The Keys in the Cays

Within two hours of saying good-bye to the Macdonalds, the Keys were on the boat and we were heading towards Volleyball Beach to our anchorage for the night.  We have had a lovely time exploring the Exumas with all of our family and friends and so it was great to be able to treat the Keys to some fabulous places in the Exuma Cays.

Chat and Chill

We had fun swimming around Georgetown (although it was a bit disconcerting when the boat next to us pulled a shark out of the water while we were enjoying gin and tonics on the deck).

Swimming is nice in Georgetown but it is exquisite in the quiet anchorages along the Exuma chain.  Don and Pat had us in the habit of swimming in the morning and the afternoon so it was easy to carry on that way with the Keys.  It is amazing to find yourself in ten feet of water and be able to pick out shells on the bottom.

Synchronized Swimming

Beaches

So the Keys were able to see Georgetown, Rudder Cay, the Majors (where pigs will swim out to your dingy for food), the park at Warderick Wells, Hawksbill Cay, the west coast of the infamous Norman’s Cay and Nassau. The seas and the direction of the winds were perfect and we enjoyed some of our best days of sailing.

George and Glen

Enjoying the View

Exuma Parks

Our last day with the Keys was a doozy.  We left Norman’s Cay for the trip to Nassau in relatively good conditions, however as the day progressed, the wind increased and the seas grew from ripples to six foot rollers.  We were maintaining incredible speeds but it was becoming increasingly lumpy.  We crossed the Yellow Banks in seas that made it difficult to see the coral heads.  We crossed our fingers that we weren’t near anything dangerous.  Once across the Banks, George spotted a dolphin and despite the fact that the boat was pitching and rocking, George, Deb and Pam made their way to the bow to watch him play in the bow wave.  While we bounced through big waves and big winds, the fishing line screamed and soon we landed a two pound jack.

Lunch

So, dear reader, you might think that the day was full enough… it gets better.  As we neared the entrance channel to Nassau’s harbour, thirty small sailboats were engaged in a regatta which meant we had to change course or enter the race.

Regatta

We changed course.  Coming into Nassau Harbour the wind at our back was still thirty knots.  We coasted up to the marina but then had to dock in that wind.  The dockmaster was unavailable and so Captain Chaos performed brilliantly bringing the bowsprit close enough to the dock for the courageous Admiral Pam to JUMP onto the dock and secure the bow.  Deb and George watched in wonder as Pam, single handedly (with the help of a Bahamian bystander) wrestled the Blue Pearl onto the dock.  Beers for all.

We made a quick run to Potter’s Cay for conch fritters and conch salad and then returned to the boat to settle in for the evening.  Realizing that the Keys had not tasted cracked conch, Glen and George went back to Potter’s Cay to buy some for dinner.

And now, dear reader, is when the ship hit the fan.

Walking back with cracked conch in hand, Glen and George decided to take a short cut along a poorly lit path.  Unknown to Glen and George, two young Bahamians were approaching them from behind.  One of them punched George on the back and yelled, “Give me your f*cking money!”  The rugby player and the hockey player reacted differently than the would-be muggers expected.  There was cursing, yelling, chasing and violent kicking with flip flopped feet.  The vice-principal in them both surfaced and they yelled at the muggers to get to the office and wait for the wrath of Mrs. Fowler.  The young bucks fled, leaving George and Glen wide-eyed, full of adrenaline and wondering what to do next.  We suspect that in later years the story will be embellished with knives, guns and drugs, and the $6 carried by George was a fat billfold of thousands, but just then that was enough excitement.  We have been warned about the crime in Nassau and we have now seen it first hand.   Although scary, it was not near enough to mar an otherwise perfect cruise.

Moving with Murphy the Dingy

Navigating

So… the Keys are on their way home and so are we.  Berry’s, Freeport, Florida, Brunswick… Abbotsford.

Whitecaps in My Soup

We were dropping the anchor in Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown, when we received a phone call from Don and Pat’s taxi driver. “Where are you?” said Don. We were 5 minutes away by dingy and met them at the dock at Exuma Market. What a treat to see them!!

We moved the Blue Pearl over to Stocking Island for the evening, had a swim and blended into the Georgetown “groove.”

Better in the Bahamas

The next day we did some exploring, found the school where we are to deposit our books, facilitated by the South Seas Cruising Association (SSCA.) We did some provisioning, found some conch for salad and cracked conch and settled into our surroundings.

We left the next day to explore north. After a four hour sail we arrived at Rudder Cut and “cut” in to anchor off Rudder Cay. Don and Pat were in the water almost before we had anchored. We spent a pleasant, quiet evening at anchor. We had heard about a big Easter celebration at Black Point so we set that as our destination for the next day.

Enjoying the Scenery

Black Point was a huge hit. We saw the locals fight it out in basketball and volleyball. Don was particularly distracted and spent a great deal of time trying to engage with the basketball activities. We think he was looking for another gold medal.

Shooting Techniques

We had some great local meals; chicken, ribs, fish, etc. The highlight was the Junkanoo parade on Saturday evening. The whistles, drums, brass and dancing made for an exciting evening and it was great to share the event with friends.

Dancing at the Junkanoo

We were joined in the celebration by more than 50 other cruisers. On our last day, we went to the “Garden of Eden”, where Willie Rolle has collected driftwood for over 50 years. He has pieces that resemble mermaids, iguanas, whales and other creatures. Too bad we were sober or we might have been able to see some of the images in his narration.

We left Black Point for Little Farmer’s Cay so we could watch TV and connect to the internet. A wonderful sail in the turquoise water. We toured Don and Pat through the Ocean Cabin, JR the Woodcarver’s place, past the school and through the rest of the community. At Ocean Cabin we met Terry Bain, the proprietor. He shared with us his opinion on many topics. What a character! So that took an hour and after that we returned to the boat for refreshments. Later we walked the runway and had a swim at the beach.

Monday morning we were up for the 6:21 a.m. launch of the space shuttle Discovery. Looking north we saw the orange glow of the shuttle and watched it for a few minutes until it disappeared into the low clouds. Our second launch this trip!

We let go of the mooring ball at Little Farmer’s Yacht Club and headed out the cut. The wind and waves made for a rolly trip so we cut back inside and motorsailed to Darby Island. We enjoyed our lunch in the cockpit, despite the howling wind. There were whitecaps in our soup and we had to hang on to our crackers!

Whitecaps

Glen gave us a tour of the castle and the cave that he and Luke had explored. Back to the boat for a swim and happy hour. Don scraped some barnacles from the hull to earn his beer.

Once again we poked our nose out into the Sound to head towards Georgetown and found high winds and swells. We travelled in those conditions for a couple of hours and then pulled into Lee Stocking Island, a new place for us. It is home to the Caribbean Marine Research Centre. We had heard that they do tours of the facility but have lost funding and are short staffed. We radioed in and were granted permission to land but never met up with the staff ashore. Maybe another visit. We moved the boat south one mile to a beautiful bay occupied by only two other boats. Another swim in the unbelievable water. Don and Pat have spent a good portion of their time with us swimming!!

Glen opened the bottle of champagne given to him at his retirement by the Yale staff – a special place for a special event!

Here's to Yale - and terrific colleagues!

Wednesday, April 7 – again out into the Exuma Sound to travel to Georgetown for the Macdonald’s flight out the next day and the Key’s arrival. Their planes cross within 30 minutes of each other! Our 20 mile trip was into the wind and we did not make very good time. Luckily we had sandwiches prepared ahead so no one had to brave the inside of the boat during the trip. Glen is the only one of us who can be below when the boat is rolling. About a half hour away from Conch Cut into Elizabeth Harbour, our fishing line screamed and we were all planning a delicious fish dinner. Glen saw a fish jump in our wake and the line went slack. No fish tonight!

We anchored near Stocking Island, near where we were a week ago. Another swim and happy hour and then to shore for a dinner at the Chat ‘n Chill. Wonderful food, a bit of dancing, chatting with other boaters and the staff. No shoes, no shirt and you will still get service! Thanks, Don and Pat, for dinner.

Dancing at the Chat and Chill

We have enjoyed our time with the Macdonalds. They are looking forward to the next leg of their trip in Florida. They will be doing the Florida Keys while we will be hosting the George and Deb Keys.

In The Nick of Time

We had planned to get to Georgetown with Jen, Luke and Jackson but getting a flight reservation was problematic so we hung around Darby Island, Rudder Cay and Little Farmers instead of heading further south. They were able to leave on Flamingo Air from Little Farmers Sunday morning to connect with their flight home from Nassau. We watched them take off from the end of the runway. It was lonely on the boat after they left. It was wonderful to have them with us and to be able to spend time with Jackson.

On Saturday, we all went to the school fair. Great fun. There are 10 kids enrolled in grades 1 through 11, all boys. There are two rooms - the elementary room and the secondary room. The beer shack for the fair was across the street and it must have generated lots of cash for the school. What a good idea! The ring toss game was raging until Luke got there with his juggling balls - then the Juggler became the main event.

The Juggler

Luke had the boys trying to juggle and told them how they could make their own juggling balls. We wished we had brought some supplies to get them started. Glen and Luke played musical chairs but lost to JR, the Woodcarver.

http://vimeo.com/10673450

We ate chicken, fish and ribs with baked macaroni and coleslaw - yummy!!! It was our hottest day and Jack was feeling the heat so back to the Little Farmers Yacht Club to sit under the palapa and cool off.

Jackson and Mom at the School Fair lunch

When the kids left we had only 3 days to cover the 40 miles to Georgetown to pick up the Macdonalds. Sunday afternoon we got off the dock - with much trepidation as the 20-25 knot wind was pushing us broadsides onto the dock. We didn't even hit one piling this time! We stuck our nose out in the Sound but the wind was blowing right in our faces with 5 foot seas so we decided to try on Monday. Monday was the same. So, with Don and Pat arriving Tuesday at 3 we decided that it was now or a night in a hotel for them. The front had passed and the wind had clocked around to the north, so with the breeze from behind we motor-sailed to Georgetown. The waves gave us a bit of rolling but it was a pleasant trip through the ink blue water. Keeping our eye on the clock, we dropped our anchor just as their landing gear hit the ground. Hopefully their taxi ride into town and our dingy ride to shore will get us to the Exuma Market dingy dock at the same time!!

We thought it was tight getting into Nassau the day before the Inmans but this is really cutting it close! We sure are looking forward to seeing Don and Pat!

Pam Tries (Unsuccessfully) to Kill Us

It started off so great. We met the kids at the airport. Boy, it was great to see Jackson (and Jen and Luke). He looks so different than he did at 2 weeks old when we last saw him!

We settled them in on the boat, did the obligatory walk to Potter’s Cay for conch fritters and then did our provisioning for our trip south.

Conch Fritters for Jackson

We had been wedged into a dock space so Captain Chaos had a fellow dockster hold a bowline to keep the bow from swinging into the wind as we tried to turn a tight corner. We made a brilliant exit – except that the Captain had forgotten to turn on the engine cooling water (after a bit of maintenance) so that resulted in some major scrambling to turn it on before we overheated.

We had a good sail to Allen’s across the Yellow Banks. The wind was on our backs so Glen and Luke pulled out the spinnaker and we flew it for the first time! It was beautiful! As it filled with air, our fishing line screamed. We reeled in a barracuda (and let it go.) It wasn’t as big as the one Mike caught in almost the same spot but big enough for us to worry about ciguatera – a poison that larger fish may carry.

Closs' to Allens' with swab Jackson

First time spinnacker - huge!

Anchored at Allen’s, fed the iguanas, did some snorkeling and then bedded down. Jackson settled in to his new bed and we had a pretty good night.

Morning meetings...

Bathtime for bedtime!

Then off to Norman’s for a couple of nights. Same ol’, same ol… saw the plane, explored in the dingy, went to McDuffs!

Welcome to Normans'

Welcome to McDuff's!

Jen, Luke and Glen left Pam with Jackson and went over to Norman’s Pond. We scoped the area out and we are really not sure how we would ever get Blue Pearl in there. The entrance is very shallow and tricky. Too bad, it’s beautiful and secluded.

Off to Warderick Wells and… lucky us, we got a mooring ball right in front of the park office. The anchorage is very cool. It is a long cut around a huge sand bar. It is 20 feet deep in the cut but you can stand up to your ankles on the bar. And it really drops off. Jen and Luke swam to shore and a little later we saw Luke leisurely… and then with great haste, swim back to the boat. He reported that he saw a 6 to 8 foot nurse shark on the way back. Glen told him he had better go back and get his wife back safely. Luke heard, “you had better go back and get my daughter back safely.”

Swimming at Warderick

Babysitting...

Starfish...

Later that day Glen, Jen and Luke took the dinghy and went exploring. The snorkeling is amazing. We saw dinner sized crawfish, great big groupers, rays and many other varieties of colourful fish. Later at dinner, Pam finished her gin and tonic and tossed the lemon into the current – only to hear a great ruckass as the yellow jacks fought over it. We probably broke all the park rules by feeding the fish but soon we had 8 to 10 yellow jacks and a couple of lemon sharks hanging around the boat. Several trips to shore to let Jackson “swim” in the sea and to get sand on his feet. We walked up to Booboo Hill where there is the most incredible view of the anchorage.

Boo Boo Hill

Swimming!

Bananaquit birds flew out to the boat and ate sugar from our hands. We read, relaxed and played with Jackson. A nice way to spend a few days. We enjoyed getting to know Jack and learning his routines – forty minute naps, smiles, diapers, maybe teething fussy times and bathtime. He celebrated his 3 month birthday with us.

We think this is when Pam tried to kill us. Not sure how she did it, or how she avoided the same fate, but over the next few days each of us succumbed to major stomach issues. Very uncomfortable.

We love Warderick Wells. We enjoyed some terrific snorkeling and weathered a small front that passed through. But it was time to move on so we headed south – taking time to cruise in past the Majors where pigs will swim out to your boat to eat whatever you give them – and then on to Farmer’s Cay. Glen and Pam’s friend, Berlington, told us we should go in to say hello to Roosevelt Nixon, owner of the Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club. We tied up at the dock so we were more mobile with Jackson and spent that day organizing for Jen, Luke and Jackson’s flight home. We were having trouble getting hold of Bahamas Air for their Georgetown flight so to make sure of their connection we decided to hang around this area for the rest of their stay. Jen, Luke and Jackson spent a pleasant few hours swinging on a porch swing, looking at the view, napping, checking e-mails and drinking coconut rum drinks.

Porch swing

Thank you to them for a grouper dinner there. Luke had the lobster and was offered a “leftover” lobster tail, which he happily took off their hands.

We left Little Farmer’s for Darby Island. Glen and Pam had been there 30 years ago when they travelled from Great Inagua to Nassau on a sailboat so it was an opportunity to check it out again. After stirring up the sand in the shallow water we anchored in the bay – we were the only boat there. Darby Island was home to a German sympathizer during WW II who was trying to turn the island into a base for marauding German U-boats. He was very unpopular and was eventually forced from the islands. Luke and Glen got permission to go ashore and explore the home – called the Castle by the locals. It is a spectacular building – truly a castle - but has decayed significantly in the 30 years since first visited by Glen and Pam.

Castle	Castle
Castle	Castle
Castle	Castle

Following a back trail, Glen and Luke came upon an amazing cave in the limestone, with a hole in the roof typical of cenotes in this area and Mexico, only without the water.

Cave

We couldn’t keep Luke out of the water.  He and Glen snorkeled around the boat, checking the anchor, tightening the bolts on the zincs they had installed at Warderick and pausing to watch a baby nurse shark nearby. The next day we motored around Musha Cay and Cave Cay – a couple of nearby islands. We anchored off Rudder Cay Cut – once again having the place to ourselves. Jen and Luke took advantage of a little time provided by Grandma and the beautiful surroundings to take the dingy and do a little exploring and snorkeling. They were having a good look around until a barracuda came to check them out. It was either 2 feet or 5 feet long – depending whether you ask Jen or Luke!

We motorsailed back to Little Farmer's Cay.  Luke was the helmsman for the day, taking us through some very shallow water, avoiding coral and sand bars. Calm seas and light winds following us.  Fifteen minutes from our destination, our fishing reel screamed and we pulled in a 32 inch fish!  We were sure it was a wahoo and were disappointed when Roosevelt Nixon, proprietor of the Little Farmer's Yacht Club told us it was a barracuda!  We ate it anyway!  It was delicious fried in a fish fry seasoning and served in a fish taco.

Dinner

Today we will attend the Farmer's Cay All Age School Fair and spend our last day with the Closs family.  They fly out tomorrow morning.   Our little sailor grandson is going home with his parents. We will miss them.

Atlantis to Omelettes

After enjoying Norman’s Cay for 3 days, albeit without water… we made our way back to Nassau. We had heard about Atlantis – the marine resort on Paradise Island. It is hideously expensive to moor there and they don’t allow boats UNDER 40 feet – we guess they don’t want riff-raff in the neighbourhood. So we suddenly became 40 feet and made a reservation. It is hard to believe how “over-the-top” the boats are. They are massive, all require a captain and crew (uniformed), outlandishly decorated and they have every gadget and piece of equipment imaginable.

Wow!

It costs $100 per person per day to enjoy the attraction if you walk in but this is waived for hotel and marina guests… what a deal!!! So Gavin, Kal, Jinder, Pam and Glen went exploring Tuesday evening and enjoyed Wednesday at the attractions and pools. Just as we were deciding what to do for dinner on Wednesday a local fisherman showed up with lobster. Unfortunately for Jinder and Kal, Gavin has learned that he loves lobster!

Uh oh... Gavin loves lobster.

Daquiris too fruitiful

We had a visit with Shaun, Tom, Nicholas and Natalie Windt who were staying there after a Caribbean cruise and met up with Anita again before her return to Abbotsford. One evening we ended up in the middle of a Junkanoo parade!

Visit from the Windts

Junkanoo

Thursday found us back in reality at the more mundane but functional Nassau Yacht Haven. The Sarowas treated us to dinner at the Poop Deck and then we settled in for our last night. The Sarowas left us for the airport at 7 am and we spent the day puttering at the marina. It is strangely quiet when guests leave. Pam decided on an omelette for dinner – is this our parting routine?

Kaliks at the Poop Deck

The marina was quite full when we arrived and they put us in a slip that would have worked if we didn’t have a bowsprit or a dingy hanging on davits. We spent the first night with a flashing light hung from our bow, hoping we wouldn’t be hit by a Bahamas Divers boat or one of the local fishing charters passing by. The next day Glen moved the boat to the next dock, removed the dingy and here we sit with our davits hanging out over the dock. Leaving on Tuesday might prove to be another adventure!

Don't fence me in!

Glen started our income tax, we did laundry and grocery shopping.

Doing taxes is OK in the Bahamas

We had drinks with neighbours, Barb and Daryl from SeaWind II and shared docking nightmare stories. One evening we witnessed the effects of the current and tide on a big sailboat as he docked nearby bouncing off the wharf and bumping a boat. We are learning that most boaters struggle with docking.

So, another adventure has ended and we are looking forward to the next… Jen, Luke and Jackson join us on Monday to explore the Exumas from Nassau to Georgetown.

West Indies

In Like a Lion or a Lamb?

During our time at the Nassau Yacht Haven we connected with Anita McMahon and family.   Their friends from Paradise Island brought them over to visit in their boat.  We gave them a tour of Blue Pearl and said good-bye – maybe we will see them again next week if we return to Nassau before they leave for home.

Anita and Family

When we had arrived in Nassau this time, Glen noticed that one of the motor mounts was broken.  Not a good thing.  Went to Albert’s Marine Service to get a mechanic to install the spare that we had.  The mechanic found that two more were broken.  Only four mounts hold the motor on and three had been broken.  Really not a good thing.  Extras were ordered from Florida and we were impressed with the service.  They arrived the next day and Jason from Albert’s Marine Service had them installed that afternoon.  Back the next morning for final touch-ups and a sea trial and we were set.  Turns out that Jason knows Jerome Cartwright, the headmaster from Matthewtown, Inagua in 1978.  That afternoon Jason connected Glen with Cartwright and they had an interesting reunion.  We will meet up with him when we return to Nassau next week.  Small world.  Actually the Bahamas is a small country.

The Sarowas spent three nights at a fancy Cable Beach Hotel before moving onto Blue Pearl with us.  We bought fritters and fish at Potters Cay, provisioned at the supermarket and the liquor store near the marina and took off.  As usual, Captain Chaos provided entertainment to everyone as we left the dock.  The strong current and wind, combined with the Captain’s uncanny knack for banging into things made for a spectacular departure.  We arrived at Allan’s Cay without further mishap and found a good place for the hook.  Alex and Kris from Blue Wind had followed us from Nassau through the Yellow Banks.  They anchored nearby.  Once ashore we amused ourselves looking at all the iguanas.

Jinder - Great iguana feeder

Sarowas meet Allan's Cay

There had been some bad weather so there had been no tour boats feeding them for a couple of days and they greeted all the boats enthusiastically.  Remembering our lesson from Pat on Kolibrie, we had brought grapes to feed them from a stick – too bad we hadn’t learned that trick before Mike learned from experience that, even without teeth, they can draw blood!

The wind wasn’t warm so we weren’t too interested in swimming but Jinder did take a quick dip off a sand bar.

On the beach we chatted with an Oregon family on the catamaran, Texas Two Step, Dave, Leslie and Michelle.  They had sold their house and were fulltime cruisers.  Michelle, a grade ten student, is doing her schoolwork by correspondence.  They dingied by the boat so we invited them onboard for a drink.  They were planning to make their own beer on the beach the next day – they had all the supplies and equipment onboard.  While talking about food, Dave mentioned that he didn’t care for conch.  Pam decided she would introduce him to her cracked conch and invited them for dinner.  Glen used the new conch mallet to tenderize the tough meat and then coated it in Zantarain’s Fish Fry then lightly fried in olive oil.  Paired with Spanish Yellow Rice and Kal’s Special Salad, dinner was ready.  Eight of us crowded around our table and enjoyed drinks, good food, laughs and friendship.  And Dave liked the conch.

Conch dinner with Texas Two Step

We had a lousy night banging back and forth in the waves and current and bolted out of there early in the morning.  As we were raising the anchor, Dave and Leslie dingied over with a gift for us….  a cutting board to use the next time we made cracked conch!  Thank you, Texas Two Step.

We had big (6 to 8 foot) seas so the first part of the ride was uncomfortable but we decided to hole up at Norman’s Cay – only a little way away – where we could anchor with more protection and get some sleep.

 At Norman’s we all had a sleep, showered and then, feeling revived, we dingied ashore and walked over to McDuffs so Jinder could buy us all expensive drinks.

Jambalaya dinner, Bananagrams and Balderdash then to bed.  We thankfully had a very calm night on the anchor but woke up to discover we were out of water.  We couldn’t quite believe that we had used 157 gallons in two days.  Glen did all of the checks he knew and could not discover where the water had gone.  Luckily, Pam had a five gallon jerry can of water saved so we decided to enjoy the day and just not wash.  A day of exploring islands, reading and relaxing.

Principals' Meeting

Just no washing.  Our second morning at Norman’s looked beautiful and we extended our “no wash” rule and spent another day in this beautiful anchorage.  The five gallons were stretching further and further as none of us really wanted to leave.  Dingy trips to Wax Cay and Norman’s Pond kept us busy as well as Margaritas and G&T’s.  Jinder and Kal treated us to Eggs with Indian spices and a Chick Pea curry, using spices they had brought from home.  Glen made his famous Boiled Fish dinner.  Beautiful sunsets, blue water, swimming from a deserted beach – priceless.

Swimming in Norman's Pond

Exploring Norman's Cay

We are now off to Nassau and will spend the night at the Atlantis Resort.  Not washing can only last so long and we have decided to treat ourselves to this lavish resort for a night or two.