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It’s Thursday afternoon and, hard to imagine, (not really) the sun is out and it’s a beautiful day.  We have been “buddy boating” with our friends Bill and Maureen on Kalunamoo for a while now and here we are anchored off of a beautiful beach and, as an added bonus, the Fernandez Bay Village resort.   This place is beautiful and they even have a palm frond thatched roof on the main dining room.  How tropical.

Last night we had hoped to have dinner ashore as the resort puts on a terrific buffet spread each evening.  Unfortunately, I seem to have picked up some sort of stomach deal that put me down for about 24 hours.  After a particularly tough night, Brenda decided that I needed to visit the island clinic this morning.  So, she called to make an appointment.  The resort ordered a cab and we took the dink ashore.  I have to say that it was the first time I went for a doctor apt via a dink.  I guess there’s a first time for everything.

The clinic was a very small yellow building and the staff was quite efficient.  They were actually closed today but took me anyway.  That was very nice.  They checked me out and declared that I needed to eat more healthy stuff.  No surprise there.  And after and exam and a prescription, filled by them they sent me on my way.  The cost?  $0.  Such is socialized medicine, it would seem.   Welcome to the Bahamas.  Welcome indeed.  Oh yeah, the cab picked us up, took us to the clinic, then to the market and back to the resort, all for $25.  Yep, another good deal.   He even waited at the clinic while I was at the appointment.

Anyway, all seems to be well and I am on the mend.  I mentioned this as we were very disappointed that we had to cancel dinner last night but I think I am feeling well enough now that we can head ashore tonight.

This is such a beautiful spot. We can see the resort from Pandora.  Nice beach, right?  (Forgive me but this is a view from the resort to Pandora, but you can imagine, right?)The view down the beach from the patio looks like it’s a thousand miles from anywhere. In a way, it is.   We sailed 50 miles to get here and along the way the water was over 6,000′ deep.    Just love those umbrellas. The main dining room is thatched with palm fronds.   How “island”. The “tiki” bar is pretty amazing and they run it on the “honor system”.  Just make a note of what you have.  “On my honor, I’ll have another.”  I suppose it saves on staffing.  Works for me.
There are a few beautiful little islands just out in front of the lodge.  Love the clouds.And Pandora framed by the sky and impossibly blue water.We took a dink ride through a nearby mangrove swamp.  Very beautiful.  Brenda saw a sea turtle yesterday.  Lots of fish, rays and small sharks there.  We got a few shells too. The mangroves are small shrubby plants that grow in shallow water.  Their roots are very strong and can hold even in storms.  They are a great protector of fragile shorelines and a wonderful nursery for fish of all types.   The water is just so clear, like gin and very warm. 
So, now that I have “recovered” we made a reservation for dinner tonight again. I hope that I am up to it.  However, we have to leave in the morning as there is a front coming through and we have to get to a more sheltered spot when the clocking winds arrive.  Here, there’s 50 miles of ocean to the west.  Not a great spot when the wind starts piping up from the west.

So, dinner tonight or never…

Tomorrow we will likely get up early and head to Eluthera, an island about 70 miles north of here.  That’s a long way to go in one day so an early start will be important.   Getting out of Fernandez Bay in the dark should be easy but we want to arrive in Rock Sound Eluthera in daylight.

 

It’s Wednesday morning and a lovely day at anchor off of Cat Island in the central Bahamas.  Last year, when we visited Cat, we had to leave abruptly when there was a wind shift coming that would make staying anchored uncomfortable, or perhaps dangerous.  Happily, this year we have already been here for three nights and the weather is still good.  Imagine that…

Yesterday, accompanied by our friends Maureen and Bill of Kalunamoo, (I finally figured out how to spell the name of their boat, I think.) we visited Father Gerome’s Hermitage.  The Hermitage, Father Gerome’s retirement home, is perched on the highest peak in the Bahamas, a whopping 202 feet above sea level. Not particularly high but the view from there is still pretty impressive.   Pandora’s out in the distance with a handful of other boats.As I stood up on the peak I found myself wondering what the winter winds would feel like to live in such an exposed stone structure.  But wait, it’s the Bahamas and winter winds are in the 80s.  Oh yeah, nice. 

Anyway, Father Gerome was not a guy who needed a lot of creature comforts.  His bed, if you can call it that, was just a small depression in the floor of one of the main rooms.  Not sure Brenda would go for that.  No wait, she WOULDN’T like it at all.  I’d say that it was quite “hermit like”, actually.

Not only were his living conditions pretty spartan, he wanted to be sure that it was pretty uncomfortable to get to his place.  The path, if you could call it that, was quite steep at the end. The Hermitage looks quite grand from a distance with lovely proportions and architectural details.  Gerome was a gifted amateur architect.  

At first glance you really think it’s a grand structure.  However, here’s Bill standing alongside.  It’s actually more like a large scale model, that you could live in, assuming, of course, that you are an old hermit that loves to be uncomfortable.  Can you say “hair shirt”?The windows, carved into the stone sides, have modest shutters. I couldn’t resist peeking out for a “Kodak moment”.    No wait, Kodak?  Perhaps it was a “digital moment”.   Whatever…Down toward shore there is an area where some farming is going on.  In spite of the dry conditions, bananas are grown in some depressions on the ground.   It’s amazing how much fruit grows on a single stalk. We also took a walk down the road running along shore for a bit of lunch.   These “dining establishments”, no make that bars, are very modest wooden structures right on the beach.  Pretty basic. However, they do quite a solid lunch business.Yet another view of Pandora framed nicely. As a reminder that all wasn’t always so peaceful here in the Bahamas, we saw some cotton plants from the days when the Loyalists, following the American Revolution, brought their slaves here and tried to set up plantations.  Alas, it didn’t work as there just wasn’t enough water here to make a go of it.There are ruins everywhere.  Building abandoned.  And, they are often right next to a more modern structure.  Many churches on the island.  Often many out buildings and more like “compounds” as modest as they are.Some cute little shops but they always seem to be closed.  Brenda liked this building, in particular.  And painted brightly, as is their custom.The wind was kicking up for the afternoon so we got pretty well splashed on our way back to Pandora.  Nothing new there.   However, as sunset approached, things settled down and we were treated to a spectacular sunset.   There’s Kalunamoo framed against a beautiful setting sun.  Pretty dramatic.   If you’re thinking “Bob, if you’ve seen one sunset, you’ve seen them all” than you had to be there. Oh yeah, two nights ago we set an alarm for 03:00 and got up to see the lunar eclipse.  It was amazing.  Brenda stayed up longer and was treated to a number of beautiful meteors streaking across the moon and even a satellite.   Me, I craved sleep and missed much of the fun. It’s not often that you can view such an amazing event from aboard with such a panoramic view.  Pretty special. 

Our plans for the next few days are a bit up in the air but we’ll be speaking with Bill and Maureen later to decide.  Happily, the next few days are looking great with moderate winds and fair skies so we have a number of good options on where to go, or not go.   After a winter spent constantly dodging cold fronts, we are ready for some benign conditions and that’s what we have.  That’s good, very good.

And, if that’s not enough, Rob and Kandice join us in Staniel Cay in about a week and a half.  Perfect.

 

 

It’s Monday morning and we are anchored close to a lovely beach that is several miles long in an area of Cat Island known as New Bight.  The shoreline is very low and has a few simple, if brightly painted homes and businesses.  It is a small settlement and very modest, as is typical of the Bahamas out-islands.

Yesterday Brenda and I came here from Georgetown and made the 50 mile run after taking time to visit friends to say our goodbuys.  It’s going to be months, if not longer till we see some of them again.  Hopefully, some will make it to our three day SSCA gam (event) in Essex in late June.  It will be nice to see them again sooner or later.  Sooner would be better.

One couple that we visited were Mark and Kathy who live aboard Corina, a 41’ Manta brand catamaran.  Yes, those funny boats with two hulls do hold a real appeal.  They have so much room and sail flat.  That certainly beats 25 degrees of heel aboard Pandora.  However, that’s another topic.

Anyway, Mark and Kathy had spent a month in the Jumentos, a spot that we had hoped to visit but never got to this year due to the cold fronts that were coming through so often.  One of the best parts of visiting the Jumentos is walking the beaches to see what has washed up.  “Sea Beans” are a particularly special find there.  Sea beans are the large seeds of tropical plants that wash down rivers in South America  and Africa and are carried by the currents and finally come ashore on islands in the Bahamas.  The areas of the southern Bahamas tend to collect more of these “beans” and as there are so few visitors, there are lots to be found.  We have run into friends who have collected hundreds of these over a season.  Mark takes these beans and polishes them to make necklaces.  And, as an added bonus, he’s willing to part with them.  Mark doesn’t take money for his work, just wine.  And what a nice trade it is.  Brenda really wanted one of these necklaces as she had seen Mark’s work on our friend Anne, of the cat Nati.    Cathy is also very talented, and with sea glass she picks up along the way, makes very pretty earrings.  Happily, Brenda was able to get a very nice “matching” set of earrings and sea bean necklass.  The “bean” is called a “hamburger bean” as it has a light stripe with dark sides.  Very pretty.  Happy Brenda. The downside of all the goodbyes was that we left a couple of hours later than we should have to make the run to Cat.  50 miles is a long run to make in a single day and it turned out that while we were able to get to Cat while it was still light out, the sun was setting as we dropped anchor. 

While we were able to sail much of the way. we were hard on the wind most of the time, and with a few squalls passing us, we had to contend with some major wind shifts that made sailing impossible for part of the run.  All and all, we had a good run but a long day none the less.  Unfortunately, Brenda was feeling a bit seasick as the swells were running pretty high, especially in the beginning, so it wasn’t a great run for her.  And frankly, I don’t particularly like sailing hard on the wind either.

However, as we dropped the anchor close to shore we were treated to a beautiful sunset and, as an added plus, a lovely moon rise.   And a lovely moon rise in the eastern twilight.  I understand that there will be a partial eclipse of the moon tonight.  That will be neat.Today Brenda and I will likely do a bit of beach combing and perhaps exploring in “town”, such as it is. 

Our friends on Kaloonamoo, Bill and Maureen, are joining us here as they are currently underway from Georgetown..

Perhaps we’ll also head up to Father Gerome’s place nearby with them on Tuesday.

Happily, it looks like we will have several days of settled weather here so we will be able to relax and enjoy the solitude here at Cat Island for a bit.  Last year, when we visited, we had to run for cover ahead of a wind shift after only two nights.  Perhaps our luck will hold this year for a longer stay.

Fingers crossed…

It’s Sunday morning and, I can’t believe I am saying this, there’s not enough wind.  Go figure.  After months of TOO MUCH WIND, and constant fronts coming through the Bahamas, we are (fingers crossed) entering a week of moderate easterly trade winds and calm conditions. 

I am afraid to say it but as the weather router is saying the same thing, perhaps I won’t be jinxing it by wishing for the best.

Yesterday was unusual with rain and drizzle for much of the day.  Along with the rain came very light winds, something that I had been waiting for as I had to pull down my genoa (sail) for a minor repair as there was a small rip on the luff tape (if you know what a luff is that’s good, if not, don’t worry).   However I didn’t want to deal with 600 square feet of sail on the foredeck unless the wind was light.  So, after perhaps 6 weeks of waiting, yesterday was the day.  Sail down…As I didn’t bring my heavy duty sewing machine with me on this trip, I had to resort of hand sewing and adhesive sail cloth tape.  It was pretty crowded up forward with the sail down.  Happily, I was able to do much of the work prior to the light rain starting.  As you can imagine, the sail repair tape wouldn’t have stuck well to a wet sail.   Lots of sail to contend with.

I stitched the damaged area as best I could and then applied sail repair tape over the stitching.  After that, more stitching.The finished work.  Not great to look at but it should hold till I get a proper repair done at a sail loft.  I usually take the sails to a loft each winter for washing and repair.  As I am no longer putting the boat into storage in the winter, I didn’t do that last fall.  My mistake as the problem would have shown up and been repaired correctly.   Well, good enough for now.It seems that there are always problems, big and little on a boat and Pandora’s no different.  As I had mentioned the other day, I had to sort through an electrical problem a few days ago.  I was able to track down the problem but still don’t know how it happened.  Here I am working away on a solution.  Q: Did anyone notice that I have become a bit grey?  Hmm… We are still contemplating whether we will leave for Cat Island today or tomorrow. We’ll have to think about it for a few more hours and see how the breezes develop.    It could be a nice easy sail today.  That would be great. 

Our friends Russell and Lynn, aboard Blue Highway, got an early start today and sailed past us as I was sitting in the cockpit having a cup of coffee in my jammies.   Nice people.Off into the sunset, er, sunrise…Perhaps we will be out soon.  If not today, tomorrow.  Happily, no repairs to do today.  No, wait, I might jinx it…  Never mind. 

It’s Saturday morning and I just listened to Chris Parker, the weather router to hear what’s in store for the weather for the next few days.  Yes, there’s yet another cold front coming but it doesn’t look like it will penetrate far into the Bahamas.  That’s good as we would very much like to leave Georgetown and head up to Cat Island, about 50 miles NE from here.  

While the wind angle is not particularly favorable for a run to Cat, it looks like we will have better conditions by Sunday or Monday to Make the run.   Another consideration about going to Cat is to find out how long the winds will continue out of the east as we would like to stay  there for a few days, at least.  The winds have to have an easterly component the entire time we are there as there is NO protection from any sort of clocking winds, such as we have lived with much of the winter.

Now that spring is here, it seems that we are seeing some more moderate conditions.  Let’s hope that it holds.  That’s not to say that all is easy on the east coast of the US as there will be gales off of Cape Hatteras later in the week.  Fortunately, the conditions that are causing those strong winds won’t be a big factor here in the Bahamas.  Hopefully, when it’s time for me to run Pandora back up to CT the weather will cooperate.  Gales aren’t much fun and getting home with a minimum of fuss would be nice.

Last evening Brenda and I were invited over to Cat’s Meow, the 80’ catamaran that I mentioned in my last post.  Don and LaVonne, were great hosts.  They also invited two couples from other boats in the harbor, one from Annapolis and the other from Belgium to join the festivities.

It was a very pleasant evening and listening to heavily accented English spoken by the couple who’s native tongue was French was very interesting.  Brenda and I have been talking about visiting that part of Europe later this year but have been having difficulty finding how we will fit it into our plans.  It would be great fun to visit there in the summer but we really don’t want to be away from our land home during the time of year that the weather is so wonderful.  Alas, such are the trials…

While we were aboard Cat’s Meow, I was offered the opportunity to take a look around the boat and what a boat she is.   To head up onto the bow is like stepping onto a basketball court.  As the boat is 40’ wide.  It’s just massive.

We had cocktails and dinner on the aft deck and the 8 of us were not cramped at all.  I mentioned that they have a Wolf oven on board and to see such a massive stove on a boat is amazing.  I had mentioned that it was 6 burners but it’s actually 8 or perhaps 9.   Huge.

Their master sleeping cabin is quite large, about the same size as our bedroom at home. Bigger actually.  And, they have multiple cabins, several with queen size beds, in the two hulls.   And, all are beautifully decorated with wall hangings.

I can only imagine how much machinery is tucked away behind panels and under the decks to run a yacht of this complexity.   Oh yeah, the mast is so high, at more than 100’, that they are required to put a red 360 light at the top of the mast to warn away low flying planes from bumping into them.

It’s a really big boat, no, make that a really big yacht.  I have heard that the definition of a “yacht” is any boat that is bigger than yours.  Well, I expect that most, would say that Cat’s Meow is a yacht, for sure.   It’s BIG and there’s just so much room and then some more.

When it came time to help clear dinner, I had to ask if the dirty glasses were to go in the galley or in the butler’s pantry.  So much choice…  Cat’s Meow is clearly the largest yacht, and it is clearly a yacht, here in the harbor.   It’s amazing to think of handing such a large “ship” with just two adults.  I asked Don about that and his answer was that they just have to be very careful.  No kidding.

It was a lovely evening and with such an eclectic group of guests, very entertaining.   And, once again, it was fun to have old friends, yet again, enter our lives.   It’s these chance encounters that are such a wonderful part of the cruising lifestyle.

We are looking forward to what I expect will be a good run over to Cat Island.  It will be nice to do a bit of sailing again.  Perhaps we’ll do some fishing along the way.  It would be nice to catch something for dinner.

We’ll likely head the 50 miles to Cat tomorrow.  There’s a very nice resort, Fernandez Bay Resort, where we hope to have dinner.  In case you’re in the mood to have your own island retreat, the resort is currently for sale for $4,900,000. What do you think?  Good deal?  You can always rent a room for about $400 per night.  It would take a LOT of nights at that rate to total up to the purchase price. Hmm…

Last winter we anchored off of the resort and enjoyed a lovely lunch with our friends on Ariel.   Nice place.  There’s Pandora on the right.   Great view.

We’ll also likely visit the Hermitage again, the retirement home of Father Gerome.  When we last visited,  we hiked up the path to where his home was located, the highest point in all of the Bahamas.   My post last year spoke at some length about the history of Father Gerome and his home.  His story is quite entertaining. 

Well, it’s still early and I am hopeful that we’ll be able to go for a walk on the ocean beach later today.   Perhaps with all the wind of the last few days there will be some good shells to pick up.

Oh yeah, yesterday I had a healthy dose of “boat repair in exotic places” when I spent several hours tracking down the cause of an electrical problem that affected one of the pumps on our watermaker and a seemingly unrelated battery monitor.  I won’t bore you with the details except to say that even once I fixed it, I still had no idea how the problem happened at all.  Alas, fixed…

I also took my bent anchor in to town, a 20 minute run, each way, across a very bumpy harbor, to a machine shop to see about having it “unbent”.   After talking to the shop owner I decided to “donate” it for scrap.  Recall that I bent the stock a while back in Staniel Cay.   Nice shot of me “post recovery” earlier in the season.   If you missed that gory details of that debachle, check it out here.Anyway, I had a line on a recently re-galvanized CQR anchor that someone on another boat in the harbor wanted to sell so I bought it.   It took some doing to take off the Fortress anchor that I have been using and replace it with the “new” anchor but I got it done.  I won’t bore you with the details but my back is a bit sore today.

Well, as usual, an eclectic mix of ramblings.  Perhaps it’s time to break for coffee.  Enjoy your day.

Ok, ok, one more photo, taken from on top of my radar arch, a precarios perch.  Now that’s clear water.    And, that’s why the Bahamas are a great place to visit, fronts or not…