May 1, 2009
Friday
Upper 80’s, as usual
Sunny
We signed on to email today….ahhhh! Decided to share the bill with Freedom…one day us…the next them and we will share the internet. We spent a large part of the morning checking email, sending email, and such. Freedom was working on an issue with their bilge. At around 2 we took a cruise around to check out the rest of this Cay. It is large in comparison to where we have been. We took a ride to HQ and spoke with Michelle. Michelle is a volunteer for the next 3 months. Her husband will join her from Ft. Lauderdale when he can and they consider coming here to volunteer a vacation. Sign me up! She assigns mooring balls and keeps a check on the goings on in the office….like selling T shirts, and I want one of those babies. It will help support the park. The last couple that ran the show here left a week ago after a 7 year stint with an elderly parent. They are gone for good so the Cay will be hiring new staff and are always looking for volunteers to help with jobs on the island. There are many trails to explore and great spots for snorkeling. Seems we may be here for a good 3-4 days, at least. Provisions are running low and that is my only concern. I do not want to leave here for Staniel Cay just for groceries and booze. Sea Fox has run dry on wine but Freedom still has ½ a case. We mooch wine and they mooch water! Fair trade as far as I can see. The water maker is a good bartering tool. He sucked 50 gallons out of us today. That was definitely worth the 2 bottles of wine Roberta brought for dinner. And, speaking of dinner, even though provisions are lessening we still were able to conjure up a great antipasto and pasta with shrimp. Who says we don’t eat good? We did the volunteer thing at the office today…all 4 of us. We have no idea what our jobs will be but we are going to be all over it tomorrow~! Sea Fox signing off!
May 2, 2009
Saturday
Warm and Sunny
Water temp 76*
We were up at 8:00 to consume coffee prior to our day of work. We had no idea what was in store for us. We cruised over to HQ at 9:00 and received our assignments. At the dinghy dock we met Henry Nixon who will be filling in as warden for a few weeks and is on loan from Great Guana Cay. At the office we met Andrew who doled out assignments. Roberta had cleaning detail in the office that had not been cleaned for quite some time. Barry, John, Hill, Beth and I headed to the shore to dismantle a Boston Whaler they had
acquired. It needed to be stripped so work could be done to it. That was accomplished lickity split and we moved on to what used to be the kitchen and now just another work
room. Andrew, now the coordinator for the Cay, had acquired some cabinets from a demolition on Bell Cay and was looking for someone to install them in the space to add storage. John, Beth and I dismantled the area where the cabinets were to be installed, and in doing so the shelf on the wall fell and broke the water spigot at the sink creating quite the gusher. That was quickly repaired then Barry and John stepped up to the plate and did a magnificent job with installation. All the while the cutest curly tailed lizard hung out to watch what was going on. Hill and Beth moved on to another project. The cabinets were primo and fit the spot like they were meant to be there. Andrew said he had a working garden in progress….my antenni went up big time. The Hutia (a small ground hog type varmint) occupies the island and eats anything in sight….including many of the plants he has been trying to grow. They just chew them down to the root. Bitch-Bastits! They did quite the number on the potted plants that were all around the deck of the residents living accommodations. I cleaned up the deck and brought all the dead plants down to the planting ground. There are 20-30 pretty healthy plants up on a table that the Hutia cannot reach. I did a number on the plants there that all were crying for a trim and blood letting of dead leaves that they were holding on to. So not healthy for proper growth! Don’t you agree, Pam? Unfortunately, there were only 2 productive tomato plants there and neither had any flowers so probably will not produce any fruit. Did not have the heart to drop that bomb on Andrew. Everything else are palms, trees, bushes, and the like that will not give them anything to eat. I think Andrew is just pleased that the Hutia has not destroyed these plants and he will continue to nurture them back to health. By 3:30 we are ready to call it a day. Lots of work for us slugs that have not performed much manual labor in the past months, but it felt good to help out. I certainly will go back to the garden and continue to try to improve things there. Andrew said he has seeds for everything….but I am wondering just how OLD are these seeds and will they produce anything at all. I am game and will certainly try! We will head to happy hour on the beach soon. Need to make humus for the party! Good night to all for today…will check in tomorrow! Love to all.
May 3, 2009
Sunday
80* at 8:00
Last night was much fun. Many of the cruisers along with the few locals joined the party and we got to meet some very nice people. Henry Nixon and his wife, Judy, joined us also and she was a big hit heading over with a plate of conch fritters. The rest of us are
pretty much down to bare bones when it comes to food. One couple even brought just a jar of olives….too funny. One of the men from the defense team also joined us and brought an apple cake that was very yummy. He helped Barry consume margaritas. As we took a lunch break earlier today we watched a boat pull up to the dock with provisions for the defense team staying on the island. Trip upon trip was made from the boat to their quarters. This is where the apples came from for the cake. Evidently, not a food they are too keen on and donated a large bag of apples and oranges to Freedom and Sea Fox. We gladly accepted! We had a great time and as the sun set the Hutia emerged. Wow! There are so many of them down by the beach foraging for food and I can only imagine how many are within the forests of the island. Henry Nixon told us they come right up on their deck while they are grilling dinner. Just another socialized rat, if you ask me. I am sure the island can do without them as they bring nothing of any good to the island. They just keep reproducing and eating many of the plants down to nothing. At 10:00 it was slack tide and the perfect opportunity to snorkel. We cruised by dinghy to Ranger’s Garden and the sights among the reef were simply beautiful! Never have we snorkeled anywhere like this. Hundreds of different fish, sponges, reef plants, etc. etc.! There have to be at least 12 rays swimming this area and we got the opportunity to see them up close and personal. They are graceful as they swim in groups and so amazing to see. They have to be at least 5 feet across. They cruise by our boat frequently, but this is a whole different aspect as we swim with them. Oh, my! After about an hour we moved on to Emerald Rock. It was great also as we encountered a few lobsters hiding in the reefs, obviously trying to hide from us. Large specimens and we would love to scoop up one or two for dinner, but that is a big no, no! After a couple of hours we headed back to freshen up and relax with books for a while. Roberta and I planned dinner for later in the day of chicken and potato salad and cole slaw. We are both preparing for another feast as we hear Outer Reef calling HQ looking for a ball. They have finally made it! We thought they were lost for good, but much to our pleasure they joined us at Warderick. We invited Larry and Terry to dinner and it was great to have their company again.
May 4, 2009
Monday
Hot again
We headed up to HQ to volunteer once again. I finished my project in the garden….planting seeds. I have little faith they will sprout as most of the seeds were at least 2 years old and that combined with the poor soil available does not make for a good situation. Lizards and birds assisted me. None of them have any fear and just hang out and watch as we do our thing. Barry was suppose to be working on broken trim tabs on a boat, but when he summed up the situation it was not trim tabs at all and did not have parts to correct the real problem. Roberta and John were cleaning out a room to make
space for another bedroom. Everything in this room at HQ had to be moved to an empty room on the second floor of the residence. It was a back breaking job that Barry ended up assisting with. I was so afraid he would throw his back out again. No meds, no doctor and not a good thing. Fortunately he was fine, but we have to put an end to volunteering and start exploring and enjoying our time here or they will continue to use us until we are dead. There are many boaters here, but none volunteering to assist with things that need to be accomplished. Only one other helped today and that was Hyde from South Africa. Hill and Beth moved on today so their assistance ended. The list is huge and an impossible task for Andrew and Michelle to do alone. The harbour filled up by day’s end and almost every mooring has been occupied in the north channel. Roberta heard from sailing friends of theirs that they are on their way to join us and should be here by tomorrow evening with a huge Mahi Mahi they caught and will be serving for dinner. I cannot wait for fish! We also have to make it to Staniel Cay by Wednesday or Thursday to stock up on food because that is when the mail boat makes the market delivery. That move is not looking to promising for this week. I have one pork roast left and kielbasa….Roberta has about the same. When that is gone we move on to pasta and any other canned provisions we have. That will be fine, but would prefer something to put on the grill. Oh, the trials and tribulations…..
May 5, 2009
Tuesday
Yup, 80* again
Today’s agenda is to get to Boo Boo Hill. It is the highest point on the island and a spot where boaters bring a plaque of some sort to add to the mound already accumulating. We found a great piece of drift wood on one of our hikes and it was fashioned nicely with our boat name, our names and the date we spent time here. Freedom did the same. It was a pretty rugged walk up but the views were exceptional and we could see to eternity. We fastened our memories and we moved on and completed this 2 hour hike by taking a dip at the beach before returning to our respective homes. John and Roberta made an apple pie with the donation of apples from the defense team. We awaited Jason and Laura’s arrival with an eta at 6:30 and they were right on the money. We had a great dinner as usual, but this time we enjoyed the Mahi Mahi they had caught just yesterday and it was so good. They also graced us with some fruit and veggies! They are a very nice couple and now we are 6! Night to all!
May 6, 2009
Wednesday
Sunny
Warderick Wells
We remain in WW. It is nice here and there continues to be much to see and do. Snorkeling again today and we saw the infamous lion fish that is simply gorgeous, but such a menace to all the other fish. They eat all the other smaller fish and can wipe out a reef, but they have no preditors. The park usually brings in trained divers to rid the reef of them so we did report that we saw one there. Barry and I relaxed the afternoon away after snorkeling by reading. Everyone else joined us early evening and we had another wonderful meal. Tomorrow is Mexican night. So nice to have Jason and Laura here with all their goodies! Roberta spoke with Henry, the warden, today with hopes of hitching a ride to Staniel Cay for provisions, but he was going there tonight to drop someone off to catch a flight and the markets would be closed. Perhaps another time. We are planning on Mother’s Day with him and his wife. Should prove interesting. A Bahamian Mother’s Day. Love to all.
May 7, 2009
Thursday
Sunny and warm!
We found out yesterday someone has tried to charge LeCirque tickets on the credit card we have been using to buy internet time. No more of that. We will have to buy a card from Michelle in the office instead. Crap happens no matter where you are. Today turned out to be one of those most wonderful days in the neighborhood. We packed food and water and headed to Pieces of Eight. It is a snorkeling spot pretty much to the most southern part of Warderick. There we found another mooring ball field along with a beautiful white sand beach and, not to forget, the cleanest, most blue water one has ever seen. No where have I ever seen water this clean. We beached the dinghies and set up camp. Pirate’s Lair is another trail that can be followed, and that was just down the beach. At the beginning of the trail we found a picnic table and a hammock that welcomed guests. As attractive as the hammock was, it was made from line that had seriously weathered and was rough to the touch. With a bit of nosing around accomplished we suited up for a swim. So this area has been the best for variety of fish, plants and just the reefs and all they have to offer. Many, many of them and we also spotted a nurse shark sleeping under one of the reefs. We also were given the opportunity to see stramatolites. They are 3.5 billion years old and the oldest evidence of life. To us they were quite boring as they are just blobs of rock with green plants
growing off them. Jason is a marine biologist and certainly differed with us. On the way back to the beach Barry and Laura spotted another shark as it was swimming by. Wow! Wish you could see what we are seeing! As we were making our way back to the boats we had to sneak a peek at a cut in the rock between the Sound and harbor we were in. The water was rushing in from the Sound creating a great wave pool on the harbor side. We headed back and while Mexican night awaited us on Freedom a huge yacht pulled in and moored behind us! Oh my. Max length on the moorings is 65 feet, and this baby far exceeds that. Not sure how that happened, but it is so big we can almost step off the swim platform on to theirs…that is how close they are to us. Coy Koi is absolutely gorgeous and sports a pool on the upper deck! Imagine! Great dinner enjoyed, as always. At dusk we rode over to the beach by the office so Laura could get a glimpse of the Hutia. Barry and John had become “Margarita Men” by then and entertained us all with their antics, and how appropriate with a full moon! Many laughs with these two putting on a great show. Crazy, fun times today! Hopes of going to Alligator Cay tomorrow to visit the iguana! Can’t wait!
May 8, 2009
Friday
Sunny and warm…again
Alligator Cay ended up a wash as Jason and Laura mentioned our thoughts to Michelle who put a damper on that run. Seems it is more of a research place that they do not want people exploring….Fine! Whatever! Michelle treats this place as it is her own. But we do not want to break “the rules.” We ended up snorkeling Judy’s Reef instead and that proved quite interesting. We saw another nurse shark and a Jewfish….he was a big baby.
Pasta night tonight and the vittles were good! Barry made the gravy and we had fake garlic bread from wheat bread…when the pickins’ are slim you make due!~ Tomorrow we head on…to civilization…and I am so looking forward to it. Love to all.
May 9, 2009
Saturday
Guess what? 80* and sunny again
1419 engine hours at day’s end
We are heading out today. We need desperately to shop and get rid of trash. Barry and I paid our bill for ball fees of $80. Not bad for 9 nights. They credited us 2 nights for being Trust members and also 3 nights for volunteer work that we did not expect, but was appreciated. We motored off at 9:30 and experienced a very sloppy ride over but it is what it is. At 11:30 we were anchored at Staniel Cay and happy. Freedom will be arriving in a couple of hours. We cleaned Sea Fox and dropped the dinghy to explore.
We walked to the Pink Store, but it was closed for the weekend due to Mother’s Day and the owner went to Nassau to visit grandchildren. We moved on to the Blue Store and the proprietor had a pretty good selection. We picked up flour, lamb chops, squash, chicken wings and a few other items to the tune of $50….not good, but at least we had some “food.” We brought our selections back to the boat as Freedom was arriving. While they got settled we took the advise of the women where we purchased fresh baked bread and headed to Isle General Store. It was a quick dinghy ride and, by far, the best selection in town. We loaded up on chicken, ham, fresh fruits and veggies with that tab coming to $95, but we really feel we had scored. The prices were not astronomical, as we had found at the Blue Store. We took our fetch back to the boat and hooked up with Freedom to head over to the beach for a fund raiser dinner. At the dock were 17 nurse shocks and 4 or 5 rays swimming around waiting for scraps of fish to be thrown in the water from a gentleman cleaning fish at the fish station. Amazing! We moved on to the barbeque. Home cooked items for a benefit of the children at the school. Thirty of them will visit Eluthra for 3 days as a field trip. Dinner was the best! Your choice of chicken for $10 or steak for $12 with all the home made fixings….baked potatoes, mac and cheese, salad, corn and desert! It was delicious. Only wish they would do this every night…it was excellent! We met a wonderful native (don’t know her name) who had 9 children, adopted 9 more and now has 34 grandchildren! Oh my….Roberta bought dinner for her! What a sweet lady…and smart as she is going for her masters in Psychology….good for her! We hung out at Freedom for a bit and headed home for bed. Barry recorded some programs from the Comedy Channel for another movie night and then we headed to bed.
May 10, 2009
Sunday
Hot and sunny again…surprise, surprise!
It is always 80* when we arise!
Happy Mother’s Day !!!!!!
We were up early to explore this island and have high hopes of renting a golf cart, especially to do a trash run to the dump. Barry rode over and checked things out to find everyone was at church. He came back to the boat and was able to contact someone via VHF and secured a cart for 24 hrs. for $60. Done! The mounds of trash was loaded onto the dinghy and at 11:15 and headed to the dock to pick up the cart. While Barry and John did the trash run I spoke with family! Yeah! It has been so long. They were having a wonderful day at Grammy’s! We were having a wonderful day at Staniel Cay! We started with a couple of cocktails at the “yacht club” and met a couple of other gents sailing together and chatted with them for a while finding out that they have recently visited Cuba and shared pics with us….gorgeous place. Afterwards we cruised the island
and I took as many pics as I could prior to the camera battery dying…Tomorrow is another day with the cart…not to worry. Club Thunderball has pizza and pasta night with a movie for $15 on Tuesday and we will be there will bells on! Dinner scheduled on Sea Fox tonight…smoked pork shoulder and sides from our visiting vessels tonight….Love to all and Happy Mother’s Day again.
May 11, 2009
Monday
80*
Jon….hope you did well on your exams! Love you!
Hot and sunny again today. We met at the dock to finish our time with the golf cart and to make another market run. Joan at the yacht club comes from Black Point and told us the shopping there would be better, but everyone’s opinion differs. When we went back to Isle Grocery the woman at the counter said we would find pretty much nothing in the way of meats there. Augh! Who do you believe? Barry and I made more purchases just in case she is right. We also managed to find dried peas at the Blue Store (weird names…blue, pink) so I will be able to use the bone from the ham for pea soup! Yes!!! And, talk about down grading…a bottle of Carlo Rossi California Red ($14 for what we would pay about $5 at home) was another pleasant find. Today Roberta listened to Chris Parker who advised some unstable weather is coming this way so we have decided to move on to Black Point tomorrow instead of Wednesday otherwise we would have to remain here until Sunday and we really have seen all there is to see here and it is time to move on. We will miss pasta, pizza and movie night, but is really is best we move on for Freedom’s sake. For us it really would not matter much, other than another really wet ride. For them it would be a nasty ride and they are pretty novice only sailing since January. They prefer the calmer weather and easier ride. Don’t blame them one bit. Jason and Laura may stay on here for another day….they can catch up.
May 12, 2009
Tuesday
The same…hot and sunny
1420 engine hours at day end of cruise
Black Point
We were up early to head out to Black Point. Barry continues to fight with the GPS and he now thinks it is just dead…not good. And, he cannot get the Magellen to speak to the computer that he thought would be our back up. After 2 hours of efforts to no avail we left Staniel Cay at 11:00 with waypoints put into the Magellan by hand and we did just
fine on our 1 hour trip over at 6 kts. Black Point was a mere 8 mile trip in rolly seas, but still pretty uneventful. When we arrived John and Roberta were already doing laundry in the absolutely luxurious “Laundramat.” Ida is at the helm of the Laundromat and pseudo store carrying detergent and some small marine products. The washers and dryers are many and brand new! What a pleasure! Just a couple doors away is Lorraine’s Café. As the laundry is “doing” we headed over to check her place out. She is one of the 3 restaurants on the Cay and provides free internet to the boaters. Smart woman as free internet is quite the draw. She has a room attached to the café with 4 computers all hooked up and ready to go. Lorraine is pregnant and when I asked when she was due her answer was sometime in the summer…maybe August. I suspect there are some issues with health care here….duh. Lorraine also has a daughter who appeared to be late teens…early twenties…with a 2 year-old. Not surprising. They lead a totally different life style. Scorpio’s was the game plan for happy hour from 4-6. As we walked there we stopped at Adderley’s Friendly Market. This market has even more to offer than Isle General in Staniel, and now know the clerk really duped us into thinking there would be no food here. Obviously, she wanted us to make our purchases there. A lesson learned, perhaps? What if she was telling the truth? Still, all is good as we will be needing more food anyway, so it does not matter. Two for one rum punch, pool table, and we had laughs for a couple of hours at Scorpio’s with Roberta and John whipping our butts but good on the table. There is another happy hour Friday and Barry and I are ready for a rematch. DeShomon’s, just up the road from Scorpio’s, sells pizza. We find this very interesting as we have never seen pizza offered at another cay except Staniel. We have got to try it. Maybe they will sell us some dough and Barry can treat us to his specialty pizza. Otherwise, we did find yeast at the Blue Market and we are ready to attempt making our own. Roberta and I also saw our favorite French wine, Lamouthe Parrot, both at Lorraine’s and Scorpio’s. Scorpio’s want $18 a bottle….augh! We bought this wine in Nassau for $6 a bottle and is one of the best wines we have ever had. Should have bought a couple of cases of both red and white…both simply delicious. Buy it if you find it…see if your liquor store will get it for you! We really thought we stocked up, but it is all gone now and we are ‘Jones’n’. We have to check out Lorraine’s and see what she wants. $18 is ridiculous now that we have paid $6. Roberta is trying to scheme a deal to see if we can buy it for less…lol! Go, go, go! Pea soup made with the left over ham bone and grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches for dinner. The bread here is sooo good. It has a sweeter taste and a cake-like consistency. We watched TV as we cooked and ate very late this evening. Michelle and Donna called letting us know they booked flights in July to come visit. Yeah!!!! We now need to research a good place to be where they can have a bit of fun. They certainly would not like the desolate islands we are visiting. But we find them interesting and the residents pleasant and accommodating. Shopping on these islands is non-existent other than jewelry and straw products made by them and sold in the “super” markets….and not something I would be purchasing….to gaudy. Long-winded today…sorry! Night to all!
May 13, 2009
Wednesday
80’s, as always
Black Point
Yesterday Roberta bought a couple loaves of coconut bread from Lorraine’s mother, Mama. She makes and sells it out of her home…next to Lorraine’s, of course. She treated us to kick ass French toast this morning (loaded with butter, OMG) while Barry treated us to A/C and a movie. What a great start to another wonderful day in the neighborhood. Barry continued his plight with the GPS, and what do you know (I always knew) he found the problem and conquered it! Never had a doubt Mr. Fix-It would not prevail. The contact to the on/off switch was corroded and worn away. With a tiny piece of aluminum foil and a drip of superglue he fixed the problem and the GPS is quite the happy camper….as is Barry! That made it even a better day in the neighborhood. Now we can travel calmer and happier not having to watch things so intently as one would without the Captain software working. Captain software is a Godsend and makes cruising so much more relaxing. Roberta and John scooped us up around 3:00 and we headed out to Willie Rolles’ Garden of Eden which is his yard and sculptures made from driftwood along with many trees and bushes native to the Bahamas. It was probably ¼ acre of “stuff.” John and Sue from Alchemy arrived today and caught us on our way over to the dock. They will join us for drinks as we have dinner, as they had a big lunch. Whatever. After our discovery walk we checked in with Lorraine who advised dinner was at 6:00 so we headed back to the boats to freshen up. It is freaking hot and cool showers are sounding good right about now. We arrived at Lorraine’s at 6 meeting up with 7 other boaters for her BBQ, and John and Sue waiting to pounce on us. Eleven diners is almost a full house for Lorraine. With her daughter Nakita’s assistance we were served a wonderful meal of conch fritters as an app then fried fish and cracked conch (fried conch), BBQ chicken (to die for), rice ‘n’ peas, corn on the cob and simply delicious cole slaw, followed by cake for dessert. Roberta and I shared a bottle of Lamouthe Parrot (white) and the guys had a few rum drinks. The bill was $75 per couple with tip and that included the 4 beers we had in the afternoon that she just added to the dinner bill. Just like at home, right? LOL! We waddled away from the table and back to our boats. We had way too much food for one sitting. That dinner along with Roberta’s decadent breakfast floating in butter, my cholesterol, I am certain, is thru the roof. Good thing we do not eat like this every day. Good night, good night! Love to all.
May 14, 2009
Thursday
Warm and breezy
Black Point
Roberta and John were wrangled into volunteering at the school this morning tutoring a couple of 4th graders with multiplication tables at dinner last night by the school marm…and a marm she was! With them occupied this morning we will have time to run to Adderley’s and Scorpio to arrange for a birthday celebration for Roberta. It is her birthday tomorrow. Scorpio has our favorite Lamouthe Parrot Cabernet and I noticed Adderley’s had cake mixes. It will be fun to put together a little party. I suggested dinner and a Broadway show in NY or dinner at the Top of the Hub in Boston would be appropriate but, Roberta wants to spend happy hour at Scorpio…go figure! On Friday and Saturday nights they have live entertainment. This should be a hoot! I also want to patronize DeShamon’s for pizza as every time we go by the restaurant is totally empty and I really feel badly for them. With happy hour at Scorpio and Lorraine’s BBQ they have been shunned by the boaters. If it were not for boaters visiting and making purchases at the market and dining at the few restaurants this island would have to be uninhabited. We see a few women sitting along the road in shady areas weaving straw which is sent to Nassau to produce items for sale, but we were told sales to Nassau are way down due to the decrease in tourism. J & D’s Straw Market, a highlight of Black Point in the guide book, seems to be closed. Yet, these dwellers are always happy and greet us with open arms, never a complaint. I do know many of the residents go to Staniel (and probably other close by cays) every day via their small boats where they are employed. Joan, who tends bar at Staniel Yacht Club, is one for example. She is a Black Point resident, but there is no work for her here. Our trek to town revealed J & D’s Straw Market was open today. Not much in there for sale; a few hats and some wraps that appear to have been many years old. She did have Honey Buns and that will make the perfect cake. So much better than baking one and having tons of leftovers. We headed back to the boat, Honey Bun in hand. The bottle of wine can wait as we are heading there for happy hour anyway. Roberta and John joined us about 5:30 for a cocktail prior to headed to DeShamon’s for pizza. We got very wrapped up in the tales they told about the residents of Black Point. Sharon and Charles are missionaries that work at the school and gave them quite the earful. Seems the women pretty much run the show and the men do nothing. This is quite evident as every time we go ashore there are several men just hanging on the dock. Charles has offered to teach the men how to fix an engine or lots of other skills he has, but they are not interested…just plain lazy. How sad. They are not all that way as Evelyn’s husband helps at Adderley’s, Diane and Simon Smith own
DeShamon’s, but I am not sure about Scorpio. Another interesting point is that marriage is not a common thing, but rather the women raise the family and the men usually leave moving to another island and the children never knowing who their father is. Common place here. Unbelievable. Anyway, by the time we got to town at 7:15 DeShamon’s was closed so we headed back to the boat and had pasta and a movie. Night, night!
May 15, 2009
Friday
Of course, hot and sunny, but windy!
Black Point
Wow! The wind is howling with gusts of up to 20 mph. We decided this would be a slug day. We called Roberta to wish her happy birthday and we all did the same for the day…read! It was relaxing, but we still had happy hour and dinner to look forward to later in the day. At 4:00 we headed to Scorpio’s for happy hour and pool. Schivago, as in doctor, was the bartender today. Knowing it was Roberta’s birthday he hunted thru his CD’s for the appropriate tune and the entire bar sang to her. Much fun! The locals scooped her up and danced with her, too! Four games of pool…we all suck, but it was fun still. Back at SeaFox Roberta’s choice of steak, baked potatoes and grilled zucchini was prepared….and served with the bottle of Lamouthe Parrot…and she kissed the bottle! We are both such winos. The Honey Bun and an O’Henry bar John purchased was the birthday cake! One must use their imagination! Just another wonderful day. We have to part ways with Roberta and John on Monday…anticipation of doing this is heart wrenching. We will enjoy our time together for the next couple of days. Love to all!
May 16, 2009
Saturday
Will the heat ever go away? Not! LOL!
Black Point
Not as windy today. Roberta and I headed to shore to do our last load of laundry so we can have fresh stuff till the next time we hit washers and dryers. We said our good-byes to Lorraine and Mama and bought a loaf of bread. It was nice to use the computer station and send the blog. We headed back to our boats and hung reading for the afternoon. We got a call from Blue Blaze (Laura and Jason) that they were an hour away. We invited them to join the ham feast and Roberta headed over to start the prep and Barry also loaded The Capt’n software into her computer to make life a lot easier for them when traveling. Dinner was great with the 6 of us and we all will head out tomorrow. Our good-byes were bitter sweet and hope to meet up with John and Roberta again soon…maybe in the Abacos prior to them crossing over to return north for the summer.
May 17, 2009
Sunday
Calm and beautiful
1420 engine hours at end of travel
Sampson Cay
We all departed Black Point around 9:00. Freedom making their way to Highborne Cay and Blue Blaze and Sea Fox to Sampson Cay. Freedom wants to get north a bit quicker than we need to. The cruise was very uneventful, short and gorgeous. Not a drop of salt water on the bow equals no cleaning. We traveled at about 7 kts and it took a bit more than an hour to reach our destination a mere 10-12 miles north. We tracked Freedom and Blue Blaze just behind us. Just prior to heading east going toward Sampson another boat was on our starboard and I was pleased to see that it was Larry and Terry from Outer Reef. They were heading there also and we decided to meet for lunch to catch up. We have not seen them since Warderick Wells. Arriving at Sampson was quite nice. This is a private island, but they do welcome transients…and that would be us! Of course they welcome us…we purchase food, fuel and visit their club house spending money. This is definitely one of the prettiest places we have been. This could be a very nice little getaway for someone not caring about what they are spending. There are several individual abodes that one can rent anywhere from $1200 – $8000 per week. The marina is also very nice, by quite pricey at $2.75 per/ft. There are Boston whalers, sunfish and hobie cats that can be rented and probably not a bad idea to break up the solitude. Lunch with Terry and Larry was really good. All bad….but really tasty items offered on the buffet as their Sunday special was enjoyed by all of us and a great time catching up. We relaxed and tried to digest our meal until it was time to head to Blue Blaze for dinner. This must be why none of us is loosing any weight. Laura and Jason had been given a Mahi and that was on the menu this evening…delicious. We also were able to speak with Freedom who only made it to Shroud Cay, giving up on the 52 mile hike to Highborne all in one day….smart move for them. Full day…fun day…and night to all!
May 18, 2009
Monday
Cloudy
We scooped up Laura at 9:30 and headed to shore to hike around the island path. Very hot, but very good exercise. All along the path one crosses over beaches that are fancied with Adirondack chairs and umbrellas for use by the guests. We passed many of the little villas they offer for rent and some even have private beaches and docks. Nice, very nice.
After sweating bullets for the morning we stopped at the store for a few items, got ripped off big time (Augh! Some of these stores take such advantage…it is amazing), headed back to Sea Fox for lunch and then took a ride to Big Major Cay….just a short dinghy ride….to feed the pigs….yes, the pigs. We only had the pleasure of meeting 3, but there are 4 living on the island. Very friendly, big buggers swim out to your dinghy to be fed. Oh my…who would have thought there would be swimming pigs? All 3 came to greet us, along with several gulls and many fish. What a fun, feeding frenzy! Something we will probably never encounter again. Dinner at Blue Blaze this evening was delish! Mahi was the main course and so much enjoyed. Jason and Laura met 2, 21 year old boys from Canada yesterday. We saw them sailing in on their 28 ft sailboat and cringed! We did not have the VHF on but Blue Blaze did and welcomed them to the harbor. They invited them for dinner this evening and we hosted on Sea Fox. Simply amazing how they traveled from Kingston, Ontario here, the Bahamas with just the basics. Good for them. Quiet and timid, but we put food in their bellies and tried to drag some chatter out of them. We will meet them again at pizza and pasta night at Thunderball tomorrow evening.
May 19, 2009
Tuesday
Cloudy, misty and thunder
Still hot as heck!
The clouds are a welcome sight. Laura and I headed to shore for a hike while Jason fished and Barry tended to issues (minor issues) on the boat. Freaking hot! Even with the clouds it is so hot. Sweating the pounds off…no doubt, and a good thing. After our walk we headed back to our boats and chilled prior to dinner. A little reading and relaxation. We had the opportunity to speak with Roberta on the SSB radio, but much static got in the way. They remain at Highborne. We headed to Thunderball…a short ride buzzing in the dinghies! Lots of fun and it was a dry ride making it that much more amenable. Pizza, pasta and salad was pretty good. I was craving pizza! The boys from Canada, Trevor and Brendan, did join us and were a bit more chatty this evening. They advised they are heading north and home to buy a bigger, better boat and then heading back down next season. Again, good for them. What a wonderful experience. Laura and I headed to the yacht club bar when we got home to try to catch American Idol…to no avail. They could not get the station, just as Sea Fox cannot. Bummer! So, in lieu of that we returned to Sea Fox and watched Boston Legal instead….not such a bad compromise. Night to all.
May 20, 2009
Wednesday
Hot and sunny
Calm and clear
We had every intention of moving to Cambridge today, but got lazy. Barry read and I began to blog, and when checking the internet I found I was golden…hooked up to the Main House at Sampson Cay, for free no less, and was a happy camper. We did lots of stuff on line all day long with reading in between. We went nowhere, but we don’t have to. Laura and Jason headed to Norman’s Cay today…she wanted to snorkel the plane wreck there that we were unable to due to fierce current. Roberta emailed saying they would be in Highborne Cay for an additional day asking we join them, but the Captain poo pooed the idea. He does not want to rush and Highborne is a 50 mile trek with much to see/do in between. With nothing more to report I shall end for the day! Love to all.
May 21, 2009
Thursday
Cloudy
165 gallons of diesel @ $3.11 = $514.83
2 gallons of gas @4.05 = $8.10
5% credit card fee = $26.11
$548.29 @ Sampson fuel dock
1421 engine hours at day’s end
Little Pipe Cay
Oh my, and when you thought you have seen all the beauty you can Sea Fox enters Little Pipe Cay…in the rain no less. A very short journey today….about 4 miles. This place is gorgeous. Little Pipe Cay is a private island, as the signs encompassing the island states it is so. There are only 3 other boats anchored in this little harbor. Visibility of the water is terrible, to say the least, and shallows abound. This is why Barry chose not to go to Cambridge, too many shallows, and here we are in the same. There is suppose to be some great snorkeling around this area, along with friendly sharks waiting to be fed at the dock of Compass Cay not to far north of here. It poured buckets all day so we read once we were confident we were anchored safely and passed the time away. Dinner, a bit of TV and bed. Tomorrow I want to discover and hopefully snorkel! Love to all.
May 22, 2009
Friday
Cloudy, warm and humid
Rain upon awakening deterred us from doing anything in the morning. Once the rain seemed to have ceased we headed out to explore in the dinghy with fishing rod in hand and ham for bait. Unfortunately, the fish turned out to be too smart for us. One small grouper did take the bait, but he was a baby and was released. Otherwise, the fish tugging on the line just seemed to eat the bait off the hook and leave us laughing! Huh~! Regardless of no catch the cruise around was quite nice. We also got great views of some large star fish that were reddish in color and had a sort of spider web design. In this area are several small islands, all private, with a building or two on each. They all seem to be quite deserted at this time…no sign of life except for Little Pipe Cay, and the only life there seemed to be maintenance personnel. Little Pipe is a resort of some sort. This island boasts many buildings grouped in condo fashion. There are also several other outer buildings and gorgeous beaches with volley ball set ups and other things that would lead one to believe the same. Need to Google Little Pipe Cay and get the skinny. Interesting place! Tried to reach Freedom and Blue Blaze on the SSB to no avail, but we will try again tomorrow.
May 23, 2009
Saturday
Cloudy again
80’s
We woke to rain again. We have not had so much rain since November. With not much else to do we both settled in to read when the heavens opened. Barry take on this was a squall. I beg to differ as my take was torrential rain with thunder and lightening! After this ½ hour “squall” the dinghy had a good 2” of rain accumulation and water was coming in places on the boat that evidently is in need better caulking. Barry will get on it!
Around 1:00 the rain certainly had subsided and it was low tide. Wonderful exploration was ahead. There is a sand bar that revealed itself at low tide just a spit away. We cruised over and beached the dinghy. With shopping bag in hand I am ready to shell….something that I have been waiting for but have not yet had the opportunity. Wow! Conch shells, sand dollars, colorful shells, crabs….this was the mother load! Most of the conch shells were inhabited so they were left alone, along with the sand dollars that were still alive. They were burrowed in the sand, but there impressions were evident as we passed by them. There were enough other specimens ready for the taking. There were enough vacant conch shells for the picking along with sand dollars that had bit the dust. One conch shell had a squid as a resident. When Barry picked it up he squirmed out of the shell and onto the sand. He was white in color, but as he headed for the water he
turned brown….crazy!…and then when he entered the water he spewed his ink and swam away in an uproar! The little bugger could move! I guess he was not happy that we had disturbed him. More amusement came from the crabs. They did not want us near them at all. We encountered 2 that stood on their haunches with pinchers ready for attack! Too funny! One had enough gumption to actually chase Barry. They were a mere 2” across, but I did enjoy their tenacity! I am sure they would have stung a bit if they were successful in taking a nip or two. I had my bag full of goodies and we headed off for a cruise. I am sure there are many wonderful snorkeling sites here, but the current is vicious, so no snorkeling here for us. A “go fast” ride around the islands was a ton of fun. We even saw Fred and his dog whom we had met at Warderick Wells anchored here along one of the several cays. Fred waived and his dog barked! The sun was shinning at this point….hooray for the sun. I missed it. My specimens were placed in a bit of bleach and water to clean them up and then I can ogle! Great day!
May 24, 2009
Sunday
Cloudy upper 70’s
1422 engine hours
Compass Cay
Will the clouds ever go away? We woke to cloudy skies once again. I am missing the sunshine. We took a short cruise north to Compass Cay, just creeping along as slow as a snail. No hurry to end the 4 mile trek so quickly. Compass is supposed to have some of the best snorkeling and great trails to hike. Much to our surprise this is the first time we have seen markers leading thru a channel into a marina. Once we settled in the heavens opened once again. Wow! It ended and we headed out for a dinghy ride to check things out. Evidently we are not wanted here. The marina charges $8 per person just to dock and set foot on ground. Ridiculous, and there really is nothing in their little store that I would want to purchase anyway. They carry a limited supply of cold drinks and the like. Nothing we need at this time. The sky darkened once again so we headed back to Sea Fox to stay dry as the rain began once again. Dismal day. I do have internet service and that is a plus. Tomorrow we will head up the road a piece to Cambridge Cay. We do not feel very welcomed here.
May 25, 2009
Monday
Sun, finally
Happy Birthday, Mom!
I received an email from Roberta saying they would be at Highborne Cay for one more day. That is where my sights are headed. It is about 36 nm away and that is where my attention is….much to Barry’s dismay. Sorry, Captain, but I needed a Nunemaker fix and I am sure you did also. Barry would have preferred to slowly creep north, but our friends were a few hours away and a visit is what I had in mind. I don’t ask for much, but when I do I want what I want. He agreed, somewhat. Once we neared Highborne his attitude changed and the response from Freedom welcoming us was wonderful. We ran to the store and picked up some items, including wine and brandy. Once an app was prepared we headed over to Freedom for dinner. It was so wonderful to see them again. Roberta and I had weepy eyes…but just for a moment. Catching up was wonderful and dinner was a blast from the past and so great….just like “old times”, and times we much prefer. It is wonderful doing what we are doing, but doing it with someone else that “gets it” is so much better. We said good night to our friends until another time. I love you guys!!!!! Another wonderful day in the neighborhood.
May 26, 2009
Tuesday
Sunny
Highborne Cay
Our friends have left us…at 7:00…wanting to cover as much ground as possible…We will miss John and Roberta, big time! We took a ride to Allen’s Cay and visited the iguanas. They rushed to the beach when they heard the dinghy motor…who says they are not fed? I brought them Romaine lettuce and they were loving it. There were a couple of specimens…some curly tail guys and others that we have not seen before that ranged from 8 inches to a good foot or more, but they were all thankful for the food we brought. Cautious, but greatful! After that adventure we headed back to Sea Fox and read for the afternoon waiting for slack tide to snorkel the reef. We tried to reach Freedom on the SSB, but that was not at happening, so we headed out to the reef to snorkel. It has been a week or more since we have snorkeled and it was very pleasing. The reef was gorgeous with many different fish and the reefs…..so wonderful! We snorkeled for a good hour and we noticed an all black lion fish….Laura and Jason…where are you when the gettin’ is good? There were rays of many species, big and small, along with some other beautiful guys just there for the lookin’. This must be a nursery for conch…they are everywhere. When we returned to the boat a barracuda was waiting to greet us. Another guy just hanging around waiting to be fed. Sadly, I had nothing to offer him and he finally retreated. Another great day! Only wish you could all join us and do what we are doing….Thank you God, as we are grateful for what we are doing.
May 27, 2009
Wednesday
Hot and sunny
89* on the bridge at 8:00
1427 engine hours at day’s end
Rock Sound, Eleuthera
Eleuthera has been a place that we have gone around and around with regarding venturing here, or not. One guide book we have had absolutely nothing good to say about any settlement on this island. The Explorer Chart, on the other hand, praises each and every place as something one ought not miss. It was about a 40 nm trip and approximately 3 hours…today we went fast managing an average of 16 kts. We dodged many coral heads along the way and successfully entered Rock Sound at around 11:00. Neither of us got a warm and fuzzy feeling upon entering as there is just one lonesome sailboat in the entire harbor….and now us. Where oh where has my crystal clear water gone? The harbor is murky and the bottom is barely visible. Strike 2! From Sea Fox the town looked shabby. Oh my, what have we done? The dinghy was launched and we headed to discover places that Explorer recommends. The town dock is all but torn down. Dingles dock was yet to be found, but we did find Little Gully which was another option. This dock put us right outside of 4 Points Marina Village Restaurant and Bar. First we headed to the bank that was about a 5 minute walk and also found The Market, NAPA, a liquor store and another hardware store all in a little plaza. Very nice. The Market was closed for the afternoon for training on health issues for the employees. In lieu of shopping and with not much to choose from on the boat we had lunch at 4 Points. Devon was our host and waiter. He explained that he and his family run this newly established (January, 2009) restaurant and a distant cousin runs the bar. The land belongs to The Market and they constructed a very nice building to house their business, along with a gazebo bar right on the water. We had a very nice chat with him and he explained that he and his cousin are the exception to the rule when it comes to working….basically the men are lazy and do pretty much nothing. He cannot even get any of them to work for him as they do not want to put in an 8 hour day…amazing! For the most part the women run the island and the men fish for food only when needed. Go Devon! At least someone has some initiative. We also told him he should have WiFi for his guests and a Laundromat for the island which would definitely attract the cruisers. He is working on the WiFi, but has been running into glitches. The employees from The Market were having their business lunch at the gazebo so we chose to sit on the deck of the restaurant. What a view and great breeze! The menu was small, but the choices were enough to make a decision. They were out of grouper so we had chicken sandwiches that were good. It was so hot we decided to save exploration of the town for tomorrow….so freaking hot!
Barry decided to run the generator and the A/C was such a pleasure and really much needed. Damn it was hot today.
May 28, 2009
Thursday
Oh, so hot!
82* @ 7:00
Heading to town was at 7:30, hoping to beat the heat of the day. Nothing was open, but we were able to check out the Ocean Hole. This place was very cool. It was huge and was actually the ocean, but about a mile in from the shore. They definitely played this area up and a park has been created all around the hole. I was impressed. We walked by most of what was available as stores and bars. Very few to be found, but this is an upgrade from the Exumas as far as having habitants. This was an actual working settlement. Eleuthera is about 100 miles long and divided up into settlements. Rock Sound is one of the most southern parts of the island. We will be working our way north, stopping at a few other settlements and finally ending in Spanish Wells prior to crossing over to Abacos. After our walk we took the dinghy back to Little Gully and headed to The Market. We have found the prices here to be quite good and not outrageously expensive as in Exuma and the selection of items is great. Still, no fish! No where have we been able to find fish in any grocery store. What the locals they keep. The liquor stores even have my favorite Lamouthe Parrot for $6. All is good. We unloaded the groceries, relaxed a bit and then headed out to window shop. There were about 4 touristy places mostly selling junk. We found Sawyer’s Market farther back on one of the side streets and did a bit more shopping. The stores/shops are scattered here and there on the island. Businesses are not necessarily on Queen’s Highway which is the main drag. Next to Sawyers and across the street were private residences. Go figure! We got back to Sea Fox about 4 and tried Freedom on the SSB to no avail. Around 6 the heavens open on us with torrential, torrential rain along with thunder and lightening. My, oh my….what a storm that went on for a good ½ hour filling the dinghy about ½ way. The result of the rain was the most beautiful double rainbow that Barry managed to take shots of both from the boat and then out on the dinghy….after bailing it of course. The rain also gave Sea Fox a great bath and cooled the air off just a bit. Tomorrow we have plans to head to Governor’s Harbour. Night all.
May 29, 2009
Friday
Warm
The water maker has been giving us grief for the past couple of days with regards to rejecting the water making process. Augh! We have been doing so good lately with maintenance stuff. Barry messed around with it for about an hour working on the most simple fixes with no luck. Still rejecting. Instead of moving to Governor’s Harbour we will be cleaning the membrane of the system…an 8 hour ordeal. At least the wind is whipping away outside creating a nice breeze inside so this is definitely the day to do it. Hopefully it will be running smoothly again soon. It is 1:30 as I blog and the process will be complete by 7:30 this evening. Not much else to report today…Over and out!
May 30, 2009
Saturday
Cloudy, still in the 80’s
1431 engine hours
We headed out today to Governor’s Harbour with only half of the membrane cleaning done. Once we reached the Harbour we anchored, as none of the mooring balls seemed safe to be on….we are in the Bahamas, remember! Again, we are the only ones here. Seems like everyone has headed north for the winter, and we are feeling a bit alone. The waves coming in from the sound are killing us rocking-wise and the parsley plant fell…oh, what a mess. We moved closer to land where the holding was not suppose to be good, but it turned out to be fine and there is much less rocking and rolling where we ended up. The heat has subsided today as it is cloudy. As Barry finishes the cleaning processes we read and watched dump trucks being loading with sand and then transporting to God knows where over and over again from the Government Dock, and this went on until sunset. Maybe we will launch the dinghy tomorrow and check out the town. It is quite large by comparison of other places we have been and very much a working area. There is much happening on shore with the trucks moving sand and lots of traffic passing by all day long. Hopefully internet will continue. We have not had this pleasure in about 4 days. Love to all!
May 31, 2009
Sunday
Cloudy, rain
Still muggy and very humid
Last night was very interesting….rain, thunder, lightning all around us. I got up at 5 am to close windows and sop up water. Barry got up at 6 to be sure we were not dragging anchor. The current was rough, rocking us like a roller coaster. Are we having fun yet? Once we were up we decided to launch the dinghy and go ashore. There appears to be much to see and I would like to get to the Atlantic side of the island to see the pink sand beach. We headed out at 10:30, got rid of the trash, and that pretty much ended our day. The rain began again, so we decided to head back to the boat and wait out the rain. That was 3 hours ago, and I still see black clouds around us threatening more good soakings. Probably not wise to leave the boat. We can see buses running and I would love to hop on one and take a cruise of the area. The problem is getting to one without getting drenched in the process. Governor’s Harbour was the first capital of the Bahamas and ran the country for quite some time. This part of the island is 142 feet above sea level and the hills, with houses tucked in, are very pretty. “Downtown”, if you will, is not far from the boat, but it is Sunday and most places are closed….minus the churches and there are several choices in each settlement. Bahamians are big on God and there are actually stores dedicated to religious items….like Tally’s at home. As I was blogging a very intense storm came thru so I had to stop. It was vicious, to say the least. Along with buckets and buckets of water it brought thunder, lightening and 50 mph winds. Not fun! The anchor was dragging and Barry had to continually move the boat to be sure of not hitting anything…like the seawall for instance. This was a first, and something we would prefer not to experience again anytime soon. I am so sick of the rain and have quite the desire to get off the boat. Love to all.
