So Many Shades of Blue – Part 2

We finally get some reasonable wind and seas after a week of frontal passages, giving us the opportunity to leave George Town, pop out into the Exuma Sound, and start making tracks up the chain of small cays. And what a sail it is with 15 knots of wind just aft of the beam and six foot rolling seas.  We make great time, take an easy cut on to the Exuma Banks to the west, and anchor in the shadow of one of the cays.  The next morning it is a short hop up to Blackpoint, a settlement of about 200 people, one of the few in the Exumas.  

Cruising boats gather in the harbor off Blackpoint.

Well, this is Easter weekend, and the population is a bit more than 200.  The Lady Frances, an inter-island freighter captained by a Blackpoint native, has brought hordes of people from Nassau who have ties to the settlement.   

The Lady Frances moored at the Government Dock

Traditionally, in the Family Islands, those people who have re-located to the larger cities of Nassau and Freeport, return to their heritage homes for holidays.  And we have arrived just in time to join in the festivities. 

Good Friday is a quieter day with many attending lengthy church services, so we take the opportunity to do some exploring.  On shore we find several Bahamian C class sloops in various stages of dis-repair.  

A coat of paint later, these sloops could win races.

 One local is promoting boat building and racing in the settlement, and we often find him rebuilding one of the sloops using rudimentary tools and scrape materials.  

While this sloop is being redesigned and rebuilt in the backyard.

 We dinghy over to the deep beach at the head of the harbor and walk a short distance to the ocean side beaches.  Rock formations add interest to the shoreline, and waves from the building wind crash against the beach. 

Rock, sand and water meet on the shore of Exuma Sound.

But the wind and waves are up, providing some spectacular surf.

The real excitement begins the following afternoon.  The festival committee has arranged for a basketball game between the local high school students and the students from Staniel Cay, about five miles away.  Actually they are all classmates in Nassau where students are sent after grade 8. They may be friends, but the competition is fierce and considering the primitive court in front of the elementary school, of fairly high quality.  Lights have been set up to assuage the descending dusk, and play by play along with half time music blares from a pick up truck with a sound system and DJ in the back.   At the last second the boys from Blackpoint pull out a victory keeping the enthusiastic audience happy. 

The teams walk on to the court - there were even several referees.

Following the game there is a parade the length (less than a mile) of Blackpoint’s only paved road.  The parade is short but intense, as the sound system pick up leads a group of very decked out high school girls dancing down the way.  But the high point occurs back at the school basketball court where the “Flame Dancing” girls from Nassau (probably also locals in school in the big city) put on a show of flaming batons and other flammable accessories, fire breathing, and very seductive dancing.  I doubt we’d ever see anything like this in an American high school!   

Flame dancing - not for the faint of heart.

At the conclusion, the crowd heads off to several local watering holes, but we return to the boat and fall asleep to more loud music from shore.  The next day, Easter Sunday, mellow returns, people head to church, and the streets are empty.  As we often say, “Only in the Bahamas”!

We depart for Staniel Cay just a short hop north and work our way into the anchorage filled with mega-yachts. 

Two of the biggest yachts anchored outside of the general anchorage due to their deep draft.

This is a popular destination for large charter boats out of Nassau as the Staniel Cay Yacht Club offers upscale shore side amenities.  (In fact, it is probably the one resort we would recommend for vacationers as its waterfront villas all come with small power boats for exploring the surrounding areas.) We find it a bit too pretentious for our tastes, but a short stop is always fun.  We take time to snorkel the grotto that was featured in the James Bond movie “Thunderball”.  It is full of tropical fish and along the outside is a beautiful coral garden with many colorful sponges and soft corals.  Afterwards we head over to the yacht club for a drink on the deck and overview of the mega yachts at the docks and their speedy tenders which sometimes are larger than our boat.

From Staniel, we head just a bit north to the west side of Pipe Cay where we anchor in a mild swell.  Usually there is too much surge to anchor here, but today we are lucky.  We take the dinghy past Pipe Cay and explore the archipelago of nearby cays and sand bores.  It is a spectacular area with watercolors ranging from deep sapphire to vivid turquoise.  Many of the islands are private and host lovely island retreats.  Since our last visit a few new homes have been built sporting interesting architecture. 

We thought this onion topped thatched gazebo was especially attractive.

From the Pipe Creek area we dinghy north to Compass Cay, home to a marina that hosts large yachts, and home to a sizable school of tame nurse sharks.  This is quite an attraction for tour boats originating from George Town along with private individuals such as ourselves.  The sharks love to slither up on the water level dock and beg for treats.

Besides the food, they really like to have their heads scratched.

Today’s chum consists of fish scrapes, pork chops, and frozen shrimp.  They seem more like puppies than man-eaters.  I take a turn in the water with them as the water is chummed and find it a bit disconcerting to have sharks bumping up against me, vying for snacks.  

I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable with so many sharks milling around me!

 If this sounds over the top, just remember,the nurse sharks have no significant teeth and suck in their food rather than biting it. After all that excitement we hike across the cay to the sublime Horseshoe Beach on the ocean side. We share this mile long, pure sand crescent beach with only two other people.  The water is warm and so inviting.

Just another perfect beach in the Exumas.

Another series of fronts is descending, and we need to find a safe harbor.  Cambridge Cay is just a few miles further north and offers secure moorings with wave protection from all directions.  Due to our deep draft we must negotiate an inlet out into Exuma Sound and then another inlet into the harbor at Cambridge.  It is tricky navigating in the building wind, and we are happy to arrive and find a mooring available. 

Looking out over the mooring field at Cambridge Cay before the weather begins to deteriorate.

We will stay here for several days to ride out the storms and in periods of calm have the opportunity to do some snorkeling at several sites within Exuma Land and Sea Park. With some coaching from a marine biologist friend and fellow cruiser, we begin to be able to identify some elusive Christmas tree worms within the coral heads.

Three days later, once the winds begin to abate, we leave Cambridge Cay and cross Exuma Sound over to Eleuthera Island.  We are sailing in 20 knots of wind with six foot seas, but it is a joy ride with the wind over the beam. Eight hours later we arrive at our destination, Governor’s Harbor.  Once the original capital of the Bahamas, the town retains much of its colonial charm. 

The anchorage at Governor's Harbor with the village towards the right.

And a glimpse of Cupid's Cay, the site of the original capital from the new town.

We walk the flower bedecked streets, explore the well maintained local churches and library, and enjoy dinner out at a lovely café with our friends from R Kallista.

Dinner at the Buccaneer Club

At noon the following day, we depart Governor’s Harbor for Current Cut at the north end of Eleuthera.  Here timing is everything as the cut sees up to five knots of current during tidal changes.  We hope to transit the pass at high tide slack, but figuring out slack given the lack of accurate tide tables in the Bahamas is a trick.  As it works out, we go through with about two knots of positive current and drop anchor for the night just around the corner.  

It’s a short night, though, as the alarm goes off to allow a 4 am departure from Eleuthera to the Abacos.  Wind and waves build the further north we go, leaving us with an uncomfortable passage, but arriving in sheltered water mid-afternoon.  The weather continues to deteriorate as we make a mad dash up the Sea of Abaco, arriving at the channel into Hope Town harbor just before high tide.  We’ve already bumped the bottom once in a place our where our chart plotter was incorrect.  The passage into Hope Town is very shallow, and at one point we only have two inches under the keel, but the challenge pays off as our friends have found a mooring for themselves and also reserved one for us.  We breathe a sigh of relief as during the next week we will see a parade of fronts roll through. Stress goes away when you are in a safe harbor.

The crowded mooring field at Hope Town with the iconic lighthouse in the distance.

Besides providing safe harbor, Hope Town is a delightful place to spend a week.  The neat and tidy town filled with small colorful cottages and larger second homes contrasts greatly with what we see in the rest of the Bahamas.  Flowers cascade over picket fences, 

Many colors of bougainvillea line the streets.

This pocket garden is tucked in along a side street.

cafes and resorts cater to visitors, 

This woodpecker and its mate have made a home in a tree just outside the railing of the local coffee shop. They attracted  a lot of attention but never left the trunk.

and crowning it all is the historic lighthouse.  Everyone who visits seems to climb the lighthouse,

The view from the lighthouse across the harbor

but this year we have arranged to accompany the lighthouse keeper in the evening to witness the lighting of the lamp.  You see, this is the last remaining non-automated lighthouse in the world.  Elvis has been the keeper for over twenty years, and he takes great pride in explaining the historic significance and mechanical operation of the light. First, the curtains shielding the Fresnel lens are removed.  If the lens is not shielded during daylight there is a risk the focused beams of sunlight would ignite surrounding homes and fields.  We watch in awe as he lights the pressurized kerosene lamp, minutely adjusting the flame until it meets his specifications. 

Elvis concentrates on adjusting the flame to the perfect intensity.

We take turns cranking the weights up until the assembly begins to rotate.  This must be done every two hours throughout the night.  That night as we gaze up from our boat at the rotating light, we have a better understanding of its significance.   We spend the rest of our stay biking around Elbow Cay and Hope Town proper, enjoying meals out at a variety of restaurants and cafes, and walking the lovely pink sand beaches.

With a prospect of better weather we leave Hope Town and head through the Whale Passage, which can be tricky or outright dangerous in some weather conditions, and head to Green Turtle Cay.  We have decided to make a dash back to the States in the upcoming weather window.  The timing allows us to spend a day at Green Turtle, so we decide to rent a golf cart to do some exploring. We rendezvous with several boats which are moored within the Green Turtle harbors for lunch at a local restaurant.  Afterwards, we drive the entire network of island roads, checking out several resort/marinas and a multitude of lovely beaches. 

Someone had a sense of humor with this sign "To da beach".

Strolling along this ocean side beach, I found a group of live conchs in a sea grass bed.

This conch gives me "the look" with his beady eyes - put me back in my grassy bed !

While not as developed as Hope Town, it exhibits the same tidiness and vegetation we appreciate. 

The next morning we begin our passage home, sailing across the Little Bahama banks in a spritely breeze and arriving at the uninhabited Great Sale Cay with almost forty other boats.  This is the hopping off point for a Gulf Stream crossing and the pent up demand for a weather window is proven by the crowded anchorage.  We get a few hours’ sleep, rising at 2 am to a building wind.  We still have six hours to go on the banks before dropping off into the deep water where one begins to feel the effects of the Gulf Stream. It doesn’t take long before we see our speed over the ground begin to increase.  At the same time, the seas begin to build. We inch our way westward, searching for increased speed and by the time we approach the west wall of the stream we are seeing speeds approaching twelve knots.  Unfortunately, simultaneously, we experience wave trains coming from two different directions and wave height increasing to six to eight feet with three second intervals. Although the boat is handling the conditions safely, it has gotten extremely uncomfortable for us, and we make the decision to exit the Gulf Stream at the latitude of Cape Canaveral.  Even that is a difficult task as the current is so strong it doesn’t allow much progress westward.  Once we do cross over the west wall of the Stream, the seas calm immediately, and we have an easy remainder of the passage into St. Augustine where our reserved mooring awaits us.

This has been our most difficult visit to the Bahamas since we began cruising.  El Nino has had a dramatic impact on the weather, allowing strong fronts to reach into the tropical water as frequently as every day.  Finding safe harbor under these conditions is a challenge and after a while, one become tired of howling winds. But, we have enjoyed some excellent sailing and realize the beautiful beaches and multi-hued waters more than make up for our struggles. Short as our visit was, we have no regrets with our decision to cruise these magnificent waters. But, curses on El Nino!

So Many Shades of Blue – Part 1

Welcome to the Bahamas! 

Sunset set as we head down the Tongue of the Ocean towards George Town - our first night in the Bahamas

After an easy and pleasant crossing, we are anchored off Chat and Chill (a popular beach bar and meeting place for all cruisers) in George Town, Exuma. 

Our anchorage off Chat and Chill, looking northward.

With three days of the annual regatta still left and 350 boats in the harbor, things are lively.  Burt manages to snag a last minute slot on a volleyball team, and they score a third place in the regatta tournament. We attend the closing party and, in a drawing, win a coupon for an hour’s massage at Nitza’s studio.  Nitza is the daughter of Lee who runs the laundromat – it’s a small world in George Town.  After regatta, things begin to slow down.  We still play Sunday evening trivia at the St. Frances Resort, attend water aerobics in the mornings if it is warm enough, 

Water aerobics off Monument Beach, another Stocking Island anchorage.

And the view of Monument Beach from the highest point on Stocking Island

Looking down from the Monument, an old navigation mark for Stocking Island.

and take time for chores like laundry, haircuts, and grocery shopping. Afternoons are spent at Chat and Chill for volleyball, basketmaking, and socializing with other cruisers.  We also take time to enjoy the natural beauty of Stocking Island, the barrier island that keeps Elizabeth Harbor so protected from all directions. Paths lead from the anchorages over the low hills and dunes to the Oceanside beaches.  

The view of a wind swept beach ocean side of Stocking Island.

On this miles long beach it is rare to see another person.  Although Eleuthera is known for its pink sand beaches, almost all the east facing beaches in the Bahamas sport pink sand – Stocking Island is no exception.  

We dinghy to Flip Flop beach on the harbor side and the location of a cruiser built gathering side and hiking trail over to the ocean.

On windy days, which we have most of the time, the surf pounds on the shore, but on milder days wading along the water’s edge is totally delightful. 

Wild waves - no swimming today!

Other days, rocky outcroppings make for protected pools.

We have volunteered to assist with a Long Island Rally which traditionally follows the George Town Cruisers’ Regatta.  Generally, the rally starts with a race between George Town and Salt Pond, Long Island.  We are busy signing up participants and calculating racing handicaps.  Meanwhile, we wait for appropriate weather as we don’t want novice racers to have to “race the house” to windward in rough conditions.  Finally a window opens, but after all the organizational work, there is absolutely no wind.  Our fleet of 31 boats ends up motoring to Long Island in glassy seas.   

R Kallista gliding over smooth seas on the way to Long Island. The water absolutely glows.

Even after our arrival, there is no wind forecast to enable us to hold a round-the-buoy race in the harbor.  Our racing rally becomes a sightseeing and partying rally. 

The Long Island Rally appeals to boats which are new to cruising, so we forego some of the planned events which we have done many times before, and head out on our own.  First priority is to deliver our hurricane relief supplies to the local contact.  The southern half of Long Island has been decimated by Hurricane Joaquin and residents have asked cruisers to bring school supplies. The government is rebuilding the schools effected and replacing all the text books, but paper, writing implements, art supplies, and other miscellaneous items need replacing. I bought out all such things at the Dollar Store in Vero and have them stored in a large plastic bin.  In addition, an organization in Key West donated environmental education supplies which were also on the wish list.  We are happy to have this freight off the boat and in the hands of those who need it.

We decide to rent a car for a day and venture to the north part of the island.  Hurricane damage this direction is much less noticeable although there is dying vegetation due to salt water intrusion in the low areas.  We head up to the north tip of the island and to Columbus Monument.  The road there is unmarked, and the term road is a bit misleading.  It is more like a track and our little Japanese import is having a difficult time of it.  I’m grabbing at handholds while Burt steers the car over rocks and through deeply rutted tracks.  This is Jeep territory and a Jeep we are not!  Miraculously we make it to the “parking lot” where we are the only vehicle in sight.  The monument is atop a high cliff and memorializes the native population and the arrival of Columbus.  

The plaque on the Columbus Monument

The residents of Long Island claim that this was Columbus’s first landfall in the new world.  Residents of San Salvador feel otherwise, and historians are beginning to side with them although they also assume Columbus did make a landfall in the small harbor nearby. Despite historical quibbling, the view can be universally appreciated. Multiple shades of blue extend out from the cliffs and into the estuary.  

The view looking east and into the estuary where is it said Columbus landed.

Sand bores and tidal creeks in the estuary.

 

The white cliffs below the monument.

The water is so clear that we can see a solitary sea turtle swimming amongst the reefs. This has to be one of the most spectacular vistas in the Bahamas.

A challenging drive deserves a nice respite to follow.  After renegotiating the drive back from Columbus Monument, we stop at Stella Maris resort for lunch at their oceanside open air restaurant.

Part of the deck restaurant at Stella Maris - rum drinks five steps away!

We sit on a deck overhanging the rocky shoreline and listen to the sounds of the pounding waves while enjoying a five-star lunch. Afterwards we walk on a suspended boardwalk along the cliffs to a pool that has been dug into the rocks and is filled by the surge of the ocean waves. 

The salt water pool - for an idea of the size, I am standing on the steps in the upper right corner.

After all that exertion, it is back to the restaurant for a rum drink in chaises overlooking a pink sand pocket beach before heading back to our rental car and boat.

That evening we participate in a cave dinner, held at Stella Maris, with the rest of the rally folks.  We pile into two school buses for the forty five minute ride back to Stella Maris.  The cave is on the resort property and now, at dusk, the pathway and cave interior are lit by beer bottles filled with kerosene and topped with fabric wicks ablaze.  The effect is mesmerizing and reminiscent of life in the Bahamas prior to electricity.  

Dinner in a cave - bats not invited.

We have a pleasant meal at tables and benches fabricated from the local rock while Bahamian musicians provide background music. 

The next day we schedule a beach clean-up for the rally participants.  During the hurricane, the container ship, El Faro, bound for Puerto Rico, was lost with all hands aboard off the eastern shore of Long Island. Besides the immediate tragedy, the island is struggling to recover from the massive amounts of trash that was deposited on the oceanside beaches. After a bumpy ride along a dirt track in the back of a pick up truck, we work about a quarter mile of beach where you couldn’t step anywhere without stepping on debris.  Besides the normal water bottles and caps, fishing nets, flip flops, deflated helium balloons, and miniscule flecks of colored plastic, we found the remnants of containers full of Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls, Frontline Flea and Tick treatment, syringes, plastic soldier figures, and, best of all, Victoria Secrets bras – all items destined for Puerto Rico.  Although backbreaking work, we manage to fill fifty contractor bags and form piles of larger items before we give up for shade and water.   Our reward is an awards dinner that evening in a bar/restaurant at Salt Pond settlement. As there was no racing, we transform the sailing event into a fishing derby and award regatta flags and rum to the most successful.

The next day, most rally participants head off in different directions.  We choose to sail up to Calabash Bay at the northern end of the island, and home to the other five-star resort on the island, Santa Maria Resort.  The bay is a three mile crescent of pure white sand and is considered one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world (or so says the Bahamian tourist bureau).  It is not far off that mark, and we find it impossible not to dive into the crystal clear waters and wander along the soft sand beach. 

Beautiful Calabash Bay - the resort is comprised by the buildings in the far distance.

The first evening there we join with two other boats and go into the resort for happy hour on the outside patio to watch the sunset.  After another day of relaxation, we again go to the resort for dinner with our friends on R Kallista, a couple from Port Stanley, Ontario who we met prior to leaving Lake Erie.  It is Burt’s birthday, and we celebrate in fine style. 

Our big night out - growing old does have it advantages

Our return to the boat is a bit more adventurous as the tide has gone out, and we find ourselves dragging dinghies long distances back to navigable water in our good clothes. The dinghy ride back to the boat is memorable under a full moon with the sandy bottom aglow.

The next day we have a wonderful sail back to George Town where we will wait out another week of strong frontal systems before we can venture northwards in the Exumas.