3-17-10 Wednesday This morning the flotilla of cruisers we are presently sailing with decided to head out of beautiful Compass Cay. All pulled anchor but Snow Goose had a problem. Her anchor was wrapped around a coral head. We would circle around the head in one direction and she would snag the head on the other side. Pulling forward was no help. Pulling backward didn't do it. Quite the dilemna! Finally through our circling and maneuvering we managed to coax the anchor free. Foreward Ho! We sailed to Hawksbill Cay that day, a portion of the Bahama Land and Sea Park. Blessedly, there were moorings!! The area is an attempt by the Bahamas toward conservation. This cay was sterile. Nothing - no shells, no conch, no fish, dead coral reefs. The sand was beautiful and the water was beautiful, but there was nothing alive. We had cocktails on the boat of a Vermont couple this evening. They bring their boat to Florida. Go home for December, January and February. And in March they fly back to Florida and sail the Bahamas during March and April. They find the weather better during those months, and have done this for a number of years.




3-18-10 Thursday We woke up during the night to the mooring ball banging against our hull and incredible rocking and rolling. The sea had picked up during the evening and there was no sleeping from then on. An early VHF conference among the flotilla as we hung onto the coffee pots on the stove was to get the heck out of Dodge. We sailed out of Hawksbill at 8 am, destination Normans Cay. We have sailed in worst conditions, but the Exuma Sound does blow up quickly. Normans Cay turned out to be a good decision as the entry to the harbor was easy and the anchorage is big. There were many boats here when we arrived, but there was plenty of room for the four of us: Higheeled; Release; I Nida Wind II; and Snow Goose. I Nida Wind II had engine trouble on our way to Normans Cay. It turned out to be a fuel pump. They sailed while figuring out a way to syphon fuel and then came into the harbor under power and anchored. The captains installed a new fuel pump here in Normans. Fortunately, Higheeled had a spare onboard. We walked the island this afternoon and checked out the air strip and beach club. We found conch on one of the remote beaches. We took the dinghies to the beach and picked up the very large conch shells. We saw a stingray that was at least four feet wide and a Lemon Shark while we were conching. The captains are at the beach now opening, releasing and skinning the conch. After they are cracked we will make a meal for all with them. We have now sampled conch salad with lemon; orange; and sour orange; and lime pepper. So we are now ready to create the perfect conch salad. We have the fritters knocked! We are just having so much fun, but Bill and I have admitted to each other that we are missing home. Some of the cruisers we meet - many - live on their boats and have no home. I love cruising and the boat, but I can't even imagine not having home. When I listen to them, I think they regret it too. Tomorrow, weather permitting, on to Highbourne Cay and from there it is Nassau, and that means heading home.



3-19-10 Friday In the morning there was some more conch cleaning - we had harvested a lot of conch and it is a process to clean them. In the afternoon we walked around the island and on the beach. The weather is still too cool for swimming and too rough for snokeling. We gathered in the evening with other cruisers and had conch fritters, conch bits and a salad. Very tasty!



3-20-10 Saturday We hauled anchor at 7 am and headed for Nassau, 40 plus miles. As we passed through the mouth of the harbor we passed another sailing vessel kedging off the shoal. He made it. The day was beautiful for sailing - 70 degrees and 9-10 knot winds. I spent time on the bow directing Bill around the coral heads as we sailed through the Yellow Banks. We arrived in Nassau Harbor at 3:30 pm. and dropped anchor. Bill remarked it is almost nice to see civilization again. We puppy sat I Nida Wind II's dogs while Nancy and Cal went in town for dog food. They had run out that morning. We will be here in Nassau a few days.



3-21-10 Sunday All shops and establishments are closed on Sundays in the Bahamas, so we decided it was a great day to do some sightseeing. We walked East Bay Street, the waterside way. We came to a boatyard where there were sailing vessels up on stands being worked on. Mr. Rolle (there are a million and one Rolles in the Bahamas and at least one on every cay) came along as we walked in to check out the vessels. He explained the boats were being prepared for the Regatta held annually. There were three classes of boats in the yard, designated by size, A, B and C. Mr. Rolle's was a B class, Lady Natalie, named after Natalie Cole. He was in the process of preparing to pain the hull. I took some pictures of these awesome vessels. We walked some more and did a little shopping before meeting friends at the fish shacks for lunch. I also took pictures of the fish shacks and the fruit and vegetable stands. They are all located under the bridge going across to Paradise Island. They set up their shacks backwards though. They should have them open to the water instead of to the street, ie the Portsmouth decks. We returned to the boat after lunch only to find that our traveling companion Release had dragged its anchor and was up against a wall within feet of rocks. There was flurry of action among the cruisers and a power boat was summoned. The power boat was able to tow Release out of danger and mercifully without damage. Very scary moments.



3-22-10 Monday We had thunderstorms during the evening and it is now raining. A day on the boat and with a book.
 
3/23-10  Tuesday  Today was laundry, shopping and catching up with banking, blog and emails.  Had a wonderful lunch at the Poop Deck.  We are meeting with our fellow cruisers later today to talk about our return trip to the mainland.  The weather is going to dictate our crossings.