by Judy Handley | Mar 20, 2015 | Bahamas, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 161, Year 10: All of It
Date: Friday, March 20, 2015
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Beautiful, Winds S’ly 5-10
Location: Anchored at Cambridge Cay, Exumas
We spent a second day here at beautiful Cambridge Cay. When the volunteer ranger, Burry from Canada, came by to pick up the $30 mooring fee this evening he asked Claire what we had done today. Her reply was, “All of it.” And that is about right.
We started our day by getting everything ready to clean the bottom of the boat, but we then had to abort that mission due to the strong current. Instead, we called Ed and Lynne and all of us went to shore and walked across Cambridge Cay (not very far) to the east coast to see Bell Rock up close and then followed Ed who took us on the ridge walk to the northern tip of Cambridge. The views were spectacular, so it was well worth it. We found Seven Year Apple bushes full of green and orange-red fruit that look like limes. We were told these are edible by humans, but taste just awful. But when they turn black and fall to the ground, they make great iguana food. We saw rays and turtles in the water around Windbird and toward the shore.
Next we snorkeled at the Sea Aquarium at the northern tip of O’Briens Cay and at the sunken airplane at Pasture Cay. We took a look at Molly’s Chunky Monkey snorkeling site and decided it wasn’t worth the time, but then did a drift dive on the west coast of O’Briens Cay. When we got back to the mooring field, we went to a small islet that Ed and Lynne told us about and did our final snorkel of the afternoon. It was a beautiful day on land and under water.
Tonight we had Happy Hour on Constance and then dinner back here on Windbird. Mark and Ed grilled the chicken and Kevin and Claire did the rest of the dinner. We had a fantastic spinach salad and a chicken, broccoli, and pasta entrée laced with lots of garlic and Parmesan cheese. Kevin loves creating dinners with the ingredients at hand and he is very good at it. And to top things off, Lynne brought her world famous walnut-chocolate chip cookies for dessert. What a great day.
Tomorrow we move further north in the park. Ed and Lynne will be staying here and we will say our farewells in the morning. We probably won’t see them again here in the Bahamas. They are sailing to the east to Eleuthera, on to the Abacos, and then back across to the Florida-Georgia border where they will keep Constance for the summer. It was wonderful seeing them here and we will look forward to our next meeting, wherever that may be.
by Judy Handley | Mar 19, 2015 | Bahamas, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 160, Year 10: Adventure in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2015
Weather: Sunny and Beautiful, Winds SE to SW 5-10
Latitude: 24 28.171 N
Longitude: 076 32.341W
Location: Anchored at Cambridge Cay, Exumas
What a wonderful day! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the water was all kinds of shades of blue. We left the Staniel Cay area at 9:30 am with Constance out in front. There wasn’t enough wind to sail, but with the headsail out it gave us a boost as we slowly motor sailed along. There was so little wind as we got closer to our destination that we had to send Kevin out on the forward deck to pull the sail from one side to the other when we jibed. We had to sail under Cambridge Cay and up the eastern side of the island before turning in at the top of the island and going down the west side to the mooring field. We decided to take one of the Park’s mooring balls close to a beautiful beach. There are rocks in the distance that look snow covered. It is a bit disconcerting to be so hot and look over to ‘snow’ on the hills. We picked up the mooring ball at 1:45 pm and were ready to head out to go snorkeling. Cambridge Cay is the southernmost island in the Exuma Land and Sea Park, so by being in the Park, we were able to download snorkeling directions from the Park website. We did this last week when we were in Black Point with free internet. Low tide was around 2 pm and that is the best time to snorkel as the current is not quite as vicious as at other times. We went to the south end of the island with Ed and Lynne following along behind in their dinghy. We snorkeled a place called Tom’s Elkhorn Reef which was a sizeable reef featuring rare Elkhorn coral. There were not loads of fish, but there were enough to keep our interest. In the same bay off Honeymoon Beach, we searched for the Coral Gardens, but if we found them, we weren’t impressed. As we left the area, we saw another patch of coral that might have been the correct destination. But we weren’t going to go back as we wanted to cross Conch Pass and visit the Rocky Dundas. We snorkeled inside a cave with stalactites and stalagmites. Very impressive. But the current was so strong by this time that we knew it was time to get back across the Pass and on to the mooring field. When we got back, Kevin and Claire took for another snorkel across to the beach and then went for a walk across the island to the east coast. It was a day filled with fun and adventure.
We are eating quite elegantly here on Windbird. Last night we had tacos with all the trimmings including homemade salsa. For lunch today we had an omelet filled with taco-flavored ground beef, onions, green peppers, garlic, and cheese laced with lettuce. And for dinner tonight we had bow-tie pasta salad with grilled salmon and grilled asparagus. Kevin did the preparation and grilling of the salmon and asparagus and it was superb. Tomorrow night we will invite Constance to have dinner with us and Kevin has been co-opted to help come up with that menu. He’s a bit like a computer. You give him the ingredients you have and he comes up with fantastic dishes.
We will explore the area north of here by dinghy tomorrow with more snorkeling opportunities near O’Brien’s Cay and take a walk on land if there is time. Mark and Kevin plan on cleaning the bottom of the boat morning and Claire and I might see if Ed and Lynne want to take a walk on land. Near low tide in the afternoon we will head north in the dinghy for more snorkeling. So life is quite good here.
by Judy Handley | Mar 18, 2015 | Bahamas, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 159, Year 10: Missions Accomplished
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Weather: Sunny and Beautiful, Winds SW 10
Location: Anchored at Big Majors (near Staniel Cay), Exumas
All missions were accomplished today. Mark made it back from Fort Lauderdale (more about that in a minute) and Kevin, Claire, and I had a great day visiting the pigs on the beach again and snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto. It was even better the second time for me and Kevin and Claire loved it. After snorkeling in the cave, we went up the creek to the airport to pick Mark up. We found out the plane was going to be late, so Kevin and Claire took my shopping list and walked to the store to do the food shopping. After Mark’s flight arrived, we hopped in the dinghy and went to meet Kevin and Claire at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. When we got there Claire was on the dock watching the fishermen come in with their catch of lobsters and fish. They were taking the legs off the lobster and throwing them into the water for the sharks to enjoy. Claire realized that the legs are actually of a substantial size and would make a great appetizer. So she asked the fisherman if she could have the legs from three lobsters. He gave Claire the lobsters at no charge as it was just less food for the sharks. If we had known just how good those lobster legs were going be, we would have gone back asked for more. But the legs from the three lobsters made a fabulous pre-dinner treat. It was certainly good thinking on Claire’s part.
And now for Mark’s mission. It was not as easily accomplished as we had hoped. His flight to Fort Lauderdale arrived late and in a completely different part of the Executive Airport than we had anticipated. There was no bus stop anywhere near where he landed so he had to call a taxi to take him to the Tri-Rail train station. He was an hour later than expected, but he had called my sister-in-law Sue to let her know. The rest of the evening went fine. Brad picked him up at the train station in Boynton Beach and Sue had a cabbage and corn beef dinner waiting for him. But today did not go so smoothly. Brad took Mark to the hospital and they arrived almost an hour early. But even with the head start, Mark finished up an hour later than expected. The hospital did not have him scheduled for a treatment today. They still had him down for the 11 am appointment this Friday that it took us four days to change before we left Coconut Grove. And evidently the four days of phone calls and assurances that the appointment had been changed to today were not as successful as we thought. After almost two hours of dealing with this mix-up, they finally started the infusion. But this delay cut into the time that Mark would have after the treatment to go to West Marine to pick up the items we needed. Brad was a great help and went to the West Marine while Mark was at the hospital to make sure they had the items needed. Even though they didn’t leave the hospital until after 11, Brad still got Mark to West Marine and then back to the Executive Airport before the required 12 noon check-in time. Thank you, thank you, Brad and Sue. You have been so helpful to us this winter and we really appreciate it. Mark’s flight left Fort Lauderdale on time but was late arriving here. But at least Mark made it and we now have running water on the boat again thanks to the new pump from West Marine. Once again, I guess all is well that ends wells.
Tomorrow Windbird and Constance will head north a few miles to Cambridge Cay. We had hoped that Sea Turtle would be going with us, but they have decided to go back to Black Point until we return. After Cambridge Cay, we will go a bit further north into the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park to check out the snorkeling spots and land walks. We return here on Monday as Kevin and Claire leave on Tuesday morning. After they leave and we do the final provisioning for our last two weeks of fun in the Bahamian sun, we will return to the Park to continue exploring.
I’m elated to be able to end this email with some really good news. My brother-in-law Joe is out of the hospital and is feeling great. I’m not sure of all the details, but the heart issue he has been having has been resolved. Patsy and Joe, can’t wait to see you later in April when we return to Little River.
by Judy Handley | Mar 17, 2015 | Bahamas, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 158, Year 10: Chickens and Piggies and Sharks . . . Oh, My
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Weather: Sunny, Light NE Winds
Location: Anchored at Big Majors (near Staniel Cay), Exumas
Here’s hoping your St. Patrick’s Day was a lucky one. Our day was full of fun, so I’m feeling like the luck of the Irish was with us today. Our friends Kevin and Claire arrived safely and on time . . . Mark flew off to Fort Lauderdale without a hitch . . . we saw all sorts of animal life . . . attended a cruiser beach party . . . and at the end of the day, we had cabbage, potatoes, and Martha’s Vineyard sausage for dinner.
Mark and I went in the dinghy over to Staniel Cay around noon and had lunch in the lovely little restaurant at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. The restaurant is very nice and the prices aren’t too bad for lunch. Dinner looked too pricey for us, but we would certainly do lunch there again. In the same building is the Yacht Club bar which is rustic and just right for cruisers. After lunch we sat on the front porch of the bar in the colorful wooden rockers and got on the internet. While I was on the computer, Mark went for a walk down the dock and quickly came back to get me. A boat had come in laden with lobster and the local population of harmless nurse sharks gathered in the shallow water by the Yacht Club dock looking for handouts. There were also a couple of stingrays and was really a beautiful sight watching them swim slowly through the water just off the dock. I don’t love sharks, but these guys were so docile that a couple of people walked in to the water and petted them. I’m not sure I’m ready to try that, but I enjoyed watching the show. It was then time to get in the dinghy and go around to the airport. Kevin and Claire arrived fifteen minutes early which gave them time to visit with Mark before he flew out. K and C stayed on the Greenbrier Hotel in my home state of West Virginia this weekend and they brought chocolate and nibbles from there for us to enjoy. The people in the gift show recommended that they bring us coal and moonshine, but the chocolate was a much better idea in our opinion! We left Mark at the airport before his plane left but by the time we got to the Yacht Club, we watched the Watermakers plane flying overhead. We took the dinghy to the dock where Mark and I had seen the sharks and rays earlier and they were still there. It was quite a different feeling to sit in the dinghy surrounded by sharks, but they were not nearly so interested in us as we were in them. We got back to Windbird just in time to change into comfortable clothes for the beach party, made a quick tuna and black olive dip to take, and headed over to see the swimming pigs before going to the party. There was already a boat pulled up to the shore when we got there, so the pigs were quite happy to stay on land and be fed. We beached the dinghy and got out to pet them. Kevin enticed one of the babies into the water, but she was not a swimmer. So we will return tomorrow morning before the maddening crowds arrive and see if they will swim out to us. But it was getting late today and we headed on to a different beach that is used by cruisers as their yacht club. There were two picnic tables with umbrellas, plastic chairs, and serving tables built of wood planking. Cruisers that come here year after year have built this little yacht club and we enjoyed socializing. Just before we left, a mother hen and her two chicks walked out of the woods into the picnic area. We added them to our growing list of animal encounters for the day. And just a few minutes ago, Claire announced that there was a tiny fish in the forward head. Never seen that before. But it certainly added to our list of animal encounters. We were back on Windbird to watch the sun set and then enjoyed our Irish cabbage stew dinner. It was definitely a memorable day here.
Tonight while Mark is in Florida, he plans to call my sister Patsy to see how my brother-in-law Joe is doing. I haven’t mentioned in prior logs that he has been in the hospital since late last week. He’s there due to extremely high blood pressure and we are so anxious to get an update on his condition. Here’s hoping this St. Patrick’s Day brought him some Irish luck.
by Judy Handley | Mar 16, 2015 | Bahamas, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 157, Year 10: Thunderball Grotto
Date: Monday, March 16, 2015
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Light NE Winds
Location: Anchored at Big Majors (near Staniel Cay), Exumas
The big outing today was going to Thunderball Grotto. This is a cave that you can swim into at low tide or dive under the opening at high tide. Once inside, it is a cavernous space with openings in the top that allow shafts of sunlight into the cave. It was a neat experience but there were loads of other people enjoying it making it a bit crowded and crazy. There were boatloads of tourists were there. At one point, Mark was swimming across from one side to the other inside the cave when there was an explosion in the water right beside him. A young man had decided to jump into the water from one of the holes overhead and Mark was very lucky that he wasn’t wiped out. The young man hit the water about four feet from Mark and as Mark said, “I really wasn’t looking for a near death experience today.” Hopefully we will get to go back and enjoy Thunderball when there aren’t so many tourists visiting.
We have two boat issues that have put a bit of a damper on our spirits. One is that the water pump for fresh water in the boat burned out yesterday and the other is that the zipper for the front ‘window’ of our dodger is broken. More about this in a minute, but first I’ll write about the water pump. Without the pump, the only way we can access the water in our tanks is through the foot pump at our kitchen sink. This means no filtered drinking water and no showers. We are using the big bathtub that surrounds Windbird and then rinsing off the salt water with the solar shower on deck. So that is not a hassle. But you have to wash your hands, brush your teeth, wash your face, etc., in the kitchen sink. This is inconvenient, but not a show stopper. And luckily Mark is headed to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow and is hopeful that he will find a way to get to West Marine to buy a new pump. He also needs to pick up zincs. When Lee and Lynda dove on the bottom of Sea Turtle the other day, they discovered that their zinc has totally dissolved. We had an extra, so Lee dove down this morning to put it on the prop shaft. But unfortunately, he dropped half of it and could not find it on the bottom. So Mark took our other spare over to him and he was successful in getting that put on. But now we need to buy more spares. So Mark will also do that when he goes to West Marine. His trip to Fort Lauderdale is a quick one. If all goes as planned, he flies out at 3:30 pm tomorrow and returns at 3:00 pm the next day. On Wednesday morning he gets a treatment at 8 am and immediately afterwards he hopes that Sue and Brad will be able to take him to West Marine before delivering him to the Executive Airport at 12 noon. Doing the trip in a 24 hour period is costly, but we are just thankful that it is possible. The second problem, the broken zipper in the front window of the dodger, is more of a problem. Right now we can zip and unzip one side but not the other of the U-shaped zipper. Without being able to completely unzip the enter piece of plastic, we get no air circulation in the cockpit. We thought about trying different things to fix the zipper, but if we do something and cannot close the ‘window’ completely, we could get very wet in rough seas and when it rains. If we couldn’t close the ‘window’, rain would pour straight down into the main cabin unless we also keep that closed. And it is a bit too hot for that, so we have decided to leave well enough alone. At least right now we can almost zip up completely and we can unzip the one side for a little air. This is a problem that will have to be fixed professionally and we will have to wait until we get back to Little River to have the work done. The cockpit enclosure is only five years old and shouldn’t be giving us this kind of problem. I know we’ll learn to cope, but the two issues happening on the same day didn’t make for happy times. But tomorrow is another day and Kevin and Claire arrive and on Thursday we leave here headed north to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. And just as the name indicates, we hope to have lots of fun exploring on land and in the sea.
by Judy Handley | Mar 15, 2015 | Bahamas, Sailing Logs Year 10 |
Day 156, Year 10: Bitter Guana to Staniel Cay
Date: Sunday, March 15, 2015
Weather: Sunny, Winds SE turning NE 10
Latitude: 24 11.152 N
Longitude: 076 27.592 W
Location: Anchored at Big Majors (near Staniel Cay), Exumas
We said farewell to the iguanas this morning and sailed in light winds to Big Majors Spot near Staniel Cay. Big Majors Spot is a small island near the bustling settlement on Staniel Cay. Big Majors is uninhabited except for the island’s population of wild pigs and it has the best anchorage while Staniel Cay has all the ‘offerings’ such as stores with fresh produce, wifi hotspots, and the airport. So we headed here to Big Majors and will dinghy back and forth to Staniel Cay. Lee and Lynda arrived here before us as we lingered longer at Bitter Guana. When we did get here we anchored near them and then we all got in our dinghy and headed toward shore to check out the swimming pigs. We saw three Big pigs and numerous smaller ones. Mark was driving the dinghy, I was taking photos, and Lynda and Lee threw our food offerings to the pigs who swam out to get it. We had carrots, the ends of fresh asparagus, and one rotten apple cut into four pieces. The apple was by far the favorite food. We weren’t brave enough to land the dinghy as we’ve heard the pigs (some of them weighing as much as 600 pounds) might just jump in your dinghy. But before we leave here, we’ll make sure we get on the beach so we can pet them. Three years ago when our friends Heather and Jon Turgeon were here, Heather rubbed the back of one of the bigger pigs on the beach and the pig just dropped to the ground and rolled over like a dog. Today they seemed a little more aggressive than that, so we shall see. After our pig encounter, we headed over to Staniel Cay. It is probably a mile from the anchorage, but at full speed it didn’t take long to get there. We went to the Yacht Club, but there is no dinghy dock. There is a dinghy anchoring area, but since we weren’t going to eat or drink at the Yacht Club today, we traveled on. We dinghied into the creek to the south of town and tied up to the dock at Isles General Store. They weren’t open today, so we figured it was fine to leave the dinghy there and walked back across the bridge to the main part of town. We walked to the airport, checked out the other two stores in town (the pink store and the blue store), stopped by the yellow house where you can buy homemade bread, and walked on to the Yacht Club. We were blown away by the amount of fresh produce in the pink store and Ed and Lynne tell us that the blue store has even more. They weren’t open this afternoon, so we will return there on Tuesday to check out their offerings. But from our quick survey, it looks like you can buy most everything that you really need here.
Constance arrived here just as we were headed to town, but we talked with them on the radio and they invited us all over to Sundowners. Lee and Lynda picked us up and we had a fun evening on Constance. We were quite interested in Ed’s story of cleaning the bottom of his boat this afternoon in the Big Majors anchorage. He was investigated by three different sharks, the last one bigger than him and looking not so friendly. He thinks maybe it was a bull shark. He has been here before and been in the water and has never seen sharks here before. Nothing we have read talks about them being a problem here, but we will check with other people who have been here for a few days to see if they have had encounters. Ed also saw some big rays under his boat. So lots of underwater life here. The rays are fine, but I’m not crazy about sharks bigger than I am hanging around under my boat. Tomorrow we will check out the Thunderball Grotto and when we get back, we’ll check to see who is hanging out around under our boat. On Tuesday our friends Kevin and Claire arrive and Mark flies out for his whirlwind trip to Fort Lauderdale. He’ll return on Wednesday and we’ll be off to explore the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.
