Well...we tried getting out of Lucaya on Jan 2, with a north wind of 15 to 20, but, we found a problem with the design of our boat... It seems that the length of our boat happens to be the same as the distance between the waves off Lucaya which means if the waves are coming from behind, traveling faster than the boat, the wave will pick up the rear of the boat and try to push it sideways around the bow of the boat. That meant that the captain, me, had to constantly fight the wheel to keep us on course. Not good! So, we bid our buddy boat, "Caper", farewell, as he was just long enough to carry across 2 waves and not have our problem, and we returned to Lucaya to await a wind shift. Who would guess we would want a bigger boat so soon in our voyage?
We experienced the shopping in the Bahamian Winn Dixie, looks the same from the outside and inside until you look a little closer. Things like: Little Debbie's boxed snack cakes, clearly marked $.99 in big numbers from the factory have a little price sticker saying $2.99...The meats are all frozen and even cut frozen, nice sharp edges on those pork chops...Pork & lamb were reasonable but steak and chicken were too much for our budget...No scanners on the check-out lanes, just like when I was a kid, the clerks know the prices of everything, and they are RIGHT! Nice to see the old grey matter actually being used in a job! Yes, there were stickers on the items, but I didn't see the gals looking at them...
We spent another week in Lucaya, due to another cold front, but finally left on Jan 7th at 5am. We expected a 12 hour trip but it only took 10 hours. There is a 2 to 3 knot tidal current that flows north on a rising tide and south on a falling tide. Since we draw 6 ft, we left on a high and had a current pushing us south!
We pulled around the east end of Great Stirrup into a nicely sheltered harbor, and dropped anchor.
They say this harbor had better holding until hurricane Floyd removed all the sand... We
did find a little spot in the NW corner of the harbor. A cruise ship was moored on the outside between Great
Stirrup and Little Stirrup, which the cruise lines call "Coco Cay". Remember, it is a FACT, 'Cay'
is pronounced 'Key', no reason given. Perhaps it is a bastardized version of the spainish 'Cayo', for
small island. But that still doesn't explain the 'long e' sound. Anyway, our little harbor was
buzzing with the ship's jet skis so we stayed just one night.
We are in the Berry Islands, a chain of small cays bordering the eastern edge of the Great Bahama Bank. The bank is a LARGE area of shallow water, 10 to 20 feet, on the western side of the Bahamas. We decided to go just 15 miles south along the chain to a reportedly beautiful bay called Devil-Hoffman's.
Along the way we trolled our fishing rig and had instant success with a 2 ft barracuda! There
is a small danger of accumulated poisons in reef predators, and we had a freezer full of stuff,
so I released it. 10 minutes later we were releasing a 3 ft barracuda. 5 minutes after that I was
hauling a 4 footer up. I decided not to pull that one aboard so I cut the leader and packed the
tackle away. I didn't want to see the 5 footer that was sure to come next!
DEVIL - HOFFMAN'S
With Devil's Cay to the south and Hoffman's Cay north, White Cay east and Saddleback Cay west, this was the perfect spot to wait out another coming front. Actually, this was what we came for... this is it! We were not alone, there was another sailboat, but there was a real feeling of solitude, beautiful beaches, crystal clear water over colorful reefs, and all for us to explore! We stayed in the harbor the 1st night and discovered the rollers found their way in during the tide changes. 4 times a day the changes come to roll us and leave us with a rather queasy feeling. Here is where we met Alan and Lucie on "Trixie". As they passed us, Alan shouted,"Put out some fenders and I will raft up..." I got up to put out the fenders thinking, "This guy must be nuts! We could be a Disney ride with our rolling around!" Then their laughing stirs my reasoning, "It's a joke Gary..." We followed their lead and moved in on the bank, behind another layer of protective cays and enjoyed a more peaceful anchorage.
Alan and Lucie have been here before and lead us up a trail to a 'blue hole' on Hoffman's Cay. I
don't know how they were formed or how deep they are, besides 'very'. They are scattered throughout
the Bahamas. Some on land and some in the water. All are crystal clear seawater. Kinda creepy... but
beautiful.
We also run across the ruins of a 'cooking house'. They used to keep them separate from the main
house, for cooling purposes I imagine. Still today, in some of the villages, the preparation
of food is done outside, sometimes on big tables set up in the backyard. With a bucket being the
only water source, could it be just to keep the house floor dry? Or maybe simply...Ya haint gotta sweep-up!
The trees are just large bushes. Even the palms are barely head high. It is deceiving when you
approach one of the cays, until you get used to it. The ground is sharp and hard, with no real
dirt. The sand on the beaches is remarkable. Coarse, yet sponge like. There are numerous 'blow holes',
where the surf channels it's way through the rock to be pressured out and up from the island.
The waters are still on the chilly side, 65°, but while dinking around I spot
conch! Pronounced 'conk', (silly language, haint it so?) After returning with a dip net I 'wrassle'
a few aboard from the dryness of my sturdy dink. Alan was upset that he and his wetsuit failed to
spot any as of yet. Oh, gee, well, after Toni tasted my conch salad, she declared she loved conch.
I realized we would not starve on this expedition...
Alan and Lucie are great folks. They have a 'tradition', and invite all the cruisers to a beach for
a potluck dinner and bonfire. There are now a few more boats in our anchorage, and a perfect beach is
there for the taking, we have a great time! Some are headed our way, some are headed back to the states.
All are wonderful, and we are seeing, again, that the best parts of the trip are the folks we meet.
There are lot of things to explore here, Devil's Cay has some ruins, Little Harbor is but a dinghy
ride south, Flo's Restaurant is there, and there are lots of reefs on the ocean side that we did not explore.
I do get to snorkle a bit, lots of fans and pretty fish, but it is still chilly. Heading south to
what we believe to be, warmer climes. Lovely place! Highly recommended! A bit rolly at times, but
stayed almost 2 weeks here!
And loved every minute!
Until next time...
Gary
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