Early February 2021

 

We had a lovely sail from Kidd Cove to Thompson Bay, Long Island.  We were the first boat to leave in the morning but in true Hampshire Rose fashion we were the last to arrive that afternoon.  Well, we were sailing & all the boats that past us were motor-sailing. 

It had been a long day leaving at 0640 and arriving at 1410 (2:10pm) so we opted for “Pizza Night”, always a favorite for us.

We contacted our friends (2^nd homeowners) Mike & Dawn & Brad & Jeannie (also of SV What Next) to get together in the coming days. 

Brad & Jeannie had some errands to run the next day & invited us to go “up south” with them.  I know, we Americans say ’down south’ but on Long Island the prevailing winds put you going upwind when heading south, hence the name from when most travel along the island was by boat.

We stopped at A & M Electric where after hurricane Juaquin we had sorted out donated clothing.  While Brad did not find what he was looking for, Jeannie & I found some beautiful orchids.

                               They also had beautiful price tags!

A couple of more stops where we ran into our friends (and Brad & Jeannie’s neighbors) Keith & Ann Fox.  We made arrangements to meet for lunch at Forest 2 a great place for burgers or anything really and all the seating is outdoors.

On Saturdays in Salt Pond there is a Farmers Market.  I’ve posted pictures in years past but did not take any on this day.  There were wonderful fresh lima beans, pigeon peas, baked goods & crafts.  We picked up some local limas & kale.  There is a woman there, I think her name is Ann & she had beautiful bags & masks.  We will be back I’m sure.

Brad & Jeannie had invited us over for dinner and it was great as usual.

Keith & Ann joined us and it was fun.

We keep the camera nearby each sunset trying to catch that elusive “green flash”.  Yes, it does happen and our friend Bobby on Barefootin was able to get a picture years ago.  No flash this night, but beautiful anyway.

We needed a change of scenery so we decided to head to the north end of the island.  Since we were in no hurry, after we had run the fridge & charged the batteries a bit, we had a wonderful sail to Cape Santa Maria.

There were a number of cruising boats anchored just off the resort of Cape Santa Maria so we decided to anchor closer to the southern end of the bay.  The anchorage is known to be rolly and this was no different in the afternoon but as the sun went down it became calm & made for a good night’s sleep.

A few years & a few hurricanes ago we got the big boat into Joes Sound.  It was quite intimidating as the entrance is quite narrow with a rocky ledge underwater on either side.  We had plenty of water and rode out a front comfortably so we decided to check it out by dink & see how it was.

It was a half tide falling when we went and there was only one spot that would have given us trouble.  It’s good to have a hidey hole in case you ever need one.

There were a few damaged boats & a couple that obviously live there.

Looking at the different shades of water lets you know where it shallow & shallower!

We knew there was a way to go thru Joes Sound and end up near the resort.  We also knew that there would be a small road bridge we would need to go under.  Since it was a falling tide we decided to see if we could do it.

                                       

We saw that the current was moving quite fast but decided to go for it.

What a ride!  The way through was not much wider than the dink & luckily the videos didn’t catch all of the cursing.  We bounced into the mangroves and Rob ended up with a few scratches on his back but did not tear his shirt.  As we were cleaning out the leaves & branches from the dink, I found a snail on my leg.  Now, I adore escargot but this one was a bit too small.  We did it though!  We circumnavigated Galliot Cay!  It is the cay that the resort sits on.

                                                 Yes, they are cacti!

Well, all of that work & excitement called for a Kalik so off to the resort we went.

On the way back to the big boat we spied this home for sale.  We will call, but as it is now the weekend we’ll wait until Monday.  We could sell my home in Virginia & get an inexpensive condo.  Worth thinking about.

Ok, now we have been bitten by the adventure bug.  Perhaps it is because we know that this may be our last year cruising.  If not, we are certainly winding down.  We did start in 2002 and it has been a wonderful life, one we do not wish to stop doing.  We also realize that we are not getting any younger.

That being said, we decided to go to the Columbus Monument.  We have done this several times over the years & have posted lots of pictures.  This trip is different for two reasons.  The first being that the government of the Bahamas has not only put in a paved four lane road to the monument.  The second is that instead of the rough-hewn path there are now beautiful concrete stairs with a railing to boot.

Oh yea, there is a third reason.  We are making the trip not by car, but by dink!

                                                Notice the profile?

Once inside the water was peaceful.  We thought perhaps we could make it all the way to the “Busted Bridge” but no.

Here is what the Columbus Monument looks like today.

                                                                   See our dink above?

                                      It was a great deal of fun.

We had decided to move on but the head decided we needed to stay another day to repair it.  As usual we do not like to stay in an anchorage too long so we have decided to move on towards the defunct Alligator Marina & Baines Bluff.

I am not sure if this will come out or not.  If you can listen it kind of sums up Salt Pond & Mutton Fest which sadly will not happen again this year due to Covid.  More next time

                Copy of long Island Mutton Festival Audio from Rodney Gibson

 

January 2021 Cat Island

 

We left Rock Sound and had a wonderful motor-sail to Little San Salvador.  It is also known as “Half Moon Cay” renamed by Holland America and other cruise lines that have built their version of an “authentic Bahamian village” including an “authentic Bahamian Church”. Right.  Well since the cruise ships are not operating because of COVID-19 we had a wonderful couple of days there.

Speaking of cruise ships, there is an area in Eleuthera called Princess Cay after Princess Cruise Lines. Seeing a pattern here?  Again, it is not very active as the ships are sidelined. Many locals have lost their jobs since the lines stopped running as well as the restaurants, tour operators & gift shops.

We arrived at Little San Salvador late in the afternoon & Barry stopped by for a visit.  That’s Mr. Barracuda.

We decided to go for a dinghy explore since there were no guests on the island & the swim net (to keep Barry out) had been removed we could actually get close.

We went around to see what we could see.  Only the harbor area is developed for the cruise ship guests and the remaining part of the island is basically pristine.  We have had an underwater camera for a few years now but we’ve always been leery of actually putting it underwater. 

It also takes video and I thought I had gotten some good film of fish.  Unfortunately, the off button is right next to the record button and since I was in the dink & not in the water….. No footage.  Won’t make that mistake again.

We saw a couple of rays & there was an area that reminded us of Conception Island where inside was basically a hatchery for conch & turtles.  We tried to get in but the tide was ebbing & we ran out of water.  Maybe next time.

We went out into the Atlantic as it was very calm. There were 2 – 3-foot rollers with several seconds in-between.  It was a bit rough to beach the dink without swamping it though.  

We decided to take a walk on the beach on our return trip where the water was a bit calmer.   We found a campsite with a tent & coolers but no people.  There were freshly cleaned conch shells around so we thought maybe we would go out a bit after our walk.  As it turned out we did not have to.

Can you spot the ray?

Some of the conch were mature enough to become dinner!  Not being greedy we only took three.

This was the first time we had ever spent a full day at Little San Sal as we call it and it was a great deal of fun.  It will be a stopover as long as the cruise ships are out of commission.

We decided to bypass Orange Creek on Cat Island since we really did not need any provisions and the weather forecast had changed (again) and west winds were expected in a few days.  Our plan was Pompey Rocks, Fernandez Bay, New Bight then Old Bight but as usual our plans were etched in sand at low tide.  Pompey Rocks are just north of Bennetts Harbour.  Many years ago, we could get the big boat into Bennetts but in recent years a sandbar has formed just inside.  We decided to see exactly how shallow it had become so off in the dink we went.  Our boat draws 4.5 feet per the specs but we call it 5 since we are loaded up for cruising.  No matter, 4.1 was the deepest part of the bar across the entrance.

Since we were out & about, we decided to see what was up with the cottages for rent & such.  As it turned out, there were quite a few people there.

We had decided to head to New Bight for the west wind.  Not great protection but better than most of Cat Island.  On the way Rob decided to take a look at Smith Bay where the islands packing house is and where the mailboat comes.  In years past we had anchored there but the last time we looked there was no room for us to anchor as there were a number of smaller local boats inside.  Wonder of wonders, there was room!  Bennetts Harbour & Smith Bay are the only 2 spots with any decent protection from the west.  Since Bennetts was out we were very happy to get into Smith.

After the boat was secured, we decided to take a walk & see what had changed.  As it turned out, not much.  We noticed one of the “shacks” was open and stopped and spoke with the young lady running it before we walked over to the grocery.  She told us she was open at 6am every morning and serves breakfast & lunch.  We later noticed that she closed anytime between 4 & 5pm.  We needed some milk and a few things but the shop was looking pretty bare on the fresh items.  That surprised us as we remembered it as being a very nice store.  One of the folks said that the mailboat would be coming that night.  Everyone seemed to know we were from the boat in the harbor and were quick to say “Mon, you don wanna be in de way, ya move da boat.”  We heard he came at 10pm, 3am, 6am. We heard he came from Nassau, from Exuma, from Eleuthera.  We heard he backed into the ramp, and also that he came in bow first and turned around inside the harbor.  We walked over to where the ramp (ro-ro style) would come down and knew that if he backed in, we would not be in his way.    We went back to the bar/restaurant and had a Kalik & some conch fritters and learned the girls name was Linda. We asked about breakfast and she was going to have one of our favorites, Sheep Tongue Souse.  We told her we would see her in the morning but not at 6am!  The fritters were so good that we did not fix our dinner.

 

Sure enough, as we were getting ready to turn in, I saw a light and there he was, The Cape Mail, already turned around & backing into the harbour.  We watched for awhile and decided we would go to shore for breakfast as mail boat day is a big social event.

We went back to Linda’s place & ordered food.  A breakfast sandwich for Rob & souse for me.  Rob had finished half of his meal and said he was sweating.  I looked over and his shirt was completely soaked on his chest.  He said he didn’t feel too good & kind of rocked in his chair.  I said why don’t you put your head on the counter.  I thought that was what he was doing and then his eyes rolled back and he fell from the stool to the ground.  The chair was the height of a barstool and made from 2x4’s.  Very heavy & high.  (see the pics above) I broke his fall as best I could and he ended up with only a very minor scrape on his forehead and a bruise on his arm.  As he fell his legs became tangled in the wood of the chair.  I called out that I needed a doctor.  Linda poked her head out of the kitchen & two ladies, English tourists, came to help me untangle Rob.   He was still out but I called his name out and stroked his forehead & he woke right up.  Even better, he was coherent.  I would not let him try to stand. The nurse arrived about 10 minutes later, took his blood pressure 80/60, immediately called the doctor who was in another settlement and said he needed to go to the clinic.  He rode with another Linda, Mrs. Bannister with the nurses’ aid as her car seats reclined & I rode with the nurse.

I think this is every boater’s nightmare.  The doctor got some medical history and an EKG was done.  He was given a liter of IV solution, basically saline and told to have a few more tests done sooner rather than later.  The doctor did not think it was necessary to Medevac him to Nassau.  Since that time, we have been keeping a log of his BP & pulse several times a day. 

Rob had said a few times prior to this that this may be our last year.  I have always said that the decision would be his and when the time came, I would not argue the point.  We have always planned to move back into my home in Norfolk.  We refinanced a few years ago for an addition that did not happen.  Those funds will be used to remodel the home.  Lord Knows it needs it after the last two tenants. Hopefully, his health will be good after these tests & we can keep cruising.  If not, we will move into our home in Norfolk and begin the remodel.  Neither of us wants to be a CLOD (Cruiser Living On Dirt) but we are not getting any younger.

Two days later we headed to Georgetown in the Exuma chain.  Rob pretty much took it easy while I minded the boat.  We moved because yet another strong cold front was headed our way & we did not want to try to weather a second one in Smith Bay.

What can I say, Georgetown was Georgetown.  Same ole stuff with the 8am cruiser net.  Still a good grocery and still free water.   This is the third largest city in the Bahamas and we did not feel comfortable being out & about. We topped our water tanks yesterday and are going to Long Island, always a highlight of our trip.

We have been monitoring Rob’s BP & pulse for a week and so far, all is well.  We will probably head to Florida in a few weeks after Rob contacts his doctor.  We can put the boat in a marina, rent a car & drive.

That’s it for now & for January 2021.