T15:16:00.004-05:00

We have had two days of beautiful sailing weather. On Thursday we sailed about 25 miles from Great Sale to Allen's Pensacola Cay. Today, February 10th, we sailed another 20+ miles to Manjack Cay. Each sail was one long starboard reach (our fastest point of sail) with a good breeze that kept Nimue skimming along under sunny skies. The water on the banks as clear as ever and sparkling green. Around four o'clock we anchored at our destination and set up the dinghy for a trip to shore. We wanted to walk across Allen's Cay to the ocean beach to see if our boat card was still posted in an old water bottle at the signing tree on the beach.

The signing tree is a place where visiting cruisers leave a memento, usually their boat name carved on a piece of driftwood or an old float, or a boat card in a bottle tied with a piece of drift rope on a prominent tree. Our memento was gone and so was quite a bit of the beach! One of the summer storms that passed by this area took a good chunk of this secluded sandy shore out to sea and left huge piles of drying turtle grass and a rocky limestone beach in its place. There must have been quite a bit of drift junk left behind as well, because the "signing" activity has spread from one tree near the path to several trees along the beach. The effect isn't quite the same. What should be a single quirky reminder of happy sailing memories has turned into a sad commentary on how much junk is out there on the water.

Always Something

2008-02-14T14:40:00.001-05:00

We left West End on Super Tuesday, sailing for Mangrove Cay, some thirty miles away. For part of the trip the wind was dead ahead of us, on the nose, so we had to start the engine and motorsail into a choppy sea. At last, we got to Mangrove and while tidying up the boat, we noticed some water in the bilge. Not a lot, but enough to let us know something was amiss.

We had already replaced the hose and leaky hoseclamp, now what? Peter opened up the engine compartment and did a little investigating. It didn't take long to discover that the water pump on the engine was leaking. We checked our spares kit and discovered that we had a part that might fix the problem. We decided to sail the next day up to Great Sale Cay and anchor in the lee where Peter would attempt to remove and repair the water pump. Meanwhile, we turned on the XM radio and listened to early election results. As we went to bed that night Peter turned to me and said, "Well, it's always something!" Luckily we had a fair wind for the next leg of the trip and were able to sail all the way. When we had anchored north of Great Sale, Peter removed the water pump and pulled it apart. He replaced the defective part, a seal, and cleaned up the pump before bolting it back in place. Once all was back together, we crossed our fingers and fired up the diesel. Yay, it's not leaking! We still plan to replace the pump while we are here, because we really have no idea whether it will last for ten hours or 100 hours of motoring. But for now we are back in business.

The weather has been beautiful and the night sky is filled with millions of brilliant stars. Only one other boat is sailing our course with us, some folks from Oregon.

Regrouping at West End

2008-02-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

We spent the morning putting the boat back together. Washing off all the salt and stashing the harnesses, life vests and jacklines, unpacking the rapid ditch bag, doing some laundry, were some of the chores that we needed to take care of. We also established a Skype phone account so we can be reached while we're in the Bahamas. Our number, a local call for our neighbors in new york, is 518-632-6651. If you don't get us, please leave a message.
After lunch we took a bike ride to the settlement of West End. The waterfront is still showing ravages of past hurricanes but slowly new buildings are appearing. We bought some Bahamian rum while we waited out a shower and then pedaled back to explore the new Ginn Sur Mer development taking shape around the marina. One striking home caught our eye right on the beach. More like a compound than a house, it's finished with wood, tile and copper and surrounded by coconut palms. It's always interesting to see what the rich will do with all their play money. Tomorrow we head across the Little Bahama Bank toward the Abacos. The weather is cooperating with our trip so far. This is the earliest date we've arrived in the Bahamas.

Across the Stream

2008-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

At 2:30 AM on Super Bowl Sunday, we raised the anchor and motorsailed out the Lake Worth Inlet. There was a southeast wind and 2-3 foot seas. We had spent the day getting ready. One last stop at Publix, hoist the dinghy onto the deck and pack up the rapid ditch bag. Call the insurance company to get our offshore insurance rider and give our float plan to Kevin. We went to sleep at 8:30 and got up at 2:00. The first part of the trip in darkness seems interminable. We head south to position ourselves to maximise the gulf stream current. The waves, though not steep, give us a rocking ride with the extra weight of the dinghy on the bow. We amuse ourselves by keeping an eye on the radar and watching the lights of Palm Beach slowly sink beneath the horizon. We are all alone on a dark sea.

Four hours later, the moon rises, a golden crescent at our bow. As the clouds clear away, we are treated to a gorgeous sight. Jupiter and Venus shining down on us just beside the moon, like two diamonds beside a brilliant crescent. Soon the sun rises. We are in the bright blue water of the gulf stream with the wind on the nose. The hours drift by, the waves flatten out and the motor throbs on. Six, eight, ten, hours and breakfast, lunch and snacks and sixties music on the XM radio. Then we spot the water tower at West End. We are nine miles from our landfall. Exactly twelve hours after leaving Lake Worth we tie up at the dock at Old Bahama Bay Marina.

Though we're tired, we've had a good crossing and even better, the marina has cable, so showered and tired we stretch out in the cabin and watch the Giants stun the Patriots. A good day.

Down the Ditch

2008-01-31T18:14:00.000-05:00

Traversing the ICW from Peck Lake to Palm Beach was an easy run with only a few bridges to impede our progress. We left Peck Lake about 9:30 AM and headed south. Along the way are several interesting features. Hobe Sound boasts turquoise water and tree lined shores. The Jupiter Inlet framed by two opening bridges is the site of the Jupiter Lighthouse a classic red and black cylindrical stone structure that marks the inlet. Closer to Palm Beach, the waterway narrows and each shore is lined with the palatial homes of the wealthy residents of Jupiter, Juno Beach and North Palm Beach. Three of the seven bridges are "on demand" while the rest are on timed openings. As we motored, we cleaned up the cabin, charged batteries and enjoyed lunch al frescoe in the cockpit. We passed the last bridge at 2:30 and stopped to top off our diesel tank. (A mere $18.00 did the trick!)

For now we are anchored in North Lake Worth surrounded by marinas, high rises and more homes of the rich and famous. It was right here about three years ago that a small whale paid us a visit. No doubt a once in a lifetime event! We are hoping for an opportunity to cross the Gulf Stream on Friday night, but, of course, the weather will make the final call.

Slowing Down

2008-01-29T16:12:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy three weeks since the crew of Nimue left Plattsburgh on January 7th. Not only have we been provisioning and preparing the boat for launching, we have also been doing our part to fight off the recession. Two weeks ago we attended an RV show in Port St. Lucie where we fell in love with a 2003 Winnebago Adventurer 35 motorhome. After looking at a few other models, we decided that it had exactly what we were looking for in our next coach. So we traded in our faithful 94 Flair and are now proud Winnie owners. Of course, we had to try out our new ride after we moved in. We took a little time off boat chores to visit my Aunt in Naples. As always, my aunt and I had fun together and Peter enjoyed a few days to get used to the systems on our new coach. On our way home from Naples we stopped at a camping world to get a cover fort our new rig and treated ourselves to new folding bikes. Back at the marina we sold our trusty "clown bikes" to two of the marina workers who were happy to get a good deal. Last Tuesday our boat hit the water and we finished moving onto the boat. Two moves in two weeks!
Meanwhile Sonnet made two trips to the vet. She is now on a special kidney diet. She has sparkling clean teeth and soft fluffy paws. Along with her teeth cleaning and blood work she got a complimentary claw trim.
We are now in Stuart, slowing down the pace and the spending. For the next few months economic progress will have happen without us. We plan to go back to the Abacos and may even have a crossing window this weekend.

The Boat Cat

2007-12-19T14:01:00.000-05:00

Sonnet has been sailing since she was a toddler. She made the trip with us from Plattsburgh down the ICW, a journey accomplished during the three summers before we retired. In all her sailing experience she has only fallen overboard once, in Annapolis Harbor. It was her first extended cruise and she tried to jump ship to a bigger boat and missed. Luckily I was there to fish her out of the water . When her harness slipped off her body as I tried to haul her back in, I went for a rescue swim, completely dressed, and in full sight of all the tourists having dinner at Pusser's restaurant across the harbor! Despite this incident, Sonnet loves cruising. Over the years, she has gotten very good at moving to the low side bunk whenever we tack. At anchor, she loves to sit at the stern and watch the harbor lights reflect off the water. And she enjoys being with her people 24-7. After thousands of miles of sailing, she idefinitely deserves the title "Old Salt."

A Little Background

2007-12-18T13:03:00.000-05:00

Since Nimue became our "winter home," we've made lots of improvements and changes. These are described in some detail on Peter's website. You'll also find a little more information about our sailing history and more pictures.

Home for the Holidays

2007-12-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

Nimue III sits patiently on her cradle at
Indiantown Marina dreaming of the islands. Peter and Claudia are home for the holidays enjoying the prospect of a white Christmas with our two little sugarplums Karlie and Keelyn and their mommy and daddy. With a lovely fluffy snowfall leaving mounds of fresh snow in the yard and woods, winter doesn't seem so bad, for now. We've even strapped on our cross-country skis. On January 6th, we will return to Florida and get ready for the new year's sailing adventure. The boat is ready to go. We just have to uncover her, load up our gear and have her launched.