Bahamas Adventure 2014

Bahamas Adventure 2014

Makani Log

Saturday, November 22, 2014

We left the Lake Worth, Florida inlet at 3:30am on Sunday, November 16.  The weather reports showed that we had a short, 1-2  day window of relatively calm weather to cross before the storm that brought so much snow to the upper US brought lots of wind and rough sea conditions to us.  The crossing was probably one of the roughest we’ve had.  The wind and the waves were on our nose and even though the waves were only 3-4 feet with an occasional 5-6 footer, the shortness of the period between them had Makani burying her bowsprit into every fifth wave.  We motored all the way with our staysail out only to help with stabilizing the boat.  Our newest crew member, Kiwi, a 6 month old kitten, tossed her cookies and found a hole to hide in.

The crossing from Florida to the Bahamas Bank is about 10 hours for us.  The waves moderated some about a third of the way into the Gulf Stream and we got into the rhythm of the boat.  After two-thirds of the way across, the weather picked up again and we had our second bout with getting tossed about.  We got to the Banks around 3pm; getting on the Banks is always an experience, going from 2000 feet of water to 20 feet where you can see the sand and grassy bottom.  After getting to the Banks we still had 4 hours of traveling to get to our first anchorage, Mangrove Cay.

Mangrove Cay is a small island with nothing on it but it does provide a tired crew with a spot to anchor, jump in the water to celebrate being in the Bahamas again, and have a relaxing sleep.  The next morning the wind had clocked to the south at 20 knots, so we were able to have a wonderful sail under our staysail and about half of our headsail making between 6-7 knots.  We decided to anchor at Hawksbill Cay, off of Foxtown on Little Abaco Island.  The winds the next day were slated to move to the North at 30-35 knots.

Hawksbill Cay

The next day, Tuesday, November 18, we decided to rent a car, drive to Treasure Cay, about 40 miles away, to get our Bahamas phone activated so we would have internet service.  Hitchhiking is a common practice on the islands.  About a mile from where we rented a car we picked up a 60-70 year old man on his way to Treasure Cay.  Another mile down the road and we picked up 2 more men trying to get to the next town.  After getting to Treasure Cay we waited for the Batelco (Bahamas Telephone Company) office to open.  When they finally opened, about 30 minutes late (It’s the Bahamas after all) we were informed that they would not have any SIM cards (Which is what we needed) until that afternoon.  Instead of waiting we decided to drive to Marsh Harbour, another 20 miles, to get the phone working.  We finally obtained what we needed, headed back to Foxtown and picked up one more person looking for a ride.  After returning the rental car, we got to Makani and moved to a better anchoring spot based on the change in wind direction.

The next day we moved to Crab Cay, and the following day went into the marina at Spanish Cay where we could clear customs and immigration.  We stayed there 2 days, enjoying the island, showers, and hot tub.  On Saturday, November22, we decided we needed to leave.

We anchored at Powell Cay in 20-30 knots of wind.  Since we crossed to the Abacos this past Sunday we’ve only had 1 day where we’ve seen the sun.  Everyday has been blowing over 25 knots.  We’re not complaining though, at least the temperature is in the 70s and we don’t have to contend with snow.  We feel for all of you who are.  After we got anchored, we decided to take Kiwi for her first beach trip and lobster hunt.  We had great luck with lobster, getting all we wanted and seeing about 30 more. Seeing all the lobsters is one of the advantages of getting across early; the hunting grounds are relatively untouched.  Kiwi is already showing herself to be another ‘lobster monster’; scarfing down the lobster snacks we provide for her.

1st of many lobster hunts

December 3, 2014

We stayed at Powell Cay for 3 days, snorkeling each day, playing a game in the afternoon and watching some old TV episodes in the evening.  On the second day at Powell, we got an octopus which Kathi made into her delicious Italian Stewed Octopus dinner.  When we got the octopus, the weather was very windy and the waves choppy.  On the way back to Makani, Kathi's pole spear fell off the dinghy and was lost to the sea.  I blamed it on Poseidon's wrath at our taking the octopus.  We searched for a while that day and again the next day but to no avail. 

1st Octopus of the trip

We moved to Green Turtle Cay on November 25, Kathi's birthday.  John did his "Amazing Amy" impression by hiding clues and presents all around the boat.  

B'day dinner of steak, lobster and baked potato

We took a slip at the Bluff House Marina in White Sound to take on fuel, enjoy hot showers and do a little provisioning.  We rented a golf cart for a day to go into the small town at the other end of the island to purchase a new pole spear and look for a turkey to cook on Thanksgiving.  We weren't successful finding a turkey so had to settle for Cornish Game Hens.  We took our metal detector to a nearby beach, found lots of nails, pop cans, and a quarter.  On Thanksgiving, we had the usual side dishes along with the game hens which came out delicious.  Our plan for the evening was to watch the 49er-Seahawks game but the bar closed before the game started; in retrospect that was a good thing since the 49ers got trounced.

The weather has still not begun to cooperate, blowing 20-30 knots with cloudy skies every day.  The day after Thanksgiving we moved a few miles north to anchor at Manjack Cay.  We've continued to go snorkeling each day, getting lobster when we want and taking photos when we aren't needing to hunt.  In the evenings we play a game of scrabble, rumikub, cribbage or poker and then either watch a movie or read.  We have also been practicing Spanish, practicing knots, and doing small repair/maintenance projects.

We've only taken Kiwi on the dinghy a couple of times because it has been so rough.  She's a bit skittish about getting in the dinghy but has no problem jumping back to the boat when we arrive home.  The last time we took her, I think she jumped back to the boat while the dinghy was still 8 feet away! Kiwi likes to play fetch with her toy mouse.  She brings us the mouse and we throw it and she gets it and brings it back to us for us to throw all over again and again.  Unfortunately, her favorite time to do this is 4a.m.