More Company

More Company – March 6 to 12, 2011


With the engine repairs we were ready for the arrival of our next set of guests. Tri and Sandra, a.k.a. Chi Chi Maru, arrived in Georgetown just in time to get a taste of the Cruisers’ Regatta. The much hailed Cruisers vs. Bahamians ball game was scheduled for the night of their arrival. The ball diamond, complete with an official electronic scoreboard and a local play by play announcer, is a short walk from the dinghy dock at Lake Victoria and we were anchored nearby in Kidd Cove. Beer and burgers were on the menu at the ball field. What were we waiting for?

Is it any wonder that within minutes of the first pitch the score was slanted heavily in favor of the home team? The Bahamian team looked like they had practiced together a few times – the cruisers did not.

 Play by play.

We were ready to say goodbye to Georgetown and the next morning conditions were favorable to head eastward across the bottom of the Exuma Sound to Long Island. We had not previously visited Long Island so it would be a new adventure for us as well as our guests. Since the route from Georgetown to Cape Santa Maria on the northern end of Long island takes you over some reportedly good fishing grounds all possible fishing gear on board was put to work. That included three rigged ballyhoo bait that had been purchased from Exuma Markets and stored in the freezer. Although I was happy to see them gone from the freezer they did not produce the desired results. When the lines were finally pulled in on our approach to Calabash Bay we had not had even one bite!

After checking out a few anchoring options in Calabash Bay we opted for the narrow channel at Joe’s Sound to spend the night. The man made entrance is barely wider than Polar Pacer with hard rocky ledges just below the surface on either side.

Edgar, from Way Point came out in his dingy to guide us in. Once we were safely past the dangerous rocks we made a left turn and a small, spotted eagle ray took over and led us down the channel to our the spot where we dropped anchor.

When the tide goes out, an amazing expanse of beautiful, untouched white beach appears just a short swim away from the boat. With each turn of the tide all our footprints are washed away and it seems like we are seeing it for the first time all over again. We liked it so much we stayed for three days.

Enjoying the sun on Long Island.

As we made our way from Joe’s Sound to Thompson Bay we lost use of the chart plotter for the last time. Up until then we had been able to get it to read the chart card we were using for the Bahamas if we used a random combination of removing and re-inserting the card multiple times, turning the power switch to the unit off and on again (Sound like familiar advice from an IT Help Desk?) and doing the same with the main breaker to electrical panel. Not this time. Fortunately, Tom and Tri had a back-up plan in place. Using charts loaded on a lap top and a portable GPS unit we were still able to chart a safe course to follow our course. Using waypoints entered on the very basic ‘world chart’ on the plotter we were still able to use the auto pilot for steering. Not quite as convenient as having everything integrated but doable when used in conjunction with the paper charts.

At Salt Pond, the settlement on Thompson Bay, we picked up a rental car from Fox’s Autos to tour the island. Queens Highway runs from one end of the island to the other with a few, mostly unpaved roads branching off on either side. Salt Pond sits roughly at the mid-point. Our mission was to tour the southern half of the island on the first day and the northern half on the second.

A not so subtle reminder that in the Bahamas you need to drive on the right side of the road.

 Clarence Town is home to two landmarks; St. Paul’s Anglican Church dating back to 1848 and the relatively newer St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Both were built by the same man, John Cecil Hawes (a.k.a. Father Jerome) during different periods of his religious affiliation.

 Several abandoned salt ponds are visible from Queens Highway. All that remains from their productive days are the stone walls laid out in a grid pattern.

 The road to the beach at yet another unfinished Bahamian real estate development.

 Grounded and now a building site for ospreys.

Dean’s Blue Hole is a popular stop for divers. At a depth of 663 feet it claims to be the deepest blue hole in the world. A warning sign posted nearby advises that less than competent swimmers should not venture near or in the hole. We steered clear. Besides, we did not want to spend the rest of the day in salty clothing.

 No visit from Chi Chi Maru would be complete without Tri foraging for items that he could use to cook a gourmet meal on board. Here he searches for tamarind pods mature enough to pick while Tom and Sandra enjoy refreshments at the Max Conch Bar.

In the small convenience store next door to the conch bar we met an elderly resident who told us about growing up in a neighboring settlement and moving to her current home when she married in 1942. She has lived in the same house ever since. She talked about traveling to Nassau from Long Island by primitive sailboat in the early days, a trip that could take several days, and the transition from sail to different level of power boats. Now there is an airport just a few minutes away and when she goes to visit her family in Nassau she flies there in less than an hour.

On the second and last Saturdays of each month there is a small farmer’s market in Salt Pond. We were running low on fresh fruit and veggies and since we had the rental car it was an opportunity to stock up. Opportunities with transportation should never be passed up.

 

There were about half a dozen vendors at the market. The typical offerings were papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, onions, cabbage and sugar cane. Not a wide selection but fresher than anything we were likely to find in the local grocery stores.

Day two of our Long Island road trip took us to the northernmost tip of the island, Cape Santa Maria, the location of the Columbus Monument.

Erected on the high cliffs overlooking Exuma Sound, the monument is dedicated to the Lucayans, “The gentle, peaceful and happy aboriginal people of Long Island and the arrival of Christopher Columbus on October 17th, 1492.” 

The road to the monument is little more than a long rocky, non-maintained trail almost overgrown by buttonwood and other small shrubs. We got a surprised reaction from the locals when we told them we made the trip in a rental car.

The view was worth the bumpy ride. 

 Other highlights to our northern tour were the beach bar at Deals where we watched television coverage of the earthquake and nuclear plant disaster in Japan, 

the tiny Stella Maris airport where we met Stella napping in the sun, 

the cave at the Stella Maris Resort where night time parties with the bats are hosted for guests.

and the rock formations created by the ocean on the eastern side of the island directly across from Salt Pond.

The Joy of Hauling

The Joy of Hauling – February 20 to March 5, 2011


We have often read that the definition of cruising is “fixing boats in exotic places”. The first year we were out everything was new and worked perfectly. This year is another story. Things are starting to wear out. As much as we try to keep up with the preventive maintenance, there are things that just go wrong sometimes.

At 5:30 sharp Elvis arrived with his water taxi to take our guests back across the harbour in the dark where they would share a taxi to the airport for their flight home. We began preparations to deal with our water pump and drive leg issues.

Masters Harbour Marina, formerly known as George Town Marina and still displaying a sign as such, is located south of town in an area commonly referred to as Red Shanks. It has a travel lift (the only one we know of in the Exumas) capable of hauling Polar Pacer. Arrangements were made with Nockey to be lifted out of the water and dropped on dry land for a day. We may have been able to beach her on a sand bar at low tide to do the job but did not want to risk having complications.

The route in to Masters Harbour is scattered with shallow coral heads. Dave, from Texas Two Step, met us in his dinghy as we made our way in and joined us on board to help “read the water”. The coral heads were surprisingly easy to indentify. They appear as a very dark patches surrounded by a ring of white sand. Once they were located it was a matter of weaving a path between them Tom set a track on the chart plotter as we went so we could follow the same route on the way back out.

 Steer clear of the dark spots.

 The Masters Harbour lift.

 On the hard in an exotic place?

Dave generously offered to help out with the dismantling and rebuilding of the drive leg. It is always nice to have an extra set of knowledgeable hands and moral support at times like this – even more so when a broken c-clip appears and you are not able to identify where it came from!

Thanks for being there for us, Dave.

With the removal of the upper part of the drive leg the original home of the errant c-clip was located. The next hard part was to find a replacement for it. Cookie Monster and Tortuga to the rescue! Corbett and Bill took a long dinghy ride from Volleyball Beach to the NAPA store at Goat Cay, north of Georgetown, to see if they could find something that would work. They then took an even longer dinghy ride from Goat Cay to Masters Harbour to tell us that yes, they found the part and to help put the drive leg back together. The part arrived by car later that afternoon. I won’t embarrass anyone by explaining why they had to come by car. The reassembly process was quick and easy with help from Corbett and Bill.

Thank guys, for all your help and for adding a bit of humour to an otherwise unpleasant situation.

By evening everything was back together with the drive leg filled with fresh fluid and we were ready to go back in the water first thing in the morning. A small added bonus was hot showers (boatyard style) and an unsecured wi-fi signal.

Next on the repair agenda was replacing the water pump. Returning to crowded Georgetown (the boat count in the harbour was nearing 300) while we waited for a new pump did not appeal to us. As we were not far from the Red Shanks anchorages it made sense to tuck in among the low, rock islands for a few days. There were only five other boats in sight – just enough for a pot luck party when the tide went out and exposed a small sandy beach. Robin’s cherry pie cooked over the open fire was a real hit.

The swimming pool at Red Shanks.

As I snorkeled around the boat one afternoon I crossed paths with a large southern stingray that. From my perspective it looked to be about six feet across but then everything looks larger in the water. When it sensed my presence it settled on the sandy bottom until I swam by. I did not linger.

The small boat route between Crab Cay and the main island of Great Exuma from Red Shanks to Georgetown is preferable for a dinghy trip to pick up supplies or go in to J&K to use the internet. Besides being more protected in unsettled weather, it is more scenic. The route passes over a deep blue hole and under an extravagant bridge that joins the two islands. Our 2006 Explorer chart book contains a full page ad for the Crab Cay Resort showing a marina with 100 feet of floating docks, a spa, a restaurant, botanical gardens and dozens of villas.

 

 

The only part that has been completed is this bridge.

The development has been abandoned for several years, the stacks of construction materials and idle equipment being the only evidence of someone’s dream.

In researching the never ending overheating issue that was getting steadily worse Tom determined that it was probably a faulty water pump. This was confirmed when we started experiencing increased difficulty in getting good water flow when we started the engine. When we had our new (2009) Yanmar YM30 serviced back in the boatyard in Deltaville the original water pump was rebuilt. Apparently those pumps are not re-buildable and it should have been replaced. An order was placed with JAS Marine in Florida for a replacement pump plus a spare. Forbes Enterprises in Georgetown recommended that we use Bimini Shipping out of Ft. Lauderdale who would bring the package directly to Georgetown without having to go through Nassau. Forbes could act as our broker and there should be no import duties to pay as the parts were necessary for the operation of a vessel in transit. Everything seemed to be in order and it looked like we would receive the new pumps by the end of the following week. When Tom checked the status of the shipment on the day the freighter was to leave the US he was told that they had been unable to put the package on the ship as they did not have a copy of the invoice stating the value of the contents! They needed written permission to open the package and look at the invoice inside. Tom sent the appropriate email but by then it was too late to make that week’s sailing. After the horror stories we had heard from other cruisers trying to get parts brought in to the Bahamas from the US we were not entirely surprised at the delay but still disappointed that things did not happen as planned. Once the package did arrive it was only a matter of minutes until the new one was installed and we were back in business with a properly working engine. At the time of this post, about 6 weeks and many hours of motoring later, I am pleased to report that we have not overheated once!

 Out with the old and in with the new.

Oh, have I mentioned that our Raymarine chart plotter has stopped reading charts? While we were waiting for things to happen with our other repairs Tom took the opportunity to start planning for our upcoming trip to Cuba at the end of March. Lo and behold when he removed the electronic chart chip we had been using for the Bahamas and put in the one that we would be using for Cuba it would not display the detailed charts consistently. After much experimenting with other chart chips and discussion with other cruisers and the Raymarine help desk it was determined that the plotter will need to be returned to the manufacturer for repair. Something else to be added to the ‘to do’ list.

Company is Coming

Good news! I have finally figured out how to use the Cuban internet system to post blogs. Sad news - I will have to add photos at a later date and get back to the writing and get caught up.

Company is Coming: – February 9 to 19, 2011


As we entered Elizabeth Harbour from the north it soon became obvious that the page on the calendar was getting closer to the start of the Cruisers’ Regatta. The skyline down the west side of Stocking Island was a forest of masts and it looked like anchoring space in Kidd’s Cove would be at a premium. The harbour was a frenzy of activity with dinghies to-ing and fro-ing as they ferried loads of groceries and water from the dock at Lake Victoria to the anchored boats in Kidd Cove or across the harbour at Volleyball, Sand Dollar or Hamburger Beaches. Many of the big boats would stay at anchor and risk getting wet in a rough ride across the harbour by dinghy rather than take the chance of giving up their perfect anchor spot to a newcomer.

Welcome to the Jungle. How many masts can you count?

A different way to ferry fido to and from shore at Sand Dollar Beach.

Not long after our arrival in Georgetown we attended a wedding. Sheliak, a 36 foot Mariner Sloop, was pleased to announce the intentions of crew members Jen and Josh to marry each other on Friday afternoon at low tide on the sand bar that would appear at the southern tip of Stocking Island, just down from Sand Dollar Beach.

The Bride and Groom arrived for the ceremony on separate Walker Bay sailing dinghies.

Waiting for the bridal party to arrive.

After a touching ceremony of love and commitment that they performed themselves, (They’ll do the official paper thing another time.), Jen and Josh shared a bottle of champagne with all present. The bride wore blue to match her ring and carried a beautiful bouquet of green roses created by Just Chillin’ from palm fronds, casuarina needles and other greenery.

Music was provided by Zero to Cruising.

We were happy to reconnect with cruising friends in Georgetown that we had not seen in a while and were expecting the arrival of the Goodyears who would be joining us for a week. After several changes to the specifics of where we would meet up the final plan was to have Elvis bring Karen and Warren across the harbour by water taxi to Sand Dollar Beach where we were anchored as it would be too dark and too rough for our 9 foot Aqua Pro dinghy to make the trip without getting them and their luggage totally soaked.

They surprised us by arriving a few hours early.

It was not our intention to be in Georgetown to participate in the Regatta events. However, cruising life conspired against us with uncooperative weather, a malfunctioning water pump and unusual grinding noises coming from the drive leg. We would not be able to take the Goodyears to Long Island with the wind blowing from the east for three days at 30 knots. We were barely able to limp around the harbour without dismantling the water pump and applying copious amounts of Vaseline to the inside of the cover plate each time we needed to start the engine. To be on the safe side, we hooked up to one of the mooring balls in Gaviota Bay for the worst of the wind rather than risk being on anchor without a reliable engine.

Despite the unfortunate change of plans, Karen and Warren seemed to enjoy their brief escape from the Canadian winter. They were able to get some sand in their shoes and reconnect with friends that they had made a couple of years earlier when they had their own Bahamas adventure on board Sand Castle.

On the beach getting sand in our shoes.

Sack racing in Regatta Park

The Chat ‘n Chill Bar on Volleyball Beach hosted the pre-Regatta Valetine’s Day dance party complete with a stage show featuring impersonations of Nancy Sinatra, Joe Cocker and Tina Turner. (Picture this: 60 somethings on stage wearing thigh high boots, leather short shorts and bustiers.) One radio announcer on the daily Cruisers’ Net suggested that it might not be advisable to post too many photos on our blogs in case the kids get wind of what goes on in Georgetown and put a stop to the annual party.

Mahi mahi for dinner.

What do you do when there are more than three Prout catamarans in the harbour? You have a Prout About. Several members of the Prout family showed up in Georgetown and four of them, representing three countries, and a range of birthdates spanning 23 got organized on short notice (It’s not easy to herd cats.) amid the flurry of pre-Regatta activities to have what may have been the first Prout About. The participants were Ajaya, Felix the Cat, Amazing Grace who is really a Broad Blue but still part of the family, and Polar Pacer. The boats were dusted, polished and de-cluttered as much as possible when you are living in spaces not much larger than a few office cubicles. Appetizers and drinks were made ready. (Thanks to Karen, Ole Nassau Coconut Rum has become a happy hour staple in the blue bin that serves as our liquor cabinet. Just add a couple of ice cubes and some water.) Starting with the smallest, and oldest, family member (that would be Polar Pacer) each vessel was toured from stem to stern with much discussion on ‘what the builder did differently this time’.

Felix the Cat and Ajaya representing the US and UK

Update from Cuba

Internet in Cuba is a challenge. Will try to get some updates done one of these days.