It’s Friday morning and we are back in Thompson Bay Long Island (that’s the southern LI, not the one in the USA and it’s a LOT different).  Yesterday we had a ROUSING sail back to Thompson Bay, hard on the wind from the north end of the island where we had spent Wednesday night with our friends on Nati.

On Thursday morning Dick, from Nati, and I went snorkeling on a very nice reef near where we were anchored prior to heading back here.  I have to say that the reef was one of the nicest I have seen with a great variety of fish and coral.  The water wasn’t terribly clear but with about 30’ of visibility it was quite beautiful.  The prior afternoon we had gone into the mangrove swamp to do a bit of exploring and on our way back to Pandora we ran into a cruiser who had been fishing with a spear on the same reef.

We asked to see what he had caught and were impressed with the very large trigger fish he had speared.  We were also blown away by two beautiful large shells he had collected. I am not sure what type they were but they were beautiful and about a foot long.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the presence of mind to get a photo.  Oh well.  Both Dick and I just had to find one too so that’s why we decided to go for a swim.  Unfortunately, no luck but the views on the reef were terrific.  Actually, the variety of coral, sponges and fish were the best we’ve seen.  Very nice.

Our run back here was a bit too exciting as the apparent wind was gusting into the mid 20s and we were hard on the wind really heeling over.   However, the seas were calm so it wasn’t that bad.  I’d love to have a run that isn’t quite so windy which hasn’t happened in a while.  Have I mentioned that this winter has been particularly windy?  Thought so.   We might get lucky as Sunday, as we will be going down wind and it’s supposed to be lighter then.  I think we will head back to Georgetown to avoid the exposed harbor here when the winds clock ahead of the cold front that is expected early next week.

The Bahamas are primarily arid with the only rain that falls being from squalls, usually associated with a frontal passage, or during tropical storms, hurricanes, in the summer months.  That means that water is in pretty short supply much of the year.  As a result, the islands only have vegetation that can stand extremely dry conditions.

As much of the Bahamas are very shallow (you can be miles from shore and still be in less than 10′, or less, of water) mangroves are fairly common.   Mangroves grow in water that is very shallow and can pop up wherever there is fairly sheltered thin water.  These areas often dry out at low tide and have miles of winding shallow channels running through them.  When we anchored in the northern part of Long Island we were just offshore of a large area of shallows and mangroves.  This shot shows how shallow the water is and just how insignificant Pandora looked anchored off of the lee of a small island with Nati.  Pandora’s on the left. We took our dinks up into the shallows to do a bit of exploring.  Here’s Dick and Anne in their dink.I am always so fascinated with the change in color of the water depending on the depth.  Generally speaking, the darker the water the deeper it is, but not always.  You can be sure that water that is very light in color is very shallow.  The contrast of the blue of the water to the blue of the sky is so dramatic. As we were sailing back south to Thompson Bay I got some great shots of Nati.  Dick and Anne have lived aboard full time for the last 6 years.  While Nati is only 38’ long, she has three times the room of Pandora.  And, as we were sailing along, heeled on our ear, they were sailing flat and even a bit faster than we were.  Doesn’t Dick look relaxed? He was.I have to say that the idea of a catamaran is getting more appealing every day.  However, sailing in Maine with two engines and props in the water, one in each hull, is a bit daunting with all those lobster pots to snag.  It’s worth nothing that while there are loads of cats here in the Bahamas there are very few in New England.   However, it seems that catamarans are becoming more popular every year.  To step aboard one tells the story as they are very comfortable and have so much more room than boats like Pandora.  We’ll see… 

However, right now I have to figure out how to round up crew for the trip north in May.  Unfortunately, while I thought I was all set a month ago, changes in schedules and a bit of lack of clarity on my part mean that I am back to ground zero with no crew.  Oops.

While having a full month till I leave may sound like a long time to recruit crew, it really isn’t as most of the folks I know have made plans already on other boats and can’t join me.  I have sent out more invites and am hopeful that I will be able to fill in for the run north.

Getting things squared away for a long run in the crew department is always challenging and I am particularly stressed out now.  Hopefully, it will all work out.  Brenda says so and she’s not even that optimistic usually.  I am trusting her on this.

Want to go sailing?

It’s Wednesday morning and we are still here in Thompson Bay Long Island.  Yesterday we decided NOT to head over to the Jumentos, after all my posts to the contrary, as the weather for next week is looking fairly nasty.  As I mentioned many times, the Jumentos are not well protected when fronts come through and it looks like the next one will be fairly bad as has been the case much of the winter.  As a friend told me yesterday, “the Jumentos will still be there next year”.   Indeed.

Happily, there is plenty to do here on Long Island as it’s quite large.  So, the plan is to do some short sails to the northern part of the island over the next few days and then come back here to where it is “sort of” protected from the expected clocking winds.  Actually, it’s exposed to the south west but hopefully, the winds won’t be from that direction for long or be very strong.

We also plan on renting a car for a few days to see the sights on LI.  Last year we did that and had a great time.  There is only one road that runs from north to south so it’s not hard to find your way around.  We are continuing to “buddy boat” with our friends on Nati so that will make the week even more enjoyable.

One of the things that I really enjoy visiting the Bahamas is watching the dramatic clouds.  Sometimes they are combined along with big winds as well but not always.  Can you say “squall”?  On our last night in Georgetown a front came through the area bringing with it quite a show.  We had drenching rain, if only for about 15-30 minutes.  It was nice to get Pandora rinsed off.  However that didn’t last long as our run over to LI the next day got the boat pretty salty.

I was particularly struck by the sunset that evening.  As the sun set we could still see blue sky above and the orange sun setting below.  It didn’t look real.  Quite a shot.A bit later, a beautiful sunset too.  It’s amazing to watch the light change as the minutes tick by. 

So, today a short 20 mile run north to an area called Joe’s Sound.  We heard that there are lots of sea turtles there.  Should be fun.

More to come but it’s time to shove off.

 

It’s Tuesday morning and we are in Thompson Bay LI.  Note that I actually know where I am and nobody even told me.  Actually, I called into Cruiseheimers and told them today.   At the very least, my saying it helps me remember.  Thompson Bay, Thompson Bay, Thompson Bay…

Pretty good for a guy who’s spent the last few months aboard dodging cold fronts.  And, I even know that it’s April Fools day.  I can’t think of a joke though.  Sorry…

Anyway, today is a lay day (not going anywhere today) and we plan on having lunch ashore with some friends at the only dining establishment that is near here.  Two couples that we are very fond of Dick and Ann on Nati and Miles and Loreen on Ariel came over for dinner last night.  We had loads of fun and Brenda put on quite a spread.  And, I did a ton of dishes.

Speaking of water (did you follow that segue?), we can’t run our watermaker here in Thompson Bay as the water is a milky color with a very fine sediment that will clog the filters.  Actually, it looks like Bahmas blue skim milk.  Well, skim milk has always looked a little blue to me.  Why is that?

Perhaps if there was a pool of milk 6-10’ deep it would look like the water here.  Perhaps not…  Not sure where I am going with this.   The water is made milky by  a very fine sand dust that floats in the water.  The anchor holds well here but the top layer of the bottom is very, very soft sand that is easily stirred up.

Stirred up?  Did I hear stirred up?  I am all about that as I am STILL having trouble calling my mother. My phone just won’t go through to her land line.  I guess that I should just accept that I won’t be able to connect with her.  MOM!!! I have really tried.   Quite frustrating.   Perhaps I should just admit defeat for now.  That’s a tough one for me.  However, I am retired so perhaps I should try to be less persistent.   Hmm…

It seems that her phone, a land line (Yes, some folks still have those if you can believe it) won’t accept phone calls that don’t have caller ID.  Yes, I get that and changed my Bahamas line so that the number would show up.  However, it only works occasionally and without a pattern that I have been able to detect.  Oh well.

After perhaps ten, count em, ten visits to the BATELCO stores on various islands, they just don’t know what to do to solve the problem.  Sometimes the calls go though, sometimes they don’t.  And, I hate being charged for the “don’t” ones.  Perhaps it’s a Yankee thing or my Scottish heritage showing through.

So now that we have situated ourselves here in Thompson Bay, we are a day sail from the Jumentos, a place that we have wanted to check out since we first sarted talking about visiting the Bahamas.   With all of the difficult weather of late, and the “wind from all directions” that we have experienced this winter, we have to decide if we are ready to head into the “wilderness”.  And to say “wilderness” is saying a lot given the fact that just about EVERYWHERE here in the Bahamas is pretty rural.

The weather for this week looks quite good but there is yet another front expected in about a week and it’s too early to tell if there will be clocking winds this far south.  This matters as the Jumentos have very few harbors that are protected from any winds with a westerly component.  You can move around as the wind clocks but the options are quite limited.  Perhaps I would feel a bit better if we had a “buddy boat” to go with us.  We’ll have to see.  Our friends on Ariel and Nati are both headed north so that’s not an option.

Nati, in particular talked to us about visiting the Jumentos as they spent much of the month of March there.  They said that these remote islands are a “must see” and couldn’t recommend it more highly.   They say that the two best reasons to visit here are for the diving and for the beach combing.  As Brenda’s not too keen on snorkeling (it’s a “girl eating” shark thing) the next best thing for us to do is beach combing.  That sounds perfect.

Another thing that was recommended to me today is fishing for bonefish.  Bonefish are great fighters and such fun to catch.  Perhaps I should try catching some.  Bonefish love the shallows and do much of their feeding in water that is only a few feet deep.  You can catch them with bait on a light rod.  They aren’t great eating (that’s why they call them BONE fish, I guess) but are perhaps the ultimate game fish as they really fight.

I don’t have any new photos of note to share so I’ll reach back a few weeks to when we visited Compass Cay up in the Exumas.  This is a private island with a small marina and some really nice homes.  If you recall, this is the place where they feed nurse sharks at the dock and encourage folks to swim with them.  So far,  Brenda hasn’t “taken the bait” and gone into the water at feeding time. Perhaps on our next visit.

Anyway, at the most northern tip of the island there is a spot called the “bubble bath”.  I wrote about it at the time we visited it but didn’t have an opportunity to share any photos due to difficulties with cell service and uploading photos.  However, now that we have good coverage for posting, I thought that I would share a sequence with you that’s pretty neat.

The “bubble bath” is small salt water pool that is not attached to the ocean on the north end of the island.  Ocean swells coming from the north are funneled into a narrow area cut in the rock.  As the cut narrows, the waves build up much higher than you’d expect.  At the head of the cut there is an area that is above the tide but low enough so that the water just sloshes up and over the reef.  Then the “foam” pours over into a protected pool on the other side in a fountain of white.

Here’s the sequence…

This is how the cut looks toward the ocean.  It’s not that big, actually.You can see that the water on the left, the ocean side, is low and rock is exposed.As the waves rush in the water rises 5-8’ very quickly and tons of foam develops.Then, the foam spills dramatically over the rocks and into the pool.  It’s pretty fascinating to watch.  It looks quite violent but isn’t.  Folks come here to swim in the pool.  We plan on bringing our son Rob and his girlfriend Kandice here in late April when they visit us. 

This is where you beach your dink to make the trek across through the Mangrove flats.  It’s very beautiful.  As you walk through here you can easily imagine being thousands of miles from anywhere.  And, how’s that for clear water?   Amazing actually. I guess it’s time to make coffee.  Enough of this posting stuff for now.

It’s Saturday morning and, FINALLY, the wind has settled down.  After a few days of winds in the 20s and all the bumping around that comes with that, it’s wonderful to wake up to what feels, by comparison, like a gentle zephyr.  I listened to Chris Parker, the weather router again this morning at 06:30.  That’s pretty early and I have to say that I never thought that I would be setting an alarm each day I’m aboard.  I thought that alarms were a work thing…  However, Sunday Chris is off so I can sleep in tomorrow.  I’ll probably wake up early anyway.   Such is the trials of being a cruiser.  Feel sorry for me?  My brother Bill’s response might be something like “Shut up.  Are you F&^%$#@ nuts? It’s snowing here.”

I won’t think about that for now.  Did I say that the wind is less today?  Yahoo!!!  We were beginning to think that that the wind was NEVER going to drop to a reasonable level as it has been one front after another for the last two months that we have been in the Bahamas.  However, it seems that there’s light at the end of the tunnel as Chris said this morning that the coming week should be BEAUTIFUL with winds in the southern Bahamas from a reasonable direction and in the 15kt range with no major fronts likely to penetrate this far south. That’s good, very good.

With that in mind, it looks like we will be heading east to Thompson Bay Long Island on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning.  After that we will likely head southwest to the Jumentos as I talked about in yesterday’s post.

Today we’ll probably head back into town for a few chores and yet another visit to the BATELCO (Bahamas Telephone) store to try and sort out the problems of calling my mother.  She is the ONLY person I call that has a land line and for some reason I cannot get through to her number on my Bahamas cell phone.   Unfortunately, the BATELCO folks can’t seem to figure this out and we have tried everything to solve the problem.  For a while we thought it was the phone so I purchased a new one.  It worked in the store but not back at the boat.  Very frustrating.  And, to make matters worse, each time I try to call her and it doesn’t go through I still get charged for the call.

Anyway, such are details of the cruising life in a rural country.   Perhaps I am being punished for ditching my mother for a few months.  Hmm…

Speaking of traveling home to see my mother, I have been working on getting crew for the run from Nassau to Essex in May and after a month or so of corresponding with folks back in the States, I think I am about set.  As most folks have limits on the time they can be away,  I will likely make a crew change along the way, probably in Beaufort NC.  Last year I made the 1,000 mile run without stopping but this year I’d like to be a bit more leisurely about it as keeping Pandora on the run for nearly a week without a break is a bit tiring.   Perhaps I am getting old.  No, I prefer to think of it as “effort management”.   Yes, that’s better.

Well, the sun is up and getting higher and the day is getting away from me.  No exciting pix to share with you.   No, wait.  Here’s a nice shot of me and Brenda in front of the local beach bar when we visited last year.   Chat and Chill.  Now, doesn’t that sound like a “it’s the Bahamas mon” sort of place? And a view from the bar.  Yes, a good spot to “chat and chill” from.   And, of course, there are some very helpful signs to be sure you know how far you are from just about anywhere.  That’s very comforting.  

It’s Friday mid-morning and we are yet again sitting at anchor waiting for the wind to settle down as yet another cold front passes through the area.    I know it’s Friday because I listened to the Cruisheimer’s SSB radio Net today and they told me so and I also consulted with my calendar.  When you don’t have a weekend to look forward to, with two days off, it’s very easy to forget which day of the week it is. 

I am hopeful that it’s spending time aboard cruising that is causing me to loose track of what day of the week it is and not something more sinister.  I’m not going to focus on that right now.   “Quick Bob, what year is it?”  Uhh…..2014?  There, not so bad.  I guess you’ll have to take my word for it that I don’t have a tear-off calendar near the nav station on Pandora.

“Bob, Bob, where are you going with all this?  Snap out of it and get to the point.” Ok, OK, thanks, I needed that.

It’s Friday….. No wait, I already said that.

Yes, it’s plenty windy with sustained winds, let’s call them “fresh breezes” in the 20s with higher gusts.  That’s a bit much and with a wave fetch across the harbor, the water is kicking up a bit here in Georgetown.

Chris Parker, the weather router we use said, on this morning’s weather forecast on the SSB radio, that this cold front is likely to be the last really strong one to hit us in the Bahamas this season.  Yes, there’s another one coming through on Sunday but it’s not likely to be anywhere near as strong as this and prior fronts have been.  It’s high time as April is just around the corner (see, I do know what day of the month is) and springtime calmer conditions should begin to dominate.   That’s good as we only have a month left on our cruise and I’d love to be able to move around a bit prior to heading back to Nassau and the US.

In particular, we would like to visit the Jumentos and Ragged islands which are south west from here.  This part of the Bahamas is much less traveled by cruisers as there very few good harbors and getting there can be challenging.  With no settlements along the chain, we will be on our own with know one to help us if we get into trouble.  We will actually have to travel southeast to Long Island when the winds shift to the west with the coming cold front on Sunday and then wait till the easterlies fill in again and then head to the southwest and on to the Jumentos.

These two lsland chains are about 50 miles long from one end to the other, not a very long distance and are laid out in a crescent that runs on a gentle curve in a northeast to southwest direction.  Once you get to Duncan Town, at the very most west portion of the Raggeds, you are within 50 miles of Cuba.  Now, that’s a spot we’d love to visit.  We have met quite a few Canadians and a few Americans who have visited there.  Perhaps we will soon be able to go.   Washington?  Are you listening?

Visiting Cuba is at the top of the list for Brenda.  Me too.

Anyway, here we sit, in the wind, waiting for things to settle down so we can get on with it.  Hope so…

Yesterday Brenda and I took some time to go ashore and had lunch a nice little resort here in Georgetown called St. Francis.  They serve simple lunch fare on a beautiful deck overlooking the water.   This view is pretty representative of just how beautiful it is.After lunch we headed out to the nearby ocean beach to watch the waves crash ashore.  The beach was about two miles long and we had most of it completely to ourselves.  Even with 100 boats anchored nearby, most everyone stayed aboard given the wind.

With the very strong onshore winds and waves, we were pretty well coated with salt when we returned to Pandora.  Happily, I had filled our water tanks with the reverse-osmosis (watermaker) earlier in the day so we were free to shower and clean up.  I love, LOVE, our watermaker.  Brenda?  Love isn’t strong enough to describe how she feels about it.

So, what’s on for today?  Not sure but I do have a good book.  Not too much on the agenda here in the warm and sunny Bahamas when the wind is blowing.  Good thing we aren’t in a rush.

Sorry though,  for not including any great shots of sunsets, turtles, shells…  You’ll just have to check old posts for more scintillating pix.

That’s my report and I’m sticking to it…