While we were in route today, I was imaging Barb and Barry getting underway from Florida in that rather large motor vessel and that maybe we would see them here at Great Sale Cay. I could also imagine that things were not ready to the crew's liking and they would miss the current weather window to come east. I am not overly hopeful of seeing them here. If I were them and I left today, I would push on past Great Sale Cay and try to get through the Whale Cay Cut before it gets closed out from the forecasted big winds. Either way, we will see them next season, Lord willing.
It was an easy 44 miles today. We started early. Based upon the forecast, the winds would die out today and our best attempts at sailing would be in the am. We arrived here before 1 pm and are currently the only vessel here. That is a first for us. So we picked a spot we thought would have good holding, some protection from NW, N, NE, E and SE winds, and still get a view of the blood moon tomorrow morning. The full lunar eclipse will occur after the moon has gone below our horizon, but we will see some of the rare and spooky event. That is if the clouds do not interfere.
We are still uncertain as to the day of our departure from here. Once we get going, you will get position reports.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}26°59.29'N|078°12.88'W|4/3/2015|1:29 PM{GEND}
Friday, April 3, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Powell Cay
As always, we had a great stay at MOW Cay. For the first part of our stay, we were moored at the far end of the eastern harbor, surrounded by our Nova Scotian friends. At the end of our stay, we moved to a mooring near the opening of the eastern harbor, next to Barb and Barry.
We used up the remainder of the mahi at dinners with Barb and Barry and also at Jan and Jay's. Jan and Jay showed us a new method of BBQ'g the mahi, something I will repeat should we catch more. Jay marinated the fish in sour orange, and then Jan coated it in pepper and mayonnaise. I coated a few in mayonnaise mixed with dry wasabi which was also a big hit. Jan patiently taught me her method for cooking peas and rice, so I have decided I will give it another try at some point in the future. Maybe if we catch some fish?
We got to visit friends at church on Sunday and watch a play by the high school kids on Wednesday. Myron and I got a few pretty good laughs out some of their lines, plus it had a very good message. Uncle Willard gave us a tour of his garden. Myron's diagnosis was a need for more nitrogen. We bought the last bag of 10-10-10 on the shelf for him during our day trip to Marsh Harbor.
We bid goodbye to Barb and Barry this morning, who were also preparing to fly back to the states to assist in the delivery of a 65' motor vessel donated to the Hope Town Sailing Club. I imagine they were already in Florida on the boat before we made it to Powell Cay. It would be a kick if we saw them in the boat going the other direction as we sail toward the states.
Powell Cay is pretty. The wind has gone slightly south of east, bringing a mild swell around the cay. I am probably only noticing it because we have been in a well protected harbor for over a week. There is one power boat and eight other sail boats with us in this large anchorage. We chose not to launch the dinghy, but rather lounge around and use up the last bit of our telephone data service. Myron is checking weather. We were looking at winds of 20 to 25 knots and some angry seas, but the wind forecast keeps decreasing, making our day of departure uncertain.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}26°53.86'N|077°28.86'W|4/2/2015|6:31 PM{GEND}
We used up the remainder of the mahi at dinners with Barb and Barry and also at Jan and Jay's. Jan and Jay showed us a new method of BBQ'g the mahi, something I will repeat should we catch more. Jay marinated the fish in sour orange, and then Jan coated it in pepper and mayonnaise. I coated a few in mayonnaise mixed with dry wasabi which was also a big hit. Jan patiently taught me her method for cooking peas and rice, so I have decided I will give it another try at some point in the future. Maybe if we catch some fish?
We got to visit friends at church on Sunday and watch a play by the high school kids on Wednesday. Myron and I got a few pretty good laughs out some of their lines, plus it had a very good message. Uncle Willard gave us a tour of his garden. Myron's diagnosis was a need for more nitrogen. We bought the last bag of 10-10-10 on the shelf for him during our day trip to Marsh Harbor.
We bid goodbye to Barb and Barry this morning, who were also preparing to fly back to the states to assist in the delivery of a 65' motor vessel donated to the Hope Town Sailing Club. I imagine they were already in Florida on the boat before we made it to Powell Cay. It would be a kick if we saw them in the boat going the other direction as we sail toward the states.
Powell Cay is pretty. The wind has gone slightly south of east, bringing a mild swell around the cay. I am probably only noticing it because we have been in a well protected harbor for over a week. There is one power boat and eight other sail boats with us in this large anchorage. We chose not to launch the dinghy, but rather lounge around and use up the last bit of our telephone data service. Myron is checking weather. We were looking at winds of 20 to 25 knots and some angry seas, but the wind forecast keeps decreasing, making our day of departure uncertain.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}26°53.86'N|077°28.86'W|4/2/2015|6:31 PM{GEND}
Friday, March 27, 2015
More Pictures Up
Jay was kind enough to let us use his high speed internet. Myron has been working on orders for our punch list. I have been looking for a car and posting photos on Picasa. Check out the new photos on the photo gallery link to the right and look for 03.15.15 Eleuthera Island.
Everybody is so busy around here, we cannot seem to arrange a time to eat some of the fish we caught. Myron and I can do fine whittled down the inventory by ourselves. If you recall, we caught two cow mahi's, 33" and 41", and one bull mahi at almost 55". Here he is:
Hold Fast at anchor in Governor's Harbor after sunset:
Go enjoy!
We are looking for a weather window to return to the states. We paid for a mooring in eastern harbor at MOW Cay through Wednesday morning, April 1.
Love to all,
Dena
Everybody is so busy around here, we cannot seem to arrange a time to eat some of the fish we caught. Myron and I can do fine whittled down the inventory by ourselves. If you recall, we caught two cow mahi's, 33" and 41", and one bull mahi at almost 55". Here he is:
Hold Fast at anchor in Governor's Harbor after sunset:
Go enjoy!
We are looking for a weather window to return to the states. We paid for a mooring in eastern harbor at MOW Cay through Wednesday morning, April 1.
Love to all,
Dena
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Moored at Man-O-War, Abacos
I was up at 2:08 am Wednesday. Knowing the demands of the long day ahead of us, I opted to try to get another 40 minutes of sleep. I am glad Myron set a 3 am alarm, because I fell back asleep and we both slept soundly until that alarm went off. I peeked outside and saw our traveling buddies, Selene, were up and ready with their running lights on. We had prepared the night before, so we were anchor up in under five minutes of waking.
It was not bad negotiating the harbor entrance in the dark. It is lit with a red and green, a rarity around here, plus we now have a powerful handheld light to put some daylight on the rocks. We got the main up outside the harbor and headed for the Egg Island cut. That is one of the best cuts in the Bahamas and probably one of the few I do not mind negotiating in the dark, particularly with the chart plotter, radar and the handheld light. Our last night challenge was the trap floats outside the cut. We came across two.
Initially, there was only 10 knots on our quarter. We had all sails out and the motor on to make our flood tide on the other end of the 50 mile trip. As the wind increased we were able to take out the motor. I could see lightening toward Great Abaco and the stars were blocked out by dark clouds behind us, but throughout our crossing the squalls kept their distance. We had about a five foot swell out of the northeast and seas building with the winds from the southeast. One lure was out, but we only got a few bites. I suspect the fish were too small for the 12 inch lure.
We made it through little Harbor Cut in the Abacos without incident. It was not until we were on the banks and heading for Man-O-War Cay that we got 20 knots or so associated with a large squall going over Marsh Harbor and to the north. Naturally, our speed increased with the increased winds. We had already given Barry an ETA and had to contact him again to tell him our ETA would now be 25 minutes earlier.
Barb and her friend, Barbara, were on Beach Cruiser in the eastern harbor and welcomed us into MOW Cay with the unique sound of the conch horn. Barry led us to a reserved mooring well up the eastern harbor near Charlie's dock. It is good to be back.
We ate, showered, and fell quickly asleep. The downside is that we are awake now and it is midnight. We should get back on a regular schedule within a day or so. As will happen in constant use of Hold Fast, we had some equipment failures. We are now in a mode of preparing punch lists, pricing out replacements and generally considering all the work we need to do in the yard this year. That is just a part of responsible boating and we try not to let it dampen our joy.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}26°35.32'N|077°00.00'W|3/26/2015|12:00 AM{GEND}
It was not bad negotiating the harbor entrance in the dark. It is lit with a red and green, a rarity around here, plus we now have a powerful handheld light to put some daylight on the rocks. We got the main up outside the harbor and headed for the Egg Island cut. That is one of the best cuts in the Bahamas and probably one of the few I do not mind negotiating in the dark, particularly with the chart plotter, radar and the handheld light. Our last night challenge was the trap floats outside the cut. We came across two.
Initially, there was only 10 knots on our quarter. We had all sails out and the motor on to make our flood tide on the other end of the 50 mile trip. As the wind increased we were able to take out the motor. I could see lightening toward Great Abaco and the stars were blocked out by dark clouds behind us, but throughout our crossing the squalls kept their distance. We had about a five foot swell out of the northeast and seas building with the winds from the southeast. One lure was out, but we only got a few bites. I suspect the fish were too small for the 12 inch lure.
We made it through little Harbor Cut in the Abacos without incident. It was not until we were on the banks and heading for Man-O-War Cay that we got 20 knots or so associated with a large squall going over Marsh Harbor and to the north. Naturally, our speed increased with the increased winds. We had already given Barry an ETA and had to contact him again to tell him our ETA would now be 25 minutes earlier.
Barb and her friend, Barbara, were on Beach Cruiser in the eastern harbor and welcomed us into MOW Cay with the unique sound of the conch horn. Barry led us to a reserved mooring well up the eastern harbor near Charlie's dock. It is good to be back.
We ate, showered, and fell quickly asleep. The downside is that we are awake now and it is midnight. We should get back on a regular schedule within a day or so. As will happen in constant use of Hold Fast, we had some equipment failures. We are now in a mode of preparing punch lists, pricing out replacements and generally considering all the work we need to do in the yard this year. That is just a part of responsible boating and we try not to let it dampen our joy.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}26°35.32'N|077°00.00'W|3/26/2015|12:00 AM{GEND}
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Staged at Royal Harbor
It was a shorter stay in Hatchet Bay than we expected. We returned on the dates given us by the former principal, but the new principal told us the children were taking exams all week. There was nothing for us to do. Further, there is no children's program at church on Tuesday nights until after Easter.
Still, we had a wonderful time of worship with our friends at St. Stephens Baptist Church and met new cruisers while in the harbor. The harbor was quite packed, twenty or near twenty boats every night. On Monday night, our last night there, we took a late walk in town and chatted with Fergie, Brother David and Mr. Smith until 9 pm. I was thankful for the encounter as it felt like we had closure before we left.
Today's travel was all about repositioning on the other side of Current Cut. We had hoped to stay on the west side of Current Cut, but the winds were still too strong out of the NNW and sending rollers into the anchorage. As a result, we are at Royal Harbor, with sixteen other boats. Our hope is that the weather forecast holds for SE winds and we head across the Northeast Providence Channel back up to the Abacos. Our plan is to leave early, around 3 am, to make it to Man-O-War Cay by or before 4 pm.
Time to get some sleep for a very early rise.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}25°30.92'N|076°50.55'W|3/24/2015|6:39 PM{GEND}
Still, we had a wonderful time of worship with our friends at St. Stephens Baptist Church and met new cruisers while in the harbor. The harbor was quite packed, twenty or near twenty boats every night. On Monday night, our last night there, we took a late walk in town and chatted with Fergie, Brother David and Mr. Smith until 9 pm. I was thankful for the encounter as it felt like we had closure before we left.
Today's travel was all about repositioning on the other side of Current Cut. We had hoped to stay on the west side of Current Cut, but the winds were still too strong out of the NNW and sending rollers into the anchorage. As a result, we are at Royal Harbor, with sixteen other boats. Our hope is that the weather forecast holds for SE winds and we head across the Northeast Providence Channel back up to the Abacos. Our plan is to leave early, around 3 am, to make it to Man-O-War Cay by or before 4 pm.
Time to get some sleep for a very early rise.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}25°30.92'N|076°50.55'W|3/24/2015|6:39 PM{GEND}
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Hatchet Bay via Alabaster Bay
It was so calm in Governor's Harbor, our friend Brian went around taking pictures of his and our anchors. Neither anchor had much of a bite. We doubled our anchors in tandem. The Fortress was almost all on the surface and the Manson Surpreme had barely dug in and was caught on a rock. When we have good internet, we can put up the video and pictures.
We motored five miles north to Alabaster Bay. The bay has a pleasant looking curved beach with a small resort on the south end. The breeze was light out of the northwest when we arrived. Pilgrim got there first and got their anchor caught between two coral heads, so they were set. We drug around the Manson with no success and then switched out the Manson for the 66 pound Bruce. We drug that around in one area with no joy, then moved to another area and finally got a snag on coral. I kid you not, we were at it for an hour and quite frustrated by end.
To shake it off, we set off for a walk to the ocean side. The Explorer Charts indicated that the beach on the ocean side had pink sand. Well I'll be. It indeed has pink sand mixed in with regular sand and made for quite a sight against the blue and white surf on the mostly sunny day. As we explored the beach, we found the former US Navy Base. A local told us it used to be a missile base and that the US had also built the adjacent airport, now known as Governor's Harbor Airport. The first thing we came upon was a massive water collection site. The area was covered with concrete and there were pump stations in a couple of places. Then we came upon what I guessed was officer housing, then a motor pool facility, then what I guessed was the officer's club as it had nice stone work on one wall and another wall was tiled. I think we also came across a barracks. It was difficult to tell as the roofs had failed on all these buildings and they were in quite a state of disrepair. We got ourselves overheated looking for a small path back to the road. The local described it as a path near the trash pile. I should have asked 'which' trash pile as we saw well over thirty. We finally gave up and took the base road back to the main gate and down to the highway.
When we returned to the shore over two hours later, the winds had picked up out of the northwest and it looked like it might bring squalls from the same direction. Our dinghies were high and dry. It was a group effort to carrying each others' boats back to water. On our way back to Hold Fast we made the decision we did not care to stay in that precarious anchorage when it was a lee shore. We set out for Hatchet Bay about ten miles north.
As we entered Hatchet Bay we were stunned by the number of boats anchored in the north section. Three of us came in at the end of the day, making a total of twenty sailboats in the anchorage. That man is still charging $20/night for the moorings and now has initials on the mooring balls. We anchored near one, which got him ruffled. After church today, we moved over another 20 feet or so, which should resolve it. We were told Ms. Ingraham retired. A meeting on Monday should tell us where we stand in volunteering at the school. The one constant is that everything changes.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}25°20.82'N|076°29.27'W|3/22/2015|2:00 PM{GEND}
We motored five miles north to Alabaster Bay. The bay has a pleasant looking curved beach with a small resort on the south end. The breeze was light out of the northwest when we arrived. Pilgrim got there first and got their anchor caught between two coral heads, so they were set. We drug around the Manson with no success and then switched out the Manson for the 66 pound Bruce. We drug that around in one area with no joy, then moved to another area and finally got a snag on coral. I kid you not, we were at it for an hour and quite frustrated by end.
To shake it off, we set off for a walk to the ocean side. The Explorer Charts indicated that the beach on the ocean side had pink sand. Well I'll be. It indeed has pink sand mixed in with regular sand and made for quite a sight against the blue and white surf on the mostly sunny day. As we explored the beach, we found the former US Navy Base. A local told us it used to be a missile base and that the US had also built the adjacent airport, now known as Governor's Harbor Airport. The first thing we came upon was a massive water collection site. The area was covered with concrete and there were pump stations in a couple of places. Then we came upon what I guessed was officer housing, then a motor pool facility, then what I guessed was the officer's club as it had nice stone work on one wall and another wall was tiled. I think we also came across a barracks. It was difficult to tell as the roofs had failed on all these buildings and they were in quite a state of disrepair. We got ourselves overheated looking for a small path back to the road. The local described it as a path near the trash pile. I should have asked 'which' trash pile as we saw well over thirty. We finally gave up and took the base road back to the main gate and down to the highway.
When we returned to the shore over two hours later, the winds had picked up out of the northwest and it looked like it might bring squalls from the same direction. Our dinghies were high and dry. It was a group effort to carrying each others' boats back to water. On our way back to Hold Fast we made the decision we did not care to stay in that precarious anchorage when it was a lee shore. We set out for Hatchet Bay about ten miles north.
As we entered Hatchet Bay we were stunned by the number of boats anchored in the north section. Three of us came in at the end of the day, making a total of twenty sailboats in the anchorage. That man is still charging $20/night for the moorings and now has initials on the mooring balls. We anchored near one, which got him ruffled. After church today, we moved over another 20 feet or so, which should resolve it. We were told Ms. Ingraham retired. A meeting on Monday should tell us where we stand in volunteering at the school. The one constant is that everything changes.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}25°20.82'N|076°29.27'W|3/22/2015|2:00 PM{GEND}
Friday, March 20, 2015
Overnight at Governor's Harbor
That was a nice stay at Rock Sound, even though the wind was almost always out of the south or west, it was rarely over 12 knots. We met with the principal at the primary school on Tuesday and he set us up right away assisting the 4th and 5th grade teachers with math. Our first day of teaching we were going to find a place to get lunch, then the teachers invited us to eat with them as they had done a potluck. BBQ chicken and peas and rice. Fantastic food! I made oatmeal raisin/cranberry/pineapple cookies and brought two dozen to the teacher's lounge the next day. They were gone in less than 10 minutes. I was instructed to bring the recipe. We only taught through Thursday as there was an island-wide sports day for kids. We enjoyed ourselves and got to see the "math light" come on for some of the kids. That is always rewarding.
Our trip to Governor's Harbor today was not attended by much wind. As a result, we motor sailed while topping off the water tanks. It took three tries to get a grab in the horrible holding at this harbor. If the winds were anything but light, we would have moved on, but they have gone 4 knots or less tonight, so we should be just fine.
We got lunch at Pammie's, our favorite restaurant here. By the time we arrived, she was out of ribs and BBQ chicken, but not out of crayfish rice. I had grouper and Myron had conch. Our friend Brian, who does not like conch, said he liked that conch. There you go, a plug for Pammie's. Just before sunset, we ran out of data on our phone, interrupting communications with family. We went ashore to put some money on our account and paused in the dinghy to watch the sunset - another green flash! After we dealt with the phone, we wandered down to the Friday Fish Fry near Cupid's Cay. It was packed. Before we got back to the boat, the DJ had the music cranked up and it appears to be the beginnings of quite a party. No worries, we do not hear much when we are down below.
We have somehow gotten ourselves into a herd. We are hoping most of these boats will move along before we get to Hatchet Bay. Since we will be there for a bit with the school and church, we think we might fool around somewhere between here and there tomorrow. We are interested in checking out an old US Navy Base just north of us on the east side of the island. If the weather works out perfect, maybe it will happen.
Until then, love to all,
Dena
{GMST}25°11.76'N|076°14.82'W|3/20/2015|8:28 PM{GEND}
Our trip to Governor's Harbor today was not attended by much wind. As a result, we motor sailed while topping off the water tanks. It took three tries to get a grab in the horrible holding at this harbor. If the winds were anything but light, we would have moved on, but they have gone 4 knots or less tonight, so we should be just fine.
We got lunch at Pammie's, our favorite restaurant here. By the time we arrived, she was out of ribs and BBQ chicken, but not out of crayfish rice. I had grouper and Myron had conch. Our friend Brian, who does not like conch, said he liked that conch. There you go, a plug for Pammie's. Just before sunset, we ran out of data on our phone, interrupting communications with family. We went ashore to put some money on our account and paused in the dinghy to watch the sunset - another green flash! After we dealt with the phone, we wandered down to the Friday Fish Fry near Cupid's Cay. It was packed. Before we got back to the boat, the DJ had the music cranked up and it appears to be the beginnings of quite a party. No worries, we do not hear much when we are down below.
We have somehow gotten ourselves into a herd. We are hoping most of these boats will move along before we get to Hatchet Bay. Since we will be there for a bit with the school and church, we think we might fool around somewhere between here and there tomorrow. We are interested in checking out an old US Navy Base just north of us on the east side of the island. If the weather works out perfect, maybe it will happen.
Until then, love to all,
Dena
{GMST}25°11.76'N|076°14.82'W|3/20/2015|8:28 PM{GEND}
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Fish In the Locker - Rock Sound
It was only a quick stay at Norman's Cay, just staging for a fishing trip across the Exuma Sound. We were up well before sunrise, grabbed a new grib and saw that winds are forecast to be light and variable for the next few days. It was tempting to stay around Norman's and do day fishing trips, but we do have a commitment coming up in Hatchet Bay. Plus, light and variable usually means squalls. At any rate, we figured if we were skunked in the few first hours, we might head back. But that was not the case. We caught two mahi mahi within two hours. Both females. One almost 41 inches and the other just over 44 inches. At the risk of appearing greedy, we considered going back to that area before continuing our crossing. We were worried that Pilgrim was not catching anything, their fish locker was an empty as ours. Even though we got hits on the lures, those two catches were on pre-rigged ballyhoo. It seems they are a sure bet for fish - just never know which fish.
Then we changed out the pink and black skirt lure for a tuna plug. We got another good hit on the third ballyhoo, but lost whatever took it. The ballyhoo was too mangled to be inviting, so we were down to lures only, a red and white tuna plug and a black and purple skirt. By now we were sailing a very tight reach with reefed main and jib and doing over six knots. A very nice day by any means.
As we approached Cape Eleuthera, our winds diminished and our speed was under five knots. It was easy enough to set up the water maker, and run the engine to help us be in time to make the incoming tide. I went back to check the tuna plug for trash or grass. While I was reeling it in it saw some action around the lures. I have seen that before. It is as if the fish is running with the lures, maybe contemplating. Then when I pull one in, it seems to trigger a take it or leave it response. We had a big hit on the black and purple, taking quite a bit of line out. After we both spent time working the reel, we pulled aboard a fine specimen of a male mahi mahi. He was just shy of 55 inches. Quite a fighter as well.
We are thrilled to have so much fish on board because we wanted to share with Pilgrim if they came up empty handed. We will find another beneficiary though because when we checked in with them, they had two fish on board. A banner day for both of us! I think it best if I freeze some fish for our Bahamian friends in Hatchet Bay.
It took over an hour to clean up the decks. There is still blood on the side of the boat, but that clean up will have to wait until we have the dinghy in the water, which is not happening today. We are worn out. We got our Hollywood showers (long and hot, since we made water today) and all I have left to do is figure out how I want to cook the fish for dinner. If I can stay awake that long. I doubt I will last much after sunset.
There are a bunch of boats new to this anchorage. We look forward to meeting more new people.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}24°52.31'N|076°09.91'W|3/15/2015|4:41 PM{GEND}
Then we changed out the pink and black skirt lure for a tuna plug. We got another good hit on the third ballyhoo, but lost whatever took it. The ballyhoo was too mangled to be inviting, so we were down to lures only, a red and white tuna plug and a black and purple skirt. By now we were sailing a very tight reach with reefed main and jib and doing over six knots. A very nice day by any means.
As we approached Cape Eleuthera, our winds diminished and our speed was under five knots. It was easy enough to set up the water maker, and run the engine to help us be in time to make the incoming tide. I went back to check the tuna plug for trash or grass. While I was reeling it in it saw some action around the lures. I have seen that before. It is as if the fish is running with the lures, maybe contemplating. Then when I pull one in, it seems to trigger a take it or leave it response. We had a big hit on the black and purple, taking quite a bit of line out. After we both spent time working the reel, we pulled aboard a fine specimen of a male mahi mahi. He was just shy of 55 inches. Quite a fighter as well.
We are thrilled to have so much fish on board because we wanted to share with Pilgrim if they came up empty handed. We will find another beneficiary though because when we checked in with them, they had two fish on board. A banner day for both of us! I think it best if I freeze some fish for our Bahamian friends in Hatchet Bay.
It took over an hour to clean up the decks. There is still blood on the side of the boat, but that clean up will have to wait until we have the dinghy in the water, which is not happening today. We are worn out. We got our Hollywood showers (long and hot, since we made water today) and all I have left to do is figure out how I want to cook the fish for dinner. If I can stay awake that long. I doubt I will last much after sunset.
There are a bunch of boats new to this anchorage. We look forward to meeting more new people.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}24°52.31'N|076°09.91'W|3/15/2015|4:41 PM{GEND}
Saturday, March 14, 2015
South Anchorage - Norman's Cay
It seemed everyone in Black Point decided to do the laundry the same day and time as me. I just assumed I would make a day of it - plus the laundromat is a great place to meet new friends and run into old ones. We did see GG on Salty Turtle, Chris and Craig on Tilt, and met a young couple out on a Hunter 29. I tried to start washing before 10 am, but had to wait for washers to open, then same with driers. I finished just before 2 pm, at which time we could finally have a leisurely lunch with Brian and Jane on Pilgrim, another Whitby42. We also met some folks that left San Francisco 20 years ago, spent 17 years in the Pacific and have been hanging out in the Bahamas for the last two years. They are just as freaked out about the shallow water here as Myron and I used to be. Nothing like the Pacific Coast! They did not have a card, so their names have already escaped me, but their boat name is 'Constance,' and their draft is 6'8".
There was a good deal of boats in the anchorage. It made docking the dinghy a challenge, but we all got along pretty well. Poor Mrs. Adderly. She would get a shipment of goods into her store and the cruisers would just about empty her out the same day.
Today was another fantastic sail. We did not use the engine enough to heat water for a shower; that is why we have the propane water heater. I commented to Myron about how much traffic was out and about - large (75+ foot) motor yachts and many sailboats of all shapes and sizes, going both north and south. Myron reminded me how strong the east and southeast winds have been for the last couple of weeks. People are anxious to get out of their anchorage at last and continue with their journeys.
Upon arrival at this anchorage, I made cream of crab soup from crab meat I found in our freezer. I guess it pays to run out of normal food. The weather is a little hot for soup, but it tastes so good, who cares.
Our hope is that the winds will die down tonight, and stay light out of the south for as long as it takes to go fishing and cross the Exuma Sound to Eleuthera. We are praying for fish since the locker is empty. Last time we ran out, we wanted grouper and ended up with lobster. The Lord provides in different ways.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}24°35.36'N|076°48.80'W|3/14/2015|4:59 PM{GEND}
There was a good deal of boats in the anchorage. It made docking the dinghy a challenge, but we all got along pretty well. Poor Mrs. Adderly. She would get a shipment of goods into her store and the cruisers would just about empty her out the same day.
Today was another fantastic sail. We did not use the engine enough to heat water for a shower; that is why we have the propane water heater. I commented to Myron about how much traffic was out and about - large (75+ foot) motor yachts and many sailboats of all shapes and sizes, going both north and south. Myron reminded me how strong the east and southeast winds have been for the last couple of weeks. People are anxious to get out of their anchorage at last and continue with their journeys.
Upon arrival at this anchorage, I made cream of crab soup from crab meat I found in our freezer. I guess it pays to run out of normal food. The weather is a little hot for soup, but it tastes so good, who cares.
Our hope is that the winds will die down tonight, and stay light out of the south for as long as it takes to go fishing and cross the Exuma Sound to Eleuthera. We are praying for fish since the locker is empty. Last time we ran out, we wanted grouper and ended up with lobster. The Lord provides in different ways.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}24°35.36'N|076°48.80'W|3/14/2015|4:59 PM{GEND}
Friday, March 13, 2015
Pictures - Finally
We have gone a few months without high speed internet. Ida's system in Black Point has been improved over the year and we spent hours doing internet work. I was focused on updating our pictures on
Picasa and Myron was researching a boat load of things. While I could still dedicate a great deal of
time in my own research, at least the pictures are up to date. We added five albums (yes, I was horribly behind!): Current to Eleuthera, Exumas Going South,
Dollar Harbor, Long Island, and Jumentos.
Here are a few teasers to entice you to go take a look. Click on the link to the right to Hold Fast's photo gallery.
Myron, Camila and Matias reunite at Rock Sound. We sure miss those kids, and their parents too!
Very large rays swim near our dinghy on west side of Norman's Pond Cay:
We thank God for this wonderful catch of a yellow fin tuna. It fed us and others for almost three weeks:
The sun sets while we were enjoying the Visitor Appreciation Party at Long Island. This particular sunset yielded a green flash - the crowd was thrilled!
Students from the All Age School in Duncan Town, Ragged Island. The principal on the right, Mr. Robert Boodram, is happy to have help and receive any supplies you are willing to donate. The four kid's in my 7th and 8th grade class had great aspirations for careers, which were: pilot, boat captain, nurse and pediatrician.
Love to all,
Dena
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