Five F's and a Birthday

Five F’s and a Birthday – February 5 to 8, 2011

Our stay at Compass Cay was cut short when the weather forecast told us that the winds would be coming out of the south for an extended period. Our friends, Karen and Warren, were scheduled to arrive in Georgetown in about a week to join us on board and we did not want to miss their arrival.

As we motored down the Exuma Bank at 2600 RPM the overheating alarm went off once again. We thought we had that resolved back in Florida! We just can’t seem to get to the source of that problem. Tom slowed the engine down and we limped into Little Farmer’s where the Five F was in progress. The Farmers First Friday in February Festival is held every year and is built around a Bahamian sloop regatta. We arrived just in time to pull up the beach off the airport runway and anchor not far from the finish line as one race was finishing. The final race of the weekend would take place later that afternoon.

Festival parking lot.

 Anchor down at the start line.

Front row seat to watch the race.

  Work that pry!

Compared to the big annual regatta in Georgetown it was a small event but there was no lack of enthusiasm. The regatta site had the requisite loud music and cheap beer (probably not a good thing being on the edge of the runway)and there were things happening at the main commercial area of Little Farmers which is a short walk down the runway, around the corner  and up the road.

 Several waterfront venues sold t-shirts, food and beverages with conch salad stands set up right in the water.

Conch drying in the sun. As far as I can tell it is used with salt beef but I have yet to find a recipe.

 Regatta site shuttle.

Although we were supposed to be headed down the Exuma chain to Georgetown, when we pulled up anchor at Little Farmers the wind was coming from the south so we turned around and aimed Polar Pacer back to Black Point. It was Super Bowl Sunday and Lorraine from Lorraine’s Café was on the radio advertising her special dinner buffet of typical Bahamian main dishes, pizza, appetizers and dessert. Drinks were extra. The little café was absolutely packed with cruisers whose home country fire regulations would never have allowed such a square foot density of diners. Pre-game entertainment was provided by renowned boat builder Van Ferguson and his wife Agnes, accompanied by a couple of local ladies. Lorraine even escaped from the kitchen to join them briefly.

The air conditioner was running with all doors and windows open and by half time the place was stifling and the crowd was too loud for the game commentary to be heard. Not an unusual situation whenever you get a bunch of cruisers together. We made a break for it and made our way back to the government dock to see if we could find our dinghy in the dark. As we made our way back to Polar Pacer the crescent moon appeared to be hanging among the mast head anchor lights on the sailboats in the anchorage.

 

The pre game show. That’s Lorraine on the right.

Monday morning at Black Point. We were woken by the crowing of roosters on shore as the sky started to show some light. Shortly afterwards Polar Pacer was rocked about by the waves created by small power boats taking the men of the settlement to their jobs on other islands. Among them are Van who goes to Compass Cay where he does landscaping and maintenance at the Sampson Cay Club and Randolph Rolle who spends the week at Compass Cay helping Tucker keep that island ship shape for visitors.

It was Tom’s birthday and Joe and Melanie invited us to have dinner with them on board Onward. Joe also provided water taxi service for Agnes (who had invited herself to the celebration when she heard about it at the Super Bowl party) and Van to join us. By the end of the night we had a standing invitation from them to stay in their house if we needed a break from the boat. Most of their ten children have moved away to Nassau and they have a few empty bedrooms.

In her spare time Agnes weaves green palm fronds into strips that are sent to Nassau where they are made into baskets and bags to sell to the tourists. The ladies in Georgetown told me that is easier on your hands if the fronds are dried first.

Early the next morning we headed out Dotham Cut on an incoming tide. There was no significant wave action as we made our way into Exuma Sound and prepared to do a little fishing on the way to
Georgetown.

Dotham Cut looking towards Exuma Sound

The cliffs on the Sound side of the cut are breathtaking.

We had three lines out in flat, calm water. At 10:45 Tom landed a 30 inch mahi mahi. As he was preparing to clean it on the back deck another mahi mahi, about twice the size, took a second line. The hook was only caught in its dorsal fin and it proceeded to get tangled in the other lines before Tom could get it under control. He caught it with the gaff but that wasn’t going to hold either. This was one big strong fish! He did manage to flip it onto the deck but it immediately bounced over the back of the boat and back into the water. Tom was almost tempted to jump overboard after it to bring it back.What a disappointment!  Just a few minutes later there was another tug on the line and what appeared to be a mackerel or a tuna changed its mind and spit out the hook.

 This one could have been lunch for the one that got away.

To Compass Cay

To Compass Cay – January 26 to February 5, 2011

After another fish feast with Phil & Nikki on Ajaya, who had by then caught up to us in Georgetown, and confirming with Chris Parker that the weather pattern would hold for a good trip north we pulled up anchor and left Monument Beach.  The sky was mostly overcast with high clouds and the winds were light from the southeast.

We put three fishing lines out in the hopes of filling the freezer before the day was out. As we approached Farmers Cut after five hours of motoring we pulled in the lines without having so much as a nibble.

I can’t blame the fish for not wanting to chomp down on this ferocious looking contraption.

We picked up a mooring ball from Farmers Cay Yacht Club and joined the crew of Talisa on shore for a couple of nice cold beer. We were able to get a good enough internet connection at the Yacht Club to do a quick check of email and some of online banking before a dinner of whole red snapper served local style (Joyce explained that she usually removes the heads when she cooks for tourists.) with sides of peas ‘n rice and salad. We were served the same meal that the crew of work men had just eaten.

I'm here for you. Just in case you need some help getting out of the water.

Morning at Little Farmers Cay. We woke to an absolutely still morning with sound effects. Roosters crowing on shore and the musical chatter in French  of a young child on a nearby boat flying the Quebec  Fleur de Lis were periodically accented by a barking dog and an island hopper plane. There were even birds singing, something that we have not heard often in other locations.

Sunrise at Little Farmers

 

The water was absolutely still and so clear that the tackle from the mooring was clearly visible. You could almost count the grains of sand.

Talisa and Renaissance at Farmers Cay Yacht Club.

 Heading north from Little Farmers. Where does the water end and the sky begin?

We made a brief stop at Black Point before continuing on to Staniel Cay for a couple of days.  Our friends on Cookie Monster had done some fundraising over the summer to purchase books and supplies for the Black Point All Ages School. When we met up with them at Vero Beach in Florida in November we volunteered to help out with the transportation logistics and carried a box in our aft cabin for delivery to the school. Our single box delivery was dwarfed by the delivery of 30 boxes on another cruising catamaran that pulled into the anchorage just behind us.

In addition to Cookie Monster’s contributions to the school at Black Point there is an organization called Project Bahamas that has been supporting a number of Bahamian schools on an ongoing basis. They are always looking for cruisers with a little extra space to transport books and other supplies.  There just does not seem to be enough money in the government coffers to provide even the basics to all of the schools.

Children in the Bahamas may not have access to the best education facilities in the world but they do receive something just as valuable that will serve them well in their futures. They have very good manners. When we meet them on the street we are almost always greeted with a polite and friendly “Good morning” or “Good afternoon”. Their parents and teachers should be proud of what they have done. And the rest of the world should take note.

 Teachers residences at Black Point.

Our arrival at Compass Cay was like floating into an aquarium. As Preston and Loan took our lines Polar Pacer was surrounded by nurse sharks, yellowtail jacks, little sergeant majors , bonefish and tarpon, triggerfish, balao and several other species that I was not able to identify.  We were in about 20 feet of perfectly clear water with small low coral growing along the bottom. It was like going snorkeling without getting wet.

 A stingray swims over a shark sleeping on the bottom.

Compass Cay is a beautiful, truly Bahamian owned and operated resort island. It is the only island we have seen in the Bahamas that actually has a garbage management program. Visitors are asked to sort their waste before it is put in the garbage cans. Paper and plastic are incinerated at a remote location on the island. Glass and metal are taken out to the deep ocean water and properly disposed of by breaking up the glass containers and puncturing metal cans so they will sink to the bottom. Food scraps go into the sea to become food for the fish and crabs. Unlike most of the islands we have been to, there is almost no debris to be seen.

Tucker Rolle, who was granted ownership of the island after it was abandoned a number of years ago, has embarked on controlled development with minimal environmental impact. There are a few modest and well spaced rental cottages with lots of walking trails and a beautiful long crescent shaped beach.

 Curlytails on guard at the beach.

The remains of Hester’s House – abandoned by a previous resident of the island.

The well protected, deep draft marina can accommodate boats of all sizes. If you wan to mingle with the mega yachts you can join them at the dock or if you prefer, there are anchoring options within a short dinghy ride. A visit to the island is well worth the nominal landing fees that are charged if you are not at the dock. Burgers and beer are available at the small dockside store that also carries a few grocery items.

Swimming with the nurse sharks is a popular attraction for visitors.

 

 At high tide they like to rest on the dock.

Sunset at Compass Cay. Yes, I have now seen the green flash!

Good Idea – Wind Generator Modification

During our stay at Compass Cay Tom had an opportunity to make a modification to our K.I.S.S. wind generator. In light winds it would often not be able to get itself pointed in the right direction to make the blades turn and send amps to the batteries.  Using a piece of ¼ inch starboard that we had on board, leftover from some other project, he installed an extension to the tail on the back of the unit.  With a surface area of about 35 square inches the starboard was made slightly thinner where the extension overlaps onto the original material and attached with four small bolts. The end result is better power generation and as a bonus – less vibration.  Now as long as the wind is blowing we can watch more than one episode of Six Feet Under or even a full length movie after dinner.