Weather, weather, weather

2-24-10 Still on a mooring in Little Farmers Cay, Exuma. The weather is blowing up again and we have an anchor dropped as well as the mooring for tonight's blow out of the Northwest. Ken and Bill have gone fishing. They now have the inside knowledge that they should simplify their technique and use a hand line with some conch as bait. Soooo, we'll see. Francie and I took Skipper and explored the island yesterday while Bill was watering the boats and Ken and Chris had made the 4 mile trip to Cave Cay for gas. There is no gasoline here. During our exploration we found JR's Carvings. He had various island mementos including Bahama Papa, Bahama Mama, a Peel Owl and the native parrot. They were all carved from green Wild (sounds like) Tamerin wood (is that right Geoff??). It is the same wood they use for the ribs of boat hulls. Once it dries JR says it is very hard, but does not split. It also gets lighter in color. JR also is the public works department for the island roads (3). We also checked out the island school - one room for all grades through high school. However, when talking with the natives, they will tell you most of the children go to Nassau for high school and higher education. They usually live with relatives or friends. Bil and Ken found us shelling on the beach and treated us to lunch at the yacht club. There were no boats at the yacht club and no diners in the restaurant. Not a very booming place. However, the crack conch was yummy and as I hadn't seen anything green for awhile so was the salad. We continue to hope to continue North along the Exuma Bank side of the Exumas, weather permitting. The storms are blowing up from the Northwest every couple of days and there is no protection for us for a ways for storms in that direction, so we continue to wait for our window. Fortunately, it is a beautiful place to be




2-25-10 As expected, it was a wild night, high winds and hard rains. Today is still very windy, but sunny. The morning was spent by all checking moorings, anchors, etc. There was some shifting and right now our anchor is bearing the burden of Snow Goose. Bill and Ken caught one fish yesterday and ended up throwing it back since there was only one. I stayed onboard with the boat and was entertained by watching all the other cruisers come in and try to anchor. Dana was in his dinghy trying to help My Whim catch. Bill and Ken came in and helped Amity (from Brunswick, ME) untangle his anchor and mooring lines pushing his boat around in circles with the dinghy. Then they dropped Release's anchor 80 ft. NW and Snow Goose's anchor in the same direction. Terry Bain who owns our mooring and others around was out making sure all was well. Little Jeff, also a mooring owner, sent out a diver to check anchors. We use the looky pail to check ours. I did get off the boat with Francie and Skipper and met Bill and Ken to show them the carver's shed. We made some purchases. Also picked up a bag of ice and rode back in the dinghy against the sea getting very wet.



2-26-10 Bill's eyes are bothering him today - swollen - and he needs to see about his prescriptions. So he will stay aboard and see the doctor at the clinic who is supposed to arrive between 2 and 3 today. I went exploring with Release in their dinghy in very shallow areas around Musha Cay and Cave Cay. We hit a number of beaches and did some conch hunting. I found a beautifu Queen Helmet conch shell. The day was fun. However, the doctor never showed and Bill's eyes are very bad.



2-27-10 Today we are sitting here at the clinic again waiting for the nurse to show up. Island time!! There is another weather system coming tomorrow so here we sit.The supply ship that was due in Thursday still has not shown up, and provisions for all are becoming scarce. Hopefully it arrives today before the storm. Release made bread, fresh food is gone and we are into the canned goods again.
 
Bill saw the nurse at the clinic and got all but one of his prescriptions filled and got medication and attention for his head and eye allergy.  We now are at the yacht club having lunch and taking advantage of the free wifi here. 

On the road again

2-22-10  We are back in Little Farmer's Cay hanging on a mooring and will probably be here a few days waiting out the weather once again.  Yesterday we watered up the boat, checked out a wreck and swam on a beautiful beach across from the boat.  In the evening we took Release and Highheeled out for lobster at Ocean Cabin.  A birthday celebration for Francie and a thank you for all their assistance during our breakdown, and just for being our friends.  We are here at Ocean Cabin using the Internet and getting ice.  It looks like rain and it is blowing up, but it is still warm!

This is what it's all about!!

2-15-10 Here we are anchored off Leaf Cay again. We were going to Lee Stocking, but ran out of water before we found any anchorage. So we returned to Leaf Cay. Bill had his fishing line over the side on our trip from Emerald Bay, but the fishing is going the way of the crabbing (none). The day is beautiful but no wind so the sails were hauled and then lowered. We walked the beach on Emerald Cay this morning before we left and watched the flotilla of boats leave the marina and bounce out the chanel. Now I'm watching the boats come into this anchorage - 4 so far.




2-16-10 You would think by now that we would be ready to return home, or at least anxious to return to the mainland. However, we are now saying oh no, only 6 more weeks to go! The weeks have flown by since we have been in the islands. It's Sunday and then it's Saturday again. The weather has dictated a lot of our layovers. However, how bad can the weather be in the Bahamas. Today was the first rainy day we have had since I can't remember when. It did rain all day. We are still in anchor in Leaf Cay and throwing all food and paper overboard. Well, this AM I tried to empty the coffee grounds overboard and lost the pot basket and all. Darn it! Now I guess it's camp coffee. No going out and buying a new coffee pot. Since the weather was rain, we taped, sanded and varnished some of the interior teak trim. A day's job, but one that was rewarding. We will take the looky pail out tomorrow and see if we can find our coffee basket, and then perhaps someone who can dive the 15 plus or minus feet. The looky pail is a very useful pail with a see through bottom. Great way to check your anchor and coffee pot inners. I think since we didn't get to enjoy the surroundings today, we will stay on tomorrow. Bill wants to drift = snokel with the dinghy - hoping to see some conch along the reefs. Another cruiser, High Heeled, wants to have a gathering on the beach for food and drink. So goes our demanding lifestyle.



2-17-10 Here we are at Leaf Cay one more day, but our last. We must seek out ice for the ice box tomorrow. Last night we were invited to board the Nautilas for cocktails with three other boats, Release and High Heeled that are also here in the harbor. Sue and Oscar aboard the Nautilas are from PA. Oscar just got his US citizenship. He is from Germany. Yes, he had to hear abour our GSP Oskar. It was Sue's birthday as it turned out. So double celebration, citizenship and birthday. We had various h'ordvers and conch chowder. Yummy. Today, Bill sanded and varnished the companionway again. The interior is beginning to look nice again. The trip down and all the dampness had really started to show on the woodwork. For lunch, we took our hot dogs, pasta salad and anything else we could think of via dinghy to the other end of Norman Pond Cay for a beach cookout with three other boats. We found more conch and just enjoyed the warmth. The wind and seas were rough again last night - hard sleeping with the anchor banging and the wind howling. As we do our situps and pushups and stretches tonight, the sea and wind are calm. Thankfully, tomorrow will be the same for our voyage to Little Farmers Cay for provisions.



2-20-10 Yesterday proved to be eventful. We hauled anchor and motored north from Leaf Cay, but only got a short distance when we lost our rpms and smelled engine. We dropped anchor and shut the engine down. The nipple on the cold water intake had broken right off. We radioed Ken and Francie on Release and Jackie and Chris on High Heeled looking for parts and pieces that might work. Release turned around and towed us back to the anchorage off Leaf Cay - a safe place to assess the situation. High Heeled turned around and came back into the anchorage too. When Chris on High Heeled returned he snapped the key off in his windless. And it wasn't such a good morning for Release either as they were unable to start their engine earlier and had to jump it. Anyway, Ken and Bill tore into our engine while Chris worked on a new windless key. Ken was able to dig out the parts needed. However, the engine had taken in water. They dug deeper, pulled injectors, etc. and dried everything out. Still no go. We were talking towing back to Nassau for repairs when Chris appeared with his fashioned key and another set of eyes and ideas. He sprayed diesel fuel into the engine and after some hesitation and chugging IT STARTED!. 4 pm in the afternoon the cleanup and celebration started. Another reaffirmation that our trip is more than just cruising, it is making real friends. Snow Goose, Release and High Heeled will try to head out again tomorrow (but we aren't going to tell the boats are plan).

Back again

We came back to Emerald Bay Marina as it was going to blow hard yesterday, and it did!!!  We'll wait for the seas to calm down before we head out again.  We met Pat and Fred Manley here who helped prep us for this cruise.  We'll have cocktails aboard Moody tonight.  Laundry and shopping is done again and we took on water this morning.  Waiting now for the pumpout.  Then we are ready to hit the road again.  We can't believe it is the middle of February.  Only about six more weeks of this paradise to go.  Happy Valentine's Day!!!

coconuts and rum

2-10-10 We left Emerald Bay Marina yesterday morning. Before we left Ron and Paula Ledgett pulled into the marina. They had heard we were in the area and Paula mistook Francie for me for an instant. Anyway, they had their boat delivered to the islands and then they flew in. We hope to see them again as our visit with them was short and most of the talking was done as we handled lines leaving oujr slip. The seas were rolling again yesterday as we made our way North and entered Adderly Cut. We are anchored for protection from the westerlies off Leaf Cay with perhaps five other cruisers. We went exploring yesterday afternoon and found a small beautiful beach on the other side of Leaf Cay with pink iguanas everywhere. They came right down onto the beach to greet us. We swam at the beach among some sizeable fish and found a couple of lobsters tucked under the reef. We also took the dinghy over to Norman Pond Cay and the beaches there. We thought we might find more iguanas, but there were none on that cay. Today is very windy - perhaps the hardest blow we have had so far - so we are sticking close to the boat. Once the wind dies down, we hope to do some snokeling. Anyway, we need time on the boat to catch up with some work. It is amazing how much there is to do on 30 feet. I hope to attach some pictures of us having all too much fun with Francie and Ken in Emerald Bay Cay and of Georgetown.

Emerald Bay Cay

We rock and rolled in good sized seas into Emerald Bay Marina last Friday to sit out another weather system.  And so it keeps going, the weather that is.  Life is tough here, showers, beautiful facility, walking the beach and drinking coconut w/rum.  The cruisers got together last night for a Super  Bowl feast.  It was wonderful.  We are still on Great Exuma and will head north up the Exuma cays tomorrow to take in everything we missed on the way down.  We have the inside word now on the must see places.  I talked with Jim today to hear that Mom had a blood infection, hospitalized for a few days, but is back in the Gorham House now and doing fine.  However, Matt who in Alaska with Andrew, is scheduled to have heart surgery today.  Brenda has flown out to be with him.  Our thoughts are with him.   Love to all. 

Photos from the Holidays

2-3=10  I finally found a wifi cafe in George Town that has Internet up and working.  We enjoyed the comments!!!  It is a beautiful, warm day with little wind.  Thus the ride across the harbor in the dinghy was relatively dry.  Yeah!  Yes, we have come to living in our bathing suits and relaxing in the island life.  We can't believe it is February!!  Love to all our followers and thanks for caring. 

1-23-09 This morning we hauled anchor from Black Point on Great Giuana Cay, Exuma, and sailed to Little Farmers Cay. I say sail, but even though we pulled the main sail the wind diminished and we ended up motoring. Shallow water, but we were the test boat for the big guys who followed us in as they draw more water than we do. We took the dinghy to some of the beaches that surround us. They are just beautiful. We are back in the sandstone area. We swam and cooled off. The tracks we saw in the sand look like pig or goats are on the island, but we never did see one. We then went into the government pier. Fishermen were cleaning their catch. We met other boaters and did happy hour with them. There are many,many Canadiens cruising. Maybe the dollar value??? The story is old, but once again there is a weather system that will keep us here, rocking and rolling, for a couple of days. We are watching the anchor for any drag. Sleep is difficult the last few days. However, if you have to be stalled, let it be in the Bahamas, Exuimas. It is warm and the people are wonderful and the water is to die for.




1-25-10 Yesterday we couldn't leave the boat for the wind and sea. This morning is a repeat although we understand this is to be the last day of this system. Sleep isn't easy with this rock and roll. Bill changed some filters and did some other engine maintenance yesterday and worked on the bright work. I waxed the cockpit and cleaned it up and polished the chrome. Water is premium so the boat hasn't been washed since the mainland. It is starting to look it. However, we have to do what we can to maintain our traditional image. We are starting to dig into our backup provisions now - canned goods, boxed milk, rice, etc. I am hoping to be able to reprovision in George Town. We are also running out of cash. There have been no banks since Nassau. George Town does have a bank. You can't live with a credit card on these islands. Signs posted read: Mr./Mrs. Credit have died. As I write, the wind is starting to calm and a few dinghies with dogs are headed into the mainland. We'll go in today for water and ice and to tour the island. I am sure weather permitting tomorrow we head for George Town.



1-27-10 Yesterday when we got up in the morning we listened to the VHF Bahama weather lwith Chris Parker. It predicted the only day in the next week to sail was yesterday. So we started out of Little Farmers Cay Cut and were followed by a flotilla (yes, we are the smaller boat with the lesser draw) of six other boats behind us. The wind was good but the seas were high, following seas, so we just pulled the jib and headed for George Town. We need cash, water and provisions. We stayed in contact with the other cruisers and pulled into anchorage under the monument. I have no idea what the monument is, but we'll investigate. Today, we ran out of water in the AM and took the dinghy and water cans into George Town. The water was free at the Exuma Markets pier so we filled up 28 gallons of containers (some borrowered from Release) and headed for the Snow Goose. Well, the winds are still blowing at 20 plus or minus. The gas that we purchased at Staniel had water in it. The outboard lasted about one-third our trip back to the Snow Goose and then quit. A French couple gave us a tow back into the "pond" at George Town. We got the outboard going again and started out with our water supply to the Snow Goose. We again made it about one third the way when the motor quit again. Now, if I have forgotten to mention, the winds going into George Town are blowing the sea in a favorable direction. However, going back to the Snow Goose anchorage, not so good. We are now wet from top to bottom and factor in the wind really Cold. Now we have to row back into George Town, Barb first up but Bill taking over to get rid of his by then ill temper. We decide we need to get rid of water in the gas. So we ride around and around the "pond"" in George Town until we use up all the gas in the outboard, many, many times. Then we walk to the Esso station with the gas can. The owner has Bill dump all but the very bottom of the can into his Dodge pickup and the rest into a dumpster (so much of fuel recycling) Then we buy a container of dry gas and fill up the gas can, emply it into the outboard and head out once again. By now we are both very wet and have been for a number of hours. We make it across to the Snow Goose!!! We fill our water tanks from the six containers we have carried over, change clothes, wash off the salt water and collapse until happy hour at the beach in front of our anchorage. We go over, meet a lot of fellow cruisers. However, the happy hour turns out to be no rum, no cups and no $1 bills, and no hamburgers. We will try to provision up tomorrow.



1-30-10 We have taken the nature trail hike on Stocking Cay where we are anchored. Stocking Cay is the island across from Great Exuma and George Town. We are anchored under the monument and we wanted to hike up to the monument. The nature trail was a surprise. The trail was labeled with the various trees and bushes and wildlife. There were water containers to fill the bird baths along the way. And on the other side of Stocking Cay was the most beautiful beach. It is still very windy, so we can't snokel yet, but we will come back to do just that. We continued our hike up to the monument which is a way point for sailors. The view is truly incredible. The colors of the ocean range from sage to green to a blue green and then a navy blue. Because the water is shallow, you can see the reefs and where they drop off. We had to do laundry today, so we once again braved it into George Town against the wind raged seas. It is about three miles by dinghy. We have now solved our water in the gas problem though - even bought a new gas can with a better spout. So our trip was uneventful albeit wet (we wore our foul weather gear across and Barb has learned to stand up and hold onto the bow line). Laundry was found and done. Water and power is expensive so laundry is expensive, but you can only go so long with salt washed clothing. We did find a store that sells beer at $1.75 a bottle and a restaurant that had Red Snapper a salad and Kalik at a vey reasonable price. That was lunch. George Town is a settlement where many cruisers come and stay all winter, and thus they have developed this social network. Bill and I have decided it is more like a trailer park - not for us. We want to travel back down the Exumas toward Nassau and take in what we missed on our way down to George Town. The beyond is very shallow unless you intend to go to the Dominican Republic, and we have still too much to see here. Again, with Renee's expertise, and Internet availability I will try to post some pictures of George Town. Yesterday we came across a Bahamian cracking a coconut; cutting up a Grouper; and opening up Conch; all of which they had just brought into government dock. So wonderful to meet the people.



2-3-10 The last few days we have spent exploring the islands and trails, laying around and being beach bums. Yesterday we were invited for a sail on the Release. It was fun not to have a time-destination deadline and just sail around the harbor. There is a storm system headed our way, so tomorrow we will haul the anchor and head for shelter from the northerly winds in Red Shank Cay - not very far from here. I again today am going to try to get WiFi.