5F Aftermath

5F Aftermath – February 5 to 16, 2012

We woke to rolling waves coming around the end of the island and hitting on our starboard beam making Seahorse bump against Polar Pacer uncomfortably. We got the dinghy in place and prepared to leave after our morning coffee. We kept Seahorse rafted to us as we made our way through the anchorage. We did not want to take a chance of getting tangled up with the other boats. When we were out in open water Tom released the stern line and let out the towing bridle that he had set up. Seahorse was not about to cooperate. The sloop was content to travel off our starboard side and was not interested in following behind.

At times it even tried to pass us. We settled for the aft starboard position rather than trying to fight nature.

Superbowl and southeast winds sent many cruising boats back to Black Point in the aftermath of the 5F weekend. The anchorage was busy and the local bars and restaurants had full houses for their football parties. We went to Scorpio’s for the game but only lasted through Madonna’s half time show and 1, 2, 3, floor rum punches.

The aftermath of 5F also included repairs to Smashie. Tom and Harry repaired the mast in the backyard while Van was away at work on Sampson Cay.

 The sails were spread out in the sun to dry.

We said good bye to Sunday’s Child at Black Point. They were reluctantly heading north and back to employment commitments in the US. It had been great spending time with them and we hope to see them on the water again sometime. They are proof that you can take a boat to the Bahamas without all of the latest electronic gadgets and creature comforts like refrigeration and have a wonderful time.

The four lines we had out on our fishing trip south to Georgetown from Black Point were not as productive as we had hoped. The first mahi Tom landed was determined not to be caught. After being soundly thumped on the head a couple of times with a heavy winch handle it still had enough self-preservation to squirm out of Tom’s hands and back into the water over the side deck. The next one was carefully reeled in and being small enough was quickly trapped in the cooler with me sitting on the lid to prevent escape until it could be sufficiently subdued with a dose of isopropyl alcohol in its gills.

 No need for expensive fishing gear. A Cuban yo-yo will do the job.

It was a bit of culture shock being back in Georgetown. Too many boats, too many people, too much chatter on the radio. Just too much activity.

We noticed a few places getting fresh coats of paint. The gentleman applying a new shade of green to the customs building explained that they are getting ready for the big regatta in the spring. He was also eager to tell us that the Long Island contingent of sloop racers were threatening to boycott the regatta in Georgetown because the boats in Staniel Cay had boycotted their regatta for fear of retaliation last year’s race. The Breeze, a local newspaper, quoted an apparent verbal warning from a disgruntled Long

Island crew to Tida Wave that they were going “to bust her and sink her in Salt Pond.” Whatever happened to the t-shirt slogan “We all friends on land.”?

This one is for Sanuk – in case you eventually make to Georgetown and need to know how to get home.

There were a number of boats in Georgetown that expressed an interest in hearing about our experiences in Cuba the previous year. Tom made an announcement on the cruisers net that he would be willing to do a presentation on the beach if there was enough interest. Thirty people showed up at the first session representing about fifty boats. He did a second session for those who could not attend due to previous commitments.

There was much interest in our collection of charts and guide books covering Cuba. Toilet paper is also a major necessity.

Sometime during a trip to shore one of our hand held VHF radios went missing. With little hope of finding it Tom retraced his steps in town to see if anyone had found it. No luck at the liquor store across from Jonas’s Bikini Bottom take out or the Exuma Market grocery. The library was closed. The lady at the Top to Bottom hardware suggested that he check with the police station where they took down the information and skeptically suggested that we check back with them before we left town. We pulled up anchor and were on our way out of Kidd Cove when we heard a call on the VHF. “Polar Pacer. Polar Pacer. This is Barefootin’.“Someone by the name of Les had just been on the radio saying that he had found the radio. Barefootin’ knew that we were missing one and suggested that we give Les a call. Tom hailed Les who confirmed that he had found a radio that matched the description of ours. Down with the anchor, launch the dinghy and make a quick trip back in to Lake Victoria to meet Les at the Bikini Bottom where he works. Even with an extensive description of the radio which had no unique identifying characteristics, he was reluctant to turn the errant radio over to Tom until he was sure that he had the rightful owner. All of our hand held radios are now embellished with our boat name in white permanent marker.

This outboard will be easy to identify if it goes walkabout.

The busy dinghy dock in Lake Victoria.

One thing that was new in Georgetown that not nearly enough cruisers were making use of is the pump out boat operated by Elvis in an attempt to clean up the water in Elizabeth Harbour. With as many as 500 boats at anchor during the high point in the season and most of those boats emptying their holding tanks in the confines of the harbour, going for a swim is not very appealing. The tidal current that flows through can only flush so much out to sea. The $10 cost is very reasonable and we should all do our part to keep the area clean.

First Friday at Farmers

It's long past time to update this blog. Here's a start.

First Friday at Farmers Cay – February 1 to 4, 2012

We took on the responsibility of getting Seahorse to Farmer’s Cay for the upcoming 5F regatta. Knowing that towing the sloop would slow us down, we left a day early to ensure our arrival in time for the festivities.

  Manoeuvering Seahorse to our stern to attach the towing line.

Underway to Little Farmers

We anchored at White Point en route to Little Farmers where What If introduced us to the trivia board game called The Sailors’ Game. Similar to Trivial Pursuit, The Sailors’ Game has questions from various sailing categories such as Navigation, Boats and Equipment and Advanced Seamanship. The board simulates a race around the world where your boat must avoid storms, tack and observe a few basic racing rules. While a little outdated, it is quite appropriate to have on board a cruising boat and an enjoyable way to pick up sailing knowledge that might come in useful someday.

We had time to stroll the town before the official start of the festival and see if anything had changed since our last visit.

This ingenious tomato patch was new.

 The local public facilities. Not new.

 How many conch salads were made from these shells?

We stopped at Tasha’s grocery store on the lookout for fresh fruits and vegetables. We were told that they would arrive on the Captain C around 8AM the next morning when he arrived with a load of sloops for the regatta. Considering an unknown adjustment that is usually required for “island time” I was surprised to see the ship on the horizon off our port quarter at 7:30. By 8:00 he was passing by the anchored boats to the south of us and headed around the south end of the cay.

By the time I got back to the store cruisers were snapping up produce as fast as it came in from the Captain C. I managed to snag half a dozen apples, a hand full of tomatoes and a nice chunk of cheddar cheese.

Several sloops were already sitting on the start line when I came back from shopping. I wondered why so many of the racing boats were still anchored on the beach. A couple of hours later all 14 had made it to the start line and the distance race began. All in good time I guess.

The distance race passes through the spectator fleet.

 Tom was on Seahorse with Bo, Otis and the rest of the crew.

 That’s Tom with the white hat.

The wind was brisk making for a fast race with the turning mark not far off our starboard beam. I witnessed a T-bone collision just a few feet away from Polar Pacer preceded by repeated shouts of “STARBOARD!” The first boat was able to tack away but the second one was either unwilling or unable to change course.

Heading back to the start line for the next race.

The fleet.

Seahorse did not fare well on the first day of racing. A few repairs were required.

 A splintered boom was shortened requiring a smaller sail.

The discarded sail was stored on Polar Pacer’s back deck.

 One pry snapped sending two of the crew into the water.

They had to be careful with the second pry as it was also cracked. Rather than taking a chance on doing more damage to themselves or the boat, they withdrew from the race. At least they did not sink like Thunderbird.

 Seahorse is not watertight and did not yet have a bilge pump installed. The water that accumulated overnight had to be bailed manually.

The second day’s results were better even though they lost time on the 3^rd race when they could not pick their anchor up at the start line and had to cut it loose and leave it on the bottom At least they didn’t sink like Golden Girl.

As the afternoon progressed the activities on shore got more intense. When the races were over we went ashore for the awards ceremony. In true Bahamian style there was a long list of dignitaries to be acknowledged before the trophies were distributed.

 The trophy presentation was broadcast live over Nassau radio via telephone held to the loudspeaker. 

 The whole event was filmed for a television show called Island Pulse.

One of the dignitaries appropriately dressed for the occasion.

At the after party we had a couple of drinks and shared a serving of traditional BBQ ribs. Tom was pretty wiped after two days of racing and ready for some rest. With the hatches battened down tightly we could still hear the music on shore until the wee hours of the morning. Seahorse was rafted up to us ready for the return trip to Black Point.