Mates Long Overdue Update

Mates Log 3.29.2009

Sunday March 29th we left Marsh Harbour heading south to Little Harbour. This will be our staging point for exiting the cut to leave the Abacos heading south down to the Exumas. The weather has not been agreeable for weeks now. The winds have been SSE and we are headed south. We spend 2 days at Little Harbour but are only able to get off the boat one of those days. We are anchored outside of the harbor so have to dinghy into this quaint small berg. Little Harbour consists of one outside bar, a bronze foundry/gallery and maybe 40 homes. There are those who have stopped here on their way south and have never left… we can see why. The roads are sand and only wide enough for one car. The people are friendly and the scenery is lovely. We have pupus’ and drinks at the sandy floored bar and chat up other cruisers. Our dinghy ride back to the boat is a wet and wild one, which has us laughing most of the way!

Tuesday we head south. The weather is lovely although the winds are still not in our favor, unfortunately we will have to motor. It has been an unusual year for cold fronts and winds (so the locals say) so heading south we are looking forward to warmer weather, warmer water and some spectacular snorkeling.

The day is unbelievable and I am on watch! The glistening water, the calm sea, the clear sky, all request that we take pause. I reflect on our time, our trials, our triumphs, the things we have learned and accomplished… the new friends we have made and what is ahead. Pausing brings on heavy eyes with the calm rocking of SongBird, the cool breeze, the warm sun and the, unfortunate, drone of the engines… I fall peacefully asleep. I wake up with the dropping of my head and look over to port side. I am not fully awake as I have not decided that I want to be awake yet, although I am on watch.  I see what looks like two large inner tubes or tires floating in the water, and wonder what they are doing out here in the middle of the ocean, and why they are SO large. You know what this is like… you are not fully awake, you are seeing something out of the ordinary, and your mind just cannot put it all together since it is not yet fully functioning.

Well those inner tubes turned out to be whales! Can you believe it! I jump up to get a better look and to confirm what I now felt sure I was seeing. Sure enough it is two whales about 50 feet off our port beam. I couldn’t even figure out how to holler for Carey with any kind of intelligence… I must have managed some kind of sound since he came quickly outside. It was wonderful! During the entire crossing we saw 10 whales, spouting, broaching and cruising. What a great day!

We head into Royal Island Harbour to anchor for the night. This small island is now in the process of being developed, although progress looks slow. Back in the fifties it was owned by a private individual who had built a large home and estate here, from the look of the ruins it must have been quite nice in its day. Unfortunately no one is allowed to come ashore, so no exploring here. It’s a great anchorage though, protected, small, clean and free. We take the dinghy and go into Spanish Wells, just a small berg with lovely scenery and we meet Sarah who has Sarah’s Straw Works and Souvenirs. We chat Sarah up for a spell and learn she makes all the baskets she sells. True beauties.

We are now waiting for the weather to turn so we can continue sailing south to Normans Cay where we will meet up with Jared and Ruthie and friends.

In the meantime we are biding our time with a routine of boat projects, general maintenance, and exercise. The water is warm so we jump in and swim around the boat a few times every day. For projects, Carey has installed outside stereo speakers, drain cups under the cockpit area and daily we make water. I have done laundry (not in a laundry mat), made bread, general mold control and washed down the boat. My favorite project was sanding and polishing our Lexan windows that had crazed so bad that we could hardly see out… they may not be clear as day but you can now see out of them. I never even knew sandpaper came in 2500 grit! After our daily swim we rinse off with fresh water and sit outside to eat our dinner or pupu’s. We watch the sun set and listen as boaters blow the traditional conch shell at sunset.

We feel our bodies are experiencing renewal and regeneration, at the same time we have also been experiencing a spiritual renewal as well. We feel washed and refreshed in many ways and are so thankful for this time… it is a gift we do not take lightly. The market is awful, the economy is a mess, stress is high, taxes are higher and the wave of life feels more like a riptide. We are thankful to be here, doing what we are doing, living as we are living. You are welcome to come for a visit.

4.4.09
The winds have finally changed so we are now able to head south to Normans Cay. Normans Cay used to be owned by the drug runner Carlos Leder, when the Bahamian government was willing to “look the other way” regarding all of the drugs that were brought through here to the states. Once cruisers started turning up dead because they wandered too close to this pristine island the government started to do something about the drug traffic problem in the Bahamas. The island still sports a runway which is used for private planes, a very small beach resort and a dock. There is a ditched DC 3 in the lagoon and still many ruins on the island. The scenery is lovely, the water is incredible and few live here.

We hook up with Jared and Ruthie who had picked up their friends Ben and Jamie in Nassau. We also meet Jimmy and Renee who first met Jared and Ruthie in FL. Yeah, it’s a long story and not necessary…There are now 8 of us hanging out and cruising together. We spend more than a week here, snorkeling, fishing, and beach combing. We collect wood and head to a small spit of land with one lone palm tree and have a bonfire on the beach. I wish I could explain to you exactly what the water looks like here. It is clearer than up north, it's bluer but in some areas greener… no, more clear emerald.  You can see a hundred feet under the water. It is quite amazing!

Our first day here, while the tide was going out, we couldn’t believe we had not gone aground or at least close to it. The water looked 3 feet deep and the tide was not fully out… we quickly turned on the depth meter, it read 9 feet… it can’t be right… we jump in and sure enough we couldn’t touch the bottom! We knew we would be fine according to the charts but we still confirm everything with visual aid.

Normans turned into a dream come true, the unreal life, relaxing in the sun, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and bonfires on the beach…the ideal tropical life. The weather is perfect, the breezes are perfect, the water is incredible, the kids (I know they are adults but they will always be my kids) spear fish every day for dinner, we snorkel and swim every day, explore beaches, play games and have potlucks on our boat. The coral is healthy and colorful and the fish are beautiful… and tasty for that matter.

We are enjoying getting to know all our new friends, and of course are so blessed to be able to be with family as well! We often wish all our family and friends could be here with us in this incredible place. We celebrate Carey’s birthday with a dinner party, maple walnut cake, and ice! It’s a toss up… ice or cake? Both are a rare treat!

4.9.09
We head south to Warderick Wells which is located in part of the Land and Sea Park. All the water and wildlife is protected in this area consisting of 176 square miles. There are marked trails, staff, a bookstore and moorings in the bight. We all anchor out on the south end where you can anchor, as long as you are on the sand. Coral heads pop up everywhere so we have lots to explore. We pick the one that looks like the best spot and all take a dive. The coral, the fish and the plants are all spectacular! We see the most fish here and the healthiest coral yet! Friday night is happy hour at the park headquarters, we all head in to meet other cruisers. I fill Carey up with 2 beers and drive the dinghy home. I will interject here that this is the first time I have actually driven the dinghy… for various reasons that I won’t go into other than to say it really helped my driving having Carey drink 2 beers! After his two beers I was able to drive 'just fine' and was actually 'quite incredible'!!

Sunday is Easter and there is going to be potluck at the same location. The park provides the turkey and ham... the amount of food is amazing! A time of prayer was had and all gave thanks. We met people from all over and really had a great time. This place is lovely and I’m sure you are surprised to hear that! Enjoy all the pictures… they are worth more than a thousand words!

4.13.09
We leave Warderick Wells and head to Staniel Cay, which is about 15 miles from where we are. It’s a two hour sail, the winds are 7 knots and we’re doing 7 knots. Staniel has an airport, three grocery stores and two bars. There is a local woman who makes all the bread; her mom started the business 30 years ago. It is still located in their house. Coconut bread is available at 4:30pm and white bread at 5:30pm. Our second week at Staniel you could only get 3 loaves of day old coconut bread because everyone was down in George Town for the regatta, so it is not made everyday. This is a weeklong event of Bahamian sailboat races and is the Bahamas equivalent of the Olympics… the island that wins the race has bragging rights for the next year. Every local attends this event… they camp on the docks, set up food carts and party for the week. The mail boat picks up some of the boats and hauls them down to Georgetown while others sail down. We are not going that far south this year so will not be attending. :(

At Staniel we snorkel Thunderball where the James Bond movie was filmed. The amount of fish is great! We take canned corn to feed them while we are snorkeling. When Carey started feeding the fish I could only see a frenzy of fish and his fins… it was unbelievable!! I was wishing I had an underwater camera! At Staniel you will also find swimming pigs… they live on the beach near where we are anchored. These pigs swim out to your dinghy and try and crawl in with you, looking for food! They are fed only by the cruisers and eat well! They are big pigs and very clean! See included pictures.

Staniel has a live band which consists of one of the ladies from one of the grocery stores, the dive guy and an assortment of other locals, including special appearances from some of the local kids who sing in the church choir. They are “The” band and call themselves “The Ragged Reef” and play at both of the local bars. I would not describe bars here the same way I would in the states. Here the bar is the social center, the gathering place, the center where you find out where to get water, take your trash and do your laundry. You are free to use their VHF radios to make your calls. There is a good chance you can get a map of town here and find out most anything you need to know. This is the place to meet the locals and other cruisers alike.

Our last day at Staniel we all go bushwhacking to the other side of the island where there is a 35 foot sailboat on the rocks. We think it looks like it has been there for maybe a month. It’s an eerie feeling looking at this boat knowing that it could happen to any of us. The chart shows this as an anchorage but says “poor holding”. We feel certain this is what happened to these people… their anchor didn’t hold. The boat is pretty well stripped and just lying in its watery grave, waiting for the time when all its bits and pieces will be broken up and taken to sea or left on the coral. It’s quite sad. We all continue to diligently dive our anchors and avoid areas with “poor holding”.

4.20.09
We leave Staniel and head north to Compass Cay which is about a 45 minute trip. We are now on our way back north. Jimmy and Renee have family visiting for the rest of the week so did not leave with us. They will call before they start to head north and we will meet somewhere along the way. We are all trying to decide where we want to leave the Bahamas from, so we can go north. Carey and I feel more limited since we do not have any extra crew with us. Renee will be leaving Jimmy but he has 2 or 3 friends coming to help him get back, Jared and Ruthie have Ben and Jamie… this allows for easier watches along the way. Heading north from the Abacos to N Carolina takes about 3 days if you head due north … watches are required this whole time. If any of you want to fly out and crew with us back to the states let us know! Otherwise we will head east to FL and then north so we can take it in steps and anchor along the way to rest.

Compass Cay has a small marina and about 2 houses on it. The attraction for us is the snorkeling and protected waters. It is beautiful here… I’m sure you are sick of hearing that by now… anyway, there are lot s of beaches to explore, coves to check out, coral to dive and water to swim in. We are the only boats anchored here.

This morning we caught rainwater in buckets so we could do some laundry. It’s amazing how many times you can reuse the same water. We continue to learn simpler ways of doing things, conserving water and energy, recycling has a new meaning and leaving as little impact on this planet as possible becomes natural. We didn’t set out with this in mind, it just happens when you live on a sailboat. We had to buy 80 gallons of water and 24 gallons of gas… we spent $100. I thought wow that’s a lot but then I realized we had not gotten gas or water for a month and then it didn’t sound so bad! Jimmy and Renee have only used 28 gallons of water in a month… how do they do it?! I hope to learn.

Today we all took the dinghys to a crescent beach on the ocean side, named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Not a person in site. South we see 3 planes doing tricks and wonder what they are, who they are, and where they are from. We don’t have to wait long… they quickly approach and fly right over us. These guys see us waving and jumping up and down so they fly low and at extreme angles so we can see them and they us. There are 3 of them…Yaks, with radial engines and are Russian trainers. They remind me of old war planes from WWll and I half expect bombs to start falling from the sound of things. They are painted perfect and you can tell these guys are having a good time… so are we!! They passed us twice and on the second time around fly REALLY low and right at us!!! We were all so excited to see this display and just for us… we all got goosebumps!

It's April 21st, another lovely day has passed as we get ready to head over to Willow (Jared and Ruthie's boat) for dinner and games. I know these days will end and will not ever be repeated, I want to take in each moment as much as I can… the making of new friends, the spectacular scenery and the simple lifestyle. We are glad to have family here to share it with.

Lessons Learned:

There are many uses for beer cans:
Use as a plate to cover holes in cockpit areas.
Use the bottoms as a holder for a carbon filter (from a used water filter). Cover the vent hole to the toilet so it doesn’t smell when flushing.
Fill with rocks, tape hole, may now be used as a noise maker at Junkanoo.
Keep extras around for future uses that you have not yet discovered.

When you anchor in an area where there is a strong current, there is a good chance that conditions will be such that you will sail up over your anchor when the wind fights the current. When this happens to us our anchor bridle rubs (chafes) our whiskers (low lines that help hold our screecher in place). Chafing is not good… we have tried a variety of things but when the winds are just so the problem reoccurs. Yesterday Carey finally figured out if he puts out a drogue (something that creates drag) it solves the problem. You can buy drogues or you can concoct one… which is what we did. He got out our biggest, thickest rope, tied knots in it and attached a 5 gallon bucket. It worked perfect!

Below is a notice from one of the internet connection websites at a local bar. Kalik (pronounced “click”) is a local Bahamian beer (keep this in mind).

Reminder:
This service uses a satellite uplink for all traffic. On its best day, it will seem slow compared to any land-based service. It is 22 thousand miles to the satellite, which means it is 44 thousand miles before your request hits the Internet, and 44 thousand for the data to come back. No matter how you slice it, 88 thousand miles may take more than a few seconds for a response. So remember, you're in the Central Exumas with the most beautiful water and Cay's anywhere on the planet. Fast Internet is available at most office buildings and cubicles in the states… would you really want to trade where you are for a cubicle?

The secret to happy surfing on a slow network:
1. Click on the link
2. Take a drink of your Kalik
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until network appears to have blazing speed.

Staniel Cay

Today it April 14th. We are in Staniel Cay snorkeling, fishing and enjoying this amazing water! We do not get much internet, groceries or phone service. I have not done an update to even post. So this is to say we are fine, fit and happy. We met up with Jared and Ruthie, their friends Jamie and Ben are with them, and more new friends, Jimmy and Renee (closer to our age) have joined us on their boat. We are all cruising together and having a great time. It’s been fun and we are so happy to be farther south. More will come when we have more time!
Love, Carey and Lisa