Sunday, April 5, 2020

Coronavirus is affecting everybody, including us in the Bahamas.  Before I update on that however, here’s some good stuff…

Sea Glass

After our guests left, we re-provisioned in Marsh Harbor with both fuel and supplies.  At that time, the Bahamas were encouraging social distancing but no other significant actions.  The weather was projected to be relatively calm so we headed south to one of our favorite spots, Lynyard Cay.  We took advantage of the beautiful weather and did some seaglass hunting and replenished our supply of lobster.  The first day of seaglass hunting we went to the backside of Little Harbor, behind Pete’s Pub and enjoyed gathering glass in a little cove with the waves splashing us up to our waists.  The next day we went to the ocean side of Lynyard Cay, and snorkeled a cave where we’ve found a lot of seaglass.  We weren’t disappointed.  I thought it was a little too rough in the surf so didn’t stay in very long.  Kathi, being both tougher and braver than I kept gathering glass.  She even found 2 small red pieces, extremely rare for here.

The next day, the winds shifted to the south and then to the west so we went to Armstrong Cay and replenished our supply of lobster.  Kathi found a Spanish, or slipper tail, lobster which are not uncommon but are very rarely seen since they stay in very dark areas.  In the photo, it is the lobster perpendicular to the other lobsters.  Our friends on Second Sojourn had been in the southern Bahamas, with 2 more sets of guests scheduled to arrive so they weren’t planning to be back to the Abacos until mid-April at the earliest.  Due to coronavirus, their guests cancelled their trips (Thankfully it turns out) so we were happily surprised to see them show up at Armstrong Cay the next day.  We enjoyed a couple of days of lobster hunting, helping to replenish their supply, socializing with dinners together and cards.

On March 17, the Bahamaian Government put in place a social distancing order and closing non-essential business.  Grocery stores and fuel docks remained open but to our dismay, liquor stores were considered non-essential.  Worse, when we had resupplied the day before, we did not restock our liquor supply so we had only emergency rations to last until near the end of March.  We didn’t worry however, the orders closing the liquor stores was only in place through March 30.  We moved up to Marsh Harbor on the 30th in anticipation of resupplying.  Unfortunately, the orders were extended for another week, through April 6.  Our emergency supplies had run out on March 28, even with some resupply from Second Sojourn.  We decided we would start our movement back to the northern Abacos in preparation for the trip back to the states.  

On April 3 we made the trip through Whale Cay passage and anchored outside of Green Turtle Cay, the last outpost for supplies in the area.  Second Sojourn had arrived at Green Turtle Cay 2 days before us, notified us that the liquor store had been open until yesterday.  Dang, we missed it.  They also let us know that they were approached by a police officer on their way to the grocery store and asked for ID.  

We wanted to top-up with fuel so I emptied our four 5-gallon jerry cans into the tank and went to the Green Turtle Club fuel dock to fill them up.  While paying in the store (They have a small convenience store with an attached liquor store) I told the clerk I needed to get some liquor.  She said, fine, I’ll just ring it all up together.  Hallelujah!  I restocked the liquor supplies, just short of hoarding.  When I got back to the boat, Kathi was surprised and very pleased.  We had gone 5 days without alcohol, didn’t have a problem during those days, but were happy that we could once again enjoy a relaxing beverage in the evening.  Kathi went back to the store to get a couple more bottles of spirits to repay our friends on Second Sojourn.  When she got there, a police officer arrived.  Kathi thought, darn, he’s here to shut them down, but no, he was there to fill up a box with liquor and was in line behind her.  After stocking up, we moved to the next island north, Manjack Cay, about 3 miles away and enjoyed a visit with Second Sojourn.  That evening, the Bahamian government put a lockdown order in-place closing all businesses including grocery stores until Monday morning.  No one is allowed outside their homes or off of their boats.  Boats are prohibited from moving.  The council on Green Turtle Cay has made a ruling that no boaters are allowed on the island and no supplies are to be provided to them; they feel they need to save their supplies for the locals.  I guess they are worried about having their supply chain jeopardized and running short of items the locals need.  Boaters have become “Persona non gratis.”  Fortunately we are fine with fuel and supplies.  I can’t say the same for everyone else.  

Who knows what will happen tomorrow morning.  Will the orders stay in place or will they allow us to move.  Thank God for our health, common sense and resupply.  Sasi takes it all in-stride, refusing to give in to stress; and we still have beautiful sunsets to enjoy.

March 24, 2020

Hard to believe that it’s been over 2 months since I’ve updated the blog.  My apologies to the hoard of fans out there (All 2 of you, lol).  We spent about a month in Eleuthera hoping that the winds would calm down and the winter cold fronts coming through would get back to some semblance of normal; fronts coming through every 5-6 days instead of every 3 days and with less intensity.  Except for 1 instance it was not to be.  However, we took advantage of the one instance of 4 days of calm weather to get to the south end of Eleuthera, stayed in the Cape Eleuthera marina and used our dinghy to explore the southern end of the island.  We did a great dive where I speared the largest lion fish we’ve seen in the Bahamas.  It provided a fine meal.

Roots from Above

Openings to the sky

While in Eleuthera we anchored in Rock Sound and explored one of the caves in the area.  Sasi got to take a nice long walk and see her first cave. One of the neat things about the caves is how the tree roots grow down from the surface and anchor themselves in the floor of the caves.

Sasi on her walk

Old Dozer parked by the Motor Pool

Kathi behind bars at the Navel Brig

We also visited an old Navy base near Alabaster Bay.  The base was built in 1950 to test a Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) to help detect submarines.  The base played an important role during the Cuban Missile Crisis by helping identify Russian subs trying to sneak to Cuba. Another interesting item was a football field sized concrete pad on a slope of about 15 degrees.  We wondered what it was for and turns out that it was used to collect water for the base.  The location of the base was just above one of the prettiest beaches we've seen, now called "Pink Sand Beach."

Pink Sand Beach at Navel Station

Tree Decorations

In mid-February our friend Ron from Nampa, Idaho and his girlfriend Julie arrived in Eleuthera to join us.  After only 2 days in Eleuthera a weather window opened up to head north to the Abacos where they were scheduled to fly out.  We had a wonderful 10 hour sail in 28 knots of wind and 5-6 foot seas.  I say a wonderful sail although I’m not sure our guests were ready for it though they handled the sail like fine crew.  We enjoyed their company for 2 weeks, snorkeling, getting lobster and moving from anchorage to anchorage to escape the winds which would not let up.  One of the places we love going to in Abaco is Pete's Pub in Little Harbor.  Unfortunately the pub was closed due to Hurricane Dorian; it is closed not because of damage but because of lack of visitors.  Even though Pete's was closed, we enjoyed a walk around Little Harbor and some of the decorations.

Drinking Pirate

Sunset at Lynyard Cay

Jolee and Larry's first snorkle

Our second set of guest, Kathi’s aunt Jolee and uncle Larry, arrived on March 3 for a two week stay.  Once again we had a great time with evening card playing and great dinners.  We had been hoping for calmer weather but that was not to be until the last 3 days of their stay.  Neither of them had spent any time snorkeling and both put aside any fears they had and enjoyed a new perspective of seeing the underwater beauty.  They saw us get lobster, fish and conch.  Of course, one of the required activities is cleaning conch.  Larry turned out to be a natural at the task.  Irregardless of the winds, we had a great time and were able to take them for walks on a few of the islands in the Abacos.  They especially enjoyed the beautiful sunsets and took many photos each day they were here. 

The devastation in the Abacos is still heart breaking but we’ve been impressed with how much progress has been made on the outlying Cays with getting life closer to normal.  Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco has a long way to go but they are clearing away debris and preparing areas for rebuilding.  

We’ve been following the impacts of the corona virus as I’m sure all the rest of you are.  Fortunately the Bahamas have been spared so far.  We are well provisioned on the boat and hope that all of you have adequate supplies for the foreseeable future.  We originally planned to head back to the States shortly after our last guests left but have reconsidered and decided to remain here for who knows how long.  We’d like the madness concerning the corona virus to diminish before we come back and hope that the impacts will be short lived-for this we pray.

Wednesday, January 8

Rather than move back to Royal Harbor from Spanish Wells,  we started our move further south going through Current Cut and anchoring near a place called the Glass Window.  At this location, Eleuthera is only about 100 feet wide and their use to be an arch which looked out into the Atlantic Ocean from the shallow waters of Eleuthera Bank.  The arch collapsed in a hurricane many years ago but a road spans the chasm and recreates the “Window.”  

Glass Window

The wind will be blowing up to 40 knots for the next 4-5 days so we will hunker down here until the winds relax.  The Glass Window is a phenomenal spot to watch the power of the ocean especially with these strong winds.  Another spot that we  saw for the first time is a place called “Queen’s Baths” located about 1/2 mile south of the Glass Window and right across the road from our anchorage.  We were walking Sasi and she headed up a trail to the road.  On the other side was a small parking area and a sign saying “Queen’s Baths.  We crossed the road and Sasi headed down the other trail to an overlook of the Baths.  We think that these are more spectacular than the Glass Window.  In calm weather I’m sure you can climb down and enjoy some peaceful relaxation in one of the pools.  In this weather the waves are crashing over the pools and I’m sure anyone foolish enough to get into the pools would soon be swept out to the Ocean.

Sausage-Pepperoni Pizza

This section of Eleuthera is pretty far from the nourishing current of the Ocean and Exuma Sound so we find very little marine life which for us means no hunting.  We’re making use of our time doing a few boat chores and walking with Sasi.  We’ve also had a neighbor at this anchorage, Pelican Express, with whom we’ve enjoyed cocktails.  They’ve been living aboard for 24 years and have circumnavigated the globe.  We hope to hear more stories of their adventures in the South Pacific.

Kathi and I both enjoy pizza so normally once a week I make some crusts and Kathi devises the ingredients to go on top.  We love to take this opportunity to also have guests for dinner and will bake 4-6 pizzas.  This week, it’s only us so limited the pizzas to 2, an old standby, Sausage-Pepperoni, and a new pizza, Jalapeño Popper pizza; both were delicious.

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Tonight we are listening to the 49er-Viking game.  To my wondrous surprise they win!!!  Go niners in the NFC championship game next week.

Timing is everything when it comes to moving from one anchorage to another.  We first thought of moving about 18 miles south to Governor’s Harbor on Saturday.  We decided we wanted to stay where we were at, take one more trip to Queens Bath to enjoy the scenery.  We left the anchorage on Sunday morning.  The sail would be to the SE and the wind was projected to be from the East;  Good conditions.  Unfortunately the wind turned to the SE, increased its briskness and caused the swells to build to 3-5 feet directly on the nose.  We motored into the waves making about 3.5 knots.  After about a half hour of beating into the waves, one of the attachments holding the dinghy onto the davits broke leaving the dinghy swinging precariously as we bounced through each wave.  We bailed out into the nearest cove, dropped anchor and intended to spend the night.  Unfortunately the swells were rounding the point of the cove, hitting Makani on its side causing us to roll sickeningly from side to side.  We decided that this was not a good anchorage to spend the night.  We got the dinghy secured once again to the davits, left our tenuous anchorage and headed to the next cove, about a mile away.  Again, as we motored into the cove, we saw that once again the swells were rounding the point and creating a less than desirable anchorage.  We continued south for the 5 miles to Hatchet Bay which does not seem like a long ways but at 3.5 knots, into the wind and swells, it can seem endless to someone on a boat.  The entrance to Hatchet Bay is about 50 feet wide with sheer rock walls on either side.  Inside the bay, the water was calm as could be.  We found our anchoring spot and enjoyed the peacefulness of a calm boat with no rolling.  If we had left yesterday, as we originally intended, our trip would have been a pleasant sail.  Timing is everything.

Saturday, December 28

We said adios to our friends in Hopetown and sailed around the Tilloo Bank to anchor at the north end of Tilloo Cay; a good anchorage for the northeast winds.  We ran the water maker for about 2 hours to fill the one tank that was empty.  After that we just relaxed and enjoyed the sun.

On Sunday we moved a little further south to Armstrong Cay, one of our favorite anchorages in the Abacos.  Armstrong Cay only provides protection from south and west winds which generally only occur as a cold front moves through so we enjoy any opportunity to come here.  The area has some of the largest lobster we’ve ever found, several blue holes to explore, an area we call turtle city since we often see dozens of turtles there and a couple of swim throughs where you just let the current carry you past coral heads and an abundance of underwater life.  We’ll only be able to stay here 2 nights before we need to move to Lynyard Cay and prepare for the crossing to Eleuthera.  Sunday night we were able to listen to the 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks to win the Western Conference of the NFC.  I’ll be looking forward to at least being able to listen to the playoff games even though we’re not able to see them.  Go 49ers.

After anchoring, we snorkeled the nearby rocky outcroppings and got a couple lobster for dinner.  We mainly wanted to get into the water since we had been in Hopetown for longer than expected.  After the snorkel we took Sasi ashore to see what remained of an abandoned, partially destroyed home that sits on a beautiful hilltop overlooking the Sea of Abaco.  We expected that Hurricane Dorian would have completed the destruction but were surprised to see it looking essentially the same as the last time we visited, two years ago.  At one time it must have been a lovely home.  Sasi, as usual, walked with us and enjoyed exploring.  We keep her on a leash so she doesn’t run into the brush after the curly tails she likes to chase.  

Monday and Tuesday morning the winds calmed down a little and the areas we like to explore were well protected.  We got eight lobster on Monday and another 6 on Tuesday.  Our Tuesday hunting was for the benefit of Second Sojourn who have guests aboard and haven’t had the opportunity to do much hunting.

Another Successful Day Hunting

Tuesday afternoon, New Years Eve, we moved to Lynyard Cay.  Second Sojourn invited us to go with them to Pete’s Pub for dinner and entertainment.  We also had an invitation to attend a bonfire on the beach with the other cruisers planning to head south to Eleuthera in the morning.  We chose the bonfire.  Six boats were represented; as is usually the case at a get-together like this, one of the boats brought a piece of flotsam for everyone to sign their names and hang on a tree to commemorate the event.  Even though it was New Years Eve, the party broke up early since everyone was getting up between 4am and 6am to leave for Eleuthera.

The trip to Eleuthera is only about 55 miles, 8 to 10 hours for most sailboats, and crosses a portion of the ocean called the NorthEast Providence Channel.  This channel separating the Abacos from Either is over 10,000 feet deep in portions.  When the wind is blowing hard, as it had been for the last week or so, waves can easily get over 12 feet high.  Most cruisers, including us, will wait for the winds to calm down, allowing the seas to calm down, and cross when the waves are 3-4 feet high.  We left at 6:30am, had a smooth crossing, and reached our anchorage at Royal Island around 4pm.  Second Sojourn, had arrived around 2pm and were already snorkeling looking for lobster.  After their snorkel, they stopped by the boat and introduced their guests.  We gave them 5 lobster that we had caught for them at Armstrong Cay.  Thursday, they left for Spanish Wells and other visiting points around Eleuthera.

On Friday we were taking a scenic ride in the dinghy when a seaplane landed in the harbor.  Seeing a seaplane is always an interesting experience .  This one taxied to a location 2 boats away from us, dropped an anchor and waited to pick up guests from the Royal Island resort.  Construction on Royal Island for a huge resort complex was started in early 2008.  The principal developers were Roger Stauback and Jack Nicholas.  Construction was put on hold soon after it started however due to the economic downturn in 2008.  One resort did get put into place; a one week stay for 10+ guests in 5 beachfront bungalows costs about $93,000.  The seaplane picked up 4 gentlemen and took off, spraying us with mist as it started its run into the air.  We assume that the remainder of the families on the island, the kids and wives, were journeying back home via commercial flights from Eleuthera airport.

Friday is normally “Pizza Friday” where we make and bake several pizzas and try to have guests to enjoy the cuisine.  Second Sojourn had left but Janice B, with Gregg and Vickie aboard, came into the anchorage that afternoon and joined us.  Kathi does a great job putting together the ingredients for the pizzas after I’ve made the crusts.  This night she prepared Lobster Thai, Mexican, Sausage-Pepperoni, and Chicken-Garlic pizzas.  As usual, they were delicious.

Monster Fish

Saturday and Sunday the winds picked up again so we limited our snorkeling, but went fishing one morning using fishing poles and conch for bait.  On my first cast I caught a nice pan-sized fish and we thought we would be catching the heck out of them.  We caught a few fish but they were all small; Kathi’s took top prize.  After a couple of hours we decided to head back to the boat and released the one keeper that we had.  We, along with Dale on  svMokocat were invited over to Janice B on Sunday for a movie/documentary called “Red Dot on the Ocean,” a film about Matt Rutherford who at 30 years old became the first person to sail alone, nonstop around North and South America.  The journey took him through the Arctic’s northwest passage and around Cape Horn, one of the stormiest places on earth.  After 309 days he completed the journey and it seems his 27 foot sailboat was being held together by duct-tape and prayers.  A very good movie which we’d highly recommend.

Pirate Anne Boney

Monday the winds grew calm again allowing Janice B and Mokocat to head further south and us to go to Spanish Wells for some re-provisioning and to find someone to rebuild our alternator.  The alternator story goes back 4 years when we replaced the voltage regulator in the boat and started having alternators go bad about every 6 months.  No one has seemed to be able to properly diagnose the problem.  We thought we had it solved this year but another alternator decided to quit.  With the history we’ve had with the alternator, I like to keep a spare aboard in case we need it.  Fortunately we found an alternator repair shop and Jason was able to complete the repair that same day.  The problem with this alternator was different from the problems with the previous alternators so maybe we’re making progress.

While in Spanish Wells, we ran into the famous lady pirate Anne Boney and I got a picture with her.  The winds will be picking up again to about 40 knots over the next couple of days so after we finish picking up a few additional items in town we will head back to the anchorage at Royal Island to await calmer weather and continue our voyage south.