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November 2003 The Bahamas from Grand Bahama to Aklins Island After a peaceful night at anchor in the Lucayan Waterway we cleared in to the Bahamas and managed to get in at the reduced rate for a boat less than thirty-five feet. The Bahamas increased the charges for a cruising permit just a few months previous. Before we were all paying $100 US for our six month stay, now its $300 if you are over thirty-five feet and $150 if below. Some people view that as a little steep, in my opinion it’s a bargain so long as you are going to be using your time quota. We had been in Lucaya only last year and knew this protected anchorage well. We didn't launch the dinghy having 'been here / done that' before, instead we prepared to take off the very next morning. We did leave the next morning but we had only sailed a couple of hours out when we got the 0700 forecast, which predicted winds 20-25 gusting 30+. This we thought could be a bit much so before we were out of the lee of the island, we turned around and went back. We had the hook down by 0900 and this time launched the dinghy to go ashore in the hope that spending some money would lift our spirits! That never works! We did get away the following morning and had a good fast reach down to Great Stirrup where we spent two nights before moving down to Bonds Cay. I did get a nice swim at Great Stirrup and we were thinking we'd get to swim in Bonds, however two sharks appeared in the first two hours; thus we went beach combing instead. The next day we sailed and motor-sailed in very light conditions down to Nassau, the capitol city of the Bahamas, where we came to anchor close by the BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue) centre. Experience has taught us that this is the best anchorage available but we have never been happy with it. The wakes of passing harbour traffic make it at best uncomfortable; wind against current makes it worse. The water is dirty, the air is polluted and it has all those things that one came to the Bahamas to escape! There was a front coming so we took care of our necessary chores ashore as quickly as possible and moved over to Rose Island where we found some solitude and clear water. It is only a few miles away and one can still see the 'big city' in the distance but the difference is beyond belief. We were in Rose Island for three days before getting a window to move south, so that gave us a little time to explore the area. We walked ashore, although this was quite restricted, as much of the island is privately owned. We took the dinghy on long expeditions up the coast and went to examine Salt Pond. This old salt pond had been cleared out and a cut dug through to it in the hope of development back in the late seventies. During the Bahama Drug Wars investment in the islands had fallen off and nothing had developed for many years. It became a Hurricane Hole for local boats and saw occasional use by passing yachties. When we went to have a look further development was well under way, they were digging more of the island away to make a large marine basin around which they were scheduled to build some nice houses and condo's. All a million dollars and upwards of course as the Bahamas is looking towards its expansion in the more expensive areas of property development. On the 1st of December we had a fast reach down to Shroud Cay in 15-20 knot winds. The next day the wind was in the east and blowing 30 knots, the boat was shaking as the mast pumped in the gusts. We were close enough inshore to get some protection so we went ashore to the islands well and got some water. We don’t put this stuff in our tanks, it stays in the containers and we use it for washing etc which helps us keep the good stuff for drinking in the tanks. It became overcast so the rest of the day we tried to catch up on paperwork. The next day it was still creaming out of the east but we braved the wind (only because the sun was shinning) and managed to get into the mangroves with the dinghy. We visited Camp Driftwood on the windward shore, got the dinghy filled with sand (it was blowing everywhere) and watched the 'elephants' out in the sound. I did find a spot, where the wind wasn't howling, to take a quick dip but Paula wasn't being tempted as it was still a little cool. Next day we decided to move down to Waderick Wells. This was definitely, not the best idea I ever had! The forecast was still 25 to 30 but I thought that if we kept inshore it wouldn't be so bad…… wrong! It took us five hours to do 17 miles and the boat was submerged half the time. The boat did very well considering the conditions and I have decided to reward her by not doing anything quite as stupid as that again! To add insult to injury the next day was in fact much better, A C&C 25 came in from Shroud and said that he had a great sail down. To avoid paying mooring dues and putting a dent in our cruising kitty, we decided to volunteer to work for the Park. We were back at the building work! Constructing big wooden boxes in which they hope to fit transformers and fuse boxes. It was just like old times; Paula was assistant and No.1 gofer! Whilst we were toiling ashore the Front arrived and the wind went slowly round to the NW and started blowing a good 25knots. We should have gone for a potluck at the Rangers place but by the time we knocked off (worn out) and got back to the boat (drenched and cold). We were not so keen on going ashore again, especially as there were big waves rolling in to the mooring field. Our dinghy was wet, if not marginally unsafe, for the conditions. Thus we cried off. For evening entertainment someone, even crazier than I, decided to arrive just as it was getting dark. He ran on to the putty out at the entrance having got a rope stuck round his prop during a spectacular display of how not to lower sails approaching a lee shore anchorage! I was very impressed by the response from our fellow yachties, just about every RIB in the bay was out there helping to get him off and safely on to a mooring. I watched it all through the binoculars and I have to say, it was quite spectacular. Behind the boat I could see waves smashing against the rocks of the cut and leaping twenty feet or more into the air; the wind was howling through the rigging, there were white caps everywhere and darkness was settling in fast. The tide was only two hours off high so action was imperative and, on top of all that, it was freezing! Once the weather improved we decided to push on southwards. Working is fine but we needed to get back in the water and go snorkelling and fishing again. We had a nice reach in a lively north-easterly breeze from Waderick Wells down to Pipe Creek, it was good to get out and sail again. We put the fishing line out and as we turned onto the last leg Paula caught a twenty-six inch Mutton Snapper which guaranteed another great dinner. We came in at Little Pipe Cay and took the channel close south of Wild Tamarind Cay to the southern entrance of Pipe Creek. This is a beautiful area, large sandbanks that dry when the tide falls, shallow sand bores and reefs with narrow channels of deep blue water. The contrasting colours on a sunny day are truly magnificent. We anchored in just eight feet of water and stretched our chain our along a white sand bottom. Moments later we were swimming round the boat, cooling off from the heat of the day. During the winter period the temperature swings down here are quite pronounced. It depends very much on where the breeze is coming from and how much cloud cover there is. By late afternoon it was cool and overcast again, we returned from a dinghy expedition in need of a warm up and ready for baked fish with all the trimmings. Our next stop was Sampson Cay where we went ashore to look at the Mega Yacht Marina and see how the other half lived. We shared a tub of the local ice cream and sat out on the patio like we were millionaires with little else to do. The accommodations looked nice but I think I'd feel a prisoner if I signed up for a two-week vacation in a place like this. In the afternoon we were snorkelling and swimming on the nearby reef when I spotted our first "free" lobster of the season; it was unexpected in this location and we were unprepared. By the time I'd gone back to the boat and picked up my spear he was gone. It was a week since we had left Waderick Wells and the Cold Fronts were coming in on a weekly schedule so it was time to find a place to hide again. We moved down to North Gaulin Anchorage, a spot that had worked well for us before in Frontal Passages giving a fair degree of all round protection.The next two days were not so good for weather but we did get out and about in the dinghy and took Mr John around to Thunderball Cave where we anchored as close to the Grotto as we could get. Thunderball gets its name from the movie that was shot down here in the sixties. There is quite a lot of memorabilia over in the Stanial Cay Yacht Club, which one can peruse over a cold beer some time. The grotto is the hollowed out interior of a small Cay with a hole in the roof to let in the sunshine and a network of underwater caves that give access to the interior without the need to deep dive or use tanks. At low tide you can snorkel right in there and paddle around in the dome. What makes it neat is that over the years the locals have been bringing tourists out to see the cave and feeding the fish in the area at the same time. The result is a lot of very friendly fish! When you slide into the water here they surround you right away, all looking for food. Some of the more aggressive ones may give you a little nip if you are not paying attention to getting them fed. We got some great pictures and had lots of fun. With the Front gone the weather quickly improved and we moved south to Black Point where we were able to secure a few jugs of fresh water to top up our tank. This is a neat Bahamian settlement where the people are friendly and not a lot seems to happen from day to day. The men gather in a community building at the head of the dock and seem to pass time exchanging tall stories or arguing about football related matters. They have a couple of Sunfish sailing dinghies and it is a pleasure to watch them chasing each other round the buoys they have laid out in the bay. They are highly vocal in criticism of each others sailing abilities and it has made them all good sailors. We went around Black Point to Little Bay, which is still within walking distance of the settlement. There is a lovely sandy beach and we thought we'd have a little more privacy being away from town. It was a good job that it was Sunday, for as we moved into the bay, we could see earth moving equipment ashore and a Castle style villa had been built close to the north. From the yachties point of view this was another beautiful spot about to be ruined and another anchorage to be removed from the guide- book. Ashore we could see the unmistakable signs of basin digging; it was to be another Marina Development. The scrub had been cleared and plots laid out and numbered. Roadways had been constructed and they were starting to lay in the infrastructure. This was a big project and I would have thought that in the present economic situation, a big risk as well. It was obvious that many millions of dollars were being sunk here and they were a long way away from resurfacing with any form of profit. I could never understand why people want to live out here in a little prison away from home where once 'been and seen' there is very little of interest other than renting to those that have not yet 'been and seen'. It seems to me that they see paradise and immediately want to change it. If they were smart they'd buy a yacht. Then they could visit, enjoy and leave, whilst paradise remains for those that follow behind. I see a future where there are few if any nice anchorage's in the Bahamas, where most of the land is in the hands of foreigners and what few Bahamians are left in the islands do the menial work of serving cooking and cleaning. The Government will grandly tell the people how well they are doing in the Hospitality Industry but in reality they will have been returned, full cycle, to the Slavery their ancestors tried so hard to escape. In my cruising guide I have marked the 'Private' islands where we are not permitted ashore, There seem to be an awful lot of them. I wonder how the Bahamians feel when they pass by islands where once they roamed freely and are now excluded. Maybe this is not a worry to the government employees in Nassau but I bet it weighs heavily with the 'out island' fishermen. On the Monday before our peaceful anchorage was shattered with the noise of mechanical diggers, we heaved up anchor and returned to North Gaulin for yet another Front. It was mainly a precaution, we were not expecting a lot of wind with this one but they often get it wrong. So no matter what, we always get a good bit of protection when there is a front coming through. As it happened this one was over with in less than twenty-four hours so the next day we used the northerly breeze behind the front to take us south to Rudder Cut Cay. It turned out to be a great day's sailing and we still had time after we arrived to go exploring in the dinghy. Here we met up with "Sleepwalker II", a similar type of boat to "Mr John" but a little bigger at 37ft. She was also a centre board boat and the couple on board were also enjoying the freedom that shallow draft brought to cruising in the Bahamas. We got to know Ron and Leslie quite well and we sailed in company for a while moving south. The next morning we went down to The Darby's where a couple of islands blended together to offer a small natural harbour. Unfortunately the area was not deep enough to offer room for the two of us. Also, an annoying tide ran through promising a lively time in any adverse weather. We decided to move on and passed out through Rudder Cay Cut hoisting sail as we went. It was a little choppy in the sound but better than expected and we all made good progress down to Lee Stoking Island where we came to anchor of the Research Centre. This was a good anchorage for the night and we slept well in it, in the morning we tried to secure a visit to the Research Centre but they were understaffed and overworked, maybe next time. We all felt there was a need to get back in the water and snorkel, after all that is where all the action is in the Bahamas! So we heaved anchor and went across to Leaf Cay where there was the chance of good snorkelling and fair shelter for our next Cold Front, which was already sweeping in from the northwest. The remainder of that day was magic, we went off snorkelling and found a lovely coral garden with lots of fish and some huge Lobster. We didn't spear anything as we felt this was part of the study area for the Research Centre. It was just nice to be in the water with them and to see all the fish and the colourful corals. That evening the Front came through, we were fine as I had already put out a second anchor and made sure both were well buried. However, another boat in the anchorage, "Violet" dragged in the middle of the night and I alerted them with my air horn. Their anchor did get a hold again when they veered more scope but we all had a fairly sleepless night. By morning the wind had dropped to eighteen knots so we decided to heave up and make a run for Georgetown. We went out of the cut in a lumpy sea with a double reefed mainsail but I was soon shaking out the reefs, as both wind and sea dropped away quickly. It was a great sail and as we bore down on Conch Cay Cut Paula, the fisher-woman, caught three large Mahi Mahi and a small tuna in very quick succession. We arrived at the cut with a cockpit full of live fish, we had fun trying to navigate in under full sail whilst getting somewhat re-organised underfoot. We had lots of fish to give away on arrival and that made us popular for a while. We have never had difficulty finding friends to give fish away to and in Georgetown there was no shortage of people we'd already met whilst cruising south. Georgetown, locally known as Chicken Harbour, was at one stage the 'end of the line' for most North American cruising yachts going south to the sunshine. That was before GPS changed everything in the cruising world, now everyone can go out of sight of land! Of course there are still other factors to consider, like doing an 'overnight' and even going out into the Atlantic. With special forecasts, detailed cruising guides and sailing directions, you would think that the candidates would arrive prepared. Sadly many arrive woefully unprepared, wrong boat, wrong equipment and wrong attitude! Thus Georgetown has become a hangout for many over the years and many return each year to occupy their little spot away from the cold northern winter. These visitors have everything organised, clubs for this, that and the other. No matter what you want to do there is something organised for everyone and if this is enough to drive you to drink, there's a regular AA meeting to help you out! We find it 'OK' with reservations; at least it provides some sheltered spots to hide from those nasty cold fronts that sweep through in the northern winters. We have had some good times in Georgetown but it's one of those places where time passes to quickly and in the end you wonder what was achieved for all those days that slipped by. Somehow we spent nearly a month here; Christmas and New Year came and went with good cheer and good company. We made new friends and reacquainted ourselves with old ones. We moved around the harbour going from one anchorage to another as dictated by the weather and the vast social calendar that quickly developed with our arrival. Paula broke a tooth and we had to wait for the dentist to return to the island from his Christmas Vacation. It was apparently well worth the wait as he turned out to be an expert tooth-puller. We finally cleared away on the 15th of January and had a great sail out to Conception Island where lobsters the size of dogs can be found scurrying about the anchorage both night and day (or so the story goes!). From there we had to motor most of the way to Rum Cay in a flat calm. On arrival we stopped off at a beautiful beach to take a walk and look for shells then moved down to anchor off Port Nelson for the night. We went ashore to check out the 'town' but seeing as there wasn't much town to be found it didn't take a lot of checking out! As we were keen to get moving we shifted down to Clarence Town on Long Island the next day and Long Cay, Crooked Island the day after. We had some nice sailing and we were enjoying it. The Fishing was also good and we were reeling in the Mahi-mahi again and again. We shifted up to Albert Town and anchored off the 'east dock'. Ashore we explored the small but friendly settlement and pursued the Pink Flamingo's, looking for the perfect picture. On the 24th of January we went across to Delectable Bay, after a couple of hours sailing and a couple of hours drifting in light airs we eventually motored the remaining distance in flat calm conditions. We were on a plate glass sea in five to six feet of water, everything on the bottom was perfectly clear as we flashed overhead. It was a truly mesmerising experience; we were so lucky to have this window and to be able to see so much in such a short time. Just as we arrived in Delectable Bay, we lost visibility and the water became stirred up and mucky. Undeterred we moved close inshore, anchored and took the dinghy to the beach. There was a small dock and a small graveyard close by. It was interesting in that all the gravesites seemed to have concert replicas of ships as tombstones. I'd never seen anything like it before. We followed the track to the main road and the settlement. There was nothing to be seen, I never did find out what was so delectable in Delectable Bay! The next day we gave up on our exploration of The Bight of Acklins and headed back to Clarence Town where we take Cold-Front that was sweeping in our direction and to meet up with 'Magpie' once again. Once the Front was gone we both left going our separate ways, they were headed down island for Trinidad and we were headed into the Northwest Caribbean for Jamaica. We had a good sail south in generally light winds, calling at Landrail Point, Datum Bay and Jamaica Bay on Acklins Island. This was our last anchorage in the Bahamas, the weather forecast was good and it was time to move John & Paula |