Scary Stuff

Home we go!

On Monday, the 20 the of Feb we flew home for Soren’s Birthday.  We had a great time with the kids and saw a few friends.  On Saturday Brigitte hosted here last sample sale with her many great customers!  As of March 1^st, Brigitte is officially retired from Partylite.  After a fantastic, 24-year career, she is hanging up her candles.  Our daughter Jillian has also joined Partylite and will take over where Brigitte left off.

March 2^nd at 5:20 AM we flew back from MN to our home on the boat.  We cleared customs by 12:30 and our Bahamian cab driver was waiting for us at the airport.  We ran into town and re provisioned with fresh fruit and produce and back to the boat.  On Thursday AM after taking on fuel we departed the Marina at Emerald Bay on Grand Exuma Island and ran 90 Miles to Cape Eleuthera Point for a quick night stay.  They had a great pool and restaurant which we were please to use after a hot and rolly ride.

The next morning, we headed 30 miles North to Governors Harbor and re connected with our friends on Job Site and Sum Escape. What a great ride on dead calm seas.  We choose this spot as they had mooring balls in a bay protected from N and NE winds.  The predictions where for winds at 26 knots with higher gust starting on Friday night.  The Balls were at a facility, reported by Active Captain to be a great place to wait out the weather as it was part of a Marriot Resort.  We took a golf cart to the ocean side and enjoyed a fantastic 3-mile-long beach, with pinkish sand, chairs, umbrellas, and cold beer. We capped off the day with cocktails and a nap around the pool.

By Saturday morning it was blowing hard.  After double checking our lines, we rented a car with Tom and Julie in Sum Escape and headed North to explore.  We stopped for fresh eggs and produce at a small farm. Everything was cut from the field to order.  I ask how fresh the eggs were and he merely replied, if they were any fresher they would still be in the chicken. Next, we went on a hunt for beer and ice cream, guess who had the beer?  We had read about a local bakery that made pineapple tarts! They were more like small pies and fabulous for $1.25. Next, we were off to explore a bridge on the Island called the Looking Glass.  The highway goes over a cut in the rock that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Exuma Sound. They close the road during storms as the waves crash so hard they have washed cars off the road and into the sea.  We checked our tide charts and we were still on a rising tide.  Spray was going over the top of the highway so we made a quick dash across the Bridge and back fearing we could get stuck on the other side for hours or even days.  Our last adventure stop was the Queens Bath, this is an eroded section of the coast that is the most turbulent ocean I have ever seen.  The waves where 20 feet plus, with sheets of water exploding into the air some 50-75 feet high.  The Atlantic today is so rough it is impassable.  We saw one cruise ship off shore and I am sure 80 % would have been sea sick on board.  On our way back to the boat we stopped at a ocean side bar and resteraunt for lunch.

The next section is part fun with friends, and incredible fear!

We left the boats and headed for dinner at 6:30 PM at the resort.  We loaded Tom and Julie in our dink and Carol and DeVere brought their Daughter and Son in Law with them as they had arrived late the day before for a week’s stay. We tied the dinks up and climbed up the 6-foot ladder on the dingy dock and off to the resteraunt.  We had fantastic food, a few cocktails, and lots of laughs.  They had a 3-piece band playing smooth jazz that was delightful.  At about 9ish we got back on the dinks in the dark and 25 Knot winds and headed back to the boats.  All was going well until DeVere and Carols boat was missing from the mooring field.  After a brief search, we realized what had happened and saw his anchor light bobbing way off in the distance! The mooring ball had come loose and the boat was floating out to sea. I got Tom and Julie to his boat and DeVere dropped Carol and his kids on our boat.  There was a brief discussion as to the feasibility of going after Job Site with the dingy, all agreed way to dangerous. This was the real deal and everyone was scared shitless! The Coast Card was hailed on the radio and they connected Tom and DeVere to the Bahamian National Defense.  Because of the severe night weather conditions and since only their dog Molly was on the boat, and no threat to human life they declined to assist.  Tom called the resort and they contacted 2 locals who launched a center console twin engine fishing boat and picked up DeVere.   Both Tom and I where tracking DeVere’s boat on radar, and by now the boat  was 4 miles out to sea. We are all praying for a good out come!!

DeVere is probably the bravest and most un-shakable men I have ever met.  Somehow, in 6-foot pitching seas and his boat rolling badly he managed to get on the boat and start it up and head back to our anchorage.  Our prayers and those of yours on face book where answered THANK YOU LORD.

Our next step was for me to get Tom on to DeVere’ boat with the dink so he could grab the mooring ball and tied up to the boat.  DeVere then shuttled people back and forth to their respective boats. At approximately 11 PM with the winds still ragging at 25 knots or more, everyone is safe and sound. We learned many lessons tonight.

Job Site had no exterior damage, and only a broken mirror and the contents of the fridge and many cupboards deposited on the floor.  We set our anchor alarm and went to bed. Needless to say, we checked on the boat many times during the night!  God Bless!!!  Today winds picked up again and we had peak gusts to 38 Knots.  We spent today cleaning, reflecting, praying and sleeping. Tomorrow’s winds are predicted to come down a bit and hopefully by Wed. we can resume our journey.  Keep us in your prayers!

Williams Cay

From Farmers Cay we traveled 22.8 miles, mostly on the outside until a cut back to the West side at Adderley Cut, and then down to Williams Cay.  This beautiful anchorage gave us good protection from the Easterly winds.  the bay here was full of very large rays some as large as 4 feet across.  It also features a travel up to a peak where you can see both sides of the Cay and the beautiful water.

Here we part company with Grand Baron, our 4th boat in the flotilla.  We hope to catch back up with them  in the Abaco's next month.

Yesterday we went back out to the ocean side through Rat Cay Cut and down to Emerald Bay where we will  leave the boat and fly home Monday for a week. The seas were less than great we pounded into 2-3 footers at short intervals on the bow.   Once at Emerald, we rented a car and drove down to Georgetown, about 18 miles South. There are already 350 sail boats anchored in the harbor

 The other two boats needed to re-provision as they are off to Cat Cay today. It was sad to watch them leave the harbour and head East to Cat Cay without us.  We hope to hook up in about 10 days, probably on Eleuthera.  We are looking forward to spending  time with our granddaughter and kids. Our plan is to fly back on the 28th and head out the 1st.  More to come.

Farmers Cay

On the 15th, winds started picking up from the South West and  were forecasted to 20 knots.  Since our anchorage was fully exposed to those winds, we traveled 11.8 miles in 2-3 footers on the bow to the protected waters of Farmers Cay. This a stop not to be miss. This Island was settled by an emancipated slave woman and her two sons.  To this day the only persons that can own property are descendants of the Truman family.  There are about 50 residents, and the most friendly people you would ever want to meet!  We bought  larger lobsters for $15 dollar and 6 pound slab of Mahi for $60.

We took a walk the first night to Ty's Bar and Grill for apps of fried Conch and Rum punch!. We took a short cut by walking up the runway of a small plan landing strip and only had to dodge one plane.

 The girls swam with turtles and a puffer fish,  and bought Conch Salad for lunch.

Read the above sign! Welcome to the Bahamas!

The next day Julian the Yacht club manager, island power plant operator,  bar tender and cook informed us that happy our would begin at 4 and dinner served at 6.  He could do this because the Yacht Club was full, with four slips and about the same mooring balls occupied.  He served high octane rum punch, beer, and booze for  $3 dollars. At 7 the next morning his Mom and dad landed from Nassau and we were ask to wait on departure so we could meet his parents.  They were were in their 80"s and dressed to the tee.  Mr Roosevelt Truman gave us instructions on departing in the strong currents and he cast our lines off for us.  Off we went out the Farmers Cay cut and back out into the ocean.

Check out the fuel and exhaust system on the generator of this fishing boat.

Black Point

More pics from our dingy run today!

Exumas here we come

On Monday we left from Nassau and headed to an anchorage in the Exuma's called Allen key this was a beautiful spot but proved at night to be very rough with lots of roll from the current that ripped through the cut.  We dropped the dingy's and went for a short ride over to the beach to feed the Iguanas grapes, there were 30 or 40 of them as big as 3 feet.

We took the dinks to a private beach on Highborne Cay and the girls snorkeled for sea biscuits,  between 2 excursions there they must have picked op 50 of them.

Tuesday we traveled a total of 4 miles to Highborne Cay where we tied up at a very high end marina. 2.50 per foot but  $60 for one days electricity.  We rented  a golf cart and went exploring and posing for pictures with a local at the school bus crossing.

That evening we reconnected with people we had met in Marsh Harbour last year and had cocktails on their sailing Cat, followed by one of the best dinners we have ever had at the restaurant on the hill above the Marina!

The next morning we took of for the short hope to Shroud Cay where we anchored for 1 night and  dingyed up the river at high tide and to the other side of the Island and the Ocean.

 The following day we dropped anchor at Warwick Wells for a short bit of snorkeling, and then cruised into StanielCay for a two night stay. We fed the swimming pigs and snorkeled the Groto which was part of the James Bond movie Thunderball..  We also celibrated our new friends Brian's  50th at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. We spent a total of two nights waiting out a strong  NW wind.
Loved it here but time to swing on a hook again!

After leaving Staniel Cay be went back North to an mooring field at Cambridge Cay and the Bahamas Land and Sea Park.  We snorkeled what is called the Aquarium, the best we have ever experienced. We put 30 miles on the Dinks cruising the inland water ways. We went past Johnny Deeps private Island and other truly spectacular islands and beaches.  We spend two nights here on a mo0ring
On one of our beach walks we meet a couple on a 49' foot Salene who invited our now gang of 8 for cocktails, really great people who had spent 5 years sailing around the world!

 Today we cruised the inside passage from Cambridge Cay and to Black Point where we are doing Laundry and I am writing this post in a bar.  While walking around the Settlement we ran into a group of school kids all dressed up for classes.  We also took the dinks out on ultra flat water and checked out the sights.

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Supper bowl Sunday

One thing I forgot to mention from our Friday crossing.  After a great docktail session the 6 of us pondered the safety equipment that we would recommend for rough passages, basically anything over 3 footers.  When one has to go to the bathroom, getting  down the fly bridge ladder in pitching seas is piratically un-doable and very dangerous.  we highly recommend Depends as an added safety item!

We took the marina loner car into Nassau to the straw market, and spent the afternoon at the beach.
The marina had a Super Bowl party on the lawn with a full bar $20 buckets of beer.  and wings, pitza etc.

Stuart

Sunday evening we were invited to dinner at our good friends and Loopers Judy and Win Binbow. Their  new home on the corner of the ICW and the St Lucie inlet. We had traveled with them down the river system in 2014.  We had a great time reminicing talking about future travels.  At 7 AM we headed South on the ICW for a two day trip to Ft Lauderdale anchoring out one night.  At 10 am We met up with our third traveling buddy boat Job Site and Carol and DeVere Dennings.  After lunch we  gathered all our weather data for the gulf crossing to Bimini.  After a confirming phone call to marine weather guru Marv we all voted that the crossing was doable. At 6:30 am Feb 1st we cast off our lines for the gulf crossing to Bimini.  We crossed 60 miles of ocean at 8 knots in 2-3 foot waves.  As far as gulf crossings go this was a good one!  We stayed one night at the Bimini Blue Water marine were we cleared customs and paid our $300 for a 6 month cruising permit.

 The following morning we left before day break and cruised a 100 miles across the Bahama Bank to Chub Cay on the South end of the Barry Islands where we anchored in a protected bay.  The weather was even better than forecasted.  Blue sky's and waves of dead calm to 1 foot.  You could see starfish on the bottom in 10 feet of water.

 We had one patch were we were slowed to a crawl as we were in 5 ft of water, we draft 4!

 We decided to push forward the next day to Nassau at trip of 40 miles in the open sea, some 5000 feet deep. The forecast was for 2-3 footers and winds to 15 knots, Not ideal but doable.  As soon as we left the lee of the Island the seas built quickly to 3 feet, as  we cruised  at 9 knots.  After the first hour the seas  really began to build,  we were in steady 4-5 footers with the occasional 6.  We increased speed to 14 knots to try and take some of the roll out of the quartering waves. After 2 hours of taking sheets of water over the fly bridge and the wave pounding we called the harbor master and ask for permission to enter Nassau Harbor. Putz'n Around and  the crew handled the waves just fine! It was fantastic to be back in smooth water as we cruised past the beautiful Atlantis Resort!

We were fortunate to have stayed there twice on incentive trips with Brigitte's company Partylite. It took us about an hour to get around to the south side of the Island to Palm Cay Marina, where we will stay for a few days until the seas calm down.

 With any luck we will be head to Highborne Cay in the Exuma's Monday.