May 7 – Anchored at Black Pt on our way to the park
Saturday …
Hard to leave the paradise at Emerald Bay Marina! We were the last boat away from the dock of the 4 cruisers heading north today, not leaving until 11:00. We parted company with s/v Glenice as they head to Georgetown with plans to stay in the Bahamas for the summer.
Greg and Janice (s/v Glenice) have caught our dock lines in NC, GA and Bahamas!
We have a 40-mile day ahead of us, back to Black Point Settlement via Dotham Cut. Since we already spent 6 days at Black Point, we figured we could arrive there by sunset because it's a big, easy anchorage to negotiate.
The winds were light, 5-10 knots, so we had to motor sail but the ocean was calm. We were running two fishing lines until something BIG ran away with our favorite lure after snapping the 40lb line! No nibbles the rest of the day (which is probably a good thing since we found the grocery store at Emerald Bay to be well stocked, so our refrig/freezer are now full to the brim for our return trip. I hate the thought of throwing out chicken to make room for fresh Mahi Mahi … but I’d do it!).
It was a lovely, easy cruise up to Black Point, where we made the crossing from the Exuma Sound (deep water) to the Exuma Bank (shallow water) via Dotham Cut. We arrived at the cut at around 6pm which was perfect timing to catch it at slack tide. This was a much easier passage than our previous one thru Farmers Cut. Dotham is wide and deep with minimal breakers and large rocks to scare the shit out of us! But I gotta say, when the charts say “strong current”, they mean what they say! We went from 4 knots to 9 knots as we entered the cut, all thanks to the current! Good thing we were going with the current and not against it!
Sunday, May 8. Anchored at Staniel Cay
Happy Mothers Day to me! My thanks to Dan for making motherhood possible; my thanks to James for being the best first-born a mother could hope for; my thanks to Michelle for providing us with a favorite daughter!
Today we had an easy 10-mile cruise planned to Staniel Cay. We had a delightful 10-knot wind from the east, so we were able to sail the whole way. The water on the bank was perfectly calm, so nothing to disturb our champagne glasses in the cockpit! It was one of those days that when we reached Staniel Cay, we kept on sailing b/c the day was just too nice to end.
Staniel Cay has two big attractions. One is the airport. This is where lots of boaters pick up visitors flying in from the states via Nassau ... and it's got a lot of nice rental unis on shore (hint hint future visitors!). The other is the Thunderbolt Grotto … made famous by the James Bond movie. You can actually snorkel thru a cave, into an open grotto, and out another cave entrance on the other side of the island. Very cool.
s/v Hawk
Our current travelling buddies are John and Cindy (s/v Hawk). We anchored together at Staniel Cay before taking the dinghy over to go snorkeling. You need to visit the grotto at low tide because of the current and the cave opening on the outside is quite low, so we went over at about 6pm. As we were leaving, 3 other dinghies loaded with people pulled up, so we quite pleased to have had the whole grotto to ourselves. Cindy brought corn which we used to feed the fish … and it was like being in the middle of an aquarium when all the fish gathered to go after the food!
entering the grotto
looking up at the ceiling of the grotto
Monday, May 9th. Anchored at Cambridge Cay
Anchor up early this morning, headed towards Cambridge Cay, the southernmost anchorage in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We are very excited to arrive here b/c so many people have highly recommended it. It doesn’t even matter that we have less than 5 knots of wind and must motor to 15-mile trip. At least on these easy passages I can get some cooking underway – today was cole slaw. We plan to stop at all 3 spots in the park – Cambridge Cay, Warderrick Cay and Shroud Cay. Best snorkling is in the park waters because the fish are protected.
There are several mooring balls in the park anchorage, but anchoring is also allowed. Since there were just a few boats in the anchorage, we found a good spot to drop the hook. We went to shore and hiked over to the other side of the island, did our duty and picked up a fair share of trash, and came back to the boat to go swimming b/c it was HOT today.
Choppy on the ocean = smooth waters on the banks
We used the sunshade while anchored for a week at Georgetown, otherwise we’ve been pleasantly surprised to not be bothered by the heat very often … the temps are typically tropical, around 78 degrees with a fairly constant wind. No wind today which explains the heat.
Low rocks protect us from incoming swells.
John and Cindy (s/v Hawk) invited us over to their boat for dinner. They sail a beautiful 40ft Brewer with a very large center cockpit … which reminded us why that was on our list of preferred features for so long! We stayed till long past sunset … sharing sea stories … a favorite pastime with new boating companions! We will probably tag along with them for a few more days, but when we come abreast to Nassau, they will head west towards home in Naples, FL.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - Snorkling at Cambridge Cay
Cambridge Cay is the best place in the park for snorkling because they have so many spots to visit. On the map, we located 3 coral gardens, 1 sea aquarium and 1 sunken airplane! Very Cool! They even provide buoys for your dinghy at the dive spot which makes it convenient to locate from the water. I just wish there was an equally convenient way to get back into the dinghy. Our floating ladder tends to float up under the dinghy, making it difficult to get a good foothold, resulting in a less-than-graceful entry back into the boat!
This was some of the best snorkeling we have ever done anywhere! It was simply amazing. Tons of fish. I mean TONS of fish. We’re pretty sure that we’ve seen every fish in our Bahama underwater guide book! Lots of big Grouper (ahhhh…to be able to spear fish in the park waters!) and the biggest lobster we have ever seen. ….at least 2 feet long and quite primeval as it picked its way across the sea floor! The HUGE 12-ft coral heads were equally impressive. It is so refreshing to see spots where the coral is so healthy and vibrant in color and growth. Many places in the Abacos, the damaged coral (from environmental pollution and global warming) was obvious. (Alas, we don't have an underwater camera, so Dan took these photos thru a waterproof bag using his Nikon ... next year, we'll come better prepared!)
Sunken plane
Friday, May 13 - Off to Warderick Wells
Anchor up at 9:00 and underway towards Warderick Wells. Another beautiful day in paradise as the clouds disappeared as the sun climbed in the sky, leaving us with a clear blue sky and puffy white clouds and 15 knots of wind off our beam. We were able to sail the entire 15 miles, making 5 knots with our mail sail and both head sails out.
We arrived at Warderick Wells at 1:30pm and begrudingly dropped our sails and started the motor to enter the anchorage. We picked up a mooring ball in the park ($20) b/c we wanted to get internet access (the one convenience of the USA that we REALLY miss!).
View from the deck at park headquarters.
The place is fairly deserted, and s/v Hawk is moored directly in front of us. After exploring the park headquarters, we visited with s/v Hawk and then hung out on Maja, greedy for email and internet news! I cooked up a pork roast in the pressure cooker and made pulled pork and coleslaw for dinner … yumm!
Saturday, May 14
Today we decided it was time to touch land! There is a nice trail here to the top of the island, a place called Boo Boo Hill … named for the ghostly echos you can reportedly hear from the boat that crashed on the reef and lost all hands. After spending so much time at water level, it is indeed refreshing to look out at the world from 100 feet (that's about as high as it gets around here!)
A view from the top of the island.
The island was covered with large trees at one time. After they were all cleared for sale to shipbuilders, hurricanes have stripped the land of the soil and nutrients needed for anything but scrub brush and mangroves.
That's us!
At the top of Boo Boo Hill, there is a pile of driftwood where boaters have left carved signs with their boat name. So we had to be part of that tradtion! We were under the impression that you found a piece of driftwood on the hike up the hill and then caved your boat name on the wood once you reached the top. And that's what Dan did with his trusty swiss army knife ... however, when we got there, we found some quite elaborate signs that obviously weren't carved on the spot!
Next time, we'll bring something bigger!
After that long, hot hike was behind us, it was time for some swimming. We snorkeled around Emerald Rock and then went into the beach. It seems like you either get a great beach or great snorkeling on an island, but not both. So far, the park beaches have been very shallow, so you cannot really swim from the beach … more like wade up to your knees. It's a rocky shoreline, and the sand is not the powdery soft stuff we had in the Abacos. At least the trip to the beach caused us to return to Maja via a route that took us by s/v Forte and s/v Dragon Fly. We anchored near both these boats in Georgetown, but didn’t meet the crew until the Marina at Emerald Bay. It’s always fun to cross paths with people you have met before, and they told us about the Happy Hour on the beach tonight at 6:30.
One topic that ALWAYS dominants the conversation when you get two boaters together is the weather. Everyone watches it; everyone listens to Chris Parker on the SSB (radio) at 6:30am; everyone has a opinion about the best place to be depending on weather predictions. So Happy Hour did not disappoint as we now had 10 new boaters to share their thoughts and opinions!
Starting Monday, some heavy squall action is predicted … esp. for the northern Bahamas (Abacos) where high winds could reach 50 knots in the heavy thunderstorms. Predictions for the central Bahamas (Exuma) are less specific and less severe … we are looking at scattered squalls with winds of 30 knots from Monday to Thursday. However, the Abacos have good places to hide, while the Exumas don’t! These islands basically run North/South, so there is protection from East winds but not the westerly winds which are coming our way. The North mooring field at Warderick Wells has good protection on all sides, so the sailboats are all moving over there and hanging out until Thursday (while the power boats are able to zoom off whereever they damn well please!).. But, eckkkk, we don’t want to stay here at Warderick Wells that long, so we’re thinking that we’ll head to one of the last mooring fields in the park at Shroud Cay. We won’t have any protection from the west winds, so it will be bumpy ride during the worst of the weather, but the moorings in the park are very secure. Decisions ... decisions. Only time will tell if we make a good one.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
We ate the last of our favorite food in the Bahamas today – Coconut Bread! Nothing beats it for French toast. One of the tips we learned at Happy Hour last night is that Hawksbill Cay, about 12 miles north of us, has two fabulous beaches. So, while washing dishes, I voted that we move on and see this place before we have to hunker down and wait for weather to pass. Captain Dan always aims to please, so that became our itinerary for the day!
Before leaving, we went snorkeling at the two hot spots in Warderick Wells that can only be visited during slack tide because of the strong current. Since that was at 12:30 today, it fit perfectly into our schedule. After 2 hrs of snorkeling, we were back on
Maja and underway towards Hawksbill Cay. We were expecting light winds for this 10-mile run, so we were pleasantly surprised to get 10-knots of wind off the beam, enabling us to sail the whole way. Nice!
Anchor set at Hawksbill Cay by 6:00 pm, and we are the only boat here! There are 4 moorings and plenty of anchorage, but we are calling it ours! We can definitely see a long beach onshore, which will have to wait to be explored until tomorrow. Its cocktail time!
Full Moon Rising
Monday, May 16, 2011
As predicted, the winds shifted to the west and increased in intensity overnight. By midnight, it was a evident that we were in for a rocky and rolly night … which aint so bad when when you are securely nestled in the berth at the stern of the boat, but ohlala, getting up to use the head in the bow can be an experience! We were up at 6:30am to catch the morning weather forecast (who could sleep anyway!), and it appears that this weather system could hang over us for 3 days, with the only hope being that the “scattered squalls” are scattered far away from us.
Our anchorage is wide open to the west, where the increasing winds are building, so all morning we could watch a steady stream of white caps heading our way across the banks. The worst part is what they call “confused seas” … this means that the swells alternate from sets of 4-6 swells that run from the bow to the stern of the boat, and then switch to come in sets from side to side. So, just as you get used to the bobbing up and down motion, the swells change direction and start knocking you back and forth… and then repeat cycle. Hence, the “washing machine effect” which all the boaters refer to … It’s not much fun, so we stayed tucked into our berths, reading, until the wind definitely increased in speed and whine, and we knew that a squall was coming our way.
Squalls require action! Despite the pitching motion of the boat, we had to act fast to put up the enclosures in the cockpit, drop all the hatches, cover the butterfly hatch over our cabin (which tends to leak in downpours) and let out more chain on the anchor so we have a greater margin to ride the rough surf ... and oh yeah, turn on the anchor drag alam!
Cannot due much during squally weather. It’s too difficult to walk around the cabin, even to make coffee. Around noon, the skies cleared so I ventured forth to make Cranberry Bread and coffee and we moved out to the cockpit. At 2:00pm, I was yearning to go to shore and stand on terra firma as the seas were in a constant 3ft chop, with the waves hitting our boat every 2 seconds. Bam, bam, bob, bob, up and down, side to side. And all the while, I can see a mile-long beach of gorgeous white sand just 1/4mile away! Captain Dan always aims to please, so when the white caps died down a bit, we took the dinghy and ventured to shore.
Ah yes, this was a nicer place to be!
What a treat to repeatedly walk the beach while Maja bobbed up and down at anchor! We stayed for a couple of hours, until the clouds moved in again, and we figured it was better to be aboard before anything hit rather than getting caught in a squall on the beach – or worse yet, in route in the dinghy!
Bobbing at anchor.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wow … what a night’s sleep! Or
almost a night’s sleep, I should say! The wind stayed out of the west until midnight, giving us a predictable up and down motion that you could almost get used to (and I emphasize the word “almost”!), but then it started to switch to the north west, which meant that
Maja was swinging at anchor in a very broad arch, that give us swells on all sides … up and down, then side to side. Yuck! It was one of those nights when you were glad to see the sky finally start to lighten.
The 6:30am weather forecast offered no relief … the winds were predicted to stay out of the west until Thursday. Since the Exuma island chain runs North/South, there are no anchorages that give protection from a westerly wind. We had planned to move up to Shroud Key, our last stopover in the Exuma Sea Park, but that anchorage wouldn't have any better protection from the west wind than where we are now at Hawksbill Cay, and no gorgeous beaches there! They have good snorkeling at Shroud Cay, but the sea is much too churned up with this wind for any visibility.
After the morning weather report, the first question was:
"So, what should we do now?" It seemed like we had two choices -- 1) Move
Maja over to a mooring ball here at Hawksbill Cay which would at least allow us to spend the day at the beautiful beach without worrying about how the boat is riding at anchor... but wouldn't do much to improve our night's sleep. 2) Make tracks North in this good 15-knot west wind and duck into the Highbourne Cay marina for the night. This would mean skipping Shroud Cay and leaving the park.
Two votes for the marina! It’s expensive ($2.10/foot), but what the hell! We have to stop there anyway for fuel and water (.50/gal), and at least staying at the marina entitles us to drop off our garage for free ($5/bag for 2 bags, $25/bag after that!).
On our way. Easier to sail in this wind and swells than sit at anchor.
Sounds like such a good idea that we’re going to stay there two nights and wait out this front that will pass us by Thursday, Then, we’ll have a good window for crossing the Exuma Bank back to Eleuthera, putting us just a few days from the Abacos….our final destination in the Bahamas. The Exumas are best for snorkeling because of the Park, but we think the Abacos provide a wide variety of sailing destinations, varied anchorages and easy access to cheap water and supplies.
Ah...this is the life!
Watching a squall pass in the distance.
