Bahamas 2015

Iris had some website work she needed to do in the morning, so kept awakening throughout the night. At 7 she got to work. After breakfast, we brought up the dinghy engine and dug out our dock lines for taking on fuel. Fred called the Conch Inn Marina but got no response via VHF. We decided to raise anchor and head over to the fuel dock - no dock hand in sight and we got ourselves tied up to the dock. Iris called the resort by phone and the operator took awhile, but finally told Iris that the dockmaster would be heading over. Finally! After fueling, the dockmaster informed Fred that he would have to go to the marina office in order to pay and drop off trash. Fred disappeared and it seemed like forever before he returned to Windwalker. By then the dockmaster had disappeared again. As we shoved off the dock, a sailboat approaching the fuel dock asked us how we contacted the dockmaster - we replied via phone. By now it was time to listen to the net as we left the harbor. Very disturbing news - a possible tropical storm was forming over the Northern Bahamas with possible landfall in FL and the East Coast on Tuesday. Where to go? What to do? We'll have to study more this afternoon. We continued motoring to Snake Cay.

Oh no - another anchoring drill. We got to Snake Cay around noon but kept failing to set and then had a chain jam so bad that Fred had to disassemble the windlass due to a knot in the chain in the anchor locker. Whenever we fail to hand flake the chain at 50 feet (such as in multiple anchoring attempts) we're asking for trouble. Finally, it felt like the anchor 'caught'. Not so much. When we swam on it after lunch, it was just sitting there not doing much of anything. We didn't recall a problem last time we were here - but the couple we met at Powell Cay had told us that they never were able to set their anchor in Snake. Let's hope for light winds and that our chain will hold us in place. Last time we were here, we were a little worried about our security. Same again. We were the only vessel in the anchorage and mid afternoon a car drove to the 'end of the road' and parked. The passenger(s)? opened one of their doors and the car stayed there for 2-3 hours with no one walking around. They left at dusk. And we locked ourselves in for the night! We briefly discussed moving to an anchorage further south in preparation for a passage on Sunday.

At around 3:40am the wind kicked up and was entering the anchorage. Iris checked the anchor alarm about every 20 minutes until she got up since our anchor set was so tenuous. Over breakfast we discussed the weather; we don't want to head to unknown anchorages in deteriorating conditions but let's do something else! How about Man O War since we'd like to run the water-maker, use the Internet and have good holding in a NE Blow. There were a couple of anchorages that would meet those needs. Oh Oh, the chart-plotter is acting up this morning with buttons not responding. We motor-sailed to Man-O-War. Our first anchorage choice was very bouncy; we went north of the charted cable and set the anchor however there was no internet and it too was uncomfortable. But we hadn't been in 'town' in over 20 years so it was time to explore and have lunch out. The dinghy was left at one of two dinghy docks. The inner anchorage moorings were almost all taken, many with bare-boat charter boats but some clearly permanent live-aboards. Our first stop ashore was to the Sail Shop. Iris bought her 'sailing' canvas hat there and was hoping for a replacement, but they didn't seem to make those kinds of hats anymore. We wandered through the well-kept streets and looked at some booths at a small church fair, ending up at Dock & Dine for an excellent harbour-side lunch. Everyone was having the 'special' as did we.

The tide had gone out quite a bit as we made our way back to Windwalker and we had to negotiate some very shallow spots. Next stop – back to Fisher's Bay. We managed to find a 'blue' sandy spot and set the anchor around 3pm. A quick snorkel confirmed that we had a much better set than we'd had at Snake Cay. At dusk, several charter catamarans came racing into the anchorage – some heading for moorings, but most anchoring in the middle of the mooring field (a no no). Everyone else was very nervous – with some shouting heard and many owners on deck making sure the newcomers were well-set. Some of the catamarans did drag and changed location. By dark the temperature dropped quite a bit – it was in the low 70's. We were in good spirits and comfortable. Review: Dock and Dine

Somewhere in the middle of the night the wind clocked to the NW. Depth was fine at 8' but we'd swung 80-90'. It was Sunday – what does one do in Great Guana on a Sunday? Go to the Nippers Pig Roast! Of course we hadn't done so since 2000 so time to check it out again. We figured all the catamarans were there for Nippers, but most had gone ashore last night and the anchorage cleared out in the morning. Perhaps Nippers will be empty? NOT!!! The place was hopping, with lots of folks bringing their luggage with them, just arriving or leaving by ferry. In the last 15 years a lot had changed: there was a very organized payment setup, along with drink tabs. Tickets in hand, the next improvement was that the buffet was indoors and overflowing as opposed to running out of food. Winds were blowing at over 20 knots so we opted to eat inside – where music was dampened somewhat, along with the breeze. There was an indoor bar running the same 'tab'. Happy and sated, we left the bar scene and walked the roads nearby. The seas were high and breaking oceanside and the temperature had continued to drop. Back at the boat we took 'cold' joy baths and Fred noted that we'd dragged 15-20' overnight but now the anchor was totally buried. The forecast was for further deteriorating weather and rain Monday through Tuesday night, so we may leave tomorrow.

Our plans for the day had included updating our Active Captain database which had gotten corrupted and to read our Sunday paper online – using OOINET. The hotspot was down all day and phone calls to OIINET went unanswered. We managed to read the paper on Iris' phone, but we were disappointed in our internet service.

Excitement for the day was not over....Iris went to the engine room to switch water tanks and saw the 'floor' was wet. Fred checked the back bilge and there was LOTS of water. Of course it was after dinner and dark out. The generator vented loop had failed and sprayed saltwater all over the port lazarette. Fred replaced it. Lucky it wasn't something worse. Review: Nipper's Beach Bar and Grill

It began raining at 6am and all the anchored vessels were pointing E. After reviewing the weather forecast on Barometer Bob and having breakfast we decided to head to Marsh for shelter. Something is brewing that may or may not become a tropical storm. We motor-sailed over and were anchored by 10am, with somewhat of an anchoring drill. The wind was blowing 15-20 and the chain got caught on the 2nd CQR on the bow roller. Iris signaled for Fred to move forward so she could release the chain and we had a good set. But by now we were too close to another boat and a shallow spot; so we moved about 5 boat lengths further up – much better!

Great OOINET signal. The weather was still cooperating so we took the opportunity to head ashore and besides a trash-run, see if we couldn't negotiate an extra day of internet service, since we'd totally lost a day. We were surprised to see a young 'boat boy' trying to help us with our dinghy painter at the dinghy dock. Fred rebuffed his services and the young man wasn't having any luck with anyone else. I think this was a first for us in the Abacos or elsewhere in the Bahamas. We headed to the OOINET offices, where the owners were 'in'. They granted us the extra day however insisted that the hotspot was up all day and showed us as being logged in with traffic. We weren't going to debate it but we did enjoy talking about old times – using their services in 2000 by bringing our laptop ashore, in 2003 by renting a dongle for their network, and other tech talk. By now it was time for lunch, so we headed to Curly Tails and then on to Iggy Biggy across the street for t-shirts and some Christmas ornaments. It was a somewhat wet ride back to the boat. The captain of a neighboring sailboat came by to chat. He was south-bound. Fred worked on cleaning exhaust stains off the hull. Review: Curly Tails

It rained through the night with some high winds Water dripped on Iris' face with the hatch closed – guess we have a leak. After breakfast it began to rain in earnest – we guessed around 5-6” at a minimum. This is stupid – we should be collecting water! We were reluctant to put it in the tanks, but we put out all of our various containers and Iris filled and refilled containers. The salinity of the water was an amazing 4-5 PPM! Good stuff, rain ;-)! After the rain abated Iris used the water to wash decks, wash hair/bathe, and she still had 8 gallons left. There was way too much static to listen to the radio altho' the internet worked well. The 'storm' later formed as TS Ana. Weather no longer an issue – we're headed south to Lynyard Cay tomorrow.

The weather continues to suck - it started to rain around 6:30am. We want to head home some way - perhaps let's just go back the normal route and head to Water Cay for tonight. We went ashore for the 'final' trash run and disagreed on where to go next. Why not wait a couple of more days before deciding which way to go back and see if the winds improve for the Berry's. We changed our plans again and headed for Buckaroon Bay for the expected W/SW winds tonight. On our way we were seeing 20-25 knots on the nose from the S - not what was forecast but ok for Buckaroon. We anchored at 1pm, sitting right on top of the same spot we were on 5/7 two years ago. The only other vessel around was departing as we arrived. The winds were too high for dinghying around, but we snorkeled off the boat. Windwalker is coated in salt! Our bilge pump alarm went off while underway; fortunately it was just a leak in our sun-shower bag. No one else arrived by dark. We also had great phone data if we need to file a float plan for heading south.

The winds abated and when we awoke the seas were flat. Iris suggested that these were probably the best conditions ever for taking Windwalker to Sandy Cay (National Park) to snorkel. Fred came up with an alternative since we were so well anchored - why not just dinghy from here? We'd be able to pick up one of the small boat moorings. So around 10, we headed for the 2 mile run, pointing in the general direction of Sandy Cay. Conditions continued to be flat, and we picked up a mooring on the 'ocean' side with almost no swell. There were a couple of other small vessels in the area with folks snorkeling. Just as Fred jumped in the water with his snorkel gear, his mask strap broke! So close but so far! He got back in the dink and managed to re-attach/jury-rig the strap and off we went. The reef, while pretty, was not as dramatic as we expected. There was a lot more fire coral than we'd seen in a very long time anywhere. While there were a lot of fish, there weren't large schools. Fred missed a large ray that swam an arms length in front of us as he was investigating something else. But finally - we'd gotten here after several attempts in the past. We had a fast dinghy ride back to Windwalker to drop off our snorkel gear and the outboard stalled a few feet away, but Fred quickly restarted it and we headed to the beach to explore. By now we'd made another decision - we were going to leave for the Berry Islands tomorrow. So we brought up the dinghy engine at around 12:30 and mid-afternoon started preparing for sea. The east coast of the the southern part of Great Abaco has little in the way of shelter so we were going to have a long run, with the goal of getting to Sandy Point, an unprotected anchorage on the very southern part of the island. We put together our ditch bag, put out the jacklines, filed our 'float plan' with family and made reservations for the 'renowned' via Active Captain, Great Harbour Marina for Saturday. Iris set a wakeup alarm for 5am.

Iris got up a few times during the night and finally stayed up at 4:45 to check the weather. No wind. We were hoping for some with a northerly or easterly component. Fred got up at around 5:15 and he suggested waiting another day. Iris asked if we would leave if we were back in 'cruising' mind-set. The answer was "Yes". More back and forth between us and finally we decided to go for it! We left 15 minutes late at 6:15 and raised our mainsail just short of North Bar channel. Shortly thereafter we saw several fishing boats heading out of Little Harbour. Other than that there were a few northbound sailboats. We saw 2-3', to 3-5' seas enroute with winds from the S at 9-10knots. After we made the turn at Hole in the Wall, then conditions were flat to 1'. We tried sailing only, but were moving too slowly. For those interested, we had phone/data coverage from up to 7 miles offshore for much of our passage and at Hole in the Wall. We also saw a good Bahamas Wi-max signal at Sandy Point. We worked our way into the roadstead anchorage and had good holding in sand in 8'. There was a slight roll that made Fred queasy. While we did not go ashore, Sandy Point seemed to have a few nice houses on the beach, and definite employment on the Disney island Gorda Cay - where we could see Disney Fantasy on the horizon. It left shortly after we anchored and ferries brought workers (and/or entertainers) from Gorda Cay aka Castaway Cay. Another sailboat anchored further offshore in deeper water after dusk. We had a quiet night with good sky.

Iris got up at around 5:45 before sunrise. The sea was calm, whippoorwills sounded onshore, and engines from the ferry heading to Castaway Cay broke the calm. This morning, it was Disney Magic approaching the Cay. We raised anchor around 6:45 and motor-sailed the entire way against adverse current and lots of shipping traffic easily identifiable with AIS. Amazingly, we had phone/data coverage for most of the way. Majesty of the Seas was visible from over 12 miles away as we approached Little Stirrup Cay. Both Little and Great Stirrup had a lot of structures on shore. We turned south along the western shore of the Berry's and found the almost hidden channel into the protected harbor, arriving at the marina around 3pm. A dock hand helped us tie up in our assigned slip, only for all of us to realize we couldn't reach the power/water connections. So a 'drill' to move us to the adjoining slip and getting us settled. Iris checked in at the office and we tentatively planned to stay a week. First order - showers! Fred hosed off the boat and we had our ritual Friday night dinner below, enjoying the air-conditioning. Then it was time to explore. A map of the area given to us at the marina office, showed a place from which to view the sunset. Halfway there, the sun had set, so Iris balked at continuing our search - maybe another day. Iris did the dishes with the remaining rain-water - 5 days worth of water - great! A sailboat docked next to us at around 8:30pm.

It's Sunday! We'd read on Active Captain and Tripadvisor that Carriearl was the place to go for brunch. It is also the only restaurant on Great Harbour Cay that takes credit cards. It is pretty much a cash-only island, except for the marina. Anyway - Iris called and made a reservation for 11:30 and we started our 1/2 hour walk to get there. We had no idea what to expect. The proprietors greeted us and seated us at coffee table/sofa for our complimentary mimosas while we perused the menu. Another couple there left shortly after we arrived. We enjoyed speaking with the owners in the lovely setting.

Back at the boat we noted that not only had the vessel next to us left, so too had many others. The place seemed dead. It was clear that Fred was bored already. Clearly off-season is not the time to be here if boater camaraderie is what one seeks. Iris had, for the second time this trip, a severe reaction to alcohol coupled with exertion and heat. She felt like she was about to pass out after the walk and Fred quickly got her down to the air conditioning to cool down. We spent the afternoon relaxing, updating websites and walked to see the sunset, this time successfully! Review: Carriearl

Fred did some projects in the morning. Around 11 we walked the 1.3 miles to the Beach Club, where we had lunch and then walked the long beach. We were surprised to see 3 catamarans anchored off shore in large, uncomfortable looking swells. On the way back we explored the Yacht Club ruins. The Berry Islands had a glamorous history in the 60s/70s before falling into disrepair. We read up on the history when we got back to the boat: See Great Harbour Cay History. We hoped to rent a motor scooter to explore the island - and stopped by Happy People at the marina; they said they no longer rented scooters and we could pay $40 for a car or $60 for a golf cart. Neither choice appealed to us. Iris asked Hans how to walk to town and he gave her directions - perhaps tomorrow? A couple of sailboats came in - both planning their returns to FL. One spent the season in Eleuthera; the other went as far as the Turks and Caicos. We passed on the weekly marina pot-luck and ate below. Fred started campaigning for leaving on Wednesday in order to get home on Thursday so we wouldn't be on passage for Iris' Friday birthday. Iris had hoped to have her birthday dinner at Carriearl. Oh well. Review: Beach Club

We both spent the morning on chores. Iris worked on a good cleaning below while Fred worked on our outboard. It showed signs of problems after our long trek to Sandy Cay and he found several things wrong, including a broken tang that secures the top. Nothing a short line can't fix. We then both worked above decks, cleaning our exterior. A Canadian couple, anchored outside the harbour, dinghyed to the marina. They said that they'd tried to head to Grand Bahama two days in a row and turned back. We discussed other alternatives since they were FL bound. Don't know what they finally decided to do. After lunch, we used the overhauled outboard as an excuse to do some dinghy exploring. Bardot Beach (yes - she was one of the movie stars who spent time here in it's heyday) was our destination, and we sat in the water at this tiny beach. We saw some small fish and a ray jump. Walking through the trees, we found a road which we walked a bit. We dingyied back to the marina. We ate dinner at the restaurant right near the marina - Rocky Hill Pool Bar and Restaurant - an open air affair. Food was definitely cooked to order on the grill near the bar ;-). We were the only diners, although there was a newly-wed couple at the bar. We went to sleep to sounds of thunder. Review: Rocky Hill Pool Bar and Restaurant

Iris awoke at 5am. Fred had been sleepless, anxious to leave. We discussed the weather and at 6am decided it was a go. So we crammed in breakfast, float plan, weather, route, dinghy and outboard up, checking out of the marina, and were out of our slip by 7:30! Since we would have many hours on the banks, we did our 'sea' preparation enroute. Naively, we hoped to anchor on the banks for the night and continue to Lake Worth inlet in the morning. Our decision point was in about 6 hours. Around lunch time we approached a freighter anchored in the middle of nowhere. As Iris was bringing up Fred's sandwich he rebuffed her with a "Not now". I looked around and saw a large skiff with about 7 men in it veer off their course to the freighter and head towards us at high speed. We stared at them, one of them waved and they changed course back to the freighter. We were tense. The wind was behind us (better than on the nose). When we reached our decision point it was clear that anchoring on the banks was not to be - the chop would make it untenable. Ok - an overnight it will be. Had we thought about it more, we could have changed our route to anchor off of North Bimini, but by the time that occurred to us, we were too far north to make that a viable alternative.

We continued on our way and once in the Gulf Stream, started to see a lot of shipping traffic. AIS showed us that we were on a collision course with Majesty of the Seas. Fred hailed the cruise ship on 16 and they nicely changed course to avoid us. We continued to be surprised at how many sailboats now had AIS transponders and were identifiable. We were making good time in the Gulf Stream and conditions weren't too uncomfortable. At 5:15am, about 10 miles from the Lake Worth Inlet, we were suddenly lit up with a spotlight with another fast approaching vessel. This time it was the Coast Guard. They came up alongside, shining their lights on us and shouted their questions (due to our and their engine noises) - where were we going, where did we come from, how many onboard, any weapons, did we buy anything? Then they wished us a safe trip and sped away. We were at our slip by 7:45, called Customs/Immigration and were home by 8:45am. We went out to breakfast, then to the Port of Palm Beach to clear Immigration. We opted to sign up for the local boater option/SVRP at the suggestion of the officer so that our future re-entries will be conducted by phone. While we were waiting in the 2-way mirror 'lobby' once again, a Canadian couple had difficulty with their paperwork and were denied clearance. They were still dealing with the officials when our papers were approved and we were officially home!