I don’t mean to bombard you with blogs – just that I have more pictures and if I don’t get it sent while we are at a place with wifi, they just accumulate and the next blog takes forever!  Also, I want to say thank you to everyone who comments and leaves messages – I do see them but can’t load the blog to reply until the next time we get to wifi.   But I appreciate the support; it’s nice to know that friends are enjoying following along.   I get a bit bamboozled by technology – I don’t know how to get back to things – so please know that I am seeing and appreciating your input!

We knew there was a big front coming and decided to head a little south to Hatchet Bay, a completely enclosed harbor, and ride it out there.  You have to go through a narrow cut where the tide is extremely strong.  You’re supposed to go through at a slack tide but I think we miscalculated a little – our boat speed was 6.4 knots but the current was ripping us through at 10.5!!   As we came through the other side we were delivered into a beautiful sound with a sand bank, people paddling and incredibly clear water – you can see the bottom clearly at 20 ft.

The coastline is rocky and sheer – you can sail along very close to shore and the rock formations are amazing.   There was one house that we both decided we wanted – a great all round porch and a stairway down to the water with a ladder to get in and out.   I’m sure there are many lobsters down along that ledge, just waiting to be our dinner!  We almost went past the entrance to Hatchet Harbour – you will see how narrow it is from the sunset pics that follow.

We were hoping to tie up to a mooring ball to ride out the storm.   No such luck – they were in terrible shape, with no maintenance having been done for two years.   The guy in charge of them said he wouldn’t use one without having an anchor out as well!   We made the decision to stay overnight at anchor and then head back to a marina in Spanish Wells to ride out the storm.   The trip down to Hatchet Bay, although technically a waste of time, was an absolute gift because the next morning we had the most spectacular sunrise – not a breath of air and absolutely breathtaking.  And the “behind” pictures are just as special.

 

I couldn’t help imagining the gulls singing along to Y-M-C-A !!!!!

The day was perfect.   As we motored back to the cut it was so still that there was no horizon – two fisherman seemed suspended in air.   As always, I was drawn to the patterns in the water, and as always, there were interesting craft that passed us by.

 

Spanish Wells is a great little town.   We tied up in the marina and while the weather was still good, rented a golf cart and explored.   An interesting fact was told to us – unlike many islands where the young people move away, there are enough jobs and activity here to keep them, and you can sense this as you drive around and see neat homes and neighborhoods.   Down on the waterfront the buildings are fun ….

and water transport is used very creatively!   The cargo on the shrimp boat appeared to be scrap metal.   But they don’t take all the scrap metal away, much of it remains, rusting, all over the island.

We stopped at a beach bar, and saw some beautiful beaches, and even an osprey who was wintering here (not sure that the wiring on that pole would pass code in the US!!)

 

The marina filled up with like-minded cautious cruisers as the storm approached.   We were grateful to be tied up securely to a dock – the winds, as forecast, gusted to 50 knots and it was sustained at about 35 knots for a long while.   It poured with rain; we had thunder and lightening – everything on the boat got a good wash!

It is still blowing some, but we will leave today and go back to anchor at Royal Island  and then back down Eleuthera, heading to the Exumas by the end of the week we hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Kate, Will and Penny left we spent a few days in Marsh Harbor getting the boat straight (!!), re-provisioning and doing laundry. Only when you are cruising do you appreciate the appliances you have at home –large fridge, freezers and most of all washer/dryers to use at your whim. At $5.50 a load to wash and another $5.50 to dry, you think twice before tossing the slightly worn top or pants into the washing pile! Besides the expense, not many places offer laundry facilities because water is a precious commodity down here, so laundry day is a big deal.

There was a humdinger of a storm forecast for the 7th so we scuttled over to Hope Town to hunker down. It blew and it blew and it blew. After the big storm, the winds stayed strong and there was no chance of heading south for a while. So we explored Elbow Cay by golf cart for a day.

(The boat in the picture on the right is a Nicholson 31 – the same design as the Morgan 31 we were building in Durban in 1981 and in which we planned to cross the ocean with the two children – boy were we optimistic!!   Hats off to our parents for their support in that project – I’m glad things changed and our lives took the path they did!)

We golf-carted down to Tahiti Beach and had a wonderful walk as the tide receded – found three pretty baby conch which had been left high and dry and were waiting for the water to come back in; beautiful sand flats with amazing patterns left behind; and then, as always, on the ocean side: rugged rocks with wild seas.

 

 

On to Sea Spray Marina where we had a good lunch (we hear the names of these places every morning on the Cruiser’s Net – VHF Channel 68 where they give you weather updates, sea conditions and everything that is happening around the islands in the Abacos). The highlight of my day was when we stopped at Firefly Resort for a drink and found that there was a manatee at the dock!! He was huge and lumbering and not pretty, but so friendly and I could finally see what one looked like. Gary (who used to train dolphins many years ago and knows such a lot about sea life) went down to pat him, and when another guy on a boat reached out, the manatee flipped over, as though he wanted his chin scratched!! It was a very special day for me.

 

 

We did a Trivia night at Captain Jack’s, joined the Sip Sip Sots (which supports animals on Abaco), did a Bingo night, ate on the boat, ate on shore, watched football when we could – all passing time until the weather changed. We went to a great lecture about Wreckers – it was a government sanctioned profession in the 1800’s.  When ships foundered on the many reefs and rocky shores the wreckers used to go out to save the crews and salvage the cargo. A lucrative business all round as the government took a percentage of the spoils and it was a major source of income for the Bahamas islands. (It was different to piracy as the goods would have been lost had the wreckers not gone out – pirates were basically thieves). Looking at some of the coastline it is not surprising that there were so many ships sunk!

Muffin and the talking dog Lucy took us on a great walk along the lighthouse side of the island where no cars can go – she collects driftwood and shells and all kinds of bric-a-brac which she crafts into items for sale in support of various island charities. Her husband Will, owner of Mac & Cheese (which is anchored on the beach on the water’s edge so that the planks stay swollen and there are no leaks) helped Garth craft a step for our deep-drafted dinghy so that getting in and out was not as difficult.

 

Finally there was a forecast for a break in the weather! Time to go. We set off south and went into Little Harbor – one of the more famous, almost land-locked anchorages in the Abacos. In the 1950s a professor from Smithy College, Massachusetts, Randolph Johnston, decided he wanted to take his family away from the rat race (was it a rat race even then?) and headed South for the Caribbean and then to the Pacific. After spending some time travelling around the Bahamas he decided he didn’t need to go any further than the Abacos and anchored in Little Harbor. He and his family lived in the caves and set up a bronze casting foundry on the island – he is famous for his bronzes and although he has now passed on, his son Peter carries on the family tradition. It is a place that most people visit, with beautiful diving just outside the completely contained harbor.

Again, we went for a beach-combing walk along the ocean side – we were struck by the different rocks that make up the shore line.   It is very rugged with no delicate shells – everything gets smashed to pieces and only the strongest survive.

The sea creatures all have to cling on for dear life – but there is always beauty to be found in the minutiae!

 

We spent a night there and had to leave the next morning in order to get out of the entrance on the high tide. We joined the armada that had gathered behind Lynyard Cay – everyone had been holed up waiting for a weather gap to head south, and Monday looked to be the day.

 

At 6.00 am we heard the first boats on the radio as they were going through the cut in the reef – their report was “rolly, but no breaking waves”. We saw the lights of all the boats moving in the direction of the cut – I think about 15 boats left – we were off!  I don’t have a single picture of the crossing.  Although it was do-able, it was not pleasant. It was about a 50 mile trip – the seas had not laid down yet and the waves were 10’+, with winds constantly at 20 knots, gusting up to 25 at times. We had two reefs in our main and the genoa half way out – the boat sailed beautifully like that, but the waves were beam on and so we were riding up and falling down – the whole way! I was not feeling great – fortunately I had made some sandwiches and various things early in the morning and packed a bag for the cockpit. I sat and lay huddled for most of the way – Garth was a trooper and did it all himself. He took a number of direct hits from huge waves that left him drenched – fortunately it wasn’t a freezing day. Finally we saw land and soon we were in the lee of Eleuthera – seas calmed and we were there! We dropped the anchor at Royal Island and just chilled.
Next day we did some chores and then went ashore. There are ruins of a once-beautiful plantation that had been built in 1937 and then abandoned. It was so sad to see everything broken down and overrun with vines and graffiti. The thing that amazed us was the floors – tiles in all the rooms that were still there, perfect, grout intact and not cracked or chipped. Must have been some special craftsmen who laid them. We walked all over the island – enough exercise to make up for the completely sedentary day before!

 

This morning we sailed over to Spanish Wells. A commercial town that supplies more than 50% of the Bahamas with lobster and fish. The water here, despite the fishing boats and commerce, is crystal clear.  We will eat ashore tonight (about time!) and do some exploring of the island in a golf cart tomorrow. And from here, more heading south and seeing what we find. Another big front is expected this weekend so we will make sure we are somewhere protected.  In the meantime, the sunsets remain spectacular!!

 

 

It’s 2017.   The dust is settling, the Christmas decorations are being taken down (hopefully!) and I hope that the new year holds happiness and health for all of our friends.

We booked a flight out of the Bahamas on December 10th so that we would be home in time to celebrate Penny’s 4th birthday on the 11th – should have been easy.   But there was a front coming through and low cloud here, so the incoming flight could not land.   After countless delays and uncertainty, they finally cancelled the flight that night – luckily we had our boat to go back to; others weren’t so lucky.   We finally left at lunch time on the 11th – to get to Atlanta and find that there were no seats on the connecting flight into Baltimore.   We went on standby and a couple of planes left without us.   Finally we were called up just as the doors were about the close.   As she printed the boarding pass, the couple whose seats we were taking rushed up to the gate (she had been “shopping” and lost track of time!)   Feeling bad, I grabbed the boarding pass, put my head down and scuttled down the boarding ramp, determined that we would get on that flight!    So we made Penny’s birthday, even though it was 8.30pm before we got there!

We had a whirlwind trip home – Christmas time is always so busy and we caught up with friends, spent lots of time with Will and Penny, and worked hard at doing all the things we needed to set ourselves up for being away again for another four months.   I wish I could be more casual about paperwork, but I had my nose in the computer for a lot of our visit.   That way I can relax now, knowing everything is “under control”.

We went to the school Christmas concert and loved it – each year the kindergarten class are the main characters.  So Penny’s group featured as bell ringers, and Will’s class presented Christmas songs with words and actions.   All so adorable –  St Anne’s is an amazing school.

 

We loved being at home – the swans arrived in our absence and Garth picked up his share of the feeding.  We are so lucky to have the privilege of having these beautiful birds in front of our house every year.   We counted about 95 at a time this year – with quite a few cygnets among the group.

Christmas was low key – I made the Beef Wellington which seems to have become our tradition.   The day was mild and beautiful – we were able to open the big door and weren’t cold at all!

 

We have great neighbors – we routinely meet on our front lawns with a glass of wine in hand as the sun goes down – Christmas day was no exception, and mother nature obliged with a humdinger sunset.

 

And then it was time for the big adventure!   Kate, Will and Penny flew back with us on the 29th to escape the cold and see in the new year.  Unfortunately our luggage never made the connection in Atlanta and so we lost a precious day waiting for it to be delivered.   The kids were not phased too much – we had to find them a summer alternative to their long sleeves and shoes and socks which was an interesting exercise – but they swam happily in the marina pool in their underwear and ate their first conch fritters with relish!

 

We wanted to spend New Year’s Eve in Hope Town so made our way over as soon as we could on the 31st.   We went to the Reef Bar which is on the ocean side of the island with a fabulous beach and the most incredible clear turquoise  water.

We had an early lunch – opposite a cemetery which had a very steep hill which was an irresistable invitation to run down with hair flying!   There was a gate a little way away, but they found a couple of loose planks in the fence and did what kids do …

 

There was a junior Junkanoo scheduled for the afternoon – we found a playground to keep them busy while waiting.   Will is at that age where he jumps and swings and climbs on everything possible.   Penny keeps up, but with an age-appropriate reserve!   The Junkanoo was small but full of energy and such fun!

 

Time to go back to the boat and take a nap to be ready for the celebration.   We managed to book the last table at the Harbour’s Edge restaurant for the early sitting.   A delicious 5-course meal – our entree choice was Surf and Turf with lobster – yum!   They provided headgear – Will immediately adopted a Humphrey Bogart persona – Penny wanted the man’s hat rather than the feathery crown which they gave for the girls!   Afterwards we went down to meet up with Mel and Gary and the boys sported the headgear I had bought for the kids while sharing some Franschoek wine!!

New Year’s Day – my birthday! – and it was time to move on.   We went over to Nippers on Guana Cay for their traditional Sunday pork roast buffet.   The children had seen our photos and were looking forward to swimming in the pool with the pirate on the bottom!  The water was freezing apparently and they got in, but clung to Kate – not sure if it was really that cold or whether they were beleiving Garth’s stories about the pirate getting them.   But they didn’t let go for a minute.

It became shoulder-to-shoulder crowded at Nippers so we moved down to the beach at Grabbers – more swimming, eating and drinking!   Will and Penny donned the wetsuits which Chris and Jean Humpreys had kindly passed on to them and went for their first snorkeling lesson in “real” water.   They loved it and we got some real surfer-looking photos!

Every day down here seems to end with a memorable sunset ….

Next day we set off to see the swimming pigs.   We had to go around Whale Cut into the ocean.  Fortunately the swell was reasonable and the passage unremarkable – except for a float plane which took off right next to us!   By the time I got my camera it was already in the air, but was an interesting experience for Will and Penny

Noname Cay where the pigs live was the highlight of the trip!   Craig Russel who takes official care of them had arrived with food, and they were eating from the trough.   There were a number of 7-week old piglets who were just charming!   After a little encouraging, Will and Penny both fed them some of our bread, and by the end were petting and patting with confidence!   Craig had brought some coconuts which he opened with a machete – not something that you would ever experience in Annapolis!   The kids ate coconut right out of the shell before it was given to the pigs – who cleaned them out!   They drink from pipes attached to a huge water tank – Piggyville is alive and thriving.

 

The tide was high and the water was pristine – more snorkelling for the kids and they saw fish swimming by.   Garth found a live conch and they were a little unsure about the animal living inside.   I thought it looked a lot like Kate …..

All round it was a gorgeous day, and a perfect end to a great visit.   From there we went back to Green Turtle Club – more swimming in the pool and then a delicious final meal together.   We loved having them on board – this visit was a highlight for us and we hope we instilled a sense of wonder, adventure and wanderlust in them – that the world is a place full of things to see and do and experience.

This blog has been all about family – from here we set off for Eluthera and the Exumas next week, to places we have not visited before and our own experiences to be enjoyed.