Where We Have Been

March 19, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 35 Comments

ROCK SOUND – EXPLORING SOUTHERN ELEUTHERA

ROCK SOUND and CAPE ELEUTHERA – February 5, 2019

After leaving Hatchet Bay, our next destination was Rock Sound. Rock Sound is a large and mostly protected harbor on the southern end of Eleuthera. It is a big enough population center for the town to have a large grocery, a bank, and a hardware store. The area is also famous for its very large blue hole known as “Ocean Hole” which has been made into a community park located right in the middle of town!

Ocean Hole

Rock Sound would be about a 35 mile run. While we needed to get there ahead of the next cold front in a couple days, we had an extra day for exploration. We decided to break up the trip with a stop at the Pineapple Cays, about half way along our route. Allegedly, the little village here had a restaurant that was known to have some of the best pizza in the Bahamas. Now, as many know, I am from the Boston area and could definitely be labelled as a pizza snob. Let’s face it…South Florida and most of the southern islands I have lived on or visited have craptastic pizza, so I didn’t have high hopes. We dinghied to shore and walked through the quaint, sleepy, mostly residential village. We found the restaurant and were excited to treat ourselves to some pizza (not something we cook on the boat). The lone employee, Laverne, assured us that the crust was home-made and the pizza was going to be delicious; we ordered up a large pie so we could have leftovers. To my surprise, the pizza was actually pretty damn good!
We upped the anchor early the next morning so we could get tucked into the anchorage at Rock Sound by lunchtime. It was a beautiful sail down and we got anchored up in the north end of the sound just a couple hundred yards from a cool little restaurant and bar called Frigates which happened to have the only dinghy dock in town. The owner, Gino, was very friendly to cruisers; happy to let people tie up to his dock for access to town. He also had a special for cruisers at his bar…$20 for 6 Sands beers! That is about half of what most Bahamian bars charge for beer! The main bartender, Nathan, was also an awesome guy and we enjoyed many a “6 for $20” special at the bar with him during the week we were anchored here. Life got even better as I found out that Nathan was a Patriots fan (probably the fourth or fifth native Bahamian I have met who is a Pats fan) and would have the Super Bowl live on all the televisions with the sound on! I had not known where we would be, or if I would get to see the game, so this was a big bonus! Oh, and in case you missed it….we WON.

Frigates

Rock Sound from Frigates

The Saturday before the SuperBowl, we found out that the town was hosting an island-wide children’s Junkanoo competition. Many of the schools from all over the island would be performing a Junkanoo march through town. The kids costumes and routines were nothing short of amazing. The amount of time and work that they must have put into their costumes and choreography cannot be understated. It was beautiful. Junkanoo’s origins are debated, but it is basically a street parade and festival where elaborate, themed costumes are created and dances are choreographed to music dominated by goat-skin drums, whistles, and cowbells. Even for their young age, these kids have an impressive musical talent which is fostered heavily in their Bahamian culture.

The next day was all about getting ready for the major cold front and the associated wind and weather that would be arriving soon. We followed the lead of our friends on SV Holiday and moved across the harbor to an area which in theory would be more protected from the strong winds that were coming. Our preparations paid off…the wind and rain were even stronger than forecast. We had about 2 hours of excitement where the rain was so hard we could not see any of the other boats near us and were bouncing around in 2-3 ft. rolling waves. This was made the more disconcerting as another boater had anchored very close to us…and of course, upwind! This meant if he dragged his anchor, it was likely that he would be on top of us before anyone had time to react. Thankfully, all was well and the storm passed. It was still windy for the remainder of the day, so we stayed on the isolated side of the island until the next day, when we motored back over to anchor off of Frigates Bar to ensure more “6 for $20s” (hey, priorities people).

Riding the Storm Out!

That morning, we were shocked to find a dead squid on the deck! He was apparently not able to find his way back to the water in the night after jumping up on deck for whatever reason. He had spewed his ink everywhere…it was a mess. But the cool thing Celia noticed was that he was still actively changing colors on part of his body. Apparently, his chromataphores (cells that contain pigment and reflect light allowing an animal to “change color”) were still firing even though he was clearly dead. So cool to get a closeup of that! We were sorry that he ended his watch on our deck, but he certainly would make good bait.

Rock Sound is on the protected west side of Eluethera. The east side is open to the Atlantic and has some beautiful beaches. Although it would be a few miles of trekking, we decided to walk through town to the Ocean Hole and then make our way to the beaches on the other side of the island. The Ocean Hole was impressive in its own right and uniquely situated right in the middle of town. However, the few times we walked by it, there was never anyone there using the park or swimming in the blue hole…it seemed more oddity than attraction. It was on to the beach! About 2/3 of the way down the long dusty road, we realized it was very hot and we had not provisioned enough water to last the day. Just then, up pulls Miss Rosie coming home from church in her Sunday finest. She pulled alongside and insisted the four sweaty tourists should pile in her little Toyota so she could give us a ride the rest of the way to the beach. Not only that, but we could access the beach from her property where she runs a little restaurant and refill our water bottles there! (See Celia’s previous post to learn more about Miss Rosie and her magical little piece of Paradise.) We’re not sure how long she will be doing her thing there, so if you are ever in the area, it is a must do to at least have her cook for you while you lounge on her amazing beachfront, if not rent one of her cottages and stay there doing a whole lot of nothing for a few days.

A delicious Bahamian Lunch

Thank You Miss Rosie for a great day!

Celia had been researching the island and came across a Research Center and Marine Science Education Center that seemed like quite a diverse and thriving program located on the southwestern tip of the island called Cape Eluethera. We read about all the interesting programs they conducted there and got really excited to see if we could find a way to get down to Cape Eleuthera and take a tour. As Celia and I have both worked many years in the marine science world, we put it out on Facebook to see if we had any connections there. Sure enough, the facility where Celia and I first met (NHMI-Seacamp in Big Pine Key) had an alumni who was a program manager there. We got in touch with Miss Liz Slingsby and our timing was perfect. She was ‘on island’ and the facility was in between program sessions. This meant she would be able to take some time and give us a VIP tour…perfect! We rented a car from a man known as “Friendly Bob” who dropped off a little 2WD mini-SUV that had seen better days. The roads of the Bahamas are in pretty rough shape and the vehicles certainly show it. The front end was a little loose, one of the tires was low on air, and the exhaust blew gas fumes into the cab…but it seemed like it would serve the purpose. And with a handshake cash deal, this seemed more than adequate. Plus, Friendly Bob just said to leave the car in Frigates parking lot with the key in the visor “anytime tomorrow”. Wow, you don’t get that deal at Hertz!

So off we went to the Cape Eleuthera Institute and Island School. What an impressive facility! Located in an isolated section of the island, they have access to many pristine and varied natural areas in which they conduct their scientific and school-based programs. There are three separate programs operating at the facility. The Cape Eleuthera Institute is a fairly typical Research Field Station for resident and visiting scientists, grad students, and the like. The second program is called The Island School. This is an experiential marine science education program for middle and high school students. Most of the students come from outside the Bahamas and stay for a full semester on site as a replacement to their traditional curriculum. They also have extensive programs for local students. The third part of the facility is the Sustainability Initiative which consists of a group of engineer-types who design, implement, and experiment with different sustainability projects and programs on the large site with its many buildings and unique infrastructure. The three programs share the site, both residentially and professionally, in what feels like a communal living atmosphere. There are approximately 120 staff members, volunteers, and long-term scientists on site which made the place feel vibrant and full even though there were not many programs taking place or visitors on site.
Program Manager Liz Slingsby was amazingly generous with her time and she gave us a wonderful tour of the facilities and overview of their programs. Highlights included their protected marina and fleet of dive and research boats, bio-diesel program (all of their vehicles run on it; they process it on site from used cooking oil donated by a cruise ship company), research lab facilities, dining hall facility, and even a beautiful beach. Most impressive however, was the large aquaculture and hydroponics project. It is a closed-system process in which they grow tilapia (fish) in tanks which are part of the menu on site, and they in turn fertilize the hydroponic system which grows some of the vegetables (lettuce, herbs, etc) that they serve in the dining hall as well. They also raise chickens for eggs on a fairly large scale. They keep a handful of pigs who eat the compost from the dining hall and have an annual slaughter for the kids to experience. Pretty damn cool! Celia even managed to sweet talk the farm manager into letting us have several fresh heads of lettuce! Score! (Of course, had there been students on site, this would not have been possible!) Overall, a pretty amazing place! We were invited to join the staff for lunch in the dining hall. Cruisers will normally never turn down an offer to not have to cook on the boat! They served up the best “Camp Dining Hall” food I think I have ever had. Thanks so much to Liz for being such a gracious host.

Liz gives us the VIP tour treatment…

Bio Diesel Program

Aquaponic Vegetables

One of our other missions for renting a car was to check out a spot called Lighthouse Point Beach. We’d heard stories of needing a 4×4, or “sturdy with high clearance” to safely navigate the road to this remote location on the very southern tip of Eleuthera. Our rental didn’t quite meet all the requirements and we almost chickened out. However, before leaving the Island School, the staff said it was one of the most beautiful spots on the island and we should make the effort…and so we did.

It was, shall we say…an adventure. The dirt road started out benign enough, but before long I was in full off-road mode; navigating steep inclines and slowly straddling big washouts and potholes that would swallow an elephant. Carefully driving over large rocks and scraping branches down the sides of the car, we emerged after about 45 minutes onto a soft sand road with grass growing down the middle of the two tire tracks. Where the heck were we?! But as we crested a small hill, we were rewarded for our efforts by a magnificent view of the area. We could see a 270 degree view of both the calm Exuma Bank on one side and the mighty Atlantic on the other. On the Bank side, there were several idyllic crescent beaches and on the Atlantic side, a long beach stretched beyond our view. Between was Lighthouse Point, with you guessed it, a rustic light house on the point of an impressive, high craggy bluff. We came down the hill into a little parking area and were surprised to see about a dozen cars there! Most of them were of the 4×4 or “sturdy high clearance” variety but it was still shocking to think others had attempted such as challenging road. Despite the small crowd…it was a huge area with hiking trails and plenty of beach to spread out from the few other people we actually saw.

Lighthouse Point

We hiked up to the lighthouse and contemplated life on the point for a bit before heading down to the beach. We wished we could have made a whole day of this adventure; it was one of the most stunning places we have visited in the Bahamas over the last two seasons. As late afternoon wore on, we figured with our crappy car (that already had a half flat tire), it was probably a good idea not to be the last people driving out of this remote place.

On the way out, we came to an intersection we had passed on the way in. We decided to look at Google Maps to see where that road lead to since we noticed we had a couple bars of service out here on a hill. Turns out, that was the normal route to get here. Instead of the 45 minutes of harrowing off-road navigation, this alternate route only had about 10 minutes of off-roading before dumping you out on the ‘normal’ crappy paved roads. Ha! We had taken the difficult path. Oh well…it was a “Boat Monkey Adventure” all the way!
On the ride back to Rock Sound, we were feeling pretty damn grateful for all the great people we had met and wonderful places we had visited. We stopped at a small local straw market where there were 3 generations of women creating and selling their straw work including hand woven bags, baskets, and dolls, . Celia bought a little handbag after getting a little lesson from the grandmother on their craftsmanship.

Traditional Bahamian Straw Work

Back at the boat, we started planning our next move south. Rock Sound, much like the rest of Eleuthera had treated us very well and we would be sad to leave. The next day, we checked out more local caves (caves are everywhere here and they are all so unique and beautiful), and did our last little bit of provisioning. Next up was a return to the Exumas Land and Sea Park; a stretch of islands protected as a National Park. We looked forward to seeing some of the areas we missed last year or lingering longer in some of our favorites.

More Caves

Celia could get used to this…

As some of you may know already, we are actually back in the US at this time (March 15). We did not make it as far, or for as long, as we had wished. But our family is going through a difficult time right now and their need for help outweighs our desire to sail around for the rest of the season being boat bums. Family first always…so we’re retooling a bit. The good news is that the one thing we do have at the moment is a little extra time. That time will be spent with our families this summer and fall helping with care and figuring out our next chapter. Until then, Boat Monkey has a few Adventures left to tell. Next up is a return trip to Warderick Wells and Staniel Cay in the Exumas so keep an eye out for those tales soon.

With Love and Gratitude, Todd, Celia, and Boat Monkey
S/V Eileen

March 1, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 2 Comments

Rock Sound – Eleuthera – Slowing down for a damn minute! – February 3, 2019

February 3, 2019

The last week of travels I am categorizing as “immersive.” Although the sea miles haven’t been adding up, we’ve had an in depth exploration into the island of Eleuthera. Along the way, what I’d soon come to learn, is that this place had a few more things to teach me than simply geography.

When we started this adventure, I was hell-bent on crossing off the miles in an effort to see new and exotic places. In fact, the months of November and December I considered a total write off as we delayed with preparations and waiting on weather. I was convinced that we started too late and would now be subjected to the ‘Christmas Winds’ that plague mariners trying to make passage this time of year. “Damn,” I thought, “we’ll never make it to Grenada.” This mental pattern kept repeating itself, and made me determined even more to get us as far as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Well that tactic went over like a lead balloon! Soon I was spending a lot of time trying to convince Todd that we should push harder to use the weather to the maximum advantage. We’re sailors, right? Let’s just sail like the pros…overnight, multi-day, whatever we needed to cover more ground. In this effort, Todd naturally became irritated that I was always planning the next chess move. …Now, with that said, I do believe this exercise has merit. Coastal cruising is about planning for weather, finding protected anchorages (especially from winter cold fronts), and contingency planning. So it’s vital to know what’s ahead so you can make informed choices.

Then along came Rosie. Miss Rosalind Collie is the owner and proprietor of the Northside Restaurant located on a beautiful hillside property overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Along with her husband (who has since passed away), Miss Rosie has been running the place for nearly 15 years. She has no staff or caretakers…just herself and her three dogs. At 70 years of age, this is quite impressive!

The beautiful Miss Rosie

We happened to meet Miss Rosie while hiking a long road over to the Atlantic side of the island to check out a pink sand beach. Realizing we did not bring enough water or sunscreen for the hot day, we were relieved when we saw her little car stop along the roadside to offer us a ride. What generosity! I could tell in an instant that I would like this little old lady with her beaming smile. It was Sunday and she was returning from church service. She was dressed in a beautiful lavender-colored dress with coordinating hat. She looked like the Queen of England! After hopping into her little car, she offered to take us to her home which was along the beach we were searching for. Of course, we quickly accepted the offer.

Welcome

The steep drive leading up the hill to her place was full of potholes and overgrown vegetation. But that didn’t stop Little Miss Rosie from navigating them like a champ in her low-clearance Toyota sedan. Did I mention that lady is cool?! When we arrived at the house, it was like opening up a door to world full of magic. The “foyer” consisted of an indoor tiki-style bar complete with soft sand floors. The “living room” served as the restaurant with an indoor deck filled with picnic tables and the best collection of driftwood art I have ever seen. Through the glass doors overlooking lush shoreline vegetation was an outdoor deck with more tables and a stunning view of the mighty Atlantic Ocean. Wow!

The indoor tiki bar

The pups

Driftwood treasures decorum

The view from the deck

After giving us a chance to look about, she welcomed us to walk along the beach before we trekked back on our course. We descended a wooden staircase and ditched our sandals. The beach was…well…EVERYTHING you want in a beach. Sugar soft sand, a pleasant incline down to the waves, and abundant beachcombing opportunities. This was simply heaven!

Down to the beach!

…all you want in a beach

…but alas, after strolling along the beach for an hour, we had to return to the boat in preparation for an early departure the next day.

We spent the evening in route-planning mode stowing loose items, looking at weather charts, reading forecasts, developing a sail plan, reviewing sea state and tide data, etc. Did I mention that route planning can be a full time job?! But somewhere in the conversation, Todd said “can’t we just stay here a few days?” Hmmm. This would mean NOT taking the next good weather window and staying in this anchorage for over a week awaiting the next window. Could I amble that long? Would I go stir crazy? What the hell would we do here for a week? But something told me this was the right choice. So after a little contemplation, I agreed. We would stay.

We immediately made plans to spend more time at Rosie’s place and dine at her restaurant. We gave her a call and she offered to pick us up at noon the next day. We woke up the next morning excited to spend more time ashore at this beautiful destination.

After making our way back to Rosie’s the next day, we sat in the restaurant and patiently waited for Miss Rosie to prepare us a home-cooked meal. We spent an hour admiring her assortment of beach treasures including old glass bottles, coral rocks, shells and ocean-battered driftwood. She really has a keen eye for decorating with recycled materials which really appealed to me. I particularly liked the green fish netting that she fashioned as window valance treatments. Todd particularly liked the helium tank that she found washed up ashore several years ago. Apparently, it fell from the sky during a space shuttle launch and found its way to her beach. A government official was called to inspect it, and seeing that it was not some biological threat or important military asset, allowed Rosie to keep it.

Beach treasures

Fish net valances

Lunch consisted of a huge plate of pan-seared grouper, coleslaw, pigeon peas and rice (a Bahamian staple) and plantains. We were stuffed and happy customers! After eating, Miss Rosie came to sit with us. I’d read somewhere that she had met Nelson Mandela. Intrigued by this, I asked if the story was true. Before we knew it, she had pulled out a collection of life photos. She had, in fact, met Mr. Mandela while he was visiting the Bahamas to express his gratitude for the Bahamian government for their support in his liberation. Her photo collection was also full of family photos including her five children and nine grandchildren who live all over the world. She has a daughter in London practicing law, a grandson in Grand Bahama who captains passenger ferries, another daughter in Australia practicing internal medicine…the list goes on.

Traditional Bahamian food

Miss Rosie’s own life story includes a lifetime of supporting education on the island. She and her husband started a primary school which served the community for over 30 years. It’s an understatement to say she knows everyone on the island.

After our trip down memory lane, Miss Rosie offered to let us roam her beach for another couple hours. There wasn’t a soul to be found on the beach that day. Naturally, Todd and I set up camp and settled into this simple, idyllic spot. Intrigued by what treasures I could find in the untouched wrack line, I set off on a beachcombing adventure. I found all sorts of ocean gifts including a small piece of fishing net that I fashioned into a purse and sea beans that drifted all the way from the Amazon river basin on ocean currents. Even Todd found some cool treasures himself.

Toddo playing on the beach

a beach purse

Somewhere in my walk, it dawned on me. This is the real ‘cruising!’ This is what I was craving. Not a landscape checklist. Not zooming off to the next thing! Now my eyes were open to the true magic of cruising. I just needed to SLOW DOWN FOR A DAMN MINUTE!!!

Now this is more like it!

February 25, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 1 Comment

Hatchet Bay – ELEUTHERA – Emmette’s Island Tour

HATCHET BAY – ELEUTHERA – EMMETTE’S ISLAND TOUR – January 24, 2019
Celia and I sat at Spanish Wells, looking at the weather forecasts and models. There looked to be a nasty little cold front blowing through for the next couple of days, bringing with it some rain and shifting winds up to 30-40mph! Many anchorages in the Bahamas are quite well protected from the easterly trade winds; there are even several to hide from strong “northers”, but there are not many protected from a strong west wind, which this front would have.
We couldn’t afford to stay at the marina in Spanish Wells and stay on budget, so we looked at a chart of the western shore of Eleuthera to see what was to be found heading along our route south. Combing through the various charts and guides, there seemed to be a small bay about 30 miles south with 360* protection called “Hatchet Bay”. The guides claimed that it was a small settlement with not much happening, and that the anchorage had “weak” holding. An old salty sailor I spoke to at the marina had unkind words for it as well. Still, it seemed like a decent choice for the weather in my opinion. I was only afraid we might get bored since it seemed likely the weather would keep us there for the better part of a week. As it turned out, I need not have worried on that account. It would be an absolute highlight of the trip with some unforgettable experiences and people.

Cut Inot Hatchet Bay

We did get stuck in Hatchet Bay for a week…and I am glad we did! There were no pristine beaches here; the harbor was surrounded by rock and Australian Pines. As we pulled up to the public dock, we were greeted by a couple locals at the top of the stairs as we came ashore to assess the “town”. One introduced himself as “Emmette”. He started rattling off the services he could provide from his convenience store and property that were perched on the hill at the top of the public dock area. “I can get you a rental car; we have laundry, showers, and a store. I give island tours if you want.” My initial reaction was that he was a typical tourist hustler and I didn’t think much of it as I thanked him for the info and proceeded on my own tour of the little town.

Perusing the town…

The settlement wasn’t big, so we decided to do a loop and poke our heads into whatever local businesses, bars, and restaurants we found along the way to see which ones we wanted to come back and visit. The town seemed a little down on its luck; the homes and buildings showing lots of neglect since some long past storm, or storms, had ravaged them. The streets had quite a bit of trash strewn about and semi-stray dogs were everywhere. Everyone was very friendly as we walked around and kids and dogs played in the streets everywhere. We found a couple local take-out (known as “take-away”) spots where the locals ate, a couple of tourist/high end restaurants, a couple local bars, and a few random stores and businesses. As we walked past the local schoolhouse and up a hill, we found a little local’s bar called “Da Spot” where we cooled off with a cold Kalik and got sucked in by a few minutes of cable TV and sports before heading back to the boat.
On our way back, we stopped at Emmette’s store to see what he had going on there. As we got to talking with Emmette, we liked him more and more. He was recently returned to his home here in Hatchet Bay after living in Nassau for most of the last 30 years for work. He was in the process of revamping and improving his family property to cater to the cruisers who now came right to him every day since the government built the new public dock there. He was in the middle of updating a couple of small rental cottages and building a small bar and restaurant. Along with everything he already had going on, it was evident he was quite the entrepreneur!
We were centrally located to visit some natural attractions in the area and inquired about renting a car the next day with our friends Zach and Lindy from S/V Holiday. Emmette said no problem and we planned to reconnoiter the next morning.

Dinghy Dock and Emmette’s Compound

As often happens, things don’t go exactly according to plan in the islands…when we arrived the next day, Emmette told us he was unable to rent us a car and no one else nearby could get one either. Instead, he offered us one of his “famous” island tours for less than the rental would have been! We said yes, and that was the beginning of our friendship with Emmette and the start of an amazing day. Emmette had a couple chores to do before leaving and so we hung out and met his wonderful wife and son. When he came out to load us up in his little SUV, he was holding a guitar and told us he was also a well-known musician on the island. He had a song about the island of Eleuthera he had written that they play on the local radio and wondered if he could play it for us before we left…um yeah! His song, “Eleuthera”, (among others) became an ear worm for all of us for weeks to come!

Emmette plays us his song “Eleuthera”

We asked him to take his guitar with us and we headed to our first location: the Hatchet Bay Caves. These are the longest underground caves in the Bahamas. The caverns stretch for over a mile. You can actually enter the entrance just off the Queen’s Highway (the main north-south road up and down the middle of Eleuthera) and come out a different exit at the ocean’s edge! Apparently, you can get lost down there and there is a string which marks the main route. It is of course very dark and we brought powerful flashlights to light the way. It was indeed one of the strangest and interesting caves I have been in. The only negative was that much of the walls were marked with graffiti. Otherwise, we were amazed at some of the structures and the sheer size of this underground cavern. After maybe 1/3 of a mile in, my flashlight which was by far the brightest one we had, started flickering, and we decided to turn around and head back out the way we came. It was then that Emmette, who is from here, admitted that this was his first time ever going down there! We emerged back to the world of light after about 40 minutes in the caverns. What a crazy place!

Cave Entrance

OK…Creepy

Wow!

Next up was the Queen’s Baths. These natural pools are like your own personal baths carved from the rocks and situated in a beautiful spot where the incoming tide turns them into bubble pools. Before we got there, Emmette was inspired by our many questions about the area and went into full on-tour guide mode. He was very open and knowledgeable about the history and geography of the island and shared this information generously. Suddenly, he pulled off on a dirt road, proclaiming that this was Lenny Kravitz’ property which he was fixing up and was currently building a new house on the property for his daughter. He said he had done a little work for him and he was a super nice guy. Lenny is currently on island and Emmette said we could ride out towards the house under the pretext of asking one of his contractor buddies something and we could see if we ran into him…fun! While we got to see his houses and the property, we did not see Lenny. No brush with fame for us this day.

Lenny Kravitz’ Property

The Queen’s Baths lived up to the hype and a couple of us braved the cool temperatures and took a little dip while we cracked the days first beers. After a bit of exploring, we hopped back in Emmette’s car for the ride to the famous Glass Window Bridge. Once a narrow, natural rock arch separating the mighty Atlantic from the Exuma Sound, a severe hurricane had collapsed the natural bridge. It was now replaced with a man-made concrete bridge to keep the island connected. However, it is still quite a dramatic place to visit. We enjoyed the views, took some pictures and it was on with the tour.

Queens Bath

When we had left, Emmette said he had maybe 3-4 hours to show us a few spots. I think he was inspired by our enthusiasm and attitude about life and he really wanted to show off his island. He announced that no tour of Eleuthera would be complete without a visit to the Sapphire Blue Hole and Preacher’s Cave. They were about a 40 minute drive further north. We all seemed to be having fun, so it was on to the Sapphire Blue Hole. We thought we had seen some pretty sweet Blue Holes by now and figured it wouldn’t be anything too dramatic. Wrong again! We drove out a seemingly endless and empty road to nowhere and turned up a non-descript dirt road. Suddenly, we arrived at a little parking area with a couple of picnic tables. The lot of us walked up the little path and peered over the edge to see a color of blue water in this tiny Blue Hole which even the Bahamas had not previously revealed to us…it was incredible! The pictures do it no justice. We couldn’t wait to jump in. It was beautiful. After our swim, we had a picnic lunch while Emmette played some more songs for us on his guitar.

Sapphire Blue Hole

Sapphire Blue Hole

But we were not done. Next was “Preacher’s Cave”. If you read my last post, you will remember that some of the earliest inhabitants of Eleuthera were the Eleutheran Adventurers who gave the island its name (which loosely translates to “freedom”). They were a group of pilgrims seeking religious freedom who shipwrecked on a reef of the famous “Devil’s Backbone” in northern Eleuthera. The survivors came ashore and there discovered an enormous cave near the beach open on one side which allowed them shelter and where they would make their first home and start their settlement of the island. Much like Hatchet Bay Caves, most of the guidebooks say these places are hard to find and get to, but apparently someone has recently taken an interest in making them presentable and accessible again. We found new signs pointing the way and the paths had been cleared. Preachers Cave had a monument to the early settlers and Emmette told us this place was said to be haunted. It did have a little bit of that feeling that would make you not want to be there at night alone! There were several natural skylights which allowed you to explore the interior of the space. There was a giant bee hive in one of the upper skylights. What a lucky place to shipwreck!

Preachers Cave

We drove over to see the beautiful beach where they had come ashore and look at the Devil’s Backbone Reef. It was back into Emmette’s little SUV for the long trip back south. It was already late in the afternoon, but Emmette wanted to take us to even more sites! We stopped at a couple more off-the-beaten-path beaches on our way south where we had a couple more beers while Emmette played guitar and sang Ronny Butler (the godfather of Bahamian music; look him up!) songs for us. As we pulled back onto Queen’s Highway, we all had big smiles after such an eventful day. We never would have gone so many places or the places we did in a rental car without Emmette as our tour guide. He even paid for the gas! Back at his place, we expressed our gratitude, and settled up with a nice tip on top of the agreed upon fee. Over the next week, Emmette became one of our favorite people we have met in our travels through the Bahamas. He was knowledgeable, affable, generous, gracious, and loved to sing and play his guitar. Much time was spent hanging out in front of his little store in conversation with his family or with the locals who would stop in for this or that.
The anchorage had been a good choice. The bay is so protected from every direction with just a tiny cut in the rock to get in and out. The holding ended up being very good. The anchor was well dug in and we held just fine in wind gusts of over 35 kts! We discovered some amazing caves just outside the harbor one day which were so big we could drive the dinghy into them. One of them even had bats in it!

More Caves

Bats!

They flew around a bit when we shined the light on them and kind of freaked us out. Hatchet Bay was a great time. We began to understand what a beautiful island Eleuthera is and started looking forward to seeing more of it! After a fantastic week, the weather was good for travel finally and we made the boat ready to depart. Next stop was the next protected harbor on the south end of Eluethera called “Rock Sound”.

Thanks for taking the time to read these posts. As of this writing, Boat Monkey and the crew are enjoying some time in the Exuma Land and Sea Park after we had a little engine issue we had to deal with at Staniel Cay. I will try to post about our visit to Southern Eleuthera and our return to the Exumas as soon as possible. For anyone who tracks our progress on the map, you may notice we are moving back towards the north. Unfortunately, life has thrown a little curveball at our family, and we will be sailing back in the direction of Florida over the next few weeks so as to be more available to help support them.

Lots of love from Todd, Celia, Boat Monkey, and Captain Cluck.

February 2, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 0 Comments

ELEUTHERA – SPANISH WELLS – January 19, 2019

ELEUTHERA – SPANISH WHALES (I mean WELLS) – January 19, 2019

After departing our beloved Berry Islands, Boat Monkey’s next stop would be the island of Eleuthera. Eleuthera is a very long, thin island which sits approximately 50 miles east of Nassau. Eleuthera lies in a north-south configuration and is over 110 miles long and little more than a mile wide in a few spots. The entire island has a population of around 10,000 people. Even its most densely populated areas are really just small towns with the rest of the island being somewhat rural.

Map of Spanish Wells

The name “Eleuthera” is derived from a Greek word meaning “free.” The original inhabitants were Arawak Indians who were decimated by Spanish enslavement and were gone by the mid-1550’s. The next natives were Puritan Pilgrims known as the “Eleutherian Adventurers” who arrived in 1648 and who gave the island its name. As with many islands, Eleuthera, and the Bahamas in general, have experienced many booms and busts of prosperity. Prior to changes resulting from Bahamian Independence in 1973, there was a lot of development, infrastructure improvement, and foreign investment throughout the Bahamas between 1950-1980. Not long after independence, foreign ownership laws and US tax laws changed and many of the resorts, properties, and businesses were either abandoned, sold for pennies on the dollar, or eventually failed.
Still known as the “Pineapple Island,” from its agricultural boom, there are several working pineapple farms on the island. There are also huge concrete silos dotting the landscape from the cattle ranches that once took up much of the land here. As with many Bahamian islands, there is a strange mix of abandoned and half derelict developments and new mega-developments underway. There remains a strong agricultural component here. Every property seems to have huge mango trees; we wish it was mango season!!

The tidy town of Spanish Wells

History aside, this is one of the most gorgeous islands we have visited. Eleuthera is known for its pink sand beaches, innumerable caves, and natural beauty…and we have not been disappointed! We have found the locals extremely genuine and friendly throughout the island, much as one would expect in small rural towns anywhere. We have been treated so kindly and generously here. The awesome people we have met coupled with Eluethera’s stunning natural attractions and beauty have caused us to slow down and let most of our cruising buddy boats pull on ahead of us. In the end, we will have lingered here for what will be weeks before we move on to the Exumas. We could explore this island for months before getting sick of it.

Ho-Hum, another beach bar.

There are three main regions of the island; north, central, and south Eleuthera. From the Berry Islands, we sailed S/V Eileen to the northern town of Spanish Wells…which will now forever be referred to as “Spanish Whales.” Our friends on S/V Holiday are from Georgia…and Celia, Boat Monkey and I had a good laugh when they would come on the radio with their southern drawl, making “Wells” sound like “Whaaales.” The next time we were chatting on the radio, I asked how these whales had swam all the way from Spain! That got a chuckle.

Some of the fishing fleet in Spanish Wells

We arrived after dark on a moonless night and were a little nervous coming into the main harbor area at night. It ended up being pretty straight forward and we anchored off the town for the night to get some rest. Early the next morning, we decided to pull into the marina for some fresh water, showers, laundry, and shore-side provisions. Spanish Wells is a very quaint and well-kept town which still boasts an active fishing fleet. The town had an industrious and active energy to it. Spanish Wells has a big grocery store and we were excited to get some fresh veggies. We rented a golf cart to get our errands done and explore the area a bit. I was in a bit of a rush to get the work done so we could go play. I had set the gas and diesel jugs on the back of the golf cart and I apparently forgot to tie them off! As I turned the first corner, there was a loud noise! I looked behind us and it was a YARD SALE! Jugs were bouncing all over the road! I got a couple “stupid tourist” looks from passers-by as Celia and Boat Monkey laughed at me from the cart. I got the jugs re-secured, and with only my pride hurt, set to getting the errands done.

Yard Sale!

Budda’s

Kitchen at Budda’s

Later in the day, we were able to take a ride outside town to a small beach bar where we soaked up a little down time and then made our way back to the marina to get cleaned up. Celia met some cruisers from Carmel, Indiana aboard S/V Big Frisky who were really cool folks. They and our friends from S/V Holiday and S/V Wandering Princess all met up at one of the cool local watering holes named “Buddah’s”. They had some great Happy Hour specials and good cheap food. WINNER! Celia and I hung out after Happy Hour while we waited for a call back that our propane tank had been filled. It had been a full and busy day and we retired to the boat for the evening. We would need to be leaving with the fair weather early the following morning.

Celia having a rough day.

Although we likely would have anchored off the town and stayed longer, we were faced with the prospect of a very nasty cold front coming our way over the next week or so. SV Eileen would need to be tucked in somewhere protected for several days. There were no great options near Spanish Wells and we could not afford to stay in the Spanish Wells Yacht Harbor Marina for so many nights. It would be necessary to get on the move. We picked a very secure anchorage at Hatchet Bay, about 1/3 of the way south along the west coast of Eleuthera. This would end up being a great choice! While the online reviews for the area said things like “not much to do here” or “a little run down” etc., we found Hatchet Bay to be one of the most fun and genuine experiences we have had in the Bahamas. We lingered here for over a week enjoying the hospitality of the locals and visiting some amazing natural attractions and caves. I can’t wait to write about it! But you will have to wait for the next post to read about that!

We Love Eleuthera!

We are currently anchored in Rock Sound, South Eleuthera. We continue to linger here while all of our cruising buddies have moved on. It has given us a chance to explore some of the most beautiful spots on the island, meet new friends, connect with a former Seacamper who gave us an incredible tour of the facility she works at (more to come on that, too), and take a few deep breaths before we sail on. I will also admit that our next destination is remote…staying here in Rock Sound will allow me to watch The Patriots and Tom Brady earn their SIXTH Superbowl Championship on Sunday. Not only that, but the bar we are anchored next to has a Patriots fan for the bartender!

Not all fun and games…Celia prepares to scrub Eileen’s bottom.

Until next time, the crew of SV Eileen hopes you enjoy the FB pics and more detailed posts here at BoatMonkeyAdventures.com! With love, Todd, Celia, Boat Monkey, and Captain Cluck.
GRATITUDE EVERY DAY!

January 28, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 0 Comments

LITTLE HARBOR CAY – FLO’S CONCH SHACK – January 17, 2019

LITTLE HARBOR CAY – FLO’S CONCH SHACK – January 17, 2019
Next on Boat Monkey’s itinerary after Devils Cay was a quick little trip south to Little Harbor Cay. This island is also part of the Berry chain and lay just about 12 miles away. We were sad to leave but eager to explore more islands. We had never been to Eluethera and that was to be our next major stop. First however, we had read about a little bar and restaurant called Flo’s in Little Harbor Cay which was supposed to have good food and cold beer in one of the most isolated spots you can imagine. While the namesake “Flo” has apparently passed away, the Darville family continues the tradition. We called the day before to make sure they would be open and willing to host us for lunch. (This has become a good practice before getting your hopes up for some of the more isolated businesses you read about in the guides…they are not always still in business or open.)

Dinghy Dock at Flo’s (on hill in background).

Mr. Darville answered the phone and assured us he would be there and to show up for lunch around 1pm. We arrived at the anchorage around 10am after a short sail down from Devils Cay. Along with our friends on SV Holiday, we had the place to ourselves. Around 1230, we headed up to Flo’s. The huge conch mounds along the shoreline next to the well-kept docks announced that this place had been around for many decades. The family has a little compound up on the hillside and the restaurant/bar building was a quaint screened in affair with a great little bar and a gorgeous view of the nearby islands.

Conch Mounds

There were a couple younger guys who had jet skied across the inner sand flats about 20 miles from a yacht to have lunch and a few beers there. They left soon after we arrived to head back. The proprietor came out and asked if we wanted conch fritters…we said yes. I think that was about the extent of the words he spoke to us from that point forward. He was not very social. However, we also got him to get us some cold Kaliks and he disappeared into the kitchen. After he brought the (delicious) conch fritters, he disappeared again. We never did see a menu or get told what was available, but about 10 minutes later he reappeared with several family style platters of fresh fried fish, cracked conch, homemade peas and rice, homemade cole slaw, and some more Kaliks…and promptly fled to the back again without a word.

The Bar at Flo’s

While the service experience left a bit to be desired, the food was absolutely great and the beer was cold. The view was impressive too. After we had chilled a while, a group on a little sport fishing boat came in and filled the place up. It was time for us pay our tab and leave the place to this new group. We stapled our boat card to the wall with all the dollar bills and stuck a “One Human Family” sticker on the beer cooler. I tracked Mr. Darville back in the kitchen and asked him what we owed him. I told him the origin of the sticker and how it was the motto of our island home in Key West. That finally broke him and he flashed a genuine smile and gave a chuckle. He thanked us for coming in and we took the last of our beers outside to sit down by the dock for a bit.

Boat Monkey surveys the dock from the well-used cutting board.

As we headed back to the boat to prepare for our next long passage across the Northeast Providence Channel, we wished we could stay longer as this looked like it would be another fun area to explore a bit. However, the weather was going to be fair to get across the 60+ miles of deep water to Eleuthera and we were excited to visit a new place. If the weather had been different, we likely would have had to head to Nassau and skip Eleuthera on this round. While 60 miles may not seem like too much, this channel has some of the deepest areas in the entire Atlantic Ocean at over 12,000ft deep! It is important to properly prepare for these deep water crossings. When winds are greater than forecast, or from a different direction, it can really make things uncomfortable or even unsafe. Our experience thus far has taught us not to trust wind forecasts and models very much!

Until next time!

Next stop was the fishing village of Spanish Wells in North Eleuthera! More posts coming soon! With love from Todd and Celia, currently anchored in Rock Sound, South Eluethera.

January 24, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 2 Comments

DEVILS CAY – BERRY ISLANDS – January 19, 2019

Boat Monkeys next stop after leaving the Great Harbor Marina was the anchorage at Devil’s Cay. We pulled around the north side of the Berry Island chain under sail. One of our buddy boats, S/V Wandering Princess remained behind to enjoy Great Harbor. However, we were joined by Cody and Katie aboard S/V Zoe who were also eager to check out this area. The two northernmost islands are called Little Stirrup and Great Stirrup. They have both been purchased by Cruise Ship companies and are in a state of major development. A small city of trailers for the construction crews dots the hillside, while large earthmoving equipment alters the landscape to build what appears to be a large beach resort and giant barges appear to be building cruise ship docks. We passed two cruise ships at anchor as they ferried their guests back and forth to the islands.

Bye Bye Cruise Ships

Once on the eastern side of the Berry Island chain, our destination lay about 25 miles to the south at Devils Cay. This area is one of the most beautiful anchorages and natural areas we have visited in the Bahamas. The Berries in general are somewhat underutilized as a cruising area, and you can often have an anchorage to yourself. Once again, the weather forecasts and models were not particularly accurate and we found we had to motor sail since the wind was a little too close on our nose.

Near the anchorage at Devils Cay – Boats in background above island on right.

As we pulled through another narrow cut, we could see that there were almost 10 boats in the small anchorage already. The guide books said the anchorage was good for only 4-6 boats. This was the only protected anchorage nearby for a little weather system coming through so we would have to find room. Sure enough, we went to the furthest inside spot of the anchorage and found a little spot to nestle in without getting too many dirty looks for being too close to our neighbors!

Not that bad…

Once we got the anchor set and settled in, we looked around at the several beautiful islands and beaches surrounding us. We were eager to start exploring! A huge Blue Hole in the middle of nearby Hoffman’s Cay was one of the highlights we originally learned about from our friend Corrinne who used to work on yacht charters in the Bahamas. Boat Monkey joined Celia and I along with the crew from S/V Zoe to dinghy out in search of the ¼ mile path leading from a nearby beach up the hill to the Blue Hole. We zoomed along the craggy shoreline, marveling at the strange and ancient limestone geology that makes up most of the Bahamian Islands we have seen.

Boat Monkey ready to find the Blue Hole

We beached the dinghies and found the path. Once at the top, we were all surprised by how big the Blue Hole was…it was huge! Connected to the nearby ocean by a series of underground caves, the Blue Hole boasted the same crystal clear blue water as the rest of the Bahamas. The “pond” even had a regular tide cycle and was inhabited and visited by the usual assortment of marine fauna. There were even two “regular” sea turtles who were there each time we went munching enthusiastically on the algae growing on the rock walls. There were two ways to go in…jump from the 20 ft. high rock ledge, or walk down the path and slide on in. Compared to the old granite quarry cliffs we used to jump off of as kids in Gloucester, this was pretty tame stuff. The ledge it was! Awesome!

Celia lounging in the Blue Hole

Todd surveys the leap.

Boat Monkey decides not to jump and gets a tan.

The way back up.

The next day was forecast to be the last calm wind day we would have while we were here. The eastern shores of the Berries are more often than not exposed to the Caribbean trade winds out of the east, making it difficult to dive or snorkel their offshore coral reefs. We were eager to check out the reefs we saw on the charts, as well as test out our new Hawaiian sling and see if we couldn’t bring home some fresh fish dinner. We waited for what we thought would be near slack tide and jumped in our Dinghy (affectionately called “Captain GO-GO” when it sports the 9.9hp outboard and “Captain Putt-Putt” when rolling with the auxiliary 3.3hp motor) and headed out the cut.
The reef was gorgeous! There was a long stretch of moderately shallow reef about 300 yards off shore. As we often do in the Bahamas, rather than anchor the dinghy and swim near it, we both drift WITH the dinghy as we each take turns holding onto its bowline and free-diving. This allows you to cover more ground of course, but is also safer due to the ever present currents around the Bahamas. Also, if someone spears a fish or catches a lobster, you do not have to swim with your bloody fish hundreds of feet back to the dink. WIN-WIN!

Fish Bites!

Invasive Lionfish

Strange Elkhorn Colony.

I have been a divemaster, scientific, working, and recreational diver for 20 years in the Florida Keys and Virgin Islands. It is no exaggeration when I say that what we saw stretching before us was a complete surprise! From a crest of about 15 feet down to about 35 feet was one of the largest, most gorgeous and healthy Elkhorn Coral reefs I have ever seen in my life. Elkhorn coral has become extremely rare over last few decades and I was so happy to see a little piece of what it must have looked like in all of these areas 50 years ago. Unfortunately we had forgotten the Go-Pro! We drifted about half the reef line just marveling at the beautiful Elkhorn formations. We motored back up-current and armed ourselves with the new Hawaiian sling and a traditional pole-spear (spear guns are illegal in the Bahamas). As usual, Celia was the one to spot a handful of decent sized fish under a ledge that looked to be about 20ft. down. She nudged me and said, “I spooked the grouper under the ledge but there is a big hogfish there hanging out!”. I am a little out of practice with my free-diving but can still hunt with a spear gun in 20ft. of water. Well…what looked like 20ft. was more like 35ft.! I can get down to that depth no problem but then I had to swim slowly to get close enough to try and get a shot off. I was about out of breath before I lined up a half-assed shot…and missed! The spear was now about 6ft. beneath me in the sand. No tether on the Hawaiian sling! I had to surface, get a breath and swim back down for the spear shaft. Sorry Dave Cziko! I let you down! Next time!
Celia managed to not let us go home empty-handed (again). She speared a little lionfish that would make enough for a fish bite appetizer and also found a conch which I would turn into some delicious cracked conch later that evening. All was right with the world. We found a little pocket beach which had a picnic table under a palm tree where we cleaned the fresh catch and prepped it for cooking back at the boat. After some fresh seafood and another Bahamian sunset later, and we couldn’t wait for more exploring the next day!

Cody harvests coconuts.

Delicious!

The next two days were filled with fun. We hiked to some old ruins we saw from the anchorage, did some more snorkeling on the inshore reef areas, and found a beautiful little beach where Cody went native and climbed a coconut palm to harvest some nuts. We cut them open and enjoyed the fresh coconut water.

Exploring…

Celia and Katie enjoyed some yoga on the beach in the mornings. I had just dropped them off one morning when I got a frantic sounding call on the VHF. I thought maybe someone had hurt themselves and hopped back in the dinghy to grab Cody while I answered the radio. Apparently after I dropped them off, a man on a nearby boat, Phil, had come down the beach from a walk across the little island and his dinghy was gone! The tide had come up and he had not anchored it on the beach. Phil and the ladies scanned the horizon, wondering how far the dinghy might have drifted out to sea with the outgoing tidal current. Somehow, it had managed to find its way into a tiny little crook of rock about the size of the dinghy on a nearby island and was bobbing there semi-peacefully. However, it was surrounded by shallow water and sharp rocks. I thought it probably had already been damaged. We couldn’t really get close to it without popping my own inflatable, so I dropped Cody off on an outcropping nearby with a long length of rope. He scrambled over the rocks and was able to get in Phil’s dinghy. I managed to tow it out without too much trouble and amazingly it was not hurt! Needless to say when we got Phil’s dinghy back to the beach he was very grateful…and lucky the thing hadn’t floated out to sea a half hour earlier!

Yogis on the beach.

Phil gets his dinghy back.

The last day we were to spend in the anchorage, our friends Zac and Lindy on S/V Holiday showed up and surprised us. Sadly, S/V Zoe was leaving us to head to Nassau for a visit with family. We were trying to sail to Eleuthera and would be skipping Nassau for the time-being. We had really enjoyed Cody and Katie’s company and we all agreed to try and hook up again in the Exumas. However, Zac and Lindy were heading our way to Spanish Wells in Eluethera on the same weather window. It looked like we would have a new buddy boat for a while. Yeah!

Zach and Lindy were excited to see Boat Monkey and Vice Versa

Love-Birds spotted on the beach.

See you soon!

We decided for our last night or two before heading east, we would putter down to the next anchorage at Cabbage Cay in Little Harbor to explore that area a bit and see if we could patronize “Flo’s Conch Shack” restaurant and bar. Boat Monkey was ready to weigh anchor again and sail to the next horizon. The crew was ready too. We hope you continue to enjoy our pictures and updates.
And oh yeah…GO PATS! TB=GOAT

January 21, 2019 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 0 Comments

BACK IN THE BAHAMAS – South Bimini to Great Harbor – January 15, 2019

BIMINI SANDS MARINA – January 11, 2019
Greetings from BoatMonkeyAdventures! It has been a busy 2 weeks for Boat Monkey and the crew of Eileen. When last we checked in here on the website, we had been waiting (im)patiently for a weather window with which to cross the Gulf Stream. We made some great new friends in Marathon and were able to spend New Year’s Eve with some of our favorite people at the Green Parrot in Key West. Alas, all things must end; the weather seemed to be giving us a small window to get over to the Bahamas! We rushed to get the boat topped off with water and fuel, stowed the dinghy and left Marathon on January 3rd at 2pm headed for Bimini.

Gulf Stream

Early Morning in the Stream, Single-reefed main and full genoa.

It was a relatively uneventful 20 hour motor-sail to Bimini Sands Marina on South Bimini Island. The wind was a little less favorable than we could have hoped so we had to keep the motor running. We saw a couple of cruise and cargo ships but nothing nearly as exciting as on our first crossing last year.

Eileen berthed at Bimini Sands Marina

Bimini is divided into a north island and a south island. The northern island is where most of the action is, but we never made it over there. There are several marinas and resorts, a cruise ship area, and a small town. Being so close to Miami, the area sees a lot of traffic from South Florida. The south island was a lot quieter. The Bimini Sands Marina is surrounded by a large townhouse development. Both the marina and townhouses were mostly empty. It is still very strange to me that so many of these large scale and expensive developments are built here in the Bahamas, and then for whatever reason they either don’t succeed, or perhaps are damaged by a storm, and then seem to be allowed to fall into neglect and disrepair. The Bahamas seem littered with half realized dreams and failed developments, while at the same time, there is always new large scale development taking place on remote islands?! The economic factors at work here must be above my pay grade.

Bimini Sands Marina had friendly staff, a beautiful infinity pool, and nice facilities. Nearby, we found an awesome nature trail that had been made possible by a partnership between the resort and the nearby “Shark Lab”, a marine science field lab specializing in shark research. They often have tours of the lab facility open to the public, but we were not staying long enough to catch the tour…next time! The nature trail wound around what was a surprisingly high elevation area of wonderful large canopy trees that provided habitat for many local birds and other critters. The interpretive signage on the trail was super informative and interesting. Allegedly, the Bimini islands were a hideout for pirates during the buccaneer era and the trail took you to an old “Pirate’s Well” where pirates once fetched fresh water. Boat Monkey decided to dig an old Bahamian penny from his pocket and make a wish as he tossed it into the inky black water down in the well. The trail ended on the beach at an old abandoned house which was built and lived in by a former Australian Olympian in the 1920’s. Much of the old stucco was gone, revealing many conch shells used in the construction to fortify the poured concrete.

Boat Monkey makes a wish at Pirates Well. Wonder what he wished for?

There were a couple of quaint restaurants with good reputations nearby but we were eager to take the next fair winds across the Great Bahama Banks and were  not able to patronize them. We were also unable to take the ferry to the North island to explore the town and get in on some of the “Bimini Bread” they are famous for. Our decision to move on was exacerbated by the fact that the marina’s desalinization plant had burst a membrane and there was no fresh water to rinse the boat or ourselves after our salty crossing of the Gulf Stream. It was on to the Berry Islands and Great Harbor Key Marina. Our friends on the sailing vessel “Wandering Princess” (also one of our buddy boats across the Gulf Stream) as well as some new friends we had met on the sailing vessel “Zoe” were of all of like mind and we decided to sail across the Banks together. It is a long 85 mile trip and it is always good to have the company and safety of another boat with you on these long crossings!

GREAT HARBOR CAY – BERRY ISLANDS – January 13, 2019
As we finished the long 85 mile trip across the Great Bahama Bank, we looked forward to exploring more of the Berry Islands. This is one of the less “discovered” areas in the Bahamas, boasting some of the most beautiful anchorages we visited last year. We anchored just outside the entrance to Great Harbor Marina and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Early the next morning we motored through another one of the extremely narrow cuts which have been blasted through the limestone bluffs to create protected harbors for many of the marinas and harbors. It is always a little unnerving to pass through these rocky cuts and one must be careful to catch them at the right tide and wind direction to avoid making things more “exciting” than they need to be.

The Cut into Great Harbor

The Great Harbor Cay Marina is a clean, well maintained facility with friendly staff, excellent fixed pier slips. We were ready for some fuel and water…not to mention a fresh water rinse of Eileen and ourselves! We were getting a bit salty and smelly by this point. I had also finally begun to grow my “cruising beard” and it needed a trim so I didn’t look like an axe murderer.

The original development of what is now the Great Harbor Cay Marina began in the mid-60’s with a $38 million dollar development of the marina basin, surrounding town houses, and a posh luxury resort on the nearby hill. Golf course designer Joe Lee also developed an 18 hole championship golf course on the grounds adjacent to the resort. The remote natural beauty of the area and close proximity to Miami were the driving factors in choosing this location to become an enclave and escape for the rich and famous during the 60’s and 70’s. Word is that Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the “Rat Pack” crowd had a major ownership stake in the resort. Movie stars would arrive by yacht and the marina was the hub of the social scene along with the giant club and resort on the hill.

The Original Clubhouse and Resort on the Hill above the Marina circa mid-60’s.

Marina in it’s heyday!

While the marina is still very well maintained and a great stop for cruisers, the townhouses are now rental apartment for the locals, and the resort was apparently abandoned at some point long ago due to storm damage? It was obviously built to be there a long time with massive concrete bones and huge timbers. It is hard to believe that such a structure could be built and fall into its current state in just 50 years. Exploring it was like being in some sort of post-apocalyptic movie. It was super creepy already but to add to the weird vibe, the main entrance had apparently been used for some kind of Halloween event and had spooky shapes hanging from the rafters and other macabre decorations. Celia and I exchanged wary glances as we continued our exploration. The property is apparently not off-limits to explore and you can literally go anywhere in the old buildings. As we looked around at the fallen timbers and vegetation growing out of the bar in the lounge, it was crazy to think of Sinatra sitting there sipping on a drink and beautiful movie stars lounging by the pool below. We love exploring stuff like this and could have stayed there for hours (as long as we got out before dark!), but we were late for dinner and had over a mile to walk to the restaurant.

Lounge overlooking the marina. This is the same building you can see on the right side of the 60’s photo above.

Front of Resort Building from Access Road

Viewing Parapets on Road or Walkway visible in old photos

Ummm…OK…a little creepy at the entrance. Seems Legit though?

Lets go up to the Lounge!

Seen Better Days…

The Rat Pack sat at this bar sipping martinis and smoking cigars.

Celia looks down the road to where the Golf Course once was.

As is the case in much of the Bahamas, the locals are very friendly and will almost always offer rides to anyone walking down the roads. As we made our way to the other side of the island, we were picked up by “Johnny” who had a most interesting vehicle. It was a Japanese vehicle unfamiliar to the US. The odd thing was that the control screen and all markings and the cars voice were all in Japanese! I asked him if he spoke Japanese..he said no. I said “How do you know what all the buttons, etc. are for”? He said “I just push shit until what I want to happen happens!”. Too funny.
We arrived at Cooliemae’s Sunset restaurant on the beach and enjoyed some delicious freshly caught hogfish and cracked conch with our friends Cody, Katie, Dan, and Sherry. I am still amazed by how quickly you can bond with fellow cruisers when you recognize them as “your tribe”. It always feels like you have known each other for years, and it is always a bit sad when you head off to different locales not knowing when you might see them again. It was here we would say goodbye to Cody and Katie as they headed for Nassau to spend time with family. We would see Dan and Sherry again at the Cabbage Cay anchorage and sail to Spanish Wells in Eluethera in their company along with our friends Zac and Lindy who we had met last season in Boot Key Harbor. They showed up unexpectedly in our anchorage the day before we were heading out!

Dinner at Cooliemaes…poor Katie has no food.

Next up, however was spending a few days in a gorgeous protected anchorage at Devil’s Cay about 35 miles to the south in the Berries. This is probably our favorite spot we have found thus far in the Bahamas! Isolated, unspoiled, and beautiful! I can’t wait to write the next blog post about this amazing place.

Teaser pic from Devils Cay area.

As of today, we are holed up in a protected anchorage in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera. There is a strong winter front coming and there are not many options outside of marinas to wait out weather which will have strong winds blowing from all directions in less than 36 hours! The winds are forecast to stay sporty so we may be stuck here for several days….that means time to catch up on writing about our adventures! More coming soon! Thanks for following along with BoatMonkeyAdventures!

See you Soon!

November 12, 2018 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 2 Comments

November 1, 2018 – Headed Home (A Belated Story of Our Return to Nassau/New Providence)

Hello again from BoatMonkeyAdventures.com!

Before I begin, let me start by once again thanking all of the amazing friends and family who have supported this journey in one fashion or another. While this is by no means a complete list, I want to especially say thank you to our friends Jess, Shane, Mark, Carolyn, Chris, and Beth who allowed us to house and pet sit while Eileen was in the yard. Thank you to Mark at Florida Keys Marine Diesel who helped us accomplish all of our repairs. Thank you to Phil, Kelly, and Jim at the Sunset Tiki, and to Sean at TowBoat US for putting me to work and keeping me off the streets this summer. Also, thank you to our amazing parents who support us in many ways to accomplish our goals! We love you ALL!

New Providence Island Revisited – A Pleasant Surprise

Most cruising visitors to the Bahamas are content to get in and out of Nassau/New Providence Island as quickly as possible. Checking into customs if needed and provisioning at the large US-style grocery stores with a quick stop at the modestly priced marinas for fuel, water, and laundry is often about as much time as the typical cruiser will spend here. On our way south and east, we were content to follow that logic, as Nassau has a reputation for being a little rough around the edges with prevalent street crime and petty theft. The last time I had been here was the late 90’s and I remembered it having that feel to it back then. The marinas in Nassau are a little run down and have minimal amenities, but serve the purposes mentioned above at a reasonable cost. Our marina had security and friendly enough staff and we didn’t really feel the need to wander down to town. We took care of our business and it was off to the Exumas!

Eileen just Chillin at Palm Cay Marina

If you have followed along or go back to read our last post, our return to the states started with a crossing back to New Providence from the Exumas to wait out the weather from an early tropical weather system. We were having some minor issues with the boat, Celia had one good arm, and we were eager to take advantage of the small weather window that would follow the passage of the storm. We pulled into an absolutely great marina on the southeast side of New Providence called Palm Cay Marina. There were a few days to kill while we waited out the weather. The marina had a courtesy car for marina guests to use for provisioning, etc. so Celia decided to look up a few places for us to explore and we ended up with a new appreciation for what this island has to offer…

Taking advantage of the facilities at Palm Cay Marina

The Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle Historic Site

The Queen’s Staircase, commonly referred to as the 66 steps, is a major landmark that is located in the Fort Fincastle Historic Complex in Nassau. It was hewn out of solid limestone rock by slaves between 1793 and 1794 and it is said that it provided a direct route from Fort Fincastle to Nassau City. These steps were later named in honor of Queen Victoria, who reigned in Britain for 64 years from 1837 to 1901.  There are only 65 steps visible because the pathway that leads to the steps was paved and the bottom step is buried under the asphalt.

Queens Staircase

The 66 steps

Queens Staircase

While hanging around the area, we struck up a conversation with the former Minister of Tourism, who now enjoys playing music for and talking to the many tourists who visit here. We enjoyed his company and he told us all about the details of this beautiful place.

Meeting New Friends

Fort Fincastle

This Fort was constructed of cut limestone c. 1793 and strategically placed atop Bennet’s Hill to protect historic Nassau town and its harbor; it was built under the governorship of John Murray, also called Viscount Fincastle, in the shape of a paddle-wheel steamer.

Fort Fincastle

Next stop was the Nassau Public Library. We hoped to learn a little more about the areas history and visit this historic building. Unfortunately, it was closed this day. We sat on the grounds to enjoy a picnic lunch and were approached by a well-dressed local who was promoting a cigar store and handing out brochures for it. After some casual conversation, we realized that was just a front for him to ask if we were “420 friendly”. He was trying to sell us some wacky tobaccy apparently! We politely declined and wished him a good day. It was on to the last stop on our little adventure this day…

Nassau Public Library

The Retreat Palm and Botanical Gardens

The Retreat National Park, established in 1977, is an 11-acre property that houses one of the largest private collections of rare and exotic palms in the world – about 170 species. It is a national park and the Administrative headquarters and educational center of The Bahamas National Trust (BNT). The Trust, a non-governmental, non-profit organization, was founded in 1959 with a mandate of developing and managing the National Park System of The Bahamas. To date, BNT has successfully developed, managed and protected 20 plus parks in The Bahamas, including the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park! In addition to the management and protection of The Bahamas’ fragile ecosystems, The Bahamas National Trust also provides environmental educational school programs throughout the year.

Exploring the grounds of The Retreat

We appeared to be the only visitors this day and talked for a while with the park manager. Apparently, this was at one time a private retreat. The owner starting collecting and planting palm trees from all over the world here almost 100 years ago. At one time it was indeed the largest collection of palm species in the world. The variety of palm tree species was staggering and neither Celia or I had any clue there were so many. They were so varied and beautiful! We took our time walking the grounds and took some pictures of our favorites.

Yep, its a real thing!

Zombie Palm!

Oh No! It bit Todd!

Boat Monkey warns us not to touch the Manchineal (Poisonwood) Trees

It was now time to head back to the marina and start our preparations for what we hoped would be 3-day weather window and passage back to the good ole USA. Please read on for the last post of this adventure detailing what likely ended up being one of the most difficult parts of the entire trip!

 

June 16, 2018 Uncategorized, Where We Have Been 0 Comments

JUNE 15, 2018 – ADVENTURES NORTH FROM GEORGETOWN

JUNE 16, 2018

LEAVING GEORGETOWN AND HEADED NORTH
When we last posted along our journey through the Bahamas, we had been comfortably anchored in Elizabeth Harbor off Georgetown, Exumas for some 10 days or more. Up to this point in the trip, we had been graced with mostly cooperative weather. We were about two months into exploring the Bahamas and had made the difficult decision to return to the states. We would begin a slow meander back through the central Bahamas instead of continuing on towards the Caribbean. As I looked at the charts, we started getting excited to see some of the places and islands we had missed on our way south. Celia and I began saying our goodbyes to the many amazing cruising friends we met along the way (this is the time when most cruisers are heading to wherever they will spend the summer hurricane season, or store their boats, or go back to jobs) and getting ready to slowly head back in the general direction of Florida. Glasses had been raised and hugs given. The boat was tidied and loose items stowed away for passage.

He didn’t care if we stayed or went…

Where to next?

I have discovered there is always a feeling of great anticipation mixed with nervous energy, and a sort of pre-nostalgia for the place you are leaving when you have been anchored in one location for more than a few days. The boat truly does sometimes feel like a living organism in that you feel that it senses and feeds off the energy of the crew. S/V Eileen seemed to bob in the water just a little more eagerly and smartly once she felt her lines and sails and anchor being organized and prepped to move again. We started studying the weather in earnest again to find the next good day to sail. It looked like rain for a day or two and we decided to wait out the wet weather.

Eileen at anchor

And then…It NEVER…STOPPED…RAINING. Day after day the weather forecasts would say it should clear out soon. But it didn’t. We tried to wait it out for almost another week after we were ready to go. We were getting stir-crazy. Bored. Antsy. We played lots of card and dice games, and read lots of books in between occasionally getting on each other’s nerves being cooped up as we were. Watching the weather started feeling like Groundhog Day, as the experts eventually conceded that we were in some kind of strange weather pattern with a stationary low pressure trough feeding us scattered rain and squalls for the foreseeable future. After that weather system moved on, Tropical system Alberto started kicking up precipitation throughout the region and did not look to be changing anytime soon. (Overall, the last month of our trip in the Bahamas had very few sunny days.) We were going to have to adjust, adapt, and go with it. We were very sick of being on the boat and wanted to both get moving and stretch our legs.

EMERALD BAY MARINA AND MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
About a 3 hour sail north from Georgetown is the Emerald Bay Marina. There we could plug into shore power and try to get the boat a little dried out with all our fans and clean up the boat and ourselves a bit after almost three weeks at anchor. We also needed to plan out the trip back to the east coast in a little more detail since we had no marina or housing or boat yard lined up. Nearby to Emerald Bay Marina were a couple of nice resorts where maybe we would treat ourselves to a nice dinner and enjoy some shoreside amenities. Emerald Bay is a huge modern marina development complete with floating docks (a rarity in the Bahamas) which was built probably 10-15 years ago. It was a massive project built in tandem with a very large high-end beach resort by one of the big hotel/hospitatlity companies. Somewhere along the line the entire property was bought out by Sandals, the all inclusive adults-only resort chain. They do not really run or operate marinas and the whole marina side of the property and business seems to be somewhat of an afterthought. It is slowly being let slide into disrepair and neglect, even while the resort proper seems to be thriving just next door. We were told by the marina staff that we were not allowed on the resort property unless you bought a day pass. However the resort next door which shares its beach with Sandals welcomes marina guests to its bar, restaurant, and beach. However, we had been told by our cruiser friends Mike and Jen (may or may not be their actual names) that it was possible to walk from the first resort along the beach and into the Sandals property…

Rousing game of Yatzee at the Emerald Bay Marina Lounge

DISCLAIMER:
The Hitchins family does not condone taking advantage of lapses in security protocol of multi-billion dollar corporations. The following story is for entertainment purposes only. More of a “What if?” kind of story. Look at it much like the OJ Simpson book, “If I did It”. This may or may not have actually happened…

OJ may or may not have killed those people…

So in case you don’t know, Sandals Resorts are ALL inclusive. The price range for rooms is $600-1800/night. There are no kids allowed. You can go to all of their many bars and restaurants located all over the property at any time of the day or night and get whatever you want, whenever you want. There is no payment, signing for anything, or tipping necessary. You can walk up to the pool bar and order 6 mojitos if you want. All day. Its all included. If you go into one of the restaurants, the hostess may ask for your name and room number to write down, but thats about it. After talking to our friends who had been in Georgetown most of the summer, we were intrigued. They claimed to have visited the resort four times when they had stayed at the marina. They said noone ever bothered or questioned them (so it must have been OK). They insisted it oculd be done. Others we spoke to had not shared these kinds of results. It was Mission Impossible time! Lets see if Celia and I had what it takes to slip into this high end party undetected and unmolested. Just like in the movies. Be real suave and act like you own everything in sight.

Our finest Beach Attire

“If I did It”, I would start by shaving and trimming up my beloved boat beard (which was getting a bit scraggly at this point), along with a long hot shower (with soap and shampoo and everything!) followed by Celia buzzing up my hair and neckline with our cordless trimmers. Celia would make me take off my little New Zealand greenstone fishermen’s hook pendant I had taken to wearing for a nautical good luck charm. We would dress in our fanciest beach attire and Celia would carry a nice clean and classy beach/tote bag (no dry-bag back packs and the like…that would be a dead giveaway that we were scummy cruisers from the marina!). Bust out the good leather wedding flip-flops and simply take a stroll into the resort next door where the public is welcome. Buy a drink. Then, once down on the beach shared with Sandals, slowly and casually start walking down at the water’s edge holding hands and cooing in each other’s ears. As you got near to the “boundary” nuetral zone part of the beach between the two resorts, you would see the first of two security guards looking out for riff-raff and non-guests. At this moment, Celia might beam a big smile and wave an exagerated wave at our good friends just down the beach a little further, except we don’t really know them. It would make us look like we belong and had just been walking the length of the beach for fun and were eager to reunite with our friends and fellow guests. We would stride purposefully towards them and pause to greet them, eliciting an awkward and confused response. We would make our way down to the little swings and hammocks over the water and act all romantic there for a minute. Then, we would head up towards the beach entrance to the resort where we might see another security guard. We might have two choices there…try to skirt the edge of the entrance area farthest from him; or we could look him in the eye, smile and greet him in a familiar way that says you’ve been there for days and seen him several times, use the foot rinsing station right next to him and generally act like you own the place. Tom Cruise would do the latter, so we would too.

Yep, That’s how we would have done it….

From there straight to the giant pool bar to order a Pina Colada and a Dark and Stormy. Perhaps a little time by the pool to read a book and cool off. Another round at the bar, why not?! Then we would make our way up to the lobby bathrooms (avoiding the people we had met at the marina who were attending a wedding at the resort and knew we were just marina guests). Once there, we would empty the contents of our classy tote bag-big purse thing and retreat to the fancy restrooms for a stealthy wardrobe change. In minutes, we would emerge in a beautiful dress and fresh makeup for Celia, a nice pair of ironed khaki shorts and a nice collar shirt for Toddo. For staff that may have noticed us earlier, it would seem as though we had briefly retired to our villa for a quick shower and a change of clothes. We would pick a restaurant and have a little dinner. Perhaps a big dinner. When the hostess asked for the name and room number, we would reply with an alias and give a four-digit number which we had been assured matched the room number scheme of the resort. It would be like Han Solo hoping the old imperial code would work to get the stolen shuttle through the Imperial defense shield. Once seated we would order up meals and drinks and chat up and laugh with the staff and bartender like we were old friends. Afterwards, we would stroll the property and eventually make our way back down the beach, through the neighboring resort and back to our marina and humble vessel. Yep, that’s how we would have done it!

Perusing a similar establishment

MERMAIDS AT RUDDER CUT CAY

We found a mermaid!

After a few days of pampering oursleves and doing our laundry and cleaning the boat up, we topped off water and fuel to start heading north again. We left on yet another drizzly, overcast day and made our way to the next anchorage we wanted to visit. Rumor had it that the area of Rudder Cut Cay had some great snorkeling and caves to explore, as well as a nice protected and secure anchorage. This area also contains many private islands, one of which is Musha Cay. Musha Cay is owned by magician David Copperfield. He has apparently placed several underwater sculptures in the nearby waters. One of these is of a mermaid seated at a grand piano. This we had to see! Once anchored up, it started raining again. The next morning, we had a brief moment of sunshine and hopped into the dinghy to see if we could find this alledged mermaid and explore some nearby caves. One of the coolest geologic features we have enjoyed in the Exumas was all of the caves! Big, small, and everything in between. Some you could swim in and out of, some you could drive a small boat into, and some you could jump down into from holes in the tops of the islands! Some are touristy and marked on the charts, and some you really have to go look for, or be told where they are or you would never even know they existed.

Cave Skylight

Cave Exploration, Eileen in background

Stingray in the cave

She never did acknowledge me…

Mermaid contemplating her next tune…

STANIEL CAY: THUNDERBALL GROTTO AND SWIMMING PIGS

Next was a little more ambitious sail up to Staniel Cay. This is one of the more popular and touristy islands in the Exumas. Celia and I had skipped it on the way south as we were being a little snobby about trying to stay off the beaten path and had heard it was expensive and crowded. Most people visit Staniel Cay for two main attractions; this is where the famous swimming pigs are located on the nearby island of Big Major Cay; and secondly, this is where the famous Thunderball Grotto is located. Thunderball Grotto is one of the most beautiful cave structures in the Bahamas. It offers swim through snorkeling and an amazing healthy coral wall on the back side of the island. It was made famous in its namesake James Bond movie, Thunderball. It was where they hid the stolen nukes and had the underwater fight scene.

Pulling into Staniel Cay Cut Under Sail

We anchored off of Pig Beach on Big Major to spend a couple days exploring the area. An added bonus was that our dear long-time Key West friend Andy Moore would be there at the same time! He was working aboard an amazing high-tech carbon fiber catamaran named “Crux”, helping the new owners learn and sail the new boat. One of the owners, Seth, also had a Key West history and even briefly worked for Sebago at the same time as me around 2001! Small world! They graciously invited us over for a gourmet steak dinner and drinks. This boat was amazing and beautiful. Check out Andy’s Facebook if you know him for some pics of the boat. We got a full tour of the boat and were amazed to learn that it can regularly sail at over 25 kts! That is ridiculous fast for a cruising sailboat…again, we plan our passages for only 5 kts. It was great to see some familiar faces and make new friends Seth and Linda.

Anchorage in background from Pig Beach with pig in foreground…

Dinner aboard S/V Crux with Andy, Seth and Linda…and Dude!

The next day’s adventure took us to the infamous Thunderball Grotto for some snorkeling. It lived up to the hype! Our pictures are not that great since we were still in the throes of never-ending rain and clouds, so the lighting was not ideal. However, we braved the wind and rain to catch the afternoon slack low tide (the best time to visit) one day and did about an hour of snorkeling with an awesome cruising family we had met along our travels. J.R., Laura, and their two awesome kids aboard S/V Aisling were always up for an adventure! The caves were stunning and you could swim in and out of 3 giant areas underneath the island. On the back side of this island was some of the most beautiful and healthy coral I had seen to date all along the rock wall down to about 25 feet. I wish the light had been better for pictures!

Celia ponders entering the Grotto!

Cmon in…waters fine!

Thunderball Grotto

More Grotto

Wall at Thunderball Grotto

On the actual island of Staniel Cay is the famous Staniel Cay Yacht Club and Marina. There is a cool little beach for landing dinghies over to the side. There are not a lot of slips at the marina, so most yachts and boats anchor off Big Major Island about 1/4 mile away. Big Major is also where the famous “swimming pigs” reside. Overall, Staniel Cay is a great facility and island. They have a couple dozen rental villas overlooking the water and marina that looked fun. The famous bar and restaurant was a great hangout spot; very casual, and full of cruisers, resort guests, yachties, and locals alike. The island itself can be walked in about an hour and a half. Staniel Cay is one of the cleanest, friendliest, and well maintained islands we visited. There seems to occasionally be a little culturally rooted apathy on many of the islands as far as maintenance, cleanliness, and customer service are concerned. We experienced none of that here. There are two really cute “grocery stores” on the island for provisioning. One is the aptly named “Blue Store” and the other is the “Pink Store”. They are both tiny buildings to the side of the proprietor’s residential houses, but both were fully stocked with a good selection of vegetables and fruit and other staples. The older woman who owned and ran the one I shopped at was one of the sweetest people I met in the Bahamas! She gave me a free banana (since I told her I don’t bring them on the boat) and we chatted while I enjoyed her A/C and ate my banana. We had a fun day exploring the island a bit, talking with the locals, and spending a couple hours at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Bar. I must say that most of the negative comments (fuel and laundry and provisions were a little pricey) from other cruisers were mostly unfounded and we enjoyed hanging out here for a few days.

Staniel Cay

Rental Villas

The Bar

Dinghy Beach

The next day, we paid our obligatory visit to the famous Pig Beach. These “wild pigs” were intoduced here some time ago and are now tagged and protected. Hundreds of people come to see the pigs every day it seems, and they will readily swim out to dinghies before you even get to the beach looking for handouts from the tourists. There are stories of pigs popping dingies with their sharp hooves. They also can get aggresive on the beach if you are feeding them and/or holding food in your hands. Our cruiser friend Eli from S/V Selah almost got his thumb bitten off! He had to go to the local hospital and get powerful antibiotics and was bandaged up and out of commision for weeks! It bit him clear down to the bone…gross! With that fresh in our minds, we went late in the afternoon when the piggies seemed to be a little more sleepy and had been fed by the other tourists all day. We also brought no food. My overall feeling about the famous swimming pigs is that they are cute and friendly pigs, and it is funny to see them swim around and chase unwitting cruise ship passengers on a day trip, but I must say it was not too exciting. The beach has lots of pig poop everywhere, so we took a few pics and made our way back to the mothership.

“Mmmmmm….Bacon for breakfast.”

Piggies

It was time to get moving again. From here, the plan was to make our way up as far as we could…maybe revisit a spot or two in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The rain however, persisted. While we made a stop at Shroud Cay (one of our favorite spots on the way south), we really more or less stayed on the boat. Since the weather wasn’t cooperating for outdoor fun, we decided to go to what would be our last stop in the Exumas before heading back across Yellow and White Banks to New Providence Island (Nassau).

Boat Monkey gets a new Bahamas pin to add to his collection (bottom left)

Highbourne Cay is another privately owned and developed resort and marina island. They have a nice protected anchorage from prevailing winds and you can access their facilities to get minor provisions or visit their restaurant and bar, etc. It also has a Batelco (Bahamas Telephone Company) tower, so we could access good internet. We caught up on some business and tried to get a handle on where we would end up for the summer. As we also watched the weather, it became evident that Tropical Storm Alberto was starting to move north. We would continue to feel its effects with at least more rain and wind, if not more tropical storm type weather if it moved further east. Crossing the Yellow Bank is challenging in cloudy or windy weather due to the chop that builds up in the wind, and the inability to see the numerous uncharted and shallow coral heads in low-light conditions. Regardless, if we really wanted to be protected from some of the impending and possible weather and keep making progress, we were going to have to make our way back towards New Providence and hide out in a marina or protected anchorage for a few days.

While hiking the beach we found a Night Hawk resting.

BACK TO NEW PROVIDENCE
Despite the somewhat bad weather, it was only going to get worse so we began the 35-40 mile sail and bid a fond and sad farewell to the wonderful Exumas Islands. As you may recall, we were not using the engine much at this point due to the excessive vibration issues we were having. We had to move under sail power alone whenever possible. There was luck with us this day and we had some decent wind to take advantage of, but not enough to kick up the nasty sharp waves and seas in the Banks. It was ultimately decided that we would ride out whatever weather was coming in a marina. We had originally planned to head back to Nassau and tie up at one of the cheap cruiser marinas there. However, some other friends had told us about a very new marina development on the southeast corner of New Providence that was only slightly more money and had all kinds of nice new facilities including a pool and beach and clean showers and bath houses. They also offered a free courtesy car for guests to use. We were sold! We were on to Palm Cay Marina! Here we would induldge ourselves for the last time with nice shoreside amenities and ride out whatever weather Alberto had to offer.

Eileen just Chillin at Palm Cay Marina

CURRENT UPDATE AND COMING SOON…
As many of you know, we are back stateside as of this writing. I have two more followup posts coming over the next few days. The first will detail our awesome second visit to New Providence/Nassau. From there we began a grueling 4 day passage back to Florida. This last passage ended up being perhaps the most phyically exhausting and mentally challenging part of the entire trip. I won’t spoil the details, so let me end by simply stating that we made landfall in Key Largo, grabbed a couple hours of sleep on a reef mooring ball and headed to Marathon the next morning. Ironically (and thankfully for my sanity), the 50+ mile sail from Key Largo to Marathon was one of the nicest and fastest sails we had the entire trip! We put Eileen in a marina and flew immediately to Indiana to pick up our truck and cargo trailer from Celia’s dad’s house. A little family time, a stop to see old Key West friends Adam and Rochelle and Jessica in Asheville, and we are just arrived back in the Keys. Next week, we move the boat to Robbie’s in Key West for a haulout and repairs. We will be house/pet sitting, working, and working on the boat through August. At that time we will be either living back aboard in a marina, or storing the boat on land until November when we will try again next season to make it further down the Caribbean. To my Keys friends, I am looking for possible short term rental or house sitting or couch surfing options starting in August if we do not keep the boat in the water. I am also available for fill in or part time work for the next several months and have the same phone number if anyone wants to get in touch!

Love from Todd, Celia, and BoatMonkey

If you are still with me, I assume you have been following along so stand by for the FINAL TWO POSTS FROM THIS TRIP COMING SOON. The first will be about our second visit back to New Providence Island/Nassau, which was much more fun and interesting than expected. The second will detail the four-day continuous passage from there back to Florida…probably the most challenging moments of the last 6 months in which we have been “off the dock” and out cruising.

I cannot express enough how amazing it has been and how grateful we are that so many of our friends and family have followed along, encouraged, and supported us during this crazy life change and adventure we have embarked on. It means more than I can express here. I look forward to lots of Keys hugs and laughs coming soon! I will be doing some guest-bartending at the Sunset Tiki starting tomorrow (Sunday, June 17).

Much Love from Todd and Celia
Aboard S/V Eileen – Currently berthed at Skipjack Marina in Marathon, FL.

May 13, 2018 Adventures Log, Where We Have Been 0 Comments

May 5, 2018 – Georgetown, Exumas & Lee Stocking Island

May 5, 2018
Georgetown, Exumas via Lee Stocking Island

LEE STOCKING ISLAND
We departed Little Farmers Cay heading south towards Georgetown on an overcast morning to an anchorage at Lee Stocking Island. We only had a sail of about 20 miles to get there. This leg would get us about half of the remaining distance to Georgetown. There was a nice 15-20 knot breeze with a good point of sail so we figured on a 4 hour trip, anchor up to anchor down.

It was a little more sporty than we anticipated as we exited the cut to Exuma Sound. We had a single reef in the mainsail and let out about 2/3 of the genoa once Eileen was on course. We turned on our trusty new autopilot (which we affectionately call “Number 3”, since he is essentially the 3rd member of our crew; he is a hard worker, doesn’t eat much, and rarely complains…we get along well) and we were on our way once again.

Lee Stocking Island was on my list of places I knew I wanted to stop before we came to the Exumas. Lee Stocking was once home to the Caribbean Marine Research Center. CMRC was managed and partly funded by NOAA (in partnership with universities and other entities), for whom I was a contract worker for almost 10 years. I’d heard what an amazing facility it was and had hoped to visit while it was still an active marine lab. Unfortunately, it closed before I got the chance.

Caribbean Marine Research Center

The large property is located in the heart of the Exumas and boasts over 30 buildings, 2 large docks, a boat ramp, moorings, a nearby airstrip, and access to diverse and pristine coral reef ecosystem habitats nearby. CMRC housed a full service laboratory for resident and visiting scientists, conducting research on aquaculture, geology, climate science, and many other subjects. They even had a two man submarine!

No Trespassing!

CMRC lost their funding sometime around 2013, and the place has been more or less abandoned ever since. I’d heard you could just wander around the property and poke around. Despite some obligatory “No Trespassing” signs, I believe this was true until fairly recently. We were a little disappointed to find out that there seemed to be some new activity at the property. There was a work crew cutting back and cleaning up some of the overgrown landscaping that had accumulated over the last several years. One building also contained new windows and doors and seemed to have been made habitable again. I don’t know if it is in preparation of some private development (unfortunately seems to be the way of things). I have not yet tracked down or researched the current ownership or status of the property. Although we poked around the outskirts a little bit, we didn’t really get to explore the actual labs and buildings. Bummer!

Another beach to ourselves!

Before moving on, I should note that Celia and I had quite the adventure entering the cut to Lee Stocking! Marked at its entrance with a large, slightly phallic stone pillar, Adderly Cut is a deep but narrow cut, one of many that bring you from the open water of Exuma Sound through the islands and west onto the Bahama Bank. Some are too shallow for a sailboat to go all the way through but often offer access to protected anchorages in the protection of the islands. Adderly Cut is one of the latter. When the prevailing east wind is against an outgoing tide from Bahama Bank, these narrow cuts can build up steep, confused waves with the current in your face at up to 3 knots or more in some cases! Most prudent sailors make sure they navigate these cuts with either calm winds, an incoming or slack tide, or both. While we do consider ourselves in that category, mistakes do occasionally happen…

“We are gonna need a bigger boat!”

Somehow, when planning this leg of our journey, we had written in our notes that the tide at 3:30pm that day was a high or incoming tide and would be in our favor for entering the cut. Instead, when we arrived, it was an outgoing tide with fresh winds in the opposite direction! The cut had large, steep, and confused breaking waves. The waves crashed menacingly on the rocky shore to either side. To top it off, one side of the narrow cut has partially submerged rocks which also looked threatening. The waves were breaking and foaming all around them. Since it was late in the day, we didn’t really have time to get to another safe anchorage in daylight. We looked at the cut and its waves through the binoculars and decided it was going to be challenging, but we could more or less safely give it a go.

After making sure everything was secure, we took a deep breath and increased the throttle to give us more control and speed as we fought the waves and current for a half a mile or so. Let’s just say it was one of the most “exhilarating” experiences I have had aboard Eileen since we have owned her. It was basically a washing machine of 3-5 ft. breaking waves with a 2 knot current against us. It took every bit of focus and attention to make sure we stayed straight and in good water. Eileen was responsive and well behaved as she surfed down a couple large waves and smashed into others. Just as I gained a little white knuckle confidence that this was tricky but doable, I heard Celia yell “wave!”. I was focused on what was happening in front of us and never saw the huge wave that came from broadside. It literally hit the back end of the boat from the side like a big roundhouse punch to the back of your head! The unexpected feeling of something pounding into the boat almost made me pee my pants as Eileen shuddered just enough to make me scared for a split second.

In reality, Eileen is a well built boat and it was nothing you would not experience on an open ocean crossing dozens of times. However, in the moment, I thought we had made our first big mistake in attempting the cut. Eileen powered through the last few hundred yards with some active steering by me, and Celia and I just looked at each other and shared a nervous smile for a couple minutes before we said much. These are the moments you learn from and savor later when you tell the tale. As long as we were on our game (and the engine didn’t die at the wrong moment), it wasn’t too awful in hindsight…but it will make me more careful next time!

The other highlight of our couple days hanging around Lee Stocking was a hike to the top of Perry’s Peak. At a whopping 39 meters of elevation, Perry’s Peak is purported to be the highest point in all of the Exumas island chain! After a quick ride down the shore to the trailhead, we beached the dinghy and headed up. 30 minutes later, we were rewarded with likely the most stunning 360 degree views we have seen so far in the Bahamas! So many variations of the color blue! Absolutely a must-do hike if you’re ever here.

View from Perry’s Peak

Perry’s Peak with Boat Monkey

GEORGETOWN, EXUMAS
(aka Chicken Harbor, aka Cruiser Day Camp, aka The Budget Buster)

Georgetown, Exumas lies at the southern end of Great Exuma Island at the bottom of the Exuma chain. This area is a Mecca for cruisers. There is a huge area of relatively protected water called Elizabeth Harbor contained by Great Exuma to the west and Stocking Island (not the same as the aforementioned “Lee Stocking” Island) to the east. Within the harbor, there is room for several hundred boats to anchor with protection from most weather conditions.

The town of Georgetown sits roughly in the middle on the Great Exuma side and is easily accessed by dinghy. One of the local grocery stores maintains a dinghy dock for all the cruisers to get into town and even has free water at the dock! Downtown Georgetown is layed out in a circle situated around Lake Victoria. You can only access the lake on a dinghy or small outboard due to a very low bridge. This is the last major town/provisioning stop in the Bahamas for vessels heading south to the Caribbean or east to the Bahamian Out Islands.

For hundreds of cruisers, Georgetown is the last stop of a journey for those who cruise seasonally and head back to the States for the summer (us included, it seems…more on that later). Over the years it has become its own boating community, and often the boats that come here spend the entire winter without going anywhere else! Once we settled in, it was easy to see why! The place is like adult summer camp; every day starts with the “cruisers net” on the VHF radio where boaters share community events, ask for help, buy or sell items, ask questions, and organize group activities. Every single day offers opportunities to hike, play beach volleyball, snorkel, participate in art projects, go to potlucks and parties, attend music lessons and jam sessions, play Texas Hold’em Poker, attend concerts and special events, go to beautiful nearby beaches, and oh yeah….drink.

Boat Monkey trying a little hair of the dog treatment for his headache.

The world famous “Chat and Chill” beach bar is the hub of hanging out for the cruising crowd. They have food, beer, and drinks in a casual setting for a reasonable price. This is also where the free and open community beach volleyball courts are located. There are dozens of picnic tables spread around under the shade of Casurina trees where people are welcome to “chat and chill” even if you are not patronizing the bar. There are rope swings and places for kids to run around and play while the adults socialize. Forget stopping by for one beer…before you know it, you are 4 beers in and on your 4th game of dominoes or sweaty and covered in sand out on the volleyball court. This establishment lived up to its name as we spent many days “chatting and chilling” here.

Chat and Chill Beach taken from Eileen.

Chat and Chill Bar

Although I am not very good, I very much enjoy playing beach volleyball and had planned on that becoming my daily exercise regimen. There were daily pickup games that started around 2pm. After about three days of playing, I was shaking off the rust and getting better. We had a good group playing every afternoon. However, under the several inches of sand on the courts lies a layer of hard limestone cap rock. It was probably about our fourth day when I tried to make a play on the ball; my foot went through the sand and I stubbed my big toe on the rock below. I knew as soon as I felt it that it wasn’t good. When I rinsed it off to inspect, I found that i had a dime-sized flap of skin off the front of the toe and the toenail was no longer attached! My first injury of the trip ended my brief volleyball career. It also meant I was unable to swim or play volleyball for over 10 days while I let it heal. Bummer!

Letting the injury heal…

Just days after our arrival was a visit from our friends Beth and Cal to celebrate Beth’s 40th birthday. Luckily for all of us, their arrival coincided with Georgetown’s biggest event of the year; The Family Islands Sail Regatta. Three classes of classic Bahamian Cat boats race for three days around the harbor. Teams from every island in the Bahamas compete in what is known as the “World Series” of Bahamian sailing. The harbor and town filled up with both locals and tourists alike to watch this historic regatta. Once comprised of actual working sailboats, the event has evolved to feature boats made and designed for competition. A committee is now charged with raising money for prizes and organizing the event. The rules for Bahamian sloop racing are clear; the boats must be built, owned, skippered, and mostly crewed by Bahamians. The sails must be canvas, the hull made of wood, and contain a single wooden mast with no spreaders, winches, or any kind of wind instrument (including tell-tales). This is sailing in its purest form!

No Fun here..

Each race is 3 laps around a triangular course from a standing start. Once the gun goes off, the crew scrambles to raise both anchor and sail at the same time. This may have been the best part of the race! The crews are yelling at each other as the boats crash into each other and everyone tries to gain their position. Once the boats catch the wind and heel over, the crew shifts the ballast by climbing out on wooden planks called “prys” that extend out from the windward side of the boat about 4 or 5 feet. The crew (sometimes up to 6 people) climb out and sit on the prys to balance the boat and constantly adjust position based on the skipper’s orders. We had some windy days and even saw a few crew members actually fall in! Apparently, boats that don’t stop for their man overboard are disqualified!

Race Underway

What made the event so exciting is that spectators are allowed to get close and follow the boats around the course in their dinghies and outboards! I even got yelled at by a committee boat for being in the race course and had to bob and weave to get out of their way. One of the race boats even hit an anchored cruising boat with its long boom. It was so windy the second day of races that several boats actually capsized and sank! It was truly an amazing experience. To top it off, one of the visiting cruisers had a background in sail racing and called the race on the VHF like an ESPN announcer…he was great and made the race even more dramatic than it already was.

Raising anchor and sail at the start gun

During race week, Georgetown itself transforms the government dock into a makeshift shanty town of bars and eateries, while the nearby park hosts live music on a big stage. The atmosphere is lively and those who are not afraid to party late night were treated to a Junkanoo march; a true island and Bahamian tradition! One of the shanty town bars even billed itself as the “Billion Dollar Bar”. My Key West friends will appreciate that all I could do was think how Don’s Place just got one-upped!

Balancing the weight on a calm day

While our friends were here, we took full advantage of all the area had to offer. We hung out on the dinghy watching 3 days of traditional sailboat racing, we made lots of new friends among the other cruisers (…and our livers will vouch for how much fun we had hanging out with all the great people here). We learned new dice games, Cal almost got kicked out of the Texas Hold’em tournament, we hiked up Monument Hill to see the stone monument (apparently a monument to “nothing” according to the locals), sampled the local food (lots of conch!), checked out more watering holes, visited other boats, had bonfires on the beach, snorkeled, swam, and “chatted and chilled”.

Monument on Monument Hill

View of one of the anchorages from Monument Hill

All of this makes me think of how amazing and generous the boat cruising community is. Strangers came to my boat to help me figure out electrical issues or offered spare parts when we had solar charging issues. We loaned a hard drive of movies to a neighbor boat and they brought it back with a gift certificate for lunch at a local restaurant. If anyone asked for help or a spare part or a engine hose or a ride to town on the morning VHF net, they had what they needed before noon. Two boats that were struck by lightning had new chartplotters and VHF radios and charge controllers by the day after they got here (for free) from fellow cruisers. It’s really a microcosm of how a community should function! Everyone looks out for one another…if someone has something another boater needs, they will share or give it to them…if someone asks for help, someone will step up to help them. It is beautiful to feel and see, and something I will cherish about this experience.

Lots of jockeying for position and yelling at the race start.

So…suddenly it was three weeks later and there we were…still anchored up in Elizabeth Harbor across from Georgetown. Prior to this, we had not spent more than three days in any one spot! Our monthly budget was shot from too many bars and restaurants…my toe was still banged up and Celia sprained her shoulder while exercising (doing a “leg” workout no less!)…I was starting to grab beers at 10am…we were starting to have social obligations every night because we met so many fun and nice people…the anchor chain was growing seaweed. It was obviously past time to go! In our defense, we had not planned on being there so long. There was a weird stalled weather system over much of the Bahamas which caused it to rain for 6 days straight! Everyone in the harbor was going stir-crazy. I felt especially sorry for the families with 3+ kids they had to entertain on a 40 foot boat! Celia and I were ready for some sunshine and quiet anchorages.

Monument Hill

Finally on the 6th day of rain, we couldn’t take it anymore and motored up 12 miles to Emerald Bay Marina where we would be able to stretch our legs and hang out on land a bit. That is a tale for another day though…

Where to next?

As we write this, it is with mixed emotions that we have turned the boat north from Georgetown. Anyone who reads the cruising books will know that Elizabeth Harbor at Georgetown has the nick-name “Chicken Harbor”. It gets this name from the fact that many boaters who thought they would continue on to the Caribbean often only make it as far as Georgetown before they realize the route gets tougher from there with longer passages and contrary winds, especially the later it gets in the season. Many realize they or their boats are not really up to the task. Many more make excuses why they must go back to the States and promise they will head south “next year.” For us, it was a combination of many factors, but I don’t think it was because we were “chicken” (insert Marty McFly reference). We got started very late in the cruising season (i.e. pre-hurricane season). The boat revealed a few semi-serious maintenance issues which cannot be ignored or put off and would be ridiculous expensive to get done in the islands. Our house batteries need to be replaced (this is how we power our fridge, lights, fans, radio, charge phones, etc.); we have a leaky rudder post, our folding prop needs to be rebuilt and is causing vibration (which could also be related to the old motor mounts); some engine hoses need to be replaced; our forward water tank leaks under our bed…blah blah blah. None of them are sinking the boat, but it will be a lot easier and cheaper to deal with them stateside. This was the boat’s first real and extended use in many years and her first long range trip since we set about prepping her for cruising. She has revealed her weaknesses (not many) and the areas we neglected. We have dialed in what we do and don’t need to have and have functioning out here. We will take some time this summer to make a little money and finish dialing in our beloved Eileen. We will likely be back sometime in late June…location TBD. Until then, we will continue to explore the beautiful Bahamas. We might check out Eleuthera or the Abacos, and will certainly hit some more of the Berry Islands before heading back across the Stream. And we WILL be heading south again next year!

Introducing some cruisers and their kids to competitive Hermit Crab Racing

“Snorkeler! Are you OK???”

Keep an eye out for my next post as we stay at giant marina developments, crash exclusive resorts, get invaded by mosquitoes, find a mermaid, explore more caves, and dodge thunderstorms. I hope you enjoy these ramblings.

With much love, Toddo and Celia
Currently anchored off of Rudder Cut Cay, Exumas