Marsh Harbour for the Holidays – December 22, 2011 to January 5, 2012
We had already crossed the Sea of Abaco and were anchored at Matt Lowe’s Cay when we saw our travelling companions on Amokura come to an abrupt stop as they were preparing to leave Man O War. With their 7 foot draft they were aground for the second time in the same location. The tide was on the rise so they did not have to wait long before the water was deep enough for them to follow us across.
As a stress relief treatment when they arrived we had them on board for a steak and lobster dinner, 2 bottles of wine, a large jug of sky juice, some beer and several games of Rummikub. It seemed to work as the next day they were ready to go snorkelling at Mermaid Reef.
With only three days left until Christmas it was time for what has become my annual Canadian butter tart baking. This year I came prepared with several packages of idiot proof pastry mix. Just add water and it rolls out like magic.
I still do not have a rolling pin on board. I have used this silicone baking sheet to roll out several kinds of dough and so far nothing seems to stick. Has anyone invented a silicone rolling pin yet?
We were anxious to visit the new Maxwell’s grocery store that was built in Marsh Harbour to replace the one that burned down a few years ago. We were impressed. What a change. Bright wide aisles, well stocked shelves with lots of choices, freezers literally overflowing with turkeys. Except for fresh fruit and veggies we still had lots of provisions on board but it was impossible to resist a few special treats like smoked salmon and fine cheeses and Pillsbury baguettes.
Marsh Harbour is a bilingual community.
The smallest police station ever. It does not seem to be currently in use. Maybe it was required during the construction phase to ensure that building materials were not mysteriously reassigned to other projects on the island.
Our shopping extravaganza became Christmas Eve dinner with drinks before, during and after the feast. We passed on steak night at the Jib Room but attended Jason’s rake ‘n scrape party.
Christmas morning at the Marsh Harbour Marina.
Christmas Eve celebrations having gotten a little out of hand there was no appetite the next morning for Bailey’s in the coffee or our traditional smoked kippers for Christmas day breakfast. The pot luck dinner hosted by The Jib Room (It’s worth the ride to the other side.) was scheduled for early afternoon. I made a large batch of my sisters’ favorite cauliflower casserole to contribute along with fresh cranberry sauce and dressing. Our friends from the UK shared their Christmas crackers and introduced us to a new tradition.
In the UK Christmas crackers come with jokes and little toys inside as well as pretty paper hats that are worn while you eat your Christmas meal. All the Christmas crackers I ever had in Canada were decorative only – no little goodies inside. I feel cheated!
The week between Christmas and New Year’s was a busy one. For cruisers used to a very slow paced lifestyle it was downright hectic!
Starting with Boxing Day a snorkelling trip to Mermaid Reef was on the agenda. Land access to the reef has been closed off by the new land owner of that little piece of shoreline, an action that has ignited controversy in the community as many locals frequented the spot as do cruisers. We picked up our cruising companions and headed out of the harbour. Fortunately we were able to anchor Polar Pacer within swimming distance of the reef and yet far enough away to avoid causing any damage to the coral. There are some moorings near the reef but they are only strong enough for a dinghy. The sea life was abundant with more variety than we had seen on our last visit.
We need a little more practice with the new underwater camera.
It was not easy to get these grunts to pose for a photo.
It was a beautiful day to be on and in the water. Drinks were poured as we lounged on the deck and congratulated ourselves for being lucky enough to be enjoying the cruising lifestyle. A local fisherman came by with lobster tails for sale, at a dozen for $60 and plans were soon made for a group dinner. Back in the harbour we rafted to Amokura so we could have both barbeques going at the same time. What started out as dinner for six soon expanded to a banquet for ten plus two more who stopped by for after dinner drinks. Life is like that.
In the morning, still rafted to Amokura, the boats in the anchorage had swung with the tide and we were sitting uncomfortably close to the neighbours. With morning coffee out of the way the raft was dismantled and we dropped our own anchor. Soon afterwards we started to hear repeated calls on the VHF from a boat, stranded in the shipping channel, trying without success to hail the office of their rental company. Tom volunteered to go out and tow them back in to the harbour. A representative from the rental company finally showed up to handle the towing but we were then hailed by a sail boat that must have overheard some of the radio communications and was also in need of assistance. They were arriving without a functioning engine and needed assistance to get into the harbour and anchor under sail. Tom, Kevin and Bill went to the rescue.
The next day the rental boat crew came by with a string of conch as a thank you.
Halfway through the cleaning process Tom and Kevin were wondering if this was a reward or a punishment.
Next on the social calendar was Happy Hour hosted by the owner of Celebration of Life, a forty foot lagoon catamaran in one of the charter fleets based out of Marsh Harbour. Anthony is not a cruiser and was just in Marsh Harbour to spend some time on his new boat and to meet as many people as he could during his short stay. Anyone looking for a charter to accommodate a large group would do well with Celebration of Life. The galley, salon and cockpit are all spacious enough to entertain a crowd and it has four staterooms with private heads.
Another harbour, another pot luck dinner. You should not go to the Abacos without visiting Hopetown, so we did. It was a great day for a short sail and we arrived with plenty of time to walk the town and pay a visit to Vernon’s grocery before dinner. Linda even picked up one of Vernon’s famous pies for dessert.
Just decorate that boarded up window like it was always meant to be that way. No one will ever know.
Evergreen, yes, but who says it should be pine or fir.
The first annual junkanoo competition was scheduled to start at the Sea Spray resort at 10:00PM. The resort is located a few miles from town. We had been unable to contact Sea Spray to get the details for the special shuttle from Hopetown to the resort so we went ashore to take our chances. As we walked towards the government dock where we expected the shuttle would run from, a Norwegian couple stopped and offered us a ride inn their golf cart. Not thinking how we might get back to the dinghy, we accepted their offer. Keep in mind that we have never been there before, have no idea how far away it is, it is pitch black out and the road is not lit.
A large crowd had already gathered at Sea Spray. The people waiting for drinks at the bar were lined up four deep and no one was moving very quickly. The live entertainment was good and helped pass the time until the start of the main event that didn’t happen until almost 11:00 PM.
The first group up was the Treasure Cay Explorers. The small group had good music, good dancers and very elaborate costumes.
As soon as they made their way past the crowd it was obvious that the next group was far from being ready for their turn. We came to our senses and realized that if we were going to make it back to the boat before morning we should probably do something about it sooner rather than later. Not able to find anyone at the resort that could help us with shuttle information we started walking in the hopes that someone with wheels would leave early and give us a ride. At least we had our flashlights. The first vehicle was not going very far but before we had walked far a nice lady on a golf cart picked us up and took us back to town.
Anthony was pleased enough with our company so far that he agreed to host the New Years’ Eve celebration on Celebration of Life. It was another pot luck dinner, of course, with copious amounts of good food and wine. Me Gusta came through in fine form with a bottle of champagne that they have been saving for years for a special occasion such as their first New Years’ Eve in the Abacos. We were treated to a very nice fireworks display and had a glimpse of the junkanoo group that had been performing at a nearby restaurant.
I have had a few requests for my conch chowder recipe. Here it is.
Pressure Cooker Conch Chowder
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. oil
1 large chopped onion
4-5 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped green pepper
2 or 3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cans tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 liters water
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sage
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Hot sauce to taste
4 or 5 minced or ground conch
3-4 medium potatoes, diced
1 can corn or mini corn cobs, drained
In pressure cooker, saute onion, garlic, green pepper and celery in oil for a few minutes.
Add all other ingredients and close pressure cooker.
Cook for 5 minutes on high pressure then let depressurize naturally.
Add potatoes and corn and cook on high pressure for 1 minute more.
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I used conch that has been frozen but not tenderized. So far it has worked well.
The new year started at a much slower pace. There were boat chores that had been neglected over the holiday period and some repairs to be done to the UV strip on the jib and the boom cover. Even UV resistant thread eventually disintegrates in the sun and many exposed seams needed to be re-sewn. We probably could have done the boom cover on board but the jib is too large and awkward to manage. The Jib Room generously offered us the use of their back patio to set up the sewing machine and do our repairs.
The buffet table was just the right size to lay the jib out for those long seams.
Another repair that we were able to look after while we were in Marsh Harbour was the shattered jib car. A salvage boat that had been a victim of Hurricane Irene was tied up at the dock at the Conch Inn Marina and Tom was able to pick up a couple of spare parts that made it possible for us to put out the jib on the starboard side once again. Thanks to Joe for lending us one of his spares to use until we found a solution.
With some modification the roller was made to fit on the existing jib car.
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