February 2016

It’s Sunday morning and we are in Georgetown, Great Exuma.  Yesterday we headed the 1.5+ miles across the harbor and made our way around town.  It was plenty windy and bumpy with that long fetch so we were happy that we had invested in a dink with a high bow.  Without a high bow we would have gotten soaked.   When you are cruising the dink is like the family car and we have a good one.

As promised in my last post, we attended the talent show associated with the Cruiser’s Regatta held in Regatta Square, a sort of town green where the Bahamas Sloop Regatta is headquartered every April.  That event is one of the biggest in the Bahamas and draws sloops from all over the Bahamas for several days of racing.  Sloop racing in the Bahamas is revered on the level that baseball is in the U.S. and everybody shows up for the party.

Anyway, the cruiser’s regatta is held here each year in late February and they tie in with a number of Exuma Bahamas community events.  One of the more collaborative efforts was held yesterday, a talent show.

There were loads of acts and the entire event began shortly after noon and continued until well after dark.  Brenda and I enjoyed watching a good portion of it and it was a lot of fun.  As mature cruisers we had to head back while it was still light.  Besides, if we had stayed to the end we would have run the risk of missing our bedtime of “cruiser’s midnight”.  For the landlubbers among you, that’s 9pm.

The show as great fun and I’d say that about half of the acts were by local Bahamian groups including a particularly cute one that included some local scout groups.  The group was quite “age diverse” and very cute.  I don’t who was cuter, the little ones or the very enthusiastic adult leaders.  It was a fun show. There were also a number of dance numbers by local girls.  Very entertaining. One of our good friends, the always shy and retiring,  Cathy (the second from the right) from Five and Dime was part of a very funny spoof song about couples anchoring foibles.    Brenda and I can tell you from our own experience, there’s no shortage of material in “couples anchoring”, perhaps among the best spectator sports afloat.   They were even in matching costumes.  You know about retired “A types” with time on their hands, right?  They have plenty of time and energy to come up with the tune and words and between them they have plenty of “experience” to draw on. There were also a number of numbers that drew on popular songs including this dance number, set to the words of These Boots Were Made for Walking.  I guess anyone remembering this number is dating themselves and there were plenty in audience singing along.   I guess the lead singer planned ahead as there aren’t many places locally to buy thigh high boots.   Yes, very well organized and as provocative as a group of women of a “certain age” could make it.   Love the high kicking and “sea boots”. The audience was very enthusiastic and appreciative.   And what a crowd it was, all settled in for the duration with their lawn chairs. And, all those lawn chairs mean a lot of dinks.  It was tough to find a parking spot. Today the wind has picked up a bit more out of the east to about 20kts so getting across the harbor to town would make for a very wet ride so we’ll stay on board or perhaps go for a walk on Stocking Island later today.  Tonight we are having our friends Phillip and Joanne along with their very cute tiny dog Cricket aboard for dinner.  That will be fun.

Oh yeah, there will be a Caribbean sailing session on the beach nearby where some cruisers who have spent time in the islands will be talking about their experiences.  Brenda and I plan on being there next season so that should be very interesting.

For now, we are thinking hard about Cuba and any last minute details.  We may need to get a few last minute vaccines on Monday for Hep A and Cholera. Oops, missed that.

Over organized or not, it’s fun to be here and it’s clear that there is a lot of talent in the cruising community and they have plenty of time to show it off.

I guess that’s about it for now.

It’s Saturday morning and we are now in Georgetown, Great Exuma.  THE place that cruisers hang out in the Bahamas.  And, there are a LOT of them, around 350 boats at last count.   In fact, some have been here since November, to be sure that they get the best anchoring spot.  Saved seat!!!

On Monday the BIG EVENT happens here, the Cruisers Regatta, when all those cruisers that have not moved for months head out to race against each other.   “Quick, Alice, eat the heavy stuff, I’ll drink the rum, that’s heavy too.  We want the boat to sail faster. ”

And, with so many boats crammed into one harbor, surprise, anchoring spots are coveted.   And, those boats that are moving, if only for a day or racing, put down a temporary anchor to “hold their spot”.    Go ahead, make their day.  Take their spot at your  mortal risk…

And, as you would imagine, with all these cruisers (AKA: retired A types) jammed into one place, for months at a time, things are pretty well organized.  Ya think?   Actually, “think Regatta”, now that’s ORGANIZED.

Each morning at 08:00 there is a “net” on the radio when everything, and I mean everything, is discussed.  There are community announcements from local businesses as well as a rundown of who’s arrived and who’s leaving.  And, if you have something you need, or want to unload, there’s an opportunity to do that too.  There is so much to cover that it takes nearly 45 minutes to get through it all.  As you can imagine, Brenda particularly “loves” the constant click of mikes, the hard (for us) to understand accents and folks that seem to be chewing on their mike so you CANT UNDERSTAND A SINGLE WORD THEY ARE SAYING.  Let’s just say that “Static” isn’t her favorite.  I guess I bring enough of that to her life. But I like to think that I do it with a smile.  Yes, I am sticking with that.

With the biggest event of the year,  “regatta”, beginning this weekend (it runs a whole week) there is a veritable frenzy of events leading up to the races .  And, guess what, committees have been formed for just every aspect and  whatever you could wish for, or not.   And, there’s even a “talent show” today.  That should make for a great post.

And, rain or shine, and it just about never rains here, you can participate in yoga on the beach, church on Sunday and there’s even water exercise, a sort of low impact for the “mature” among us, which would be just about EVERYBODY who’s here, present company included.

Anyway, it’s an interesting place, in “appropriate” doses.  I expect that our “dose” this year will be about a week as we re-provision for our run to Cuba and wait for a good weather window to move south.

Yesterday we made the 60+ mile run here from Staniel Cay with a good wind.  And, as usual, Pandora moved right along and we completed the trip at an average speed of nearly 7 knots with only a moderate wind, on a deep run.  We only had the main up as it’s tough to run the jib on a deep reach and it just doesn’t fill well and tends to bang around a lot.

We were glad to get underway as the prior night had been really rolly in the anchorage.  I made the mistake of anchoring to close to the cut leading to the ocean and waves coming in from the ocean wrapped around, causing a very uncomfortable rolling all night.  We both slept in the main cabin as it was just too bumpy up forward.  Oops.  Bad anchoring spot.  Brenda said, “it wasn’t my favorite”.

However, we had a great few days, prior to that, with the always wonderful sunsets.  No green flash but beautiful. There isn’t much rain here in for much of the year so vegetation is sparse.  And, the “soil”, well there isn’t any to speak of, is on a bed of porous limestone.  Pretty rugged though and beautiful in the late afternoon light.  This is our third visit to Georgetown and we are anchored near “monument beach”, opposite the town, about one mile away. This was the view from Pandora.  It’s very pretty in the morning light. The first time we visited here, three years ago, Christopher, Rob and his now wife Kandice came to town for a week and we hiked up to the top of the hill for a “monument moment”.  That was a wonderful time together.  Not the “I wish I was jumping with them” part, the “having them here” part.Well, if I don’t sign off and head for town I won’t  see what the “in” cruising crowd does here for the winter and won’t have anything for another post.   Yikes, that just wouldn’t do.   Keeping busy is what us retired “A” types must do… Right?

Quick, quick, gotta go Brenda, we might miss something.

 

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.