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It’s Wednesday morning and we are anchored off of the “pig beach” here in Big Major Spot, near Staniel Cay in the Exumas.  This island is famous for it’s resident pig population.  How odd is that?  Pigs?  We have been here before and I wrote about one of those visits.  Another front is headed our way, although it’s not going to be a particularly strong one, unlike some of the ones that hit earlier in the season with such annoying westerly winds.

Our plan is to hang out here until Friday when  the winds shift to the north so we can have a good sail for the 55 mile run down to Georgetown where we will begin our preparation to make the jump to Cuba by mid March.

Although the front isn’t going to be all that strong, it will bring a westerly component wind for a day or so until it shifts back to a northerly component later in the week.  As we don’t want to be on a lee shore, with those westerly winds, we will be moving behind the island nearby to get shelter and also be in a convenient spot to begin our run south to Georgetown.

Once we are in Georgetown, we will be able to do some re-provisioning prior to leaving for Cuba.  As there are so many boats in Georgetown, more than 350 at last count, I expect that we will find some folks that we know.

We are also hoping that we will be able to hook up with another boat or two that are headed to Cuba so that we can “buddy-boat” with them on our run south.  It will be nice to have some company on our long run south.

I know that Brenda is anxious about our multi-day run south to Cuba so by extension, I am too.  It’s important that I make this as comfortable as possible for her as the run of 350 miles is about twice as long as her furthest run to date.

It’s nice to be back on the hook again as the boat rides much more comfortably when she’s pointed into the wind as opposed to being blown onto a dock by wind on the beam as was the case at Over Yonder Cay.  However, it’s tough to have left behind the comforts, and great WIFI of Over Yonder Cay.  This photo of the pavilion where we had our last lunch prior to leaving a few days ago certainly is a good illustration of how beautiful the spot is.
Oh yeah, I should mention that when we left OYC the other day we did so at dead low and promptly ran aground as we headed out onto the banks.  It’s amazing how much of a difference 6″ of draft makes when compared to our “old” Pandora.  Being stuck on the bottom for about two hours as we waited for the tide to come up was an ample reminder that we were indeed “not in Kansas any more” as we left OYC in our wake.

And even though it took almost three hours to go the 5 miles from OYC to where we are now, with 2+ hours stuck on a sand bank, we were rewarded with a nearly full moon rising spectacularly as we enjoyed dinner in the cockpit. Oh yeah, when it comes to running around, there are two types of boaters, one that runs aground and those who lie about it.   Me, I  don’t lie…on a regular basis.

So, while it’s a week or two until we head south to Cuba we are both looking forward to the trip with a mixture of anxiety about the unknown and excitement about the possibilities.

And, boy, do I ever wish I had taken Spanish when I was in highschool.  Perhaps Brenda’s study of Latin will help.  Hmm…

Well,  I guess that’s about it for now.  Time to move to a more sheltered spot.   Along the way today we hope to have lunch at the newly renovated Staniel Cay Yacht Club.  They have a very nice addition to their dining room and that will be fun to enjoy.  No, it’s not a “yacht club” by U.S. standards but it’s pretty nice never the less.

It’s Monday morning and it looks like it’s time to move on from Over Yonder Cay where we have been for several days.  Ethan has been a terrific host during our stay and has made us feel welcome and very much at home.

This island, very much the vision of Ed, the owner, is a really remarkable island and I now have a much better feel for the complexity of what went in to developing it and in keeping a place like this running smoothly.   About 20 of the 30 employees that are working here on any given day are brought to the island from nearby Black Point Settlement by Ethan who shoves off from the marina dock at about 6:30 to make the hour round trip and then takes them back at the end of the day.

Along with the day to day trimming of plantings and general cleaning on the island, there are constant upgrades to infrastructure equipment.

I can’t imagine how complicated it is for Ethan and the staff to keep up with everything but they do.  In just the last few weeks, the solar system was upgraded and a new reverse osmosis plant was put into operation, just to mention two large projects.

Ethan was kind enough to share some construction photos with me that give a pretty good idea of the scale of what went into putting this facility together.

This photo is from early in the construction process when there wasn’t much on the island.  The round cut in the top center was the beginning of the dredging of the harbor, carved out of solid limestone.    It’s a lot different now.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, had to be brought in by water including really heavy stuff like this tractor.  And, when it breaks, and yes, everything breaks in this harsh environment, Ethan had to find a way to fix it “in the bush”.   No simple feat.   I am sure that Ethan would agree that when it comes to keeping a remote island running smoothly, “it’s always something” as Gilda Radner’s character Roseanne Roseanadana once famously said.
Where there are now perfect paths made of millions of cement pavers, there was nothing but sand.
The beginnings of a totally “green” island.  If they didn’t have the solar and wind farms, the cost keep the lights on would be in the millions of dollars per year in fuel alone.    And that doesn’t even take into account the carbon footprint of an island powered by diesel generators.  Not many islands in the Bahamas have embraced alternative energy but they should as it just makes sense. Unlike most construction in the Bahamas that is primarily cement, the buildings here are primarily of frame construction.   Just getting enough skilled labor to put up these very complex structures must have been a daunting. When Brenda and I were here for our last visit two years ago, Ethan gave us a half day tour of every inch of the island.  I wrote about it in this post.  It’s worth checking out to see just how far they have come in creating a near perfect oasis  “over yonder” in the Bahamas.

Have a hankering to visit?  Here’s the Over Yonder Cay site complete with some amazing video footage, so you can contact them yourself.

Brenda and I hate to leave and sure hope that we’ll be invited back soon.

I guess I’d better get ready to head out so I’ll leave it at that for now.

It’s Saturday morning and Brenda and I are chilling out at Over Yonder Cay.  It’s pretty windy so we are pinned to the dock and couldn’t leave even if we wanted to, which we don’t.

The wind is blowing about 20 from the east but it should ease up in a day or so.  For now, it’s shore time for us.   Tonight we will cook out at the pavilion near the beach,  a beautiful spot with a great kitchen and it’s NOT BEING USED so we can hang out there all by ourselves.   Brenda tells me that dinner will be flank steak, smashed twice baked potatoes and grilled veggies.  Yum.

Last night we were visited aboard Pandora for dinner by Ethan, Jamie and their new baby Levi as well as Jamie’s mother Sherry .   Levi was so good. So was everyone else but you know how babies can be when grownups keep them out too late.  Brenda doing her thing practicing at being a grandmother when Levi finally decided to cry a little.  I expect that he saved his full wail for when his parents finally decided to go to bed.   Better them than me.    Been there, done that.  Such a good baby.  Love the camo pants.  Ethan gave me a tour of the island today.  I was particularly interested in the new RO system that they just installed last week.  It’s just huge. This is the flow meter showing that it is producing 48 gallons per minute.  Amazing. That means that the capacity of the system is 70,000 gallons per 24 hours.   No need to ration water here.  No kidding.   The system aboard Pandora only generates 6 gallons per hour.  Actually, that’s more my speed and a lot more pocketbook friendly.

And, all of the power for the island comes from solar and wind.   There are three huge turbines and about 1.5 acres of solar panels. While most of the power comes from solar, I personally just love the turbines. They make a gentle (well, gentle for something two hundred feet tall) whooshing sound. They have backup generators but they only get used a few times per year.   But hey, when you need em, you need em. The island also consumes a great deal of manpower with about 30 people working on most any day.  Each morning at about 06:30 someone from the island takes a skiff over to the local settlements, Black Point and Staniel Cay to pick up about 20 day workers.  And, as an added bonus, if you work here you are fed breakfast and lunch, compliments of OYC.  Such a deal.

I took a run to drop off some folks last night.  What a ride.  And I thought that 9kts on Pandora was fast.   Can you say white knuckle?When we stopped at the dock everyone scrambled off in an instant.  In spite of the bumpy ride and 40kts boat speed, everyone (but me) just casually sat on the gunnels, checking their e-mail and looking at Facebook.   Dressed in only shorts and a t-shirt, I immediately realized that I had made a mistake when everyone else showed up in hoodies and wind breakers.   It was pretty brisk with the 40+ kt apparent winds as we blasted along.  I have noticed that when Bahamians get behind the wheel of a powerboat, the only speed that they know is “full out”.    In this case, all 500 horses screaming.I guess it’s like just about like any other commute.   However, for the “big kids” this is the preferred mode of transportation.   I can’t say that I blame them.  What a ride.  And, there are two of them available at all times.   It’s sort of like Enterprise Car rental for the .01%.  “We pick you up.”  And, they do, and in style. I understand that the plane was painted yellow by the previous owner because he flew all over South America and he wanted to have a plane that would show up as much as possible if he ended up ditching in the jungle.   Good thinking.  It looks just awesome.  My dad would have “gone bonkers” (as he used to say) over this one.

And the pilot Scott, carefully washes down every inch of the plane (with part of that 70,000 gallons of RO water) after each flight and wipes it down with a special anti-corrosion liquid.   So, what kind of anchor does a sea plane carry?  Fortress aluminum, what else?  You probably didn’t even know it carried an anchor anyway.

The views from the plane must look like this but from WAY higher up. I took this shot from one of the highest points on the island.   Not a terribly crowded anchorage.
One of the local “residents” was quite curious as I passed by. Pandora looks just wonderful on the dock all by herself in this morning’s light.  Well, by herself if you don’t count the yellow plane.  What a combo. Perhaps I’ll close with an Over Yonder Cay sunset, hopefully not the last we will enjoy before we head south next week. Lots to do and explore today so I’ll sign off for now.   If you feel like heading “Over Yonder”, this is the place to go.

It’s Friday morning and we are tied up the dock at Over Yonder Cay.  You may recall that we had visited this private island once before about two years ago.   The island is private and available for charter.  Fortunately, we are friends with the owner Ed, so visiting on Pandora is possible.

We were particularly excited about seeing Ethan and Jamie who work on the island.  They were newly weds when we visited last time and now have growing family.  Very exciting.  We will be having them to dinner aboard Pandora tonight.  It will be a fun to catch up.

The run from Nassau here is a bit over 75 miles, a pretty good distance, but we did it in a single day on Pandora with a stiff breeze that peaked at near 30kts as we arrived yesterday afternoon.  I  was so pleased to have the bow thruster as I maneuvered up to the dock in such strong winds.

The wind was from the north so our run was a beam to broad reach the whole way.  We were blasting along at nearly 10kts much of the time.   What a thrill.   This video gives you a feel of now stable Pandora is at speed, even with a pretty good chop on the banks.
What the heck, how about another short piece of her speeding along. Love to go fast but it’s a bit unnerving to see the bottom through the clear water. At a few points along the way we only had a few feet under the keel and as we crossed the Yellow Banks, we had to dodge the coral heads that come pretty close to the surface.  Fortunately, they show up well and look like black ink spots on the water.   I don’t want to think would have happened if we had hit at those speeds.
The wind here on the dock was pretty strong last evening and is sill nearly 20kts today.  Pandora is being pressed hard against the dock.  Good thing I have lots of big fenders.

Take a look at these numbers?  Not a huge amount of apparent wind to be going this fast.  And, she hardly heeled at all, perhaps 12 degrees.    Wow, fast boat.    We passed another boat of similar size that left about an hour before we did from Nassau.  It didn’t take long till she disapeared over the horizon behind us. Our average speed for the run, including about 90 total minutes of motoring in and out of harbors was nearly 9kts.  We were running at a pace that would have clocked between 220 and 240 miles per 24 hours.

Early today the mail boat came into Over Yonder Cay marina to deliver supplies to the island. It’s a pretty busy island so they need a great deal of supplies to keep things running smoothly.  To see the mail boat come by Pandora and tie up to the dock was an impressive display of seamanship.  This was the same mailboat that brought the sloops to Little Farm’s Cay a few years ago when I was able to get a spot aboard one of them as crew.  I wrote about that amazing experience in this post.

I was able to find my way onto the bridge to meet the captain today.  Very nice guy. He recalled the race I was in and specifically remembered the crazy experience when one of the boats sunk and an enraged owner showed up and rammed the sloop that I was crewing on.

The Captain “C” was built in Louisiana back in 2002, I think.   This was posted in the wheel house.   Everything is unloaded by hand but they do have a crane on the foredeck for really heavy stuff. Over Yonder Cay has a large staff and a good number of regular paying guests.  It takes a lot of supplies to keep the island running smoothly.  This is only part of the delivery and I was told that the supply boat comes several times per month.  After bring on the dock for about an hour they shoved off.  The wash from the props danced Pandora around at the dock and stirred up quite a bit of sand. Over Yonder Cay is a remarkable place and we are very luck to be back here again. We hope to stay for a few days and there will be lots more to tell so stay tuned.

It’s great to be back and to have friends Over Yonder.

It’s Tuesday and we have not yet left Great Harbor Cay Marina. When I spoke to Chris Parker, the weather router, yesterday he thought that we could get going from here to head part of the way to Nassau around mid day today after the strong southerlies had let up and the squalls had passed.

However, when I spoke to him again this morning. He felt that it was best if we waited until Wednesday and left early in the morning to make the 65 mile run to Nassau in a single jump when the winds are calm.  While it would be nice to have wind to sail, it is preferable to motor in flat calm conditions than to pound our way against the wind.   To leave today, in addition to some strong squalls, would mean motoring into a moderate southerly wind and plenty bumpy seas left over from the very upwards of 30kt winds that hit us last evening.

However, all is not lost as it looks good for a sailing run to Over Yonder Cay from Nassau on Thursday.  The wind is going to be a bit “sporty” though with 20+ forecasted to fill in from the northeast.  Yes, that sounds like a lot of wind but it’s not nearly as much as we will face if we leave a day later as the winds will be up near 30kts for a few days, beginning on Friday.

As I sit here, shortly after noon, some particularly nasty squalls have come and gone reinforcing that we made the right call to say till Wednesday. Thank you Chris.

It’s going to tough to leave here and the simplicity of being at a dock with easy access to showers and plugged in to shore power. However, when I check out and get the bill or two weeks of power at $.75/KWH, it will probably seem a lot less convenient.  However, electricity is very expensive in the out islands so I guess that’s par for the course.

I will also say that the crew here at Great Harbor Cay Marina is just great.  Always willing to help.

Samantha in the office is always ready with a smile.  Need a plane reservation?  She’s ready to take care of it or call ahead to the market to be sure they have what you need in stock. Of course, it’s the detail oriented management style of Hans, always ready to roll up his sleeves, that keeps the place running and make it such a pleasant spot to be.
It’s a rare cruiser who stops to visit and leaves as planned. Once you are here you just won’t want to EVER leave. In fact, some boats don’t and end up here for the entire season.

As just one example of their attention to detail, every boat in the marina received a Valentine gift of candy delivered right to their boat by Ramone.  What a nice touch and a great job to have, delivering candy to all the ladies.    “Hey little girl, want some candy?”Every Monday there is a pot luck dinner gathering and Trameco makes sure that there are fresh flowers on each table.  Nice touch. And, he even plays drums at one of the local churches. You can see from this shot just how neat and tidy the place is. And the showers? They are spotless and cleaned multiple times a day.Yes, it’s going to be hard to leave but if we don’t get on the move, we will never make it to Cuba.

On another subject, our boys Rob and Chris have never seen Pandora so they asked us to put together a “video tour”. Just for fun, I’ll share both here.

Yesterday, Brenda did a guided tour down below. I hope that you enjoy her great narration. Good job Brenda.Today I did a video of some of the highlights “topside”.   Yes, I know that I am a poor substitute for Brenda and not nearly as charming in my delivery but you should be able to get some of the highlights.Well, think of us in the next few days as we begin moving south again and underway finally.   However, we won’t likely have as good access to the Internet so I don’t know if my posts will be so “media heavy” for a while.

Don’t forget to check out “Where in the world is Pandora” on the home page.  Yes, you can track our ever move, if you just can’t stand not knowing.

Details to come, as always.