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.

A Tale of Two Birthdays or Why Did We Go to Georgetown

...... playing catch up with the blog.....

Georgetown: A Tale of Two Birthdays – January 16 to 25, 2011

We had already made a commitment to spend some time at Compass Cay when we made SSB contact with Texas Two Step, another cruising catamaran that we had enjoyed spending time with last winter. They were at Long Island but would be headed for Georgetown in a few days in a few days to celebrate Michelle’s 17^th birthday. “OK” said Tom. “We’ll be there.”

After another good fish feast, we said goodbye to Ajaya and Mutual Fun and the guys at the park and headed south.  With the wind from the northeast between 15 and 20 knots we had a great day of sailing down the Exuma Bank, past Little Farmers’ Cay to Rudder Cay where we spent the night next to one of the caves. Heading out Rudder Cay Cut early the next morning on an outgoing 2 knot tide with incoming wind at 10 to 15 knots we had 3 to 6 foot waves. It was a bit lumpy but not as rough as we had expected. 

When we arrived in Georgetown it was apparent that we had sprung a leak somewhere. There was salt water on the floor in front of the refrigeration unit. The hard part was figuring out where it came from. We finally determined that it was coming from the “sealed” flotation compartment at the very back of the starboard hull. From there it was seeping into the empty space behind the freezer, under the refrigeration unit and out to the floor in front of it. It took several days and some borrowed red food coloring to determine that it had come IN through a small hoe near the rudder that was meant to drain water OUT. The hole is now filled with silicone and a little fiberglass repair has been added to this summer’s job list. 

A cold front passing through Georgetown. For a quiet night’s sleep find a place to tuck in out of the wind and waves.

Alvin’s Sand Bar on Hamburger Beach was the venue for Michelle’s pot luck birthday party. Great food and interesting music were provided by the cruiser musicians who gathered for the event. Alvin provided free shots, your choice of poison, to the first 50 ladies. 

Happy 17^th, Michelle!

As we were about to head back to Compass Cay to fulfill our previously arranged commitment we found out that another of our friends was going to be celebrating a birthday. We delayed our departure in order to attend. Bill and his boat Rondo, with a combined age of 110 years (you don’t really need to know the split) had a pot luck and bonfire party at the other end of Hamburger Beach.

Tom and the Rondo crew at the Monument

About a year ago in Marsh Harbour we met a photographer from the US who needed someone to take his Pacific Seacraft, Worthless Wench, out so he could take some pictures for the manufacturer.  While in Georgetown, I met a lady in the laundromat who was wearing Worthless Wench regalia. She knows Bill and told me about the magazine articles he had published in Blue Water Sailing on Hopetown and Marsh Harbour as sailing destinations. I found a copy of the article on the web and sure enough, there we are.Here is the link to the article: www.pacificseacraft.com/images/sightings/articles/PacificSeacraft40_BWSNov10.pdf

The Georgetown scene had a much different flavor than when we were there last April. There were about 200 boats in the harbour when we arrived and more  were arriving every day in preparation for the three week Cruiser’s Regatta in March. The Variety Show Committee, the Volleyball Tournament Committee and the T-Shirt Committee were all in full swing. Oh yes, there is also a Race Committee for the three or four race events that will take place. The 8 AM Cruisers Radio Net was busy with daily updates. Way different from the Family Islands Regatta….

The Bahamian sloop Miss Ellen just hangin’ out until regatta time.

Each year the Bahamian department of Tourism holds visitor receptions in the more populated locations to welcome the cruisers and second homers (non Bahamians who own homes on the islands). We attended the event this year in Georgetown along with a large contingent of other boaters. In addition to a few “short” speeches from various officials, a fashion show   we were treated to a wonderful spread of Bahamian foods and one of my favorite cocktails, sky juice, a mixture of gin, coconut water and evaporated milk. 

The welcome party was hosted at the Peace and Plenty Resort. Can you find Tom in the crowd?

I was the lucky recipient of one of the door prizes – a $20 gift certificate from one of the grocery stores. 

How many loaves of bread do you think this bought?

For those of us who did not attend New Year’s Junkanoo  a mini performance was presented for our entertainment.

Junkanoo Sample

Junkanoo Drummers

A family of dolphins are frequent visitors to Kidd’s Cove. As we were about to relocate one morning they came back to give us a private show. The baby was especially entertaining.

Baby Dolphin Show

The proximity of the Bahamas to Haiti makes the islands an attractive destination for refugees hoping for a chance at a better life. We have heard numerous reportings of landings in different locations.

This 30 foot precarious vessel arrived in Georgetown one evening. It sank at the dock shortly after arrival. It was reported to have somewhere between 50 and 60 desperate souls, including children, on board. Some did not survive the trip. Anyone who has contributed to the Children of Hope charity can be assured that their donations are going to a worthy cause.

Relevant Reading: An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof

I first read this book well before truly becoming committed to full time cruising as a lifestyle. Now that we have been at it for eighteen months I decided to re-read it and make a comparison to our experiences so far.

Pre-departure preparations were similarly stressful although we were at a stage in our lives where we were able to put careers behind us rather than putting them on hold. De-cluttering ourselves of many possessions was liberating once we got started. In the end it is mostly only “stuff”.  The paths traveled between Toronto and the Bahamas have been loosely paralleled. There are only so many possible variations on that part of the route south.

The biggest similarity in our experiences is the recognition that complete strangers come to play a huge role in our everyday lives, taking the place of far away family and friends, always there to join in a celebration or provide technical expertise or moral support when you need it most. There are very few people that you cannot build a relationship with regardless of their background. Well, maybe except for the cruisers in a quiet bay who urged us to re-anchor so they could go skinny dipping. Yes, they were serious about it. No, we did not move.

Skinny Dip Cave.

Like Ann, I enjoy cooking and experimenting with local products and recipes. I have successfully used her very galley friendly recipes for Dingis’s Curried Lobster and Steve’s Favorite Plantains. Thanks to Ajaya for the vote of approval on my lobster.

Also, like Ann, I have become more comfortable with offshore and overnight passages to the point where I actually look forward to them instead of dreading them. We have Cuba in our sights this year. Hopefully Polar Pacer will be able to escape Chicken Harbour (Georgetown) as Receta did several years ago. And now I need to read her sequel – The Spice Necklace. Maybe we will even be inspired to extend our future cruising grounds to include the Caribbean.

A Sail in the Park

A Sail Thru the Park – January 6 to 15, 2011

We had used a relay on the VHF (another boat) to put us on the waiting list for a mooring ball as we approached Norman’s Cay and were still out of radio range with the Exuma Park office. As members of the Bahamas National Trust, the organization that administers the park system, we would be given some priority on the wait list but knew from the radio transmissions that many boats were headed for the park and we expected to have to wait at Norman’s for a few days until space became available.

At 9 AM we listened for Darcy (we were now within radio range) and were pleased to be assigned one of the six spots in the south mooring field, our preferred location to sit out the western blow that was in the forecast. The park rangers stopped by on their morning patrol to let Tom know that his job list was waiting. 

 

Just bring me a good book and one of those umbrella drinks.

 We landed the dinghy at Boo Boo Beach and took the trail across the island to the office. Once the weather improved we would put our name back on the list to move to the north mooring field which is a much shorter commute for those doing volunteer work, especially when the Boo Boo Hill Trail is under water at high tide.

Tom and Randy gave one of the patrol boats a new paint job.

Warderick Wells Island is one of the locations where the hutia, the only mammal native to the Bahamas, has been reintroduced. Their presence in the park has sparked a controversy between scientists. In the desire to bring back a species that has no natural predators in the area, the vegetarian hutia population is now in the process of denuding the island of vegetation which consequently increases erosion. In time all that will be left is the poisonwood which they do not eat. 

The hutia have stripped the bark from this branch.

They are fond of the thatch palms and are good tree climbers.

 Hutia Highway. One of the more rugged walking trails.

On the other hand, banana quits are not threatening the environment, 

… nor are the hermit crabs.

The main event while we were at the park was Tom’s exciting fishing trip, but I will let him tell that story....

Tom’s Fish Tale

Hi there, Tom here.

Well you haven’t heard from me on the blog before because I haven’t had much to say. Yeah, I can hear you guys in the background saying “What!!”  Well it’s true, because Chris has been doing such a great job and also because she wouldn’t let me. Anyway, she has decided that I should write my own story of the Great Eleuthera Fishing Trip.

Here it is, we were standing around drinking rum and other drinks one Saturday evening with the other cruisers and the rangers at Warderick Wells when Chris and Henry (the rangers in question) asked me if I wanted to go fishing on Sunday. O f course I replied that I would love to as I hoped to learn something from them because I suck as a fisherman. I then asked them innocently “where are we going?” to which they replied “Eleuthera”. “Holy ****” said I. “Eleuthera”, I said again like some brain damaged cruiser. “Yes “, they said. “OK” I said. (This is starting to turn into an episode of 24.)

Now you have to understand that Eleuthera is about 35 Nautical miles from the park across the sound. It takes about 7 to 8 hours under good conditions for us to sail there. Fortunately they don’t sail, they have a 25 foot boat with two 150 horse engines on it. The boat belongs to Chris and can go at a very comfortable 35 plus knots, ergo 55 minutes to Eleuthera. Now comfort is a relative thing, on the way there we spent a significant amount of time semi-airborne.  Did I mention what we had been dong the evening before? Anyway we got to Eleuthera and started to fish, where upon I discovered that they use the same hooks and rig that I use, they just use it a LOT faster. We got our first hit in about 15 minutes. It was a mahi mahi. Then in quick sequence we caught a wahoo, a barracuda, a king mackerel and 2 yellow fin tunas.  This took us about 75 minutes. The interesting thing is that I was the one steering when all the fish were hooked, so now they call me Fish Killer.

At this point we decided that we had contributed to the decline of the fish stocks enough and headed to Compass Cay Marina. On the way there we saw a pod of Pilot whales and 2 schools of tuna. The seas had settled down so it was like glass.

Compass Cay is just south of the park and is an unbelievable place. We cleaned the fish here and fed the sharks with the scraps. There are about 8 resident nurse sharks that you can swim with and the sure gather when the fish are being cleaned.

 Fish cleaning station at Compass Cay

It took all three of us to hold the wahoo up.

Tuna sushi for dinner tonight!

 I also found out part of why they invited me, it was so I would fall in love with the place and volunteer  here, which I did and where we are right now as I type this up. It is quite unique in the islands and having a boat here is like tying up in an aquarium, there are fish everywhere. Unfortunately we have to leave in 2 days, but that’s another story. Now if they will just give me back my keys to the boat!

*********************************

At the end of it all we were invited to share a fish feast at the rangers’ residence with all the typical Bahamian side dishes, peas ‘n rice, mac ‘n cheese, Cuban rum and Bahamian beer.  The fresh tuna sushi was amazing and everything was absolutely delicious. 

Sunrise over the park office.

 

Tongue of the Ocean

Tongue of the Ocean  January 3 to 5, 2011

Another day, another fish. Crossing the Tongue of the Ocean from Andros to New Providence Tom landed a 40” wahoo.  We have a couple of books on board that we use to identify fish and determine if they are edible or not. Wahoo is very edible.

 We keep a tape measure close by.

 Tom’s fish filleting skills have improved with the help of a bigger, better knife. This one provided enough meat for six large meals. The freezer is starting to fill up.

 

 As we have not yet had the urge to visit Nassau, especially during the busy holiday season, we pointed Polar Pacer towards the quieter, south shore of New Providence Island where we anchored in Southwest Bay before moving on to the Exumas. To say we were “anchored” in Southwest Bay is stretching the facts a bit. When Tom went out with the lookey bucket (a glass bottom plastic pail) he saw that our anchor was hooked to a small piece of coral protruding from the scoured bottom.  That and the weight of the anchor chain was all that was holding us in place. Fortunately, the island was protecting us from the northeast wind that was blowing at less than 5 knots and held that way all night.

 I am no longer amazed at the number of abandoned projects that we have seen in the Bahamas. Many date back prior to the most recent downturn in the world economy. What does surprise me is that for every abandoned project there seems to be another new one launched, sometimes just next door.  It seems that the wheels of bankruptcy law must turn so slowly that if and when a failed venture does get sorted out, so much deterioration has taken place that it is cheaper and easier to start from scratch than to salvage what was already there.

 

Abandoned on New Providence.

 The neighbours. Still pretty quiet but freshly painted with windows and doors intact. 

Heading out from New Providence the fishing lines went back in the water.  It wasn’t long before we heard the ziiinnnng coming off the reel. We have a routine now. Tom starts to reel the line in. I slow the boat down make sure it is on auto pilot and gather the necessary tools: – gaff, knife, pliers  and a winch handle  to knock it out.

It seemed to be a big one and was putting up a good fight.

Half an hour later Tom had it up to the stern and was able to see the distinct markings of yet another barracuda.

Our first stop in the Exumas this trip would be Norman’s Cay. We had a nice bright day to approach the island watching for changes in the color of the water that would identify the shallows (very light colored) and the coral heads (dark colored). The wind was from the east and the island gave us good protection for the night. We had anchored here overnight on our way north last year. This time we made a short visit ashore.

Once a haven for drug runners, Norman’s Cay is now dotted with many private residences and has a busy air strip for charter flight to and from the island. There is talk about a large resort that is to be built on the island but in the meantime Norman’s Cay Beach Club (a.k.a MacDuff’s) is the only game in town with $18.00 hamburgers. Their spicy conch fritters are more reasonably priced and are delicious. 

 Just follow the signs.

 One of the Beach Club cabins.

  Garden ornament.