Thursday, April 24, 2008

From the Abacos to the Exumas

We could easily watch Irish Eyes's shadow move across the white sand and grass bottom 20 feet below the boat.

The limestone cliffs on the south end of Ship Channel Cay are 50 feet high and filled with caves.

Bill collected these floats (and a bicycle tire inner tube) while walking a mile down the beach.

Luckily for this fellow lobster season ended March 31. Notice the water is clear as glass.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

We have successfully made another 50+ mile passage on the Atlantic Ocean. This one was very different and far more pleasant than our Gulf Stream crossing. We left Marsh Harbor headed south for Little Harbor. Part way there we anchored at Lynyard Cay to wait for high tide. Little Harbor is a very interesting place. It has a shallow entrance channel, hence the need to wait for high tide, but we got through it without any problems. The settlement has a beach bar called Pete’s Pub, an art gallery, and a foundry! They cast statues in bronze at the foundry which are for sale in the gallery. There are a few houses, an abandoned lighthouse, but not much else. We enjoyed our two days there just looking around, but I didn’t buy the really neat table with a glass top supported by bronze sea birds. I thought it was really striking, but we don’t have room for it on Irish Eyes.

We left Little Harbor on Sunday morning with the sun rising. (Yes, for you who doubt it, I have the photographs to show that I saw the sun rise.) We motored south to Royal Island in Eleuthera. The seas were about 2 feet and the wind though on the nose was gentle… no crashing waves on the side of Irish Eyes and no spray coming over the dodger. It was my kind ofAtlantic passage. We made the crossing following two other boats that are travelling together. We kept in touch with both along the way. We caught two Crevalle Jacks but nothing else. I am beginning tothink we aren’t good fisherman. Bill took a sextant sight of the sun, and three tankers crossed our path; two ahead and one behind.

We arrived at Royal Island, came into the harbor, put down the anchor, and I cooked the two fish for supper. I used Robert’s fish and vegetables in foil on the grill method. It was a good supper and far more than we could eat. The moon Sunday was full. Moonrise was beautiful. You can’t beat a tropical full moon rising over the palm trees!

Monday we weighed anchor and headed for the Exumas. This was another long day, first through Current Cut, then across the open water without much to see except the absolutely clear blue water. I would not have believed it, but the water in the Exumas is even clearer than in the Abacos. I could see the starfish walking on the bottom when the water was 20 feet deep. Incredible! We also could see the coral heads from a quarter mile away and could easily dodge them.

We anchored the first night on the bank west of Ship Channel Cay then moved into the harbor because the wind was forecast to change direction. The entrance was both shallow and narrow. We bumped on the way in; even at high tide. We have now been anchored in the harbor for the last 3 days. There is a “Powerboat Adventures” camp on the island but not anything else. They bring people out for the day from Nassau and feed them lunch. We snorkeled on the reef on the Exuma Sound side of the island and walked on the mile long pink sand beach. Bill found quite a collection of fishing floats. I made him tell me exactly how he was going to use them and where he intended to store them. Since he didn’t want to use any for a pillow, he left them behind. I know, I know, he would have found a use for the floats some day, but storage is at a premium! We swam off the beach to the nearby reef where I found a lobster and Bill found a grouper. The lobster was out of season and the spear gun was on the boat, so all we have to show for our efforts is a few photographs of the lobster. On another beach near the boat, I found and kept several small conch shells. The larger ones had been harvested, so they had a hole knocked in their side. I am still waiting on finding areally big one without the hole.

We plan to leave tomorrow for Allen’s Cay to see the “wild” iguanas. From what I have read there are several adventure companies who bring folks out to see them. They also feed the things. I hope it is not too commercial.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Julia and Josh Join Us

A sea fan fanning in the current.

Julia, josh, and Bill at Nippers

Sargent Major Fish surround us off the Fowl Cay reef.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Well we are again anchored in Marsh Harbor after seeing Julia & Joshua off this morning. We picked them up here in Marsh Harbor last Thursday. We have enjoyed a good visit with them.

Before Julia & Joshua’s arrival, Bill & I went south for a few days; not as far as we planned, but still a little bit south. We anchored off Tahiti Beach and enjoyed a nice beach walk. This is a white sand beach bordered by tall palm trees. It is a very pretty place. I used my underwater viewer (glass bottomed bucket) to look at the fish and shells in the shallows. We decided to head for Pete's Pub in Little Harbor the next morning, but the wind was dead on our nose, and it would have been a motoring trip, so we turned around after a couple of miles and headed for Tavern Cay. We anchored and went snorkeling at low tide. This reef was mostly rock with small fish, a few conch, and sea biscuits everywhere. Several days before, we had gone to Mermaid’s Reef off Marsh Harbor where we saw loads of small tropical fish. I am always amazed at the bright colors of all the fish.

We came back to Marsh Harbor the next day as the weather forecast was for thunderstorms for the next several days. We got our anchor down just as the first of the storms came roaring through. Once again we were able to fill our water tanks, spare jugs and our “après swim” garden sprayer with rain water. We like doing that because it is free! God does look after us! I did our laundry and grocery shopped in preparation for Julia & Joshua’s visit.

The day after Julia and Josh arrived; all four of us went over to Fowl Cay, a national park with a great reef. We anchored behind Fowl Cay, and took the dinghy around the island and out to the reef. The Friends of the Environment have kindly placed several mooring balls there for small boats. The fish were there in great abundance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t use Robert Bank’s spear gun since we were in a park. The spot behind the cay where we anchored the big boat was a little bouncy and not a place to spend the night, so after our swim we sailed up to Baker’s Bay. We took the dinghy over to Spoil Cay or as I like to call it, Shell Island. Julia and I both found a conch shell & several other good shells.

In the morning we took a looonnnggg dinghy ride out to the reef on the ocean side of the cay. The outward dinghy trip took us an hour! Once again the Friends have put out mooring balls for small boats. This reef had fish & beautiful coral of all types. I like the purple sea fans. They just sway in thecurrent and don’t have to do anything else – a nice life. In addition to all the colorful fish, we saw a large grouper, a nurse shark, and a barracuda. the return trip was as long as the trip out and wetter.

We came back to Marsh Harbor for the night because the forecast was for rough weather over night. In the harbor it didn’t amount to much and we were comfortable for the night. Sunday found us sailing to Man of War Cay; a very pleasant sail. We picked up a mooring in the eastern harbor and settled in for the evening. I needed a haircut; so believe it or not, I let Bill cut my hair! Julia supervised. I have shorter hair now than I have had in 10 years! Julia, Joshua, and I took the dinghy in to town, walked over to the Atlantic side of the cay, and walked on the beach. Joshua was going to snorkel, but it was a little rough. When we got back to the boat, he did snorkel around Irish Eyes and the nearby docks and tried the spear. He didn’t quite have the hang of it… the spear bounced off the fish.

Our next stop was to Guana Cay where we once again picked up a mooring. We all walked over to Nipper’s (www.nippersbar.com), a beach bar and restaurant with a gorgeous view of the ocean and a great pink sand beach. We walked down the beach to the High Rocks, and then took a short cut back to town. We had pre-dinner entertainment by a young boy on the boat moored next to us. He was the designated dinghy driver of the throttle wide open or off school, no sense of moderation. His older sister told him if he splashed her again on the way to supper she wouldslap him. I laughed until I cried.

Unfortunately, it was time to return to Marsh Harbor so Julia & Joshua could go home. The wind was predicted to be 15-20 in the morning, then 20-25 in the afternoon and 25-30 overnight. We had a great 6 kt sail back with just a partially unrolled genoa and nothing else. The wind did pick up, and last night was rock & roll, creak & groan, slap & splash all night long.

Bill and I plan to begin the trip south to the Exumas as soon as the weather improves. The wind is still about 20-25, and the weather people say the Atlantic seas are to be 18-24 feet from gales off the Carolina coasts. I can’t even imagine!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Haynes, Laura, James, Sandra, and Betty Arrive

Dinner for all aboard Irish Eyes in Man of War Cay's Eastern (American) Harbour.

Haynes forward on the deck as we broad reach with all three sail up along Scotland Cay.

The view from the lighthouse across the entrance to Hopetown Harbour, across the town, and into the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Bill and I are anchored in Marsh Harbor. We spent several days in Manjack Cay waiting for a good weather window to go through the Whale Cay Passage. To get from the northern part of the Abacos to the southern part you have to go out into the Atlantic Ocean, go around Whale Cay, and then come back into the Sea of Abaco. The meeting of the two bodies of water can be quite rough, what they call here a rage. It didn’t take too much whining to have Bill agree that we need a very calm day for our passage! We came through the Whale on Saturday, March 22. Was a very easy passage, but after our more exciting Gulf Stream crossing we were prepared for the worst, but we didn’t have any problems at all.

We anchored first in Bakers Bay. This is a spot on the northern end of Guana Cay. In the past this was a perfect place; no houses, no condos, no resorts, just a beautiful beach on the Abaco side, a path leading through the underbrush and palms inthe center of the island to a pink sand beach on the Atlantic side. The reef was just a small distance from the Atlantic Beach and was a great snorkeling place. Well, now it is a development with home sites ($2 to $12 million), hotel, and small boat dock. A large marina is under of construction with earth moving equipment digging a harbor in the middle of the island. We walked a mile or so along the Bakers Bay beach. Because the beach was a lee shore we moved the boat and re-anchored behind Spoil Cay which is sometimes called Shell Island. The shelling was great. If I had had a shovel we could have brought home a ton.

We headed to Marsh Harbor to pick up Bill’s brother Haynes and his wife Laura and to see James and Sandra Little and James’ sister Betty when their flight arrived. The Littles had chartered a 31 foot boat, Anticipation, from Hopetown. We had the perfect plan for meeting up but the weather didn’t cooperate. At just about the time the Little party was landing at the airport a strong squall blew through the harbor anchorage. One of the other cruisers said the wind was 47 knots! Bill watched our dinghy with outboard motor attached flip over. He said goodbye to his new bailer, tiller extension, and sponge as they floated away. We did keep the two life jackets that were trapped under the overturned dinghy. Once the storm was over we got the dinghy right side up and began pondering what to do with an outboard motor that had spent over an hour immersed in salt water. While it was still raining we had a radio call from James. They were here. Without a motor we couldn’t dinghy over to see them, so we made plans to talklater. We had lots and lots of advice, greatly appreciated, from others anchored nearby in the harbor. Bill took the motor apart while I held a bucket underneath to catch all the dropped parts. He drained the water soaked gas tank, rinsed the motor inside and out with fresh water, used about a quart of WD40 to dry it out, put it all back together, and lo and behold; it started! Haynes and Laura came as we were finishing up, so we told them to go to the Conch Inn Bar, have a drink and wait because we weren’t yet ready. A half hour later we finally retrieved our guests from the bar. All’s well that ends well; I suppose. (And another plus, we got the water tanks topped up in the rain.)

Tuesday we sailed over to Man-of-War Cay and picked up a mooring ball in Eastern Harbour. The Littles came from Hopetown and tied up alongside us. We had a great time walking around the settlement looking at the houses and beautiful flowers. We visited the local baker in her home kitchen, but unfortunately it was late in the day and she was sold out. All seven of us had cocktails and dinner aboard Irish Eyes. That night we all slept like babies. In the morning Haynes and James went back to the bakery for fresh warm cinnamon buns. Yummy!

The next day we sailed back to Bakers Bay and went ashore. We discovered we weren’t even allowed to sit in the chairs along the beach or venture beyond the high tide line. We had a great walk around the tip of the island to see the Atlantic. Thursday morning Anticipation went over to Treasure Cay to get some water while Irish Eyes sailed down to Hopetown Harbour expecting the second boat later. The waves were too much for Anticipation and they went to Marsh Harbor for the night. The Irish Eyes crew wandered around Hopetown and enjoyed a great restaurant meal ashore.

In the Abacos there is a wonderful VHF radio “show” each morning on channel 68 called The Cruisers Net. The weather report is given, headline news read, news of local happenings broadcast, questions asked and answered, requests made for help with boat repairs, and new arrivals and departures announced. During Friday morning’s Cruiser’s Net an announcement was made that local Methodist youth group was planning a mission trip to Copper Hill, Tennessee. James Little, ever the champion of Watauga Lake Sail Club, during the open mike time, invited the youth to come sail on Watauga Lake if they are in East Tennessee! Wouldn’t that be something? Irish Eyes’ crew was chuckling about James, the radio celebrity, when Anticipation slipped onto a mooring behind us. Both crews went to inspect the Hopetown lighthouse. The views from the top are fantastic. Unlike the lighthouses in the US, you can just climb to the top of this one unescorted. The kerosene mantle lamp, lenses, and clockwork to drive it all are all within reach with nothing more than a Do Not Touch sign to protect them.

Irish Eyes sailed back over to Marsh Harbor for the night. While Laura and I shopped a bit, Haynes and Bill went dumpster diving and picked up some roadside trash to get the parts to replace the lost dinghy motor tiller extension and bailer. As much as I hated to encourage them, they were successful. They did purchase a new sponge, but chose a $2.75 one from the grocery store instead of a $10.00 one from the marine supply store.

Bill saw Haynes and Laura off in a taxi to the airport at about 9:30am Saturday morning. A short nap time later the Littles radioed that they had taken the ferry from Hopetown and were standing on the dinghy dock. Bill and I came over to meet them, and we all had a great farewell lunch at a restaurant with a view over the harbor. We saw them off in a taxi to the airport and returned to Irish Eyes. I decided it was time to do laundry. With Bill’s help I got all the dirty clothes, soap, and fabric softener to the Laundromat for that adventure. Waiting on the machines to finish, I sat quietly knitting a sock. I ended up giving a mini knitting lesson to several local girls. It was a pleasant way to spend the time waiting for the wash to finish. We have clean clothes but need to top up the water and fuel tanks before heading south towards George Town. The weather is supposed to be very windy here at least the next few days, so we may be here for a bit.

[Bill's aside: As I expected the beer is running low. Haynes was kind enough to buy a case of the local Kalik at $48. Budweiser is higher. Ouch. Diesel is $5.65/gal in the marina.]