Chillin in the Abacos

Chillin’ in the Abacos – January 5 to 21, 2010

After two weeks at the Marsh Harbour Marina we finally untied from the dock and ventured back out onto the Sea of Abaco. Since our arrival in the Bahamas we had seen weekly cold fronts cycle through the area bringing progressively colder temperatures and increasingly stronger winds. We made contact with friends still waiting to cross the Gulf Stream from Fernandina Beach, Florida who reported temperature of 29^o F (-1^o C) with ice in the parking lot at the marina. It didn’t get quite that bad on the Sea of Abaco but it did get cold enough to put a couple more layers of blankets on the bed and lend the extra sleeping bags to one of our doc mates. We are sure appreciating the full cockpit enclosure. It helps keep us warm and we can leave things in the cockpit overnight without them getting wet when heavy dew settles on everything.

We did make good use of our extended time at the dock though. Tom removed the damaged fiberglass tabbing from the anchor locker and replaced it with new stuff. (Thanks Bob for delivering the rolls of fiberglass cloth and thanks Ryan for hauling it down in your luggage.) It was not a pleasant job but it had to be done. I got the sewing machine out and made a Sunbrella awning for the back deck and Phifertex covers for the windows – a much easier project.

As soon as the weather permitted we headed out to do some leisurely exploring, starting back at Hopetown.

A curlytail keeping warm on a sunny deck

A tiny painted bunting.

Unidentified wader

We were in Hopetown when the devastating earthquake hit Haiti. With our limited communications we did not actually hear about it until the following morning when Tom checked in with the weather net on the SSB (Single Side Band) radio. We were also not aware of the brief tsunami warning for the Bahamas until long after it had been cancelled. There are many Haitians living in the Bahamas with families that they are concerned about. It was good to see how quickly the fundraisers and other relief efforts have started up in the area.

Bilingual sign in Hopetown

After a brief stop in Hopetown we went on to Tahiti Beach, at the southern tip of Elbow Cay, where we anchored overnight. and did some beachcombing and learned to play Train Dominoes on Gray North, another Canadian boat in the anchorage. Beachcombing usually means gathering interesting shells and sea glass and hauling them back to the boat. Many boaters do this. No one really knows what to do with the stuff we pick up on the beach but it seems to give us a purpose to go walking on the beach. It can also get quite competitive when boaters start to compare their collections. At some point we will decide we do not have room for the stuff and send it overboard for the next load of boaters to discover. The beach at Tahiti Beach mostly disappears when the tide comes in but the exposed beautiful white sand stretches far into the Sea of Abaco when the tide is out.

Polar Pacer anchored at Tahiti Beach

Beachcombing also involves watching for wildlife in the shallows;

Brain coral – dead or alive?

Sea biscuit? Looking like a fat brown sand dollar

Starfish

Another starfish

Little Harbour, a small well protected anchorage on Great Abaco Island about 20 miles south of Tahiti Beach, was our next port of call. It has no facilities whatsoever so you need to check your fuel and water before you go and have the fridge well stocked. The settlement is well known today as the home of Pete’s Pub and Gallery (www.petespubandgallery.com).

Pete’s Pub – ‘Where the elite eat in their bare feet’

The area was originally settled in the 1950’s by Canadian Randolph Johnston and his family who established a foundry and Randolph became an internationally famous sculptor and university professor in Nassau. His son Pete still produces lost wax bronze castings from the facility. The gallery contains some of Randolph’s original works including one I especially liked titled The Nine Ages of Man. There are a number of Pete’s works scattered around the harbour.

This one is on the steps of the gallery.

A ray under a tree beside the road

While in Little Harbour we were entertained one evening by a kite boarder demonstrating his skills weaving back and forth and around the boats and performing aerial acrobatics. He swooped down close enough to the boat in front of us to have a cold beer passed to him. He was trying to drum up business for his mobile kite boarding school. Ryan and Scott – you will remember him from Harbour View Marina and the beach at Nippers. This time we saw him in action.

Kiteboard guy

The nearby Bight of Old Robinson was good territory for dinghy exploring. We went out with our new friends from Papillion to look for blue holes in the shallow waters and mangrove islands of the bight. We did find a patch of dark water about 10 ft across that was more black than blue. Martha and Tony checked it out with their ‘look bucket’ but couldn’t see much. Unfortunately we did not pay very close attention to the tide and had to get out and walk in a few spots dragging the dinghies behind us.

We saw quite a few sea turtles. They sure can move fast when they are in the water.

Big Turtle Eyes checking us out

Back in Marsh Harbour we were introduced to Pickle Ball. Not yet an Olympic sport, this cross between tennis and ping pong does get some boaters out of the cockpit for an hour or so. The game is played outdoors on a rectangular court with a net across the center line, wooden paddles and plastic balls with holes in them. We have a very loose understanding of the rules of the game. Fortunately rules are not high on the list of priorities. It is more important to have fun, get some exercise and keep out of the poisonwood when the balls go flying out of bounds. Pot holes in the crumbling asphalt surface equalize the game so the non-athletic rookies like me have half a chance and with no official timekeepers it is hard to keep score so everybody wins.

Tom in action on the pickle ball court. Note the hi-tech netting.

Poisonwood – apparently many times worse than poison ivy.

Marsh Harbour sunset.

We will keep chillin’ in the Abacos for a while and are looking forward to the arrival of our next visitors from home. See you soon, Tri and Sandra. Oh, and a note to Scott – I did manage to install the new version of iTunes without having to reformat my computer!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays – December 25, 2009 to January 4, 2010

It was wonderful to have company for Christmas and New Years. Ryan and Scott were our first on board visitors since we left Canada four months ago.

Junkanoo left over?

Unfortunately the weather did not provide the tropical vacation they were probably looking forward to. Christmas Day was overcast and not too warm. We participated in the pot luck Christmas Dinner at the Marsh Harbour Marina and Jib Room Restaurant that we had been hearing about on the Cruisers’ Net (VHF Channel 68 every morning at 8:15) since our arrival in the Bahamas. The restaurant supplies the turkey and ham and the cruisers supply the fixings, from appetizers to desserts. Our contribution was a big pot of garlic smashed potatoes and some cranberry sauce. Everything was delicious and we even got to take home leftover turkey for a late night sandwiches.

The Marsh Harbour Marina and Jib Room Restaurant

Boxing Day was officially moved to Monday, December 28 by parliamentary decree so the stores were open on the 26^th for us to stock up on a few supplies before we headed out to do some exploring with our guests. Marsh Harbour has some grocery stores and although the prices for most items are considerably higher than we are used to, the selection of products is quite good. I found good quality fresh produce at the Price Right grocery and reasonably priced fresh meats. Sliced bread was actually less expensive than some places in the US!

We had not yet been to Hopetown on Elbow Cay and wanted to check it out. Just outside the entrance to the harbor we anchored in 9 feet of water to do some snorkeling. There was not a lot to see besides a few starfish and lots of jellyfish so did not stay long.

They really did get in the water. I was on shark patrol.

Front row seat

Hopetown Harbour is too crowded for anchoring but there were plenty of moorings available for the two nights we wanted to stay there.

Ryan on a mission to get a green coconut to supply mix for the rum.

The coconut water makes a good mix was good but be careful - the pulp from the coconut left stains on the fiberglass deck.

I think there is a rule about climbing the famous lighthouse to take a picture of your boat from the top.

Where is Polar Pacer?

There is even a matching mailbox.

The boys rented the only two surfboards on the island. That should have been an indication of the quality of the surfing. They came back a little scraped and bruised but with no regrets. Some Polysporin and with the pieces of coral removed from their feet they were as good as new.

After Hopetown we returned to Great Guana. The seas had been too rough to go out to the offshore reefs for snorkeling, and we hoped that Dive Guana would be able to take us out. It was still too rough to venture out on the Atlantic but the guys did go to Foote Cay and back to Hopetown for lunch and a stop at the fund raising event for the Abaco Rage.

The guys in Hopetown

Being in a marina usually means having to lasso the pilings with your dock lines to secure the boat. All the years we spent in Alberta did not prepare us very well.

Resorting to the dinghy to get that last line in place.

Finally, a place to set up the slack line – and he did NOT get wet.

Being back in Great Guana meant another trip across the island to Nipper’s and a walk on the beach.

In case you lose your way crossing the island – and adult sized Tonka Toy.

What is it, how did it get here and what is it made of?

Great Guana is one of those islands that has very few cars. The main means of transportation besides boating or walking is golf cart and one of the holiday traditions is a golf cart parade. We heard it approaching the marina and went to check it out. There were about forty carts in the parade.

How can you pass up the excitement of a parade?

Treasure Cay is reported to have one of the best ten beaches in the Bahamas or the world depending on which authority you are following. We checked it out for ourselves. It is definitely a long beach with lots of white sand but we were disappointed at the amount of garbage that we saw washed up on shore – especially discarded plastic products. It really makes you think twice about what you consume and what you throw away, especially in a place where garbage management is a problem and recycling programs are rare.

On a happier note we did come across this interesting purple sea plant.

On the trip back to Marsh harbor from Treasure Cay we stopped at some tiny islands called the Fish Cays to do a little more snorkeling. A beautiful spot to stop but not a lot of fish.

Ryan - thanks for the picture.

Back at Marsh Harbour we docked at the Marsh Harbour Marina. We would see the New Year in at the Jib Room and arranged for Miss Marjorie to pick Ryan up at 6 AM with her taxi and take him to the airport for his flight home. He had one last chance to go snorkeling. Just across the road and about 100 yards off a little beach is Mermaid Reef. It is a small reef but is protected from fishing. It turned out to have the best collection of fish we had seen so far. Scott had a few more days with us but the weather was getting colder by the day and even the wetsuits were not much help. As well, the water was pretty stirred up and the visibility was not as good. It was a good opportunity to borrow one of the bikes from the marina and do some exploring on land. By the way Scott – a reliable source tells me that it is worth the trip to Dundas Town for the food at God Bless Church Chicken - Deep Fried and Sanctified .