2015 - 6/23 to 6/25 - Grand to Carters to Allans/Pensacola Cay

6/23 - We left Grand at 0930 heading south in the Sea of Abaco.
(from Wikipedia)  "The Sea of Abaco (sometimes Abaco Sound), located in The Bahamas, is an approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) long saltwater lagoon separating Great Abaco Island (known locally as the ‘mainland’) from a chain of barrier islands known as the Abaco Cays. Depths in the Sea of Abaco are generally a few meters, and shallow reefs and shoals can pose a serious hazard to navigation. Despite these hazards, the sea is popular with boaters and is sometimes referred to as a ‘marine highway’, offering a sheltered passage through the Abaco Islands. The majority of the largest settlements and towns in the Abaco Islands are located along the shores of the sea."
We stopped briefly at Carter's - Once a US missile-tracking station, Carters has nothing in terms of civilization but its ruins & shifting sand bars. Wayne & Laurel did a recon via the dinghy. Not much to see - we anchored here in 2007 then went aground in the sand. Embarrassing for any boater, thankfully, no one was there to see. Now, Bahamian fishermen anchor & camp there.

It was a beautiful day, a bit choppy, but a nice cruise. All of a sudden, ahead of us about a quarter mile we saw, what Wayne called, a white squall. The first thing he saw was a 'hump' in the water & looked like the water was rising up & was a yellow-white color - looked like a sand storm - & had a rainbow in the middle.  

A picture is like a thousand words

See the rainbow's end in the bottom left of the picture - but NO pot of gold

Wayne slowed the boat with the auto-pilot on. As it gained on us, the sea looked white & there was a rainbow in the middle of it.

Cruised southward & anchored at 6 pm in Allans/Pensacola Cays. (from the Bahamas cruising guide) ..."Allans-Pensacola is one of the Bahamian destinations where location wins. It's at the right spot on the chart, & sooner or later most people go there after crossing the Little Bahama Bank, or before setting out across it. At one time two separate cays, Allans Cay & Pensacola Cay were linked in a spur-of-the-moment marriage by a hurricane. The end result has provided an anchorage, which, as we've said, is ever popular. The unified cay is some 3 nm long. Other than the ruins of yet another US missile-tracking station, there's nothing on the island."

6/24  EXCEPT what the tourists put there.

Hundred & thousands of minnows covered the shallow area at the beach...Scupper went fishing & actually pulled one of them out & onto the beach then proudly took it to her 'daddy'.

If you look closely, you can see the little bugger (the minnow, not Scupper)

I started making "no knead" bread which requires a 12-20 hour 'rest' - it's an artisan bread with crispy crust & soft inside. I used a bit different recipe & had trouble with the dough - it would not fold over into a ball & stay there.

So I plopped it into my round, glass Pyrex dish to rest & rise. 
6/24 - Laurel & I have been reading every chance we get.

While out for another recon of the island, we stopped to meet our 'neighbors', Daniel & Laura - each on their own sailboat. They had just returned from getting 8 conch & asked if we wanted to share some conch salad - duh! does a bear do do-do in the woods?? 
In the meantime, the bread was ready - in the oven at 450 degrees, covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for 20 min. or until the crust is golden brown.

Daniel got the conch out of the shell on his boat & brought everything needed to BLUE MAX to fix that yummy salad. I got a lesson how to clean the conch. I now have a full bag of the throw-away conch for bait.

These are the days you dream about - so perfect & shared with new-found friends.
Laurel & I watched Mamma Mia - I think she even stayed awake for the entire movie.
6/25  Laurel decided to sail to Green Turtle Cay with Laura aboard the ANNIE LAURIE... a traditional wooden ketch built in Newfoundland. She sails it and maintains it by her self.   Wayne is very impressed.
Daniel's boat is named CONCH FLYER (cuz he's a pilot). It is a Tyana built in Formosa and he also sails alone. They left before into a stormy sea before us. We pulled anchor after the storm at 1115 and passed them on the way.

S/V ANNIE LAURIE

S/V CONCH FLYER

Next stop, Miss Emily's in New Plymouth for her legendary Goombay Smashes

2015-6/20 to 6/23 - Grand Cay

                   Just an FYI, "Cay" is pronounced "Key".
At bit about the Abacos copied from Abaco Guide by Sandy Estabrook:
"The Abacos..... are in the northeastern Bahamas about 185 miles from Florida. They have been called Out Islands, Family Islands and the Friendly Islands all of which definitely apply. Here you will find friendly folks, a relatively bustling economy with none of the hassles and hustlers of fast paced Nassau, Paradise Island and Freeport...The Abacos, start in the north at Walkers Cay working their way 110 miles or so, down to Hole in the Wall and Sandy Point on Great Abaco. On Green Turtle Cay and Elbow Cay you'll find the old English loyalist settlements of New Plymouth & Hope Town with their colonial homes in hues of pastel colors. For the most part these Cays parallel the Island of Great Abaco and can be thought of as barrier islands as they are what separate the Atlantic from the shallow Sea of Abaco and Mainland Abaco. Unlike the classical sandy barrier islands of the eastern US, here they consist of limestone with some elevation and are protected on the ocean side by the third largest barrier reef in the world. For the most part the cays are green with mangroves and beautiful white sand beaches, one only dreams about. Most are uninhabited." 

6/20 - We decided to visit Little Grand Cay which is a short jaunt north of Double Breasted. 

Some of Rosie's rentals

 "The Grand Cay group consists of five main islands (Grand, Big Grand, Little Grand, Rat & Felix Cays) with a settlement on Little Grand Cay marked with the prominent Batelco tower. About 200 people live there (2000). The waters round the cays are shallow, a mix of bone fish flats, mangrove channels & ocean beach. It's dinghy country, with good water colors, but the cays are not particularly beautiful..." That said, I don't agree that they "are not particularly beautiful" because the author doesn't mention the amazingly friendly, helpful & truly beautiful people on the island. Everyone smiles & not afraid to wave, say hello or stop & chat. It takes about a day to get to know almost everyone.
Before dinner at Rosie's restaurant, we had drinks at Rosie's bar. (We never met Rosie but he owns almost everything in town- marina; restaurant/bar; grocery/rental cottages & more stuff I'm sure) 
 

Very pretty Elaine, our bartender

 

Girl's day out at Rosie's

Laurel & I had the 'combo' of cracked conch & lobster tail - $21/each - prices have gone up. Lots of food-  leftovers-yes!. We also met the family who caught 70 - yes, 70 snapper.

They had their snapper cooked whole

They gave Laurel 3 snapper which gave me a chance to show her how to filet a fish.

She learns everything in a nano-second I swear

Our last time here was in 2007. (you can read our blog from then) I guess you figured out by now, I like to take pictures, especially of the kids...which I did in 2007. I printed out all the pictures of people I had taken 8 years ago & went ashore in search of them. I found all but a few but we sure met many others in the search. 
Inez was the most excited. She works at Rosie's grocery store - then & now. She left work at 1pm so I missed seeing her the first day. We walked the main road on Sunday, Father's day. I stopped to ask everyone I saw along the way showing them the pictures...everyone knew who & where they were. Inez lived across the street from a house I stopped at. I knocked at the door. Captain Winfield, Inez's husband came to the door. I showed him her picture...he said, "Nezzie, come out someone's here to see you". What a great reunion - hugging, touching, kissing. 

          Here are some of their pictures, then & now.   

circa 2007 - Still runs Rosie's grocery store to this day

 

2015 - Jason (see below for Jason in 2007), Inez & Captain Winfield

 

circa 2007 - Jason, Brenae, Legine, Brenyelle

circa 2007 - Angel & Blake - 3 years old

2015 - Blake now 11 years old - I found Angel but didn't get her picture-have no idea why ??

circa 2007 - PJ - age unknown & no one knows who the baby is ??

2015 - PJ & me

circa 2007 - Erinique

As we were walking through town, I saw a young girl with a little boy hop off a golf cart & go into a small store. I followed her & she said she was Erinique. Again, I didn't get a picture of her. (getting old sucks)
 

circa 2007 - Kenique & Julette

 

2015 - Julette standing next to me

 

2015 - Kenique on the right; George on the left (see below for George in 2007)

 

circa 2007 - George in his grocery store

Everyone asked for a copy - I promised to drop some copies of the pictures at the grocery in the morning. I should have remained in the grocery for the past 2 days as everyone I couldn't find, showed up including grandfathers, uncles, cousins of these kids. I couldn't keep track of everyone.
We walked further to the Batelco tower & found a little bar/restaurant called 'Ron's Place'. The bartender, Sam, had her 2 little kids & watching 2 others except Sam's kids left before I got their picture.

This is Ron

Sam with Wayne, Laurel & Arianna

Marco (makes the best conch fritters) Wayne, Laurel, Rarcado, Scupper & Jack

Arianna in Wayne's hat - picture taken by Rarcado

             We left Grand at 0930 on the 23rd & headed 

south - but to where ??

2015-6/16 to 6/19 - The crossing to West End, Grand Bahamas then to Double Breasted Cay

Tuesday, 6/16 - A gorgeous morning - sun just coming up. Anchor up @ 0730 - out the Port Everglades cut & into the ocean. We put the booms out but didn't need the 'fish'. Seas were a light chop at our bow, maybe 1-2 ft. The bulbous bow was doing its' job.
I was trolling a Ballyhoo all the way - nothing, Nada. I went into the galley for some reason & the boat slowed down a bit - NOW what's wrong?  Wayne yelled, FISH ON!! I raced out, climbed over the flopper stoppers & grabbed the pole & put it into my fish belt....I could feel him being very sly. Wayne & Laurel said, "I think he's gone" - no way, he's on there. The fight began; He jumped; I held my own; he held his own. Reeling slowly & steadily with constant tension on the line he came towards the boat. Beautiful Dolphin. Our mouths were watering. He jumped again & spit the hook. Everyone on the boat was silent for a moment...then OH SHIT!! 
We arrived at West End, Grand Bahama (Old Bahama Bay Resort) - anchored outside the resort at 4pm.

Customs office was closed.
Check in the next morning was a nightmare...Only the 'master' can go ashore to check in. Last time we docked right in front of the office, this time there were fishing boats lining the entire seawall. The staff directed us to a dock half-way around the marina. Poor Wayne must have taken four trips back & forth. I don't remember filling out all these forms- same information only on a different form. All three of us worked for an hour filling the damn things out. We didn't leave the marina until 1200! We won't check in here again.
 "Appropriately named, West End is strategically perched on the western edge of Little Bahama Bank, making it a convenient port of entry for boaters who have crossed the Gulf Stream & are heading to the Abacos or Berry's".

We headed for Great Sale Cay 40 miles away...took us 7.25 hours but traveling less than our normal 7 knots.

Intermittent rain along the way. Anchored for the night. "This uninhabited island is a favorite anchorage for cruisers making the passage between Florida & the Abacos".
 

Star fish are everywhere & be seen easily from the boat. This was probably in 10' of clear water

6/18  Dawn of another beautiful & hot day, but temps for sleeping have been wonderful. Anchor up at 1045 making way for Double Breasted Cay when we saw a small grouping of rocks called Barracuda Rocks - typical for the Bahamas to be in the middle of nowhere. I said, "that looks like it might be a good place to fish". We anchored - pole & bait ready. Wham - first hit was a yellow tail but too small to keep. But that means there's a mom & dad around ??? Baited the hook & tried again...nibble, nibble- little ones...then Bam! This was not a little one. The dogs were going crazy as usual & under foot trying to be the first to see the big boy. He gave me a good fight but I won in the end. A very nice, 20 inch Mutton Snapper. He looks pretty small in the cooler but he was a nice size & hefty filets.

Fresh fish is on the menu for tonight! I was excited as this is the first fish I caught in a very long time.
The day before, there was talk on the VHF radio that the small anchorage next to Sand Cay  (in the Double Breasted Cays). was full - no room for another boat to anchor. We arrived to check it out.

Double Breasted Cay anchorage

We saw 4 masts & a power cat - plenty of room today.
"An uninhabited group of islands on Little Bahama Bank. A spine of narrow rocky islands runs along the middle of the cays...The ability to read the water is critical in the slough through the middle of the islands to Sand Cay, which carries between 1.5 & 2 meters".  

Anchor down about 3pm. To the beach with the pups.

At low tide, the area to the right of the dinghy becomes a large, sandy beach

 
Met the people on the power cat then talked with Liz, Rick & their dog, Gilligan, on SORCERESS, a 50+ sturdy, wooden sailboat built in the early 60's. Happy hour & tour of this great old boat.                       

                      We stayed & played at Double Breasted another day.

So...where to next? Grand Cay maybe?

2015 - 6/2 to 6/15 - Summerland Key to Ft. Lauderdale

It was sunny & hot - high 80's - the wind was up a bit. Decided to wait another day to leave.
Out of the blue I got a call about the Livingston tender. His name was Ralf & was the caretaker for 2 homes on an island between Picnic Island & Ramrod Key. He came to BLUE MAX via his skiff. Wayne took him to the cottage to see it. Yahoo! he wanted it. Karen sent him the title & off he went.
NOW we can leave & we did on 6/2 - Anchor up at 9:30am...passed the 7-mile bridge about noon (believe it or not, many people ask how long the 7-mile bridge is - not kidding). It was overcast when we left Summerland but raining like hell in Marathon which made for confusing seas as we passed by in the ocean. It was raining as we passed under the Channel 5 bridge. All of a sudden, we lost all AC power - but then it came back on ? WTF? So we decided to anchor near Windley Key to figure out what was going on with the power but couldn't as it was now working ??
6/3  Anchor up @ 9am. Dark clouds & rain surrounded us but not a drop on us.  Passed Key Largo at 11:45. Making good time.

Under the 'new' Jew Fish bridge into South Biscayne Bay.

Jew Fish creek bridge

One of the 7 homes left - That's Biscayne Bay lighthouse in the background

 We arrived in 'Stiltsville' about 5 & worked our way out into the ocean again. 
"Seeming to float above Biscayne Bay's shallow seagrass beds, Stiltsville has a colorful history that dates back to the 1930s, when "Crawfish Eddie Walker" built the first shack on stilts above the water. Over the years more buildings were constructed, and the area took on an aura of mystery. Accessible only by water, the area was the place to see and be seen when visiting the winter resorts on nearby Miami Beach. Stories of illegal alcohol and gambling led to several police raids on the Bikini Club and Quarterdeck Club. At its peak in 1960, there were 27 structures on the flats, but hurricanes, fires and the ravages of being in such an exposed place made every building relatively short-lived". (interesting read on the internet)

Chart to get through Stiltsville

We could have continued on the ICW (inside route) but too many bridges & one was broken and locked in the down position.

Miami skyline

At 7:30 we passed Miami out in the ocean the passed under the Baker/Haulover bridge back into the ICW. We anchored on the west side of Beer Can Island, as locals call it, officially known as Sandspur Island. This has been a favorite anchorage of ours every time we're on the East coast of FL.  
6/4  Anchor up at 0700 & back out under the Baker/Haulover bridge and arrived in Lauderdale cut about 0900.
The New River has a swift current & is difficult to maneuver waiting for three bridges & get into a dock with a single engine. We meandered around until the slack tide then went up the river about 10:30 straight to our slip at Cooley's landing. 

3rd Ave. bridge - the first of three that have to open for us

Matt, the best Dock master, met us to help tie up the boat. 
Friday, 6/5 - It was overcast - a nice change from the blaring sun. Kathryn & her dog, Trixie, arrived for the weekend. We decided to eat 'in' & had pasta & Italian sausage. Kathryn insisted on sleeping on a blanket on the fly bridge...go figure?
6/6 - Sun - high 80's.  5:30 - Laural arrived from Jacksonville on Amtrak - she's cruising with us to the Bahamas. After a brief rest & a drink, we took a short stroll from the marina to a new restaurant called The Chimney. They serve Latin food in a small, quaint, remodeled, 1924 cottage with a prominent brick fireplace in the middle of the room. Eat inside or on the porch. Food & service was excellent.
6/7 - First Sunday, Jazz Brunch along the River Walk. Years ago, when we first experienced this monthly event, I was  excited to have brunch (I LOVE brunch)...but it wasn't brunch, just great music. We had to start the day off with a bang so we got Bloody Marys at the Briny.

At the Briny

Lots of people with blankets, chairs, coolers, food, drink & many, many dogs - all listening to music along the river. It was very hot but a wonderful day.

We played a few games of dominoes that night.
6/8 - Using Kathryn's car, Laurel & I went grocery & liquor shopping. What a fun day - yea, right! Putting everything away is the hard part. I keep a 'storage' list of everything that gets stowed in the three bins under the floor in the forward cabin - a challenge to remember to keep it current.

Sadly, we had to say good-bye to Kathryn & Trixie that afternoon. We'll miss them terribly.

OK, vacation's over. Laurel & I had our work cut out for us - pressure clean the fly bridge & sun screen curtains & deep clean the inside of the boat. Laurel is flexible enough to get to places I can't so she scrunched up on top of the lower helm station to clean windows, moldy frames & anything else she could reach. 

Who ever invented the mini blind must have been a torture specialist. Since we couldn't raise the blinds because they are screwed in, (a Wayne thing) we had to carefully put our hand between the slats to clean the inside of the window. Everything seemed to sparkle.
We finally got together with old friends, Bob & Stephanie who live in Miami. We met them by circumstance way back in 2001 at the Berry Island Club on Chub Cay.

circa 2001 - Stephanie & me @ the Berry Island Club

 

Circa 2001 - Bob & Stephanie

 

W&W; Stephanie, Bob & Laurel - 2015 @ The Chimney

The Berry Island Club is on the Eastern shore of Frazer’s Hog Cay – on the Eastward extension of Chub Cay. A captivating clubhouse with the kind of bar you dream about finding in the islands. It has a small, intimate restaurant, fantastic food and great hosts. Most 'restaurants' in the Bahamas require you to call ahead on the VHF to reserve dinner. Wayne called on the VHF to make dinner reservations. Good thing we did as all 14 seats were reserved after our call...except they overbooked by two. Bob & Stephanie turned out to be our table-mates... we've been friends since. 
6/12 - It was hot-no breeze...Laurel & I walked across the 7th Ave. bridge to Publix on Andrews Ave. Very neat store with a parking garage on the top floor. We sorta bought more than what was on our list & we had to take a taxi home. Wayne was working on the inverter again. I'd been asking him to call OutBack for help - but he didn't.  So, we still have issues with our AC power. Several months ago Wayne disconnected one of the inverters he thought wasn't needed & turned it into a (very expensive) battery charger. I suggested he switch the inverters & see if that would work to fix the issue.
Saturday, 6/13 - We left Cooley's Landing about 7:30am on the slack tide. We mulled around waiting for the fuel barge that was scheduled to be on the river at 8. It arrived at 10. Topped off the tanks at 220.8 Gal @ $2.90/Gal. then anchored in Lake Sylvia. You never know what you'll see in Lake Sylvia... 

Boyz & their toyz

Since Wayne was unable to fix the inverter, we stayed anchored for the weekend so he could call the company on Monday. They tried hard to figure out the problem but finally admitted they didn't know what was wrong & suggested he switch the inverters. Voila! it worked. I am NOT going to say 'I told you so' but...
Tuesday, 6/16 - A gorgeous morning - sun just coming up. Anchor up in Lake Sylvia @ 0730 - out the Port Everglades cut & into the ocean. We put the stabilizer booms out - just in case - but didn't need to use the 'birds'.
              Next Stop...WEST END, GRAND BAHAMAS