Abacos to Exumas

Step #1:  Abacos to Eleuthera
January 12

After waiting two days in MarshHarbor for a storm front that never materialized, on Thursday (1/12) we decided to leave Marsh Harbor for Lynyard Cay, the southernmost anchorage in the Abacos.   It was a very light wind day which translated into a surprisingly uncomfortable 40-mile trip as once again we rocked constantly from side-to-side w/o the wind as a stabilizing force.  Laying in the cockpit, the mast looked like a metronome as it moved from side to side.

Bahama Flag.  Bayfield burgee (that's our boat)

Lynyard Cay is a very pleasant anchorage, but the weather was too cold for snorkeling this time  We got on the SSB during the morning weather forecast to ask Chris Parker when would be a good sailing day to cross into Eleuthera – about a 60mile run to Royal Island.  We were prepared to leave on Friday, but Chris recommended Saturday as a better day for a downwind sail (N winds 15-20k) so we waited, figuring why pay the expert if you aren’t going to listen to him …

Big crossing ahead thru deep water

The sail down to Royal Island was indeed a delightful downwind sail … and we actually could have used a little more wind (closer to a consistent 20 knots) and we could have turned off the engine.  As it was, we did need to run at low idle to maintain 6 knots in order to complete the crossing in 10 hours and reach the anchorage in daylight (soooo looking forward to longer days!).  No luck fishing, but we did has success with our first time sailing wing-on-wing (this involves having the headsail out to one side and the staysail poled out to the other) … this is a sweet way to sail dead downwind (instead of fighting to keep the sails on one side or tacking back and forth). 

Down wind sailing at it's finest!

We anchored by 5pm, the last of 17 boats in the anchorage (last time we were here, there were two of us!).  High winds again kept us at Royal Island for two days … one day was nice enough to put the dinghy down and go hiking on shore, and one day was just too damn cold to do anything but read and reorganize our storage lockers in an attempt to once-again free up our shower for actual bathing!

Anchorages are a time to meet the boats you hear on the VHF radio.

Big development plans for Royal Island. We are walking the golf course and here's the future site of the club house!

Ruins from previous residents

The debate continues re: where to go next … continue south to the Exumas or spend some time exploring the Eleuthera island chain.  Last year, we just passed thru Eleuthera, but the charts don’t show a lot of good anchorages there.  And while we are interested in getting to Georgetown to see friends, we are not in a big hurry b/c we’ll expect to encounter a lot of boats there.  Decisions. Decisions.

Step #2:  Eleuthera to Exumas
Tuesday, Jan 17

We were expecting one more day of high winds, but we awoke to a very still boat and the sound of anchors being raised.  Sure enough, 5 boats were underway.  The wind was calm and the sky was crystal clear (neither condition was predicted) so we took that as a sign that the front had moved east faster than expected.  The touch of warmth in the air (finally) helped make up our mind … head south young man! 

Never seem to get tired of that color....

In less than 30 minutes, we were motoring out of the anchorage into the clear blue sea once again.  Ahhhh.  This is the best part.  We’ve got a warm SE wind, 10-15 knots and a beautiful day all around.  Today, we’ll cross the only big reef system in our route, so it’s critical that we have no cloud cover to make the reefs harder to see (or to send us chasing shadows on the water instead of reefs).

Coral heads beneath the surface ... just how deep are they????

 

We had an uneventful but windy crossing of the reefs (called “Middle Ground” … such a Tolkien sound to it!).  We hit the area at noon which meant we had good visibility to spot the dark coral heads at the beginning, but as the sun moved west, our view to starboard was blanketed by  glare as we looked into the sun.  Only by looking backward could you see the scary shit that you missed!  The wind increased to SE 20 knots, so the perch on the bow to ‘reef watch’ was a wet one … not to mention a cool one as the temps continue to hover in the low 70s. 

The good news is that we made great time and were able to continue onto to Allens Cay for the night.  Our goal is to hit new spots on this trip, and Allens Cay is well known for the iguanas that live ashore. 

Jan 18.
Today marks our first day of swimming in the Bahamas!  The warm is still a bit cool, but the sun warm enough to warrant a dip in the water.  Considering that last year, we hadn’t yet left Brunswick, GA, we are pretty damn pleased with ourselves!  We hope this is the start of warmer weather.

The anchorage at Allens Cay is beautiful and well protected, but kinda small … which means that every incoming boat causes a shudder of dread (as in "please don't anchor near us!")  There is a U-shaped deep channel in the anchorage, surrounded by shallow water, just beckoning you to run aground!   Last night, Dan got minimal sleep as the winds did not calm down as expected and he wasn’t very happy with how close we were anchored to our neighbor.  Such is the downside of anchoring.

Allan's Cay is best known for it's Iguanas.

As soon as your dinghy hits the shore, they start to arrive.

And soon you are surrounded!

The iguanas were creepy, but well worth the trip to see them.  As you reach shore, they literally descend upon you from the cover of brush … around a dozen at first and the numbers climbed to over 30.  We heard that there are thousands of the little (and BIG) buggers living on the island which is a protected habitat for this species.  Unfortunately, too many cruisers feed them so they are not the least bit hesitant to approach you … and then stalk you as you try to get close enough for a good picture.  My preferred spot was the water as I didn’t see any of them go swimming.

 

Jan 19

Allens Cay was just a bit too crowded for our comfort so we decided to head about 5 miles down the coast to Normans Cay … another historic spot b/c a famous drug-running airplane crashed into the bay and is still there for snorkelers to explore.  However, when we got out on the bank, we were surprised to find a nice 12knot NE wind, so we decided to up the sails up and see how far we could go under just sail.

Today marked our very first sail-only day!  How lovely!  We passed Normans and continued on 35 miles to Warderick Wells (in the Exuma land and sea park) where we anchored for the night.  Our friends from Ft Pierce, Ed and Karin (s/v Passages) are just a day away at Big Majors Spot so we are going to continue moving (and it’s too cold to do any snorkeling in the park reefs anyway). 

Jan 20

We are only travelling about 15 miles today, so after the 6:30am weather forecast, we went back to bed for another 3 hours … yes, Dan and I are very compatible when it comes to that!

Today was our 2^nd “strictly sail” day in the Bahamas …. What a blast!  With a ENE wind at 16 knots, we had 3 sails up and were hauling ass at 6.7knots (that’s gotta be a personal best w/o motor assist).  We are headed to Big Majors Spot at Staniel Cay to anchor and have dinner with Ed and Karin.  Looking forward to having some company again.  This anchorage is famous for the pigs that live on one of the beaches (trading iguanas for pigs … neither are a big favorite of mine!) … just like the iguanas, they are very comfortable around people and will literally swim out to your dinghy and try to board if you are feeding them (which many cruisers do …)

Jan 21-23

Hanging out at the anchorage at Big Majors, which is located just around the point from Staniel Cay.  We spent one day with Ed and Karin exploring Staniel Cay by land … usual assortment of marina club, small shops and stores.... and by sea.  They showed us many short cuts to places we probably wouldn't have ventured to on our own.

Ed and Karin - s/v Passages

 

Ed and Dan went snorkeling in search of lobster.  No luck.

 

But nice underwater pictures with the new camera.

Beachcombing for shells and sea beans (they float all the way from Africa)
 

The airport at Staniel Cay. We'll be back on March 30 to pick up Jim Garfunkel :)

Grocery store ... aptly named "the blue store"

Two tiny grocery stores – the blue store and the pink store – and even an airstrip make the island fairly complete.  On Sunday, 1/22, we listened to the NFL playoffs on Maja (courtesy of our Sirius radio) instead of braving the long dinghy ride at night.  Ed and Karin came over, and I made enchiladas. At least on our own boat, we could talk as much as we wanted between plays.  In honor of my west coast heritage, I rooted for the 49ners until overtime (did I really want a team in the Super Bowl that could not convert a single 3^rd down in the entire game?), and since Ed and Karin are from New Hampshire, I decided to throw my allegiance with the rest of the crowd (sorry Jimmy …)

Every anchorage has a Happy Hour spot on shore for cruisers!

We leave here tomorrow and head to Black Point Settlement – a short, 10-mile hop but we can get free internet there.  Internet is definitely our one weakness that we really miss out here.  We are trying to be tough about it, but mostly we just whine … some things you  just take for granted and have a hard time doing without.  I’ve adjusted to washing dishes with sea water and bathing sparingly … but not having email or instant access to news is a much tougher challenge.  We can only take the withdrawals for soooooo long and then we just gotta know what’s going on in the world … (e.g. what’s the DOW up to (or down to)? Any new pictures of James’ new home? Any updates on wedding planning from Michelle and Craig?  The Super Bowl is coming up and bets have to be placed! Just how low are the winter temps in Minnesota???).

It’s a short trip but still not without it’s unpredictability.  We woke to rain, had breakfast under full sun, said goodbye to s/v Passages with rain, raised the anchor under a clear, blue sky, and here we are, 1.5 hrs underway in the rain again!  Who said cruising is not a tough lifestyle :)

January 25

Shortly after anchoring at Black Point, we could see the delivery freighter rounding the point.  Hmmm, I wonder what path he takes to the dock?  I suppose any path he wants since he's the biggest show in town.

 

 

Needless to say, we were transfixed as he appeared on a collison course with us!

We will hang out in Black Point for a few days waiting for the current cold front to pass and the wind and seas to settle down.  Our next passage is to cross from the banks to the Exuma Sound (deep water) for the route into Georgetown.  We'll meet up with Ed and Karin again for some sightseeing in GT (gonna rent a car with them) and stay there thru the Super Bowl.  They are Giants fans and I've got the Patriots ... so it should be an interesting night!