April 2018

Early April brought us into Kidd Cove in George Town.  This is very convenient for filling the jerry cans with water, grocery shopping and such.  After filling up with water & groceries we decided to head to the Ragged (Jumentos)  Islands.  Early on the morning of the 11th we were underway to Water Cay.  It was a beautiful morning with perfect winds so off we went.  Cell coverage is very good in the Bahamas and we have better internet here than with Verizon in the US.  The phone rang while we were underway and it was charging in the galley.  I walked over to answer it and my feet got wet!  Not a good thing to have water inside the boat..... It turned out to be fresh water (good news) but as there is no place to get water down Ragged Island way, and since we were not really sure what was causing the tank to leak, prudence (our crew & constant companion) dictated that we turn around & fix the problem before any more adventures.

It was a quick fix as it turned out.  The silicon seal on top of the access port of the tank and failed.  We were heeled quite nicely so the water was flowing out of it.  Fixed and refilled we needed to decide what to do.  There was yet another front coming that was forecast to be nasty so we moved across the harbor to just off Chat N Chill on Stocking Island.  The front turned out to be an non-issue, but we made a trip to Lumina Point for lunch one day & were glad we did!

They are new, only a year or two old, they're eco-friendly, lots of solar & wind power and the food was fantastic & prices reasonable.  The bar was some sort of concrete with bands of conch shell inlaid.

 

 

 

 

 

Their own garden, conch stand, water sports and beautiful villas!

They were completely booked so we were not able to tour a villa but we met some folks staying there and they were very pleased.  LuminaPoint.com!

Of course we made the obligatory trip to Chat-N-Chill where we met a really nice family on Stray Cat.

 
 
 

 

The Bahamian Police boat came by and at first we thought Stray Cat was being boarded....It seems they took the wife & kids for a ride in their go fast boat!  The kids had a blast!

 

 

 

By this time we were getting bored the George Town and decided to head back to Long Island as the winds were not good for sailing to Cat and the Raggeds were too far to go and be back for Family Island Regatta.  We pulled anchor early and were surprised to see a mail boat coming up behind us.  Remember, everything is shipped in & around the Bahamas so this is a common site.

 

It turned out to be a glorious sail where we were holding 7+knots.  Those who know us know that we are the slow boat so that was fast for us.

We had a wonderful time on Long Island including a girls day with the Mermaid Mix!  We want to get back to GT before the Family Island Regatta starts so we can find an anchor spot back in Kidd Cove.  We like being a short dink ride from the start and the festivities on shore are always fun.  The 21st finds us back underway and maybe we can catch some Barry (barracuda) for our new friend Gregory back in George Town. He said he would take all we can catch & will barter veggies for them! 

The next posting will be the Family Island Regatta.

Later

March 2018

Early March 2018 found us once again in Pipe Creek.  The plan had been to anchor at Belle Island, now owned by Aga Khan, but new fees to anchor in Exuma Park, and a good breeze had us sailing into the cut near Over Yonder Cay. 

Burger Nite is always a hit on our boat, and just after the front another boater came up & asked if we would like a couple of conch!  How nice.....and how tasty too!  As there is no shortage of funds with the second homeowners in this area we also saw a few seaplanes land.

 

Over the years we have gotten to know many locals on many various Islands and Black Point is no exception.  Reverend & Mrs. Adderly who have Adderly's Friendly Market are among those we are happy to call friends.  Many years ago Mrs. Adderly showed us her garden & gave us some fantastic tomatoes.  About three years ago Reverend Adderly had a stroke and we were quite worried about him.  He is doing well as this photo shows.  Mrs. Adderly was off island at the time.

 

Another good friend is Ida Patton who runs Rockside Laundry in addition to guest cottages.   No picture of this beautiful lady but she is on Facebook.  We took some long beach walks, met nice folks & decided to head up to Staniel Cay for a look before yet another front came through.

Staniel Cay id an interesting place.  For those of you old enough to remember the James Bond movie "Thunderball" (with Sean Connery - the real James Bond!), part was filmed here.  The grotto which features prominently in the movie is fantastic.  You snorkel into this  cave which has about a 40ft ceiling.  It is a 'no take' zone and folks bring in baggies full of bread & the fish will eat from your hand.  Club Thunderball closed many years ago but the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is going strong & had a major remodel a couple of years ago.

 

 

 

We decided to make Little Farmers Cay our next stop and what a wonderful time.  We went to see JR the local wood carver to get a carved grouper, sold out, but a great visit anyway!  Of course we HAD to stop at Farmers Cay Yacht Club and visit Mr. Roosevelt Nixon for an ice cold Kalik

 
 

.There is a new tourist spot on Little Farmers, I call it the Turtle Stop.  They bring in tourists from Staniel, George Town & other spots to see & feed the sea turtles.  First they ring the 'dinner bell'!  A Bahamian will walk in waist deep water & hit a conch shell with a hammer.  The local turtles will swim in & the guys will hand feed them conch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course since we were not paying participants we only watched but it was really fun.  These turtles have all been tagged by the Bahamian government and are closely monitored.   During our first visit 2002/2003 you could actually buy a turtle burger or turtle steak in a restaurant or grocery but about 8 years ago it was made illegal to harvest them.  We see so many more these days.  Especially when sailing and the boat is moving through the water with no engine noise you can sail right by them.  Nature is beautiful.

Of course no visit to Little Farmers is complete without a stop at Ocean Cabin and another ice cold Kalik.  The sign says it all.

 

By this point we had decided that due to our late crossing we were not even going to get as far as George Town this season, much less Long Island.  I sent a message to friends Penny & Jeannie that we would see them next time.  Imagine my surprise when we ran out of water in one tank & Rob said "well, we could go back to Rock Sound for water (to the north) or we could get water at George Town."  I told him that if we were going to GT for water then we should just go to Salt Pond (Long Island) too.  His answer????  Of Course!  so that is what we did.

We were fishing on the outside and got a nice hit on a rod.  Saw a good size dolphin (mahi) then the line went slack.  Somebody ate our dinner fish!

We arrived in GT and did our usual grocery/water chores and decided that we would splurge for our 11th wedding anniversary and go to Lumina Point.  Yet another front was due that night so we postponed the celebration. 

We arrived at Salt Pond on the 22nd and were involved with a beach clean for a wedding on the 23rd!  We raked up the seaweed at Deans Blue Hole for a Bahamian Wedding the following afternoon.  Not hard, very rewarding and spent some time with some of our favorite folks, and had a flat on the way back!

A great day on the beach with friends,

 

 

 

 

 

And finally our anniversary dinner at Chez Pierre.  It was also Jeannie's birthday and we had a wonderful time.

If you have followed this blog you know that we have what we call Boaters Beach where many a Happy Hour has been held.  This season was no exception at the 'New & Improved' area with new tables, a shade, a fire pit & a smoker!  Rob & Brad (S/V What Next) did some wonderful slow cooked ribs with all of the ladies bringing their favorite side dishes.  Jeannie (S/V What Next) brought coleslaw enhanced with pineapple & rum,  Kim (S/V Freedom) brought baked beans, Bess (S/V Alibi II) corn muffins, various snacks and I made Bahamian Mac & Cheese.  Of course JoAnne from M/V Expatriate (former S/V Expatriate) made her wonderful Rhum Balls.  Should you ever meet this fine lady in an anchorage & have the opportunity to try them....do!

 

 

There were a couple of crossed wires so we ended up without a ride to the beachfront sunrise Easter Services and due to circumstances no boaters attended the mini Regatta held Easter Monday.  That was really a shame as it is always nice for us as guests to show up & participate/support these type of local events.  We missed Mutton Fest, which is one of my very favorite events by one week but it could not be helped.  Next year?

That pretty much sums up March.  While we were having a wonderful time in Salt Pond/Thompson Bay, it was time to move. 

After a rolly night in the anchorage at Calabash we crossed to Conception Island.  This is a no take land & sea park and is a nesting place for sea turtles, conch, sooty & noddy terns, sharks, rays & others.  We decided to take the dink & circumnavigate the island as the weather was calm.  Not too many folks do this and every beach we walked on the west side of the island had no footprints but ours.

 

 

We are running low on water & there are two cold fronts with strong westerlies so we are heading to Chicken Harbor aka George Town where we will ride them out then head to Cat Island and return to GT for the Family Island Regatta at the end of April.

Later