2002-2003

Windwalker Log - June/July, 2003

06/01/03	Hamburger Beach, Stocking Island, Exumas, Bahamas It rained at 12:30am. When we listened to BASRA at 7am, we heard new news. Bahamas was going to raise their customs fees for boats from $100 to $300 but not sure what the effective date would be. And it didn't matter if you entered for 1 day or 1 year. The discussion was cynical. Sportsfisherman from Florida don't bother to clear in at all, or if they do, they do once a year and don't send in their permits when leaving the country. We sure wouldn't come here on a two week cruise vacation from Florida anymore. And we'd seriously consider bypassing the Bahamas if heading south, unless we wanted to spend some time there. Settlements like Georgetown (or Rock Sound) who depend (or want to depend) on visiting yachts will be hurt badly. It'll be interesting to see what the rationale was for deciding this. We considered dinghying the two miles to Georgetown to use the payphone to call Fred's sisters since we were even more worried. But we decided to use some of our remaining Iridium minutes. One of Fred's sisters was home and said the phone was disconnected temporarily while his mother changed locations. We were relieved and were told how to reach his mom. Sapphire called us on the SSB - they were headed to Dominica tomorrow. Riverdance was bypassing Dominica and heading directly to Martinique. We read and relaxed most of the day. It was in the 90s and very humid - we could hardly move. In late afternoon, after reaching Fred's mom (on Iridium), we dinghied ashore, walking on the Peace and Plenty nature trail and to the beach. Then back to the boat for another swim. Dinner in the cockpit. Then we brought the dinghy up - we plan to leave for Cat Island by 8am. We're excited since we've never been there.
06/02/03	Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas It was hard to sleep in the heat with no breeze. We were up at 6:30 and underway by 8. Still no wind. We'll have to motor the 40-50 miles (depending on which anchorage). Propagation was awful on the SSB, we couldn't get any AM stations and even VHF was bad. Should have been a hint. As we left Georgetown behind, we saw a funnel cloud forming near the harbor. Boaters warned each other on the radio. We motor-sailed in the flat seas and even made water underway, with much improved salinity. The static continued. Tall, dark clouds started forming around us. By 1:30-2pm we were seeing big ocean to sky lightning bolts and the storms were visible on the radar. Fred took in the genny (which wasn't doing anything without wind anyway) and reefed the main. Good thing, because as we approached Hawksnest Point (and its associated reef) all hell broke loose. No wind became 30's to 40's knots with clocking direction. No rain, but the boat (and we) were soaked from the waves that suddenly began crashing over the bow over the dodger and bimini! We tacked to give us some distance from the reef and slowed down. We continued in the heavy squall for about an hour. We'd hoped to stop at Hawksnest Point, but the two boats we saw there were bobbing up and down. May as well continue to Old Bight - protected from the southeast (which the winds were). Old Bight has a beautiful 3 mile beach. We anchored midway with one sailboat (Therapy, IP 38) at one end and a large motor yacht on the other. We still had a 2 foot swell behind us (from the NE). This sucks. But as the storm passed, the wind and seas died down and the air temperature dropped about 15 degrees. Welcome to Cat Island indeed. We were pretty exhausted.
06/03/03	Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas A calm night. After the nets (and talking to Sapphire in Dominica), we ran the generator, vacuumed, put the dink in the water and went ashore for a very long walk along the 3 miles of beach. Other than an abandoned complex (hotel/condo?) and and abandoned house, there were no structures or occupants. Amongst many unusual beliefs and practices in Cat Island, the 'natives' believe that when the last of a family dies, the house should remain vacant. Relatives use selected stones from the abandoned homes to build new houses, but leave the homesite intact. So Cat Island has a lot of empty houses. Before returning to the boat we swam off the beach. After a lazy afternoon we snorkeled around the boat. Not a lot there. Fred's mask strap broke. Iris' mask, of similar vintage, had broken at a clasp at Hamburger Beach and Fred was able to repair the plastic pins with metal ones. We ran out of propane in one tank while making dinner - that stubby 11 lb tank had lasted us since March 9! Even though Iris didn't cook in Luperon, that's a long time. We rarely use the microwave. But Fred changed to the other tank and we enjoyed dinner in the cockpit. What a nice day!
06/04/03	New Bight/Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas At 3:30am we had another severe thunderstorm, which lasted around 1/2 hour with very heavy rain. At least everything was rinsed and clear of salt in the morning! But another thunderstorm approached at 7:30am. We decided to head over to New Bight 3 miles away. A squall hit us just as we were anchoring. Three cruisers and one motorboat were anchored off of the settlement. We anchored near the government building/Batelco tower in 2 foot or more chop. We decided to wait awhile before attempting to land the dinghy with the waves crashing on shore. Anastasia (a Pearson 42 ketch from Houston, TX) hailed us on the VHF. They and their buddy boat, Windsong (also a Houston ketch), had seen us the morning we entered Georgetown as they were headed to Long Island. We spoke with both boats briefly on VHF. They'd stayed at New Bight the last couple of nights - sounded uncomfortable with no protection from the SE and fetch across the Bight of Cat Island. After lunch we made a really rough dinghy landing, deposited our trash, hiked to the highlight of the town, the Hermitage built by Father Jerome (whose churches we'd visited in Clarencetown). Father Jerome, after building or rebuilding many of the churches in the area, spent over 20 years in Australia, and then returned to the Bahamas. The Hermitage, a small stone complex, is on the highest point in the Bahamas, some 203' in elevation. While the structure looks imposing from shore, it's miniature when one reaches the 'peak'. It's a single person church, small tower, and residence, beautifully built. Along the way Father Jerome built the 14 stations of the cross along a steep, rocky path. It is a ritual for Cat Islanders (and others in the Bahamas) to visit the hermitage at least once in their lives and an Easter ritual to climb the 14 stations to the summit. After our hike, we made a brief stop at the nice Bluebird Restaurant and Bar right on the beach where we had a couple of Kaliks. The staff and townfolk were friendly and polite. We had a rough dinghy ride back to the boat and were soaked. Let's get out of here - no point in staying, even tho' the lobster dinner at the Bluebird was tempting. Back to Old Bight where we know it's calm. Anastasia and Windsong followed suit and arrived an hour or so later. They hadn't been at Old Bight before and appreciated the calm!
06/05/03	Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas SE to S winds aren't great for Bennet's Harbor and Little San Salvador, our intended next stops. So we stayed put (as did Anastasia and Windsong). They told us that they were going ashore to visit Old Bight, a small settlement a mile inland. We worked on chores, but then decided to follow them in after we'd had lunch. We found where they'd landed their dinghies and walked the dusty (and hot!) road into a crossroads. A phone! And a high school. But which way was the town? We headed north - and it soon didn't look promising. So we retraced our steps and continued south, where we started to see some of the landmarks mentioned in the cruising guide. Another church built by Father Jerome. And finally, Peter Hills' restaurant where we thought we might find the foursome. As we walked by, they tapped on the window and we found our way into the building. We introduced ourselves to Lindsay and Judy (Anastasia) and Richard and Colleen (Windsong) - since we'd only 'met' on the radio. We sat with them while they finished their lunches and found that we had some acquaintances in common. On our way back, once again passing the phone on the corner, we tried calling Fred's mom - but the phone came up with 'temporarily out of service'. At least we got some feedback ;-). We returned to the boat to drop off some gear, went for another swim on the beach and had a quiet evening aboard.
06/06/03	Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas Both NMN and BASRA forecast SE to S winds as far out as forecasts went. We might be able to find some shelter in Bennet's Harbor, but reports from Little San Salvador sound very uncomfortable. We're tired of staying here. Looking at our options, we decide to leave for Warderick Wells tomorrow. It's a long trip - 68 miles. But then we can work our way to Nassau, hop on over to Royal Island and up to the Abacos. We'll skip Eleuthera's mainland this time; many of the anchorages there have the same issues with the SE to S winds. Iris received an Iridium text message from her mother saying that she'd returned safely from her vacation. Decision made, we do some more chores in the morning and then explore nearby Joe's Sound with our dinghy. The lone sailboat on the first day we'd arrived returned from somewhere and anchored in their 'same spot', as had we when we returned to Old Bight. We later met the folks from IP 38 Therapy - interesting folks - but we didn't get their names. We learned a little Cat Island history from them and some local 'scoops'. They also told us that the storm we came through the day we arrived at Cat Island peaked at 50 knots! Good thing our anemometer doesn't work! They'd also done the Windward Passage trip via Jamaica/Cayman three or four times with flat calm seas - but always in January. Maybe that's what we did wrong - we shouldn't have waited for the end of March! After a last swim off the gorgeous beach, we returned to the boat to prepare for an early morning departure. Windsong came by to chat briefly and we gave them a boatcard. Dinner and a pretty sunset. This has been a nice place. We'd return.
06/07/03	North Anchorage, Warderick Wells, Exumas, Bahamas Up before 5am we were on our way by 6:15 after NMN weather. Iris put the fishing line in right away - we wanted to take advantage of heading from flats to the steep drop-off of Exuma Sound. Right at the dropoff we heard the reel sing. Iris brought the fish onboard with little difficulty - it was a Cero Mackerel but quite small. Only around 2-3 lbs and only caught through the lip. So we released it and continued on our way. The winds made for a broad reach and run all day. About 15 miles before entering the Exuma Park boundary (and just after we'd discussed not to forget bringing up the fishing line when we reached the park), the line started running out. Whatever this fish was, it was big! It was hard to slow down while running wing and wing. Fred brought in some sail while Iris continued to fight the fish, but he briefly slowed us to 2 knots and then we were back up to 4. The fish was keeping pace or even getting ahead of us. Iris struggled for at least 20 minutes until she could get the fish, now identified as a big, beautiful, male dolphin, close to the boat. But he was way too big for our fishing net. Iris suggested Fred use the boat hook as a gaff and Fred pulled him up lifting him by the gills. The first dash of rum only subdued the fish - it took another shot once in the cockpit to kill him. He weighed about 25-30 lbs and Iris fileted the fish in the cockpit. But even with a better than usual job on her part in fileting, the carcass was quite heavy to throw overboard and messy fish guts smeared on various parts of the boat. "Help me cleanup - I need to get the meat in the fridge" asked Iris, all covered with blood and guts. But we were rolling badly and Fred was more than a little queasy from the severe roll in 6-8' seas and from having bent over to lift the fish. So Iris brought bucketfuls of seawater onboard to clean herself up a bit, dashed below and then back up to get rid of the gore. We didn't want to look like we'd caught a fish in park waters! But we sure smelled like it. We called the park and got assigned a mooring and picked it up at 6:15pm, exactly 12 hours after we'd left. A long day. But we each ate about a pound of dolphin (it should have been two meals) after toasting the fish and thanking him for his sacrifice. Many more meals to come.
06/08/03	Hawksbill Cay, Exumas, Bahamas We tried to sleep but Iris was disturbed by noise from the Park HW generator as well as that from the sportsfish moored next to us, both running all night. We decided to spend only one night but still had to dinghy in at 9:30 to pay our fee. We were able to take advantage of the internet connection to check mail and pay our bills. Iris also did a book exchange while Fred went to Boo Boo Hill to see if our sign was there. The previous owners of Windwalker (now owning Leatherback) had replaced their sturdy iron spikes with stainless steel rods some time after we'd been there in February - but our little attachment had probably blown off in the wind. We'll have to come up with something in advance next time. We left our mooring at 11am and were able to sail most of the way to Hawksbill Cay, anchoring around 2pm. There were no boats in the anchorage - will this last? Not likely. But we enjoyed our solitude until 3 other boats arrived between 4 and 5:30. One, a large catamaran that looked like a crewed charter, anchored right next to us in this large anchorage. It's like they had a waypoint to a spot they always used and it didn't matter if we were two boat lengths away. That would have been ok but they had an on-deck gasoline generator and two wind generators which they immediately put to use. We were irritated. The other boats anchored well away from us and each other. We had dolphin for dinner again after calling our moms. We went to bed by the noise of the generators, but fortunately, they turned off the gas one at around 9:30pm.
06/09/03	Hawksbill Cay, Exumas, Bahamas We decided to take the trail to the Exuma Sound beach after we'd done our morning generator run. The first beach we came to was quite small and not impressive. Fred scurried over rocks to another beach we spied around the corner. This one went on for miles. Fred went ahead while Iris crawled down the coral and joined him for part of his walk. We couldn't find any short cuts back from the long beach so had to go back over the coral rock. Iris jammed her shin into a pointy rock and had to perform some first aid prior to our return to the boat. All but one of the boats near us had left. Our plans after lunch were to walk on the pretty beach we were anchored on. Fred, ever in search of somewhere to explore, saw another beach around some rocks - involving wading around the rocks to get there. Halfway around (and holding up her shirt and bag), Iris decided to turn back. She didn't like the look of 3 dark spots she saw in the shallows either. She walked back to the dinghy while Fred continued his exploration. On his return wade, he was stalked by an aggressive barracuda. It lunged towards him as he ran up on shore. He splashed a stick on the beach and the fish beached itself to bite it. So when he got back to the dinghy (about 1/4 mile away) he told Iris that 'we should be cautious'. We went for a swim off the beach and sat in the shallow waters. Iris stood up a couple of times to check for the barracuda. The second time she saw a streak aiming right for us and we both ran out of the water. It was the same barracuda in hot pursuit of a 8-12 inch long fish. The smaller fish tried in desparation to zig and zag at the water's edge and looped around. But soon there was a cloud of blood and the barracuda gulped down the fish in two bites. This was only about 10 feet from our dinghy and he saw us. And stalked us. Fred walked down the beach and the barracuda followed. We walked back to the dink and he guarded it and watched us. We've snorkeled with barracuda (even small schools of them) and had them sit under our keel while we swam and bathed, but never had we seen one so aggressive. Or seen one hunt and feed. We waited. And waited. Fred walked down the beach even further as the fish again followed. Then Fred quickly returned and we dashed (motored) back to the boat. Barracuda didn't follow. As a side note - the last inhabitant of Hawksbill Cay supposedly bled to death from a barracuda bite....
06/10/03	Bottom Harbor, Rose Island near Nassau, Bahamas We left Hawksbill at 7:30am headed for the 15 miles to Allans Cays. But as we approached Highbourne we decided to do the extra 30 miles to Rose Island - across the juncture of the Yellow and White Banks. We sailed part of the way and then started to motor to maintain speed (and get there before dark!) - dodging thunderstorms all day. We approached Rose Island around 5pm. The boats we saw were all on the north side of the island. But the south anchorage, a local favorite, seemed to be protected by a reef and a small island. One other boat in the vicinity was outside that anchorage and pitching like crazy in the 2-4 foot chop. None of our charts showed depth for the anchorage area and it was much more shallow than we'd expected - so we couldn't go in as far as we'd hoped to. But we were exhausted and didn't want to return the 2 miles around to the north side. So we stayed put in the surge. It was bearable. Thunderstorms continued to surround us. We'd anchored in 9 feet at about high tide so expected we'd see a lot shallower by low tide. Fred set a depth alarm for 7 feet. At 10:30 (with low tide at around 11:45), the depth alarm went off. Iris sat up in the cockpit, checking every 15 minutes or so. The lowest she saw was about 6.7 feet before returning to bed around midnight.
06/11/03	Royal Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas At 2am it started to rain. Then at 5am the roll got worse. We're surely not staying here! We left at 7:05 right after the BASRA weather reports, with thunderstorms all around again. Fred noticed, last night, that the engine water circulation pump was leaking coolant, so he wanted to nurse the engine. We used it just to get out the cut in Nassau and to enter Royal Island, having a wonderful sail for the remainder of the 35 miles at about 7.5 knots. We got into the harbor at noon and anchored in a sandy spot. Several other boats were in the anchorage. Rustler (a DeFevre Trawler) from Houston, anchored behind us. We'd heard them converse with Windsong so Fred hailed them. They too had been in our marina back in TX. By evening there were 15-18 boats in the harbor. Our plans were to head to the Abacos in the morning so we left the dinghy on board and were ready for sea.
06/12/03	Royal Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas In the middle of the night, Fred thought more about the pump problem. He's afraid that the bearing is going and that it could seize - which could happen just as we need it entering one of the Abacos cuts. We decided that when we get up (after NMN), he should do some diagnostics and we'll decide if we can leave. Nope - the bearing was already shot. Fortunately, Fred had brought the pump he'd rebuilt as a spare. But if something went wrong with the reassembly and/or the six hose connections he had to make, we'd be stuck in a secure but not-populated harbor. There's tropical depression number two out there, but rumor is that it won't develop.... We're not in need of any supplies and Fred has what he needs to do the job, including empty seltzer bottles into which he can pour the antifreeze. But the job was tedious and it was hot in the engine room. Then, while working on one of the connections, Fred jostled a t-connection to the hot water heater and it broke (being very brittle and yellowed) and spilled hot water everywhere. That may have been the source of a trickle leak that we've always had in that spot... But that added an hour or so to the job. Later, while testing his fix with the engine running, a paper towel got sucked into the air intake and it took awhile to clear that as well. But the job was done, the engine ran, and we'll keep our fingers crossed for the 55+ mile trip to the Abacos. Right during a squall, Windsong and Anastasia pulled into the harbor (arriving via Eleuthera). We didn't speak with them but waved. We're still ready for sea and hope to leave in the morning.
06/13/03	Royal Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas Not! Up at 5:30 am ready to leave immediately after NMN. For the 3rd day in a row, the automated voice forecast was messed up. It completed the day's forecast and then said 'break. more to follow' and started into the Gulf of Mexico forecast instead of the next five days'. What we did hear didn't sound too good. Winds were fine, but there was a 4-7 foot SE swell which wasn't great for the cuts. BASRA weather at 7 confirmed and said winds were 15-20. It would be after 5 when we got to the first cut and if that wasn't passable, we'd be negotiating further cuts or have to stay offshore for the night. Plus it was a Friday (sailors' lore is one doesn't start a passage on a Friday). Plus it was Friday the 13th! OK - we'll wait until tomorrow ;-). Since we also had a leak in the generator recirc pump (for which Fred also had a rebuild), he decided to fix this pump too. But he didn't have to remove it - he was able to just replace the seals in the existing pump. Squalls came through all day. We put the dinghy in the water in the morning, but didn't go ashore until after lunch. On our way we made a brief stop to chat with Anastasia. They weren't headed our way, but would hang around Spanish Wells a few days and then head right to Florida. Windsong would be headed to the Abacos, but not for a week or so. Ashore, we also met Amanda and James of Chaucer Blue, a Morgan Out Island 41 ketch anchored across the harbor. They too planned to leave for the Abacos tomorrow and were traveling with a group of 4 or more boats. We dashed back to the dinghy to get back to the boat before an approaching squall. Once again the dinghy came up and we prepared for sea....
06/14/03	Tilloo Cay, Abacos, Bahamas The winds howled all night. But we have no way of knowing what they were. We listened to NMN and looked outside at the squally skies. None of the Chaucer Blue group seemed to be moving about and they planned to leave by 6:15. But the forecast seemed a little better than last night's - with the swells down to 3-5' and the winds still forecast to be 10-15 knots (altho' they sure seemed higher now). A lone dolphin circled us as we readied for departure. Usually a good omen for us when we see dolphins! We raised anchor at around 6:45 and pulled out of the harbor - alone. On the way we overheard the various chatter and 'group think' and rumors. "It blew 26 knots here a little while ago." "People got beat up going to the Abacos yesterday". "Someone left Little San Salvador last night and saw 8' waves". The group stayed put. We, on the other hand, had a wonderful sail, making between 6.5 and 8.5 knots all the way with no rain and the swells as predicted. We heard two other boats talking enroute - but we think they were trawlers. They didn't discuss wind conditions, only waves and were 8 miles ahead of us. While we were headed towards Little Harbor Bar, we (and they) diverted the extra three miles to North Bar Channel because of the direction of the wind and swell. We'd never gone in North Bar but had passed it from the inside and it looked straightforward. It also is the one favored by the mailboat. We passed through the cut at around 4:30. Our original goal was to backtrack southward towards Lynyard Cay - but we could see lots of boats there and Iris saw an anchorage on the chart off of Tilloo Cay that she wanted to try and it was a couple of miles north so no backtracking. None of our guides talked about holding and the area was grass except for large sandy spot, already occupied by a sportsfish motorboat. Not wanting to crowd them, we stayed far away. Our first attempt failed on the grass. We aimed for a tiny sandy spot on the second and held. It felt like a good set and our engine was off by 5:30. The motorboat pulled out just after dark, leaving us alone. Nice quiet evening with the swells and chop blocked by Tilloo Bank. The air temperature was quite pleasant and we slept well.
06/15/03	Tavern Cay, near Lubber's Quarters, Abacos, Bahamas After breakfast, we went for a snorkel and swim. The anchor had poked into the grass and held - usually not the case for us... interesting bottom with mostly grass and quite an assortment of urchins, sand dollars, small fish and even some lobster. No live conch, alas. Our plan was to possibly stay here or head to Marsh Harbour. As the morning progressed, a stream of small motorboats anchored off the pretty beach nearby and assembled for some kind of cookout. Another sailboat had anchored a couple of hours earlier, but we guess the racket and crowds got to them and they left without even doing any exploring. We too decided to leave. But Iris had another spot she wanted to see rather than heading straight to Marsh Harbor. Most things are closed on Sunday in Marsh Harbour and we want to keep our time there as short as possible. And since we'd put our almost two weeks of smelly trash on deck, the boat is smelling sweet below and so the sense of urgency to reach 'civilization' has abated somewhat. So we headed to the southern anchorage off of Lubber's Quarters and managed to find a less grassy spot in which to drop the hook. The anchor held again! A pair of dolphins swam by, welcoming us to the anchorage. We've spent the afternoon doing some chores, updating the website. May go for a dinghy ride. And tomorrow, we'll head into town to provision, get rid of that trash, and to upload the website - for the last time until we're back in Florida.
06/16/03	Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas We spent a lazy morning around the boat. After breakfast we snorkeled towards the nearest islet where we saw a small area dense with fish as well as a ray, missing its tail, resting on the sea floor. Leaving the anchorage late morning, we motor-sailed to Marsh Harbour and anchored amongst the 45 or so boats. After lunch we headed ashore with a list of chores. First - get rid of the trash! The Interconnections office near the dinghy dock seemed to have closed, however we soon found it had combined with the offices of OII. We'd bring in our laptop tomorrow. Fred then headed to the marine store while Iris headed to Sawyer's supermarket, where Fred caught up with her. Our goal was to top off our provisioning for the remainder of our trip with fresh produce and bread. We made a second trip to a 'new to us' liquor store with pretty good prices and both Presidente beer and Brugal rum from the DR. Last stop was for ice and fresh conch, which we enjoyed for dinner in the cockpit. We plan to hang around south of Whale Cay cut for the next week or so before heading north.
06/17/03	Baker's Bay, Great Guana Cay, Abacos, Bahamas We headed ashore with our laptop after our breakfast/VHF net/generator run routine was over. Interconnections charged $10 per unlimited session with one's own laptop ($30/week for unlimited laptop connection). We took the opportunity to catch up on email, update the website, download various files, and manage finances - making the most of the connection. No point in hanging around here any more - let's get to more pleasant surroundings. We raised anchor around noon, motored over to Port O' Call Marina to refuel (and get dinghy gasoline) and then sailed over to Baker's Bay, eating lunch enroute. Thunderstorms surrounded us, but no rain. The winds were light, we were pleased with our anchor set, and we watched as other boats entered the anchorage all afternoon. There were about 20 boats by evening, a lot less than many days in the winter.
06/18/03	Baker's Bay, Great Guana Cay, Abacos, Bahamas The winds are higher than predicted and from a more southerly direction - not great for this anchorage. We did chores in the morning, but the chop got pretty bad for the remainder of the day - limiting what we could accomplish. Fred cleaned up the terminals on the engine temperature gauge while Iris worked on stainless in the cockpit. We dinghied ashore with high hopes of going for a long beach walk followed by a nice swim on one of the beaches. The walking part was ok, but choppy waves were coming ashore and the little wading we did wasn't pleasant. A wet dinghy ride back to the boat for 'joy baths' in the chop. Fred isn't feeling up to par - allergies combined with a bit of seasickness from the chop. If the winds stay liked this tomorrow, we're leaving!
06/19/03	Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas The winds stayed high over night. Last time we were in the Abacos, we were tempted by an all day land tour offered by Abaco Outback (http://www.abacooutback.com) in Marsh Harbour. Given that the forecast was for continued south-southwest winds, we decided to sign up for their trip to "Hole in the Wall" at the very tip of Great Abaco. So we made a reservation for tomorrow's trip via VHF. Now to do some exploring. Still in search of a 'deserted' beach, we headed out to Gugliemi Cay with snorkel gear. Waves were 2-4 feet and we were swamped in our dinghy landing on the beach. While the reef was close by, it was way too rough to snorkel here. OK - let's dinghy to the northwest point of Great Guana - slightly easier landing, but still too choppy. A brief snorkel in the poor visibility, followed by a short swim - we'd had it. Although the ride back to the boat was an extremely wet one, it didn't matter as we were already soaked. The chop was now around 3-4' high and most of the boats had left the anchorage. Joy baths and lunch and we were out of there as well - sailing back to Marsh Harbour. The harbor was more crowded today; the southwest winds had made everyone move - many heading back towards Tilloo or into protected anchorages at Little Harbor, Treasure Cay, Man O' War or HopeTown. We stayed aboard for the remainder of the day, watching as thunderstorms and squalls came through.
06/20/03	Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas Our island adventure was scheduled for a 9:30 departure. We met our guide (Ron Pagliaro) and our fellow travelers - John and Sandy of the Cal 46 Caliente and Debbie and Joe staying at their timeshare at Regatta Point. Erin, Ron's partner and wife, was trying to meet with the prime minister on some environmental issues and so was tied up on the phone. (Erin is originally from Freeport, Bahamas; Ron is originally from New Jersey. They both were sailors, charter crew, and Captains - but started their business 3 years ago - first with kayak tours, and then expanding to other land-based nature/adventure/birding tours. Most of their clients are from resorts and not from the cruising community). Each equipped with water bottles, waivers signed and fees paid, we piled into Ron's extra long Ford van and started on our 2+ hour trip to Hole-in-the-Wall. HITW is the most southern tip of Great Abaco Island and about 50 miles from Marsh Harbour. The last 15 miles of the drive is on a rugged forest (former lumbering) road through rocky, thick pine forest - home to the endangered Abaco Parrot. Once we reached the forest road, our speed got down to about 10mph as we were shaken and rattled within the van. Ron pointed out birdlife. We managed to see one parrot in flight. Our first stop, halfway through the woods, was for a bird-watching pause, as well as snacks and individual trips into the woods for other 'body' breaks. A stream of liquid slid down the right rear tire and a puddle developed under the van. Conclusion was that the brake line had broken and Ron's van now had no brakes. At the speed we were going, this wasn't going to be a problem as we headed to HITW. Ron didn't have a cell phone signal where we were in the forest, but he figured he'd reach Erin later. Back in the woods, we continued our jarring ride towards the HITW lighthouse. The pine forest (which extends everywhere there is aquifer), started to phase into a copse terrain of thick brush. The road narrowed to the point that Ron had to get out of the van occasionally to hack at branches with his machete. As we neared the lighthouse, Ron had us get out of the van and follow him; the road was even rougher and he felt we'd be more comfortable walking as he plowed through the brush. (Once/year he comes down here with a weedwacker/chainsaw to clear the road; they're the only tour that comes here. HITW is off-limits to rental cars and rental motorbikes). We explored the lighthouse grounds while Ron readied a picnic lunch. The grounds had several out-buildings - more than we've seen at other lights. Two families resided in the area at once and provisioning was done via sea. The lighthouse is now automated. HITW has an anchorage of sorts, but after looking at it, we'd have to be in dire straits indeed to attempt anchoring here for protection from northeast winds. Ron was able to make cell-phone contact with Erin and arranged for her to pick us up on the highway around 4:30. Ron would follow behind with the brake-less vehicle. Next on our agenda was a hike to HITW. After treking through an overgrown trail through the brush, we got to cliff-side. The remainder of the hike was on the rough coral moon-rock terrain that Iris hates. While we all started on our way, Debbie soon fell and tore up her foot. And Iris was getting way behind. So the two of them bailed and hiked back to the lighthouse. The rest continued on to the dramatic cliff point and the Hole-in-the Wall. Next stop was a limestone cave in the woods. This time Joe, Debbie and Iris bailed out and did some bird-watching near the van while the rest explored below. Finally we all tumbled into the van for the return bump back. We chatted some more with Ron and each other on the return trip. Erin was going to pick us up in their new van. Import tarriff on a car in the Bahamas is 50% so a $20K car costs them $30K! Plus they have to pay for shipment of the vehicle either from the US or Nassau. Erin met us at the highway around 5, greeting us with cold beers and a smooth ride back to Marsh Harbour. Not clear that Iris got her money's worth out of this trip - but we got to see much of the Great Abaco 'mainland', far different from the view from sea....
06/21/03	Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas After the norning nets we went ashore a couple of times to do some errands. On our second trip we purchased a couple of books - one on "Queen Conch" and a 2003 Dodge guide to the Abacos. Our 2000 guide was literally falling apart. Iris tackled mildew with vinegar while Fred changed the oil, in the afternoon. We'd promised ourselves the Sunday Brunch with prime rib at Boat Harbor Marina, so were going to hang around for another couple of days. Iris discovered that she'd lost a favorite eye-glass case somewhere during our adventure yesterday. Perhaps it was still on the van? Can't check until Monday anyway. Cribbage after dinner aboard. We were awakened by a severe line of squalls around midnight accompanied by very loud music from Snappers until 2am.
06/22/03	Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas Brunch didn't start until 11:30am. The morning was still squally and many boats stayed put. Ashore, we stared as a squall approached, debating whether or not to return to the boat. Brunch beckoned and we started walking briskly to the marina about 1/2 mile away. Unfortunately, the rain caught us just as we approached the resort, dampening our freshly washed (and dried) hair and our clean, presentable attire. Oh well - so much for appearances. Iris did a quick book exchange in the marina lobby and then we headed to the restaurant, where we feasted on an outstanding buffet with excellent service. Unfortunately we started with the dinner items and so were too full to try many of the breakfast offerings or much of the desserts. But we were sated and felt we'd gotten what we'd paid for. While the Pig Roast at Nipper's is a fun experience, we're more likely to return to Sunday Brunch here! On our way back to the boat we stopped at Conch Inn Marina's store and were able to buy a Miami Herald (Broward County edition) Sunday paper. We were in heaven - brunch and a Sunday paper on the same day. Back at the boat we noticed that Windsong had gotten to Marsh Harbour and was anchored a couple of boats away. Fred hailed them on VHF and Colleen responded that Richard was tackling a major generator problem. Fred offered to go over and help in the diagnosis while Iris remained aboard devouring the newspaper. Fred invited them over for drinks at 5:30, at which time a thunderstorm growled nearby. They waited a few minutes before coming over. We had an enjoyable evening and they returned to the boat - as both boats needed to run their generators. Just after Windsong left, another thunderstorm came rolling through the area. No dinner tonight - we're stuffed!
06/23/03	Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas The weather is still yucky. We spoke with Windsong first thing and their generator had died again. Fred offered to go over again after the net. Iris 'called' Abaco Outback and Ron confirmed that her glass case was there. Meanwhile, Windsong moved over to Mangoes Marina where they planned to stay for a couple of days. We arranged to head over to Windsong and then join them for lunch at Mangoes' restaurant. After a few errands, recovery of the glass case, and more rain, we reached Windsong and got into their cockpit just as it began to pour. Fred and Richard spent about 2 hours on the generator, finding another problem that definitely was a cause of the failure. Iris visited with Colleen while the guys worked. Then they treated us to lunch at Mangoes. By the time we got back to the boat around 4:30 it was raining again. While the harbor had cleared out during the day, a steady procession of boats came back in. Where did everyone go? The weather is lousy. But we were determined to leave tomorrow, as well, and put the dinghy on deck in preparation for Whale Cay cut, should it be passable. We need to go somewhere where we can make water. And swim! Iris got an Iridium text message from her mother saying she'd gotten back from her cruise(ship) adventure.
06/24/03	Manjack Beach, Manjack Cay, Bahamas We turned on NMN too late to hear the location of the nearby front - so much of the forecast didn't help. So we stayed for the BASRA net at 7am - but propagation was so bad we couldn't hear anything. So we stayed for the Abacos net and left immediately after the weather, around 8:20. No one had reported on Whale Cay conditions, but this was going to be our fifth time through the cut so we felt we'd be able to judge it when we approached. We motor-sailed to cool refrigeration briefly and then sailed through the cut and on to Manjack Cay. Swells were from the north and we figured our favorite anchorage on the north side might be rolly. We headed there first and yep, it wasn't going to be pleasant. And there were kayaks and small day-tripping boats lining the shore. So we headed back around the shoal and anchored off rocks near Manjack Beach in 11 feet of water. There were two or three other boats in the vicinity, but all well spaced. The other popular anchorage (Crab Cay) at the southern end had about 15 boats in it. We snorkeled a bit - a few fish near the shore, but nothing of interest around our boat. The anchor was well set and we were in a new spot and out of Marsh Harbour!
06/25/03	Coconut Tree Bay, Manjack Cay, Bahamas Last evening we weren't quick enough to put in our entry mosquito screens and we collected quite an assortment of mosquitos below decks making for an uncomfortable night. By morning Iris had gotten most of them, but not before they'd all gotten bits of either us or the cats... We heard a vessel Meridian talking to some other boats. Could that be Glenna and Ed? Iris hailed them and it was indeed our friends from TX (recently living in FL). They were at Powell Cay (around 8 miles away) and would be headed our way in the next couple of days. We dinghied ashore to explore the nearby beach as well as to hike the numerous trails cut in the 15 acre nature park at the north end of the island. We were still tempted by the northern anchorage, but we hiked to it and saw two boats there rolling away. Day-trippers were once again there. Folks were all knee deep in the water playing with the ray that 'lives' there. Two nurse sharks (also there 2 yrs ago when we anchored there last) were also hanging out amongst the beachgoers. Little children and infants were in the water feet away from the sharks as unconcerned parents lounged on the beach. A bad accident waiting to happen. On our way back to the boat, we sounded the bay off Manjack Beach to see if we could bring Windwalker into the protected area. Fred had found 8 feet everywhere yesterday afternoon. But at low tide, the entire area was 5 feet. Not to be. So we decided to move a little further south to Coconut Tree Bay, new to us (and new in Dodge's Abaco book). It took us a couple of tries to set the anchor, but it was well buried in the grass/marl bottom when we were done. We had the small cove to ourselves and dinghied ashore to explore the beach and the nearby dock with 10 acres for sale. Just at dusk, a home-built schooner with two children hanging from the rigging approached, made a pass and left. Phew - we've still got the place to ourselves. Not. They went to the southern anchorage and returned with another vessel, apparently friends, also with kids hanging in the rigging. But all was fairly quiet for the evening. The new cockpit light we'd purchased in West Marine in Puerto Rico failed. Fred checked and confirmed it wasn't the bulbs but the light-sensing circuit. Too bad, because we really liked that light. Hope West Marine gives us a refund or exhanges it!
06/26/03	Coconut Tree Bay, Manjack Cay, Bahamas After our morning routine, we started on chores. Iris scrubbed stains on the hull and waterline while Fred tackled stainless. It was very choppy to start with and started to get worse when one of the dinghies from the two nearby boats decided to use the cove for dinghy-water-skiing, raising bigger wakes. Iris started having trouble working on the boat. Fred waved and requested that they do their skiing outside the cove and they obliged. Glenna and Ed were on their way to Manjack, but opted for the Crab Cay anchorage - we made a date to see them that evening. After lunch we snorkeled to explore the little bay and found a small coral head with a lovely assortment of fish. No legal size conch. Glenna and Ed came by early evening and we caught up on our mutual adventures and mutual friends. It was great to see them. Once again we weren't careful enough with our mosquito screen and a few pesky pests attacked us in the night. All the recent rains have added to the problem. A couple of additional boats anchored nearby for the night, making the anchorage crowded. We were surprised at the number of boats since we were the only boat actually in the cove with some protection. The remainder were exposed to the chop and would have been far more comfortable in the southern anchorage....
06/27/03	Powell Cay, Bahamas We thought about moving to the northern anchorage at Manjack this morning as swells had abated and wind direction had shifted somewhat. But the beauty of that spot had been its isolation when we were there 2 years ago. Now it was too crowded and we weren't thrilled with the human-shark interactions being encouraged there. We'd seen Meridian, so no need to hang out any longer. Let's head for Powell. Our previous anchoring experience at Powell (including last January) had been less than satisfactory in the grassy marl. But we had a new anchoring routine for grass that seemed to be working well. While always searching for a sandy spot, we'd drop the hook, wait a little while, and start setting the anchor at extremely low rpm - gradually increasing the reversing speed. The CQR anchor really dug into and below the grass and buried itself. This time was no exception and we were pleased with our set. Time to explore. We dinghied to the southwestern beach and found the trail to the east side. Our hike was filled with wild-life sightings: semi-palmeated plovers protecting their young by feigning injury, red-wing blackbirds, 30-40 small barracudas patrolling the beach in schools, milk conch and whelks and an aggressive crab missing all of its swimarettes. The mid-day heat got to us and we returned to the boat for a swim and snorkel - putting off exploration of northern trails we'd started down in January until tomorrow. By nightfall there were about 7 boats in the large anchorage. The winds picked up through the night but all the boats seemed secure. Mosquitos weren't a problem as we were pretty far from shore tonight.
06/28/03	Powell Cay, Bahamas The winds made for a noisy night. Iris got up a couple of times to check the anchor, but we were firmly in place. Windsong passed us on their way north - Fred hailed them on VHF and Richard said they'd decided to cut short their Abaco stay and head back to FL. After breakfast we went ashore to hike the short trail off of the bluff, and then took the longer trail to the Atlantic side beach. The ocean-side beach was very steep, but pretty. We assumed that there would be a severe under-tow, so didn't swim. By evening there were 9 boats in the anchorage. Aournd 7pm we had a thunderstorm/squall come through, causing a couple of the boats to drag. While we set an anchor alarm for the night, we didn't budge!
06/29/03	Angelfish Pt, Little Abaco Island, Bahamas With almost a week's trash on board, we debated going to Cooperstown before heading northward. It might be another week or two before we get back to Florida. But we decided we could handle the garbage and thus only did a nearby pass by the rebuilt docks of Cooperstown to get a feel for the town. When we last were in the area two years ago, the community hadn't yet rebuilt from damage by Hurricane Floyd. We headed towards the Crab Cay (yet another crab cay) anchorage off of Angelfish Point - a spot we hadn't stopped in before. Two sailboats were at anchor, far apart from each other, and we maintained equal (1/4 mi) spacing from them, setting our hook in a nice sandy spot. At around 1pm, a flotilla of about ten or more motorboats entered the area at high speed and proceeded to surround us. The nearest (and largest) vessel, anchored less than a boat length away from us. Then two boats proceeded to raft to it. If the wind shifted at least one of the boats was going to get pretty close. Fred thought Iris was a little obvious in her disdain for the powerboats, and made the mistake of saying so. So Iris went below, fuming. A fourth sailboat approached the anchorage, anchored briefly and then left after watching the powerboaters. Folks from the boats jumped in, splashed around, and then, like the Stepford Wives, almost in unison raised anchor and sped out of the anchorage at around 2pm. They must have been coordinating on a 'private' channel. Deciding it was safe to snorkel and explore we checked out the bottom (not too interesting) and then dinghy explored the tiny cays and beaches in the area. A few other sailboats pulled into the area, all keeping their distance. We were well protected from easterly winds and had a calm, star-filled night.
06/30/03	Allans-Pensacola Cay, Bahamas On our way by 8:30 or 9am for the 5 mile trip to Allans-Pensacola, we entered the anchorage about an hour later. This was our third time here and we knew where we'd anchored before. All the boats already there hadn't gone in very far and we found ourselves at the 'head of the pack', well into the protected part of the harbor. As we approached a rafted group of powerboats, they let loose a barrage of fireworks/rockets. Just as we were trying to pick an anchoring spot, one of the boats followed us and when about 3 feet away, asked if one of the rockets had landed on our boat. No. They didn't apologize, but headed back to their raft and all left a little while later. Our first attempt to anchor on the grassy marl failed, but the second try was perfect with an anchor totally buried. Windwalker was in fairly shallow water and at low tide we kissed the bottom (or at least the grass tops) with our keel. Visibility wasn't great. We went for a hike before lunch, swimming on the ocean-side beach, after which Fred went bush-wacking through the brush, mangroves and quick-sand. Iris decided to return via the trails and met him as he hunted her down to see what was taking her so long. In the afternoon we did some snorkeling but found little of interest in the anchorage. Dusk brought us two boats, traveling together - one sail, one power flying its quarantine yellow flag. The sailboat couple were diligent in their anchoring efforts, taking their time and then swimming on the anchor. The powerboat pulled in front of us (his distance was good),but literally dropped two anchors (right next to each other), pulled on them lightly by hand (after already having turned off his engine) and he (65-ish) and she (30-ish) got to relaxing and doing chores in their cockpit. Given the squalls we'd had every night, Fred took pictures of the boat (in case it landed on us at night) and then dinghied over to say 'hi' and to point out that he thought they'd dragged and that we'd had squalls in the area. The guy, friendly until then, scowled and said he planned to swim on the anchor later (like after dark?). Never saw him do it. Fortunately for all, the squalls passed us by and we had a quiet night. Seventeen boats filled the anchorage and three anchored outside for some reason.
07/01/03	Allans-Pensacola Cay, Bahamas We decided to stay put another day and did chores in the morning and then headed ashore in search of perhaps some other trails to the center of the islands. Thunderstorms surrounded us and as it started to drizzle, we thought about returning to close ports, but chose not to. Our hike was short as we only followed one trail which led to some ruins of a well filled with cruisers garbage bags. Bad. This is an uninhabited island and anyone leaving trash here is more than irresponsible. Perhaps there's a reason why the Abaco Cruisers' Net finds it necessary every day to repeat that we're in a foreign country and to treat it with respect. After lunch we headed out with our snorkel gear in search of an interesting beach. We saw a large spotted ray and a smaller gray one during our jaunt. But no great snorkeling spots nearby and we didn't want to go too far from the anchorage. On one of the beaches we explored, Fred was mock-attacked by two birds as he came near their fledglings. Returning to our boat to snorkel in a different direction, we were amazed at the lack of flag-etiquette apparent in the anchorage. Most boats flew no flag - no country of origin nor Bahamian courtesy flag. One US boat flew a small US flag as a courtesy flag with no Bahamian flag and no quarantine flags. Most of the boats were fairly small and not cruising equipped (noting lack of jerry cans, radar or radar reflectors, liferafts and other cruising boat paraphernelia). Almost all of them put out two anchors on nylon rode. There was no current in the anchorage and it wasn't crowded. But they must have been going by their cruising guides - always set two anchors when in the Bahamas! By nightfall there were 23 boats in the anchorage.
07/02/03	Hawksbill Cays/Foxtown, Abacos, Bahamas We're torn. On one hand we're reluctant to end our adventure. But on the other, we feel like we're just 'killing time', repeating places we've already been and not finding an anchorage that we want to spend more time in. We decide to leave Allans for Moraine Cay (where we've had mis-adventures) as a day-stop. If we can anchor well, then perhaps we'll stay the night, altho' the southern wind is the worst condition for this spot. Moraine has changed since two years ago, with a new house built (boarded up), heavy equipment on shore, and a rock breakwater guarding a new dock. Altho' it always was a private island, it had previously been deserted. A catamaran and a trimaran were anchored in the shallows. We circled slowly and the roll was bad. This isn't going to be comfortable even for a quick snorkel. Been there, done that. Let's try the Fish Cays - we'd never been there before. We anchored in one of the anchorages. No boats were close to us although two sailboats left the vicinity shortly after we arrived. One was leaving an anchorage that requires high tide for transit and we'd arrived just at high tide. We put on our snorkel gear and jumped in. Oops - the anchor will hold but it's not a set we'd be happy with overnight. There was a significant roll, and chop was building. But our snorkel was fruitful - Conch! Lots of legal size (and perhaps old?) conch right under the boat. Fred quickly picked up four, but one looked fairly old and the shell was worn and we returned the lucky guy to the water. We could have taken more, but we didn't want to be greedy. (Bag limit is 10/boat/day). The chop was becoming unpleasant, but we decided to clean the conch first, prior to leaving. While our technique has improved, it still takes us awhile. We raised anchor around noon and headed towards Foxtown, getting there at around two and having a late lunch. Not wanting to swim after a quite large barracuda patrolled beneath us, we tried to check the anchor from the dinghy, but gave up and swam on it later. No other boats entered the area. Unhappily, the salinity of our watermaker rose above 500 TDS (total dissolved solids) - but we still put it in our tank as we only had a few more days to go, and the average salinity in our tank was in the 400s. Conch for dinner, of course!
07/03/03	Great Sale Cay, Bahamas The talk on the nets is still filled with outrage over the new Bahamian customs fees. On the BASRA net, a cruiser reported that a smaller (36') sailboat with a 14' whaler as a towed dinghy, was charged $350 for the sailboat and $150 for the dinghy! They'd cleared in, either in Spanish Cay or Green Turtle - one of those cays had been charging the $350/boat a week or two before the fees even went into effect. Carolyn, of BASRA, requested that they email her with additional information. Many of the boats were only arriving for a one week stay during the annual Regatta and were in for a big surprise. This may be our last time cruising in the Bahamas for quite awhile! We had an enjoyable sail, arriving in Great Sale by early afternoon. Enroute, we followed the 'saga' of a small motorboat (20 miles away from us) calling Hawksbill Cays. Hawksbill Cays are deserted. Then someone told him that perhaps he wanted to call Foxtown? So he started calling "Foxtown". He'd run out of fuel (gasoline) three miles away from there and was demanding that someone bring him fuel or tow him into town. He didn't quite know where he was, he referred to a cruising guide but apparently hadn't read it. Foxtown Shell said they'd send someone to assist. But he continued to call every few minutes saying no one had helped him yet. Unfortunately, we got out of VHF range and didn't hear (what was probably the successful) end of his tale. As we approached Great Sale, we entered dramatic 'fish muds'. The blue water becomes white with sand churned up by fish. The fish muds can be dangerous because if there are coral heads in the area, one can't see them (or anything else for that matter). There was even a fish mud in the anchorage, but the tide was moving it away from our anchoring spot. There was very little wind and the heat was oppressive. Fred put on an extra shaft zinc, via snorkel, we both swam and then brought the dinghy on deck in preparation for a possible departure tomorrow. The watermaker salinity was still high and we only ran it briefly. We'll have access to unlimited water soon enough.
07/04/03-07/05/03	On Passage to Lake Worth Inlet, FL Not wanting to get to Lake Worth too early tomorrow, we set 1pm as our departure time. We took it easy in the morning, swimming, showering, and preparing for passage. Thunderstorms were scattered throughout the area. We raised anchor at 1pm, motor-sailed briefly for refrigeration and then sailed. Iris put out a fishing line with a smaller lure and lightweight leader. As usual, right around 5pm a fish struck the lure. We wanted to get off the banks before dark and were reluctant to heave to. Iris fought the fish, but it was difficult to make progress as we ran with the wind. It didn't feel like a mahi-mahi. And it was difficult to judge how big the fish was at our speed. But it was stubborn and as Iris got it fairly close to the boat, it dove and the line freed. The leader and lure were intact, but the hook had snapped in half. At least the fish would probably survive! We didn't get off the banks until around 9:15pm - well after dark. Still too far away from Florida to see fireworks, we were in the stream almost immediately and Iris's first target was a cruise ship that passed within one mile. As Fred took his watch at 11, a ship Iris had been tracking also proved to be another cruise ship. The current in the stream was strong all the way and it was the first time we crossed totally under sail. While we were sailing at 6-7plus knots, our progress was more like 3-4 knots, making for a very slow crossing and crabbing 40-50 degrees. But conditions were pleasant, and the numerous thunderstorms around us stayed away. On Iris' next watch, she was dealing with 3 ships going in different directions that were all possible factors - one passing within 1 mile and creating a large wake which awoke Fred. Lots of other traffic. Lights were apparent offshore and Iris thought that a red light she saw fairly high in the horizon was one of the towers near Lake Worth Inlet. Radar was clear. About 2 minutes after Fred's watch alarm had gone off for his next watch, she was yelping for Fred. It wasn't a tower, it was a sailboat, also under sail (with right of way), heading in the opposite direction and VERY close. The sailboat was totally invisible on radar, but there was no excuse for the close encounter. Bad job, Iris. We turned on the engine at about 8:45 am just prior to entering Lake Worth Inlet, took down our Bahamas flag and raised our yellow, and headed up the ICW towards our marina. We fueled, checked in and pulled into Windwalker's 'new' home. Fred called Customs and was cleared in. However we were told that we had to physically go to Immigration - either at the airport or at the Port of Palm Beach within 24 hours. Just dandy (altho' other boats had heard rumors to that effect so we weren't surprised). The combined dept. of Homeland Security hasn't worked out a process for joint clearance yet. We'd never had to clear with Immigration on returning to the US before. We'd hoped to relax during the afternoon and get our car working the following morning. But not if we have to clear by noon tomorrow. (This new requirement is forcing private boats coming into the US to rent cars or take very expensive cab rides in order to clear with immigration. There isn't a government dock at which one can pull into to complete the process. Hope that it's fixed soon.) The almost two weeks of trash disposed of, we rested briefly and then walked the five miles to get our car, got it going and stopped at our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner before driving back to the boat. We were back and another cruising adventure had come to a close.