Royal Harbour to Green Turtle Cay

April 18  Today we crossed from Eleuthera to the Abacos. No wind, beautiful 3 foot swells and flat seas. THere was a lot of boats with us and we all met here in Lynyard Cay...little George Town actually...BiIl on Providence called an ARG [for the uninitiated Alcohol Research Group] meeting when we arrived. It took from 6:30 this morning til 6 pm but we lost an hour while Rick and Todd fought with another Mahi-mahi.

april 20   ThIs morning we are eating pancakes and bacon for breakfast in Marsh Harbour.Then we will go for groceries and head over to Great Guana Cay and Nipper's for one last look. I just might check out the beach for old rope!! We will head over to Green Turtle for a couple of days while the winds settle again then head out to stage for the crossing.

Yesterday when we anchored, High ZZ's came by. Shep and Deb have been cruising the out islands since George Town and no are waiting for some visitors to come before they head back to Virginia. we sat and visited for about an hour. we will see them over at Great Guana oday when they guests arrive.
Haven't seen anyone from "the Fleet" yet but they may be back in the depths of the harbour. We are staying close to the dinghy dock so we can paddle into it.

Mahi for supper was great! Made peas and rice..almost tasted Bahamian...need to keep tweaking the recipe!

There is no wind here this morning and its getting HOT! Not looking forward to the hike to the grocery store in this! We had to close all the blinds and screens to keep the boat semi-cool. Sorry...no-one in Canada wants to know that...but you can blame global warming, people, cuz that's what's doing it! And the colder it gets up there, the more fossil fuels we burn and the worse the situation becomes. Stephen Hawking wasn't kidding !! Sorry...off the soapbox now. 

Got to Great guana around 3;30 and took a mooring ball because there was no room to anchor.We rowed to shor and went to Nippers to get the cup lids [primary objective- got there just as the store was closing!  We had a burger. No-one was around. Bill and Annette were in Canada; Johnny and Jenesse weren't there yet, so we talked to High Zz's and their guests, ate and left. 

April 21 Stormy morning here and the whole week looks like its going to be a bad one ...not close enough to get the one good crossing day unless we want to test Mother Nature!

On a brighter note, our granddaughter, Natasha, had one of her paintings chosen to be on a city banner on Owen Sound for 2019!! And she is amongst a group of illustrious. artists, her "Aunt Kelly" Maw being one of them! www.owensoundartbanner.com

 We left Great Guana this morning around 11:30 after we determined that there were no rogue waves on the Sea of Abaco. That's the extent of the good news. It was some ugly out there especially crossing "Don't Rock" only because the waves from the ocean were surging through the Whale. It was of little comfort to see that we were not the only stupid people out there...I don't consider being part of a stupid group is better than being stupid alone.

So we are at the dock at Bluff House. Going to have a REALLY hot shower in FRESH water, and tomorrow I am going to do laundry...$5.00 wash/$5.00 dry but Todd really needs his blankets washed...even he can't stand the smell any more! We are here for two nights then will forge ahead to Manjack or Great Sail [I know... that's not how it's spelled but I'm sure whoever named it couldn't spell anyway, and meant to name it after the activity , not retail events!]

As we were leaving Marsh Harbour yesterday, Robin on Step-by-Step came by. I tried to call Anja and Andre but their radio wasn't on. Robin hung out with Todd while we went to shore to ... ahem ... deliver some books...that I should have taken to Blackpoint but we missed it [long story - my bad.].They did however, go to a school for developmentally delayed kids,[ the Every Child Counts School] and the school was most grateful...so thank you, GT Library and sorry, Blackpoint.

There is absolutely no weather window here for 7 days. This does not bode well for heading up the coast this spring to sail back to Canada. Left the winter clothes in the trailer, however, so we'll retrieve them before Liz leaves!

I'm not happy about this year and depending on what happens here next winter...we may install wheels on the Goose, or plant her as a permanent residence. At my age, I want more good days than bad...and I don't believe that "a bad day on the water is better than a good day on land!" ...not in my books!

April 23   Yesterday was laundry day which took up the whole morning. After lunch we went for a walk to check out the sea. It was pretty wild out there, Then we walked the road to see if we could get to the ocean.

Todd was fascinated by the number of lots for sale along the road, some with waterfront and docks and the sizes.He was trying to compare them with his own at home...no prices listed of course. We're going to look them up.

I was stunned by the number of poisonwood trees covering the lots! Once you experienced that stuff, you don't forget what it looks like! We didn't get to see the ocean side, another storm started rolling in and we got back to the boat in time to close everything up.

Today we need to leave here...all docks are booked, no moorings available and we can't anchor in the hole because the tides are not compatible with getting in and out there. Also the wind is pushing the water out and there are white caps in there. Already shallow so we don't want to get stuck. So its out to find an anchoring spot out of the winds and waves until we can move ahead.Rick wants to be at an island where he can swim off the boat and go to shore if he wants to.

Its supposed to rain for the next 7 days, which makes sailing a bit difficult. Wed /Thurs/ Fri are the only days this week that are passable. Can't see far enough on any weather sites to predict next week. Man,😵 I've had just about all the fun I can stand!

Apr23 6:00 am - 6:30, raining again

Followed us out of Marsh Harbour...we ran!

"Do you want to go out there? I don't want to go out there!"

Stormy morning at Great Guana Cay - Hi ZZ'z leaving

Apr 22- more storms- we managed to beat this one back to the boat

Lovely tree- not Poisonwood

Apr 21- afternoon beach at Nipper's -storm coming - again

Apr 22- walk behind BLuff House looking for ocean view

Apr 21  beach at Nipper's Atlantic Ocean looks calm

Morning in Royal Harbour

It's very rolly in here. The wind [ about 18-20 knots] is out of the east and coming straight up the east entrance. There are 6 boats in here now ...probably the ones who couldn't get into Spanish Wells Marina.  

Here are some pics from the last few days. Have a look while I check the weather again!

Last dinner on Blue Heavens while Carol visited Ross

Gordon, Todd, Ross Carol, Rick and Jeanne 

Last Trivia night at St. Francis - we won again!

Sitting in front of Chat nChill

Ross teaching us how to bake bread. Gordon's was good - mine was a brick

Ross found a nose cone from SOMETHING on his Long Island trip

Captain Bruce on Beacon Won

Todd swimming at Staniel Cay

Leaving Ross on Nauticuss behind at Staniel Cay

GeorgeTown to Royal Harbour Eleuthera

Broke free of the anchor this morning, and left George TOwn at noon. We are on our way to Little Farmer's Cay or Lee Stocking Island. Rick is fishing, Todd is sleeping and I'm listening to the stereo, cuz we're sailing!!! No noise! Rosson Nauticuss is behind us and if he catches us we'll all have dinner together. Either fish or pork chops. :)

Todd was looking forward to eating this little one

But we ate this one instead!

Beacon Won - the charter ship the Iguana researches use

Wow ...two days of awesome sailing and we are at Staniel Cay. No fish...just barracuda. Thunderstorm both nights but we made it through A little deja vu here at Staniel. We're in the same spot where we lost our main 2 years ago. But this time the winds were low..16-20 and the cover was on! Nauticuss is still sailing with us, but the winds are changing so he may change his sailing plans, too. So nice to have silence on the boat...except for the stereo.

Spent yesterday with Ross in Big Majors anchorage. We helped him cut up some material for hs project and then we all came back to OG for dinner and dice and we taught Todd to play Euchre. Bruce from Beacon Won came by for a quick visit. We will miss he iguanas this year.
This morning we said goodbye to ROss. He is heading back south for a month and we are making our way to Abacos. Wish we could keep him with us, Carol, but he can't go back yet.:( WIll post pics when we stop for the night.

So update on the fish....Todd dropped the filleting knife in the water while he was learning how to do this. And while they were contemplating how to retrieve it, a hammerhead shark ambled in around the boat! He must have been 10 feet long!! Couldn't get a decent picture because of the angle of the sun and we're NOT going in to get the knife tonight!!! Will wait until morning!!!

Safely anchored in Allen's Cay. Had to motor sail all day :( no wind! But Todd caught a barracuda which we had every intention of eating but it fell out of the boat when we got hit sideways by a wave. So he caught a mahi-mahi. Sorry Ross, we called you but we were already 20 miles north and you were probably out of range...tried 16 /68.

Right now Todd is putzing around in the very clear very warm very shallow water here and Rick is collecting more fronds for his baskets. The iguanas are stalking him hoping he has food. Sorry boys and girls...nothing today. We all swam into the beach because the dinghy motor won't work and it's too much work to drop it, paddle in, paddle back and hoist it again.

SO...mahi-mahi and veggies and salad for supper. Then we check the charts to see how far we can go tomorrow.. Probably only Royal Harbour in Eleuthera...stormy weather Sunday and Monday, but we'll see, then on to the Abacos.

LAST DAYS IN GEORGE TOWN

Long Island and Back

Long Island was a glorious week...serene, calm, spectacular weather and if the dinghy were working better it would have been perfect.

On Monday morning, we unloaded all the school supplies and delivered them to the Tourism office, where they were handed out to the schools. The Tourism guy said that we didn't have to go to the airport to get our extensions done; the Customs officer would be stopping by at noon and would do it for us. What a change from Mr. Adams here in GT!!

Ross stayed in Long Island, too, so Susan drove us down to Clarence town so Ross could find a bank machine [ only 2 on the whole island -80 miles long]. We went to the Flying Fish Marina for lunch then drove back up, to meet the Customs guy. He had an emergency back in Clarence town. In fact, we passed him on the road, so we went back over to Susan's and sat and chatted for awhile.  Around 4 we went back over to the Tourism office. Susan had an invitation to go out for dinner.

We waited with 2 other boats for the Customs officer. Tourism office closes at 4 but they waited, knowing he was coming...from 40 miles away!  While we waited, I read one of the books sitting on their 'library / trader' shelf. It was a British mystery. When he arrived at 5:30 he checked all 3 boats in 15 minutes. We asked for 70 days - he gave us 90...?!?!?!

The next day Ross left for Rum Cay, and we headed over to visit with Susan. Well, I did. We talked and painted all afternoon. Rick and Todd walked over to the ocean, and beach-combed.

We spent the next day all beach combing, and dragged a lot of rope back to Susan and Al's cottage. They weave baskets from the old rope that washes up on the beaches, and sell the baskets to tourists. The money goes to the local youth center.  They are amazing.

Speaking of baskets...Rick had mastered the skill of weaving palm fronds into baskets! We all have tried our hands at it but he is best!

Back in George town, we are tucked into February Point where the waves don't affect us much and there are no boats to come screaming through the anchorage.  Stephane, our French "son" has headed south to Grenada - we will miss him!

So today is Friday...sails are patched and ready to go. I cleaned the winches and today will re-organize the cockpit. Get rid of and/or store the shells we are bringing home again. Rick is making a motor bracket to hang the dinghy engine.

We are having dinner tonight on Blue Heavens. We go over there a lot to play Euchre and Todd watches all of Gordon's classic cartoon disks [Gordon was a primary teacher.]

We are waiting for Ross and Carol to come back from Rum Cay so we can say goodbye to Carol, who has to go home on Sunday morning. Sunday night we will go to St. Francis with Blue Heavens for dinner and Trivia, where "Blue-Goose" will strike fear into the hearts of the rest of the boaters! [We won every game but one last year! That's a lot of rum!!]  There has been only one game so far this year and we won that, but this will be our last game. We are leaving Monday morning to head north.

It has been a short season, and not very happy. The water had been very cold...no dolphins to speak of, and very few turtles and sharks. I haven't been swimming much, and Todd is addicted to his electronics...can't fix that for some reason ... sad ... thought this would be a life-changer for him...guess not.

  I am looking forward to getting back to work. I think I miss routine, and I haven't been able to settle into a routine on the boat...too many variables every day.

So... next week...

View of Long Island from the back of the truck

The Chicken Lady's cottage

Last happy hour at Ty's SouSide.

Stephane 

Souls heading out

Todd playing volleyball

Rick's first basket

Even squalls can be beautiful

Last night's sunset

Starting a cottage industry