Pipe Cay and the Southern Exuma Land and Sea Park.

We set sail for the brief trip to Pipe Cay.  The area is full of sand bores and huge tidal currents and stunning.  We anchored off some cold war ruins, not sure exactly what it was there for.  We did some diving and looking for the elusive lobster.  If it was not for Pierre and Erin, I would think they were farm raised. 

Sheet Music off Pipe Cay

We went to Cambridge Cay in the southern part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, and we began to explore.  We went to a set of reef, and then to the “bubble baths” an area of Sampson Cay where the waves from the sound crash over the rocks and produce bubbles and waves, a very unique phenomena.  I think its where they got the idea for the lazy river ride at Atlantis. 

The girls then went and climbed Little Bell rock, which was quite a feat. 

Emily had found two conch, one in Pipe Cay and the other off Cambridge, and wanted to clean them up.  She took them on the back of the boat and began scrubbing.  The park ranger, with a machine gun, asked if we were aware that we could not take shells.  After some discussing he allowed us to live, and to keep our shells.  Cleaning of shells is not allowed either.  Actually, we were pretty stupid to have done so, but we just did not think about it.  We plan to go to Eluthera tomorrow, a 35 mile trip with depths over 2 miles. 

Look Close, Crew on the Hill

Eluthera (not really)

We got up in the morning and I saw gusts to 25 knots, not something I would have worried about racing, but we are about comfort to some extent, so we spent another day.  We went to the coral gardens, which had to be some of the nicest snorkeling we have seen.  Then we went to the rocky dundas, which are caves carved in the side of several cays.  Truly spectacular.  Eluthera tomorrow.

The Rocky Dundas

Eluthera (Really)

We left in the morning, and had a great sail most of the way across the Exuma Sound.  The wind was light, but we managed to maintain between 5-6 knots.   We arrived in Powel Point at a marina owned by the same person who owns the Orland Magic.   Nice place, but not on the top of our list. 

Eluthera from the Sound 2 miles deep

We went to the Exuma Island School and Research Center for a tour.  The place is a school for college kids to spend a semester learning about conservation and the marine environment.  They gave us a long tour, and showed us all around.  They have three research projects going on.

1. What concentration of fish in fish food do Cobia need to eat to be tasty and big?
2. How much salt can a Tilapia take?
3. Cam you make lettuce out of fish poop?  (yes you can, I saw it)

Heading to Rock Sound either today or tomorrow, a front is coming through as I write.

To Staniel

Emerald Bay to Staniel Cay

We spent two days in Emerald Bay, got caught up on laundry and rented a car to drive past the Tropic of Cancer.  The girls were very nervous about dad driving a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side, but got pretty excited when they called shotgun, and were able to sit in the drivers seat. 

We saw the former production facilities of Morton Salt and went to a pub where Curt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Orlando Bloom and Jonnie Depp hang out.  Curt and Goldie’s house is pretty nice.  Michelle did not take a picture because she wasn’t certain that it wasn’t a resort. 

We went to Tropic of Cancer beach and danced on the line.  Really beautiful. 

The Furthest South we are going(Craig went Further South)

We left Emerald Bay for the sail to Little Farmers and we had a turn in luck.  We put up the cruising spinnaker and wrapped it around the forstay once, twice, and three times.  I spent about 45 minutes to the point of exhaustion working to get it down.  By the time I did this I was feeling faint and dehydrated with a torn spinnaker and jib (yes the tangled mess cut the jib badly).  We picked up a mooring ball in little farmers and relaxed. I went to bed early. 

Little Farmers was a totally different place than when the festival was occurring.  There were five boats, instead of the 117 when we were there.  I can understand now how overwhelming the festival must be from the local viewpoint.  The population of Bahamians I would guess quadruples the normal population, and cruisers double or triple that number.   We went lobstering again, and again no lobster.

We went to Black Point next, which we had skipped on the way down.  It is a nice little settlement which boasts what I believe is the nicest laundry mat in the world (yes, that matters a lot to us). 

The girls went to Black Point school, and tutored children there.  This is their story:

Hannah

Black Point School

            The other day we were in Black Point and they needed some help around the school. Myself, Emily, Mrs. Tellup, Christine and Erin volunteered. When we arrived at the school the teacher, Ms. McKenzie, grabbed five of the students and sent us into an empty classroom. We all chose a child to work with. I chose a little boy named Brian and we got right to work. First we did reading. I had him read a book so I could get an idea of what level he was at. Brian was in first grade yet he could barely read. He struggled with the th sound and got his d’s and b’s confused. I taught him that the little case d was good because he faced the upper case D and that the little case b was bad because he didn’t face the upper case B. He didn’t struggle so much after that. Then we did math. I had him do addition and subtraction using little blocks and building and tearing down towers. And then at the end I read him the story of Jack and the Bean Stock because he did so good. I had a lot of fun and it was a great experience.

Emily

Tutoring Children At Black Point

            We heard from some other cruisers that Black Point school takes volunteers. In Georgetown we made books for the little kids. That was when we got the idea that we wanted to help out. When we got to Black Point we talked to the lady in charge of the book making and asked here if we could help out in the school. She was thrilled that she had some volunteers for the school. She said to be at the school at nine to help. Erin, Christine (Sheet Music), Hannah and I all went to help. Michael wasn’t to thrilled with the idea so he stayed behind. When we arrived at the school the teacher basically handed over the little ones that needed help with reading and math. We didn’t mind to much. We decided to do it individually with each of us with a little kid. I sat down with a second grade boy named Ashton. He was really sweet and he liked math way more than reading. The teacher gave us blocks to help them with count in math. Ashton kept wanting to build towers with them. I tried to teach him easy ways to do math in his head and he got it pretty fast. When we would read little books he had a lot of trouble with the TH the CH and the SH. I Had to read the really simple books with him. I think he was ADHD because kept tapping his fingers on the table and wondering off if he was an ant or something. He was a sweet kid and his little island accent was adorable. Toward the end I gave him math problems like 6+2 and he would work them out with his wooden Christmas colored blocks. When it was time for them to go back to class he gave he a small hug and walked back to his classroom. When we left the school Erin, Christine, Hannah an I all went to buy a bag of skittles to reward ourselves.

More Trouble

We then realized that the generator had gone out.  I was very proud of myself when I read the wiring diagram, diagnosed the problem and installed one bypass wire passed a bad connection.  We started it up and viola, power, and a whole bunch of water, salt water. The wet exhaust elbow had failed, and caused the electrical problem.  We order the part out of Miami, and had it delivered to Staniel Cay, our next stop, and the only place other than Georgetown you can get a part like this. 

Unfortunately I did not being a 10mm stubby open end wrench with, which would be necessary to complete the job.  I had been talking with Jubilee, a boat cruising in the area who’s owners are friends with my parents.  Their friends, on Greenstone, were anchored two boats away from us and he had the exact tool I needed.  Amazing.  With the correct tool, not adjustable pliers, the part came off with ease.  It is difficult to live with a family of 4 on the same amount of electricity that your car generates in a 3 hour trip but we managed. 

The big front is came through with winds in the 25-30 knot range, and we were held up for several days.  We took a trip to an island with a sand bore on it, they are just beautiful.

I also found a pesky water leak at the very back of the boat, so we have a dry bilge as of this writing.

.   

A Week in Georgetown

Hannah talking on the Kids Net

After two full weeks in Georgetown, we have gotten into as much of a routine as we have been in since we left Marathon.  Each day starts with school and the two nets, cruisers and kids.  They describe various activities of the day and we plan each day.  This week we had jewelry making, basket weaving, and kayak races, that we put on for the kids. 

The more mundane things we have to do is to take the wet dinghy ride to town, fill up the cooler with water, and pump it into the boat... nothing helps conserve water more than having to haul it to your home... run the generator to charge the batteries.  Once a week we go into the sound and dump the holding tanks, and do the laundry in town along with grocery shopping.

The girls found their favorite shopping place, the straw market, where locals weave baskets and make jewelry.  All in all this week felt more like vacation than any so far.    

Another Evening at Volleyball Beach

Emerald Bay and Georgetown

Emerald Bay

We motor sailed the short distance to the Marina at Emerald Bay, for a dollar a night slip.  Heard some good things about it.  We entered the harbor, went to the gas dock and fueled up.  The marina was beautiful, the best shower facilities we have seen, a clubhouse to watch the super bowl, and FREE laundry.  The marina was purchased by the Sandals resort a year ago and is just getting going again.  They laid out a green carpet where we got off the boat.  Everything is first rate.   The super bowl party was really nice, about 50 cruisers, roughly divided between the Packers and the Steelers. 

The marina gave us a ride in a golf cart to the market and back, so we were able to stock up.   We also did some body surfing at the Sandals resort even though we were not allowed in without a $180 payment per person per day (no kids allowed).  They don’t own the beach!

Pierre and I went lobstering and Pierre managed to get a big one.  I am still lobsterless.  We celebrated Michelle’s 39^th birthday with a get together of the crews of Falco and Rafale and some blueberry and cream cheese pie. 

Georgetown



We left for Georgetown on Tuesday, just a short sail of 8 miles.  The seas were fairly large, and it was not a pleasant trip.  We came into the harbor and wow, I have never seen so many anchored boats in one place.  There were 275 boats in the harbor, but still we managed to find a good spot on the south end off sand dollar beach.  I really wanted to get our cruising permit extended, so we went there only to find that the officer had stepped out for a minute and would not be back for the day.  Cruising permits for the Bahamas are strange, depending seemingly on things like the officer you get, the height of the tide, the phase of the moon, and other less definable factors you can get from 30 days to 180 days.  After that you need to arrange for an extension, extensions are as well defined as the first permit.  The next day when the officer was back we asked for another 90 days, just to be sure, and we were given 120 days (Falco was only given 116 days, just a few hours later).

The market and the hardware store here are still very small by American standards, but huge compared to everything but Nassau.  The prices are considerably less than the other Exuma Islands we have stopped at.   There is a bridge for the dinghys to go under to get into Lake Victoria, where the stores are.

 

Dinghy entrance to Lake Victoria

I laughed at the sign we saw near the immigration office, rules from my childhood, with the exception of “No car washing”, my rule was quite the opposite.

We went to volleyball beach and there were kids!  Their numbers are growing and the girls are really enjoying the company.  The boys against the girls game of volleyball was fun for all.  We relocated to a mooring ball just off volleyball beach, where all the kids hang out.  It is right in the middle of a lot of traffic which is not the best thing for us, but the kids are having a great time.  The cruisers net is somewhat like a retirement community, with activities going on all the time.  Another boat with kids has started a “kids net” and is working to arrange activities for all of the kids, about 50 as of this writing.  So far they have done volleyball, hiking, basket weaving, using gps to find treasure, football, and there are more activities to come.   We are going to spend a couple of weeks here before we head out for more discovery. 

Volleyball Beach

 

Little Farmers Cay 5F’s Festival

 Little Farmers Cay

We headed out from Staniel Cay and Big Major early, heading to little Farmers Cay, where we were promised a mooring right across from the Little Farmers Yacht Club.  The sail was great, close hauled with the perfect wind for it.  It was apparent soon into the sail that there was a race going on among the cruisers to get to the best anchorage and mooring field there, for the festival.  There were a half a dozen boats ahead of us and more than that behind, the boats were pouring out of Black Point, where Falco had spent the day before.  It is about 5 miles into the 15mile trip.  

We went around the south side, and the area between Little Farmers and Great Gauana was pretty full. And the radio was a constant stream of boats hailing for moorings.  We were not optimistic that our “reservation” would be honored.  When we called, the harbor master came back with yours is the one on the end.  We tied up, and had one of the best spots in the place for our draft.  IT WORKED!!  The cruising guide said there was gas and diesel available, which was not the case, and chasing the race boats would take fuel.  I asked the harbor master about this, he said, “I get you some fom da reserve”.  I brought in the can and he siphoned 5 gallons from an old drum into my can, and ran it without issue.  No rule against pipetting by mouth here. Another thank you.

We went to the festival in the town, which was very nice, several booths set up and everything you need.  The people were so friendly, introducing themselves and the kids, and taking the time to chat about everything and anything.  The festival is a big event for the Cay.

We found the Lobsterman and bought a couple of nice ones for dinner.  We have begun to substitute lobster in our recipe book from Louisiana where it calls for crawfish.  They call them crawfish here anyway.  Pierre struck up a conversation and for $50 bucks a piece he would take us out there and show us how to get dem mon.  We took him up on the offer.  The five of us, Pierre, Mireille, Laurent, Emily, and myself headed out, the adults with our new spears and the kids with their snorkel gear.  Staniel is the lobster mans son and he was the demonstrator, they made it clear that what he got was theirs, and what we got was ours.

The first place we went we drifted over some shallow area, and then it went to about 30 feet. Staniel had a mask from the early Bond movies, no snorkel and some fins.  He swam down 30 feet, looked around for a while, wham, came up with a big lobster.  I went down about 20 feet, saw my life flash before my eyes, and darted back to the surface for air.  He did say he would show us how, and did not promise we could actually do it. 

We went to another spot and I saw him get a few more.  Then he gets the kids into the boat and says, grab onto these lines.  There were two each about 5 feet long off either side of the stern.  We grab on and he puts it in gear.  Just let go if you see one.  He was not talking about the propeller of the 150hp engine spinning 3 feet from my face, but about two little antenna of a lobster 20 feet away sticking out from under a rock.  Staniel was good at this, he would break free, go to the bottom, come back up in the time to catch the boat after a circle.   We did manage to shoot at a couple of lobsters during the outing but missed every time.  We now know how to get dem mon.

We were out of sink with the races on the first day, going downtown again.  I watched a man cleaning conch, he made it look easy, kind of like getting lobsters.  I’ll try that again another day.  He stopped me in town and began to talk, like we had know each other for years.



Road/Runway at Little Farmers Cay



The next day I got out to watch the start of the races, making sure to look both ways for airplanes as the only road is also the runway.  All the boats anchor at the starting line, they blow the conch and the race is on.  The bow man pulls the anchor moving the boat to windward, and then raises the sail.  It looked like a workout.  The sails are huge, with the boom extending 10 feet behind a 20 foot boat.  The boards they go out on are 2” x 10” to keep from tipping.  Dinghies from cruising boats outnumbered racers by 10 to 1, it was a blast to watch. 

The Exuma school band played for all of us at the end of the days racing.

The festival set a record for cruising boats this year, 117, the previous record was 93. All in all a great few days.  We set out for Emerald Bay Marina with a train of about 20 boats we could see.

Highborn, Cay to Staniel Cay, including the Exuma Land and Sea Park

Highborn Cay, the Exuma Land and Sea Park, and Staniel Cay 

The weather we expected to get did not really materialize to any great extent, so we headed out after four days.  We really enjoyed out time at Highborn, it is really a nice place.  We left and had a GREAT day sailing to Shroud Cay, which is in the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  It is a “no take” zone about 25 miles long where there is no fishing, conching, etc.  We launched the Kayak’s and went into the Mangrove center, where motors are not allowed, it was truly beautiful.  We also took the dingy through a cut to the ocean (Exuma Sound) side, to discover yet another perfect white sand beach. 

A mooring we had been waiting for since before we left Highborn Cay came open at the coveted north mooring field came open and we took it.   Another GREAT day of sailing, beam reaching at 9 knots.  The mooring field and the “trails” were like something out of a fantasy novel, I have never seen anything more breathtaking. 

We also walked over the Sunshine Causeway, which  is slightly different than the Sunshine causeway in Tampa Bay.

We left a piece of driftwood with Diamond on it that the girls made, maybe someone we know will see it.  Then another GREAT day of sailing, beam reaching at 9 knots. 

 

After several days we decided to head to Staniel Cay, we need to get some food, and a taste of civilization.  We decided to anchor off of Big Major, where there is a large anchorage with good holding.  As we came into the anchorage, we motored right past Rafale, and waved to the Belgians from Texas, it was good to see them again.  We spent several evenings doing happy hour with them and the crew of Falco. 

There are two main attractions here, one is the swimming pigs, off Big Major.  You just dinghy up to shore, we brought dog biscuits, and they swim right out to your boat.  One thing a lot of people don’t know, dogs don’t handle sea pigs very well.  The mutt went crazy, but the pig just kept coming for more food.  I laughed pretty darn hard at the whole thing. 

The second it the Thunder ball Grotto, where the James Bond movie Thunder Ball was filmed.  This is place is amazing.  I was in the grotto alone, taking some pictures when a large ray swam through.  It was about a foot from me when I noticed it, and I managed to maintain my composure enough to get a picture.  When I came out there was a guide who has been bringing people there for 15 years, and he had never heard of one being in there.  It was a very unusual event.

There are two things I have needed to correct in my thinking.  The clocks that West Marine sells with days of the week rather than time, and cocktail burgees, are not really novelty items like I thought before we began cruising.  What day of the week is it?