Georgetown to DR – Then to PR -I’ve Never Been So Scared!

Back down in "The Hole"

After Cap worked and worked on our generator and seemed to get it going – albeit with duct tape – we decided to by-pass the Turks and Caicos and go straight to the DR (Dominican Republic) for some help with new parts for the generator. We didn’t need the generator when travelling on engine power – so if it acted up again we wouldn’t even know it.



breakfast on the aft deck while underway!

So we left Georgetown and traveled to Mayaguana as a sort of test run to see how things would go. They went well…. Calm seas! We anchored in Abrahams Bay next to three other sailboats and couldn’t get over the extreme clarity of this beautiful anchorage. It had much more surrounding reef – we had to look closely for reef entering the anchorage – and this reef supported so much beautiful sea life – Sea plants and fish and many, many starfish.  It was a good anchorage and our hook held tight despite the many rocks and questionable bottom.

12 ft deep water so clear!

Next morning we woke and raised the anchor and started motoring to the DR. We had heard a lot of negative stories about “greasing palms” and corruption in the DR. Everyone seems to be a self-nominated authority that will help you – for a price - and they push themselves on you. There are “boat boys” that attach themselves to you and you pay them to help with all manner of things. Because this is foreign to us, we decided not to go to Luperon and anchor – but rather go to Ocean World Marina – which does things more US style and with less “greasing of the palms” for the help. Besides – we needed a mechanic and the marina had that sort of help available.


My 1/2 pie - baked while underway!

So we carried on into that deep trench of the Atlantic Ocean, where depths of 6-12,000 feet were normal and settled into our 3 hour watch schedule. It started out very calm, so I decided to make a Key Lime Pie while we were underway! But shortly after I placed it in the oven to cook, the waves and wind picked up and we started getting quite a rock and roll and pitching. Oh no! The pie was spilling all over! I wanted to just throw it out – but Cap said we should try it out – so I kept it (or at least the half pie that was left after it slopped all over!)  The wind and waves steadily kept increasing. Our Kadey Krogen burgee began madly flapping back and forth and we stopped eating and drinking and started to hang on to all the rails when moving about. The seas seemed to keep building and it wasn’t long before we were battling 10-12 foot waves – with an occasional 15 footer to really scare me! It was exhausting and we were tired and anxious to get to port …..when….all of a sudden...de-de-de-de-CLUNK! The engine sputtered and stopped! NO ENGINE – AT ALL – IN THE MIDDLE OF 12,000 FEET DEEP WATER – WITH NO LAND IN SIGHT!!!

Poor Richard – I have no idea about the systems – or how to help. He was on his own in this nightmare – he was the only one capable of trying to figure out why the engine stopped. So in all the mad rocking around, with the waves bashing our boat – Cap climbed down into the hot engine room to troubleshoot. He poked and looked and did whatever – but wasn’t sure what the problem was. So he just tried to restart the engine and it chugged and chugged – but wouldn’t turn over. Was this process taking a hundred years? I’m thinking – because it sure felt like it! Then he flipped some switches and bingo! She started up again – but she continued on this stop and go path for most of the 40 hours of our trip. I know it stopped at least six times – then we both lost count.

This is NOT our boat -but an idea of the seas

Being at sea when it’s rough is bad enough. It’s like a super Pilates class –you are constantly working your core to fight the waves and keep your body balanced. It’s how we both lost 10 pounds during this voyage and it’s probably actually good for us!  But having engine failure in “the middle of nowhere” – with no one around is a true nightmare. Actually – this has been extremely difficult to write about all this, as I have to REMEMBER the actual events again – something I prefer not to do without alcohol!

The bottom line here is that we had recurrent problems with both our generator and our engine – to the point of exhaustion for both of us and great fear and worry.

Richard actually was a brick during it all and once we reached Ocean World in the Dominican Republic, we got immediate help to fix our generator. It needed new hoses (they were leaking at the connection and also wearing through the rubber). The dock master, Eddy found a fabulous worker that he nicknamed “Monkey”. Monkey knew everything about generators and in one day got the whole deal back to working order! Relief!

Captain went down to polish the fuel and found we had water and dirt in our fuel – the most likely reason for causing the engine to stop. So he cleaned it all up and we used the Baja filter to refuel with – although the fuel was totally clean at Ocean World Marina. Sufficiently satisfied that all was in working order – we cast off for the long, non-stop trip to Boquerón, Puerto Rico via the Mona Passage. When we left, we thought it was perfect timing. The weather window was perfect and our Genny had been fixed by a terrific staff. We had a great stay and everyone was so kind and friendly! We both really loved the Dominican Republic. 

So we cast off again for the difficult Mona Passage - where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea- where winds and currents, waves and navigating are notoriously difficult. Again - we looked to all our weather indicators - including Chris Parker - the weather gribs and such - and all pointed to a good time to cross. But, as we approached Punta Cabron, the seas began to steepen dramatically and the wind increased to 25 kts. It was beginning to get dark and there was a whole lot of rocking and rolling - something I should be used to by now!  But with the banging and crashing of all our cabinet contents, my nerves were getting frayed!  Cap and I discussed it - should we chance it and continue? Since we were "newbies" to this passage, we agreed to abort our crossing to PR and change course to return to the DR - to Samana and eventually Puerto Bahia Marina .

Now there’s so much explaining to do….. A trip is planned with weather (wind /waves/ conditions etc.) in mind and also the timing of the end point – our arrival time. Because this is the Caribbean- there are dangerous areas of reef and rocks and shoals to manage. For this reason we usually try to arrive at an anchorage or marina in daytime hours – preferably with the sun behind us – for best visibility upon entering a new area. There are lots of aids to navigation – Charts, E-Charts, chart books with advice and waypoints for tight areas and maps of depths and obstructions. But the human eye is also important and we must never forget our instincts.

So when we turned the corner for comfort at 3 am- it was the wrong time to enter a port. Cap and I looked to

our Nobletec chart to guide us into a protected anchorage -a perfect spot-near Samana, so that we could get a few hours sleep after the exhaustion of battling the sea conditions. Then, when daylight arrived we could resume our trek to Puerto Bahia Marina. 

Immigration bringing our "Despacho"

I could have kissed the water at that anchorage – I was so happy to have made it to safety! We got 4 hours sleep and awoke to the most beautiful vision of a natural tropical area!

We were near a little fishing village – early morning fishing boats motoring about us, getting their day’s catch.  It was peaceful and idyllic and gave us the inner strength to continue on – not knowing what to expect, since we had already checked out of the DR through Customs and Immigration. We arrived at the most beautiful marina we have yet encountered - Puerto Bahia Marina! It felt like Miami – or South Beach – very swank – but in a beautiful tropical and mountainous setting.

Customs and Immigration treated us very fairly, since we had bad weather - they only charged us a partial fee for returning to the DR after "checking out" for Puerto Rico. Things went very smoothly after that and we enjoyed our marina stay very much!  


                                                               This is where we met our friends

I was embarrassed - but it tasted good!

Ann at Puerto Bahia Marina

Bill and Ann from M/V Ann Louise – another Kadey Krogen! It turns out they were also headed for Trinidad! – And just like that we struck up a friendship with this wonderful couple from Roswell, Georgia and Isle of Palms, SC! Bill invited us on the Ann Louise for a vegan dinner and I brought some wine and the now famous " Sloppy Key Lime Pie"!

So for the next few days Cap worked on our engine, and we enjoyed a beautiful Easter in an idyllic location. We shared a rental car with Bill and Ann and motored from the marina to tour the environs of Samana, and even ventured to Las Terrenas – a terrific French/ Italian expat resort area that was really fun.



Easter Sunday we went to the Catholic Church service –which was all in Spanish – but very enjoyable nevertheless, and then enjoyed a barbeque of mixed grill and lobster at the marina poolside bistro with Bill and Ann. This was a big holiday weekend and the marina actually flew in a well known singer – Laura Corazon -with her band in for an evening concert. It was all good fun!



Mona Island

So the guys watched the weather, listening to Chris Parker daily (weather guru) and when a 2 day window came up, we both decided to leave the luxury of the marina and attempt to cross the dreaded and turbulent Mona Passage to Puerto Rico.  Bill and Ann "buddy boated" with us and it gave us some peace of mind, in case we had another breakdown that might be irreparable. It would be an overnight passage -14 hours if we went straight through -and the seas were normally 6-8 feet – on a good day.  We were hoping for a good day! Everything went well – at first – but then we started having the engine cut off again. The seas were heavier that predicted – and also the winds. For the next 5 hours we kept having the engine stop - Talk about stress! Cap went into "the hole" and found we had a problem with air in the system and finally worked some magic to keep the engine going - at last! We maintained our watches and prayed the boat would not stop again. But both captains decided the passage was rough and tiring and a plan to anchor at Mona Island (in the middle of the passage to PR) was struck. Getting into the anchorage on Mona is a bit tricky. Anchorages aren’t marked like in the USA and the island was surrounded by a reef – with just a narrow opening to get through to a channel close to the beach with 8ft of depth of crystal clear water and mooring balls to tie up to. That’s because it is part of the National Park System of PR. So Cap went first and very slowly meandered up the channel to a nice spot and we picked up the mooring ball and tied off and sat back and relaxed! Perfect! “Ann Louise” was right behind and we

M/V Ann Louise "Buddy Boating"

moored side-by-side. Everyone had something to eat and took a nap! After a 4 hour respite, we carried on – back out and towards PR.

Cap wanted to go to Salinas – as he’d read it was a great anchorage, but Bill and Ann thought they had to check-in with immigration in Mayaguez. We had a CBP (Customs & Border Patrol) sticker for the boat and had obtained an LOB (Local Boaters Option) from customs and immigration back in Sarasota. This is supposed to make clearing in and out of US and it territories much faster and easier – with only a phone call. So “Ann Louise” decided to join us and go to Salinas. The anchorage was calm and quiet and mostly flat – but with those fabulous trade winds to cool off the day. We called up the immigration number and – to make a long story short – they wanted to come to Salinas and see us face-to-face. There was another sailing boat also clearing in – and customs was so kind and got all the paperwork completed and said: “Welcome Home!” to us on leaving.

It’s often difficult to get a good internet connection and take the time to write all this on paper. We want to spend our spare time having fun and touring around. After being retired for over 7 months now, I am starting to adjust my morning rising time to 6:30 am and it feels natural. I’m hoping to get some of this writing done in the early am, before all the other stuff happens that keeps us so busy!

We had fun in Salinas with our boating friends. They rented a car and we shared it with them, and we toured around – seeing San Juan and Old San Juan, Ponce and a myriad of places in between. We enjoyed meeting many other boaters in that little community of Salinas, as well as reconnecting with some old friends…….Until next time, when I tell you more about “Isla del Encanto”……

Time to “Chat & Chill” - Georgetown, Great Exuma

We arrived in Georgetown right AFTER the sailing regatta had completed. They have an annual sailing regatta and it is a big deal and draws many people and over 500 cruisers. The day we cruised into the harbor there were still hundreds of sailing boats anchored, but the next day at least 50 boats left and each day thereafter – until our anchorage had only about 50 boats left there. 

No matter…. There were still a good amount of boats there and a strong cruising community. They use VHF channel 68 to communicate to each other, and every morning at 8:00am Herman from s/v “White Wing” goes on VHF channel 72 and reports the news for cruisers. He runs about 45 minutes to an hour and has a specific format he follows every day. He starts with the weather report from Chris Parker and NOAA and goes into boaters needs (emergencies), advertisements of local restaurants and things to do like Yoga or lectures, etc. Then he does a buy-and-sell spot (a boater’s garage sale –if you will.) Next -there’s any request for help fixing things on your boat, and then Herman asks for a “shout out” – a thank you to boaters who have helped other boaters. He wraps it up asking if there is anything else anybody wants to say and then signs off. Then VHF 68 is abuzz with boaters responding to all the needs from Herman’s news. I’ve never seen it this organized in the other anchorages we’d been to. Boaters usually pick a channel to talk to each other – but this is really widespread and most boaters depend on it. And Herman gives pointers – like when and where to take your garbage and how to get a water taxi or a pump-out or a doctor. He also gives safety tips and nice to know things –like –“use a lot of painter on your dinghy when you tie up to the dock and always use your kill switch for safety”. Some cruisers think it is too organized – but I thought it was amazing! I loved hearing the news and the local chatter. It’s like listening in on someone’s telephone conversation. You really get to know what’s going on pretty fast!

So when we got anchored and settled and got our dinghy down and tied to our stern, we did our usual exploring the island. We actually anchored at Stocking Island (so named because of its shape) – Which was a 1 mile dinghy ride to” downtown” (I say that loosely) Georgetown, and a 5 minute ride to Chat & Chill Beach (I say that with great exuberance!) Elizabeth Harbor is large and wide and choppy. It is famous for its wet dinghy rides. A lot of cruisers stand in their dinghy to keep dry. Others wear yellow rain gear to keep dry. We never worried – but some days we did get quite wet! Since I’d read about that before we left Sarasota – I had purchased several “dry bags” – waterproof bags to keep papers or computers in – or paper products you may buy at the store.

We decided that we would send for our U.S. mail – since it had been a month since we had last gotten any mail. We have a new address now – a post box made specifically for cruisers. We had the option of paying a little extra and having the mail scanned so we could decide if we wanted it forwarded or shredded. It’s quite expensive to forward the mail – we paid a simple $5 postage fee and then had it send by DHL – because to have it come regular mail to the Post Office would take 2-3 weeks! (See my previous photo of the Mail Boat!) So we paid some astronomical amount for DHL and Fredericka- at “Top to Bottom” general store – said they deliver every day – it should arrive in 3 days. That was Thursday…..okay….. So I went back to Pet’s Place (a restaurant and Wi-Fi Café – NOT a pet store!) and Richard told them via e-mail to forward the mail to Georgetown. Done.

Then all we had to do was relax and enjoy Georgetown- tour the island and get a few jobs done. We needed to look for the next weather window (3 days of good weather to cruise to the next island) and plan our route to the next stop on our way to Trinidad. I was all good. We headed into the free garbage dumpster for cruisers and ….uh oh…. It was gone. All full. So we took it over to the marina and paid the $2 for them to take it. Then we headed for the Batelco Phone Company. It’s always easy to spot these places because they are usually right next to the cell phone tower.

Now, you may remember from my previous entry – our friend Daisy – at the Staniel Cay BTE store. She was the one who sold us our phone plus phone and data package. She said they didn’t have a SIM card for my iPhone- so we bought a “flip” phone for $85 and some data and voice minutes. But neither of us could get the phone working after we’d returned to the boat – so we gave up and decided to wait for Georgetown (a metropolis compared!). This phone store was more like what we’re used to in the US. Still – it was the pretty blue and yellow color outside – but inside it had two saleswomen and about 15 models of various phones. If you’re wondering where all the Blackberry’s went after iPhones became the bomb – I’ll tell you – They’re all in the Bahamas! And I could have purchased one   $20 dollars more – had we waited. I sure do miss a key pad.

Well we got on line with all our receipts and our phone and box – ready for action. I’m afraid we arrived at the store on a Friday and 4:30pm and closing time was 5 pm. They were so nice there. The one girl giggled to the other girl when they read our charge receipt. It was like they had experienced previous dealings with Miss Daisy. They said the SIM card could have been cut to fit my iPhone – had Daisy known…….Anyway they completely reconfigured the flip phone and had it running with email and internet in 10 minutes! Yeah! I bought some extra phone time and we left – happy customers once again. These people at the BTE Store recommended J & K Electronics for Cap to get a dongle for his computer with a SIM card to get internet via the cell tower. Down we went to the "Computer Shack" run by Julius and Krystal. They were very nice and very knowledgeable and it didn't take long to get that done and up loaded.

Next we went into the Exuma Market to buy some fresh vegetables. The prices of everything in the Bahamas – food included – are astronomical. Just think of Beeronomy. You work out the price of beer in Florida- or wherever you live – then compare how many beers it takes to by – a lamp – or a dress – then do the same math with the price of a Bahamian beer and do the math. That’s the exchange rate – and it usually works out to about 2-3 times (or more) the cost of something in the USA. But that didn’t stop us spending $50 dollars for goodies – including a refill on Bryers Ice Cream! Cha-Ching!

Off to the dinghy –and back to the boat and time for a sundowner. Georgetown was the one island we seemed to eat out at a lot. We wanted to use the internet to connect with family and pay bills – and in order to do that we felt we should spend a decent amount of money patronizing the place – (you know -shop local) We had Snapper and Bahamian peas & rice, shrimp and salad, grouper fingers and even cheeseburgers and the Sunday Hog roast with cinnamon carrots, macaroni & cheese and garlic cole slaw (Bahamian staples!) at the Chat & Chill Beach Bar and Grill. Add to that tons of Kalik beer and now you have a mind’s eye picture of what we did there for the week!

The Chat & Chill is the local cruiser hangout. They have volleyball courts and teams to sign up for and they have the little Conch Shack – where they make fresh Conch Salad right there for you.  The sail boaters use the picnic tables to sew and repair their sails. Of course, Cap was at home in the bar – the closest thing to a pub that he’d seen in the Bahamas.

We were sitting at the bar and I said to Cap: “Doesn’t that guy look familiar? Is he someone from Bird Key, Fl?” and Cap quickly blurted out that it was Maury Povich. I was more amazed at Cap’s memory than the fact that a talk show host was next to us! Maury was very nice and asked us a lot about our cruising life. Of course that’s what he does and that’s what he’s good at – so it came easy for him – a non boater – to get the details on our adventure. He introduced us to all the people sitting with him – his wife Connie Chung and his children and some friends. It was fun and made us feel somewhat like celebs ourselves!

So after a few drinks and a great meal we dinghied back to “Partners” and vegged for a while, and then Cap decided to turn on the generator and…….WHOA!!!! Generator not working!  So here we go – lifting up all the floorboards and diving into the depths of our boat to check out the problem. There was black oil dripping from a hose and there was diesel dripping from somewhere we didn’t know. The suspect hose – when examined – showed a big hole in it where it had rested on a generator part and gradually worn through. The hose looked quite specialized and not something you could replace with new tubing. Uh Oh….. Well to make a very long story short – after getting on the cruiser net next morning to ask if anyone knew anything about our Gennie- we met a wonderful cruiser –Walter – from “M/V Summer of ‘42” who offered to come over and take a look. You see that’s what we do – help each other in times of stress and need – then get together for drinks and SG&T’s (Sundowner Gin & Tonics!) and enjoy the good parts.

Except the whole generator mess even stumped Walter. Nevertheless, I was happy that Cap had another “repair oriented” person aboard to consult with – I’m no good at that and apparently ask “stupid questions” that only seem to frustrate Cap more! Walter was suggesting glue, and Cap decided duct tape could work for the hose. After many, many stabs at repair, filter changes, duct taping, adjusting, and attempting to start her up numerous times – Cap somehow got her going!

Yeah! But it did sort of spoil the fun – because we knew it was a temporary fix and we would have to have a new part either flown in or made special – so now we wanted to get to the Dominican Republic – where they have more parts than Georgetown. We’d called and hunted at every possible place with no luck in finding the needed parts. So it was decided – we’re leaving – right after the mail comes tomorrow.

But tomorrow came and no mail – and the next day- and finally we started getting a little testy and pushing Frederika to call and find out the problem – Oh! The guy who picks up the mail from the local airport missed one bag in the corner! And – Voila! “You’ve got Mail!” So we had a breakfast at the local café and went through our month and a half of collected mail, and then zoomed back to our boat -pulled anchor and headed for the DR.



Repairing Sails at the Beach

Swimming in crystal clear water

Conch Shack at Chat & Chill

 



Georgetown, Great Exuma – And the Exciting Way We Arrived!

Galliot Cut Sunset

We decided to leave Staniel Cay and spend the night at Galliot Cay - staging ourselves for an early approach to Georgetown the next day. The trip to Galliot Cay was short and easy.  We left at 10am and were anchored and all set to have our “back porch “cocktail by 5pm. Amazingly, there were only 3 other boats there! It seemed absolutely desolate after living at “Hog City” at Big Major! One boat was a Hatteras (56’ LRC) and the other was a Monk (36’). These are both motor vessels for you non-boaters. The third one was a catamaran. You see a lot of these in the Bahamas, as the water can be very shallow and they don’t have much draft and are perfect for getting into tight anchorages.

Cap and I were so happy to be back on the water cruising. It’s funny….I like staying at an anchorage for a few days and doing things…. But I also like being at sea and just hearing the hum of the engine and the gentle motion of the waves. I like seeing the dolphin off the bow or the occasional ray jump out of the water. I like looking at the AIS and checking for other boats around. I like looking with the binoculars when other boats do go by us. Our Autopilot – we call “George” takes us wherever we plot the course and if it’s not too rough or there aren’t any other boats near us, we let George steer the boat while Cap and I sit on the foredeck in the sunshine and enjoy this life we have chosen.

So when a dinghy pulled up in this empty anchorage, we were pleased that our neighbor on the Monk called “Adirondack” stopped by for a friendly introduction and chat. Jeff and Sally from Minnesota. You see….. That’s the thing about cruising – everyone is so friendly and helpful. They often help out with local knowledge, or assist you with problems with your boat if you need help or just plain keep you company and enjoy a drink with you.  Boaters aren’t fussy people. They don’t have to get all dolled up to have a get together. There’s not a lot of competition on the clothing front. I’ve been wearing the same pair of shorts for 3 days now. As long as I don’t spill my lunch on them – they’re good for as long as possible! The women don’t wear any jewelry and many don’t even wear a wedding ring. And I rarely see painted toenails even. I wondered about that one – because you’re in sandals or bare feet a lot – seems like a natural to me – but it just doesn’t matter to most of these people. And get-togethers are pretty easy, because everybody brings their own drinks and they each pitch in a snack for cocktail hour –or if having a meal – each brings a dish to contribute. This way getting together is easy and not overwhelming in cost or labor!

Our Boat Card

Jeff gave us his “boat card”. This is a business card for boaters and everyone does it and each one is different. It helps us to remember who they are and their boat. Often it includes home phone numbers, addresses, email addresses and blog addresses. That way you can keep in touch and hopefully meet up again at a different port. It was my job to make the boat cards for “Partners”, because I’m into the art and graphics thing. But I kept having trouble downloading the template to print them up. I finally asked Cap – could he figure it out and “SNAP!” –just like that he had it all up for me. Since I had been playing around with the graphics on my computer for weeks, I just had to copy it all into the template and WHOOSH – all printed and ready to hand out! Hooray!

We slept well that night. The anchorage had a sandy bottom with good holding. In the morning we were planning to leave at first light to travel to Georgetown and Stocking Island. Our friends from S/V Moon River, who were now going in the opposite direction and thus we will not see again for a while, again gave us local knowledge that if it was another northerly, Redshanks was a good, protected harbor to anchor. We thanked them and then looked at the chart – but it looked mighty skinny for us – so we opted to plan to anchor at Stocking Island – just on the other side of Georgetown.  

Chris Parker – well known weather guru on the Single Sideband Radio (SSB) had said the seas were going to be swells of 5-7 feet – but gentle and spread apart. But it actually was 5-7 feet with 1-2 ft chop on top and …..Bumpy….but not bad – just hard to make tea and coffee or food – so it was back to the cheese and crackers for lunch! Richard kept reassuring me that this was okay – nothing too unusual and so I was pretty calm - until we got to the northwest cut. This is where there is a lot of reef and shallow water and strong current. On the Explorer Chart it says: “unsurveyed area” and “Caution: Good weather and sunlight conditions required for navigating this route” – which means we don’t guarantee anything here!

It's hard to take a picture of how rough it was!

I looked out the pilothouse window as we neared the northwest cut, and all I could see were huge BREAKING waves! I was really scared and started muttering to Cap: “How are we going to get through there?!! I don’t think this is right. Isn’t there another way to get through?!! Maybe we should turn around and wait till it calms down!” Poor Cap… He thought he was getting an Admiral and great boating partner, and here I was shaking in my boat shoes at the thought of riding these huge breaking waves into Elizabeth Harbor! Richard nicely -but firmly –told me to “get a grip and stop talking!” “This is just like the English Channel” – and true to his name – Captain MacGyver timed the waves and gunned it for the pass and made a hard turn to port -to keep Partners (and us) off the bar and reef and on the deeper course towards our expected anchoring spot – WITHOUT having the waves hit us on the side and broach the boat! It was exciting actually – but very, very scary. That’s all I can say. Once we got through that bar and all those huge waves, it was a calm harbor in comparison. But then Cap told me to watch the depth finder closely, because some of the areas on the route were just barely enough for our boat draft! Oh! No! …. I need to go to the bathroom!! Now!  But it was high tide and it never got lower than 6.4 ft – so all was good.

As I calmed down and started to breathe, I actually looked up from the instruments and at the view in the harbor, and there were hundreds of boats! (As an aside – this is what I do when I try to ski in Switzerland too. My sister Millie keeps telling me to “Look where you’re going – Not at your feet!”) They were mostly sailing boats – their tall masts rocking with the wind. Then I started to wonder if there was room for us to anchor in this mass of boats – would we be able to anchor and put out all that chain without coming dangerously close to another boat? Oh God – I’m exhausted with worry! I’ve got to stop this worrying about everything! It has nothing to do with Richard – I know in my heart he’s very capable – I just haven’t had enough experience myself to know, in my brain, that this is the way it all works.

Our Beautiful Anchorage

And Cap slowly motors in, looking at the area and inspecting the 2 anchorages – then deciding the one closest to the Eastern end looks best for the expected coming weather. It has more of a lee protection and he moves in. Now when he’s doing this – I’m supposed to be quiet. But inside I’m wondering – “why didn’t he pick THAT spot? Where’s he going? Aren’t we too close to that boat? But I’m learning to keep quiet and not to say all these non-productive things. So I do. And he finds a great spot with a lot of swinging room and we get into anchor mode (we have hand signals for this and it works perfectly. I man the helm and steer and rev forward or reverse and he lets down the chain and anchor. Then, after it’s set I go out and help with the snubbers (2 lines that hook onto the anchor chain that pull the weight and strain off the windlass -the motor that brings up the anchor). And so it goes…Another anchorage and a beautiful place to explore and get to know.  But I’ll save that for the next installment and I’ll tell you then what happened with our Batelco Phone! 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Pigs Fly ….uh…Swim?

When we looked at the charts for our next stop – we recognized Staniel Cay as the island where the feral pigs live on the beach and actually swim! I think we’d seen a television show about it. “I want to go there!” I said to Cap, and he agreed.

According to the Explorer Chart Book – Big Major Spot (right next to Staniel Cay)–is actually where the pigs are. We had made friends with Jennifer and Graton from S/V Moon River at Warderick Wells and they had suggested Big Major as an anchorage, as it was an easy in –easy out spot to approach. We found that to be so and it was also the place where we found two other Krogens – Cocoon Two (a 48 whaleback) and Fat Chance (a 36 Manatee). We were excited to see other people cruising in our type of boat, because by and large there are mostly sailing vessels at these anchorages. I had remarked to Richard – I was wondering where all the other Kadey Krogens or Nordhavns were?-and then – finally –we did start to see some. For all you Krogen owners out there – I just wanted to say – “Come on down –the cruising is great!” These boats just slip through the water! When we first started cruising with our Krogen, I remarked to Cap that you could hardly see any wake behind the boat like with our old Grand Banks 50. Even though we loved our Grand Banks – these Krogens are a really made for the type of long range cruising we hope to do.  

The Feral Pigs!

These pigs can really swim fast!

So we anchored in a comfortable sandy spot and immediately went to our aft deck to watch the pigs swimming. It was amazing! When we lowered our dinghy and actually took a trip over to the beach – there was another dinghy with people throwing out oranges and lettuce to feed the pigs, and all the pigs swam out lickety-split to get the food! I was taking photos and then the dinghy left when they ran out of food to give the pigs- and as fast as flying- they swam over to our dinghy looking for more. We hadn’t brought any food with us –but that didn’t stop them from trying. They got so close to our dinghy – I thought they were going to jump in! It was fun.

We set off after that to explore Staniel Cay and took the dinghy around the headland and into the harbor there. There are many areas and coves to see and the most famous of them all is the Thunderball Grotto – where they filmed a James Bond movie and also Splash. You swim in and it’s a huge high cave inside with that crystal blue water!

So many nurse sharks!

Next we headed for Staniel Cay Yacht Club and tied our dinghy to a cement block on the dinghy “beach”. There was lots of activity there! There were many mega yachts and lots of tourists and cruisers alike. They were all hanging around outside drinking rum drinks and looking at the nurse sharks and Sting Rays in the low water there. There were so many - all over the area and often we could see a nurse shark swimming under our boat at our anchorage!



Staniel Cay Yacht Club

The road to "Pinks" Grocery

Again, the locals are all polite and friendly. In the Bahamas, it is the custom to say: “Good Morning (or Good Afternoon), How are you?” That seems to be the custom in all these small islands and people will stop and talk a while and tell you! Richard asked one local where would be a good place to get some shrimp and he gave us the name of a nearby restaurant that was “half the price of the yacht club” and very good food. We stored that knowledge and headed into the yacht club for a Kalik and some conversation. They had Wi-Fi there for $10 for 1 MB – which lasted us about an hour! I have no idea of megabyte usage – so I was shocked – but I’m learning. You see – you want to drop out – but it is so hard to give up internet. With my iPhone in the states, I could look up anything at the drop of a hat – weather – news – gossip- Facebook- e-mail (is there any other mail anymore?) etc, etc.  That is one habit that has been hard to break – so we are constantly searching for ways to connect. All our banking and bill paying is on the internet – we are virtually paperless. But that can be difficult when you can’t connect! I was getting worried that we hadn’t gotten our mail forwarded yet and we’d been away almost a month! But without internet we couldn’t even ask for it to be forwarded! Oh well – another thing that can wait – let’s just drink our beer and listen to the music. And we did. After that we decided to explore the island on foot and walked down the street to look for the restaurant, the Batelco Phone Company, the grocery store and whatever else we came upon. They use mostly golf carts on the island – except for the locals – they have cars and trucks. Tourists walk or rent a golf cart. As we were walking a guy went past in the golf cart and Richard asked him where the grocery store was. He said he was not a local – but crewed on one of the mega yachts. He offered to ride us to “Pinks” which was open (Blue’s was closed) and off we went for about 500 yards – and we were there. Good thing he took us – because to me – it just looked like a pink house! She actually had a lot of food inside and we got more eggs, vegetables and fruit. They had beer by the case (Kalik – our new favorite) and it was $96! – guess we won’t get that…..

Since all the food we got could go for a while, we continued our walk and went down a few streets – checking out the BTE phone store and the local color. The houses are all painted bright colors and are so pretty.  We passed chickens and roosters, and wild cotton growing as well as all the exotic plants and trees and small flowers. Many are the same as in Florida – some different. I loved this little town and all its quaint buildings.  



A Peaceful Place to Sit

Cap taking a dinghy tour

When we dinghied back to Partners, we showered and changed and got back in the dinghy to return to Staniel Cay to the “Taste & Sea” Restaurant that was recommended to us earlier. It was in a purple house on the waterfront and we ate on the porch with a view of the setting sun glistening on that turquoise water. We ordered the fresh fish and had a Kalik and talked of all our experiences while we waited for our dinner. Although it was Friday, the place was not crowded, and it seemed as if many of the customers were locals – or very familiar with the place. They had a sign posted that said “the food was good, but the wait is long – don’t worry – be happy. “ And we were very happy. When the dinner finally did arrive, it was delicious! Fresh and light and tender and came with a salad! It was a great evening and after my beer I was relaxed – until I realized we had to dinghy back to the boat – IN THE DARK!!  We haven’t gotten our LED navigation lights on it yet (another project!), so I brought a flashlight with me for safety. But it was pitch black outside and you couldn’t see anything! I didn’t even remember how we’d gotten there – what direction? Did we make turns? Were there shallow spots? Humma- Humma- Humma!!! Of course Cap told me to stop fretting – he knew exactly where we were going – right between those two sailboats – that’s where we came in. Then past till you start to see the big Mega Yacht with all her lights on – then around the corner to the anchorage – which should have a million anchor lights on (some of the cruises called the anchorage we were staying in “The City” – there were so many yachts there!) And slowly and steadily he got us home – safely.  No biggie for Captain MacGyver!

Saturday morning we had a visitor come up by dinghy to our stern. It was the other Krogen owner in the anchorage– Tom from “Cocoon Two”. He was so nice and friendly and we talked for a while. Then we invited him and his wife, Phyllis to the boat at 5:15pm for cocktail hour. We had already invited S/V Moon River and since both couples were Canadian – we thought it could be fun – and it was! Phyllis was lovely and brought a fabulous pesto cheese spread she’d made herself – with herbs she grows on her boat! (This is sort of a sore point with me, because Cap pooh-poohed my growing herbs on Partners. He was afraid the pots would have to be screwed into the deck.) But Tom said they just keep them in their dinghy when they are cruising and it works.  Hmmmm…… Jennifer brought Salsa and veggie sticks (like chips)and I defrosted one precious pack of my Scottish smoked salmon and made little crudités of brown bread and salmon with a caper on top. Everyone brought their own drinks and it was a great evening and they all left just before nine.

Next morning we wanted to go to the phone “store”, so we dinghied into the SCYC and Richard had a full breakfast and I had some coffee and we did some computer work. Then we took the short walk up the hill to the Batelco office and inquired about a local phone service. The office was a fairly sound structure – made out of cinderblock and painted blue with yellow trim. A huge cell tower was next to it – so it was hard to miss! Inside was pretty official looking and there was a window like at a Swiss Bank with glass and a drawer. Daisy – the phone saleswoman was behind the window and we asked her about phone service. Daisy said they didn’t have a chip for an iPhone 4S (it’s smaller) and so we ended up buying the cheapest phone they had – a Samsung flip phone for $84 ($19 in the US)! Then we got a Data plan and phone plan card for $30 and Daisy gave us a brief explanation of how we call such-and –such a number to start the phone working. Next we checked Isles General Store to see about mailing a postcard to the USA and UK and did that and checked the place out – but I had already bought stuff a “Pinks” so we moved on and returned to the boat with our cache.

So….We were in a rush to get a phone – but then we ignored it for a day. As we cast off for the next stop - Galliot Cay – a very small island, just at the cut-through to Exuma Sound (for one night) and on to Georgetown,  I picked  up the phone and started to try and use it – filling in the time and date, etc  and then I started to have trouble working the email or internet. I thought maybe I’d put in the wrong information…I got frustrated… I tried again and again… Nothing….Richard was no help – although he is great at such things. He seemed to adopt the attitude that it was “my” phone and he could care less if we were “connected” or not. Really? Well…finally – after I started saying a few dozen cuss words – he chipped in his help and ---nothing. He couldn’t get it going either! So after some time we just quit and put it down and decided when we got to Georgetown we would go to the BTE store there and have them fix it…..

Warderick Wells -We Have Made It To Paradise!

Monday morning brings a calm day with little wind or waves. The night had been one like I had imagined the Bahamas to be –flat calm and quiet and we both had a good night’s sleep- finally! We raised our anchor at 0630 and set sail for Warderick Wells – one of the many Islands of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.  

The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was founded and is administered by the Bahamas National Trust and it extends 22 miles long by 8 miles wide and includes several of the Exuma Cays in its boundary – many of them private. The park has mooring balls to attach to – so as not to disturb the delicate ecosystem in the park- which they are working to replenish. This was the first time we had the opportunity of using a mooring ball – rather than hanging the anchor or docking at a marina. A new challenge! “What will I do?” I ask Cap. But he reassures me all will work out when we reach it. And it did! It was a piece of cake to pick up that line on the ball and hook our line to it. Of course, nothing could go wrong here – it’s Paradise!

We hailed the Park Ranger at 0800 – with no response. Apparently being a Park Ranger is like being a Bank Teller – great hours! The Ranger is available at 900 – and since we had not called ahead the day before (like s/v Narsiion) I was anxious that we needed to call first thing to secure a mooring. Narsiion had explained to us that there are only so many moorings and they et taken – They were 7^th on the list. Yikes! And at 0900 Cap hailed the office…. And couldn’t get through! There were masses of people hailing the ranger – one after another – he never even heard us! Then I realized these were all people clearing out – they go first. Then the ranger takes the names of the vessels coming in – along with length and draft of the vessel and then assigns them a mooring. So after a few more calls to the Ranger – he acknowledged us and said “copy” (wait list). Then he said we could have mooring 1, 2, or 3 in the North end and after a little back and forth by the Cap – we ended up with mooring #6 – in a bit more protected area from the projected wind pattern for the next few days. Perfect!

On our approach to Warderick Wells we could see the water change from that deep clear blue to that electric turquoise. It was visually stunning! We quickly started learning to “read” this water- something that takes some mastering. What looks like 3 feet is actually 12 feet! The water is so clear and translucent it seems shallow compared to the water on the Gulf Coast. The effect is fantastic! We saw all variations of turquoise –from deep blue to light green – depending on depths and rocky or grassy bottoms. Cap took her off the Auto-Pilot and steered her into the entrance to the Mooring Field. It was really exciting!

Partners - on right - 2nd in

I was at the ready with our boat hook and it was easy to lift it up and attach our line. Yeah! We settled into our spot and then conquered the dinghy. I wasn’t as fearful, as the weather and water was beautiful with little wind – what could go wrong with those conditions? -The answer? - Nothing! Another easy job and down she went – how it should be every time – but for one reason or another is not.  And actually, getting the dinghy back up is the hardest job. We still have some work to do on that rig. Maybe when we get to the DR or Puerto Rico we will get a second hoist to replace the hand maneuvering winch we now have.

After we tied off the dinghy to our aft deck, we sat down and had a “celebratory” beer and a deep breath – and a good look around at this beautiful anchorage in Paradise. It is phenomenal! Words cannot describe the beauty. Think of every brochure or professional photograph of the Bahamas or Caribbean you’ve ever seen – and this is even better!

Warderick Wells Ranger Station

So after we said a prayer of thanks for such beauty and fortune of nature, we boarded our dinghy and took off for the Park Ranger’s office. We docked the dinghy at his dock and walked up the steps of the cypress stilt house. Out front – encased in glass – was the skeleton of a pilot whale – killed when it mysteriously got beached in 2010. Inside was the man – Andrew – who runs the whole show. He is young – 30’s and handsome. There are things to purchase all around and the funds go to maintaining this beautiful park. They have a lending library and a super collection of DVD’s to rent for $2/ night, as well as T shirts, clothing, coffee mugs and brick-a-brac.  We sign up for the mooring and tell Andrew we expect to be here a few days. There is a mail box to deposit your money or DVD when you leave. Andrew gave us the information and there was a trail map of all the trails one can walk on the island. Since this is a Park – there is no fishing or taking of any sea or plant life. They are trying to replenish the ecosystem, and there are many birds, and small lizards to see, as well as the Hutia – indigenous to the island – it is like a small rabbit or gerbil and is nocturnal.

A Bridge on one of the hiking paths

After an afternoon exploring the island by dinghy we returned to Partners in time to see the three sailboats we had left behind in Allen’s Cay, arrive together here – just like the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria!  And – as we are finding out – we make friends and we leave friends for our next port – but many of them we see again – along the way…  Maybe we will see them again – in Staniel Cay……

Don’t Rock the Boat….Don’t Tip the Boat Overrr!

After enjoying our four day stay in Nassau, it was time to leave for the next port along our route towards – eventually – Trinidad. Nassau was fun and we did a lot there. We walked and walked and took the bus when we were tired of walking. The bus was really neat – a little jitney and they play reggae and island type music and bumped along in the hot day with just the windows open. All the people we met were so nice. The Bahamians are very friendly and polite, and were always glad to talk to us or give us directions. There was quite a bit of traffic in Nassau – more than I expected. I had to remind myself that many people were working and living their daily lives.

We hauled anchor at 7am, from the West end of the harbor, where we had been for our stay – right near the mail boat and working docks at Potter’s Cay and downtown. There was a market on Potter’s Cay with fresh fruits and vegetables and little stands for food and Kalik’s beer. There was also the free dinghy dock at the Green Parrot – which we came to love. It was clean with good food – but low key for Nassau. Nassau has a lot of glitz for all the mega yacht types that come there I guess.

We headed for Allen’s Key- My suggestion – since that is my family name – I thought it a sign…. There are over 700 islands in the Bahamas and way too many to see in one go – so we rolled the dice and read some chart books and made some picks. Whatever – they’re all beautiful. Some are privately owned and you are not allowed to anchor off those – or some you have to call for permission to visit.

I didn’t imagine Allen’s Cay to be crowded – but it was…..Many sail boaters – often travelling in groups together – and a few sail cats and one other lone trawler – a Monk 36ft. We arrived just in time for a beautiful afternoon – sunny and warm and the waters crystal clear turquoise. We anchored and set the alarm. Then we enjoyed an afternoon on the aft deck drinking wine and playing rounds of backgammon. – from- of all places – West Virginia! It was Heaven! But- true to this changeable adventure, that evening the winds picked up and the weather changed. The weather fax said a cold front was coming in from the North and for two days we had cold and grey and rocky/rolling anchorage – but still that crystal turquoise water.

I have to tell you that rocking and rough water at an anchorage when wind or weather is bad – is TERRIBLE! When it gets dark and all is supposed to be quiet – we hear howling and blowing all around. We hear our Bimini top flapping at 30 MPH and we watch our wind vane cruise as fast as 45 MPH during the night! Our doors and cabinets are all hooked securely – but that doesn’t stop them from rattling and knocking all through the night! As I lay in my bed – trying my best to ignore all the dangerous sounding noises surrounding me – I feel like a baby again being rocked and rocked in my “cradle”. But the rocking cradle soon begins to feel like I’m on some giant roller coaster ride and it feels even more hairy with all the squeaking and whining our stabilizers are making from the intense rocking of our keel. They sing out all night - EEEE! Aaa! EEEAAAA…..EEEE….eeeaaaa…eeeee…EEEEEAAAA……They sound just like a pent up new puppy- crying out in the night. It was a hard day’s night – and although I knew the boat couldn’t and wouldn’t tip over – it sure felt like it was going to!

We didn’t drop the dinghy – but stayed on the boat and waited it out. The second day a dinghy arrived to our boat and Sharon from s/v Lucky invited us to an afternoon at the beach to burn our garbage and enjoy a drink together with the other cruisers.  We explained that my shoulder was bad and we hadn’t wanted to take the dinghy down in the bad weather – and Sharon kindly offered to give us a ride at 3pm. So we gathered our trash and our beers and off we went - our first real social encounter with other cruisers!    

The men had arrived early to get the bonfire going. All together there were about 20 people there – all very nice and from varied parts of the world. We both enjoyed the afternoon and came back to the boat for an early dinner and …..My new addiction….”Downton Abby” (on DVD – Thank you Jennifer!!!) Wow! I am so glad I saved that for now, as we can’t get any internet here. I want to just plow on through and watch the whole two seasons in one go! It is fabulous – but I am using all my willpower to savor it slowly.

The night was horrible – so rolly that I just couldn’t sleep –there was a lot of watching of the anchor alarm/ GPS and our line of sight with the other boats. But the morning brought a beautiful day with the front moving past and we got to enjoy the area – although it was still cold. Allen’s Cay is one of the few with indigenous Iguanas and they were running all over the beach – HUGE ones – up to 45lbs. One of the women from M/V Hullabaloo – Pat – said they had taken a cruise ship to the Galapagos and they weren’t much bigger than these on Allen’s!

At daybreak on Monday morning we pulled anchor and headed for Warderick Wells – an island in the Exuma Land and Sea Park…..What will that island be like? How difficult is it to navigate the entrance?

We will see…….