2011 - 10-29 - This IS a nightmare isn't it? Andros to Grand Bahamas

I added info on this chart - our track in purple & other locations

10-29 It was a pleasant morning, cloudy, just a bit windy but calm seas. Pulled the anchor at 8:00. Again, the forecast was ‘iffy’ - a front was coming from the north-but when? Wayne calculated that it would take us about 11 hrs to arrive in Grand Bahamas. He admitted that he forgot to set the alarm for about 6am so as not to get there after dark. It’s gonna be tight as calculations showed we should arrive about 7pm - just getting dark. The first 5 hours or so were really enjoyable - we had gentle swells, not big & not close together. I was able to clean the head; cut onions & make tuna salad; work on my pictures & log; clean the galley; I grilled bratwurst for Wayne’s lunch & so on…It came on ever so slowly - the rocking, the rolling, the pitching - progressively more each time. Finally, you realize something’s changed - the wind was clocking around & the swells hitting us more on the beam. We deployed the fish. Soon, the waves were 5-8’…& maybe every 7th wave rolled us so much that the Para-vanes almost touched the water. This was NOT good as we still had about 6 hrs to go probably more since we loose about a knot when the fish are in. Things were falling down inside the boat that never moved before. Finally, we saw land but we also saw the trough of the front. Can we make it before dark? We still had about 4 miles until we could get into the Lucayan Waterway where we would anchor. Suddenly, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, the wind picked up even more, the sun was setting & the rain started - oh shit! I do NOT like to travel in the dark. I felt somewhat safe as I could see the lights on the island. However, when I looked up again there was not one light to be seen!- not one! Did the whole island loose power from the storm or what??! I made Wayne go look too just to be sure I wasn’t in the Twilight Zone alone. He said the rain was obscuring the lights - Oh sure…every light on the island? Now I’m scared. We have the worst conditions you can imagine to enter a place you’ve never been to before - in the dark - and raining as hard as it can. I am always the chosen one to don rain gear & be outside to face the storms. It was no different this time. Thank God for digital charts-they show having to go in-between breakers from a coral reef & hopefully see the red & green markers to enter the channel. Sounds good-right? At night, everything is deceiving. Lights appear to be closer than they are so you think you’ll run right into them. The ONLY good thing was it was a bit calmer as we approached land. We made it into the channel & I was on the fly bridge working the search light manually - one side of the channel to the other until we found a shoot off the waterway & into another canal…that’s where we anchored. I was sopping wet, exhausted & would have kissed the ground had there been any under me. Neither one of us had an appetite we just wanted to stop. We stayed here for 2 nights & decided to get a dock in Port Lucaya.
Sadly, no pictures of this wild adventure.

2011 - 10-8 - 10--28 - We're going back to Nassau?

10/8 The sun finally ate away most of the gloomy weather but still had intermittent, brief showers. We moved back to G-Town, this time behind Peace & Plenty. Wayne’s been trying to get his new computer set-up - he’s frustrated that he only gets sporadic Internet even though I’m connected on my computer-having no problems. We’re worried about the stock market since it took a nose dive several days ago. We talked for hours about what to do & the decision was made to return to Nassau to see the Periodontist…from there? Who knows. 10/11 We readied the boat; put the dinghy on board & deployed the floppers & fish…we left at 10:30 traveling ‘outside’. It was still a bit choppy from all the storms. I’d say ‘choppy’ was a sailor’s way of saying “we had 3’ to 5’ seas all the way hitting our aft, port-side quarter-no problemo”. We arrived at Farmer’s Cay about 4:30 & a great feeling to just stop. TV, Internet, sunny skies, no rain & the water is clean & clear - we’re rockin now. I got the name & phone number of the Periodontist in Nassau & made an appointment for Monday which gave us 5 days to get there & time to re-visit Black Point. 10/12 While pulling the anchor, discovered that the bow thruster wasn’t working-the motor was on but no motion. We left at 11, arrived in Black Point at 1:00. Perfect timing to walk around town then have dinner at Lorraine’s. Wayne was concerned about the thruster & right away he figured something was “drastically wrong” - He got his tools & compressor out ready to take apart the thruster…I opted for something simple like cleaning off the blades & that’s apparently all it needed…OK-we can go now? Since the tools were out, he decided to change the zincs…then he checked the dirty bottom - could use a cleaning. About 4 hours later, he completed his tasks but now too late to roam around town & Lorraine didn’t respond to my VHF call so I have to cook - again. TV but no Internet. 10/13 Pulled anchor at 10 & went ‘outside’ (the sound). It was sunny, hot & the sea was like a lake. We passed this compound on Sampson Cay. Construction continues on both of these houses but the wind generators look like their there to stay. Interesting set up. We anchored at Highborne Cay for the night. TV & the net. 10/14 Sunny, breezy with a 1-2’ chop for our 4+ hour trip to Nassau however, heavy storm clouds were all around us. We got just wet enough to clean the boat. We saw heavy rain, thunder & lightening covering Nassau & Paradise Island, we slowed hoping it would pass before we got to the dock. Lady luck strikes again…only a drizzle when I tied up. We wandered over to the Poop Deck for appetizers & didn’t get home until 11ish. The place was hopping as it was Columbus Day holiday. Had a wonderful time talking with some locals & a couple who was going on the dive boat docked across from us. 10/15 - 10/16 The weather couldn’t have been worse - well, it could if was a hurricane, but it was pretty gloomy - overcast, windy & rain. At least we had Internet to keep us busy…that is until a familiar boat docked next to us.We saw this boat, R/V SEA DRAGON, in 2001 cruising Conception Cay, loved her look & took a picture of her. Dan & his partner, Sue have had this dive-chartering business almost 40 years now. There were 5 dogs aboard!! They just dropped off a group of 9 divers & a few days later, a new group of 8 arrived. Dan & Wayne talked for hours. They dive mostly in the Exumas. 10/17 Going to the dentist’s office was quite an adventure for Wayne- which bus to take, from which location? They pulled the tooth because it was cracked; another round of antibiotics. He’ll finish the process of getting a new tooth in the states. Went to the grocery & liquor store-weather was still crappy & gloomy. Paula & Allen met us at the Poop Deck on the 18th. The wind clocked around now coming from the South - a front was coming. Peter, manager @ the Harbour Club, gave us a gift - a free night until the wind abated a bit. We relocated closer to down-town & anchored just outside the Green Parrot. Mouths watering for that Blue Cheese Bacon Burger, we went ashore. Lots of partying going on at the bar by a group from the cruise ship. Nice people from Baltimore & boaters too. We were told of a Junkanoo parade on Friday nights at the Marina Village @ Atlantis so we took the dinghy over - there’s no dinghy dock so we tied up at the end of a dock hoping she’d still be there on our return. I can see it now - BLUE MAX docked in between these 100-200 foot yachts! At least it didn’t rain but it was cool. The ‘village’ reminded me of Disney...Colorful & interesting shops, gorgeous, high-end restaurants & landscaping to die for. We got a few slices of pizza & watched the people go by. I was surprised it was so crowded & I don’t think I’ve seen so many little kids in one place -I mean every couple had at least one. Aren’t we in a recession? We wandered over to Bimini Road, a restaurant/bar with a colorful & cozy porch. We sat at the bar & waited & waited…no parade but we met some great people. When there’s a special occasion, a group of guys grab their drums & cow bells & play Bahamian music at the table. About 9:30 pm, we finally asked someone (DUH!) when the

parade would start. Turns out the parade happens on Wednesday & Saturday nights. No matter, it was still a nice night. ‘Oh Sugar” called out to Wayne. I’ve never been in a store like this - I was intrigued & saw candy I haven‘t seen in years & so much of it! Thankfully, the dinghy was still there. We were in touch with Paula planning for the week-end. Even though it was cloudy, windy & cool on Saturday, it turned out to be a perfect day to attend the International Food Festival held at Heritage Park. The park is huge & was filled to capacity…people wait all year to attend this event. There were representatives from many countries, including

Cuba, USA, China, SriLanka, Bahamas & Greece…The food & their wares were amazing. I think the USA had the wine tent - a Glass for $5 or $10 for the
                                        Cuban Tent

                                 Cuban Artist
whole bottle - what would you do?? This guy was everything coconut - his hat, purse & wine ‘glass’. I
                                Handsome 'Coconut' Guy
spent some time in the Cuban store & bought some goodies. And, of course, we ate & ate. We were so lucky to be at the right place, at the right time & with good friends to share it with.

The 'girls' were widely happy to see us after being left alone most of the day. Scupper honed in on something - she smelled something under the dunnage box. Her nose has never deceived her & I knew something was amiss. Wayne knelt down trying to see what it could be. "good grief, don't put your hand under there", I said. He said not to worry, nothing's there...right! He took most everything out of the box & out shot a rat! He was frantic (the rat, not Wayne) By now Molly arrived on the scene. The rat took off for the front of the boat & headed straight into Molly & Scupper was in pursuit behind it; they all met at the water dish; the rat dipped in, then out, reversed course & ran up the starboard side toward the front of the boat; we were all in hot pursuit now; I was frantically closing all hatches & doors; the pups were barking & running in every direction; where the hell did he go? Scupper still had the scent but couldn't identify exactly where he went. There were 3 alternatives for our little buddy, into the forward hatch that goes into the head, down the chain pipe, which also leads to the forward head or overboard - we didn't see him swim ashore so we figured he was still on the boat. We put Decon out as a treat...didn't touch it. The next day Scupper got the scent again this time in the chart drawer. We put the Decon in the drawer...didn't touch it but something was nibbling on the paper. Never did find him, see him or smell him again. We figured he hopped a ride on the dinghy at the Green Parrot while we were at the festival. And you all wonder what we do for excitment?!

10/23 OMG! The sun’s out! We cruised over to the beach on Rose Island with Paula, Allen & Kaleigh. The water had a bit of a chill but still warm enough to be enjoyable. We moved the boat to the calmer, south side of the island for dinner of steak & baked potatoes. Before we left the states I bought all 5 years (1997-2002) worth of episodes of one of my favorite TV shows, Ali McBeal & tonight we watched the 1st disc. Wayne thought I was nuts but he laughed right along with me. We went to the Green Parrot on Tuesday - the place was packed with people ready to play Trivia for the benefit of the Humane Society. We stayed for 2 rounds just to see how smart we were. It was an unexpected, fun night. We planned to leave Nassau on Thursday, 10/27 but the weather forecast was ’iffy’. I decided it was time for a break, I needed some space & maybe even some fun. I wandered around the

straw market & bought a few baseball caps then I heard great music coming from Señor Frogs. I’ve never been to one-now‘s as good time as ever. What a wild & fun place! This lady was having the time of her life- (note the balloons) I really admired her attitude. There’s a DJ & a sort-of MC. They got everyone up for

 

                   Me getting my first shot

games, conga line & dancing. If you were in the conga line, they gave you rum drink shots in different parts of the room. I have no idea who put the ‘flower’ on my hat nor do I know who took this picture? (hey…I only had 1 rum drink) At the bar, I sat next to Wayne, in green ‘T’. he is manager of the tour operation on the Glory (Carnival line). What a nightmare job - the other 2 work for him. (Oh…to be 30 yrs younger) nice kids.

We remained anchored in front of the Green Parrot where I was still able to use their WIFI thanks to our high powered antennae. I wasn't a perfect forecast but we bit the bullet & left Nassau around 10ish on the 10/28 heading for Andros. We have to get a move on if we want to be in Bradenton in time for Tom’s birthday
                                                Green Parrot on left - Lucianos on right
party on 11/12 & & to dodge the many fronts coming through. The seas were NOT favorable - it was a crappy 5 hour trip. Arrived in Morgan's Bluff Harbor at 3:30 & was greeted with loud & wonderful Bahamian music coming from what looked like a fair ground. We were tired & felt we just went through the rinse cycle. Later we regretted not going.(isn’t that always the way it goes?) A DJ played most of the time but we also heard what sounded like a live band & a high school field band. Wayne said the music didn't stop until 3 am. With ear plugs in, I didn’t hear a thing. Weather for the morning was somewhat 'iffy' but with the flopper-stoppers out what's the worst that could happen? - we decided to leave.

2011 - About the Exumas

                                                    On the wall at Peace & Plenty - made of shells

A bit about George Town taken from Insight Guides-Bahamas-The Exumas: “Stretching in almost a straight line for some 90 miles, the Exumas Cays, which lie in a southeasterly direction from Nassau, are perhaps the most tantalizing of the Bahamas’ island groups. …known for their beauty, the amazing colors of the sea around them & their interestingly quaint people…The largest single mass of the Exumas is Great Exumas. …Visitors to these cays will soon notice that fully half of the residents

                                   George Town as seen from the harbor

go by the name Rolle…There is a very significant connection. During the latter part of the 18th Century the British Crown granted an Englishman name Denys Rolle a total of 7,000 acres on Great Exuma Deny Rolle brought slaves & cotton seeds to the island & set to work building up 5 plantations…His son Lord John Rolle followed in his footsteps, & by the time of emancipation in 1834, he had some 325 slaves…Legend has it that when cotton proved to be a dismal financial failure & the prospect of emancipation loomed, Lord Rolle generously deeded all his lands to his slaves. The slaves, following a custom of the day, all adopted their master’s surname….no such deed has ever been found, & Rolle’s will, written 3 years after emancipation, asks his executors to sell all his lands in the Bahamas…the Rolle slaves effectively maintained their claim to the land . Both the land & the name

Straw Market

have been passed down to their descendants since…George Town, Exumas’s main settlement, where there are no traffic lights & where, under a gigantic tree at the center of town, a half dozen ladies are likely to be found displaying their handmade straw goods …a few yards away is the town’s largest building, the pink & white Government Admin. Building which was modeled on Government House in Nassau…Elizabeth Harbour, a large natural harbor protected by long, narrow Stocking Island which lies about 1 mile offshore. Their fabulous harbor has prompted some Exumians to speculate that perhaps Columbus’s first landfall in the New World was in the Exumas - not San Salvador as currently believed -

Peace & Plenty

because he ebulliently described in his journal a harbor that could hold “All the ships in Christendom”…Club Peace & Plenty, the oldest hotel in the Exumas was a sponge market before the buildings were converted to a hotel in the late 1950’s…St. Andrew’s Anglican Church…a lovely, fresh white 150 year-old

building is an active place of worship today…”

                                                   
                                                   Back of Peace & Plenty & the Church

2011 - 9-28 -10-5 - Fun with Tom and Laurel in Georgetown, Exumas

9/28 Went to town, dropped off the trash at the government dock, went to the, very well stocked, grocery store for provisions & the liquor store for wine. Cleaned & straightened up the boat. Same thing on the 9/29. Had severe thunder & lightening storms late afternoon. Tom & Laurel arrived & met us at Two Turtles bar shortly after noon on the 9/30. Great seeing them again & they brought us goodies. They were gracious enough to fill a few orders of needed items; new lap top for Wayne, new under water camera for me (Laurel got one too), mail & zincs for the boat. Their checked bag weighed 49.5 lbs. We returned to the bar that night for their BBQ & live music but got a shock when the dinghy couldn’t change direction - the throttle cable broke. Who better to have with us than a guy who owns a boat yard. Question is, where the heck do we find new cables?
10/1 Laurel & I went in with them to shop & check out the ’town’ - the boys went to Top 2 Bottom, hardware store that has everything imaginable, including the exact cables needed! They went back to the boat to replace the cables & said they would find us later. Well, ‘later’ came & went. We were hot, tired & thirsty. They were no where to be found. Since the boys ‘abandoned’ us, we went back to Two Turtles on a mission to find a cheeseburger. We could see the dingy floating behind BLUE MAX - We sat on the sea wall & started waving in the off chance they were looking our way - NOT! I took this picture of the harbor & BLUE MAX while there & trying out my new camera & you can see why they would never see us waving. Proceeded to the dinghy dock in hopes of finding a ride. Understand, in ‘season’ the dinghy dock is filled to capacity. Now? only one dingy was tied up & our lucky day, the owners were coming down the dock. The took us ’home’ only to find the BOYS swimming-said they were taking a break after doing all that work. They took the dink out for a run - Laurel & We thought they looked so ‘gay’ having the orange umbrella & all. We had fresh Wahoo, rice & Cole-slaw for dinner. I got rave reviews from all. (thank you very much)

10/2 Tom & Wayne were discussing ways to keep the dinghy away from the boat without using fenders when she was side-tied to BLUE MAX. Wayne was thinking about dock whips but expensive & over

kill for this simple application & where would you mount the bracket? Tom said the bracket is about the same as a rod holder-could you use that rod holder. They saw my fishing pole in the rod holder - Eureka! Theygot one of my other poles, ran black line thru from reel to tip secured one end to the dinghy & the other to a cleat on the big boat using 2 key rings we had. Simple, elegant & didn't cost a dime! We had 5 days with Tom & Laurel & no set plans. A The weather & water was perfect, calm & warm. Wayne & Tom wanted to go gunk-holing so we moved the boat & snorkeled in Elizabeth Harbour - murky waters from the storms caused poor visability so we moved to the south end of the island & found a sweet spot - Moriah Harbour Cay. We anchored with the intent to swim, go ashore & explore but it

                    Tommy swimming to shore @ Moriah Cay
was so calm, perfect & without light pollution, we decided to stay the night. We didn’t take the dinghy but swam in with the girls on the raft & all our ‘stuff’.Tom climbed into a cave but was too chicken to go all the way in. It was a glorious day.

We had baked ziti, sausage & salad for dinner.

10/3 A very full day for us old folks. Deep sea fishing on the agenda. Laurel’s never caught a fish, not even at a trout farm! So this was her lucky day - or so we thought. We exited Elizabeth Harbour out into 3,000 ft of water in the Sound & headed north with our lines out. Both Laurel & I were donned with a fishing belt. We reviewed the procedure of how to bring in the BIG ONE…she was ready-she saw how to do it on a TV show too. We waited & waited - Tom

fell asleep - then finally something big hit. Her technique was flawless & managed to bring in - Oh NO - the dreaded Barracuda! Tom got rid of it PDQ & we put the line out again but nothing else hit. We entered the harbor from the north & cruised along the Stocking Island shoreline to check out another beach bar, colorful & inviting but, unfortunately, it was closed - their docks were trashed. We anchored outside Chat n Chill (on Stocking Island) &, once again, swam to shore with the raft. They lost half their

                                                 Poor little Scupper

beach-shame. A family of 5 were swimming & drinking & we said, “we heard there was a party!” Nice people from Rochester…the water taxi brought them over. We were here a few days ago, got drinks but not one of us had money…KB was nice enough to float us. This is me taking a picture of Laurel who’s taking a picture of me. I don’t have to cook tonight cuz we’re going to Eddies Edgewater bar & restaurant for cracked conch & to hear the Rake n Scrape band.

I remember Eddies 10 years ago as being kind of a shack, it seems bigger now with separate dining room & bar/dancing area in the front. It’s air conditioned now! This is our beautiful server, Renae. My cracked conch was yummy, Laurel & Tom got a whole snapper & said it was good. (I couldn’t look at it -head & all on the plate)Laurel’s gonna have a fit that I put this picture of her in the blog but I thought it was “her”.

                         The real & beautiful Laurel

The band arrived consisting of 5 guys; 2 drums, a guitar, a saw & an up-side-down tub with a string in the middle attached to a piece of wood played by Jim who’s been here 40 years. I was excited to be out & about & to hear the music. Unfortunately, they played inside, the whole room was cement & tile which made the acoustics horrible. I could have stayed despite the sound just to be off the boat, but Wayne, Tom & Laurel said ‘we’re outta here’.

Returned to the boat & Laurel & I went for a night swim. The boys & their boat talk continued on the fly bridge well into the night. 

10/4 “Ah…the dawn of a new day” as Martin Short said in Captain Ron. (we watched the movie the other night. You must see it) And another beautiful day it was…let’s see, what to do?…let’s try bottom fishing on the reefs. Finding a reef is not difficult - they’re everywhere. Finding the fish however, can be tricky. We stopped in about 20 feet of water…lines rigged & using pieces of other fish as bait. I threw my line in just to see…wham-fish on- good sized grunt. Think we’ll stay here for a bit & see what else is out there. Caught a few more good sized grunt, a few snapper & baby grouper but mom & dad didn’t follow suit & bite on the bait. Moved to deeper water. Tom found, what we called, ‘Grouper Town‘…he was bringing all sizes in left & right until the big one hit. Now if he could only bring onboard we’d have a good dinner tonight. When he caught this nice grouper, I put some of the Wahoo I was defrosting back into the freezer.

Winnie’s Rule of Thumb: ‘If you take something out of the freezer for dinner, you’re sure to catch fish’ . Another yummy fresh fish dinner this time with fried potato slices & corn. Laurel & I couldn’t talk the guys into playing Mexican Train dominoes so just the 2 of us played…another first for Laurel. She skunked me!!!

Quick learner, beginner’s luck & good bones. (the dominoes she picked silly) 10/5 The last day & Tom's birthday.  I hate good-byes. The visit was too short! As usual, we had our

Last dinghy ride

coffee & chatted on the fly bridge. Robin, the cab driver was picking them up at Two Turtles at 11. We came in a bit early so Laurel could shop at the straw market.

We grabbed a bite at the Driftwood Café - delightful new place across from Peace & Plenty & next door to the school. Indoor or outdoor tables, tons of plants everywhere under the shade of a huge tree. They have interesting 'coffee table' books on the tables. A few months ago, they open the fence facing the school & installed a counter of sorts so the kids can order lemonade or a snack while at recess. The school still uses a hand bell to call the students back to class. The guys wandered down to the government dock while we went to the straw

market…only one lady was working her booth today. Laurel got a large bag, hat & serving bowl. Robin found us at the straw market - drat! we thought he wouldn't find us & they'd miss their plane. Packed up the taxi & said our good-byes - at least for now...Antigua's next on Laurel's list...& she's bringing Kathryn. Let's hope we make it there. No sooner did their plane leave at 12:40, the storms started...heavy rain, wind @ 25k/hr, 1-2' chop in the harbor with white caps. we were rockin & a-rollin. The sun would pop out for a bit then more rain & wind. Wayne's tooth started to be a problem again. Since he had no symptoms while in Nassau, he didn't see the periodonist.(men!) On Thursday, 10/6, he went to the clinic for more antibiotics to calm the infection until we can go all the way back to Nassau. We’re now debating if we want to return to the States for the holidays. We moved the boat to Sand dollar Beach (Stocking Island) for calmer seas. However, a bit too far away to get internet. My 65th birthday (the really BIG one) was on the 7th -he forgot - again even though Laurel reminded him on Wednesday. (many thanks to all of you who sent me birthday wishes-it made my day) I finished Hemlock Bay by Catherine Coulter. Playing Dominoes or watching DVDs fill our evenings after dinner.  It's been cloudy with sporadic rain showers for days now but it sure beats clocking in & sitting at a desk for 8+ hours!! We're surely blessed.