Monday, December 2

We have not had internet coverage since we arrived at West End, the day of our crossing.  We don’t really miss it much but have gotten dependent on current weather information in order to make informed decisions on where to anchor.  The cold front that was supposed to pass through Sunday night did not arrive.  We had a peaceful night in Crab Cay but no internet.  We decided to head to Green Turtle Cay, see how they fared with Dorian, and hopefully reconnect with the rest of the world.

The sail to Green Turtle Cay, 20 miles away, was perfect.  The wind was just behind our beam, blowing 15 to 25 knots.  We put out our headsail and sailed at 6 to 7.5 knots for 3 hours.  The peacefulness of sailing, no noise from an engine, is amazing.  We relaxed and enjoyed the sound of  the bow of the boat cutting through the water.  We could tell that the front was closing in on us; clouds built up and we had occasional sprinkles.  We reached Green Turtle Cay around 2pm, anchored in White Sound, and had access to internet.  The front arrived around 4pm with a little increased wind but not much else.

GTC, House with little damage

Green Turtle Cay is a tourist destination.  If you come by boat, two well protected sounds provide excellent anchorages for winds from any direction.  Several marinas are also available with fuel, dockage, and restaurants.  If you come by plane to Great Abaco Island, a ferry will quickly get a person to this beautiful destination.  The main settlement, New Plymouth, has restaurants, grocery stores, a bank, post office, hardware store and marine services.  Many rental houses are available and the Green Turtle Club offers deluxe accommodations in a resort setting.  If you wanted a great get-away vacation, or a unique wedding location, Green Turtle Cay, along with Elbow Cay further south, would be the go-to destinations in the Abacos.  Dorian changed the situation for at least the present.

Green Turtle Cay, Roof Damage

GTC, House totally destroyed

Tuesday and Wednesday we did boat chores, walked around the island, and discussed our next move.  Green Turtle Cay did not get hit as hard as Elbow Cay or Marsh Harbor, which we have yet to visit.  Some of the houses here look like they had very little damage, others however looked like a bomb exploded on them.  We were amazed at one house totally destroyed next to a house with only some minor roof damage.  The people were rebuilding and seemed in great spirits.  We visited the “Tool Exchange” where people could come to borrow tools for use in rebuilding.  We saw stacks of building materials, plywood, 2x4’s 8’s and 10’s.  Pallets of roofing shingles.  The lady running the tool exchange said everyone is working hard to rebuild and the supplies were arriving.  One of the grocery stores was open.  They are getting their regular shipment by boat every Thursday.  We purchased a few items to help support the economy, the most important of which was TP.  Kathi asked them what they needed most on the Island.  Their concern was the lack of beds and blankets.  With winter coming, and colder weather (Not cold by northern standards) they thought more bedding material would be useful in the near future.

Sunset at Manjack Cay

Winds calmed down on Thursday so we stopped at the Green Turtle Cay fuel dock to fill with diesel then headed for Powell Cay, about 18 miles north.  The winds were not blowing in the direction we expected so we diverted to Manjack Cay, only a few miles from Green Turtle Cay, due to the better anchorage.  When we arrived, friends from M/V Teamwork, Bill and Betty Sue, greeted us.  They normally hang out in Allens-Pensacola Cay, 25 miles north, but were here helping the landowners, Bill and Leslie, to do some clean-up after Dorian.  The island did not get hit too hard; some trees down and debris on the beaches.  Little or no damage to the houses.  Manjack has always been a wonderful place to visit.  Our first trip here, 10 years ago, we went ashore and were greeted by a sign that read, “Please Trespass.”  The owners of the property welcome visitors and keep paths cleared for travel to various beaches on the island.  Our visit this time we were greeted by a sign “Beach trails closed due to Dorian and Poisonwood.”  Apparently the trails are blocked by fallen poison wood trees which you DO NOT want to touch.  We snorkeled for lobster; saw dozens and took 3 for dinner. One for Sasi.

Construction at "Piggyville"

We’ve decided to cut short our visit in the northern Abacos and get south “Through the Whale” to the Central Abacos.  We made a short trip to No Name Cay and their ‘famous’ Piggyville for our Friday night anchorage. The Island is home to a growing population of Pigs that were abandoned there about 8 years ago.  To our astonishment a large building is being constructed at what use to be Piggyville.  After looking it up on the internet we learned that it is going to be a restaurant and bar. The pigs are still there, the property judging by the trees and lack of leaves got hit by Dorian but construction of the facility is continuing on.

Chandler's House

Saturday was a bright, sunny, and calm day.  We motored out the Whale Cay passage and into Loggerhead Channel bringing us to the central portion of the Abacos.  As we passed the north end of Great Guana Cay we saw the large community of Bakers Bay had continued to grow.  Bakers Bay is home to a first class marina and extensive development of primarily wealthy Americans.  Most of the homes showed minor damage to roofs.  We anchored at the south end of Great Guana Cay near our friend Chandler’s home.  Most of you have heard us tell stories about Chandler.  We were shocked to see that his home was totally destroyed and the peninsula where his home stood was now an island.  Late that afternoon, a boat sped into what had been the private harbor for the home.  When the person came back out, Kathi signaled to him and he came to our boat.  We wanted to find out what we could about Chandler.  As it turns out, the person is Chandler’s son.  He let us know that Chandler is safe, currently in Miami.  He had intended to ride out the storm in the house but Brad, his son, got him off of the island and to the Bakers Bay community when they saw the storm strength and direction.  Unfortunately, they still felt the house would survive the storm so left their bird, a Toucan, and 2 cats in the house.  They obviously did not survive.  Brad is unsure if they will rebuild.

We enjoyed a beautiful snorkel at the reef outside of the cut by Chandler’s home.  We saw a turtle, all types of parrotfish and angelfish, and 3 huge spotted eagle rays.  The reef didn’t seem to be hurt by the storm although we did find a few pieces of wreckage around the area.

The only major change we made to Makani this past year was the addition of a water maker.  We used Sunday to fill our water tanks, do laundry and do an overall clean-up of the boat.  Tomorrow, we will head to Hometown on Elbow Cay and ground zero for Hurricane Dorian.  Our friends on Second Sojourne have been there about a week helping out and we will join them to see what help we might provide.