2011- 8-22 - 8-26 - Before, During & After Lady Irene

                                                      Picture of our Digital Chart - the Lagoon
8/22 We pulled anchor at 6pm, steak & baked potato will have to wait. We circled the lagoon & spoke with a few people who were tied up at a dock. One guy made it clear that this was “private” & it wasn’t safe to stay here…But you see, staying in any harbor is permitted in an emergency & I think a Cat 3 hurricane is considered an emergency wouldn’t you? We put 2 anchors down for the night & would ponder what to do in the morning. 8/23 It was incredibly hot & almost no breeze. We were overwhelmed, scared & felt so alone. Two of the men came by in their dinghy to give us an update & offer suggestions…they were all staying at a hotel in Nassau @ $400/night. We asked about tying up to, what looked like, new & sturdy pilings on the east side of the lagoon. “they belong to the owners & they’re picking us up about noon…you’ll have to ask them.” Thankfully, we got permission & spent the remainder of the day & the entire next day battening down. The ‘girls’ wouldn’t take their eyes off Wayne as he worked. Wayne put 4 anchors out from the starboard side plus a 120‘ line & tied it to trees on the island in the middle; we secured about 8 different lines to the pilings on the port side;

                                                               Setting the 4th & final anchor
we put away or tied everything that wasn’t secured to the boat; removed the canvas from the fly-bridge; prepared a ‘ditch bag’ with all our money, passports, boat documentation & jewelry & lastly, put the dinghy on deck. On the 23rd the sun & heat got to us…we were physically & emotionally
                    Removed all canvas & secured everything
spent…Wayne worked non-stop ~ I don’t know how he kept up the pace. We didn’t have strength or the appetite for dinner or popcorn as we sometimes do. The 24th we continued the preparations but conditions were better…it was overcast, not as hot & steady breezes…we even went for a swim to
                         Securing 200' line to trees
shore with the pups. We were happy to get off the boat for awhile. Two other boats came & tied to pilings in front of us & they left too…but we had no where to go.

8/25 The loud sound of the wind in the trees woke us up at 4:45 am…then the hatch above our bed blew open…we were up in a flash. Thankfully this storm will occur in the day light hours. 99% of the storms we’ve experienced are in the dead of night making the situation even more agonizing. Seeing how the lines & anchors were lying in the wind was our 1st concern. The bow was facing south, starboard to the west. There was some talk that the storm would intensify into a Cat 4 & the center was headed for Nassau! Thankfully, neither happened; she went east of us & remained a Cat 3 ~ At first, the wind was coming from the North & we more exposed, but later, it shifted & came from the west ~ the island gave us protection. You can see on our chart how we followed the storm using coordinates from NEMA ~ The circles show the storm’s path ~ the triangle is us & New Providence. Wind speeds at the eye was 115mph traveling about 13 knots. At 9am, the eye of the storm was crossing N. Eleuthera & Harbor Island. We were 60 miles

       Waves crashing outside the cut but none came into the lagoon

ESE of the eye so we were on the border of having hurricane force winds. There was no rain for several hours, only winds gusting up to 69 knots which picked up the water in the lagoon & blew it all around. We were constantly making rounds outside making assessments ~ it was easier to see with a

mask on. (ya just gotta be goofy to ease the stress) By noon light rain started & the wind abated a bit. Wayne adjusted several lines & fenders then he took a nap. Reports of severe damage to property was being reported from the south-east cays…The Acklins & Cat Is. got a direct hit with reports of 90%+ property damage; all electric & communication lines are down. No reports of injuries or deaths. By 3pm, the eye was going over Marsh Harbor, Abacos ~ we were now 105 miles south of the eye. 8/26 The dawn of a new & beautiful day! Irene has left the building!! Warnings for all the Bahamas has been lifted. Heard she’s heading to N. Carolina as a Cat 2 hurricane; wind speed reduced to 105mph @ 14mph; reports state she may intensify to a Cat 4 at the time of landfall in the U.S. (yikes! Hope not) We put the dinghy in & captured this picture of all the boats near us…you can see that LADY HAWK went aground but after the storm passed. Reports from people on every island were being broadcast on the radio describing current conditions & to give thanks to the Lord for his mercy. This truly is a wonderful country. It was so much easier to put everything back than to put it away but was still another full day & a half of work. We had to use the boom & winches to retrieve the old & monstrously heavy storm anchor. The owners came to get LADY HAWK but unfortunately, she had to be towed. We were so blessed not to have any damage.

2011 - 8-19 - 8-22 - Snorkel Ridley Head to Royal Harbor to Rose Island

8/19 Beautiful morning - still hot, a bit overcast but bright enough to snorkel. We moved BLUE MAX to the beach side of the island. This was the no wake sign at Gun Point. It looks like this point was used to protect the harbor ~ hence the name. We took the dinghy to several different reefs. It was nice but I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t see more fish

School of Blue Tangs

or vibrant coral. I really have to get in shape again, it’s been several years since I’ve snorkeled. My underwater camera was acting up again -had no

Parrot Fish

view from the LED screen & not seeing it flash…Well, it is a point & shoot camera so that’s what I did…didn’t know if I had pictures until I down-loaded the card. Not my best pictures for sureIt took 1 ½ hrs to get to Royal Harbor where we anchored for the night. No internet again but can’t believe I’m still getting premium movie channels.

                                                                      Rose Island Anchorage 

8/20 ~ We pulled anchor about 10am headed for Rose Island which runs almost parallel to the eastern end of New Providence, (Nassau) & Paradise Island & only a few miles away. A heavy rain storm greeted us which makes anchoring extremely annoying. Sweet spot ~ protection from the north, south & east. A few homes scattered on the hill with stone steps down to the water. It’s being in places like this, quiet, secluded & peaceful, that make us stay for days. We had bars for Wifi, but unable to connect. We explored a bit in the dinghy & found a rather large body of water that circles a smallish island totally surrounded by lime rock & Casuarina trees. (…like a cross between a Pine & a Willow…they were imported from Australia. In FL. we call them Australian Pines & are being removed because of their shallow root system) A great Hurricane-Hole. We

                                                         Taken from inside the Lagoon

learned it was the beginning of a development by some investors then sold to the Ritz Carlton group for about 100 million. Then sold back to the original owners who already re-couped 30 Million of their investment by selling properties. (why can't we be that smart!)Our exploration was cut short due to another heavy rain shower. 8/22 ~ Work day… clean the heads, do laundry & the freezer was in dire need of defrosting. It’s been 2 months since last done. The large cooler on the fly bridge is emptied of fishing & snorkeling equipment then taken to the galley where all the freezer items are stored until defrosting is done. This takes several hours using a fan & heat gun. Found a great oldies station from Nassau & that’s how we heard about Hurricane Irene! The forecast takes her up the entire Bahamas chain of Cays. Without internet access, phone service & not another living soul around, we had to depend on the radio. A miracle happened, a man was docking by those homes you see above…Wayne high-tailed it over to talk with him. He strongly suggested we immediately take the boat to that hurricane hole we explored yesterday as commercial boats & others tie up there too ~ 1st come, 1st served.

                                                         Paradise Island at sunset



2011 - How We Live Aboard

Land lubbers must wonder what it's like to live on a boat. Well, if the boat is as well equipped as BLUE MAX is, it's almost like being in your own home.

BLUE MAX has 2 cabins & 2 heads (bathrooms)-one fore & one aft. The 'captain's cabin' is aft with a center-line queen-size bed (means you can walk around it on 3 sides) & lots of drawers, hanging locker & flat screen TV. The head has a tub/shower, linen

storage, medicine cabinet & deep, wide storage behind the head for large jugs etc.
.

The forward cabin had 2 bunks on the port side (left) ~ we removed the top bunk to make way for storage bins. (files, copy paper & ink, food etc.) The starboard side is deep & has drawers, 2

hanging lockers, closet for the laptop & printer. (my office) Three steps from the salon go down into each cabin.

On the starboard-side of the salon is the helm station forward, a set of deep drawers, (originally used to stow big  charts) we still keep our charts &

                                Actual GPS location of the boat; Red line is record of our path

navigation books in there, but mostly we use digital charts now. Wayne reconstructed 2 of the drawers to house a flat screen TV, dish receiver & regular

receiver with CD player.

The TV folds down into the drawer when not in use. (my design-gotta take credit when I can) This system also provides us with surround sound in the saloon & on the fly-bridge. There is a separate AM/FM/CD radio & IPod plays thru that.  

Aft of that & mid-ships is a U-shaped galley, tons of storage, very functional & fully equiped. There's a separate refrigerator & freezer accessed with an insulated lid from the top of the work area. They're very deep & can hold many things but on a long trip when you need to stock up or if I'm catching fish, it's not quite enough space. This year we bought a portable fridge/freezer located on the fly bridge. Wayne hard-wired it for AC & DC - we keep it on freezer status. Stove & Oven runs off of 3 propane tanks located on the aft main deck.

 Spoon is holding the cover up; this folds back behind the oven when in use; when down, work top

Microwave, convection oven, food processor & coffee machine run off AC electric.

On the port-side mid-ship is a combination washer/dryer & more storage - forward of that is a dinette. The down side to this arrangement is we don't have a real salon with chairs & sofa.

The interior is Teak wood ~ I use lots of oil.

There are 2 AC units which we use mostly when we're plugged into shore power but they can also be run using the generator. Thanks to Wayne, he re-programed the invertors so now we can run them when we're underway without using the generator. Same thing with the water-maker.

We have almost 2-feet of walk around space on the main deck which makes it easy when docking or fishing. The teak decks are old & weathered. The hull & house is made of Fiberglass.

The boat-deck (over the aft cabin) is where the dinghy is stored & a propane gas grill…then another 3 steps up to the fly bridge which is, by far, our favorite place to hang out. The canvas bimini was replaced in 2007 with a solid, insulated hard top. There’s always a breeze & sometimes, it’s downright chilly under there.

On top of the hard top there are 6 solar panels, an enclosed satellite TV dish & a wind generator.


Canvas awnings unroll & tie to the handrail in an effort to keep the inside of the boat cooler & to prevent harmful sun damage to the teak. They’re especially handy when it rains as we can keep windows & doors open.
There is access on the boat deck (fore & aft) to salt water & fresh water wash downs …we use the salt water to clean off the anchor, decks & fish if & when I can catch the buggers. There’s a hot & cold shower on the swim platform-delightful to shower outside & we bathe the girls back there too.

 2005 when Wayne put the aft extension on & Bulbous Bow; before the hard top, before bottom paint & old dinghy.  (good view of the awnings & window canvas)

In 2005, BLUE MAX was on the hard for a year when Wayne extended the transom 32". This area holds 8 batteries port & starboard. In the middle, stowage & a live bait well (just for me). He built a new, teak swim platform with a ladder into the water.

He also designed & built a bulbous bow which helps make the boat more sea-worthy & cuts down on the "hobby-horse" effect.

The beefy mast holds the radar, spreader lights, a high-powered Wifi antennae & lightening deflector. In this picture, you also see the paravanes which, when deployed, help stabilize from rolling side to side.

We use the mast & boom to deploy & recover the dinghy by using a series of pulley’s, ropes, & winches.
We have a water maker that converts sea water to drinking water - reverse osmosis. I think it’s better than bottled water & no plastic left behind. Wayne also devised a water collection system that takes rain water from the hard top & puts into our 250 gal water tanks.

It's all about power, Amps & Volts. Electric is supplied in various ways: by our diesel generator, solar panels & the wind generator. We have 2 large inverters in which electricity from the batteries, which is DC, (direct current) converts into electricity like is on the grid, or AC (alternating current). AC is the kind of electricity in your house, therefore, the inverters enable us to run house-hold appliances.

Wayne is very watchful & monitors the guages several times a day especially when we are anchored out.

 
              Pondering the installation of the 2 new Invertors (2010)
Our ‘vehicle’ is an 11’ dinghy with a 30hp, Honda 4 stroke outboard motor...gets us places-fast! 
Conservation is the key. People would understand true conservation if they lived on a boat for a month  ~ no other explanation would be necessary ~ 

We really don't want for anything & the living area is about as big as our cottage in the Keys !! But would be a bit different for those of you living in a real house.

Feel free to ask any questions..thanks for reading

2011 - 8-11 - 8-18 - Royal Harbor to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera

8/11- 8/17 Before I begin, I wanted to show you what the paravanes or booms (our stabilizers) look like when they're down. The funny looking thing on the end are the birds, some call them them 'fish. The birds weigh about 90lbs each & when in the water they 'swim' & help keep the boat from rolling. This is what they look like in the upright position when not in use.
Even though there were ominous storm clouds to our north & west, we decided to pull anchor about 9:00 am & leave for Royal Harbor. And storm it did as we passed to the north of Harbor Island & Spanish Wells. I trolled again and got skunked again! What is it with these Bahamian fish anyway? Anchor down @ 2:30 pm. Royal Harbor is just that, a cozy, quiet & calm harbor that protects from the north, east & south. There is nothing here except crickets & birds chirping - not even internet. We saw what looked like remnants of someone’s dream to build a resort here...Several trailers, machinery & a dock. Veggin is what we do best & that’s just what we did. Having no internet, we can’t check our financials after knowing the market was down 500-600 points! (yikes…that hurts us big time) By the time I got up the next morning, Wayne was already into his electrical schematics & pondering something. There were several fuses he added but never labeled them…my job, if I chose to accept it…was to help him figure this out. Are you serious? I haven’t even had my coffee yet! But, later, I did help him although I doubt I was much help after I dropped one of the fuses into the bilge never to be seen again. We went for a swim with Scupper…nuff for one day I’d say. It rained a bunch during the night & topped off the water tanks. 8/13 Same hot weather with storm clouds all around us.

Entering Spanish Well's Harbor

Moving on to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera-just a hop, skip & jump away. We cruised the whole harbor Russell Island on one side, Spanish Wells on the other - you can see the little bridge that connects the two islands. We weren’t going to stay but then decided to take a mooring so we could get a Wifi. Our ‘neighbor’, Robert, living on KOOL BREEZE, (yellow hull sailboat seen in the picture) came to say ‘Hi‘. We knew he had a small dog aboard but didn’t know

he was a miniature Doxie. While we were chatting, Fritz (the dog) jumped off his boat & swam over to find his ‘daddy‘!

A bit about Spanish Wells from 1996 Yachtsman‘s Guide to the Bahamas: …is a remarkably orderly community set along the eastern end of St. George’s Cay. It’s name is said to have originated three centuries ago, when Spanish explorers declared the local well water the sweetest in the Bahamas. Nowadays water is piped in from the community wells on Eleuthera, 2 miles away. Some Spanish Wellsians claim direct descent from the original Eleutherian Adventurers who shipwrecked on the treacherous nearby reefs in 1648. Others are descendants of Loyalists who sought refuge here at the end of the U.S. War of Independence. The town has a history of self-sufficiency; even the power system is locally owned & run. Most residents grow up, marry, & remain here. Among them are some of the best fishermen, divers & seafarers in the Bahamas. Prosperity is reflected in large, well-maintained cement-block homes…”

Fritz & Robert

We got talking & seems Robert & Wayne have much in common. Scupper & Molly met Fritz but didn’t seem like they were impressed - Fritz, on the other hand, wanted to play. He’s 4 ½. Scupper didn’t like that he was playing with her toys. Molly was still the princess & was beneath her to give poor Fritz the time of day. It was 4ish & the grocery store closes at 5pm - I need salad fixins’ so off we went. Very nice store & not that expensive. Also got OJ, Pineapple juice & coconut water now all we need is the booze. Spanish Wells is a dry town - you cannot buy liquor here. Must take the dinghy across the channel to the mainland - it’s not far…however, they’re closed till Monday. 8/14 We thought about snorkeling the Devil’s Backbone (Google it) but was too overcast. Robert came over & he & Wayne talked for hours about boats. Robert accepted my invitation for dinner - “We’ll blow the horn when it’s ready…bless him, he bought a bottle of wine with him. Nice evening until we talked about politics! Wayne was on the loosing side of this conversation. Robert & I are not Obama fans! Hot with sun showers but nice breeze. 8/15 We took the dinghy to the mainland to get liquor. Robert was already there with a box-full of stuff. There are several ‘ferries’ available. The biggest one, Bo Hengey II goes from Nassau to Spanish Wells to Harbor Island & reverses the route. Then smaller ferries go from Spanish Wells to the Liquor Store location & back. It’s a very busy port - tankers filled with fuel come from Freeport. On 8/16 we broke down & rented a golf cart for a day ($10/hr or $30/24hrs). We covered most of Spanish Wells & Russell Island. Banana trees were growing everywhere on Russell so I stopped & picked a few, also 2 Papayas (from the web: called “fruit of the angels by Christopher Columbus and for good reason. One of nature's wonders, fresh papaya improves digestion and prevents heart disease, arthritis, lung disease, and eye disorders. And with it's antioxidants, flavoniods, plus loads of vitamins and minerals, papaya will help you fight off cold and flu viruses and help keep you healthy through the winter. Papaya is high in: vitamins C, A, K, E, plus magnesium, folate, beta carotene, and lutein, and more". (Didn’t know you were gonna actually learn stuff from my blog did ya?) It seems that most properties are for sale..?? Beautiful islands and can see water from almosteverywhere. Of course, we must remember that our home has water views all the time & we have to resist the temptation of pondering property to purchase. We stopped to see the goats, beautiful trees, the cemetery (I always visit the cemeteries-some say I’m morbid?) & a development trying to happen with direct access to the ocean. It's hard to see, but they

cutright thru the rock right next to the house at the top of the picture to access the ocean-then created a large basin. Lots are lined up around the basin. Someone has big bucks $$. We've been listening to a unique radio station located in Spanish Wells called SPLASH-they play sets of country(They love country music here), island tunes, real old oldies (Tom Jones Engelbert Humperdink etc.) & music I've never heard before. 

There are only 2 advertisers-such a pleasure to not have a commercial break after every song. They have a rather large All Age School which is well kept-actually, everything on the island is well kept & no litter. It's obvious they are very proud of their homes.

What really makes Spanish Wells unique is the people. According to a 10 year old guide, there are about 1500 people who live here and 1480 of them are white. They speak English with an accent that reminds me of heavy Maine with a touch of Scottish thrown in. The houses on the island look nothing like most of the rest of the Bahamas. Spanish Wells has 2 main streets which run the length of the island and 32 cross streets lined with immaculately maintained and landscaped houses which are generally closely spaced. After looking at a phone listing, I'd say that most of these people are related. If your name is "Pinder", you probably share your last name with 20% of the people here. There appears to be about 5 names that make up the majority of the population

8/17 Before we returned the cart we shopped at the big grocery store. They even had International delight creamer we like. We took Scupper & Molly to the public beach via dinghy which is on the other side of the little bridge that goes over to Russell Island. The sand was like silk & the water, perfect temperature. We all had a good time. You can barely see him, but that’s Wayne on the other side of the channel & Molly swam all the way across to him.

There were about 8 locals enjoying the park as well.

They even had their food while floating around. We saw huge rain clouds coming in the from south & got back to the boat just in time before the next storm blew over. 8/18 Thunder storms on & off all day. So much for snorkeling the Devil. Wayne still tweaking the inverters, I'm doing laundry & the blog. I should be cleaning something…I took a nap instead.