Week's catch up... only a week???

March 17-18

We went for fuel yesterday around noon and w couldn’t get any because there was no way to climb up the dock to access the pumps. We dinghied around all the mega-yachts looking for access when a man came off his sailboat [Toronto} to tell us to come back at high tide.  W found out that he’d been originally from London England, living in Sault Ste. Marie for while and then move to Toronto to work before retiring here two years ago living in his boat at the dock. But I digress...

We parked the dinghy and went walking to the grocery store. On the way, we passed the BASAR building (Search and Rescue) so I went in to see their operation. There were a few people in there. One Australian who was the paid administrator gave us the most info about their work; one old Englishman wanted to give me a lesson in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He looked like Michael Douglas and sounded like Alan Rickman. Am I getting old because that combination didn’t work for me?

We moved on to the BaTelCo office. All the hi-tech businesses keep their doors locked and they buzz you in! We added minutes to our phone and tried to find out about a Wi-Fi booster. No luck.  The grocery store [Super Value] was pretty expensive. I don’t know how people manage to eat here. Peanut butter was $8.00 for a small jar of Peter Pan. Kleenex was over $2.00 / box. The carrots come from Canada or California. Apples the size of cantaloupes were 99cents each but a bag of Gala were only $3.99 [trust me, that’s cheap even in the states]

After we finished shopping, we went back to the dinghy dock and OffLine’s dinghy was still there so we decided to go to the bar and wait for them. They were already there so we sat and had a couple of beers and some sweet potato fries until around 6:30.  It was St. Patrick’s Day so they were giving out green beads and serving green beer, and there was one well-built young woman wearing an “Irish” outfit. See pic!!

There is going to be a big Thunderball [James Bond] Party on Staniel Cay on March 28. And we are going to miss it! Rats! We will be in the Turks by then. We watched a mega-yacht called SKYFALL go past us yesterday, maybe going down to get ready?  This is where Casino Royale was filmed and we are sitting beside the dock of one of the small buildings built for the set. Some crazy lady lives here now and Carol is convinced she is one of the Bond women who couldn’t leave!

There are four new and different cruise ships in here today. This place must make a fortune renting out the docks to different lines and staggering the docking times. 

Today we are going to get fuel and water and think about heading out to Allans Cay.  It’s 35 miles so if the wind is not good, we may hold off until tomorrow or look at the weather. The trip down the Exumas will be on the banks in shallow water [love it!] and we can stop and swim or snorkel on the sand beaches. I’m starting to really regret agreeing to do this writing job.  I hate being on someone else’s schedule. For all you prospective retirees out there... this is GREAT! You really can get over the urge to do something useful or productive!

March 18-19

It’s 7:30 and we are sitting in a very secluded, quiet anchorage with 16 other boats. Outside, on the Banks, there are three huge power boats and a few sailboats not willing to try to squeeze in here. We are in South Allan Cay. We can get in closer to shore than anybody because most of them are keel boats and the others are chicken catamarans. Rick is getting brave! We are in 3 feet of water!! As soon as the anchor was down we both put on suits and went swimming!  There are gorgeous fish and starfish and conch living underneath us, and now that its dark, the underwater lights are really cool because the water is so clear!

It was slow process coming down because we didn’t get the waypoints very well set. Rick had us crossing the Yellow Banks where crossing is discouraged because of the huge coral heads. So when I pointed this out, he re-set the way points and when we got to the Yellow Banks, he spent 5 miles (1 hour) in the front pulpit guiding me through. We did ok; I didn’t hit anything and managed to keep our speed at 5 knots. We got here in 7.5 hours which isn’t bad and it was a lovely crossing. The water is so many different colours of blue!

We left the anchorage in Nassau at 10:30 am. Jake had said that boats are supposed to call the port authority and tell them when they leave, but nobody does that. And for two days we never heard anyone call when they were leaving. SO this morning I made a point of calling the Port Captain to tell him we were leaving and our new destination when he asked, and from then until we were out of rang, we heard EVERY boat that was leaving call in.

There is nothing on the little ring of islands here. They are all protected as part of the Bahamas Park System. Tomorrow we are going ashore and taking our vegetable peeling with us. The iguanas here are responsive to being fed and sometimes they even bite trying to get the food. I think I will just drop and stand back.

We will be changing the oil in the drive and the motor tomorrow. We are 50 hours past the time. So much for taking care of it. I’m sure it won’t blow up... speaking of blowing up, on our way down we saw a sudden huge cloud of smoke issue from a boat that was too far away to tell what it was. It was on our course so we kept going but there was no floating debris and we didn’t hear any Mayday’s so...

March 19

Today was a perfect day. Six of the boats, including the one closest to us, left. This morning started out very stormy-looking. To the north it looked like it was raining in Nassau and we expected it to rain on us but it passed us by. Rick changed the oil in the engine and the transmission and then we started working on the drive.  First thing he did was drop a screw; the second thing he did was drop an Allen key. Luckily, he found the Allen key...not that we don’t have several dozen of them, but the screw he dropped into 6 feet of water holds the drive directional unit together...crap! He couldn’t find it. Not to worry...out of the 30,000 screws on board, surely one would fit!

So we finished filling the oil and capping the drive. We had to let it sit for an hour so the seal would set up so we went to the beach to feed the iguanas. At first only the little ones came out... kids are dumb, and as we didn’t o anything aggressive, the larger ones came out as well. We took carrots and cabbage and christophene [chayote squash] which they liked, but you have to be careful because they bite if you try to touch them. We took dozens of pics and if I ever get to decent internet I can show them to you!  Rick put the Go-Pro on the ground near the food and we taped them coming up to it and checking it out. While we were watching I heard a noise in the ‘bush’ and when I turned around there was a three-foot one coming out to look. He was immense! And smart, too, because he looked very old.

That was cool...they are like dump bears. They wait for people to bring food to them. There were 19 of them on the beach by the time we had dispersed the food. After about an hour we walked away and they all stalked us down the beach. Unfortunately the last thing we did was read the sign... the one that said “Don’t feed the Iguanas”. They are part of an on-going study to preserve the species because they are endangered. They can grow to be 25 lbs and 80 years old!  Apparently the Exumas are the only islands they are left on now since Columbus’ time they have been systematically wiped out. Cats and dogs will kill them so people are not allowed to bring pets to the island. Of course that didn’t stop anyone. At last four boats with dogs on board brought them onto the land to poop and I’m pretty sure they didn’t ‘scoop’ either!!!

Then we walked the beach picking up shit and garbage. We’ll take it to the marina tomorrow and give it back to them. 

After that we cruised through the anchorage checking out the Canadian boats. Three of them are Quebec boats. One couple we talked t are chartering Canadian boat, but are from Germany. He is American, she is German but they are travel writers and photographers.  We talked to them for a long time. When we came back to the boat for lunch: it was 2:45pm.

We went for a swim after lunch to see if we could find the screw. Right! Not only had the boat swung in the tide change but we were looking for a stainless screw dropped on the bottom in grass and sand... but I found it!!!All that archaeological training finally paid off!!! [But I can also find the springs out of winches when I drop them and they are tiny!]

While we were swimming there was only 6 inches of water under the keel! The tide had gone out so far we could stand beside the boat to put on our gear!

IN the afternoon two local whalers came through the anchorage, set a tent at the end of the island and then left. They came back later and stayed the night, burning something. I really hope they were scientists checking on the iguanas but I doubt it. But they were much more quiet than the boaters!!

We swam over the coral heads and saw lots of little aquarium fish!  Beautiful colours and lots of different shapes. Rick found a conch on the beach that was still alive we thought o we put it in the water upside don. If it was alive it would flip itself over enough after a minute the little foot came out and flipped him over. So we move it into the deeper water so it wouldn't end up on the beach again. And we put it upside down because it was cool to watch him stick his foot out and flip.

We saw live starfish and live sponges and fan coral and considering this is a very small cay and the place is crawling with tour boats, there are quite a few varieties of fish here.

We went for another dinghy ride back to see the couple form Germany and explain where the Yellow Banks are o they don’t cross them if they don’t have to they have to take their charter boat back to Nassau tomorrow.

We went or another snorkel to the other side of the bay to check out the fish there as well. The water is cooler than I expected or I am getting used to it. Sorry.

So now the anchorage is full again and there are even more boats than last night, there is another Quebec boat parked beside us and they have been noisy all evening hopefully they’ve drank enough to stay inside and sleep. It a very small boat with 4 adults and a bulldog! I can’t imagine!

The stars are awesome but in the wrong spots. Orion is on his side and the Big Dipper is upside down!

Tomorrow we are going to go down to the Marina at the next island [about 5 miles so we can have a shower, a dinner I didn’t have to cook and the INTERNET!!

March 20

Today we left the anchorage at Allen’s Cay after most of the other boats, and headed down the coast of the islands with no particular place in mind. We decide we would go for about 20 miles and see where we ended up.

There is a trio of boats that we have been trailing behind; two sailboats and a trawler. They all run with the same ensign called the Triple E. The sailboats are called Esenel and Essence. The trawler is called Elusion, hence triple E. We met them in Fort Lauderdale and have been travelling in the same direction ever since. They left Allen Cay before us this morning and when they were gone ahead by about 3 hours we heard them call “Pearl” [Bruce and Gayleen], to let them know that they were headed down to Norman’s Cay and that Other Goose was here too! We heard Bruce answer so we called later that day to let them know where we were and they happened to be in Shroud Cay, so we stopped! 

We got to the anchorage around 3 pm. After we anchored they came over to see us. When Rick showed them the perfect conch shells he had picked up we realized they were not empty! Fiddle crabs were living in them so we dropped them back into the ocean... a bit far from home but, I’m sure they’ll make new friends. We sat and talked with them for about 2 hours, all the while listening to someone in the anchorage calling for assistance from anyone with dive gear. They had wrapped the line from their tender [a small sport fisher] around the prop of their mega yacht. Awww!!

Then we went to shore to see the fresh water well up on the middle of the island.  We came back past the mega yacht to see if they needed bolt cutters because we heard them say that a shackle had been caught in the prop. But they didn’t need our help. We swam around the boat checking out the anchor.

The water is like soup! It’s 28 degrees C and crystal clear.  The water is so quiet at night it’s like being on another planet. There are clouds on the western horizon so there was no green flash tonight. We haven‘t seen one yet but maybe as we get further south.

March 21

I am beginning to regret the decision to accept the T &C contract. After starting to look up the islands on the internet, things have changed considerably since we came through 11 years ago. It will cost us $100.00US to go and out [yes, you have to pay to leave but they get it up front!] There is also a fee for staying more than 7 days - $300.00 US for a cruising permit which permits you to stay for three months. Plus, if you try to check in at any time other than office hours, there is a surcharge: but office hours are o restricted and they are all on ‘island time’ they will probably only show up on off hours. I remember waiting for two hours on one island for the official to show up at his office, and he turned out to be the one who told us where to go in the first place!

Anyway, other guides say that it is $75.00 per cruising permit and $300 for a fishing licence. But every person on a boat pays an extra $50.00 for a Visa, too!!?!?!

When we get to Staniel Cay tomorrow, I will search every website I can find and then call the T&C to get the information.

Today we went into the mangroves with Pearl. As we got ready, it starts to rain so we closed the hatches, but before we were even in the dinghy it stopped so we opened them again.  We took the dinghies through the river and over to the ocean side. There are white sand beaches over there as well. There is a spot where if you jump into the channel where the river meets the ocean, the rapids shoot you out to the ocean but the whirlpool brings you back and drops you on [or close to] the beach! The other three did it but I was not ready to try that trick. I held the camera. We swam off the beach for a bit and then came back into the lagoon here for lunch.

After lunch we swam over to one of the coral heads and checked out the fish and the bottom. We were in the water for about an hour before we came back, changed and then went over to see Bruce and Gayleen. Bruce gave me a book that he was given by a Russell Stamets, [who wrote it]. He is curing his own diabetes (LADA) through eastern/ holistic methods and succeeding so he doesn’t have to take insulin. It’s very interesting that the things that are working for him, I am already doing...except I still eat a lot of cheese and I really don’t want to give it up!  I read the whole book after we got back to the boat. I will give it back to Bruce when we catch up with them.

 We sat with them for another hour, came back to the boat, had supper and went to bed. Boring, eh?

March 22

It’s 300 hundred miles from here to the T&C [if we keep going] so today we are going 35 miles to Staniel Cay. The day is cloudy but we are getting some eastern wind and it may swing north which will give us a bit more speed. Staniel Cay has Wi-Fi  ... that’s the only reason to stop. If the next place, Blackpoint also has Wi-Fi and a Laundromat, maybe that’s where we’ll go.

Later that day... sorry folks we decide to bypass Staniel and Blackpoint in favour of White point which will put us range of Georgetown tomorrow. Rational: Georgetown is bigger, has groceries and more likely GF stuff. It also has a BANK! And fuel so we can do everything at once, and find out for sure if I am going to do the T&C’s.

I am sure I will regret saying this but the weather has been unbelievable. Apart from the 6 drops of rain on Saturday, there has been spectacular weather, but I’m sure the farmers here are praying for rain. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a rain storm just to clean the salt off the decks.

We parted company with Pearl this morning. They are going into Wardreck Wells for a couple of days and then they will amble further south. We will catch them on the way back. And hopefully by then C-Soul and Offline and High ZZ’s will all have met up as well.

Some people just have too much money! We just watched a mega-yacht turn into the wind so his helicopter could land on the top deck. Actually it wasn’t so much a mega yacht as a small ship!!! Apparently Jonny Depp owns one of the little islands here... just not sure which one, or what other mega-person goes with the mega-yachts!

There is a lot of traffic out here! There all sizes of power and sailboats going in all directions. So we are not alone!  Most of them are catamarans. Doesn’t anyone want an ordinary sailboat anymore??

We arrived at White Point beach around 5 pm and dropped the anchor. We started to swim to shore but ended up swimming through a school? Patch? cloud? of jellyfish. The kind that Nemo and Dory swam through...the kind that everyone thinks of as jellyfish. Anyway we didn’t get stung but we also didn’t wait to see if we would! We went back to the boat and got into the dinghy and went to shore. We walked the beach for an hour and a half picking up dead sand dollar, putting back the live ones that didn’t; know the tide was going out. Duh! We checked out the starfish... have yet to find a dead one, but it’s really cool the way the live ones crawl across your hand when you pick them up. We were holding them under water, of course.

So dinner is over, going to do the dishes and get ready for bed

< Tomorrow Georgetown and the internet. We know this is possible because this is where we stopped 10 years ago when we left Georgetown on our way up. Of course we were doing 6.5 knots with a tailwind and not dragging a dinghy so we might get there later. So we will leave here at 6:00 am instead of 7:30 am like that time.  

This bay is empty and the sunset was spectacular!

March 23, 2015

Around 5am this morning it started to rain. We had closed the forward hatches before we went to bed because of the clouds in the spectacular sunset. But w didn’t close the centre hatch or the bathroom hatch, so of course we ran around frantically pulling them shut and went outside to check on book, cameras, cushions, towels. everything had been put away except the towels and cushions so we got wet for nothing and as soon as we were done, it stopped. There wasn’t even a ¼ cup of water in the pail! Not even enough to wash the salt off the decks! Oh well.

So we tossed and turned for about 1 ½ hours waiting for the sun to come up and realized, the reason we left at 7:30 am 11 years ago was because it wasn’t daylight until then!

So we managed to get moving around 7:45 but I was not happy. The sky was still stormy and the cut we were heading for is written up as tricky in the wrong light, the wrong wind, the wrong tide. The Bank was really choppy and uncomfortable, and I am feeling ambivalent about going to the T & C’s.

But we got through Galliott Cut, and outside on Exumas Sound, the seas are flat, the water deep and the winds are good. We are motor sailing at 5-6 knots. Not ideal but it beats 4knots. Rick finally admitted [in front of witnesses!] that our speed is slower because of all the “crap” he has in the workshop. Slow speed is not a problem unless we need to get somewhere in a hurry... like T& C’s [sigh]

We made Georgetown by 4:30 and then it took another hour to set the anchor in the anchorage. This is like trying to find a space in the Wal-Mart parking lot! And the number of Canadians down here! I remember when we came through 11 years ago; we were a novelty...like Chia pets, now there are more Canuks than Americans and mostly of the French variety.

Diner was at the “Peace and Plenty Hotel and Restaurant...omg it was awesome...Mahi-mahi and rice and as and vegetables cooked to perfection!!

Tomorrow we go to town for internet, some laundry, some boat parts and a few groceries. Ttyl