Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Manjack to Man O War

Manjack to Man O War – December 9 to 21, 2012
It was our first visit to Manjack Cay in the northern Abacos. There are three good anchoring spots on the west side on Manjack Cay that offer protection from the north and east. We put down our hook between Manjack and Crab Cays where we also had protection from the southeast.
 On first sight it looked like a place that warranted exploring.

But there was the business of checking in with customs that needed to be dealt with first. Tom and Kevin gathered the necessary documents and went by dinghy to the customs office at Green Turtle Cay. They returned three and a half hours later bearing conch salad for lunch. What a treat!
It seems that the check in procedure has changed since our arrival in 2009. Back then the rule was that only the captain was to go ashore with the boat documentation and passports for everyone on board. This time they wanted each person to check in in order to obtain a tourist card and have his or her passport stamped. There did not seem to be any urgency and the office would be closed over the weekend. We waited until Monday when we would take the big boats to Green Turtle Cay. The other change was the number of days that we would be granted. There is no representation from Immigration at GTC and the customs agent is now only allowed to grant a maximum stay of 90 days. The last two years we were granted 180 days.

Manjack Cay is a privately owned island. Bill and Leslie, more or less full time second homer residents and the owners of most of the island, welcome cruisers to come ashore to visit and enjoy their island. In fact, they were hosting a full moon party on Saturday night on the ocean side of the island with an unobstructed view of the moonrise.
The reddest starfish that I have ever seen.

This fine fellow met us on shore and made it clear that he is the one in charge of the island – and his flock of hens.
There were lots of cruisers in attendance at the full moon party. The sky was partly cloudy so we did not actually see the moon come up. When the party was over the clouds disappeared long enough for the moon to light our way through the bush back to the beach on the other side of the island where we had left the dinghies.

 Adding fuel to the full moon bonfire.

Seeing that other cruisers were making an impressive haul when they went diving for lobster Tom and Kevin put on their wetsuits, armed themselves with spears and went hunting.

Tom’s first lobster catch ever,

 Not quite enough to feed four on its own but enough for a tasty lobster pizza.

We had heard about the Dine for Docking program at the Green Turtle Club in White Sound and were convinced that we deserved to treat ourselves to some creature comforts. Dine for docking means that each dollar spent in their restaurant is applied against your bill for dockage. If you eat and drink enough your dockage is free. When we tied up at the dock we found out that their water and electrical systems had been taken out by hurricane Irene and had not yet been repaired. So much for shore power and unlimited water. The showers were passable and the food in the restaurant was good but pricy. It did not take many meals to pay for our dockage. We later found out that the Bluff House marina, also in White Sound, also had a dock and dine program that probably would have been more economical.
The group with tipsy turtle rum punches.
After hitching two rides on golf carts to the customs office in New Plymouth at the other end of the island to complete the check in process, we were free to explore and see the sights. We had lunch at “2 Shorty’s”, drinks at the Blue Bee Bar,
admired the new Christmas decorations,
and tried to out-stare the local cats.
An avid gardener told us that these flowers are called ‘cigar’ hibiscus. I have also seen them called ‘sleeping beauty’ hibiscus.
Soon we had a window of opportunity to transit Whale Cay Cut and make some progress south. We left Green Turtle Cay with three other boats; a 44 ft. Feeling monohull, a 30 ft. Tartan monohull, a 38 ft. Lagoon catamaran and us in our 37 ft. 1985 Prout catamaran. All four boats would handle the conditions differently. As we passed through the cut into the ocean we had six to eight foot, well-spaced ocean rollers with a little bit of wind driven chop.

 In spite of what it might look like we had no pounding and were all generally quite comfortable.
As we entered the abandoned cruise ship channel that leads to Baker’s Bay on the north end of Great Guana Tom called Troy from Dive Guana on the VHF to determine the status of the broken pole from two years ago.
 “Yep, it’s still there.” was the reply.
For future reference Tom marked a waypoint for it on our chart at 26o41’.557N and 77o10’.700W.
From the anchorage at Fisher’s Bay we had front row seats for the single handed launch of the Jacqueline B at the narrow boat ramp next to Dive Guana’s shop. The sailboat was on a trailer attached to the non-digging end of a backhoe (a.k.a. rubber tire). The trailer was backed into the water until the boat started to float. The driver then quickly jumped off of the machine, grabbed the loose end of a line that was attached to the bow of the sailboat, ran halfway down a nearby dock with it where it was secured between two inflatable dinghies. He then ran back to the backhoe and used the stabalizers to lift the front of the trailer and shake it until the boat floated off. Before it had a chance to wash ashore or get too tangled up with the other boats the man was back on the dock shortening up the line and moving it in to deeper water.

I think he may have done this before.
We had not previously been to the famous pig roast at Nipper’s on the ocean beach of Great Guana. Calling a pig roast is a bit of a misnomer. It is a buffet with BBQ pork as the main attraction but not done on a spit on the beach as one might think. However it was cooked, it was delicious as were the typical Bahamian side dishes of peas ‘n rice and mac ‘n cheese.

Chowing down at Nipper’s with Frozen Nipper rum drinks in the foreground.
A stingray in Great Guana’s Settlement Harbour.
Our next stop in the Abaco chain was Man O War. We had spent a lot of time there two years earlier doing repairs after our first misadventure crossing the Gulf Stream. After a brisk sail from Fisher’s Bay we anchored at the Low Place where the elevation is just a few feet above sea level and the island narrows to the width of a golf cart track. Tom and Kevin donned wet suits and manually set both of our anchors. The bottom in the area is hard with a thin layer of sand on top. They had to dive with a knife to find deep enough sand to get the anchors to dig in. Since they were already wet and salty already they grabbed their spears and went lobster hunting.
This nice sized one was under a piece of coral at the stern of one of the other boats.
We had not even properly secured the dinghy on shore the next morning when a passing golf cart stopped to ask if we would like a ride into town. A good cruisers’ rule is to never pass up the offer of a ride. You can’t be sure how far the walk might be. The man in charge of the golf cart introduced himself as Laurie. He lives in one of the houses that overlook the anchorage. He was very obliging when we met friends we had not seen for two years walking their dogs in the opposite direction and stopped for a few minutes so we could say hello. Laurie was conveniently going to the hardware store as were we as we had some broken boat bits to replace.
 During the brisk sail from Great Guana our starboard jib car disintegrated. It was no great surprise as it was the original that had been on the boat since 1985 but we did not have a replacement on board.
We also wanted to replace the rusted metal ring on our anchor bridle as it was almost corroded through.
Our visit to Man O War coincided with a Christmas house tour that was being held to raise money to replace the roof on the island’s museum. There were ten houses on the tour as well as the museum itself. We started at the museum where we obtained a map indicating the participating houses. We had three hours to do the tour and were travelling on foot. Our second stop was Koinonia Kottage, a small home that has been restored by the church next door and is now used for complimentary accommodations for visiting clergy, choir directors and such.


 House number three is owned by a descendent of the Albury family who has had a presence on the island for many generations. The front porch was decorated with a miniature Abaco dinghy.
 
Number four was memorable for its unique woodwork. A hand carved newel post and a rust proof wooden door latches were significant features. The front yard boasted a flourishing raised garden.
 
Five was right on the ocean beach but was spared from any damage when Irene swept through. With a view like that from the kitchen I could do dishes all day!
Six was not exceptional but had a very friendly hostess with family ties to the island. She had an old colorized photograph of her father as a young man. Today, you can turn a digital colour photograph into black and white with a click of a mouse. Way back when, it took many hours with a paintbrush to do the opposite.
 
The owner of number seven proudly gave us a guided tour of Hilda’s Hideaway and explained various additions and changes that had taken place over the years. This house even has a “snore box”. Wned the e first heard this term used on Man O War two years ago. It is a building separate from the main house containing beds to be used by anyone in the household who snores.
 
 We have walked past the British phone box and post boxes marking the driveway to house number eight on the tour and wondered what kind of place might be at the other end of the road. What an amazing home!
Nine was just next door, a good thing as it was getting pretty dark by that point. Slightly more modest than the previous stop it was still pretty amazing. An extensive nutcracker collection was a highlight.
We had planned our route to finish at the house closest to the Low Place where we had left the dinghy. The last house we visited belongs to the nice man who had given us a ride to town earlier in the day. It was 6:45 PM when we knocked on the door, just fifteen minutes left for a quick visit. We left forty five minutes later. Our hosts had so many things they wanted to talk about and were not concerned about being late for their after tour dinner date. We were invited back the next day to continue the visit and take pictures of our boats.
 
The expansive decks take in views of the water on both sides of the island.
All of the houses were decorated with all their festive finery which put us in the mood for Christmas.