December 2006 Miami to Georgetown, Bahamas After two weeks sitting in Miami swinging around the anchorage due to wind against tide we finally had a window to leave for the Bahamas. It wasn’t the direction of wind we wanted but E 15 knots were the best we were going to get. We moved up to No Name Harbour with friends Sleepwalker who were cruising with us and had the best nights sleep in weeks. Saturday 2nd December at 04:12am anchor was up and we edged our way out of the bay towards the Bahamas, our destination, ‘Gun Cay’ which proved to be more difficult than expected. We motor sailed on a course of SE and bucked into the waves and current making only 2 knots at best and when we tacked to the NE we charged across the Gulf Stream at 8 knots heading more north than east, which was no good for us at all! As I sat and watched the water sluicing up the deck from bow to stern from wave after wave crashing aboard, the only small comfort we had was the miles to go on the GPS slowing going down. Some people would say the conditions were like being in a washing machine, which I wouldn’t disagree with but it was more frustrating than anything in that we couldn’t steer the right course and had to motor sail the whole way. By 1600hrs we finally saw land and conditions started to get better and by 1700hrs we were safely anchored in Gun Cay, in bed by 1900hrs feeling somewhat exhausted and thus never noticed how rolly the anchorage was. The following morning we sailed up to North Bimini to ‘clear in’ which should have been straight forward but we must have chosen the wrong time or day as they wanted us to go alongside at the custom dock. Back on the boat we motored up to the dock which was not the best of docks especially with the wind blowing us against the wall. Twenty minutes later we arrived with clearance papers in hand, $150.00 poorer and we were free to leave. No one came out to see the boat which is the norm in the Bahamas; they seem for some reason to like to show authority without actually doing anything, especially when one of the girls complained she had been too busy to do any work. We thought clearing in boats was working but with a TV on all day in the corner we can only assume she was missing the next episode of one of her programs, welcome to the Bahamas. There was nothing at North Bimini that attracted our attention, so we moved on the following morning for Nassau. We motored up to North Rock then across the Great Bahama Bank to the North West Channel, with nice calm sea’s and the moon with us the whole night, we found we not alone, as about ten other boats were making there way across. Once at the North West Channel we were finally able to stop the engine, hoist the sails and sail the rest of the way to Nassau. I sometimes wonder why we have a mast and sails, since joining the boat in September we seem to have done a lot of motoring. The few times we have sailed offshore, we have been tossed around like ‘peas in a drum’ and wonder if we are getting too old for all this stuff or if the weather patterns are changing so much they have difficulty in forecasting it right! Nassau is not one of our favourite places; it just gets in the way and we would be quite happy to sail past the place. However, with a front heading our way the next day, it was a question of “any port in a storm”. The front bought strong winds with gusts and rain and being anchored off BASARA was not a good place to be so we decided to move up to Athol Island, a few miles a way and just dropped anchor before the heavy rain came. That evening and night was very windy and wet and we bucked and rolled slightly but despite the conditions we had plenty of wind to watch a ‘BEE GEES’ concert DVD on the lap top and never noticed the wind howling round the boat. The following morning was still unsettled; the front decided to stall over our area so we moved back to the BASARA anchorage so that Paula could do laundry, which turned out to be a mammoth job. Four hours later we were back on board, she only used two washing machines but the dryers were not that good and at times we wondered if any heat was being generated from them at all! The weather was looking better for our planned move down to the Exumas, but according to the BASARA weather forecast this morning (Wednesday) we have a strong cold front coming next Friday, they seem to come so quickly!!!!! From Athol Island to Shroud Cay ‘Mr Universe’ (our engine) had to perform once again as we motored 35 miles in flat calm sea’s instead of the SE 10 -15 knots as forecasted. We tried to sail using our cruising chute in the cat paws but to no avail. However we did make good use of the power being generated by the engine and sanded down one of the dorade boxes with the electric sander. A job we just completed before arriving at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park in the late afternoon. This being one of our favourite places with lots to do and see, the following morning, we didn’t waste anytime getting out and about in our dinghies. Along with our friends from “Sleepwalker” we went off winding our way through the mangroves creeks. With shallow sandy bottom and clear water, the area abounds in sea life and maybe the odd Osprey. Some of the creeks lead to the windward side of the island were we walked along the beach; only to find that what could be called a beautiful beach in paradise was not so with all the rubbish that had been washed a shore. From shoes to oil containers, empty plastic containers, fishing ropes and nets including half a sail board, which I had great fun surfing on in the waves. I also found a MOB (Man over Board) orange smoke / bridge combination unit with bracket (big ship equipment) that hadn’t gone off. For safety reasons I activated the orange smoke, even though the unit was three years out of date. I did this so that it could not cause harm to anyone who should stumble upon it (especially young children). We find most of the windward sides of Islands full of rubbish but here in the park, when time permits, the warden will gather volunteers to clean up the beaches. This is short lived for the rubbish returns when the next front come’s a long. By lunchtime we noticed the clouds had started to build up as the front moved in and returned to the boat just as the wind started to increase. By late afternoon the wind had reached about 20 knots gusting to 30 knots with torrential rain that cascaded down the decks and washed off the encrusted salt from the boat (which was badly needed). We discovered it was Leslie’s (off Sleepwalker) 54th birthday, so we invited them over for dinner. Paula just managed to bake a cake and cool it enough to cover it in chocolate frosting before they arrived. We maybe in the middle of islands but we are never short of a few home comforts, it just depends on how long one can make them last. With the weather forecast being NE 25 to 35 knots for the next three days we were staying put even though the anchorage was a little rolly but ‘Sleepwalker’ decided to push on and headed for Black Point some forty miles away. We said our good- bys and watched them sail off into a rain shower leaving us bobbing around on our own. The next few days we were heavily engaged in boat maintenance. We had rushed southwards to escape the northern cold weather with the intention of doing our work in the sunshine. Being weather bound in an anchorage gave us ample chance to go to work. We spent five nights anchored off Shroud Cay with winds blowing fresh out of the North East. At times the anchorage was a little uncomfortable however we guessed that most of the anchorages in the Exumas were experiencing similar conditions. There was one day when we were forced to return to the boat due to the strong winds; whilst this was not the best weather for viewing the Bahamas we did at least have plenty of power from our wind generator. When the weather moderated we made the short passage down to Hawksbill Cay which is said to be one of the most beautiful Islands in the chain. We spent some time ashore and explored the ruins of the old Plantation which dated back to 1730, when there were thriving communities living and working on most of the Exuma Islands. We found the north end of the Island to be particularly beautiful with drying sand flats and deep pools in which fish would wait for the rising tides. The colours were beyond description and its scenic beauty makes it one of our favourite places, not only in the Bahamas but everywhere we have travelled. As time was pressing and Christmas was not so far away, we decided to push on south. We had expected to spend more time in the Exuma Park however the weather was not co-operating, the strong and cool North Easterly winds were preventing us from getting in the water. When the wind swung to the South East it prevented us from moving as there was no let up in strength. We were forced to move on when ever we could. The trip to Big Major’s Spot (our next anchorage) was a hard beat in 15 – 18 knots of breeze. We could not quite point it as the short chop forced us to sail a little more off the wind than we would normally have done; however we were fortunate in that a large rain squall moved in just before arrival and sucked up all the wind allowing us to motor into the bay and get anchored before it bored down upon us with heavy winds and rain. We spent two days at anchor here and went ashore at Staniel Cay to buy some “rather expensive” vegetables and post a letter. We noted whilst ashore that considerable building was taking place and it seemed that the Island was moving ‘up-market’. The Marina had been smartened up considerably and the buildings had all received fresh paint. Diesel at the Marina was over $4.00 a gallon and at those prices only people with money would be motoring down this way with their big stink boats. We checked out the restaurants and the internet and found it all a little too expensive for our budget. On our way back to the boat we called at the beach on Big Major’s Spot to visit with the local pigs which are somewhat of an attraction for this area. Whenever a dinghy turns up at the beach the pigs wander down and swim out to be greeted. In our case, one of them was so glad to see us he tried to join us in our canoe causing Paula some consternation! After Big Major’s Spot we motored down to Rudder Cut taking advantage of a temporary lull in the weather. For once we had some flat calm and it was such a change to be able to see the bottom through the clear waters again; this was more like the Bahamas we remembered from our previous visits. With the promise of an imminent return to strong Easterly winds we spent only one night at Rudder Cut and motor-sailed the next day down to Georgetown where we joined the group of yachts (70) that had congregated for Christmas. This is a popular place to be due to the nearness of some amenities and a harbour offering good protection from the winter weather. The anchorages have good swimming spots, nice beaches and plenty of shore activities; it is one place where you can relax a little bit and not worry so much about the weather. For us it was the place we had in mind to catch up on the many jobs still outstanding aboard ‘Mr John’, in particular our varnish work. We also have many old friends amongst the anchored boats so there is always something to do or someone to see, making it a good place to be at this time. So we are all making our preparations for Christmas and no doubt there will be some joyous gatherings and much good cheer. Some of the boats are already decked out with Christmas lights and decorations and Paula is doing her bit inside ‘Mr John’. More often than not however, our thoughts are concentrated on our next move from here. Somewhere ahead is Port Antonio (Jamaica) followed by the San Blass and Panama. We do wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year; our thoughts are with all of you. Next stop San Blas John & Paula |