It’s Sunday morning and we are anchored in a snug little harbor near Compass Cay, one of our favorite spots in the Exumas.   The last few days have been a bit “different” as we have been struggling with a number of issues that have made things somewhat challenging.

As has been the case for much of this winter, here in the Bahamas, the strong cold fronts that have been lashing the US East Coast, have been causing havoc with the weather here in the Exumas as well.   When I say “havoc”, it’s fair to say that it’s a relative term compared with “real” winter weather such as those in New England have been enduring.

However, here on a small boat in the Bahamas, wind is king and the “king” has been throwing his weight around plenty this season.  The problem is that when a cold front comes down off of the south east US coast, the normal easterly trade winds are disrupted as the front passes through the area.  When this happens, the prevailing winds give way to winds that clock toward the southwest, west, northwest and then settle into a north wind following the passage of the front.

What this means is that just about everyone in the Bahamas must run for cover as most anchorages are only protected from winds with an easterly component.    So, a few days ago, Chris Parker, the weather router that we use, was forecasting strong westerly winds that would persist for at least a day, perhaps longer.  Nearly everyone listens to him so when he says “run for cover” that’s exactly what they do.

We did too, and Pandora had to find a spot with good protection from the west.  We chose Cambridge Cay as our “safe harbor”.  This anchorage, and it’s a pretty big one, is on the southern end of the Exumas Land and Sea Park, one of the environmentally protected areas of the Bahamas.   When we got here on Wednesday there were plenty of boats and by the time the west winds kicked in, and kicking they were, there were more than 30 boats sitting it out.

The strong winds really filled in on Friday morning and peaked with gusts near 30kts for much of the day.  Believe me, that’s a lot of wind.  Just a bit less than “gale” conditions, actually.  Overnight things finally calmed down and shifted to the north where they are expected to remain for the next day or so.   It was very good that we were in sheltered waters as the surf was pounding in any west facing anchorage and it would have been very uncomfortable, or worse, to be on an exposed shore.

I can’t say that it was pleasant hearing the wind roaring for two days but at least the anchorage was fairly calm.  We had been invited to have dinner aboard a friend’s boat at the other end of the harbor, perhaps ľ of a mile away, but we opted to stay aboard Pandora as getting over to our friend’s boat would have meant getting splashed plenty on the run over.  And, to get soaked on our way home after a few glasses of wine didn’t seem like a particularly good way to end the day.

Last winter we had a similar situation when we visited friends when the wind was blowing very hard and by the time we got back to Pandora following dinner, Brenda and I both had to strip in the cockpit and jump into the shower to get rid of all the salt.  We were drenched.

We decided we didn’t want a repeat performance so Brenda and I opted to stay aboard.  We did and enjoyed some of Brenda’s fresh baked peasant bread, cheese and wine.  Actually, a bit too much wine but I won’t get into that right now.

Speaking of technical problems (how’s that for a segue?), we have been using Brenda’s iPad as a key navigation device here in the Bahamas as the charts that are in my dedicated helm plotter doesn’t show enough detail for the Bahamas.  Our solution is to use the iPad loaded with a suite of charts and navigation software in addition to the paper chart books that we keep handy as well.

In any event, the iPad died unexpectedly a few days ago which freaked us out.   Unlike in the US, there are no buoys or other aids to navigation so knowing where you are at any given time can be a bit challenging, especially when you are surrounded by many low lying islands that all look the same.  Yes, we can get around with paper charts and careful plotting but it’s a lot easier more comfortable with the iPad open as a reference.    I always feel better if I am sure I am where I think I am.

On top of being a key source of navigation information, we also use the iPad for e-mail access.   So, here we were with no way to fix the iPad and now way to connect to the Internet.   Fortunately, our friend Joe on Onward, who we have known for a number of years, came to the rescue and offered for me to use his e-mail to order a new iPad.   Simple enough, right?

Yes and no… Unfortunately, the signal strength in this area is pretty weak so getting online was a challenge.  After messing around with Amazon.com for a bit, I was able to order a new iPad and arrange to have it shipped to Ft Lauderdale to an airfreight company.  From there (for a fee) the would fly it in to Staniel Cay.

Sounds simple, if not inexpensive.  Right?   Not so fast Bob.  Inadvertently,  I ordered the WRONG model and it would not work for navigation or e-mail aboard Pandora.  No problem, just cancel the order.   Not so easy…  I wasn’t able to cancel the order as I lost the signal at the “critical moment” and the “wrong” package shipped in spite of my best efforts.  Bummer.

Well, that was Thursday.   On Friday Joe let me visit again and order the correct item, this time from the Apple Store, and now that package too, is winging it’s way to Florida.  Somehow I have to be sure that the folks in FL are able to identify which is the “wrong” iPad and send it back.  Let’s hope that they get it right or I will be the owner of two new iPads, one right and one WRONG.  Yikes!

So, later next week we will have a new iPad flown into Staniel Cay and we should be back in business.   I won’t even talk about what sort of import duties I will have to pay on this.  If items are defined as “ship’s stores” or “equipment”, there isn’t duty to be paid but I am fearful that customs will define the iPad differently and charge me 40% of the value to bring it in.  And that’s on top of the cost of flying it in from Ft Lauderdale.   It’s going to be expensive, that’s for sure.  However, I have been told that computers are imported “duty free”.  Let’s hope that they are right.

Anyway, this is a long way of saying that the last few days, here in paradise, haven’t felt so “paradisal”.   However, after a rum punch, things always seem better.

Yesterday, after moving here to Compass Cay, Brenda and I did a bit of beach combing as the tide went out.  This area is particularly shallow so much of it is dry at low tide.  As a result, the shelling is really terrific.  We had a wonderful time walking all over the flats picking up shells.   We got a particularly colorful haul.

It’s interesting how different the shells are depending on what are of the Bahamas you are collecting in.  The haul was particularly colorful.

Along the way we spied a really big ray.  This fish, which looks like a giant black round rubber disk, was over 5′ wide.  I also saw a very pretty little shark, about 3′ long that swam right by me, only a few feet away.

The sandbars are such a lovely contrast to the deeper blue water.  Very pretty in the afternoon light.

Each day I listen to a group “Cruiseheimers” on the SSB radio for news on what’s going on and where folks are on their boats.  This “net” operates each day at 08:30 in the morning.  Interestingly, “Cruiseheimers” has this name as it’s designed to help cruisers who forget which day of the week it is after months aboard, keep their bearings.  Actually, if it weren’t for this group, we would not have known that today was the beginning of Daylight Savings Time.  The idea is that folks who live onboard end up contracting a case of “cruiseheimers”.   Get it?

One nice thing about this group is that it gets many boats on a single channel at the same time each day so you can find out where your fiends are.  Today our friends, Maureen and Bill on Kaluna Moo, who are currently in Puerto Rico, about 700 miles away, asked to talk to us.  We switched to a different channel and had a nice chat.  We hope to connect with them in April as they make their way north from their time in the Caribbean.   Maureen really took Brenda under her wing last winter as we muddled through our first winter in the Bahamas.  It will be fun to see them again.

Today it’s a beautiful day here in Compass Cay.  Our plans are for us to head to the Compass Cay Marina, that’s on a private island.  For a fee, $10 per person, we will be able to have the run of the island.  I understand that it’s very pretty.  Should be fun.
Lastly, this post is low on pictures as I had to send it via SSB radio, as our web access is zip (recall no iPad?).  I sent this to our son Christopher who did the post for us.   Thanks Chris.

It’s funny how fixated you become when you NEED something.   Well, I decided a month ago that I really NEEDED a haircut.  However, I decided early on that I wasn’t going to have my hair cut just anywhere.   I was waiting to connect with Ida.

Ida?  Who’s that?  Well, I am talking about Ida, Ida of Black Point.  She’d do it. Yes, I know that I am sounding like someone who’s trying to get a date in one of those “fancy-schmancy” (is schmancy a word?) sort of Hollywood Blvd shops where you pay $1,000 for a haircut.  Perhaps with one of those hairstylists that did Bill Clinton’s hair aboard Airforce One.

NO, NO, NO, that’s not it at all.  I am talking about getting my hair done by Ida. THAT’s Blackpoint Ida, the one that everyone who’s anyone goes to in the Exumas.  You know the one, right?  Ida!!!

But Ida is so much more.  She also has the BEST laundromat in the Bahamas, at least according to many who cruise these parts.  And believe me there are some pretty nasty places to “clean” your clothes in the Bahamas.  Ida’s spot is good even when compared to the best.

So, what exactly does Ida do here on Black Point.  Yes, she cuts hair at her shop, which is on a rise overlooking the water.  But Ida is so much more.

Ida is many things to many people.  Let me count the ways.   Yes, Ida cuts hair but she also has a very clean laundromat, serves baked goods and fried conch fritters.  She also has cold drinks as well as key necessities such as outboard engine spark plugs and motor oil.  She even has, and don’t miss this one, PVC plastic pipe fittings.  Go figure.  Ida has EVERYTHING!

Anyway, back to the hair-cutting.  For $10, $15 for women, Ida will cut your hair while you gaze out at the most amazing view you will ever have from a chair while having your hair “done”.  And, the hair cuttings just blow away.  How cool is that?

Me, I had my “experience” yesterday and feel so much better for it.  I have to say that I was beginning to feel like I had a family of small mammals camped on my head, and they were restless.  My hair was WAY overdue.

And, it gets better.  While you get your hair “done” there are even sharks cruising back and forth right out in front of you.  And, I mean the real kind, not the Upper-East-Side sort of sharks you might fear in one of those “tony” salons in NYC.  You know, the women who inhabit the high priced salons that cruise back and forth just waiting to take a bite out of you if your “do” isn’t done just right. No, I mean REAL sharks.

Although perhaps not as scary as the NYC types, they can bite just the same.   This shot of a ray, while not a shark per-se, will give you an idea of what I am talking about.  This baby was over 4′ wide.  An impressive fish.  While Ida was cutting my hair yesterday my laundry was getting done too.  However, I was only doing the “Brenda approved” portion as I was banned years ago from doing the “important” items due to my tendency to dump whites and darks into the same washer.  Yes, yes, I know it’s just not done but I can’t help myself.  It’s just so EASY…

Well, today we are back again for two more loads and Brenda’s in charge this time.   The one I did yesterday was only the sheets and towels, a mix that Brenda felt was “Bob proof”.  The more delicate items and my “better” clothing needs female oversight, according to Brenda.  Oh well, there are worse things for me to be banned from.  Banned from laundry?  YES!!! Works for me.

So, what about the haircut?   Just to prove just what an amazing experience having your hair cut by Ida really is, here’s a shot of a nice lady getting the “Ida treatment” this morning. Here’s what you see if you’re the one getting the cut.

Yes, indeed, it’s a nice spot and as if that’s not enough, you can even use Ida’s free WIFI and that’s a “HOT ITEM” believe me, in the Bahamas.  Wherever there’s free WIFI there are cruisers.  And, when you add great haircuts, conch fritters, laundry, sparkplugs, PVC pipe fittings… Well, you get the picture.

Thanks Ida.

Oops, the laundry needs folding.  I’d better sign off.  Besides, it’s nearly 1:00 and time for lunch.  Conch fritters anyone?  Hmm….

It’s Sunday evening and we are anchored off of an amazingly picturesque island Bitter Guana.  Set directly between two very popular spots, Staniel Cay and Black Point Settlement, this spot features a population of endangered Bahamas Iguanas, not unlike those at Allen Cay, in the northern Exumas.   While the location is only a few miles from these very popular spots, most boats avoid stopping here and just head from Staniel the five miles south to Black Point,  the typical stomping grounds of most cruisers.  

Today we decided to stop here as we were looking forward to some time alone and that’s exactly what we got.  While, just a few miles away in Staniel Cay, there are dozens of boats, here we are totally alone.   It’s very peaceful.  As an added bonus, now that we have discovered it, is that this will be a great spot to bring our son Rob and his girlfriend Kandice when they visit us in the spring.  This spot will be a keeper for sure. This afternoon, a 4’ long stingray took a nap in the shadow of Pandora.   The water is so clear I could easily see the big black shape of the ray.  Really neat.

There is a beautiful beach that was totally empty, with the exception of an enthusiastic community of iguanas.  As an added bonus, there were white limestone cliffs to block the strong wind from the east.  Quite an amazing view from the cockpit.   It’s hard to beat this sort of view.  As an added bonus, this view of “white” comes with a temperature in the 80s instead of 8 degrees like home.   Good to know.In the afternoon I want ashore and stood at the bottom of the white cliffs.  The temperature had to be over 100 degrees as the sun was just baking into the white cliffs and they were acting like a solar oven.  It was amazing how different the temperature was just a few hundred feet away near the water where it was more like 80.  Talk about “microclimates”.I understand that this particular species of iguana is among the most endangered of any lizard in the world.  While they used to be abundant on many islands here, they now number in the hundreds or perhaps dozens.   That’s it.  Not very widespread.   I have been told that the population is doing pretty well and growing, I understand.

This guy was very happy to see me.   Brenda wasn’t so sure she wanted to walk on the beach as the iguanas followed us along as we walked, looking for a handout.   She was very brave and walked anyway.I climbed up to the top of the white cliffs and took a shot of Pandora all alone.  Pretty dramatic.Speaking of dramatic, how about this amazing sunset to cap off the day?  There are plenty of these here in the Bahamas.  We even saw a green flash, again.  Last year we saw only one;  here something like 4 so far. What a perfect end to the day.Oh yea, the shelling is great in the Bahamas.  Yesterday Brenda and I went out near Staniel Cay and had a ball picking up shells.  Here’s our haul from only a few hours of searching.  Tomorrow we will head to Black Point Settlement, a few miles south of here.  We need to do laundry and what is arguably the best laundry in the Bahamas is there.  And, the lady who runs it also cuts hair and I really need a haircut, believe me as it’s been several months.  We also need food as the larder is getting a bit bare.

It’s Friday morning and I couldn’t resist an alliteration title for this post.   So, forgive me. 

Anyway, more to the point, our plan, as noted in yesterday’s post, was to move up to Compass or Cambridge Cays into a spot that would be a bit better protected from these persistantly annoying westerly winds.

So, late morning yesterday we cleaned up Pandora and got everything in the proper place for getting under way.

Brenda and I have a very well worked out procedure for pulling up the anchor that involves hand signals for going forward, backwards, port, starboard, stopping and various combinations of same.   So, yesterday, as we have done thousands of times, we began that process of retrieving the anchor.

As we brought Pandora over the anchor and began to pull it up the final 20 or so feet to the deck, the anchor chain pulled up sharply and stopped dead.   Generally, it takes a bit of pulling to get the anchor free of the bottom, especially after strong winds have caused the anchor to dig in deeply.

As we had a particularly strong squall the prior night, I wasn’t surprised that getting the anchor up was more difficult than normal.  So, I secured the anchor chain and signaled Brenda to power ahead to break out the anchor.   However, instead of Pandora slowing slightly as we rode over the anchor, she stopped dead and the bow dipped down sharply.

The anchor would not budge.  We tried pulling from various directions and nothing, nothing, would break the anchor free.  After a while, a couple from another boat anchored nearby came to offer assistance.  My first thought was to use our “look bucket”, a 5 gallon pail with a clear plastic bottom, to take a look at the anchor to see what it was caught on.  Oddly, the anchor was mostly exposed on the bottom.  It didn’t seem that the anchor could be so stuck.

After a bit more pulling to no avail, I decided to put on my wetsuit and go take a look at the anchor up close.  However, the water was over 20’ deep and deeper than I normally like to go with free diving.    Unfortunately, I didn’t have any choice in the matter and dove on the anchor.

What I found is that the anchor was wedged under a limestone shelf and wasn’t going to come out by pulling on it from the chain alone.

First I tied a line to the back of the anchor so that my helpers could try and pull it out.  Well, that didn’t work very well as the line got tangled in the anchor chain.

I was running out of ideas and finally decided to have Brenda put Pandora in forward to take the tension off of the anchor chain.  Then I dove down on the anchor and was able to brace my feet on the bottom and pull the anchor out from under the ledge by hand.  It worked, anchor free.

I scrambled back aboard Pandora and pulled the anchor up into the secure position on the bow.  However, I immediately saw that the shaft was solidly bent.   Not good.  The anchor wasn’t really usable any longer.

Fortunately, I have a large spare anchor that we use when the winds are going to be really strong and put that on in place of the damaged anchor.

I should note that the damaged anchor weighs 65 lbs and the shank that bent is nearly 1” thick and made from forged steel.  I can’t imagine how much pressure it takes to bend something like this.  And bend it we did.  All the pulling and yanking we did on that anchor pulled the shaft from side to side while the flukes stayed wedged in the bottom, unmoving.

Here’s what it looked like when I got it aboard. I plan on tossing it overboard as soon as I find a new anchor from someone in Georgetown where lots of cruisers congregate.   We should be there sometime in the next week or two.   For now, I figure this one is better than nothing as a spare.

This is yet another reason that we have spares for nearly everything aboard Pandora.  You never know what sort of surprises await.

Wrecked anchor or not, I am really glad that nothing but the anchor was damaged by all the yanking and am happy that Pandora is so solidly built.   The process was more of an ordeal than I would have liked but at least it ended well.   I have also been pretty unhappy with the now damaged anchor, a Bruce, as this type of anchor only works well in sand and mud.  Yes, there’s plenty of sand in the Bahamas but a Bruce doesn’t work well in grass or hard sand, where it just skips along and won’t dig in.  There have been many instances, and several on this trip, where I have had to re-anchor time after time and ultimately wasn’t able to get it to set properly.  All and all, I am not unhappy to be getting a new anchor.

Here’s hoping that there are boats around with anchors to spare.

Today?  Now that we are unstuck, perhaps we’ll head up to Compass after all.

 

It’s Thursday morning and we are still anchored off of Staniel Cay in the Exumas and are “enjoying” a fairly rare westerly wind.  Actually, to say that we are enjoying this is not actually accurate.  This area of the Bahamas is well protected from the prevailing easterlies but are very exposed to the west and when the wind shifts to the west, it gets pretty bumpy, which it is as I write this post.  Brenda doesn’t like bumpy.  

As cold fronts run down the coast of the US, they bring with them “clocking winds” where the normal easterly trade winds give way to winds that clock from the normal east through to the SW, West, NW and then back to the east where they belong.    It’s quite amazing how quickly the seas build from the west as the winds clock.  Just yesterday we were enjoying very calm conditions and following a pretty strong squall last night, the wind has settled into the west and the seas are now causing all the boats in the anchorage to bump up and down.  Even though we are fairly well protected behind a small cay (island), there is still some “wrap around” waves making us a bit uncomfortable.   However, it could be worse.  There is a small boat near us that it really taking it on the chin as they buck up and down.   A while ago they were bucking enough to bury their bow in a particularly steep wave.  Better them than me, or Brenda.  She’d love that.  NOT!

Anyway, our plan for today is to jump out into the Exuma Sound and make a short run up north to a very nice area about 6 miles north of here, Cambridge Cay or Compass Cay, whichever seems more protected.  Happily, in this area there are a number of options to get out of the exposed waves when things come from the west.  As an added bonus, we will be meeting up with our friends Ann and Sandy, old buddies from Norwalk Yacht Club in CT.  Our days at Norwalk Yacht Club seem like another lifetime.  They will be joining us in a few days when other friends join them for a week run back to Ft Lauderdale.    It will be fun to catch up and talk about old times.

One of the nicest parts of the day here in the Bahamas is as we watch the sun set.  This time of day finds many cruisers sitting on the bows of their boats, adult beverage in hand watching the western sky turn all sorts of yellows, reds and blues as the sun sets.   Brenda and I really enjoy this time together.   It’s very serene.  A few days ago, when Christopher was with us, we enjoyed a particularly nice sunset.  We even were treated to a “green flash”.  The green flash is when the last of the sun peaks below the horizon, if you stare at the last point of light it blinks a brilliant green.  I caught it on camera but it doesn’t look nearly as green it appears.  I guess it’s just another example of “you had to be there” and we were. Last evening was a bit more exciting than usual highlighted by a visit from a US Coastguard helicopter.  The distinctive orange and white craft approached our anchorage and proceeded to hover and slowly cruise in a lazy circle for about 45 minutes.  It’s very unusual to see the US Coastguard here in Bahamas waters and to see one so close to Pandora was a real treat.  To say they were close is an understatement.  They were so close that we could see one of the crew standing in the open door on the side of the aircraft.  They hovered so low that the down-wash from their rotors kicked up loads of salt spray.  They couldn’t have been more than a 150 yards from us and less than 200’ off of the water.  Brenda and I waved frantically to get their attention and if they saw us, they didn’t give any indication.  I was hoping that perhaps they would wiggle their rotors or something to say HI!  Oh well.

The light was fading but we were still able to get a great shot of them passing by.

Interestingly, this wasn’t the only helicopter sighting yesterday with this guy circling over Staniel Cay for over an hour.  The sighting was pretty neat but not nearly as impressive a sight as the USCG helicopter but very interesting never-the-less.Staniel Cay is one of the more popular islands in the Exumas and has been the location for the filming of a number of movies over the years.  Perhaps the most famous is the James Bond movie “Thunderball”, that was filmed here way back in the mid 60s.   A particularly memorable scene was filmed in an underwater cave, or grotto, nearby.  This site is still a very popular snorkeling spot.  Actually, we are anchored just east of what is now known as “Thunderball grotto”.  It’s pretty neat.  At low tide you can swim into the grotto and there, lit by sun streaming in from a hole above, is an amazing cave full of colorful fish.

Another really interesting feature here and elsewhere in the Bahamas is an occasional breadfruit tree.  These stately trees are prized for their starchy fruit.  This particular breadfruit tree is a descendant of those brought to the new world by Captain Blye himself aboard the HMS Bounty.  Blye was made famous by the mutiny aboard his ship.  That story itself has been made into many movies over the years.

In spite of the trials of Blye and his shipmates, descendants of the breadfruit tree seedlings he was carrying from the Pacific islands made their way to the Bahamas.    Here is a photo of one of the larger breadfruit trees on Staniel.This is a shot of a not quite mature breadfruit.  I understand that the fruit tastes a bit like a potato when cooked.  The Breadfruit was envisioned as an inexpensive source of food for the slave population in the Caribbean.    I don’t know if Breadfruit is eaten by the Bahamians these days.There aren’t many buildings of note on these islands but the local church, most often Baptist, generally are well supported by the locals.  With only about 50 full time residents living on Staniel, clearly a lot of attention is paid to keeping the building in perfect condition.  This church on Staniel is one of the nicer we have seen.Yesterday I went for a walk on the eastern side of Staniel on one of the many beautiful beaches.  This beach was about a mile long and I had it all to myself.   I was very impressed with the sandstone outcroppings that ran to the sea.Over the centuries the Bahamas Banks were alternately flooded and exposed as subsequent ice ages tied up large amounts of water in glaciers up in the higher latitudes.  As the banks here were exposed to the wind, huge sand dunes were built up.   As rain fell, minerals in the sand leached down through the sand and hardened the dunes into sandstone.   As the glaciers receded and the sea levels rose, the ocean carved the stone into fanciful shapes.  Here’s a good examplesof the evolving landscape.  It’s pretty dramatic.As I finish this post the westerly winds are subsiding a bit so I expect we will head north a short distance as planned.  Happily, it’s another sunny and beautiful day here in paradise.  It sure beats snow, in my book.

It’s been nice visiting Staniel and it’s not hard to understand how this spot has been popular for so many years.